DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Scott et al. (US 2023/0094883).
In regard to Claim 1:
Scott discloses, in Figure 6, a power amplifying device comprising:
a power amplifying transistor (208) configured to amplify a power of a radio frequency signal (¶ 0035);
a voltage detection circuit (226) configured to output a first detection signal that indicates whether or not a power source voltage applied to the power amplifying transistor (208) is greater than or equal to a first threshold value (overvoltage protection signal when exceeding second threshold voltage, ¶ 0007), and to output a second detection signal that indicates whether or not the power source voltage applied to the power amplifying transistor (208) is greater than or equal to a second threshold value (overvoltage protection signal when exceeding first threshold voltage, ¶ 0007), the second threshold value being larger than the first threshold value (the first threshold voltage is greater than the second threshold voltage, ¶ 0007);
a bias circuit (214) configured to supply a bias current to the power amplifying transistor (208);
a bias power supply circuit (224) configured to generate a bias power source current (224 output) supplied to the bias circuit (214); and
a bias control circuit (218) configured to control the bias circuit (214),
wherein the bias power supply circuit (224) is configured to operate in one of a plurality of current generation modes in which the bias power source current (224 output) is generated at different levels (¶ 0064),
wherein the bias power supply circuit (224) is configured to operate in a weak restriction mode as one of the plurality of current generation modes when the first detection signal indicates that the power source voltage is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (¶ 0064, “the overvoltage protection signal 236 alone exceeds the threshold sufficient to trigger overcurrent protection measures (e.g., limiting the regulator 224)”),
wherein in the weak restriction mode, the bias power supply circuit (224) is configured to generate the bias power source current (224 output) at a reduced level (¶ 0064, “limiting the regulator 224”) compared with a case where the first detection signal indicates that the power source voltage is less than the first threshold value (¶ 0061), wherein under control of the bias control circuit (218),
the bias circuit is configured to operate in an on mode or an off mode, wherein in the on mode, the bias power source current (224 output) generated by the bias power supply circuit (224) is supplied to the power amplifying transistor (208) as the bias current (bias current generated by 224 supplied to 208),
wherein in the off mode, the bias current level is reduced compared with a case where the bias circuit (2124) operates in the on mode (¶ 0064, “limiting the regulator 224”), or supply of the bias current to the power amplifying transistor is stopped, and
wherein when the second detection signal indicates that the power source voltage is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the bias control circuit (218) is configured to cause the bias circuit (214) to operate in the off mode (¶ 0064, “the overvoltage protection signal 236 alone exceeds the threshold sufficient to trigger overcurrent protection measures (e.g., limiting the regulator 224)”).
In regard to Claim 10:
Scott discloses, in Figure 6, the power amplifying device according to Claim 1, wherein when the bias control circuit (218) causes the bias circuit (214) to operate in the off mode, the bias control circuit (218) is configured to cause the bias circuit (214) to operate in a weak off mode in which the bias current obtained with the bias power source current of a reduced level (¶ 0064, “the overvoltage protection signal 236 alone exceeds the threshold sufficient to trigger overcurrent protection measures (e.g., limiting the regulator 224)”) is supplied from the bias circuit (214) to the power amplifying transistor (208).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 and 11-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
In regard to Claim 2:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the weak restriction mode includes a constant restriction mode in which the level of the bias power source current is reduced to a constant level, the constant level being less than the level of the bias power source current at a time when the power source voltage is less than the first threshold value.
In regard to Claim 3:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the weak restriction mode includes a variable restriction mode in which as the power source voltage increases, an amount of decrease in the level of the bias power source current increases with respect to the level of the bias power source current at a time when the power source voltage is less than the first threshold value.
In regard to Claim 7:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the plurality of current generation modes further comprises a non-restriction mode in which the bias power source current is maintained at a fixed value irrespective of state of the first detection signal.
In regard to Claim 8:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the bias power supply circuit is configured to operate in a strong restriction mode as one of the plurality of current generation modes when the first detection signal indicates that the power source voltage is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, and wherein in the strong restriction mode, the bias power supply circuit is configured to generate the bias power source current at a level at which the power amplifying transistor performs no amplification operation.
In regard to Claim 9:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein when the bias control circuit causes the bias circuit to operate in the off mode, the bias control circuit is configured to cause the bias circuit to operate in a strong off mode in which supply of the bias current to the power amplifying transistor is stopped.
In regard to Claim 11:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the voltage detection circuit comprises: a first comparator configured to compare the power source voltage with the first threshold value, and to output a first comparison result as the first detection signal, and a second comparator configured to compare the power source voltage with the second threshold value, and to output a second comparison result as the second detection signal.
In regard to Claim 12:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the bias circuit comprises a biasing transistor configured to supply the bias current to the power amplifying transistor, and wherein an emitter or a source of the biasing transistor is connected to a base or a gate of the power amplifying transistor, the bias power source current is supplied to a collector or a drain of the biasing transistor, and a control current of the biasing transistor is controlled by the bias control circuit.
In regard to Claim 13:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the bias control circuit comprises: a second decoder configured to decode a second mode selection signal that selects the operation mode of the bias circuit, and to decode the second detection signal, a second constant current source configured to change a level of a current generated in a manner that depends on an output from the second decoder, and a second current mirror configured to supply a current generated by the second constant current source to the bias circuit.
In regard to Claim 14:
None of the prior art or combination thereof teaches or fairly suggests the following features in combination with the other limitations of the claims:
wherein the bias control circuit comprises: a second decoder configured to decode a second mode selection signal that selects the operation mode of the bias circuit, and to decode the second detection signal, a second constant current source, and a second current mirror configured to supply a current generated by the second constant current source to the bias circuit, a multiplication factor of the second current mirror being changed in a manner that depends on an output from the second decoder.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Morisawa et al. (US 2021/0234523) discloses a power amplifier circuit includes an amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency signal and output the radio frequency signal, a bias current supply circuit configured to supply a bias current to the amplifier, a detection circuit configured to detect whether the current or voltage of the amplifier is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; and a draw circuit configured to, when the detection circuit detects that the current or voltage is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, draw at least a part of the bias current supplied to the amplifier.
Inamori et al. (US 2011/0175681) discloses a radio frequency power amplifier that includes: a power amplifier which amplifies a radio frequency signal; a voltage supplying unit which supplies a collector voltage to the power amplifier; a current supplying unit which supplies a bias current to the power amplifier; and a bias current detecting unit which detects the bias current. The voltage supplying unit has a control unit which sets the power supply voltage at: a first voltage when the detected bias current is lower than a bias-current reference value; and a second voltage lower than the first voltage when the detected bias current is higher than the bias-current reference value.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John W Poos whose telephone number is (571)270-5077. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 8-5.
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/JOHN W POOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2843
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