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 § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KORD (US 20240283480 A1) in view of LEHTOLA (US 20230361734 A1).
Regarding claim 1, KORD teaches a radio-frequency transceiver operable to transmit one or more radio-frequency signals via an antenna in a transmitter mode and to receive one or more radio-frequency signals via the antenna in a receiver mode (KORD teaches a radio transceiver comprising a transmitter and receiver operating in a Time Domain Duplexing scheme where the transmitter function radiates a signal to the air via the antenna, and the receiver function picks up a signal via the antenna, para. 0006,34-38, fig. 6, 610), the transceiver comprising:
a power amplifier for use in the transmitter mode (KORD teaches a power amplifier configured to amplify a to-be-transmitted signal when the transmitter is activated, fig. 6, 610) comprising a switched-capacitor network (KORD, fig. 1C, co-share network 171, fig. 3, SC1, SC2); and
a low-noise amplifier for use in the receiver mode (KORD teaches a low-noise amplifier configured to amplify a received signal when the receiver function is activated);
wherein the transceiver is configured, when operating in the receiver mode, to pull one or more of the capacitance elements in the switched-capacitor network to a ground potential (KORD discloses a first switch-capacitor network comprising a serial connection of a capacitor and a switch that is configured to shunt the node to a first ground via the capacitor. Specifically, in the receive mode, the switch logic is asserted to form a resonant network that boosts the output impedance to mitigate the loading effect of the transmitter, para. 0006,33-38).
KORD is silent to teaching that the power amplifier comprising a switched-capacitor array comprising a plurality of capacitance elements.
In the same field of endeavor, LEHTOLA discloses a power amplifier comprising a switched-capacitor array comprising a plurality of capacitance elements pulled to a ground potential (LEHTOLA teaches a load modulator including a plurality of switchable capacitances arranged in parallel between a node and ground, where each switchable capacitance includes a series arrangement of a capacitance and a switch, para. 0040-45, fig. 14, LM 100).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the switch-capacitor network of KORD to include a plurality of capacitance elements configured as a switched-capacitor array, as taught by LEHTOLA. The motivation for this modification would be to provide a variable capacitance that can be dynamically modulated with wide bandwidth and high linearity. By implementing an array of parallel switchable capacitances rather than a single capacitor, the transceiver could precisely tune the capacitance value depending on a control voltage, thereby optimizing load modulation, improving impedance matching, and preventing the transmitter from adversely loading the receiver across various dynamic operating conditions or frequencies. Therefore, the combined teachings of KORD and LEHTOLA render the claim obvious under the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation.
Regarding Claim 2, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 1 comprising an impedance matching network connected between the power amplifier and the antenna, and connected between the antenna and the low-noise amplifier (KORD discloses a "co-share network 171" functioning as an interface (impedance matching network) between the antenna 181 and the power amplifier 151, and between the antenna 181 and the low-noise amplifier 161, para. 0033-38. Specifically, KORD utilizes a T-coil containing inductors L1 and L2, along with resonant networks, to provide an impedance-matching gain and isolation between the transmitter, receiver, and antenna node N1.
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed claim 1, wherein the power amplifier is a differential power amplifier comprising a first output terminal and a second output terminal, the power amplifier being arranged to output a differential radio-frequency signal across the first and second output terminals (KORD discloses that the power amplifier 311 is a differential power amplifier configured to receive a to-be-transmitted signal and output a differential radio-frequency signal comprising two voltages, Va+ and Va-, across its output terminals via NMOS transistors 421 and 422, fig. 3, 311, para. 0032-34).
Regarding Claim 6, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a balun arranged, when the transceiver is operating in the transmitter mode, to receive a differential signal output by the power amplifier and to output a single-ended signal to the antenna (KORD discloses a first balun transformer T1 arranged, when the transceiver is operating in transmitter mode, to receive the differential amplified signal Va output by the power amplifier 311, and perform a differential to single-ended conversion to output a first voltage V1 (single-ended signal) at the first node N1, which is connected to the antenna via pin p1, para. 0033-38).
Regarding Claim 8, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 6, wherein the balun comprises: a power-amplifier-side winding having a first terminal connected to a first output terminal of the power amplifier, and a second terminal connected to a second output terminal of the power amplifier; an antenna-side winding having a first terminal connected to the antenna, and a second terminal connected to the ground potential (KORD discloses the balun T1 having a primary coil (power-amplifier-side winding) T1p whose center tap is connected to VDD1 to provide power supply to the differential outputs of the power amplifier 311, para. 0034-38. KORD also discloses a secondary coil (antenna-side winding) T1s connected between node N1 (antenna node) and the first capacitor C1 of the switch-capacitor network, which is configured to shunt to a ground potential when the switch S1 is asserted).
Regarding Claim 9, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 8, wherein the low-noise amplifier is a single-ended low-noise amplifier comprising a single input terminal connected to: the first terminal of the antenna-side winding of the balun; the first terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun; or the second terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun (KORD discloses a single-ended low-noise amplifier 321 having a single input terminal at node N3, which is connected to node N1 (the first terminal of the antenna-side winding of the balun T1) via the T-coil inductors L1 and L2, para. 0033-368).
Regarding Claim 11, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pad cell connected between the antenna and the low-noise amplifier, the pad cell comprising electrostatic-discharge protection circuitry (KORD discloses an ESD (electrostatic discharge) circuit 322 coupled to node N3, which is located in the path between the antenna node N1 and the low-noise amplifier 321, configured to provide a discharge path during an electrostatic discharge event to protect the low-noise amplifier, para. 0046-70.
Regarding Claim 25, KORD a method of operating a radio-frequency transceiver (KORD teaches a radio transceiver comprising a transmitter and receiver operating in a Time Domain Duplexing scheme where the transmitter function radiates a signal to the air via the antenna, and the receiver function picks up a signal via the antenna, para. 0006,34-38, fig. 6, 610), the method comprising:
in a transmitter mode, using a power amplifier comprising a switched-capacitor network (KORD, fig. 1C, co-share network 171, fig. 3, SC1, SC2) to transmit one or more radio-frequency signals via an antenna (KORD teaches a power amplifier configured to amplify a to-be-transmitted signal when the transmitter is activated, fig. 6, 610); and
in a receiver mode:
using a low-noise amplifier to receive one or more radio-frequency signals via the antenna (KORD teaches a low-noise amplifier configured to amplify a received signal when the receiver function is activated); and
pulling one or more of the capacitance elements in the switched-capacitor network to a ground potential (KORD discloses a first switch-capacitor network comprising a serial connection of a capacitor and a switch that is configured to shunt the node to a first ground via the capacitor. Specifically, in the receive mode, the switch logic is asserted to form a resonant network that boosts the output impedance to mitigate the loading effect of the transmitter, para. 0006,34-38).
In the same field of endeavor, LEHTOLA discloses a power amplifier comprising a switched-capacitor array comprising a plurality of capacitance elements pulled to a ground potential (LEHTOLA teaches a load modulator including a plurality of switchable capacitances arranged in parallel between a node and ground, where each switchable capacitance includes a series arrangement of a capacitance and a switch, para. 0040-45, fig. 14, LM 100).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the switch-capacitor network of KORD to include a plurality of capacitance elements configured as a switched-capacitor array, as taught by LEHTOLA. The motivation for this modification would be to provide a variable capacitance that can be dynamically modulated with wide bandwidth and high linearity. By implementing an array of parallel switchable capacitances rather than a single capacitor, the transceiver could precisely tune the capacitance value depending on a control voltage, thereby optimizing load modulation, improving impedance matching, and preventing the transmitter from adversely loading the receiver across various dynamic operating conditions or frequencies. Therefore, the combined teachings of KORD and LEHTOLA render the claim obvious under the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation.
Claim(s) 3, 5, 7 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KORD and LEHTOLA as applied to claims 1, 4, 6, and 8 above, and further in view of SOMAN (US 20110319042 A1).
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the low-noise amplifier is a single-ended low-noise amplifier comprising a single input terminal connected to the antenna (KORD teaches a single-ended LNA 321 that amplifies voltage V3 at node N3).
The combination of KORD and LEHTOLA is silent to teaching that wherein: the power amplifier is a single-ended power amplifier comprising a single output terminal connected to the antenna.
In the same field of endeavor, SOMAN taches a RF transceiver wherein: the power amplifier is a single-ended power amplifier comprising a single output terminal connected to the antenna (SOMAN discloses an embodiment of an integrated radio-frequency transceiver that utilizes a single-ended radio frequency power amplifier (RFPA) 501 having a single-ended output line 502 that provides a power-amplified single-ended signal to the antenna (para. 0052)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the transceiver of KORD to utilize a single-ended power amplifier as taught by SOMAN. The motivation for this modification would be to optimize the circuit "for applications that require only a single-ended radio frequency power amplifier 501 output for power amplifying a single-ended signal" by removing one of the differential branches of the power amplifier.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 4.
The combination of KORD and LEHTOLA is silent to teaching that wherein the switched-capacitor array comprises a first switched-capacitor array portion connected to the first output terminal of the power amplifier and a second switched-capacitor array portion connected to the second output terminal of the power amplifier.
In the same field of endeavor, SOMAN teaches a device wherein the switched-capacitor array comprises a first switched-capacitor array portion connected to the first output terminal of the power amplifier and a second switched-capacitor array portion connected to the second output terminal of the power amplifier (SOMAN discloses programmable capacitors C3 306 and C4 307, which under the BRI function as switched-capacitor array portions, connected directly to the first node 102c and second node 102d, which serve as the differential output terminals of the power amplifier).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify KORD to place programmable switched-capacitor portions on the differential output terminals of the power amplifier as taught by SOMAN. The motivation would be "to remove parasitic capacitance difference present between the first node 102c and the second node 102d of the center-tapped inductor 102a during receiving and transmitting modes".
Regarding claim 7, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 6.
The combination of KORD and LEHTOLA is silent to teaching that wherein the balun is arranged, when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode, to receive a single-ended radio-frequency signal from the antenna and to output at least one side of a differential radio-frequency signal to the low-noise amplifier.
In the same field of endeavor, SOMAN teaches a device wherein the balun is arranged, when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode, to receive a single-ended radio-frequency signal from the antenna and to output at least one side of a differential radio-frequency signal to the low-noise amplifier (SOMAN discloses a shared balun 102 that, when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode, converts an "incoming single-ended signal from the antenna 108... to a differential signal by the balun 102," which is then "provided to the receiver radio frequency amplifier (Rx RFA) 104 for amplification").
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify KORD to utilize the balun to route the received single-ended RF signal to the low-noise amplifier as taught by SOMAN. The motivation would be to "separately utilize the same center-tapped inductor balun and other passive components, thereby rendering a compact radio frequency (RF) front-end" that benefits from "reduced chip area (real estate), reduced energy dissipation, reduced signal loss, reduced switching loss, and reduced cost of manufacture”.)
Regarding claim 10, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 8.
The combination of KORD and LEHTOLA is silent to teaching that wherein the low-noise amplifier is a differential low-noise amplifier comprising a first input terminal and a second input terminal, wherein: said first input terminal is connected to the first terminal of the antenna-side winding of the balun, and said second input terminal is connected to the second terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun; or said first input terminal is connected to the first terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun, and said second input terminal is connected to the second terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun.
In the same field of endeavor, SOMAN teaches that wherein the low-noise amplifier is a differential low-noise amplifier comprising a first input terminal and a second input terminal, wherein: said first input terminal is connected to the first terminal of the antenna-side winding of the balun, and said second input terminal is connected to the second terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun; or said first input terminal is connected to the first terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun, and said second input terminal is connected to the second terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun (SOMAN teaches first input terminal is connected to the first terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun, and the second input terminal is connected to the second terminal of the power-amplifier-side winding of the balun, because both the power amplifier balanced output lines 105e/105f and the low-noise amplifier balanced input lines 104c/104d are directly connected to the identical first node 102c and second node 102d of the center-tapped inductor 102a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the receiver of KORD to utilize a differential LNA connected to the balun's power-amplifier-side winding nodes as taught by SOMAN. The motivation would be to fully integrate the RF front-end by combining the LNA input lines and PA output lines on common on-chip nodes, thereby explicitly eliminating transmit and receive (T/R) switches from the signal paths, because "transmit and receive (T/R) switch losses directly affect the receiver (Rx) sensitivity and transmitter (Tx) output power delivery".
Claim(s) 12-16 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KORD and LEHTOLA as applied to claim 1, and further in view of PAI (US 20180367135 A1).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the capacitance elements of the switched-capacitor array is switchably connectable to the ground potential via one or more transistors.
In the same field of endeavor, PAI teaches a device wherein each of the capacitance elements of the switched-capacitor array is switchably connectable to the ground potential via one or more transistors (PAI discloses a switched capacitance circuit for an RF transceiver that defines a capacitor bank (an array of switched-capacitor cells) comprising a plurality of switchable capacitance elements. PAI teaches that each of the capacitance elements is switchably connectable to the ground potential via one or more transistors, explicitly utilizing pull-down transistors to selectively provide a ground potential to the circuit nodes of the capacitors, para. 0024,36-46).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the switch-capacitor network of the transceiver in KORD to include the transistor-based switched capacitance array taught by PAI. The motivation to implement PAI's specific arrangement of NMOS pull-down and PMOS pull-up transistors to control the switchable capacitances would be to reduce transistor stress voltages, minimize circuit complexity, and allow for fast capacitance switching during frequency tuning in the RF transceiver. As explicitly taught by PAI, modern high-speed transistors have thin oxide layers, making them highly vulnerable to stress voltages; modifying the circuit to selectively apply a bias voltage via these specific transistors protects the elements from exceeding maximum stress tolerances, thereby preserving transistor mobility and preventing intrinsic noise degradation while maintaining high-speed RF operation.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 1.
The combination of KORD and LEHTOLA is silent to teaching that wherein: the switched-capacitor array comprises, for each capacitance element, a first transistor having: a first terminal connected to the capacitance element; a second terminal connected to the ground potential; and a control terminal which receives a respective control signal; and the transceiver is arranged to pull the one or more capacitance elements to the ground potential when operating in the receiver mode by controlling the control signals associated with said one or more capacitance elements so as to form a connection between said one or more capacitance elements and the ground potential via the associated first transistor.
In the same field of endeavor, PAI teaches a device wherein: the switched-capacitor array comprises, for each capacitance element, a first transistor having:
a first terminal connected to the capacitance element (PAI teaches the drain terminal (first terminal) of the pull-down transistor 316 is connected to mid-node 322, which is coupled to the capacitance elements 306/308);
a second terminal connected to the ground potential (PAI teaches the source terminal (second terminal) of the mid-node pull-down transistor 316 is connected directly to circuit ground); and
a control terminal which receives a respective control signal (PAI teaches the gate terminal (control terminal) of the pull-down transistor 316 receives a selection control signal V_SEL); and
the transceiver is arranged to pull the one or more capacitance elements to the ground potential when operating in the receiver mode by controlling the control signals associated with said one or more capacitance elements so as to form a connection between said one or more capacitance elements and the ground potential via the associated first transistor (PAI teaches pulling the capacitance elements to the ground potential by controlling the control signals (V_SEL) so as to form a low-impedance connection between said capacitance elements and the ground potential via the associated first pull-down transistor, para. 0024,36-46).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the switch-capacitor network of the transceiver in KORD to include the transistor-based switched capacitance array taught by PAI. The motivation to implement PAI's specific arrangement of NMOS pull-down and PMOS pull-up transistors to control the switchable capacitances would be to reduce transistor stress voltages, minimize circuit complexity, and allow for fast capacitance switching during frequency tuning in the RF transceiver. As explicitly taught by PAI, modern high-speed transistors have thin oxide layers, making them highly vulnerable to stress voltages; modifying the circuit to selectively apply a bias voltage via these specific transistors protects the elements from exceeding maximum stress tolerances, thereby preserving transistor mobility and preventing intrinsic noise degradation while maintaining high-speed RF operation.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 13, wherein the switch-capacitor array further comprises, for each capacitance element, a second transistor having:
a first terminal connected to the capacitance element and to the first terminal of the respective first transistor (PAI teaches the drain terminal (first terminal) of the pull-up transistor 320 is connected directly to mid-node 322, thus sharing the exact same node connection with the capacitance elements and the drain terminal of the first transistor 316);
a second terminal connected to a configurable supply voltage (PAI teaches the source terminal (second terminal) of the pull-up transistor 320 is connected directly to the supply voltage VDD); and
a control terminal which receives the respective control signal (PAI teaches the gate terminal (control terminal) of the pull-up transistor 320 receives the exact same respective control signal V_SEL, para. 0024,36-46).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 14, wherein each first transistor comprises an NMOS transistor, and each second transistor comprises a PMOS transistor (PAI discloses that the mid-node pull-down transistor 316 (the first transistor) is an NMOS transistor, and the pull-up transistor 320 (the second transistor) is a PMOS transistor, para. 0024,36-46).
Regarding claim 16, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor associated with each capacitance element are connected in an inverter configuration, with the input of the inverter configuration receiving the respective control signal and the output of the inverter configuration being connected to the respective capacitance element (PAI Specifically, PAI teaches that the first transistor (mid-node pull-down transistor 316, an NMOS transistor) and the second transistor (pull-up transistor 320, a PMOS transistor) are configured such that their drain terminals are connected together at a common node (mid-node 322), the source of the PMOS is connected to a supply voltage (VDD), and the source of the NMOS is connected to circuit ground. PAI further teaches that the input of the inverter configuration receives the respective control signal, as the gate terminals of both transistors 316 and 320 receive the exact same selection control signal (V_SEL). PAI also teaches that the output of the inverter configuration is connected to the respective capacitance element, as the common drain connection at mid-node 322 is connected directly to the capacitance elements 306 and 308.
Regarding claim 18, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control signals provided to the control terminals of the transistors associated with each capacitance element are independently controllable from the configurable power supply (PAI teaches that the selection control signal (V_SEL) applied to the gate terminals of transistors 316 and 320 is provided by "a controller, processor, DAC, etc." to apply a state representing either selection or de-selection of the circuit. Because V_SEL is generated by a separate processing element/controller to switch states, it is independently controllable from the supply voltage (VDD)).
Claim(s) 17 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI as applied to claim 14, and further in view of WALLING (US 20200259512 A1).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 14,
The combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI is silent to teaching that arranged to: pull the configurable supply voltage provided to the second terminals of the second transistors to the ground potential when operating in the receiver mode; and pull the configurable supply voltage provided to the second terminals of the second transistors to a positive supply voltage when operating in the transmitter mode.
In the same field of endeavor, WALLING teaches a device pull the configurable supply voltage provided to the second terminals of the second transistors to the ground potential when operating in the receiver mode; and pull the configurable supply voltage provided to the second terminals of the second transistors to a positive supply voltage when operating in the transmitter mode (WALLING is a transmitter (a digital power amplifier) and a transceiver's non-transmitting (idle/receive) state can be mapped to WALLING's disclosure of holding components at a ground potential when not actively switching. Specifically, WALLING teaches that the bottom plate of each capacitor in the switched-capacitor array "can be held at fixed potential, e.g., ground. Furthermore, WALLING discloses that the switch 731 comprises a PMOS device 741 (second transistor) connected to a positive supply voltage. Controlling the switch logic to hold the capacitor node at a fixed ground potential when the capacitors are not being actively switched at a carrier frequency (e.g., during a non-transmitting/receiver mode) maps to pulling the effective supply voltage provided via these terminals to a ground potential. Conversely, when operating in the active transmitter mode, WALLING teaches that the switch pulls the capacitance elements to the positive supply voltage.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify KORD with the teaching of WALLING in order to leverage the limited spectrum available, WALLING, para. 0003.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 14.
The combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and PAI is silent to teaching that configured, when operating in the transmitter mode, to repeatedly alternate the control signals provided to the first and second transistors associated with one or more of the capacitance elements in the switched-capacitor network so as to alternate between pulling said one or more capacitance elements to ground via the associated first transistor(s) and pulling said one or more capacitance elements to the positive or negative supply voltage potential via the associated second transistor (s), in order to generate a radio-frequency square-wave signal.
In the same field of endeavor, WALLING teaches a device configured, when operating in the transmitter mode, to repeatedly alternate the control signals provided to the first and second transistors associated with one or more of the capacitance elements in the switched-capacitor network so as to alternate between pulling said one or more capacitance elements to ground via the associated first transistor(s) and pulling said one or more capacitance elements to the positive or negative supply voltage potential via the associated second transistor (s), in order to generate a radio-frequency square-wave signal (WALLING discloses a Switched Capacitor Power Amplifier (SCPA) configured for transmission, where the bottom plate of each capacitor 210 in the array 202 is individually digitally controlled to "switch at a carrier frequency”. WALLING further explicitly teaches that this high-frequency switching operation constitutes a "square wave that switches the capacitors". To generate this radio-frequency square-wave signal, WALLING teaches repeatedly alternating control signals via control logic 739 (which receives an RF clock signal CK) to a switch 731. WALLING discloses that this switch comprises a first transistor (NMOS device 747) and a second transistor (PMOS device 741). When the control signals are alternated, the NMOS device 747 is switched to pull the capacitance element to a reference ground, and the PMOS device 741 is switched to pull the capacitance element to a positive supply voltage potential. WALLING maps directly to repeatedly alternating the control signals provided to the first and second transistors to alternate between ground and a positive supply voltage to generate a radio-frequency square-wave signal.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify KORD with the teaching of WALLING in order to leverage the limited spectrum available, WALLING, para. 0003.
Claim(s) 20-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KORD and LEHTOLA as applied to claim 1, and further in view of SANO (US 20060176776 A1).
Regarding claim 20, the combination of KORD and LEHTOLA teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 1.
The combination of KORD and LEHTOLA is silent to teaching that arranged, when operating in the receiver mode, to output a control word comprising a predetermined number of bits to the power amplifier, the number of capacitance elements being pulled to the ground potential when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode being dependent on said control word.
In the same field of endeavor, SANO teaches a device arranged, when operating in the receiver mode, to output a control word comprising a predetermined number of bits to the power amplifier, the number of capacitance elements being pulled to the ground potential when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode being dependent on said control word (SANO discloses a radio wave receiver utilizing a variable capacitor array comprising a plurality of capacitors and switching elements (transistors) connected in parallel. SANO teaches outputting a control word comprising a predetermined number of bits (a capacitance selection signal that a decoder converts into multi-bit switching data, e.g., "00010100") to the capacitor array. SANO further teaches that the number of capacitance elements being pulled to the ground potential is dependent on said control word, as the switching data controls the ON/OFF combinations of the respective transistors to determine how many capacitors are connected to the antenna in parallel to vary the tuning capacitance, para. 0054).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the load-modulated switched-capacitor array of KORD and LEHTOLA to include the digital control word tuning, calibration sweep, and non-volatile lookup table taught by SANO. The motivation for this modification would be to automatically tune the capacitance to an optimum state relative to radio waves having predetermined frequencies. As taught by SANO, manually adjusting tuning capacitances is slow and resonance frequencies often deviate due to external circuit components or parasitic input capacitances; therefore, implementing a digital calibration sweep and memory lookup table allows the transceiver to "readily set a tuning capacitance indicative of optimum tuning with respect to the received radio waves" automatically, eliminating the need for manual recalibration and ensuring high-performance reception across varying frequency bands.
Regarding claim 21, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and SANO teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 20 operable in a calibration phase in which it is arranged to operate in the receiver mode and to: receive one or more radio-frequency signals at the antenna; perform a sweep of the control word and, based on one or more signals output by the low-noise amplifier during the sweep, estimate one or more of a power gain, signal-to-noise ratio, and/or input reflection coefficient for each value of the control word; and determine an optimal value of the control word for use when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode in an operation phase based on said estimated power gains, signal-to-noise ratios and/or input reflection coefficients (SANO teaches that the receiver is operable in a calibration phase (a "tuning mode") in which it is arranged to operate in the receiver mode and to receive one or more radio-frequency signals at the antenna. SANO teaches performing a sweep of the control word and, based on one or more signals output [...] during the sweep, estimating one or more of a power gain, signal-to-noise ratio, and/or input reflection coefficient for each value of the control word. Specifically, SANO teaches sweeping the control word by sequentially changing the set value to increase the tuning capacitance by one level at a time. At each level, SANO detects the "reception level" (which under the Broadest Reasonable Interpretation maps to estimating power gain or signal-to-noise ratio, as it measures the strength/quality of the received signal. SANO further teaches determining an optimal value of the control word for use when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode in an operation phase based on said estimated power gains. Specifically, SANO teaches comparing the reception levels during the sweep to determine the combination of ON/OFF switches that indicates "optimum tuning" and storing that optimal set value to be used in the receiving mode.
Regarding claim 22, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and SANO teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 21 arranged in said operation phase, to output the determined optimal value of the control word to the power amplifier when operating in the receiver mode (SANO teaches being arranged in said operation phase, to output the determined optimal value of the control word [...] when operating in the receiver mode. Specifically, SANO teaches that in the receiving mode (the operation phase), the control circuit reads the set value (the optimal value) and outputs it as the capacitance selection signal to the capacitor array).
Regarding claim 23, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and SANO teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 20 operable in a calibration phase in which it is arranged to operate in the receiver mode and to: receive a plurality of radio-frequency signals received over a range of frequencies; for each frequency of signal received: perform a sweep of the control word and, based on one or more signals output by the low-noise amplifier during the sweep, estimate one or more of a power gain, signal-to-noise ratio, and/or input reflection coefficient for each value of the control word; determine an optimal value of the control word for use when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode in an operation phase for that frequency based on said estimated power gains, signal-to-noise ratios and/or input reflection coefficients; and store, in a non-volatile memory, a lookup table comprising the determined optimal value of the control word determined for each frequency of signal received (For each frequency, SANO teaches performing the sweep to determine an optimal value of the control word for use when the transceiver is operating in the receiver mode [...] for that frequency based on the reception levels. SANO explicitly teaches storing, in a non-volatile memory, a lookup table comprising the determined optimal value of the control word determined for each frequency of signal received. Specifically, SANO teaches storing a "set value data table" (a lookup table) in a nonvolatile memory (such as an EEPROM) where "frequencies of the received radio waves and set values of the capacitance selection signal [...] are stored in association with each other".
Regarding claim 24, the combination of KORD, LEHTOLA and SANO teaches the radio-frequency transceiver as claimed in claim 23 arranged in said operation phase, when operating in the receiver mode, to: determine the frequency of a received signal; retrieve from the lookup table stored the non-volatile memory an optimal value of the control word for the determined frequency; and output the determined optimal value of the control word to the power amplifier (SANO teaches that in the receiving mode, the control circuit reads the specific set value corresponding to the frequency of the received radio waves from the set value data table and outputs the read set value to the capacitor array to set the optimum tuning capacitance for that specific frequency).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
KUO (US 20180343027 A1) and RIPLEY (US 20220278650 A1) teach wireless transceivers.
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/WEN W HUANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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