Patent ID: 7088971

Claim:
Integrated RF front-end circuitry on a monolithic integrated circuit, comprising: a) an RF signal amplifier configured to receive a transmit signal having frequency content and phasing that is substantially suitable for transmitting, and to amplify such signal to establish an amplified transmit signal; b) an RF power amplifier (PA) circuit having an input node coupled to an input signal derived from the amplified transmit signal, the RF PA being configured to amplify such input signal to generate a power amplified transmit signal having a power amplifier output characteristic impedance, and including a regulator circuit configured to controllably constrain an amplitude of the power amplified transmit signal; c) a matching, coupling and filtering network configured to condition the power amplified transmit signal by blocking DC components, changing the characteristic impedance of the signal, and rejecting unwanted frequencies, to establish an antenna-matched transmit signal; d) an antenna switch configured to controllably couple the antenna-matched transmit signal to an antenna connection node, or to decouple the antenna connection node from the transmit signal and couple the antenna connection node instead to a receive signal amplification path; e) a transmit signal sensing circuit configured to generate a transmit power signal that reflects at least an amplitude of the transmit signal that is coupled via the antenna switch; and f) a control circuit configured to cause the regulator circuit to constrain the power amplified transmit signal in response to the transmit power signal so as to substantially prevent the amplitude of the transmit signal coupled by the antenna switch from exceeding a predetermined limit.