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
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, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duan (CN107813729A).
Regarding claim 1, Duan discloses a wireless power transfer system for a vehicle that includes an energy storage system, wherein the vehicle travels along a surface (Title and page 2, lines 7-9; the dynamic wireless charging charges while driving), the wireless power transfer system comprising:
a receiver coil (see fig. 1, element 3-1 and page 9) mounted to the vehicle (see fig. 3 and page 2, lines 11-12; page 4, lines 5-8),
wherein the receiver coil has a length (see fig. 1 and 3; element 3-1);
a plurality of transmitter units (see fig. 3, element 2-1) electrically connected and positioned on the surface (page 12; the EV runs along the road. When the EV is on top of the transmitting coil),
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each transmitter unit associated with an attached transmitter coil (see fig. 1, element 1-1; transmitter coil), the plurality of transmitter units including inactive transmitter units (page 7; when the transmitting coil 2-1 in detection state, connected to DC/AC the converter does not work) and a subset of active transmitter units (page 7; when the transmit coil 1-1 in energy transmission state),
the inactive transmitter units including a leading transmitter unit and a trailing transmitter unit adjacent to the subset of active transmitter units (page 4; when the car travels between No. 1 and No. 2, No. 2 detects the arrival of the car, at which time No. 1 [=trailing transmitter unit] switches to the detection state, No. 2 switches to the energy transmitting state, and No. 3 maintains the detection state unchanged [=leading transmitter unit]), and
wherein each transmitter unit includes a voltage sensor connected to the attached transmitter coil (page 10; detecting the change of the inductive voltage and the current through the detecting circuit 2-5); and
a controller in communication with the voltage sensor of each transmitter unit (claim 4. Pages 6-7 and fig. 1; detection circuit and control circuit for the normal operation of the system to detect and control…the position of the EV is identified and indirectly controlled by detecting changes in the sensed voltage or current);
a database including data related to voltages of transmitter coils (page 8; Duan discloses the control circuit is able to control based on at least a threshold value. This must be stored);
a memory coupled to the controller, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the controller, wherein, in response to executing the program instructions (1-6, control circuit; see pages 5-6), the controller:
receives a leading voltage of the voltage sensor of the leading transmitter unit; receive a trailing voltage of the voltage sensor of the trailing transmitter unit (pages 8, 10-11; the receiving coil on the EV is used to reflect the energy of the transmitting coil 1-1 in power transmission of two adjacent transmitting coils to the transmitting coil 2-1 in the detection state, and a voltage and a current are induced in the transmitting coil 2-1 and the main circuit connected thereto. Furthermore, when the car travels between No. 1 [=trailing transmitter unit] and No. 2, No. 2 detects the arrival of the car, at which time No. 1 switches to the detection state, No. 2 switches to the energy transmitting state, and No. 3 [=leading transmitter unit] maintains the detection state unchanged. Since transmitting coil No.1 and transmitting coil No.3 are in detection state, induced voltages related to each coil are measured);
compare the leading and trailing voltages of the leading and trailing transmitter units with data in the database (pages 3, 7-8, 12; the prior art discloses the method for identifying a charging position in a dynamic wireless charging system of an electric vehicle; the detection circuit 2-5 detects the compensation network. The voltage UC2 at the two ends of the compensation capacitor C2 can identify the specific position of the electric vehicle in two adjacent transmitting coils when the value thereof reaches a certain threshold, and is used as a control signal for coil switching or other control purposes…When the EV is located between two adjacent coils (in detection state), the condition for successful identification is that at least one element voltage or one branch current reaches a threshold value); and
determine a position of the receiver relative to the leading transmitter unit and the trailing transmitter unit (page 14; the main circuit is able to determine the location of the EV).
The prior art fails to disclose wherein the subset of active transmitter units has a length that is less than the length of the receiver coil. These limitations with regard to the subset of active transmitter units has a length that is less than the length of the receiver coil, does not show any criticality, is only considered to be an obvious modification of the receiver coil, taught by Duan, since it appears to the Examiner that a change the length of the receiver coil is nothing more than one of several obvious design choices that a person having ordinary skill in the art will find obvious to provide.
Regarding claim 16, Duan further discloses wherein the data on the database includes a plurality of voltages (page 15, the main circuit in the detecting state contain m elements, n branches, voltages of respective elements), each corresponding to a surface area of the transmitter coil covered by the receiver coil (see fig. 1 and 3), and wherein the controller is configured to:
compare the leading voltage with the plurality of voltages in the database to determine a surface area of the leading transmitter unit covered by the receiver coil; and compare the trailing voltage with the plurality of voltages in the database to determine a surface area of the trailing transmitter unit covered by the receiver coil (page 15; the determination condition for the detection of the EV running between the two coils is that the voltage of the transmitting coil 2-1 and its components in the main circuit…reach a certain judging threshold…it is determined that the car has entered between the two coils, otherwise it is determined not to enter between the two coils).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-15, 17-18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 2, the prior art fails to teach or suggest further inclusion of wherein the controller is configured to: stores or receives from the database a minimum threshold voltage differential; calculate a voltage differential between the leading and trailing voltages of the leading and trailing transmitter units; when the voltage differential is greater than the minimum threshold voltage differential, activate the leading transmitter unit.
Claims 3-14 are objected for the reasons as claim 2 from which they depend.
Regarding claim 15, the prior art fails to teach or suggest further inclusion of wherein the controller is configured to: store or receive from the database a minimum threshold voltage value; when the leading voltage of the leading transmitter unit is greater than the minimum threshold voltage value, activate the leading transmitter; and when the trailing voltage of the trailing transmitter unit is less than the minimum threshold voltage value, deactivate the trailing transmitter unit.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art fails to teach or suggest further inclusion of wherein the controller is configured to: monitor a voltage rise in the leading transmitter unit; monitor a voltage drop in the trailing transmitter unit; determine a velocity of the receiver based on the voltage rise and the voltage drop.
Claim 18 is objected for the reasons as claim 17 from which it depends.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
NIIZUMA
US 2014/0174870
Keeling et al.
US 2015/0298561
Dimke et al.
US 2016/0023557
Huang et al.
US 2016/0072299
Sieber et al.
US 2016/0178740
MAZAKI et al.
US 2022/0072965
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/ZIXUAN ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 11/07/2025