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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/23/23 is being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-2, 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du et al. (CN112968634 A) in view of Tons et al. (DE 102022213833 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Du teaches an externally excited synchronous machine, comprising:
an exciter circuit (1-4, fig 6);
a stator (7-8); and
a rotor (5-6) that carries at least one exciter winding (6) which, in operation, generates an exciter field,
wherein the exciter winding (6), in operation, is excited by the exciter circuit (1-4) along a power supply pathway. However, Du does not teach the rotor includes at least one temperature sensor device, and a communication device which, in operation, transmits a communication signal regarding a temperature of the rotor to at least one evaluation device, and wherein the communication signal is transmitted from the communication device to the evaluation device by a transmission route at least partially formed by a section of the power supply pathway.
Tons teaches an electric machine having a rotor (14, fig 3) includes at least one temperature sensor device (16), and a communication device (24) which, in operation, transmits a communication signal (B) regarding a temperature of the rotor (14) to at least one evaluation device (30), and wherein the communication signal (B) is transmitted from the communication device (24) to the evaluation device (30) by a transmission route at least partially formed by a section of the power supply pathway (fig 3) to control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Du’s externally excited synchronous machine with a rotor includes at least one temperature sensor device, and a communication device which, in operation, transmits a communication signal regarding a temperature of the rotor to at least one evaluation device, and wherein the communication signal is transmitted from the communication device to the evaluation device by a transmission route at least partially formed by a section of the power supply pathway as taught by Tons. Doing so would control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Regarding claim 2, Du in view of Tons teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of the communication device, in operation, detects measurement values of at least one sensor element of the at least one temperature sensor device and provides temperature data, or receives the temperature data from the at least one sensor element, and wherein the communication device, in operation, generates the communication signal based on the temperature data.
Tons further teaches the communication device (24), in operation, detects measurement values of at least one sensor element of the at least one temperature sensor device (16) and provides temperature data, or receives the temperature data from the at least one sensor element (16), and wherein the communication device (24), in operation, generates the communication signal (B) based on the temperature data to control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Du in view of Tons’s externally excited synchronous machine with the communication device, in operation, detects measurement values of at least one sensor element of the at least one temperature sensor device and provides temperature data, or receives the temperature data from the at least one sensor element, and wherein the communication device, in operation, generates the communication signal based on the temperature data as further taught by Tons. Doing so would control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Regarding claim 6, Du in view of Tons teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Du further teaches the power supply pathway includes an inductive energy transmission (fig 3) from an energy transmission element of the stator (1) to an energy transmission element of the rotor (2), and wherein the transmission route of the communication signal includes the energy transmission element of the stator (1) and the energy transmission element of the rotor (2).
Regarding claim 7, Du in view of Tons teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of the evaluation device, in operation, controls the synchronous machine based on the communication signal.
Tons further teaches the evaluation device (30), in operation, controls the synchronous machine based on the communication signal (B) to control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Du in view of Tons’s externally excited synchronous machine with the evaluation device, in operation, controls the synchronous machine based on the communication signal as further taught by Tons. Doing so would control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Regarding claim 8, Du in view of Tons teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Du further teaches a power inverter (10). However, Du does not teach the evaluation device, in operation, actuates the power inverter, based on the communication signal, and controls a field strength or a phase position of an alternating magnetic field of at least one stator winding of the synchronous machine, or actuates the exciter circuit to and controls a field strength of the exciter winding.
Tons further teaches the evaluation device (30), in operation, actuates the power inverter, based on the communication signal (B), and controls a field strength or a phase position of an alternating magnetic field of at least one stator winding (18) of the synchronous machine, or actuates the exciter circuit to and controls a field strength of the exciter winding to control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Du in view of Tons’s externally excited synchronous machine with the evaluation device, in operation, actuates the power inverter, based on the communication signal, and controls a field strength or a phase position of an alternating magnetic field of at least one stator winding of the synchronous machine, or actuates the exciter circuit to and controls a field strength of the exciter winding as further taught by Tons. Doing so would control or regulate a torque of the electrical machine based on the specific temperature and/or angular position of the rotor.
Regarding claim 9, Du in view of Tons teaches a motor vehicle, comprising the externally excited synchronous machine.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Tons, further in view of Heim et al. (DE 102010040857 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Du in view of Tons teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of the at least one temperature sensor device includes multiple sensor elements arranged at a distance from each other on or in the rotor, and wherein the communication signal is based on the temperature data of the multiple sensor elements.
Heim teaches an electronically commutated electric motor having at least one temperature sensor device (fig 2) includes multiple sensor elements (10, 12) arranged at a distance from each other on or in the rotor (7), and wherein the communication signal is based on the temperature data of the multiple sensor elements (10, 12) to generate a rotor position signal representative of the rotor position.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Du in view of Tons’s externally excited synchronous machine with the at least one temperature sensor device includes multiple sensor elements arranged at a distance from each other on or in the rotor, and wherein the communication signal is based on the temperature data of the multiple sensor elements as taught by Heim. Doing so would generate a rotor position signal representative of the rotor position.
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du in view of Tons, further in view of Park (KR 20150122468 A).
Regarding claim 4, Du in view of Tons teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of the power supply pathway includes at least one slip ring of the rotor and a contact element that electrically and mechanically contacts the at least one slip ring, and wherein the transmission route of the communication signal includes the slip ring and the contact element.
Park teaches a motor having power supply pathway includes at least one slip ring (130) of the rotor (140) and a contact element (190) that electrically and mechanically contacts the at least one slip ring (130), and wherein the transmission route of the communication signal includes the slip ring (130) and the contact element (190) to control and fault detection of slip ring motor temperature measurement.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Du in view of Tons’s externally excited synchronous machine with the power supply pathway includes at least one slip ring of the rotor and a contact element that electrically and mechanically contacts the at least one slip ring, and wherein the transmission route of the communication signal includes the slip ring and the contact element as taught by Park. Doing so would control and fault detection of slip ring motor temperature measurement.
Regarding claim 5, Du in view of Tons and Park teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 4, Park further teaches the contact element is a brush of the stator.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hall et al. (US 3,577,002 A) teaches a compact unit for supplying an aircraft with both DC and AC electric power under normal running conditions and to provide also electric starting facilities, and which can be attached to a single engine pad of an aircraft turbine, is obtained by energizing the rotor field windings of an alternator with DC power via a rectifier system participating in its rotation from the armature windings of a coaxially arranged starter motor, which for the purpose has a second multiturn field winding, the starter motor having also automatic brush-lifting gear; the DC power output is obtained from a second stator winding of the alternator via a built-in rectifier set.
Dumas (US 2017/0067964 A1) teaches permanent magnets (4) of a synchronous machine (1) comprising a stator (2) and a rotor (3), said machine (1) being fitted with at least one angular position sensor (la) of the rotor (3), the rotor (3) comprising the permanent magnets (4) provided to move said rotor around the stator (2), the angular position sensor (1a) comprising at least two fixed magnetic induction measurement sensors (6) extending to an axial end (3a) of the rotor (3), facing and immediately adjacent to the axial edges (4a) of the permanent magnets (4).
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/LEDA T PHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834