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) 1-6 and 9-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shimomura et al. USPG Pub. No.: 2018/0131178.
Regarding Claim 1, Shimomura teaches a method for operating a switch device having a switch unit having a first connection, a second connection, a control connection, and a plurality of switches connected between the first connection and the second connection which are jointly activated by the control connection (see [0083] and figure 1, in which switch device 3 includes 3 connections, one of which is connected to a controller; see figure 2, the relied upon embodiment, in which multiple switches exist within the switch device 3), the method comprising:
reading a measurement signal via an interface into a measuring unit, wherein the measurement signal represents an actual parameter of the switch unit (See [0049], which discusses control device 5 limiting gate voltage of switching device 3 based on parameters of voltage, current, or temperature exceeding a predefined target parameter of voltage, current, or temperature, respectively; see [0042] which discusses that gate voltage of unit 3 corresponds to drive voltage);
determining a fault state of the switch unit in response to the actual parameter being in a predetermined relationship with a predefined target parameter (see [0049] and [0062]-[0063] which teach that the fault diagnosis occurs at the switch device based on sensor results exceeding a threshold); and
providing a fault protection signal in response to the determined fault state, wherein the fault protection signal is configured to activate at least one fault protection switch and thereby apply a protection signal to the control connection, by which the switches are closed or kept closed (see [0085]-[0086] in which an Off state, i.e. protection signal, for switch device 3 is triggered in response to a fault signal).
Regarding Claim 2, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein reading the measurement signal into the measurement unit as an actual parameter comprises reading in a voltage between the first connection and the second connection, and wherein determining the fault state comprises determining that the voltage is less than a predefined target voltage (seen in figures 1-2 as well as [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 3, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein reading the measurement signal into the measurement unit as an actual parameter comprises reading in a current by the first connection, and wherein determining the fault state comprises determining that the current is greater than a predefined target current (see figure 1, in which current sensors A send a signal that is compared to a threshold; also see [0033]-[0039] and [0056]-[0057]).
Regarding Claim 4, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein reading the measurement signal into the measurement unit as an actual parameter comprises reading in a parameter representing a temperature of at least one of the switches, and wherein determining the fault state comprises determining that the temperature is greater than a predefined target temperature (see [0049]).
Regarding Claim 5, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, comprising: providing the fault protection signal to a semiconductor switch between the first connection and the control connection in order to close the semiconductor switch in the fault state (seen in figures 1-2 as well as [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 6, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, comprising: providing the fault protection signal to a support switch between the control connection and an energy source coupled to the second connection (seen in figures 1-2 as well as [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 9, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, comprising: superimposing and/or impressing the fault protection signal on the control connection, wherein the control connection is configured to activate a switching procedure of the switches of the switch unit in a normal operating state (seen in figures 1-2 as well as [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 10, Shimomura teaches a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, having stored thereon, a computer program that, when executed by at least one processing device (see figure 1, in which controllers qualify as non-transitory machine-readable storage medium; in addition see [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]), cause the at least one processing device to perform a method (see [0083] and figure 1, in which switch device 3 includes 3 connections, one of which is connected to a controller; see figure 2, the relied upon embodiment, in which multiple switches exist within the switch device 3) comprising:
reading a measurement signal via an interface into a measuring unit, wherein the measurement signal represents an actual parameter of a switch unit, wherein the switch unit comprises a first connection, a second connection, a control connection, and a plurality of switches connected between the first connection and the second connection which are jointly activated by the control connection (See [0049], which discusses control device 5 limiting gate voltage of switching device 3 based on parameters of voltage, current, or temperature exceeding a predefined target parameter of voltage, current, or temperature, respectively; see [0042] which discusses that gate voltage of unit 3 corresponds to drive voltage);
determining a fault state of the switch unit in response to the actual parameter being in a predetermined relationship with a predefined target parameter (see [0049] and [0062]-[0063] which teach that the fault diagnosis occurs at the switch device based on sensor results exceeding a threshold); and
providing a fault protection signal in response to the determined fault state, wherein the fault protection signal is configured to activate at least one fault protection switch and thereby apply a protection signal to the control connection, by which the switches are closed or kept closed (see [0085]-[0086] in which an Off state, i.e. protection signal, for switch device 3 is triggered in response to a fault signal).
Regarding Claim 11, Shimomura teaches a controller for a switch unit, wherein the switch unit comprises
a first connection, a second connection, a control connection, and a plurality of switches connected between the first connection and the second connection which are jointly activated by the control connection (see [0083] and figure 1, in which switch device 3 includes 3 connections, one of which is connected to a controller; see figure 2, the relied upon embodiment, in which multiple switches exist within the switch device 3),
wherein the controller is configured to:
read a measurement signal via an interface into a measuring unit, wherein the measurement signal represents an actual parameter of a switch unit (See [0049], which discusses control device 5 limiting gate voltage of switching device 3 based on parameters of voltage, current, or temperature exceeding a predefined target parameter of voltage, current, or temperature, respectively; see [0042] which discusses that gate voltage of unit 3 corresponds to drive voltage);
determine a fault state of the switch unit in response to the actual parameter with a predefined target parameter (see [0049] and [0062]-[0063] which teach that the fault diagnosis occurs at the switch device based on sensor results exceeding a threshold); and
provide a fault protection signal in response to the determined fault state (see [0085]-[0086] in which an Off state, i.e. protection signal, for switch device 3 is triggered in response to a fault signal),
wherein the fault protection signal is configured to activate at least one fault protection switch and thereby apply a protection signal to the control connection, by which the switches are closed or kept closed (see [0085]-[0086] in which an Off state, i.e. protection signal, for switch device 3 is triggered in response to a fault signal).
Regarding Claim 12, Shimomura teaches a switch device comprising: the controller according to claim 11; and a switch unit, wherein the switch unit comprises: a first connection, a second connection, a control connection, and a plurality of switches which are connected between the first connection and the second connection and which are jointly activated by the control connection, wherein the controller is configured to activate the control connection of the switches of the switch unit with the fault protection signal (seen in figures 1-2 as well as [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 13, Shimomura teaches the switch device according to claim 12, wherein the switches of the switch unit are configured as power electronics components comprising semiconductor switching elements (see figures 1-2, in which 3 is a group of semiconductor switching elements).
Regarding Claim 14, Shimomura teaches a power converter comprising the switch device according to claim 12 (circuit of figure 1, comprising both power converting through inverter 2 as well as the switch device discussed above in claim 11).
Regarding Claim 15, Shimomura teaches an electrical final drive for a motor vehicle comprising: at least one electric machine; a drive device; and the power converter according to claim 14 (see [0021], which provides context for the circuit of figure 1 as being an electric drive for the power converter of a motor vehicle).
Regarding Claim 16, Shimomura teaches a motor vehicle comprising: the switch device according to claim 12 (see [0021], which provides context for the circuit of figure 1 as being an electric drive for the power converter of a motor vehicle).
Regarding Claim 17, Shimomura teaches the controller according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to: read the measurement signal into the measurement unit as an actual parameter by reading in a voltage between the first connection and the second connection (seen in figure 1 and [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]); and determine the fault state by determining that the voltage is less than a predefined target voltage (see figure 2 and [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 18, Shimomura teaches the controller according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to: read the measurement signal into the measurement unit as an actual parameter by reading in a current by the first connection (seen in figure 1 and [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]); and determine the fault state by determining that the current is greater than a predefined target current (seen in figure 1 and [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 19, Shimomura teaches the controller according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to: read the measurement signal into the measurement unit as an actual parameter by reading in a parameter representing a temperature of at least one of the switches (seen in figure 1 and [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]); and determine the fault state by determining that the temperature is greater than a predefined target temperature (seen in [0049] and figure 1; also see [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
Regarding Claim 20, Shimomura teaches the controller according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to: provide the fault protection signal to a semiconductor switch between the first connection and the control connection in order to close the semiconductor switch in the fault state (seen in figure 1 and [0049], [0062]-[0063], and [0085]-[0086]).
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.
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimomura et al. USPG Pub. No.: 2018/0131178 in view of Higuchi et al. US Patent No.: US 4,321,489.
Regarding Claim 7, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 1, but is silent in sufficiently teaching comprising: providing the fault protection signal to a voltage predefinition switch between the control connection and an intermediate tapping point of a voltage divider connected between the first connection and the second connection. However, Higuchi teaches comprising: providing the fault protection signal to a voltage predefinition switch between the control connection and an intermediate tapping point of a voltage divider connected between the first connection and the second connection (see Higuchi figures 2 and 4, in which a measurement readout is taken at a voltage divider point by a readout circuit, interpreted as a predefinition switch, between two switches T9 and T10 in a switch device). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified the teachings of Shimomura with those of Higuchi because detection at a tap point between a voltage divider in order to take in a ration of dimensions into the readout output (as discussed in Higuchi col.6, lns.16-55).
Regarding Claim 8, Shimomura teaches the method according to claim 7, wherein the voltage predefinition switch is further connected between the control connection and a connection point, wherein an energy source is connected between the connection point and the second connection (see Higuchi figures 1 and 4).
Conclusion
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/MICHAEL A HARRISON/Examiner, Art Unit 2852