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 .
This action is in response to an application filed on 02/05/2024.
Claims 1-20 are pending for examination.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Oyama et al. (US 2014/0306563 A1 and Oyama hereinafter).
As to Claim 1 and 9, Oyama in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-18 disclose an electric drive system/a method for operating an electric drive system (see drive system 1 and [Abstract]), comprising:
a high voltage bus including a high voltage terminal (the upper side of 500Y connected to the high voltage bus of battery 136 via terminal 509), a center tap terminal (510G), and a low voltage terminal (the lower side of 500Y connected to the battery 136 via terminal 508);
a three-phase electric machine (900) including a field winding and three armature windings configured in a wye arrangement (see (945U, 945V, 945W) of Fig.12), where the three armature windings (945U, 945V, 945W) are electrically coupled to form a node (946), where a first lead of the field winding is electrically coupled to the node (Fig.12 shows a first lead connected from the node 946 to 900G), and where a second lead of the field winding is electrically coupled to the center tap terminal (see Fig.12 shows a second lead connected from the node 946 to the central tap terminal 510G); and
an inverter (140) including three phase outputs, the inverter electrically coupled to the high voltage bus and each of the three armature windings (see also [0044]).
As to Claim 16, Oyama in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-18 disclose an electric drive system (see drive system 1 and [Abstract]), comprising:
a high voltage bus including a high voltage terminal (the upper side of 500Y connected to the high voltage bus of battery 136 via terminal 509), a center tap terminal (510G), and a low voltage terminal (the lower side of 500Y connected to the battery 136 via terminal 508);
a three-phase electric machine (900) including a field winding and three armature windings configured in a wye arrangement (see (945U, 945V, 945W) of Fig.12), where the three armature windings (945U, 945V, 945W) are electrically coupled to form a node (946), where a first lead of the field winding is electrically coupled to the node (Fig.12 shows a first lead connected from the node 946 to 900G), and where a second lead of the field winding is electrically coupled to the center tap terminal (see Fig.12 shows a second lead connected from the node 946 to the central tap terminal 510G);
an inverter (140) including three phase outputs, the inverter electrically coupled to the high voltage bus and each of the three armature windings (see also [0044]); and
one or more controllers (172) including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that cause the one or more controllers to adjust a voltage present at the node (see also [0054] and [0056]).
As to Claim 2, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 1, where the center tap terminal (510G) delivers a voltage that is half a voltage of an actual total voltage of a traction battery (136) of a vehicle that includes the electric drive system (see also [0051-0052]).
As to Claim 3, Oyama disclose the electric electric drive system of claim 1, where the first lead is coupled to a first slip ring and the second lead is coupled to a second slip ring (see 950b, 950c and [0096]).
As to Claim 4, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of transistors coupled to the three phase outputs (see inverter 140 comprises IGBTs 328 and 330 constituting the upper and lower arms of the three-phase series circuits 150 – see also [0057]).
As to Claim 5, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 4, where the three phase outputs deliver three different voltages generated from a traction battery (136 and see also [0052]).
As to Claim 6, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 4, further comprising one or more controllers, the one or more controllers including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that cause the one or more controllers to operate the plurality of transistors to control a current flow through the field winding and current flow through the three armature windings (see also [0054] – [0056]).
As to Claim 7, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 6, where the current flow through the field winding and the current flow through the three armature windings is controlled via switching operating states of the plurality of transistors (see inverter 140 and also [0105] – [0106]).
As to Claim 8, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 7, further comprising additional executable instructions that cause the one or more controllers to adjust a voltage at the node via the plurality of transistors (see [0054] – [0057]).
As to Claim 10, Oyama disclose the method of claim 9, where the phase output voltage is adjusted via controlling one or more transistors (see [0050]).
As to Claim 11, Oyama disclose the method of claim 10, further comprising supplying the phase output voltage to a winding of a motor (see [0050]).
As to Claim 12, Oyama disclose the method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting current flow through a field winding of the motor (see [0093]).
As to Claim 13, Oyama disclose the method of claim 12, where the winding is an armature winding (three-phase armature windings (U-phase, V-phase, W-phase) of the rotary electric machine 900- see [0050]).
As to Claim 14, Oyama disclose the method of claim 13, where adjusting current flow through the field winding includes adjusting operation of the one or more transistors (174 and see also [0057]).
As to Claim 15, Oyama disclose the method of claim 9, where the node is where leads of three phase windings are electrically coupled together with no intervening electrical components (see Fig.12 shows a second lead connected from the node 946 to the central tap terminal 510G with no intervening electrical components).
As to Claim 17, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 16, where the inverter includes three groups of transistors arranged in parallel, each of the three groups including two transistors arranged in series (see inverter 140 comprises IGBTs 328 and 330 constituting the upper and lower arms of the three-phase series circuits 150 – see also [0057]).
As to Claim 18, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 17, where the executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory cause the one or more controllers (172) to operate the three groups of transistors to adjust the voltage present at the node (see also [0054] and [0056]).
As to Claim 19, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 18, further comprising a traction battery (136) electrically coupled to the high voltage bus (see also [0052]).
As to Claim 20, Oyama disclose the electric drive system of claim 19, further comprising additional instructions to deliver a driver demand torque via the three-phase electric machine (see also [0054] – [0056]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (US 2019/0381890 A1: An electric drive system for a vehicle includes an electric machine having first conductors arranged in slots of a stator to form phase windings and a second conductor arranged in the slots to form a secondary winding that produces a voltage indicative of a common mode voltage caused by voltages applied to the phase windings. The voltage can be used to supply power to electronic components and for diagnosis and control of the electric machine and an associated inverter -see [Abstract]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL T AGARED whose telephone number is (571)270-1981. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5 (Mon- Thur).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 5712722060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GABRIEL AGARED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846
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