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 .
Response to Argument
The applicant argues that Takei appears to disclose an “AND” circuit, whereas the embodiments according to claim 1 utilize a 3-phase switching circuit. Thus, the manner in which the gate driver, converter controller, and battery management system are interconnected and operated according to the embodiment of claim 1, are different from the disclosure of the cited reference. Furthermore, there is no apparent reason why a person having ordinary skill in the art would have modified the disclosure.
This is not found persuasive. Takei still teaches the amended part of claim 1, as wherein the control switch (43, Fig. 3) electrically connected between the gate drive (44, Fig. 3) and the converter controller (41, Fig 3) ( see Fig. 3, 43 electrically connected between 44 and 41), or electrically connected between the gate driver (44, Fig. 3) and the battery management system (42, Fig. 3) ( see Fig. 3, 43 electrically connected between 44 and 42). And “AND” circuit function as a control switch when 42 applied a forced stop signal to 43, it switch off signal from 41, and stops the inverter 11 (see para [0039] of Takei). The amendment does not include the language of 3-phase switching circuit, it just states that the control switch electrically connected between the gate drive and the converter controller, or electrically connected between the gate driver and the battery management system. As long as Takei satisfy the connection requirement, it teaches the amended claim. In addition, para [0039] of Takei states the using of proposed switch control mechanism to improve the safe control of the system. Thus, a person having ordinary skill in the art would have modified the control switch electrically connected between the gate drive and the converter controller, or electrically connected between the gate driver and the battery management system the bi-directional converter of HRESHIKESH using the switch control mechanism of Takei to improve the safety of the system.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 5, 7 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 12, “apply a control signal to control driving of the gate” should be – apply a control signal to control the driving of the gate—
Claim 5, line 3-4, “there is an abnormality in the converter controller” should be—there is the abnormality in the converter controller—
Claim 7, line 7, line 9, line 10, line 12, line 13, “the gate driver” should be—the at least one gate driver—
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NENE HRESHIKESH ET AL: "Bi-directional PSFB DC-DC converter with unique
PWM control schemes and seamless mode transitions using enhanced digital control",
2017 IEEE APPLIED POWER ELECTRONICS GONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION
(APEC), IEEE, 26 March 2017 (2017-03-26), pages 3229-3233, XP033098721 DOL
TO.ATOQ/APEC.201 7.7931 159 [retrieved on 2017-05-17] in view of Takei et al. (US 20160285290).
Regarding Claim 1. HRESHIKESH et al. disclose a converter system (figure 1) for a vehicle, comprising: a bi-directional converter electrically connected between a main battery and an auxiliary battery and configured to perform power conversion (Fig. 1; abstract and first paragraph of Section 1); a gate driver (isolated gate drive; push-pull synchronous rectifier drive) electrically connected to the bi-directional converter and configured to apply a PWM signal for controlling a driving mode of the bi-directional converter (“Bi-directional PSFB DC-DC converter with unique PWM control schemes and seamless and seamless mode transitions using enhanced digital control”) (title); a converter controller (MCU) electrically connected to the gate driver and configured to apply a control signal for controlling driving of the gate driver (as shown on figure 1).
but fails to explicitly disclose a control switch interposed between the converter controller and the gate driver and configured to connect or disconnect a connection between the converter controller and the gate driver; and a battery management system electrically connected to the gate driver through the control switch and configured to apply a control signal to control driving of the gate driver based on an abnormality in the converter controller, wherein the control switch electrically connected between the gate drive and the converter controller , or electrically connected between the gate driver and the battery management system.
Takei et al. disclose a control switch (AND-circuit 43, MASK, in Fig. 3 which shows the charger control unit of the DC-DC charger in Fig. 2) interposed between the converter controller (41) and the gate driver (44) and configured to connect or disconnect a connection between the converter controller and the gate driver (par. [0039]); and a battery management system (external control unit 4 and/or safety control unit 42) electrically connected to the gate driver (44) through the control switch (43) and configured to apply a control signal (“forced stop signal” in par. [0039]: par. [0042] “Specifically, the main safety control unit 421 determines that a fault has occurred in the charger 1 when the current detected by the current detectors 15 and 126 exceeds a predetermined threshold current, or when the value indicated by the information from the external control unit 4 indicating the chassis temperature exceeds a threshold") to control (stop) driving of the gate driver based on an abnormality in the converter controller (41, resulting in detection of overcurrent and/or chassis overheating described in par. [0042]) the control switch (43, Fig. 3) electrically connected between the gate drive (44, Fig. 3) and the converter controller (41, Fig 3), or electrically connected between the gate driver (44, Fig. 3) and the battery management system (42, Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify HRESHIKESH et al. with the teaching of Takei et al. in order provides a charger including a power conversion unit that converts alternating current power into direct current power and supplies the direct current power to a vehicle-mounted battery, forced stop means that forcibly causes the power conversion unit to stop when acquiring a forced stop signal, and a controller (or operation confirmation means) that confirms whether or not the forced stop means operates normally and outputs information indicating a result of the confirmation (para. 0009) to implement the safety control of the system when a fault is detected.
Regarding Claim 2. HRESHIKESH et al. disclose the converter system (figure 1).
but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the control switch has a common terminal connected to the gate driver, a first terminal connected to the converter controller, and a second terminal connected to the battery management system, and the common terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the first terminal or the second terminal.
Takei et al. disclose a control switch (111, AND-circuit 43, MASK, in Fig. 3 which shows the charger control unit of the DC-DC charger in Fig. 2) has a common terminal (the gate terminal of switch 111) connected to the gate driver (44) (par. [0039]), a first terminal connected to the converter controller (41, par. [0042]), and a second terminal connected to the battery management system (external control unit 4 and/or safety control unit 42), and the common terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the first terminal or the second terminal (as shown on figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify HRESHIKESH et al. with the teaching of Takei et al. in order provides a charger including a power conversion unit that converts alternating current power into direct current power and supplies the direct current power to a vehicle-mounted battery, forced stop means that forcibly causes the power conversion unit to stop when acquiring a forced stop signal, and a controller (or operation confirmation means) that confirms whether or not the forced stop means operates normally and outputs information indicating a result of the confirmation (para. 0009).
Regarding Claim 3. HRESHIKESH et al. disclose the converter system (figure 1).
but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the battery management system is configured to control driving of the control switch according to whether there is an abnormality in the converter through communication with the converter controller.
Takei et al. disclose wherein the battery management system (external control unit 4 and/or safety control unit 42) is configured to control driving of the control switch (111, AND-circuit 43, MASK, in Fig. 3 which shows the charger control unit of the DC-DC charger in Fig. 2) according to whether there is an abnormality in the converter through communication with the converter controller (40).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify HRESHIKESH et al. with the teaching of Takei et al. in order provides a charger including a power conversion unit that converts alternating current power into direct current power and supplies the direct current power to a vehicle-mounted battery, forced stop means that forcibly causes the power conversion unit to stop when acquiring a forced stop signal, and a controller (or operation confirmation means) that confirms whether or not the forced stop means operates normally and outputs information indicating a result of the confirmation (para. 0009).
Regarding Claim 4. HRESHIKESH et al. disclose the converter system (figure 1) with a control system to control the gate driver (isolated gate drive; push-pull synchronous rectifier drive) to drive the bi-directional converter in a buck mode (“Bi-directional PSFB DC-DC converter with unique PWM control schemes and seamless and seamless mode transitions using enhanced digital control”) (title).
but fails to explicitly disclose the battery management system.
Takei et al. disclose the battery management system (external control unit 4 and/or safety control unit 42).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify HRESHIKESH et al. with the teaching of Takei et al. in order provides a charger including a power conversion unit that converts alternating current power into direct current power and supplies the direct current power to a vehicle-mounted battery, forced stop means that forcibly causes the power conversion unit to stop when acquiring a forced stop signal, and a controller (or operation confirmation means) that confirms whether or not the forced stop means operates normally and outputs information indicating a result of the confirmation (para. 0009).
Regarding Claim 5. HRESHIKESH et al. disclose the converter system (figure 1).
but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the battery management system is electrically connected to the control switch and is configured to control driving of the control switch according to whether there is an abnormality in the converter controller.
Takei et al. disclose wherein the battery management system (external control unit 4 and/or safety control unit 42) is electrically connected to the control switch (111, AND-circuit 43, MASK, in Fig. 3 which shows the charger control unit of the DC-DC charger in Fig. 2) and is configured to control driving of the control switch according to whether there is an abnormality in the converter controller (40).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify HRESHIKESH et al. with the teaching of Takei et al. in order provides a charger including a power conversion unit that converts alternating current power into direct current power and supplies the direct current power to a vehicle-mounted battery, forced stop means that forcibly causes the power conversion unit to stop when acquiring a forced stop signal, and a controller (or operation confirmation means) that confirms whether or not the forced stop means operates normally and outputs information indicating a result of the confirmation (para. 0009).
Regarding Claim 6. HRESHIKESH et al. disclose the converter system (figure 1).
but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the battery management system is electrically connected to the main battery and is configured to monitor and control charging and discharging of the main battery.
Takei et al. disclose wherein the battery management system (external control unit 4 and/or safety control unit 42) is electrically connected to the main battery (2) and is configured to monitor and control (through 40) charging and discharging of the main battery (figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify HRESHIKESH et al. with the teaching of Takei et al. in order provides a charger including a power conversion unit that converts alternating current power into direct current power and supplies the direct current power to a vehicle-mounted battery, forced stop means that forcibly causes the power conversion unit to stop when acquiring a forced stop signal, and a controller (or operation confirmation means) that confirms whether or not the forced stop means operates normally and outputs information indicating a result of the confirmation (para. 0009).
Allowable subject Matter
Claims 7-8, 10-11 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regard to claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest, a first gate driver electrically connected between the converter controller and the control switch; and
a second gate driver electrically connected between the battery management system and the control switch in combination with other limitations of the claim.
Regard to claim 8, 10-11, they depend on claim 7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Choi(US 20170080810 A1) teaches about two converter and switch between the two battery
Song (US 20160026205 A1) teaches about a bi-directional converter with 2 gate driver
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