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 .
The information disclosure statements filed on 4/29/2024, 3/11/2025, and 10/27/2025 have been entered. Claims 1-17 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 8-9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by Fassnacht (Fassnacht – 2014/0049215).
Regarding claims 1, 8 and 11, Fassnacht discloses a method for charging control, wherein:
the method of charging control is applied to a controller in a system for charging control, the system for charging control comprises the controller, a switching circuit and a charging circuit, a first end of the switching circuit is connected to external power supply, a second end of the switching circuit is connected to a first end of the charging circuit, a second end of the charging circuit is connected to a target battery to be charged, and the controller is connected to the switching circuit and the charging circuit; and the first end of the switching circuit comprises M phases of first terminals, and the M phases of first terminals are connected to live line interfaces of the external power supply; and the method comprising: in response to the first end of the switching circuit is connected to the external power supply, acquiring a phase voltage and a line voltage of any two-phase first terminals in the M phases of first terminals; determining a power supply mode of the external power supply according to the phase voltage and the line voltage; and controlling the switching circuit and the charging circuit to charge the target battery according to the power supply mode (Fassnacht; Fig. 1; 0007, 0008, 0021, 0027 – 0045; phases – U,V, W electric machine 1, external power supply 17, switching circuit 3a-3f, control unit 5, charging circuit 15, and battery 7; “[0007] The present invention provides a method for monitoring the charging mode of an energy store, in particular of a traction battery, in Is a vehicle which is drivable via an electric machine, in particular a three-phase machine. Here, the electric machine is connected to the energy store via a vehicle electrical system and may be supplied with electrical power from the energy store. During the charging mode, the energy store is connected to an external power supply system, in particular a public power grid, via a charging circuit which includes a unit operated as the boost converter, a controllable rectifier, in particular a pulsed rectifier, having upstream filter capacitors and a system filter. ADC link capacitor is switched in parallel to the energy store. According to the present invention, during the charging mode, at least one current and/or one voltage is/are monitored at the input, at the output, and/or within the charging circuit, and/or a function of a control unit of the rectifier and/or of the unit operated as the boost converter, and the charging circuit is switched into a free-running mode, if the at least one current exceeds a predefinable current threshold value or the at least one voltage exceeds a predefinable voltage threshold value, or a malfunction of the control unit of the rectifier and/or of the unit operated as the boost converter is detected. The free-running mode of the charging circuit is in this case implemented by a branch of the controllable rectifier and all circuit elements, which are controllable in the boost converter mode of the unit operated as the boost converter, are connected through.
[0008] Furthermore, the present invention provides a charging system for charging an energy store, in particular a traction battery, in a vehicle including: [0009] an electric machine, in particular a three-phase machine, for driving the vehicle, [0010] the energy store for supplying the electric machine with energy during the driving mode, [0011] a vehicle electrical system via which the electric machine and the energy store are electrically connected, [0012] a DC link capacitor which is switched in parallel to the energy store, [0013] a charging circuit which includes a unit operated as the boost converter, a controllable rectifier, in particular a pulsed rectifier, having upstream filter capacitors and a system filter via which the energy store is connectable to an external power supply system, in particular a public power grid, during a charging mode, [0014] at least one monitoring unit which monitors at least one current and/or one voltage at the input, at the output, and/or within the charging circuit, and/or a function of a control unit of the rectifier and/or of the unit operated as the boost converter is monitored, and [0015] an evaluation unit which switches the charging circuit into a free-running mode in which one branch of the controllable rectifier and all circuit elements controllable in the boost converter mode of the unit operated as the boost converter, i.e., those which are connected to a negative DC link bus, are connected through for the case that the at least one current exceeds a predefinable current threshold value or the at least one voltage exceeds a predefinable voltage threshold value, or a malfunction of the control unit of the rectifier and/or of the unit operated as the boost converter is detected”.)
Regarding claims 2 and 9, Fassnatch discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the M phases of first terminals comprise three phases of first terminals, and the power supply mode of the external power supply comprises a single-phase current mode and a three-phase current mode; and the determining a power supply mode of the external power supply according to the phase voltage and the line voltage comprises: in response to the phase voltage is greater than or equal to the line voltage, determining that the power supply mode of the external power supply is the single-phase current mode; or in response to the phase voltage is less than the line voltage, determining that the power supply mode of the external power supply is the three-phase current mode (“[0032] Together with filter capacitors 13a through 13c and a system filter 14, which are upstream from rectifier 9, rectifier 9, electric machine 1, and pulse-controlled inverter 2 together forma charging circuit 15 which, for charging purposes, connects energy store 7 to a vehicle-external power supply system 17, e.g., the public power grid, via an on board connecting element 16, e.g., in the form of a vehicle-side plug, e.g., via a recharger cable. On board power supply system 17 is illustrated as a three-phase electrical system, but it may also be designed as a one-phase electrical system. Alternatively to the illustrated specific embodiment, filter capacitors 13a through 13c may also be integrated into system filter 14 which is used for EMC interference suppression (EMC=electromagnetic compatibility)”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 -7, 10 and 12-17 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: The prior art fails to disclose:
i. the method according to claim 2, wherein the three phases of first terminals comprise an A-phase terminal, a B-phase terminal and a C-phase terminal, and the second end of the switching circuit comprises an A’-phase terminal, a B’-phase terminal and a C’-phase terminal; the switching circuit further comprises a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a first precharge resistor, a second precharge resistor, and a third precharge resistor, the first switch is configured to connect the A-phase terminal to the A’-phase terminal, the second switch is configured to connect the B-phase terminal to the B’-phase terminal, the third switch is configured to connect the C-phase terminal to the C’-phase terminal, the first precharge resistor is connected to the first switch (S1) in parallel, the second precharge resistor is connected to the second switch in parallel, and the third precharge resistor is connected to the third switch in parallel; and the controlling the switching circuit and the charging circuit to charge the target battery according to the power supply mode comprises: in response to the power supply mode is the three-phase current mode, acquiring a first difference value between the line voltage and a first bus voltage of the charging circuit; and in response to the first difference value is less than or equal to a first voltage threshold, controlling the first switch, the second switch and the third switch to be switched on, and controlling the charging circuit to charge the target battery according to a three-phase charging mode as recited in claim 3. Claims 4-7 and 12-15 depend on claim 3.
ii. The system according to claim 9, wherein the three phases of first terminals comprise an A-phase terminal, a B-phase terminal and a C-phase terminal, and the second end of the switching circuit comprises an A’-phase terminal, a B’-phase terminal and a C’-phase terminal; the switching circuit further comprises a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a first precharge resistor, a second precharge resistor and a third precharge resistor, the first switch is configured to connect the A-phase terminal to the A’-phase terminal, the second switch is configured to connect the B-phase terminal to the B’-phase terminal, the third switch is configured to connect the C-phase terminal to the C’-phase terminal, the first precharge resistor is connected to the first switch in parallel, the second precharge resistor is connected to the second switch in parallel, and the third precharge resistor is connected to the third switch in parallel; and the controller is configured to: in response to the power supply mode is the three-phase current mode, acquire a first difference value between the line voltage and a first bus voltage of the charging circuit; and in response to the first difference value is less than or equal to a first voltage threshold, control the first switch, the second switch and the third switch to be switched on, and control the charging circuit to charge the target battery according to the three-phase charging mode as recited in claim 10. Claims 16-17 depend on claim 10.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THIEN MINH LE whose telephone number is (571)272-2396. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30-5:00 PM M-Th..
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/THIEN M LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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