DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. The specification, the abstract and the drawings are all acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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 of this title, 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.
4. Claims 1-2, 7-10, 14-17, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over USPN 6,680,997 to Das, and in view of USPN 9,163,600 to Neet.
As to claim 1, Das teaches a method for operation of a motor system (col. 1: lines 64 – col. 2: lines 25 and fig. 1a), comprising: operating an externally excited electric machine above a threshold speed in a first stator winding configuration of a stator(col. 2: lines 3-5); and switching the stator from a first winding configuration to a second winding configuration while the externally excited electric machine is maintained above the threshold speed(col. 5: lines 5-9 wherein apparatus and method are taught for operating a motor above a threshold speed in a first stator winding configuration of a stator which is “Delta Connection” and switching the stator winding configuration from wye connection to delta connection).
Das does not teach an externally excited electric machine system wherein the externally excited electric machine includes a plurality of rotor windings configured to be externally excited.
Neet teaches an externally excited electric machine system wherein the externally excited electric machine includes a plurality of rotor windings configured to be externally excited(fig. 1, col. 3: lines 43-47).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the teachings of Neet into Das since Das suggests a motor control system and Neet suggests the beneficial use of an externally excited electric machine system in the analogous art of motor control technology.
The motivation for this comes from the fact that Neet teaches an externally excited electric machine system which can be used to improve the motor control system disclosed by Das.
As to claim 2, Das in view of Neet teaches the method of claim 1, wherein switching the stator from the first winding configuration to the second winding configuration is initiated in response to a stator shift request(col. 4: lines 15-20).
As to claim 7, Das in view of Neet teaches the method of claim 1, wherein a torque set-point of the externally excited electric machine before the stator is switched is equivalent to a torque set-point of the externally excited electric machine(col. 2: lines 57-67 wherein the high torque setpoint is maintained the same before or after stator winding configuration is switched from wye connection to delta connection).
As to claim 8, Das in view of Neet teaches the method of claim 1. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Das in view of Neet in order to obtain the invention as disclosed in claim 8 because the five, six, or nine phase stator for a motor are widely used in industrial applications.
As to claim 9, Das in view of Neet teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first winding configuration is a star configuration (col. 2: line 2 “wye connection” is the star configuration) and the second winding configuration is a delta configuration (col. 2: lines 4) or vice versa.
As to claim 10, Das teaches a motor system including a stator (fig. 1a: “3”); a dynamic winding reconfiguration device configured to switch a winding configuration of the stator(figs. 2 & 3, col. 4: lines 47-59); and a controller including instructions that when executed by the controller, in response to receiving a stator shift request and when an externally excited electric machine is operated over a threshold speed, cause the controller to: switch the stator between a first winding configuration and a second winding configuration(col. 5: lines 5-9 wherein apparatus and method are taught for operating a motor above a threshold speed in a first stator winding configuration of a stator which is “Delta Connection” and switching the stator winding configuration from wye connection to delta connection).
Das does not teach an externally excited electric machine system, comprising: a rotor including a plurality of rotor windings configured for external excitation.
Neet teaches an externally excited electric machine system, comprising: a rotor including a plurality of rotor windings configured for external excitation (fig. 1, col. 3: lines 43-47).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the teachings of Neet into Das since Das suggests a motor control system and Neet suggests the beneficial use of an externally excited electric machine system in the analogous art of motor control technology.
The motivation for this comes from the fact that Neet teaches an externally excited electric machine system which can be used to improve the motor control system disclosed by Das.
As to claim 14, Das in view of Neet teaches the externally excited electric machine system of claim 10, wherein one of the first and second winding configurations is a star configuration (col. 2: line 2 “wye connection” is the star configuration).
As to claim 15, Das in view of Neet teaches the externally excited electric machine system of claim 14, wherein one of the first and second winding configurations is a delta configuration (col. 2: lines 4).
As to claim 16, Das in view of Neet teaches the externally excited electric machine system of claim 10. It would be obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to use the externally excited electric machine system in any industrial application including but not limiting to use it as a traction motor in an electric powertrain.
As to claim 17, Das teaches a method for operation of motor (col. 1: lines 64 – col. 2: lines 25 and fig. 1a) comprising: during a stator winding reconfiguration event when a motor is operating above a threshold speed and operating switches in the dynamically reconfigurable stator to alter the configuration of the dynamically reconfigurable stator (col. 5: lines 5-9 wherein apparatus and method are taught for operating a motor above a threshold speed in a first stator winding configuration of a stator which is “Delta Connection” and switching the stator winding configuration from wye connection to delta connection), reducing a stator current supplied to a dynamically reconfigurable stator to zero (col. 3: lines 66 – col. 4: lines 4 wherein apparatus and method are taught for a motor control system to switch stator current off and reduce stator current to zero).
Das does not teach an externally excited synchronous electric machine system.
Neet teaches an externally excited synchronous electric machine system (fig. 1, col. 3: lines 43-47).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the teachings of Neet into Das since Das suggests a motor control system and Neet suggests the beneficial use of an externally excited electric machine system in the analogous art of motor control technology.
The motivation for this comes from the fact that Neet teaches an externally excited electric machine system which can be used to improve the motor control system disclosed by Das.
As to claim 20, Das in view of Neet teaches the method of claim 17, wherein the dynamically reconfigurable stator is configured to operate in at least one of a delta configuration (col. 2: lines 4) and a star configuration (col. 2: line 2 “wye connection” is the star configuration).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3-6, 11-13, 18-19 are objected to as being dependent upon the rejected base claims 1, 10, 17, but could be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claims and any intervening claims for the following reasons: No prior art of record discloses the features as claimed in the noted claims.
6. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter. The non-obvious features are:
In comparison with the closest prior art as cited in this Office action and any previous Office actions, no prior art of record discloses the following features as claimed in the following claim limitations:
As per claim 3: Switching the stator from the first winding configuration to the second winding configuration includes reducing a field current which is delivered to the rotor windings to an upper threshold value for the switching event.
As per claim 11: Decreasing a field current delivered to the plurality of rotor windings to an upper threshold for shifting in response to receiving the stator shift request; and in response to the field current reaching or approaching the upper threshold, decreasing a stator current delivered to the stator to zero.
As per claim 18: During the stator winding reconfiguration event, prior to reducing the stator current, reducing a field current supplied to a plurality of rotor windings to an upper threshold value for the stator winding reconfiguration event.
Conclusion
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
USPN 5,227,710 to Lewus discloses a motor control system.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID S LUO whose telephone number is (571)270-5251. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-5PM.
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/DAVID LUO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846