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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruppert (US 20220381806).
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With respect to claim 1, Ruppert (20220381806) discloses a device comprising: an electrical component configured to carry an electrical current; an electrical circuit (including 9 and 10) configured to measure the electrical current through the electrical component (2), the electrical circuit comprising: a temperature sensor (9) configured to measure a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the electrical component; and a voltage sensor (10) configured to measure a voltage signal indicative of a voltage across the electrical component (2) that is proportional to the electrical current; and a micro-controller (7 and 8 including filter) configured to control operation of the electrical circuit, the micro-controller comprising: a filter (filter see [0027], “each include at least one preamplifier connected in front of the analog-digital converter, at least one filter and/or at least one integrator, or be connected to such components. “) configured to estimate a temperature change of the electrical component for a first set of time constants based on the voltage signal, wherein the set of time constants include time constants having values that are greater than or equal to 10 milliseconds (ms). (Here, time constants as such are inherent in the calculation of the temperature changes and the value can be controlled to be within the range of greater than 10ms.)
With respect to claim 2, Ruppert (20220381806) discloses the device of claim 1, further comprising a communication bus (buses shown in fig 3) configured to communicatively couple the electrical circuit (including 9 and 10) and the micro-controller (7 and 8 including filter).
With respect to claim 3, Ruppert (20220381806) discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the electrical component comprises a shunt (see [0011], “The electrical resistance of the switchable portion can be viewed here as a shunt.”)
Withs respect to claim 4, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 3, wherein the shunt comprises a power switch (switchable portion) comprising at least one of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (see [0033], “the switching elements which are used are metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), especially those based on silicon carbide. In the case of a switching element designed as a MOSFET, the switchable portion is accordingly the drain-source section of the transistor”) , an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, a gallium nitride transistor, or a bipolar junction transistor.
With respect to claim 5, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 4, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a gate-driver circuit (driver 8) configured to control operation of the power switch.
With respect to claim 6, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the filter is a first filter (non-disclosed filter used within the circuit), wherein the set of time constants is a first set of time constants, wherein the temperature change is a first temperature change, wherein the electrical circuit further comprises: a second filter (additional non-disclosed filter used within the circuit) configured to estimate a second temperature change of the electrical component for a second set of time constants based on the voltage signal, wherein the time constants of the second set of time constants are less than or equal to the time constants of the first set of time constants (Here, the filters and temperature changes and time constants are inherent in the operation of the circuit wherein the filters are associated with the controlling of the digital signal in [0027], the temperature changes are associated with temperature sensor and the time constants are also associated with the temperature sensors) .
With respect to claim 7, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 6, wherein the first filter operates independently from the second filter, wherein the second filter comprises a digital filter. (Here, the use of digital or standard filter are deemed to be obvious expedient to one of ordinary skill in the art).
With respect to claim 8, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 6, wherein the second set time constants of the second filter are configured to compensate for short-term load changes carried by the power switch (Here, the set time constants are within the scope of the invention and the manipulation of such would be obvious expedient to one of ordinary skill in the art).
With respect to claim 9, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 6, wherein the first digital filter is configured to output the first estimated temperature change to the electrical circuit via a communication bus (buses shown in figure 3) , and wherein the electrical circuit is configured to add the first estimated temperature change to the second estimated temperature change from the second filter. (see figure 4 or 2, showing summation of the temperature changes to the motor 4)
With respect to claim 10, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 6, wherein the first filter (filter) is configured to dynamically modify filter coefficients for the second filter via a communication bus (bus shown in fig. 3).
With respect to claim 11, Ruppert discloses the device of claim 1, wherein the first filter is implemented in software, and wherein the second digital filter is implemented in hardware. (Here, the choice of filter type used as first or second filter is obvious expedient to one of ordinary skill in the art.)
With respect to claim 12, Ruppert discloses a system comprising: a micro-controller circuit (7 and 8 inclusive of filters) configured to control operation of a gate-driver circuit (driver 8), the micro-controller circuit comprising a first digital filter (filter, obvious expedient as to type of filter); and the gate-driver circuit comprising a second filter (filter, obvious expedient as to type of second filter), wherein the gate-driver circuit is configured to control operation of a power switch (switchable portion), and wherein the first digital filter is configured to model temperature compensation of the power switch for a first set of time constants (inherent in operation of circuit), and wherein the second digital filter is configured to model temperature compensation of the switch for a second set of time constants (inherent in operation of circuit), and wherein each time constant in the first set of time constants is less than or equal to time constants in the second set of time constants (manipulation of time constants to achieve objective is deemed obvious expedient to one skilled in the art and thus within the scope of the invention).
With respect to claim 13, Ruppert discloses the system of claim 12, further comprising a power supply (15) configured to apply power to a load via the power switch.
With respect to claim 14, Ruppert discloses the system of claim 12, wherein the second set time constants of the second digital filter are configured to compensate for short-term load changes carried by the power switch (The filters disclosed in [0027] and associated with the control of the circuit would meet this criteria).
With respect to claim 15, Ruppert discloses the system of claim 12, further comprising a temperature sensing circuit (temperature sensors 9), wherein the gate-driver circuit (8) is configured to receive a first signal output (at 11) from the temperature sensing circuit indicating a temperature of the system, wherein the gate-driver circuit is further configured to receive a second signal output (at 12) from the power switch (S1-S6) indicating a drain-source voltage (VDS) of the power switch, and wherein the gate-driver circuitry comprises a temperature compensation loop (loop associated with the resistance 10) that operates based on the first signal output and the second signal output.
With respect to claim 16, Ruppert discloses the system of claim 15, further comprising a communication bus (buses shown in figure 3) configured to communicate at least between the micro-controller and the gate-driver.
With respect to claim 17, Ruppert discloses the system of claim 16, wherein the first digital filter (selection of filter is obvious expedient) is configured to output updates to the gate-driver (8) via the communication bus (buses shown in figure 3) , and wherein the gate-driver (8) adds the updates from the first digital filter to the temperature compensation loop (This is done in the functioning of the circuit via the controller 7).
With respect to claim 18, Ruppert discloses the system of claim 16, wherein the first digital filter (selection of filter is obvious expedient) is configured to dynamically modify filter coefficients for the second digital filter(selection of filter is obvious expedient) via the communication bus (bus shown in figure 3).
With respect to claim 19, Ruppert discloses a method comprising: controlling operation of a gate-driver circuit (including parts of Voltage detector 10), by a micro-controller circuit (comprising 7 and 8 and filters), wherein the micro-controller circuit comprises a first digital filter (filters disclosed in [0027]), wherein the first digital filter is configured to model a first temperature compensation of a power switch (S1-S6) for a first set of time constants; measure, by the gate-driver circuit (including voltage detector 10), a voltage across the power switch (S1-S6), wherein gate-driver circuit comprises a second filter (filters disclosed in [0027])configured to model a second temperature compensation of the power switch for a second set of time constants; and modeling, by the micro-controller (comprising 7 and 8 and filters), executing the first filter, the first temperature compensation of the power switch for the first set of time constants, wherein each time constant in the second set of time constants is less than or equal to time constants in the first set of time constants (the choice of time constants is obvious expedient to one of ordinary skill in the art).
With respect to claim 20, Ruppert discloses the method of claim 19, wherein the second digital filter is implemented in software, and wherein the first digital filter is implemented in hardware. (Here, the choice of implementing components in software or hardware is obvious expedient to one of ordinary skill in the art and deemed within the scope of the invention).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KHAREEM E ALMO whose telephone number is (571)272-5524. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (8:00am-4:00pm).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Menatoallah Youssef can be reached at M-F (8:00am-4:00pm). The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KHAREEM E ALMO/Examiner, Art Unit 2849 /Menatoallah Youssef/SPE, Art Unit 2849