DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the Preliminary amendment filed on October 11, 2024.
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 .
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 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.
Inventorship
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on May 21, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings were filed on October 11, 2024. These drawings are accepted by the Examiner.
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 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.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wagoner et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0078800 A1, reference provided as part of the Information Disclosure Statement “IDS”).
In re claim 1, Wagoner discloses (Fig. 4) a controller (300) for controlling switching in a multiphase power converter (Figs. 2-3) having a plurality of converter bridges (210 and 220), each associated with a phase (Para. 0031), wherein the controller comprises:
a driver block (250 and 260) for generating gate driver signals for controlling power switches in each of the converter bridges (Para. 0043);
an imbalance sensor block (230, 235 and 310) for identifying a power imbalance between the plurality of converter bridges (Para. 0038-0043); and
an adjustment block (308) for adjusting the control of the power switches in response to the detection of a power imbalance (Fig. 4 Para. 0038-0043 and also see the step diagram of Fig. 5 and Para. 0044-0049).
In re claim 2, Wagoner discloses wherein the adjustment block is configured to adjust the phase delay between the phases of the plurality of converter bridges by controlling their respective power switches (Fig. 4 Para. 0038-0043 and also see the step diagram of Fig. 5 and Para. 0044-0049).
In re claim 3, Wagoner discloses wherein the adjustment block is configured to adjust the control of the power switches to modulate the effective time of the voltage gate driver signals (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 4, Wagoner discloses wherein the effective time is modulated in the order of hundreds of picoseconds up to hundreds of nanoseconds (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 5, Wagoner discloses wherein the driver block is configured to control the power switches in each of the converter bridges to have predetermined starting phase delay between their respective phases (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 6, Wagoner discloses wherein the adjustment block is configured to adjust the phase delay in the order of hundreds of picoseconds up to hundreds of nanoseconds (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 7, Wagoner discloses (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) wherein the plurality of converter bridges comprises first and second converter bridges (210 and 220), wherein the driver block is configured to control the power switches in the first and second converter bridges to have a starting phase delay of 90 degrees, and wherein the adjustment block is configured to increase or decrease the starting phase delay based on the identified power imbalance (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 8, Wagoner discloses wherein the driver block generates gate driver signals for controlling the power switches in one of a half bridge and full-bridge topology for each of the plurality bridge converters (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 9, Wagoner discloses wherein the plurality of converter bridges are LLC bridges (Para. 0034-0037).
In re claim 10, Wagoner discloses wherein the imbalance sensor block identifies a power imbalance based on one or more of: a) identifying a difference between peak primary currents of the plurality of bridge converters (Para. 0038-0043); b) identifying a difference between peak secondary currents of the plurality of bridge converters (Para. 0038-0043); and c) identifying phase difference between a switching node voltage transition from high voltage to low voltage and a primary side current crossing a zero-amp value (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 11, Wagoner discloses a multiphase power converter (Figs. 2-3), comprising: a plurality of converter bridges (210, 220), each associated with a phase (Para. 0031); and a controller (300) according to claim 1 (See rejection of claim 1 as explained above).
In re claim 12, Wagoner discloses wherein the plurality of converter bridges comprises first and second converter bridges, and wherein the driver block is for controlling the power switches in the first and second converter bridges to have a starting phase delay of 90 degrees (Para. 0038-0043), and the adjustment block is for increasing or decreasing the starting phase delay based on the identified power imbalance (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 13, Wagoner discloses wherein the plurality of converter bridges comprises one of a half bridge and full-bridge topology (Para. 0034-0037).
In re claim 14, Wagoner discloses (Fig. 4) a sensor arrangement (230, 235) connected to the imbalance sensor block, wherein the sensor arrangement is for sensing one or more of: a) a difference between peak primary currents of the plurality of bridge converters (Para. 0038-0043); b) a difference between peak secondary currents of the plurality of bridge converters (Para. 0038-0043); and c) a phase difference between a switching node voltage transition from high voltage to low voltage and a primary side current crossing a zero-amp value (Para. 0038-0043).
In re claim 15, Wagoner discloses (Fig. 4) a method for controlling (using controller 300) switching in a multiphase power converter (Figs. 2-3) having a plurality of converter bridges (210 and 220), each associated with a phase (Para. 0031), wherein the method comprises:
generating gate driver signals (using 250 and 260) for controlling power switches in each of the converter bridges (Para. 0043);
identifying a power imbalance (using 230, 235 and 310) between the plurality of converter bridges (Para. 0038-0043); and
adjusting (using 308) the control of the power switches in response to the detection of a power imbalance (Fig. 4 Para. 0038-0043 and also see the step diagram of Fig. 5 and Para. 0044-0049).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAFAEL O. DE LEÓN DOMENECH whose telephone number is (571)270-0517. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m..
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/RAFAEL O DE LEON DOMENECH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838