DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to claims filed on 05/23/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 .
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 06/28/2024 was filed after the filing date of the application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-3 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ogawa teaches US 20160226409 A1 (Hereinafter “Ogawa”).
Regarding Claim 1, Ogawa teaches a power conversion device (Fig. 1) comprising:
power conversion circuitry (Fig. 1, 102) configured to supply drive power to an induction motor (Fig. 1, 101); and
control circuitry (Fig. 1, 103) configured to:
generate a torque command (Fig. 2, torque command);
correct the torque command, in response to determining that a magnitude of a primary frequency of the induction motor is less than a lower limit level, so that the magnitude of the primary frequency approaches the lower limit level (Abstract & [0077]); and
control the power conversion circuitry to supply the drive power so that the induction motor generates a torque corresponding to the torque command ([0027]).
Regarding Claim 2, Ogawa teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to correct the torque command to accelerate a rotor of the induction motor in a present rotating direction so that the primary frequency approaches the lower limit level ([0032]-[0334]).
Regarding Claim 3, Ogawa teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
determine the lower limit level based on a lower limit profile and the torque command before correction, the lower limit profile being defined in advance to represent a relationship between the torque command and the lower limit level ([0031]); and
correct the torque command based on the determined lower limit level (Fig. 2, the adder between 201 & 204).
Regarding Claim 19, Ogawa teaches a method of controlling power conversion circuitry (Fig. 1, 102) configured to supply drive power to an induction motor (Fig. 1, 101), the method comprising:
generating a torque command (Fig. 2, torque command) for the induction motor;
correcting the torque command, when a magnitude of a primary frequency of the induction motor falls below a lower limit level that is predetermined, so that the magnitude of the primary frequency approaches the lower limit level (Abstract & [0077]); and
controlling the power conversion circuitry so that the induction motor generates a torque corresponding to the torque command ([0027]).
Regarding Claim 20, Ogawa teaches the method according to claim 19, wherein said correcting the torque command include correcting the torque command to accelerate a rotor of the induction motor in a present rotating direction so that the primary frequency approaches the lower limit level ([0032]-[0334]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-18 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
determine, in response to determining that a magnitude of a primary frequency of the induction motor approaches zero, a target frequency having an inverse sign to a sign of the primary frequency; correct a magnetic flux command so as to reduce a deviation between the target frequency and the primary frequency; and control the power conversion circuitry so that the induction motor generates a secondary magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic flux command.
Claims 4-14 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Okubo US 6515442 B1 teaches when the absolute value of the position deviation signal is greater than a reference value, the torque corrective gain is set to zero and when the absolute value of the position deviation signal changes to be equal to the reference value or below, the torque corrective gain is changed from zero to a constant value, or in the section for torque corrective gain changeover evaluation, when the absolute value of the position deviation signal is greater than a reference value, the torque corrective gain is set to zero and when the absolute value of the position deviation signal changes to be equal to the reference value or below, the torque corrective gain is continuously changed from zero to a constant value.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CORTEZ M COOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7954. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30-5pm.
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/CORTEZ M COOK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846
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