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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, line 14 recites “setting the direct current to zero” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear to the examiner which current is being set to zero.
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)(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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated WO2020141569, where in Ota et al. US publication no.: US 2021/0218358 A1 is used in this office action.
Regarding claim 1, Ota et al. teach, A thyristor starter (see thyristor starter 100, figure 1) that starts a synchronous machine (machine 20, figure 1), the thyristor starter comprising: a converter (converter 1, figure 1) that converts AC power into DC power; a DC reactor (DC reactor 3, figure 1) that smooths the DC power; an inverter (inverter 2, figure 1) that converts the DC power supplied from the converter through the DC reactor into AC power of a variable frequency and supplies the AC power to the synchronous machine (see paragraph 25, where the variable frequency is provided to the machine); and a controller (converter controller 13, figure 1) that controls a firing phase of a thyristor in the converter such that a direct current flowing through the DC reactor coincides with a current command value (see paragraphs 36-37, where the converter controller allows the DC current id to matche the current command value), wherein the thyristor starter accelerates the synchronous machine in a stopped state to a prescribed rotation speed by sequentially adopting a first mode and a second mode (see figure 3, where the first mode corresponds to the control between t1-t2 and second mode corresponds to the control during the between t2-t3), in the first mode, the thyristor starter performs commutation of the inverter by intermittently setting the direct current to zero (see figure 3, where the field current is set to zero), and in the second mode, the thyristor starter performs commutation of the inverter by an induced voltage of the synchronous machine, the controller includes a current controller that generates a voltage command value for an output voltage of the converter by performing a control operation using an integral element of a deviation of the direct current with respect to the current command value (see paragraph 38, where the voltage command is generated based on the integral value and the result is added to the adder), a corrector (see adder, paragraph 38) that adds a correction value to the voltage command value, and a control angle calculator (control angle calculator 16, figure 1) that calculates a phase control angle of the thyristor in the converter based on the voltage command value to which the correction value is added (see paragraph 40, where the phase angle calculated the phase control angle based on the voltage command), and in the first mode, the correction value is set to increase as a rotation speed of the synchronous machine increases (see paragraphs 57-58, where the speed is proportional to the lead angle change).
Regarding claim 2, Ota et al. teach, The thyristor starter according to claim 1, further comprising a position detector that detects a rotor position of the synchronous machine, wherein the corrector sets the correction value to increase as the rotation speed of the synchronous machine increases (see paragraphs 31-33, where the correction value is dependent on the signal from the detector), the rotation speed of the synchronous machine being calculated from a detection signal of the position detector (see position detector 7, figure 1).
Regarding claim 3, Ota et al. teach, The thyristor starter according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage detector (see voltage detector 6, figure 1) that detects a DC voltage to be input to the inverter, wherein the corrector sets the correction value to increase as the DC voltage increases (see paragraphs 30 and 34).
Regarding claim 4, Ota et al. teach, The thyristor starter according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage detector (see voltage detector 6, figure 1) that detects an AC voltage to be input to the synchronous machine, wherein the corrector sets the correction value to increase as an effective value of the AC voltage increases (see paragraphs 30 and 34 ).
Regarding claim 5, Ota et al. teach, The thyristor starter according to claim 1, wherein the corrector sets the correction value using a linear function, the linear function being set based on the rotation speed of the synchronous machine (see figure 3 and paragraphs 57 and 90, where a linear function relationship for speed is disclosed) or a value of a parameter varying according to the rotation speed as an explanatory variable, and the correction value as an objective variable.
Conclusion
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/ZOHEB S IMTIAZ/Primary Examiner , Art Unit 2846