DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the Application filed on 05/21/2024.
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 05/21/2024 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested:
--MULTI-LEVEL INVERTER WITH AUXILIARY BALANCING CIRCUIT--.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 17, 19 - 20 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 17 recites “controllerwith the sign” in line 5. It appears that it should be “controller with a sign”.
Claim 19 recites “the influence” in lines 2 - 3. It appears that it should be “an influence”.
Claim 20 recites “a positive compensation voltage control signal” in lines 5 - 6. It appears that it should be “the positive compensation voltage control signal”.
Claim 20 recites “a negative compensation voltage control signal” in line 7. It appears that it should be “the negative compensation voltage control signal”.
Claim 24 recites “the output of the first subtraction block” in line 3. It appears that it should be “an output of a first subtraction block”.
Claim 24 recites “the output of the second subtraction block” in line 4. It appears that it should be “an output of a second subtraction block”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 21, 24 – 27 are 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 21 recites “Tx = (UC1-UC3)/IC2*Tup – (UC2-UC3)/UC1*Tun”. The variables of the formula are not defined in the claim which renders the claim indefinite.
Claim 24 recites “the gate control circuit”. Said limitation lacks antecedent basis.
Claims 25 – 26 depends on claim 24 and therefore are also rejected.
Claim 27 recites “Tu=Tx=Ti=0”. However, the variables are not defined in the claims which renders the claim indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 – 20, 22 – 23 and 28 are allowed.
Claims 21 and 24 – 27 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reason for the indication of the allowability of claim 15 is the inclusion therein, in combination as currently claimed as a whole, of the limitation of “wherein said control system comprises a cascaded control loop including a first control path comprising a first controller and a second controller, the first controller configured to receive a difference of DC link capacitor voltages as input, the second controller configured to receive a difference between an output of the first controller and an inductor current as input and configured to output a current control signal, the control system further comprising a second control path configured to receive a flying capacitor voltage as input and configured to output a voltage control signal, the control system further comprising a switch control circuit configured to receive the current control signal and the voltage control signal as input and configured to control operation of the plurality of switches of the balancing circuit”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Non Patent Literature (NPL): “Flying-Capacitor-Based Chopper Circuit for DC Capacitor Voltage Balancing in Diode-Clamped Multilevel Inverter”, cited by Applicant(s) is the closest prior art.
US Pub. No. 2017/0149336 discloses a power conversion device is a five-level inverter configured to output voltages at five levels and includes two direct current capacitors, two flying capacitors, and ten switching elements. This power conversion device controls each switching element such that the voltage of each direct current capacitor is E/2 and the voltage of each flying capacitor is E/4 with a direct-current voltage E being applied to a series circuit of the two direct current capacitors, thereby outputting voltages at five levels.
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/ALEX TORRES-RIVERA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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