DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-9 are presented for examination.
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/3/24 and 12/27/24 were considered by the examiner. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
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.
5. 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.
(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.
6. Claims 1-2, 4-5 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Fujimoto et al. (Fujimoto), JP publication no. 111965311.
As per claim 1, Fujimoto A power conversion device comprising: a conversion circuit [power converter of the power source 4] configured to convert DC power output from a power supply into AC power and output the AC power [figure 8; para 4];
a grid forming control circuit [control system 12] configured to generate a first modulation command [the output of the "multiplier 23" in the "control system 12"] to change an amplitude and a phase of an output voltage from the conversion circuit by grid forming control for maintaining the amplitude and the phase of the output voltage at given set values ["ωt" disclosed in the section with reference sign "22" in fig. 9, which is the phase corresponding to the "amplitude reference value Vi*, and the frequency reference ω, which are inputs to the adder 20] [figure 9; para 5, 18];
a grid following control circuit [control system 14] configured to generate a
second modulation command [the output of the current regulator (ACR) 25] to change the amplitude and the phase of the output voltage by grid following control for causing the amplitude and the phase of the output voltage to follow an amplitude and a phase of a grid voltage as a voltage of a given power grid [figure 9; para 5-7];
a modulation circuit [ignition pulse generating circuit 18] configured to change the amplitude and the phase of the output voltage on the basis of the first modulation command or the second modulation command [figure 9; para 7];
a switching circuit [SW 15-SW17] configured to switch, in accordance with a switching signal, input to the modulation circuit such that either the first modulation command or the second modulation command is input to the modulation circuit [figure 9; para 7];
a phase synchronization processing circuit [PLL 24] configured to compute a synchronous phase by phase synchronization processing for which the amplitude of the grid voltage is used as input, the synchronous phase being computed when the switching signal instructing switching from the grid forming control to the grid following control is received [para 6, 7] ;
an initial value computing circuit [control system 13] configured to compute an initial amplitude command value [the output of the "multiplier 23"] based on the amplitude of the grid voltage and the synchronous phase [figure 9; para 7]; and
a synchronization adjusting circuit [SW 16] configured to set the initial amplitude command value to be an initial value [the output of the "multiplier 23"] of a command value of the amplitude of the output voltage in the grid following control after switching from the grid forming control [para 6, 7, 13].
Fujimoto discloses:
[0006]The synchronous control system 13 is a control block for generating a voltage synchronized with the system voltage Vs in order to perform interconnected operation, and is switched to this control system by turning on the SW16. That is, on the basis of the system voltage Vs, a reference sinusoidal wave is generated by a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit 24 and a reference sinusoidal wave generator 22, and an amplitude-adjusted amount with respect to the system voltage is obtained by a rectifier circuit 19, an adder 20 and a AVR21. As a matter of course, the contactor 7 is open during this period.
[0013]The control system switching circuit 29 disconnects from the circuit 28
Switching of independent control, synchronous control, and linkage control is performed based on the switching command. That is, when switching from the interconnected operation command to the independent operation command, the operation is performed so as to switch from the SW3 to the SW1 and set the control to the independent control, and when switching from the independent operation command to the interconnected operation command, the operation is performed so as to first switch to the SW2 and perform the synchronous control, and then switch from the SW2 to the SW3 and switch the control to the interconnected control. These switching operations are performed by an AND gate AN, an inverter IN, a monostable circuit 31, etc.
As per claim 2, Fujimoto discloses the synchronization adjusting circuit is configured to stop, when the grid forming control is being executed, amplitude command generation processing for generating the command value of the amplitude of the output voltage in the grid following control, and start up the amplitude command generation processing after switching to the grid following control [figure 9; para 5-7, 13]. In summary, the command value for the amplitude of the output voltage in system tracking control is not used in system formation control (the control "during self-sustained operation" by the "self-sustained control system 12"), and in addition to being used in the system tracking control (the "grid-connected operation" control by the
"synchronous control system 13" and the "grid-connected control system 14"), when system formation control is in progress, stopping amplitude command generation processing, and starting the amplitude command generation processing after switching to system tracking control amounts to a practice which could normally be implemented by a person skilled in the art.
As to claims 4- 5, directed to a computer readable recording medium storing the instructions to perform the method of steps executed by the system as set forth in claims 1-2. Therefore, it is rejected on the same basis as set forth hereinabove.
As to claims 7-8, claims 1-2 basically are the corresponding elements that are carried out the method of operating step in claims 7-8. Accordingly, claims 7-8 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-2.
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 3, 6 and 9 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.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of records do not teach: in claims 3, 6 and 9, the grid following control includes constant power control processing for changing an active current and a reactive current such that active power and reactive power match an active power command value and a reactive power command value, respectively, and the synchronization adjusting circuit is configured to set active power and reactive power computed in the grid forming control before switching to the grid following control to be an initial value of the active power command value and an initial value of the reactive power command value, respectively, in the constant power control processing of the grid following control after switching.
9. Examiner's note: Examiner has cited particular paragraphs and columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. MPEP 2141.02 VI: “PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS."
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Nakayama et al., US publication no. 2023/0041013, discloses a power conversion device includes: a power converter including, for respective phases of AC, leg circuits; the power converter being configured to perform power conversion between multiphase AC and DC; and a control unit; the control unit corrects an AC voltage
command value for controlling AC voltage of the power converter, by a zero-phase-sequence voltage command value having a set amplitude and a set phase, and performs adjustment control for adjusting at least either the amplitude or the phase of the zero-phase-sequence voltage command value on the basis of electric energy variation in the arm.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUN CAO whose telephone number is (571)272-3664. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:30 am-4:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kamini Shah can be reached on 571-272-2279. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHUN CAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115
1 Fujimoto is cited by applicant.
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