DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Drawings
The drawings received on 06/18/24 are acceptable.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 4, 12 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US 2016/0164411A1).
Chen et al. disclose a peak-buck peak-boost current-mode control for switched step-up step-down regulators in Figures 1-12.
Regarding claim 1. A control unit (Figure 5, peak-buck peak-boost current mode control-501) for operating a power converter (SA, SB, SC, SO) in a boost mode, wherein the control unit (501) is configured to: detect a peak current (RS) event within a switching cycle; and upon detecting the peak current event, start a ramp signal for the detection of a peak current event in a subsequent switching cycle (see cols. 36-44 and also Figure 3).
Regarding 4. The control unit of claim 1, wherein a slope of the ramp signal is dependent on a pre-determined peak current through an energy conversion element of the power converter (see cols, 27 and 36-44).
Regarding claim 12. A method for operating a power converter in a boost mode (Figure 5, peak-buck peak-boost current mode control-501) the method comprising: detecting a peak current event within a switching cycle; and upon detecting the peak current event, starting a ramp signal for the detection of a peak current event in a subsequent switching cycle (see cols. 36-44 and also Figure 3).
Regarding claim 15. The method of claim 12, wherein a slope of the ramp signal is dependent on a pre-determined peak current through an energy conversion element of the power converter (see cols. 27 and 36-44).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5-11, 13-14 and 16-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 2 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “wherein the control unit is configured to, upon detecting the peak current event within the switching cycle, transfer the power converter from an IN state to a THROUGH state; in the IN state an input node of the power converter is coupled with a reference node of the power converter via an energy conversion element; and in the THROUGH state the input node of the power converter is coupled with an output node of the power converter via the energy conversion element” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 3 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “wherein the control unit is further configured to: sense a current through an energy conversion element of the power converter, to provide a sensed current; overlay the sensed current with the ramp signal to provide a ramped current signal; determine an error signal based on an output voltage at an output node of the power converter and based on a reference voltage; and compare the ramped current signal with the error signal to detect a peak current event” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 5 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “wherein the control unit is further configured to, when operating the power converter in the boost mode, start a timer for generating a timer signal at the beginning of a given switching cycle; determine whether or not the timer signal occurs prior to a peak current event within the given switching cycle; in order to determine whether the power converter remains in the boost mode or transitions to a buck-boost mode within a subsequent switching cycle” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Dependent claims 6-8 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 9 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “wherein the control unit further is configured to, reset and restart the ramp signal at the beginning of the individual switching cycles of a sequence of switching cycles, when operating the power converter in a buck-boost mode; and reset and restart the ramp signal at the occurrence of a peak current event in the individual switching cycles of a sequence of switching cycles, when operating the power converter in the boost mode” in addition to other limitation recited therein.
Dependent claims 10 and 11 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 13 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “further comprising: upon detecting the peak current event within the switching cycle, transfer the power converter from an IN state to a THROUGH state; coupling, in the IN state, an input node of the power converter with a reference node of the power converter via an energy conversion element; and coupling, in the THROUGH state, the input node of the power converter with an output node of the power converter via the energy conversion element” in addition to other limitation recited therein.
Claim 14 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “further comprising: sensing a current through an energy conversion element of the power converter, to provide a sensed current overlaying the sensed current with the ramp signal to provide a ramped current signal; determining an error signal based on an output voltage at an output node of the power converter and based on a reference voltage; and comparing the ramped current signal with the error signal to detect a peak current event” in addition to other limitations recited therein.
Claim 16 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “further comprising, when operating the power converter in the boost mode, starting a timer for generating a timer signal at the beginning of a given switching cycle; determining whether or not the timer signal occurs prior to a peak current event within the given switching cycle; in order to determine whether the power converter remains in the boost mode or transitions to a buck-boost mode within a subsequent switching cycle” in addition to other limitation recited therein.
Dependent claims 17-19 are allowable by virtue of their dependency.
Claim 20 is allowed because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a control unit for operating a power converter including the limitation “further comprising: resetting and restarting the ramp signal at the beginning of the individual switching cycles of a sequence of switching cycles, when operating the power converter in a buck-boost mode; and resetting and restarting the ramp signal at the occurrence of a peak current event in the individual switching cycles of a sequence of switching cycles, when operating the power converter in the boost mode” in addition to other limitation recited therein.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Examiner has cited particular columns, line numbers and/or paragraphs in the
references 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
specific limitations within the individual claim(s), other passages and figures may apply
as well.
Additionally, in the event that other prior art is provided and made of record by the
Examiner, as being relevant or pertinent to applicant's disclosure but not relied upon.
The references are provided for the convenience of the applicant.
The Examiner request that the references be considered in any subsequent amendments, as they are also representative of the art and may apply to the specific limitations of any newly amended claim(s).
It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing amendments or responses, to
fully consider the references in their 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 and/or
disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADOLF D BERHANE whose telephone number is (571)272-2077. The examiner can normally be reached 7 AM - 10 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal Hammond can be reached at 571-270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ADOLF D BERHANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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