DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the following communications: Application filed on August 21,2024.
Claims 1-7 are presented for Examination. Claims 1, 6 and 7 are independent.
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.
Claims 1-7 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claims 1, 6-7 recite “a detection target" - The specification fails to clearly define what constitutes a "detection target." While the description mentions examples (inverter element, resolver excitation circuit, main motor), the claim scope is unbounded as any component could potentially be considered a "detection target," rendering the claim scope uncertain, "substitute value" - The claim fails to specify what the substitute value comprises or how it is determined. Paragraphs [0035]-[0036] of the specification mention using "the previous value" or "a preset value," but the claim does not limit the substitute value to any specific type or method of determination, making it impossible to ascertain the metes and bounds of the claim. And "internal recognition value" - This term is not clearly defined in the specification and appears to be subjective terminology. The specification uses this term inconsistently (referring to different values for different sensors), creating ambiguity about what constitutes an "internal recognition value" versus other calculated values.
Appropriate correction is requested.
Since the independent claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and hence the dependent claims of 1 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US20180302020A1 (Sachimori et al.).
Regarding independent claim 1, Sachimori discloses that sensor device comprising:
a boost circuit configured to increase voltage from a battery (Sachimori discloses a sensor device (drive system with temperature monitoring capabilities) comprising:"a boost circuit configured to increase voltage from a battery" - Sachimori discloses "a boost converter 40 configured to step up an electric power on a power storage device side and supply the stepped-up electric power to an inverter side" (claim 1; [0017]));
an internal power supply configured to supply the voltage that is increased by the boost circuit (While not explicitly labeled as an "internal power supply," Sachimori's system inherently uses the stepped-up voltage from the boost converter to power various components including the temperature sensor circuit, gate driver IC, and control systems ([0018]-[0019])); and
a controller including:
a drive signal generating unit configured to generate a boost-circuit drive signal for driving the boost circuit ("a control device configured to... perform switching control of the transistors T31 and T32 included in the boost converter 40" ([0019]) and specifically "stopping the boost converter 40 (i.e., gate blocking)" ([0021])); and
a calculating unit configured to calculate a value in accordance with a state of a detection target based on a sensor signal that is generated using the internal power supply to obtain a calculated value (Sachimori discloses calculating temperature values from the temperature sensor 40a: "obtains input of the temperature Tc of the boost converter 40 (hereinafter referred to as converter temperature Tc) from the temperature sensor 40a" ([0022])), wherein
the controller is further configured to use a substitute value as an internal recognition value of the state of the detection target, instead of the calculated value based on the sensor signal when stopping the boost circuit by turning off the boost-circuit drive signal ("When it is determined that the temperature sensor 40a has a failure at step S130, the CPU 52 sets a temperature Tset determined in advance as an ordinary operation temperature of the boost converter 40 to a criterion temperature Tej (step S140)" ([0023]). The reference explicitly teaches using a predetermined substitute temperature value when the sensor fails due to boost converter issues, and specifically when the boost converter is stopped: "even when the boost converter 40 is at stop (i.e., in the gate blocking state), the electric power from the battery 36 can be supplied to the inverter 34 without stepping up the voltage by the boost converter 40" ([0021]) ).
Regarding claim 2, Sachimori discloses that wherein
the controller is configured to use the calculated value again as the internal recognition value instead of the substitute value when a recovery condition is met after starting the boost circuit by turning on the boost-circuit drive signal ("when it is subsequently determined that the failure of the boost converter causes a failure of the temperature sensor, the control device controls the inverter, such that the motor is driven without a limit imposed on the discharge power upper limit value" (claim 1). The system determines when to return to normal operation after boost converter failure.).
Regarding claim 3, Sachimori discloses that wherein
the detection target includes an inverter,
the calculating unit includes a temperature calculating unit configured to:
obtain a temperature signal as the sensor signal from a gate driver circuit that outputs a gate signal to the inverter, the temperature signal being generated in accordance with a temperature of an inverter element; and
calculate the temperature of the inverter element as the calculated value, and
the controller is further configured to use the substitute value as the internal recognition value of the temperature of the inverter element instead of the calculated value when the boost circuit is stopped (“a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the boost converter" (claim 1) and the detailed description of temperature calculation from the gate driver circuit).
Regarding claim 4 Sachimori discloses that wherein
the detection target includes a resolver excitation circuit configured to output an excitation signal to a resolver that detects a rotation position of a motor,
the calculating unit includes a voltage monitoring unit that is configured to:
obtain, as the sensor signal, a signal that is generated in accordance with a power voltage of the resolver excitation circuit; and
calculate the power voltage as the calculated value, and
the controller is further configured to use the substitute value as the internal recognition value of the power voltage instead of the calculated value when the boost circuit is stopped ("When it is determined that the temperature sensor 40a has a failure at step S130, the CPU 52 sets a temperature Tset determined in advance as an ordinary operation temperature of the boost converter 40 to a criterion temperature Tej (step S140)" ([0023]). The reference explicitly teaches using a predetermined substitute temperature value when the sensor fails due to boost converter issues, and specifically when the boost converter is stopped: "even when the boost converter 40 is at stop (i.e., in the gate blocking state), the electric power from the battery 36 can be supplied to the inverter 34 without stepping up the voltage by the boost converter 40" ([0021]) ).
Regarding claim 5, Sachimori discloses that wherein
the detection target includes a motor,
the calculating unit includes an angle calculating unit that is configured to:
obtain, as the sensor signal, a signal that is generated in accordance with a rotation position of the motor from a resolver that detects the rotation position of the motor, and
calculate a value in accordance with a rotation state of the motor as the calculated value, and
the controller is further configured to use the substitute value as the internal recognition value of the rotation state of the motor instead of the calculated value when the boost circuit is stopped ("a rotational position θm from a rotational position detection sensor 32a (for example, resolver) configured to detect the rotational position of the rotor of the motor 32" ([0018]).
Regarding independent claim 6, Sachimori discloses that a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program comprising instructions configured to, when executed by a controller of a sensor device("configured as a CPU 52-based microprocessor and includes a ROM 54 configured to store processing programs, a RAM 56 configured to temporarily store data" ([0018]), cause the controller to:
generate a boost-circuit drive signal for driving a boost circuit(Sachimori discloses a sensor device (drive system with temperature monitoring capabilities) comprising:"a boost circuit configured to increase voltage from a battery" - Sachimori discloses "a boost converter 40 configured to step up an electric power on a power storage device side and supply the stepped-up electric power to an inverter side" (claim 1; [0017])),
calculate a value in accordance with a state of a detection target based on a sensor signal that is generated using an internal power supply to obtain a calculated value (Sachimori discloses calculating temperature values from the temperature sensor 40a: "obtains input of the temperature Tc of the boost converter 40 (hereinafter referred to as converter temperature Tc) from the temperature sensor 40a" ([0022])), the internal power supply supplying a voltage increased by the boost circuit, and
use a substitute value as an internal recognition value of the state of the detection target instead of the calculated value based on the sensor signal when stopping the boost circuit by turning off the boost-circuit drive signal("When it is determined that the temperature sensor 40a has a failure at step S130, the CPU 52 sets a temperature Tset determined in advance as an ordinary operation temperature of the boost converter 40 to a criterion temperature Tej (step S140)" ([0023]). The reference explicitly teaches using a predetermined substitute temperature value when the sensor fails due to boost converter issues, and specifically when the boost converter is stopped: "even when the boost converter 40 is at stop (i.e., in the gate blocking state), the electric power from the battery 36 can be supplied to the inverter 34 without stepping up the voltage by the boost converter 40" ([0021]) ).
Regarding independent claim 7, Sachimori discloses that a sensor device comprising:
a boost circuit configured to increase a voltage from a battery(Sachimori discloses a sensor device (drive system with temperature monitoring capabilities) comprising:"a boost circuit configured to increase voltage from a battery" - Sachimori discloses "a boost converter 40 configured to step up an electric power on a power storage device side and supply the stepped-up electric power to an inverter side" (claim 1; [0017])),
an internal power supply configured to supply the voltage that is increased by the boost circuit(While not explicitly labeled as an "internal power supply," Sachimori's system inherently uses the stepped-up voltage from the boost converter to power various components including the temperature sensor circuit, gate driver IC, and control systems ([0018]-[0019])), and
at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor having a memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor having the memory is configured to cause the sensor device to:
generate a boost-circuit drive signal for driving the boost circuit;
calculate a value in accordance with a state of a detection target based on a sensor signal that is generated using the internal power supply to obtain a calculated value(Sachimori discloses calculating temperature values from the temperature sensor 40a: "obtains input of the temperature Tc of the boost converter 40 (hereinafter referred to as converter temperature Tc) from the temperature sensor 40a" ([0022]));
use the calculated value as an internal recognition value of the state of the detection target when operating the boost circuit by activating the boost-circuit drive signal; and
use a substitute value as the internal recognition value instead of the calculated value when stopping the boost circuit by deactivating the boost-circuit drive signal("When it is determined that the temperature sensor 40a has a failure at step S130, the CPU 52 sets a temperature Tset determined in advance as an ordinary operation temperature of the boost converter 40 to a criterion temperature Tej (step S140)" ([0023]). The reference explicitly teaches using a predetermined substitute temperature value when the sensor fails due to boost converter issues, and specifically when the boost converter is stopped: "even when the boost converter 40 is at stop (i.e., in the gate blocking state), the electric power from the battery 36 can be supplied to the inverter 34 without stepping up the voltage by the boost converter 40" ([0021]) ).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMAD S ISLAM whose telephone number is (571)272-8439. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am to 6:00pm.
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/MUHAMMAD S ISLAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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