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 .
This action is in response to an application filed on 10/01/2024.
Claims 1-19 are pending for examination.
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 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Jiang et al. (CN106470008A English Translation is attached and Jiang hereinafter).
As to Claims 1 and 16, Jiang in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-5 disclose a motor control method/a motor control apparatus, wherein a neutral wire of a motor (see Fig.1, 2) is connected to at least one standby power device (see T13, T14), the method comprising:
determining motor faulty phases when it is detected in an operating process of the motor that the motor is faulty (see step 2 and page 3); and
controlling the motor faulty phases to switch from currently connected primary power devices to the standby power device (see step 2.1-2.5 and page 3).
As to Claim 2, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: determining a number of faulty phases of the motor; and performing, when the number of faulty phases is smaller than or equal to a number of the standby power devices, the operation of controlling the motor faulty phases to switch from currently connected primary power devices to the standby power devices (see step 2.1-2.5 and Page 3).
As to Claim 3, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein said determining motor faulty phases comprises: acquiring motor sampling parameters for the operating process of the motor; and determining motor faulty phases according to the motor sampling parameters (see step 1-2 and page 3).
As to Claim 4, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 3, wherein the motor sampling parameters comprise at least one of: a phase current of each phase of the motor, a phase voltage of each phase of the motor, a temperature of each phase of winding, and a temperature of each primary power device connected to the motor (see step 1 and page 3).
As to Claim 5, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 3, wherein the motor sampling parameters comprise a phase current of each phase of the motor, and said determining motor faulty phases according to the motor sampling parameters comprises: determining, when there is a phase current higher than a preset current threshold, a phase to which the phase current higher than the preset current threshold belongs as a motor faulty phase (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 6, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 3, wherein the motor sampling parameters comprise a phase current of each phase of the motor, and said determining motor faulty phases according to the motor sampling parameters comprises: separately calculating a difference absolute value between phase currents of any two phases; and determining, when there is a difference absolute value larger than a preset difference threshold, a phase with the higher phase current out of two phases corresponding to the difference absolute value larger than the preset difference threshold as a motor faulty phase (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 7, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 3, wherein the motor sampling parameters comprise a phase voltage of each phase of the motor, and said determining motor faulty phases according to the motor sampling parameters comprises: determining, when there is a phase voltage with voltage change abnormality, a phase corresponding to the phase voltage with voltage change abnormality as a motor faulty phase (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 8, Jiang disclose the according to claim 3, wherein the motor sampling parameters comprise a temperature of each phase of winding of the motor, and said determining motor faulty phases according to the motor sampling parameters comprises: determining, when there is a temperature exceeding a first preset temperature interval, a phase corresponding to the temperature exceeding the first preset temperature interval as a motor faulty phase (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 9, Jiang disclose the according to claim 3, wherein the motor sampling parameters comprise a temperature of each primary power device connected to the motor, and said determining motor faulty phases according to the motor sampling parameters comprises: determining, when there is a primary power device the temperature of which exceeds a second preset temperature interval, a phase corresponding to the primary power device the temperature of which exceeds the second preset temperature interval as a motor faulty phase (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 10, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 2, wherein said controlling the motor faulty phases to switch from currently connected primary power devices to the standby power device comprises: controlling the currently connected primary power devices for the motor faulty phases to be turned off; and controlling standby power devices the number of which is the same as the number of faulty phases out of the at least one standby power device to be turned on (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 11, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein after said controlling the motor faulty phases to switch from currently connected primary power devices to the standby power device, the method further comprises: continuing, if the number of remaining motor phases other than the motor faulty phases is larger than a preset number and there are unenabled standby power devices in the at least one standby power device, to detect whether new motor faulty phases appear in the remaining motor phases; and switching, if the number of the new motor faulty phases is smaller than or equal to the number of the unenabled standby power devices, from primary power devices connected to the new motor faulty phases to the unenabled standby power devices (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 12, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: collecting operating parameters of an enabled standby power device and determining whether the enabled standby power device is faulty according to the operating parameters; when it is determined that the enabled standby power device is faulty and there is currently an unenabled standby power device, turning off the faulty standby power device and controlling the unenabled standby power device to be turned on; and controlling the motor to shut down if it is determined that the enabled standby power device is faulty and all standby power devices are enabled (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 13, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein before said controlling the motor faulty phases to switch from currently connected primary power devices to the standby power device, the method further comprises: controlling the motor to shut down (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 14, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: controlling the motor to shut down when the number of faulty phases is larger than the number of the standby power devices (see step 1-3 and page 3).
As to Claim 15, Jiang disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the number of phases of the motor is larger than or equal to 3; and the number of the standby power devices is larger than or equal to 1 and smaller than or equal to the number of phases of the motor minus 2 (see Fig.1 and 3 the three phase motor).
As to Claim 17, Jiang in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-5 disclose a motor control device, comprising:
a power supply module (Udc),
a motor (DFPM motor),
an inversion module (T1-T6),
a control module (see Fig.3 the control module connected to the DFPM motor), and
at least one standby power device (T13, T14), wherein
the power supply module (Udc), the inversion module (T1-T6), and each standby power device (T13, T14) are connected in parallel; windings of the motor are connected in one-to-one correspondence with primary power devices in the inversion module (see Fig.1 where the inversion module (T1-T6) connected to the windings of the motor);
the at least one standby power device (T13, T14) is all connected to a neutral wire of the motor (see Fig.1); and the control module (see Fig.3) is used for determining motor faulty phases when it is detected in an operating process of the motor that the motor is faulty (see step 2 and page 3), and
controlling the motor faulty phases to switch from currently connected primary power devices to the standby power device (see step 2.1-2.5 and page 3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang in view of Ghaderi (US 2020/0186074 A1).
As to Claim 18 and 19, Jiang disclose an electrical device and the method according to claim 1, however, it doesn’t explicitly disclose comprising:
a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and runnable on the processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program is executed by a processor to implement the method
Nonethless, Ghaderi in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-8 disclose that the controller 340 is an integrated circuit that controls the entire power conversion device 1000, and is, for example, a microcontroller or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Furthermore, the controller 340 controls a switching operation of each switching element and the ROM 360 is, for example, a writable memory (for example, PROM), a rewritable memory (for example, a flash memory), or a read-only memory. The ROM 360 stores a control program including a command group configured to cause the controller 340 to control the power conversion device 1000 (see [0030] – [0032])
Therefore, it would have been an obvious modification before the effective filing date of the instant application for a program to be executed by processor to implement the method as thought by Ghaderi within the teachings of Jiang for a precise, flexible, and reliable automation that is far more adaptable and maintainable than traditional hard-wired control systems.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (US 5,687,049 A: A fault protection circuit for protecting IGBT's and other non-latching semiconductor devices in power circuits, for example, power converting/inverting circuits, against phase to phase, phase to earth and shoot through short circuit faults as well as against over current faults. The circuit provides local protection for devices on the high side of such power circuits, and transfers the fault to the low side where it is detected and appropriate control circuitry is activated to latch the fault, thereby avoiding the need for isolated sensing or feedback to protect the high side devices as well as the complete power circuit – see [Abstract]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL T AGARED whose telephone number is (571)270-1981. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5 (Mon- Thur).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at (571) 272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GABRIEL AGARED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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