DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the following communications: Application filed on 11/07/2024.
Claims 1-15 are presented for Examination. Claims 1 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 1-15 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 1,7 recite the limitations of "N being a no nil integer" which is indefinite. The limitations "no nil" is non-standard and unclear. A skilled artisan would not understand whether "no nil" means "non-zero," "non-null," or something else. Examiner suggest to replace with "a non-zero integer" or "an integer greater than zero.".
Claims 2, 9 recite "control that the electric machine... is functional before connecting" is indefinite. The phrase "control that... is functional" is grammatically incoherent and fails to define what "control" means or what criteria determine "functional.". A skilled artisan would not understand the scope of this limitation.
Claims 5-6, 15 recite "wounded rotor" is incorrect terminology. The correct term is "wound rotor." This error renders the claims indefinite.
Claim 11 recites "the primary switch being open and the first switching module being configured so that any current circulates through the first switching module" is logically inconsistent. If the primary switch is open, current cannot circulate through the first switching module (which connects to the primary switch). This inconsistency renders the claim indefinite.
Claim 14 recites "N main switch" is grammatically incorrect. It should be "N main
switches." Additionally, "main switch" lacks antecedent basis in Claim 7.
Appropriate correction is requested.
Since the independents claims 1 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and hence the dependent claims of 1 and 7 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 1-15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over US 2018/0034280 A1 (Pedersen).
Regarding independent claim 1, Pedersen discloses that a drive system (Fig.1:[0001]) comprising:
a connecting circuit and N drive units (([0099]); discloses multiple electrical loads connected to the DC bus, such as "DC bus loads M1 (7)" including "a lifting device for the drill floor, a mud pump motor, a cement pump motor" ( [0102]), which correspond to N drive units),
each drive unit comprising an electric machine ( discloses that the DC bus loads M1 include motors such as "a mud pump motor, a cement pump motor" ( [0102]). Pedersen also discloses a thruster Th1 which is an electric machine ([0100]).), a primary power converter configured to supply the electric machine(discloses a thruster drive 15 configured to supply the thruster Th1 ( [0100]). Additionally, Pedersen teaches a first AC-DC power converter 3 that supplies the DC bus 14, which in turn supplies the DC bus loads ( [0099])), N being a no nil integer ([0102]), characterized in that the drive system further comprises:
an auxiliary power converter connected to each of the electric machine of the drive unit through the connecting circuit(second AC-DC power converter 8" ( [0104]; Fig. 1)), and
an auxiliary control circuit configured to control the auxiliary power converter, and being configured:
(i) to connect the auxiliary power converter to the electric machine of a drive unit of the N drive units through the connecting circuit (discloses that the central power management controller is configured to activate the second AC-DC power converter 8 to energize the AC bus 4, thereby connecting the auxiliary power source to the electric machines (e.g., thrusters) connected to the AC bus ( [0106])), the drive unit being a target drive unit (discloses that during a failure, power is provided to specific loads such as the thruster Th1 ( [0110]), which functions as the target drive unit),
(ii) to drive the electric machine from the auxiliary power converter (discloses that the second AC-DC power converter 8, when activated, drives the thruster Th1 (an electric machine) from the DC bus 14 ( [0106]). Specifically, [0110] states the flywheel energy storage device possesses sufficient energy to drive the thruster Th1),
(iii) to disconnect the primary power converter of the target drive unit from the associated electric machine of the target drive unit (discloses that the central power management controller is configured to "deactivate the first AC-DC power converter 3" (¶ [0095]), which effectively disconnects the primary power path. Furthermore, Pedersen teaches disconnecting the AC generator 18 via circuit breaker 13 ([0100])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Pedersen's system to selectively disconnect a specific primary power converter from an electric machine while connecting an auxiliary power converter, as taught by Pedersen, to ensure continuity of operation during a fault, as this is a standard practice in power management for reliability.
Regarding claim 2, Pedersen discloses that wherein the auxiliary control circuit is further configured to detect a fault of one of the N drive units( discloses that the central power management controller is configured to detect one or more parameters on the AC bus, such as voltage levels, which indicates a fault condition ([0093]; claim 3). Pedersen specifically mentions detecting "a short circuit or diesel generator failure" ([0003])
the target drive unit being the faulty drive unit, ( Pedersen teaches identifying faulty sections and isolating them using bus tie breakers ( [0099]), thereby identifying the target unit )and when the fault is an earth fault or a short circuit,(Pedersen discloses addressing short circuits ([0003]))
the auxiliary power converter is further configured to control that the electric machine of a faulty drive unit of the N drive units is functional before connecting the auxiliary power converter to the electric machine if the electric machine is functional( While Pedersen does not explicitly teach verifying "functionality" before connection, it would have been obvious to a skilled artisan to include a routine diagnostic check (e.g., impedance test) to verify the integrity of the machine before re-energizing to prevent further damage, as this is common engineering practice).
Regarding claim 3, Pedersen discloses that further comprising a global control circuit and wherein each drive unit further comprises a local control circuit configured to monitor the drive unit and control the primary power converter of the drive unit (Pedersen discloses a "central power management controller" (global control circuit) that controls the converters ([0093]). The skilled artisan would understand that individual drive units (e.g., thruster drives) include local controls for operation), the local control circuit of the target drive unit being configured to supply the electric machine of the target drive unit with a first power (supplying power to the thruster Th1 ( [0100])), the global control circuit being configured to:
(i) control the local control circuit of the target drive unit and the auxiliary control circuit so that a sum of the power supplied by the primary power converter of the target drive unit and the power supplied by the auxiliary power converter is equal to the first power (Pedersen discloses the central power management controller controls the power converters 3 and 8 to manage power flow ([0093])), the power supplied by the primary power converter of the target drive unit being decreasing over the time (Pedersen teaches a smooth transition using energy storage to maintain power ( [0119])) and the power supplied by the auxiliary power converter being increasing over the time (— Pedersen teaches a smooth transition using energy storage to maintain power ([0119]). A gradual ramping of power from the primary to the auxiliary source is a standard technique for "make-before-break" transitions to avoid transients, and would have been obvious.), and
(ii) control the auxiliary control circuit to disconnect the primary power converter of the target drive unit from the associated electric machine when the power supplied by the primary power converter of the target drive unit is nil and the power supplied by the auxiliary power converter is equal to the first power (Pedersen teaches deactivating the first converter 3 when the second converter 8 is active ( [0095]), which corresponds to disconnecting the primary source once the auxiliary source is fully supplying the load.)
Regarding claim 4, Pedersen discloses that wherein:
each drive unit comprises a first switch connecting the primary power converter of the drive unit to the electric machine of the drive unit ("load circuit breaker 12" and "thruster circuit breaker 112" for disconnecting loads ( [0113]; Fig. 1)), and
the connecting circuit comprising a primary switch and a first switching module, the first switching module being configured to connect the electric machine of each drive unit to the primary switch ("bus tie breakers 2a, 2b, 16, 40" which function as switches within the connecting circuit (bus) to isolate sections ([0099]).
"the first switching module being configured to connect the electric machine of each drive unit to the primary switch," — Pedersen discloses the bus tie breakers connect different bus sections which supply the electric machines ( [0099])), the auxiliary control circuit being configured to open the first switch of the target drive unit when disconnecting the primary power converter from the associated electric machine of the target drive unit (Pedersen discloses the central power management controller activating/deactivating breakers ( [0093]), and opening the generator circuit breaker 13 to disconnect the source ([0100]). Applying this logic to load-side breakers for isolation is an obvious modification.).
Regarding claim 5, Pedersen discloses that wherein:
the electric machine of the target drive unit comprises a wounded rotor including windings supplied by a supply module of the target drive unit (Pedersen does not explicitly disclose a wound rotor motor. However, wound rotor induction motors are well-known in the art for high-power applications like drilling rigs. Substituting a standard motor with a wound rotor motor would have been an obvious design choice for a skilled artisan), and
the auxiliary control circuit being configured to control the supply module of the target drive unit so that the supply module stops supplying the windings of the wounded rotor of the electric machine of the target drive unit when disconnecting the primary power converter of the target drive unit — It would have been obvious to control the rotor supply to ensure safe disconnection, consistent with Pedersen's teaching of deactivating converters during transitions ([0095]).
Regarding claim 6, Pedersen discloses that wherein the connecting circuit comprises a second switching module supplied by a secondary power converter (Pedersen discloses the second AC-DC power converter 8 and associated switching components ([0104]). Incorporating a secondary converter to supply rotor windings is an obvious modification for a wound rotor motor system), the auxiliary control circuit being configured to control the second switching module, the secondary power converter and the supply module of the target drive unit so that the supply module supplies the windings of the rotor of the target drive unit from a current delivered by the secondary power converter when connecting the auxiliary power converter (Controlling the rotor current during a power source transition is a standard practice in wound rotor motor control and would have been obvious in view of Pedersen's power management teachings).
Regarding independent claim 7, Pedersen discloses that a method for controlling a drive system comprising a connecting circuit and N drive units ( [0047]; claim 18), each drive unit comprising an electric machine and a primary power converter supplying the electric machine, N being a no nil integer (As established in Claim 1, Pedersen discloses electric machines (thrusters, motors) and power converters and [0102]), characterized in that the method comprises:
(a) connecting an auxiliary power converter to an electric machine of a drive unit of the N drive units through the connecting circuit (Pedersen discloses activating the second AC-DC power converter 8 to connect it to the AC bus 4 and thereby to the thruster Th1 ( [0106])), the drive unit being a target drive unit,
(b) supplying the electric machine from the auxiliary power converter (Pedersen discloses supplying the thruster Th1 from the DC bus via the second converter 8 ( [0110]), and
(c) disconnecting the primary power converter of the target drive unit from the electric machine of the target drive unit (Pedersen discloses deactivating the first AC-DC power converter 3 ([0095]) and opening circuit breakers ([0100]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Pedersen's system to selectively disconnect a specific primary power converter from an electric machine while connecting an auxiliary power converter, as taught by Pedersen, to ensure continuity of operation during a fault, as this is a standard practice in power management for reliability.
Regarding claim 8, Pedersen discloses that further comprising:
detecting a fault of one of the N drive units before performing steps (a), (b), (c), the target drive unit being a faulty drive unit of the N drive units (Pedersen discloses detecting parameters (voltage) on the AC bus to identify faults ([0093])),
performing step (c) when the faulty drive unit is detected (Pedersen teaches disconnecting the faulty generator or bus section ( [0100])),
performing step (a) when the primary power converter of the faulty drive unit is disconnected from the electric machine of the faulty drive unit (Pedersen teaches activating the second converter 8 when the primary source fails ([0106])), and
supplying the electric machine of the faulty drive unit from the auxiliary power converter (Pedersen teaches supplying the thruster Th1 from the second converter 8 ([0110]).
Regarding claim 9, Pedersen discloses that further comprising controlling the electric machine of the faulty drive unit when the fault is an earth fault or a short circuit (Pedersen teaches detecting faults including short circuits ([0003])) and connecting the auxiliary power converter to the electric machine, if the electric machine is functional (While not explicitly stated, verifying machine functionality before reconnection is an obvious safety step)
Regarding claim 10, Pedersen discloses that wherein the primary power converter of the target drive unit supplies the electric machine of the target drive unit with a first power (discloses power flow from converter 3 to the loads ( [0099])), the method further comprises:
supplying the electric machine from the auxiliary power converter comprises controlling the primary power converter of the target drive unit and the auxiliary power converter so that the sum of the power supplied by the primary power converter of the target drive unit and the power supplied by the auxiliary power converter is equal to the first power ([0093]), the power supplied by the primary power converter of the target drive unit being decreasing over the time and the power supplied by the auxiliary power converter being increasing over the time ([0119]; Pedersen teaches smooth transitions using energy storage), and
disconnecting the primary power converter of the target drive unit from the associated electric machine when the power supplied by the primary power converter of the target drive unit is nil and the power supplied by the auxiliary power converter is equal to the first power (Pedersen teaches deactivating the first converter 3 ( [0095])).
Regarding claim 11, Pedersen discloses wherein: each drive unit comprises a first switch connecting the primary power converter to the electric machine of the drive unit (Pedersen discloses load circuit breakers 12 ([0113])), and the connecting circuit comprises a primary switch and a first switching module (Pedersen discloses bus tie breakers 2a, 2b, 16, 40 ( [0099])), the first switching module connecting the electric machine of each drive unit to the primary switch, the first switch of each drive unit being closed, the primary switch being open and the first switching module being configured so that any current circulates through the first switching module, wherein the method further comprises:
disconnecting the primary power converter of the target drive unit by opening the first switch of the target drive unit (Pedersen teaches opening breakers to isolate sections ([0099]).)
Regarding claim 12, Pedersen discloses that wherein connecting the auxiliary power converter comprises:
starting the auxiliary power converter to deliver an AC voltage ([0106]),
synchronizing the AC voltage delivered by the auxiliary power converter with an AC voltage supplying the electric machine of the target drive unit,
closing the primary switch([0099], and
controlling the first switching module to connect the electric machine of the target drive unit to the closed primary switch ([0093]).
Regarding claim 13, Pedersen discloses that wherein the connecting circuit comprises a second switching module supplied by a secondary power converter ([0104]), connecting the auxiliary power converter comprising controlling the second switching module, the secondary power converter and the supply module of the target drive unit so that the supply module supplies the windings of the rotor of the target drive unit from a current delivered by the secondary power converter (Controlling rotor current during connection is standard for wound rotor motors and obvious in view of Pedersen's teachings).
Regarding claim 14, Pedersen discloses that the drive system comprising N main switch ([0113]), a first end of each main switch being connected to supply grid and the second end of each main switch being connected to the primary power converter of a drive unit to supply the primary power converter from the grid, disconnecting the primary power converter of the target drive unit comprises opening the main switch supplying the primary power converter (Pedersen teaches opening breakers to disconnect components ( [0100]))
Regarding claim 15, Pedersen discloses that, wherein:
the electric machine of the target drive unit comprises a wounded rotor (Wound rotor motors are known in the art) including windings supplied by a supply module of the target drive unit, the method further comprises:
disconnecting the primary power converter of the target drive unit comprises controlling the supply module of the target drive unit so that the supply module stops to supply the windings of the wounded rotor of the electric machine of the target drive unit (Pedersen teaches deactivating power supplies during disconnection ([0095]), which would make it obvious to stop the rotor supply as well.)
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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