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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iguchi (US 2012/0250252 A1) in view of Otsuka et al. (hereinafter Otsuka, US 2009/0294195 A1), further in view of Urabe et al. (hereinafter Urabe, US 2018/0022202 A1).
For claim 1, Iguchi discloses a power conversion device (Fig. 1 of Iguchi discloses a power conversion device 1 – see Iguchi, Fig. 1, paragraph [0049], lines 1-6) comprising:
a plurality of electronic units configured to form a power conversion circuit which outputs the power to a motor (Figs. 1 and 3 of Iguchi disclose a plurality of electronic units 2, 3 configured to form a power conversion circuit 2, 3, wherein the inverter 2 includes a plurality of semiconductor modules 21, a reactor 61 and a capacitor 62 – see Iguchi, Fig. 1, paragraphs [0049], [0054]-[0055] and [0061]);
a support plate configured to have a flat plate-shaped partition wall portion supporting the plurality of electronic units (Figs. 1-2 of Iguchi disclose a support plate 4 configured to have a flat plate-shaped partition wall portion 42 supporting the plurality of electronic units 2, 3 – see Iguchi, Figs. 1-2, paragraph [0050]);
a motor connection AC connector to which the motor is connected,
wherein a pre-step-up electronic unit that is the electronic unit that handles the power before step-up is disposed above the partition wall portion (Fig. 3 of Iguchi discloses a pre-step-up electronic unit 61, 62 that is the electronic unit that handles the power before step-up is disposed above the partition wall portion 42 – see Iguchi, Fig. 3, paragraphs [0061]).
Iguchi discloses the power conversion circuit which is silent for specifically receiving power from a battery, steps up that battery power and outputs the converted power to a motor.
Otsuka discloses a power conversion circuit which receives power from a battery, steps up that battery power and outputs the converted power to a motor (Fig. 1 of Otsuka discloses a power conversion circuit 1 which receives power from a battery 3, steps up that battery power and outputs the converted power to a motor 4 – see Otsuka, Fig. 1, paragraph [0039]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ the battery/boost converter, inverter and motor power conversion architecture taught by Otsuka in the compact partitioned power conversion apparatus taught by Iguchi for purpose of providing voltage conversion of battery power followed by DC to AC conversion for driving an electric motor.
Iguchi and Otsuka do not disclose a motor connection AC connector disposed below the partition wall portion.
However, Urabe discloses a motor connection AC connector disposed below the partition wall portion (Ura3be discloses a hybrid vehicle driving system including power control unit for controlling motor which are similar as Iguchi (Figs. 1 and 4 of Urabe disclose a hybrid vehicle driving system 100 including power control unit 60 for controlling motor 30 – see Urabe, Figs. 1 and 4, paragraph [0108]). The power control unit includes inverter and control unit (Fig. 8 of Urabe discloses the power control unit 60 which includes inverter 64 and control unit 65 – see Urabe, Fig. 8, paragraph [0126]). Urabe disclose a unit-side motor connector 62 provided on the bottom surface of power control unit 60, which directly electrically connects with case-side motor connector 52. Connector 62 includes connector terminals 62c for electrically connecting the inverter/power control unit to the motor – see Urabe, Figs. 4 and 8-9, paragraphs [0127]-[0128]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Iguchi in view of Otsuka power conversion apparatus on the lower/bottom side, as taught by Urabe, in order to permit a direct electrical connection between the power control unit and the motor side connector, thereby reducing or eliminating an intervening three-phase cable and providing a compact connection between the power conversion device and motor.
For claim 2, Iguchi in view of Otsuka, further in view of Urabe discloses the power conversion device according to claim 1,
wherein the pre-step-up electronic unit is a DC/DC converter unit (Fig. 1 of Otsuka discloses the pre-step-up electronic unit 7 which is a DC/DC converter unit 7 – see Otsuka, Fig. 1, paragraph [0039]. Also, Fig. 1 of Iguchi discloses the pre-step-up electronic unit 3 which is a DC/DC converter unit 3 – see Igichi, Fig. 1, paragraph [0052]), and
the post-step-up electronic unit is a power module (Figs. 1 and 3 of Iguchi disclose the post-step-up electronic unit 2 which is a power module 2 comprising a plurality of semiconductor modules 21, the reactor 61 and the capacitor 62, wherein the plurality of semiconductor modules 21 receive DC power at electrode terminals 212 and output AC power to an AC load – see Iguchi, Fig. 3, paragraphs [0054], [0059] and [0061]).
For claim 3, Iguchi in view of Otsuka, further in view of Urabe discloses the power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein an output connector of the DC/DC converter unit is disposed above the partition wall portion (Iguchi discloses arranging the converter 3, inverter 2 in respective compartments defined by partition wall 42 and discloses electrical connection between the power conversion devices. Iguchi discloses the locations of the components relative to the partition can be selected in view of efficient utilization of the internal space and compactness of the apparatus except for an output connector of the DC/DC converter unit is disposed above the partition wall portion. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the pre-step-up DC/DC converter unit positioned above the partition wall, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70. Such placement would provide a predictable arrangement facilitating electrical connection to the converter while avoiding unnecessary routing of the converter connector through or around the partition wall. Therefore, positioning the output connector of the upper DC/DC converter unit above the partition wall would have amounted to an obvious arrangement of known components according to their established functions, yielding the predictable result of electrically connecting the DC/DC converter within the compartment in which the converter is disposed.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iguchi (US 2012/0250252 A1) in view of Otsuka et al. (hereinafter Otsuka, US 2009/0294195 A1) and Urabe et al. (hereinafter Urabe, US 2018/0022202 A1), further in view of Inamura et al. (hereinafter Inamura, US 2016/0099655 A1).
For claim 6, Iguchi in view of Otsuka, further in view of Urabe discloses the power conversion device of claim 1 as discussed above. all limitations as applied in claim 1 above. Iguchi in view of Otsuka, further in view of Urabe does not disclose
a control substrate that controls the post-step-up electronic unit is disposed below the partition wall portion, and a low voltage connector for supplying power to the control substrate that controls the post-step-up electronic unit is disposed below the partition wall portion.
However, Inamura discloses a control substrate that controls the post-step-up electronic unit is disposed below the partition wall portion (Figs. 1-5 and 8 of Inamura disclose a vehicle mounted power conversion apparatus 1 comprising semiconductor module 2 and a control circuit board 3. Semiconductor modules 2contain semiconductor elements 20 which convert DC power from high-voltage DC power supply 10 into AC power by switching operation. Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 8 of Inamura disclose a control substrate 3 including control circuit 30 that controls the switching operation of semiconductor elements 20. Thus, control circuit board 3 corresponds to a control substrate configured to control the semiconductor power module – see Inamura, Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 8, abstract, paragraph [0035]); and
the post step-up electronic unit disposed below the partition wall portion, and a low voltage connector for supplying power to the control substrate that controls the post-step-up electronic unit is disposed below the partition wall portion (Inamura discloses the control circuit board 3 which operates on power supplied from low-voltage DC power supply 11 – see Inamura, Figs. 1 and 5-6, paragraphs [0039]-[0041]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to provide the post-step-up semiconductor power module of the modified Iguchi apparatus with Inamura’s control circuit board 3 and low-voltage control connector 4a because Inamura discloses that the control circuit board controls switching of the semiconductor power elements and that the low-voltage connector supplies/connects the low-voltage power supply to the control circuit board.
It further would have been obvious to position both the control circuit board and its associated low-voltage connector in the same lower compartment as the semiconductor power module being controlled. Such an arrangement would shorten the electrical interconnections between the semiconductor module, control board, and control connector and would be consistent with Inamura’s express teaching that locating control connector 4a adjacent to control circuit board 3 facilitates their electrical connection and contributes to a compact power-conversion apparatus.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim 1, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI T DINH whose telephone number is (571)270-3852. The examiner can normally be reached (571)270-3852.
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/THAI T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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