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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to an application filed on 02/21/2025 in which claims 1-20 are pending and ready 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN107591834 A (hereinafter CN834).
As to claims 1 and 20, CN834 discloses a system comprising:
a direct current converter (see Fig 2, DC-DC converter), configured to connect an output of a photovoltaic module (see Fig 2, PV) and perform voltage conversion on a direct current output by the photovoltaic module;
an inverter (see Fig 2, DC-AC inverter), configured to convert a direct current output by the direct current converter into an alternating current and output the alternating current to a power grid (see Fig 2, grid); and
a first controller (parag [0059], lines 1-13), configured to generate a first drive signal based on two of a first voltage (see Fig 3, DC bus voltage), of the direct current output by the direct current converter (Fig 3, DC-DC converter), an active power output (see Fig 3, Po) by the inverter, and an operating parameter (see Fig 3, ωPLL) of the power grid, and control an operating state of the inverter based on the first drive signal, wherein the first voltage is a voltage amplitude of the direct current output by the direct current converter, and the operating parameter of the power grid comprises one or more of a reactive current, an active current, a reactive power, an active power, a voltage amplitude, and a power grid frequency (see Fig 3, ωPLL, parag [0059]).
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.
Claim(s) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN107591834 A (hereinafter CN834) in view of CN 114374217 A (hereinafter CN217).
As to claim 2, CN834 does not disclose the system according to claim 1, wherein the first controller is further configured to: generate a first active power control signal based on a first voltage difference and a second frequency difference, wherein the first voltage difference is a difference between the first voltage and a first reference voltage, the second frequency difference is a difference between the power grid frequency and a first reference frequency, the first reference voltage is a rated voltage output by the direct current converter during normal operation of the power grid, and the second reference frequency is a rated frequency during normal operation of the power grid; and generate the first drive signal based on the first active power control signal and the operating parameter of the power grid.
However, CN834 does disclose the reactive power output (Fig 3, Qo), the power grid frequency (Fig 3, ωPLL) and the direct current output by the converter (Fig 3, DC bus output). CN217 discloses generate a first active power control signal based on a first voltage difference and a second frequency difference (see Fig 7, page 8, lines 23-28, F, U2dc each being subtracted by references). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of CN834 to include the teachings as taught by CN217 in order to effectively control the output of the system.
As to claim 3, the combination of CN834 and CN217 discloses the system according to claim 2, wherein the first controller is further specifically configured to: generate a first modulated wave signal (see Fig 3, 12, modulation module 12) based on the first active power control signal and the operating parameter of the power grid; and generate the first drive signal based on the first modulated wave signal and a first carrier signal (see Fig 3, parag [0059]), wherein the third carrier signal is a sine wave signal with a fixed period or a pulse signal (CN217, page 8, line 10, pulse signal).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-19 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:
As to claim 4, the cited prior arts alone or in combination fail to disclose: obtain a first power based on the first voltage difference and a first droop coefficient, wherein the first droop coefficient is determined based on a correspondence between the direct current output by the direct current converter and the active power output by the inverter; obtain a second power based on the first frequency difference and a second droop coefficient, wherein the second droop coefficient is determined based on a correspondence between the power grid frequency and the active power output by the inverter; and generate the first active power control signal based on the first power, the second power, and a third power, wherein the third power is an initial active power delivered by a plant management system configured to control an operating state of the system.
As to claim 5, the cited prior arts alone or in combination fail to disclose: when it is determined that the power grid frequency obtained this time is the same as a power grid frequency obtained at an adjacent time and that the first voltage obtained this time is greater than a first voltage obtained last time, adjust the first drive signal, to increase an active power output by the system, wherein the active power output by the system is less than or equal to a first specified value after the first drive signal is adjusted, and the first specified value is a maximum active power output by the system during normal operation of the power grid.
As to claim 6, the cited prior arts alone or in combination fail to disclose: when it is determined that the first voltage obtained this time is the same as a first voltage obtained at an adjacent time and that the power grid frequency obtained this time is greater than a power grid frequency obtained last time, adjust the first drive signal, to reduce an active power output by the system, wherein the active power output by the system is greater than or equal to a second specified value after the first drive signal is adjusted, and the second specified value is a minimum active power output by the system during normal operation of the power grid.
As to claim 7, the cited prior arts alone or in combination fail to disclose: generate a first voltage control signal based on a first power difference and a second frequency difference, wherein the first power difference is a difference between the active power output by the inverter and a first reference power, the second frequency difference is a difference between the power grid frequency and a second reference frequency, the first reference power is a rated active power output by the inverter during normal operation of the power grid, and the second reference frequency is a rated frequency during normal operation of the power grid.
As to claim 12, the cited prior arts alone or in combination fail to disclose: generate a first frequency control signal based on a second power difference and a second voltage difference, wherein the second power difference is a difference between the active power output by the inverter and a second reference power, the second voltage difference is a difference between the first voltage and a second reference voltage, the second reference power is a rated active power output by the inverter during normal operation of the power grid, and the second reference voltage is a rated voltage output by the direct current converter during normal operation of the power grid; and generate the first drive signal based on the first frequency control signal and the operating parameter of the power grid.
As to claim 17, the cited prior arts alone or in combination fail to disclose: generate a second drive signal based on the first voltage and a third voltage difference, and control, based on the second drive signal, the active power output by the direct current converter, wherein the third voltage difference is a difference between a third reference voltage and the first voltage, and the third reference voltage is the rated voltage output by the direct current converter during normal operation of the power grid.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2024/0195207 A1; US 2020/01611868 A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUC M PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-5026. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Youssef, Menna can be reached at 571-270-3684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUC M PHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2849 March 17, 2026
/RYAN JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849