DETAILED ACTION
1. This action is in response to the application filed on 1/30/25.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
3. Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 15 recites “configured to output an output voltage” should be replaced with “configured to output the output voltage”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claims 1, 9 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sang-Woo Kang (Digitally Implemented Charge Control for LLC Resonant Converters, cited in the IDS filed on 1/30/25) in view of Pino et al. (US 20220077789).
Regarding claim 1: Kang disclsoes (i.e. figure 15) a control circuit (i.e. DSP) for a power converter (i.e. converter of figure 15) including a plurality of power switches (i.e. converter switches), a resonant network (i.e. LR, LM, CR) coupled with the plurality of power switches (i.e. converter switches), and an output circuit (i.e. circuit on secondary side) coupled with the resonant network (i.e. LR, LM, CR), the control circuit c(i.e. DSP) comprising:
a sampler (i.e. RV, ADC, 1/Rv) configured to sample an output voltage (i.e. from Vo) provided by the output circuit (i.e. circuit on secondary side) to generate a sampled output voltage (i.e. voltage from circuit RV, ADC, 1/Rv);
a feedback signal mixer (i.e. summation) configured to mix the sampled output voltage (i.e. voltage from circuit RV, ADC, 1/Rv) with a reference voltage (i.e. Vref) to generate a mixed feedback signal (i.e. from summation);
an controller configured to: generate a signal (i.e. signal to ADC or output of ADC) based on a sensed current (i.e. current of resonant network sense by Ri) flowing through the resonant network (i.e. LR, LM, CR); and
generate a clock signal (i.e. from VCO) based on the mixed feedback signal (i.e. from summation) and the signal (i.e. signal to ADC or output of ADC); and
a drive module (i.e. ePWM module) configured to: generate a plurality of drive signals (i.e. signals Q1, Q2) based on the clock signal (i.e. from VCO); and control the plurality of power switches (i.e. converter switches) based on the plurality of drive signals (i.e. signals Q1, Q2),
but does not specifically disclose an envelope controller configured to: generate an envelope signal based on a sensed current flowing through the resonant network; and generate a clock signal based on the mixed feedback signal and the envelope signal.
Pino et al. disclose a converter (i.e. figures 5-10) comprising an envelope controller (i.e. figure 10: 280) configured to: generate an envelope signal (i.e. from 292) based on a sensed current (i.e. ILV(+)); and
generate a clock signal (i.e. from 294) based on the mixed feedback signal (i.e. figure 11: from 520a, 502b) and the envelope signal (i.e. from 292) (i.e. ¶ 66-74).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to modify the circuit of Kang’s invention with the converter as disclose by Pino et al. to generate an envelope signal based on a sensed current flowing through the resonant network, because it provides a stable solution while providing better dynamic response.
Regarding claim 15: Kang disclsoes (i.e. figure 15) a power converter (i.e. converter of figure 15) comprising:
a transformer (i.e. transformer) comprising:
a primary winding (i.e. P winding) coupled to a primary side of the power converter; (i.e. converter of figure 15) and a secondary winding (i.e. S winding) coupled to a secondary side of the power converter (i.e. converter of figure 15);
a switching bridge circuit (i.e. circuit of Q1, Q2) on the primary side and comprising:
a voltage input (i.e. Vin) configured to receive a first voltage (i.e. voltage of Vin); and
a plurality of switches (i.e. Q1, Q2), each switch controllable into a conduction mode (i.e. on mode) and into a non-conduction mode (i.e. off mode);
a resonant tank circuit (i.e. LR, LM, CR) on the primary side and coupled to the switching bridge circuit (i.e. circuit of Q1, Q2);
an output rectifier (i.e. Q3, Q4) coupled to the secondary winding (i.e. S winding) and comprising a voltage output (i.e. Vo) configured to output an output voltage (i.e. Vo); and
a controller configured to: sample the output voltage (i.e. from Vo) to generate a sampled output voltage (i.e. voltage from circuit RV, ADC, 1/Rv);
mix (i.e. summation) the sampled output voltage (i.e. voltage from circuit RV, ADC, 1/Rv) with a reference voltage (i.e. Vref);
generate a mixed feedback signal (i.e. from summation) based on the mixed sampled output voltage (i.e. voltage from circuit RV, ADC, 1/Rv);
generate a signal (i.e. from ADC) based on a sensed current (i.e. current of resonant network sense by Ri) flowing through the resonant tank circuit (i.e. LR, LM, CR);
generate a clock signal (i.e. from VCO) based on the mixed feedback signal (i.e. from summation) and the signal (i.e. from ADC); and
generate a plurality of drive signals (i.e. signals Q1, Q2) based on the clock signal (i.e. from VCO) to control the conduction modes of the plurality of switches (i.e. Q1, Q2),
but does not specifically disclose generate an envelope signal based on a sensed current flowing through the resonant tank circuit; generate a clock signal based on the mixed feedback signal and the envelope signal.
Pino et al. disclose a converter (i.e. figures 5-10) comprising generate an envelope signal (i.e. from 292) based on a sensed current (i.e. ILV(+)); generate a clock signal based (i.e. from 294) on the mixed feedback signal (i.e. figure 11: from 520a, 520b) and the envelope signal (i.e. from 292) (i.e. ¶ 66-74).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to modify the circuit of Kang’s invention with the converter as disclose by Pino et al. to generate an envelope signal based on a sensed current flowing through the resonant network, because it provides a stable solution while providing better dynamic response.
Regarding claim 9: the method steps will be met during the normal operation of the apparatus described above. (Examiner notes: For method claims, note that under MPEP 2112.02, the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device will inherently perform the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 USPQ 136 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Therefore, the previous rejections based on the apparatus will not be repeated).
6. Claims 2, 10, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sang-Woo Kang (Digitally Implemented Charge Control for LLC Resonant Converters, cited in the IDS filed on 1/30/25) in view of Pino et al. (US 20220077789) and further in view Chang et al. (US 5781418).
Regarding claim 2: Kang discloses the limitation of the claim(s) as discussed above, but does not specifically disclose a signal processor configured to phase shift the sensed current to generate a phase-shifted signal based on the sensed current.
Chang et al. disclose a power supply comprising a signal processor (i.e. C) configured to phase shift the sensed current (i.e. by 208) to generate a phase-shifted signal (i.e. from 208) based on the sensed current (i.e. 200) (i.e. abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to modify the circuit of Kang’s invention with the power converter as disclose by Chang et al. to produce an improved zero-voltage switching scheme.
Regarding claim 16: Kang discloses the limitation of the claim(s) as discussed above, but does not specifically disclose the controller is further configured to: shift a phase of the sensed current flowing through the resonant tank circuit; and generate a phase-shifted signal based on the shifting of the phase of the sensed current.
Chang et al. disclose a power supply comprising the controller (i.e. C) is further configured to: shift a phase of the sensed current (i.e. by 208) flowing through the resonant tank circuit (i.e. circuit of B); and generate a phase-shifted signal (i.e. from 208) based on the shifting of the phase of the sensed current (i.e. abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date to modify the circuit of Kang’s invention with the power converter as disclose by Chang et al. to produce an improved zero-voltage switching scheme.
Regarding claim 10: the method steps will be met during the normal operation of the apparatus described above. (Examiner notes: For method claims, note that under MPEP 2112.02, the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device will inherently perform the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 USPQ 136 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Therefore, the previous rejections based on the apparatus will not be repeated).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 3-8, 11-14, and 17-20 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.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NGUYEN TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1269. The examiner can normally be reached Flex: M-F 8-7.
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/Nguyen Tran/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
