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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 3-7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 1, 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung et al. (US 2024/0204689 A1) in view of Song et al. (US 2021/0013878 A1).
In regards to claim 1, Jung discloses, in figure 5, a vehicle to load (V2L) converter (310) for a vehicle (Par 0052), comprising: a high voltage battery unit (Par 0054-0055) configured to supply power of an electric vehicle (Par 0055); a DC/DC converter unit (312) configured to convert the supplied power to a voltage so that the voltage is output as a constant voltage (Par 0053, 0055); a DC/AC inverter unit (313) comprising a plurality of field effect transistors (FETs) (Par 0006, 0056) and configured to perform power transfer and control corresponding to the converted constant voltage through a switching operation (Par 0056, 0085); and a burst circuit unit (Fig. 6; 330, 340, 350) configured to change a switching operation per unit time of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) upon overload operation (Par 0074-0075; “the gate drive 350 operates in a burst mode driving method in which the gate drive 350 is turned on/off according to the output signal of the comparator 330”); wherein the burst circuit unit (330, 340, 350) comprises: a comparator (330) configured to determine whether a value of an output current of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) is greater than a preset threshold (Par 0063; preset reference current value) through a current sensor (320) (Par 0061-0064); and the gate driver (350) configured to operate to block or output a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the control signal (Par 0064-0065).
Jung does not disclose a logic gate configured to receive results of the determination from the comparator and output a control signal for controlling a gate driver based on the results of the determination.
However, Song discloses, in figure 5, a logic gate (92, 94, 96) configured to receive results of the determination from the comparator (88, 90) (Par 0024) and output a control signal (output signals of logic gates 92, 94, 96) for controlling a gate driver (82, 84) based on the results of the determination (Par 0024; “The comparators 88, 90 detect whether the sensed currents exceed the predetermined threshold. If so, such data is fed to the logic gates 92, 94, 96, which determine whether the current through one of the switches 36, 38 is greater than the predetermined threshold at the same time the gate signal for the other of the switches 36, 38 is high. If so, a fault is detected as described above. The gate drivers 82, 84 of the switches 36, 38 will be immediately disabled by the controller 86 to prevent fault propagation”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jung’s control device by including a logic gate configured to receive results of the determination from the comparator and output a control signal for controlling a gate driver based on the results of the determination as taught by Song in order to prevent fault propagation (Song; Par 0024).
In regards to claim 3, Jung and Song disclose the V2L converter of claim 1. Jung further discloses, in figure 6, wherein the comparator (330) determines whether the value of the output current is greater than the preset threshold set as a positive peak value or a negative peak value (Par 0088).
In regards to claim 4, Jung and Song disclose the V2L converter of claim 1. Song further discloses, in figure 4, wherein the logic gate (92, 94, 96) outputs a gate driver deactivation signal as the control signal (output signals of logic gates 92, 94, 96) when the value of the output current is greater than the preset threshold (Par 0024; “such data is fed to the logic gates 92, 94, 96, which determine whether the current through one of the switches 36, 38 is greater than the predetermined threshold at the same time the gate signal for the other of the switches 36, 38 is high. If so, a fault is detected as described above. The gate drivers 82, 84 of the switches 36, 38 will be immediately disabled by the controller 86 to prevent fault propagation”), and outputs a gate driver activation signal as the control signal (output signals of logic gates 92, 94, 96) when the value of the output current is equal to or smaller than the preset threshold (Par 0024; during normal operation when current is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, output signals of logic gates 92, 94, 96 output activation signals to turn on switches 36 and 38 when there is no fault detected).
In regards to claim 5, Jung and Song disclose the V2L converter of claim 1. Jung further discloses, in figure 6, wherein when the comparator (330) determines that the value of the output current is greater than the preset threshold (Par 0063-0064), the gate driver (350) stops the switching operation of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) by blocking the PWM signal based on the control signal (Par 0065).
In regards to claim 6, Jung and Song disclose the V2L converter of claim 4. Jung further discloses, in figure 6, wherein: when the switching operation is stopped, the comparator (330) determines whether the value of the output current of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) becomes equal to or smaller than the preset threshold (preset reference current value) through the current sensor (320) (Par 0065-0066), and when the comparator (330) determines that the value of the output current becomes equal to or smaller than the preset threshold (Par 0065-0066), the gate driver (350) activates a switching operation of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) by outputting the PWM signal based on the control signal (Par 0066).
In regards to claim 7, Jung discloses, in figure 5, a control method performed by a vehicle to load (V2L) converter (310) (Par 0052), comprising: converting, by a DC/DC converter unit (312), power supplied from a high voltage battery unit (Par 0054-0055) of an electric vehicle into a voltage so that the voltage is output as a constant voltage (Par 0053, 0055); performing, by a DC/AC inverter unit (313) comprising a plurality of field effect transistors (FETs) (Par 0006, 0056), power transfer and control corresponding to the converted constant voltage through a switching operation (Par 0056, 0085); and changing, by a burst circuit unit (Fig. 6; 330, 340, 350), a switching operation per unit time of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) upon overload operation (Par 0074-0075; “the gate drive 350 operates in a burst mode driving method in which the gate drive 350 is turned on/off according to the output signal of the comparator 330”); wherein the changing by the burst circuit unit (Fig. 6; 330, 340, 350) comprises: determining, by a comparator (Fig. 6; 330), whether a value of an output current of the DC/AC inverter unit (313) is greater than a preset threshold (Par 0063; preset reference current value) through a current sensor (Fig. 6; 320; Par 0061-0064); and operating, by the gate driver (Fig. 6; 350), to block or output a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal based on the control signal (Par 0064-0065).
Jung does not disclose receiving, by a logic gate, results of the determining; outputting, the logic gate, a control signal for controlling a gate driver based on the results of the determining.
However, Song discloses, in figure 5, receiving, by a logic gate (92, 94, 96), results of the determining (Par 0024); outputting, the logic gate (92, 94, 96), a control signal (output signals of logic gates 92, 94, 96) for controlling a gate driver (82, 84) based on the results of the determining (Par 0024; “The comparators 88, 90 detect whether the sensed currents exceed the predetermined threshold. If so, such data is fed to the logic gates 92, 94, 96, which determine whether the current through one of the switches 36, 38 is greater than the predetermined threshold at the same time the gate signal for the other of the switches 36, 38 is high. If so, a fault is detected as described above. The gate drivers 82, 84 of the switches 36, 38 will be immediately disabled by the controller 86 to prevent fault propagation”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Jung’s control device by including receiving, by a logic gate, results of the determining; outputting, the logic gate, a control signal for controlling a gate driver based on the results of the determining as taught by Song in order to prevent fault propagation (Song; Par 0024).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim et al. (US 2014/0084858 A1); discloses a wireless power transmission apparatus includes a measurer configured to measure a value of a current flowing in a source resonator, a communication unit configured to receive a value of a charging current of a battery from a wireless power reception apparatus, and a power controller configured to control an amount of power to be transmitted by the source resonator based on either one or both of the value of the current measured by the measurer and the value of the charging current received by the communication unit. The value of the charging current of the battery varies as the battery is charged.
Balakrishnan et al. (US 2019/0229655 A1); discloses a circuit comprises a multiphase gate driver to be coupled to a multiphase inverter for driving a multiphase motor. For each phase, the multi-phase gate driver is to, in accordance with a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal, turn on and off a high side transistor of a given pair of high and low side transistors of the multiphase inverter, discontinue the PWM control signal turn to the high side transistor of the given pair and turn off the high side transistor of the given pair, and turn on the low side transistor of the given pair until a current level through the low side transistor falls below a threshold, at which time, turn off the low side transistor.
Chang et al. (US 2008/0219030 A1); discloses the configurations of an isolated DC/DC converter and an isolated DC/AC converter and the controlling methods thereof are provided. The proposed isolated DC/DC converter includes a DC/AC switching device, a transformer, a rectifier, and a duty ratio and frequency modulating apparatus coupled to the rectifier and the DC/AC switching device for generating a driving signal to adjust a duty ratio and a frequency of the switching device so as to regulate an output DC voltage of the converter.
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/ALEX W LAM/ Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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