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 § 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 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kimura et al US 2022/0001916.
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Kimura et al discloses a system for a fail-safe operation for angle sensors in a Steer-by-Wire (SbW) system (claim 1; FIG. 1; [0012]), the system comprising: first 7 and second angle sensors 8 configured to sense a steering angle of a steering wheel associated with a steering feedback actuator assembly (FIG. 1, 2, [0013]); a first micro control unit (MCU) 29 configured to receive a first angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the first angle sensor (FIG. 2); a second MCU 31 configured to receive a second angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the second angle sensor (FIG. 2); and a motor position sensor configured to sense a position of a motor associated with the steering feedback actuator assembly ([0013]), wherein the first MCU is configured to, if the first angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the first angle sensor and the second angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the second angle sensor do not match each other ([0028]), receive a motor position signal associated with the position of the motor from the motor position sensor to determine the steering angle of the steering wheel for controlling the SbW system. See [0015], and [0028]-[0039].
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura et al, as applied above, in view of TRW DE 102014102711.
Regarding claim 2, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but TRW discloses wherein the first MCU is configured to compare the first angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the first angle sensor, the second angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the second sensor, and the motor position signal associated with the position of the motor sensed by the motor position sensor with each other to determine two signals matching each other among the first angle signal, the second angle signal, and the motor position signal as normal signals corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel. See claims 10, 11, and 14 and paragraph [0030].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the teachings of TRW in the system of Kimura et al for safety purposes.
Regarding claim 5, Kimura et al discloses wherein the motor position sensor is not connected to a line or terminal for an ignition signal and is connected to a battery power. See FIG. 1 para. 9a-c, 21, 22; [0017]-[0025].
Regarding claims 6 and 13, Kimura et al discloses a regulator connected between the battery power and the motor position sensor and configured to convert a voltage of the battery power into a voltage for being supplied to the motor position sensor. See FIG. 1 para. 9a-c, 21, 22; [0017]-[0025].
Claims 8, 9, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura et al and TRW, as applied above, in view of Hitachi DE 112015001303.
Regarding claim 8, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Hitachi discloses another motor position sensor configured to sense the position of the motor associated with the steering feedback actuator assembly, wherein the second MCU configured to: receive the first angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the first angle sensor from the first MCU, and receive another motor position signal associated with the position of the motor from the other motor position sensor to determine the steering angle of the steering wheel for controlling the SbW system. See FIG. 8, items 16d, 18, 19, 62, AS1, AS2, and paragraph [0065].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the teachings of Hitachi in the system of Kimura et al for safety purposes.
Regarding claim 9, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Hitachi discloses wherein the second MCU is configured to compare the first angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the first angle sensor, the second angle signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel sensed by the second angle sensor, and the other motor position signal associated with the position of the motor sensed by the other motor position sensor with each other to determine two signals matching each other among the first angle signal, the second angle signal and the other motor position signal as normal signals corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel. See FIG. 8, items 16d, 18, 19, 62, AS1, AS2, and paragraph [0065].
Regarding claim 12, Kimura et al discloses wherein the other motor position sensor is not connected to a line or terminal for an ignition signal and is connected to a battery power. See FIG. 1 and paragraph [0017].
Claims 3, 4, 10, 11, and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura et al and TRW, as applied above, in view of Amin et al US 20140350795.
Regarding claims 3 and 10, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses wherein the motor position sensor has an initial median value of the steering wheel. See FIG. 6 and paragraph [0039].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the teachings of Amin et al in the system of Kimura et al for optimization of a reference point for better handling of a vehicle.
Regarding claims 4 and 11, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses wherein the motor position signal associated with the position of the motor is generated to be corresponded to the steering angle of the steering wheel based on the initial median value of the steering wheel and the position of the motor sensed by the motor position sensor. See FIG. 6 and paragraph [0039].
Regarding claim 15, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses a module for an SbW system (claim 1), comprising: at least one motor position sensor configured to sense a position of a motor (claim 1), wherein the motor position sensor is not connected to a line or terminal of an ignition signal and is connected to a battery power [0053]; at least one MCU connected to the line or terminal for the ignition signal and the battery power [0052], [0057]; and a regulator configured to convert a voltage of the battery power into a voltage for being supplied to the at least one MCU. See paragraphs [0021] and [0053].
Regarding claim 16, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses wherein the at least one motor position sensor has an initial median value of a steering wheel. See FIG. 6 and paragraph [0039].
Regarding claim 17, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses wherein the at least one motor position sensor is configured to generate a motor position signal associated with a steering angle of a steering wheel based on an initial median value of a steering wheel and the position of the motor sensed by the at least one motor position sensor. See FIG. 6 and paragraph [0039].
Regarding claim 18, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses further comprising an other regulator configured to convert the voltage of the battery power into a voltage for being supplied to the at least one motor position sensor. See paragraph [0021].
Regarding claim 19, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Amin et al discloses wherein the at least one MCU is configured to determine a steering angle of a steering wheel based on a first angle signal of a first angle sensor, a second angle signal of a second angle sensor, and a motor position signal of the at least one motor position sensor. See FIG. 6, claim 1, and paragraphs [0021], [0039], and [0053].
Claims 7 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kimura et al and TRW, as applied above, in view of Ford DE 102009014046.
Regarding claims 7 and 14, Kimura et al fails to explicitly disclose, but Ford discloses wherein the motor position sensor is configured to be in an ON state even when a vehicle ignition is in an OFF state. See paragraphs [0003] and [0005].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the teachings of Ford in the system of Kimura et al for safety purposes.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH J DALLO whose telephone number is (313)446-4844. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-7pm ET M-Th.
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/JOSEPH J DALLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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