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 filed 5/1/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In reference to the changes made to independent claim 1, applicant has only added the information previously presented in claims 3-4 and 8-13 to claim 1. Therefore, the art rejection of claim 1 will be modified to reflect these changes. Applicant has argued that the limitation added in lines 32-34 of claim 1 is what is different between the applied prior art and amended claim 1, however the first paragraph of the 35 USC 102 rejection (previously presented) clearly establishes the device estimates the internal temperature by equating the temperature of a cooling liquid to the temperature of the motor case. Therefore, the applied prior art teaches the claimed invention including the “assumption”.
In reference to the 35 USC 112(b) rejection of claim 6, claim 6 depends from claim 1 which does not recite a “first relationship”. Claim 6, as written, seems to be incomplete because it recites a second relationship without reciting a first relationship. Claims 5 and 6 should only recite a “relationship” instead of a first and a second relationship in order to avoid any issues. New claim 15 have similar problems. Claims 6 and 15 will be rejected under 35 USC 112(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 6 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In reference to claim 6, claim 6 refers to a “second relationship” defined in advance experimentally without reciting a “first relationship”. It seems claim 6 should depend from claim 5 and not claim 1, since claim 5 recites a “first relationship”.
In reference to claim 15, , claim 15 refers to a “second relationship” defined in advance experimentally without reciting a “first relationship”. It seems claim 15 should depend from claim 14 and not claim 2, since claim 14 recites a “first relationship”.
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, 2, 7, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ito et al (US Patent 9593986).
The examiner has interpreted the subject matter of the rejected claims to mean: a control device or a method for estimating an internal temperature of the motor, wherein the device uses a thermal model to estimate the motor internal temperature by equating the temperature of a cooling liquid to the temperature of the motor case.
Claim 1, Ito et al teaches a device 120 for estimating an internal temperature (magnet temperature) of a motor 12 that includes a rotor 14, a stator 32 with a core 92 and coils 96, a case 40 that houses the rotor and stator, and a cooling liquid 58 for cooling the coils, wherein the device uses a thermal model (col. 9 lines 45-49 and col. 10 lines 62-67) for estimating the internal temperature (magnet temperature) of motor 12, The device 120 uses the temperature of the cooling liquid 58 detected by sensor 104 to estimate the motor temperature, since said cooling liquid enters the motor case 40 that includes a side cover 42 comprising an inlet hole 44 and liquid passage 46. Ito et al further describes control device 120 for estimating the internal temperature (magnet temperature) of motor 12 using the temperature of cooling liquid 58 as detected by sensor 104 (first temperature) and heat losses caused by coils 96 and stator core 92 (second temperature) as described in col. 11 lines 12-32. Additionally, Ito et al describes a control device 120 including a series of calculation portions 128-132 that receive information related to the rotation feedback of motor 12 through resolver sensor 38, output torque detected by torque sensor 126, motor current detected by current sensor 124, motor voltage detected by sensor 122, heat transfer quantities (as described in fig. 10 and corresponding description), and temperature changes (as described in fig. 11 and corresponding description) in order to estimate the internal motor temperature as described in fig. 4.
Claim 2, Ito et al describes control device 120 including a thermal model (col. 10 lines 62-67) represented by a series of equations (1-3) which are transformed or simplified to estimate the motor temperature taken into account the symmetry of the stator core 92 and coils 96 with respect to a central portion of the stator core in the axis direction as illustrated in fig. 1.
Claims 7 and 16, Ito et al teaches a control device 120 for controlling a motor 12, which includes a stator 32 having a core 92 and coils 96, a rotor 14, and a case 40 for housing the stator/rotor and a cooling liquid 58 for cooling the coils, the control device restricts an output signal for controlling operation of the motor based on a comparison between an estimated internal temperature of the motor and a predetermined temperature value. The estimated temperature is determined using the temperature of the cooling liquid 58 detected by sensor 104. Ito et al further describes in col. 16 lines 7-43 that if the estimated internal temperature is greater than a predetermined value then the motor control signal outputted by the control device is restricted.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 15 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 5 and 14 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The attached PTO-892 list additional documents that describe control devices used to estimate the internal temperature of the
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Rina I Duda whose telephone number is (571)272-2062. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4 PM.
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/RINA I DUDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846
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