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 .
Drawings
The drawings were received on 6/8/23. These drawings are approved.
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 1-6 and 8-13 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 claims 1 and 10, the preamble of the claim is directed to a “device” for estimating an internal temperature of an electric motor, it is not clear how the “device’ will be estimating the internal temperature of the motor giving that the body of the claim does not provide any steps taken by the device to accomplish the temperature estimation. The only information provided in the claim is that the estimation will be determined by using a thermal circuit.
In reference to claims 2, 8, and 11, what does it mean for a “thermal circuit” to undergo a “simplification”? Is the thermal circuit a thermal model represented by a series of equations that include a plurality of terms able to be simplified.
In reference to claims 3, 9, and 12, giving applicant’s description of a thermal circuit (fig. 3 or fig. 4), what does it mean for the thermal circuit to have boundary conditions? The examiner will interpret the “boundary conditions” to mean a series of parameters inputted into the control device to estimate the internal temperature of the motor.
In reference to claims 4 and 13, the claim is rejected for using terms that have been determined to be unclear, for example the use of “boundary conditions”. Additionally, the claim refers to “each element” of the thermal circuit, claim 4 or any other previous claim has not established that the thermal circuit includes any type or number of elements.
In reference to claim 5, claim 5 depends from claim 4, which has recited a thermal circuit having elements, it is not clear how temperature is set for any “elements” of the recited thermal circuit based on a first relationship or a design. What is a first relationship and what design is applicant referring to?
In reference to claim 6, the claim 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 4, since claim 5 recites a “first relationship”. Additionally, claim 6 has the same issues as described above with respect to claim 5. What is a second 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) 1-4 and 7-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ito et al (US Patent 9593986).
Claims 1-6 and 8-13 have been rejected under 35 USC 112 (b) for being unclear. Prior art will be applied to the invention as best understood by the examiner. 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.
Claims 1 and 10, 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.
Claims 2, 8, and 11, 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 3, 9, and 12, Ito et al 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.
Claims 4 and 13, 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 7, 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The documents cited in the attached PTO-892, especially US 9935527, teach a control device for a motor that includes a stator and a rotor, wherein the control device is used to estimate the internal temperature of the motor and control the output signal that controls the motor based on the detected temperature.
Although claims 5 and 6 have not been rejected under prior art, the examiner cannot determine at this time if they contain allowable subject matter, since they include vague and unclear information. The examiner does not know what first and second relationship mean?
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at (571) 272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RINA I DUDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846