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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/05/2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant Amendments and Remarks filed on 12/05/2025 in response to the Final office action mailed on 10/07/2025 have been fully considered and are addressed as follows:
Regarding the Claim Rejections under 35 USC § 103: With respect to the previous claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103, Applicant has amended the independent claims and these amendments have changed the scope of the original application. Therefore, the Office has supplied new grounds for rejection attached below in the Non-Final office action and therefore the prior arguments are considered moot.
NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION
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, 2, 6-8, 10, 12-15, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oyama et al. (US 2019/0299807 A1) in view of Brockerhoff (US 2014/0167654 A1) further in view of Mitsuya (JP 2013110914 A). The rejections below are based on the machine translation of Mitsuya.
Regarding claim 1, Oyama et al. discloses an electric vehicle comprising:
a first motor system and a second motor system, the first and second motor systems each comprising a motor and an inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr” “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr” “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”);
a main battery and an auxiliary battery (Oyama et al. at para. [0075]: “The first battery B1 is a secondary battery in which both discharging in which chemical energy is converted into electrical energy and charging in which electrical energy is converted into chemical energy are possible”; para. [0078]: “The second battery B2 is a secondary battery in which both discharging in which chemical energy is converted into electrical energy and charging in which electrical energy is converted into chemical energy are possible”); and
a controller configured to control the main battery to be charged (Oyama et al. at para. [0077]: “The ECU 7 calculates a first power storage parameter increasing in accordance with the amount of power storage of the first battery B1”; para. [0080]: “The ECU 7 calculates a second power storage parameter increasing in accordance with the amount of power storage of the second battery B2”) (Oyama et al. at para. [0124]: “In a case where the driving state is a regenerative traveling state, the drive mode is set as an AWD mode so that as much regenerative electric power as possible can be recovered by the batteries Bl and B2 and that losses in the mechanical braking devices Br and Bf can be reduced.”), and to control the auxiliary battery to be charged by voltage step-down of power of the main battery via (Oyama et al. at para. [0122]: “the power required for charging the second battery B2 are all covered by the power that is discharged from the first battery B1”; para. [0091]: “in a case where power in the first power line 21 is supplied to the second power line 22, the ECU 7 drives the voltage converter 4, and exhibits a stepping-down function”; The second power line is the part of the second motor system).
However, Oyama et al. does not explicitly state by voltage step-up of power of the auxiliary battery via the motor and the inverter of the second motor system, by voltage step-down of power of the main battery via the motor and the inverter of the second motor system, and when charging the main battery through an external power source.
In the same field of endeavor, Brockerhoff teaches by voltage step-up of power of the auxiliary battery via the second motor system (Brockerhoff at para. [0043]: “the first battery ( e.g. 12V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a first switching arrangement (e.g. a first inverter, i.e. inverted rectifier) and the second battery ( e.g. 48V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a second switching arrangement (e.g. a second inverter)”; para. [0049]: “a controller controls switching arrangements coupling batteries of different voltages to an electric machine such that DC current is transferred from one battery to the other battery, for example to charge one of the batteries by means of the other battery”; The voltage must be increased (i.e., “step-up”) to charge the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”) using the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”)),
by voltage step-down of power of the main battery via the motor and the inverter of the second motor system (Brockerhoff at para. [0043]: “the first battery ( e.g. 12V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a first switching arrangement (e.g. a first inverter, i.e. inverted rectifier) and the second battery ( e.g. 48V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a second switching arrangement (e.g. a second inverter)”; para. [0049]: “a controller controls switching arrangements coupling batteries of different voltages to an electric machine such that DC current is transferred from one battery to the other battery, for example to charge one of the batteries by means of the other battery”; The voltage must be decreased (i.e., “step-down”) to charge the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”) using the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. by adding charging the main battery by the auxiliary battery and charging the auxiliary battery by the main battery as taught by Brockerhoff with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff is to provide efficient connection between two power systems.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff does not explicitly state when charging the main battery through an external power source.
In the same field of endeavor, Mitsuya teaches when charging the main battery through an external power source (Mitsuya at para. [0028]: “In the hybrid vehicle 10 of this embodiment, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned force charging of the main battery 12. Specifically, when force charging of the main battery 12 begins, the low-voltage side voltage of the second DC/DC converter 46 (the voltage on the auxiliary battery 44 side) is adjusted to the voltage at which the auxiliary battery 44 is charged, for example, the upper voltage limit value of the auxiliary battery 44 (for example, 14.5 V). As a result, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is carried out in parallel with force charging of the main battery 12”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff by adding charging the auxiliary battery by the main battery when charging the main battery through the external power source as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency.
Regarding claim 2, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 1.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein:
the first motor system corresponds to a main drive wheel and has a first motor and a first inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr”),
the second motor system corresponds to an auxiliary drive wheel and has a second motor and a second inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”),
the main battery is electrically connected to the first motor system and the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 4-9: The first battery B1 is electrically connected to the first drive motor Mr and the second drive motor Mf), and
(Oyama et al. at para. [0070]: “the term ‘2WD mode’ refers to a drive mode in which traveling is performed using the first wheel Wr as a driving wheel and using the second wheel Wf as a driven wheel”; para. [0120]: “in a case where the driving state is the low-output traveling state, the drive mode of the vehicle V is a 2WD mode”; para. [0121]: “in the low-output traveling state, the power that is required in the second power line 22 can be covered by power discharged from the second battery B2 alone”).
Brockerhoff further teaches the controller is further configured to control the main battery to be charged by the voltage step-up through the second motor system when the auxiliary battery is electrically connected to the second motor system (Brockerhoff at para. [0043]: “the first battery ( e.g. 12V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a first switching arrangement (e.g. a first inverter, i.e. inverted rectifier) and the second battery ( e.g. 48V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a second switching arrangement (e.g. a second inverter)”; para. [0049]: “a controller controls switching arrangements coupling batteries of different voltages to an electric machine such that DC current is transferred from one battery to the other battery, for example to charge one of the batteries by means of the other battery”; The voltage must be increased (i.e., “step-up”) to charge the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”) using the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”) and the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”) must be electrically connected to the electrical machine (i.e., second motor system) to charge the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding charging the main battery by the auxiliary battery as taught by Brockerhoff with a reasonable expectation of success. During the 2WD mode of Oyama et al., the regenerative electric power is continuously supplied to the batteries while traveling along a downhill road (see Oyama et al. at para. [0120] and [0262]). Therefore, it is obvious to one skilled in the art to be motivated to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya to charge the main battery by the auxiliary battery as taught by Brockerhoff during the 2WD mode of Oyama et al. to maximize energy use between the batteries.
Regarding claim 6, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 2.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein in a four-wheel drive mode, the auxiliary battery is electrically disconnected from the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 9A and para. [0135]: “all power required in the first drive motor Mr, the second drive motor Mf, and the vehicle accessory H is covered by the first battery B1”).
Regarding claim 7, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 6.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein in the four-wheel drive mode, each of the first motor system and the second motor system outputs driving force (Oyama et al. at para. [0070]: “The term "AWD mode" refers to a drive mode in which traveling is performed using both the first wheel Wr and the second wheel Wf as driving wheels”).
Regarding claim 8, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 1.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein:
the first motor system corresponds to a main drive wheel and has a first motor and a first inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr”),
the second motor system corresponds to an auxiliary drive wheel and has a second motor and a second inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”),
the main battery is electrically connected to the first motor system and the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 4-9: The first battery B1 is electrically connected to the first drive motor Mr and the second drive motor Mf), and
Mitsuya further teaches when an external DC charger is connected to the electric vehicle, according to a supply voltage of the external DC charger, the controller is further configured to control power of the external DC charger to be transmitted to the main battery or to control the power of the external DC charger to be transmitted to the main battery after the supply voltage of the external DC charger is stepped up through the first motor system (Mitsuya at para. [0028]: “In the hybrid vehicle 10 of this embodiment, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned force charging of the main battery 12. Specifically, when force charging of the main battery 12 begins, the low-voltage side voltage of the second DC/DC converter 46 (the voltage on the auxiliary battery 44 side) is adjusted to the voltage at which the auxiliary battery 44 is charged, for example, the upper voltage limit value of the auxiliary battery 44 (for example, 14.5 V). As a result, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is carried out in parallel with force charging of the main battery 12”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding controlling the power of the external DC charger as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency (see Mitsuya at Abstract).
Regarding claim 10, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 8.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein when the auxiliary battery is connected to the second motor system, the controller is further configured to control the auxiliary battery to be charged after the power of the main battery is stepped down through the second motor system (Oyama et al. at para. [0122]: “the power required for charging the second battery B2 are all covered by the power that is discharged from the first battery B1”; para. [0091]: “in a case where power in the first power line 21 is supplied to the second power line 22, the ECU 7 drives the voltage converter 4, and exhibits a stepping-down function”).
Regarding claim 12, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 8.
Mitsuya further teaches further comprising:
a first switch including a first end connected to a positive (+) end of the external DC charger and a second end connected to a positive (+) end of the main battery (Mitsuya at FIG. 1 and 4, para. [0022]: “The charging device 56 is connected between the SMR 22 and the first DC/DC converter 32 via a charging relay 58”); and
a second switch which including a first end connected to the positive (+) end of the external DC charger and a second end connected to the first motor system (Mitsuya at FIG. 1 and 4, para. [0022]: “The charging device 56 is connected between the SMR 22 and the first DC/DC converter 32 via a charging relay 58”),
wherein the controller is further configured to short the first switch when the supply voltage is a first voltage corresponding to a voltage of the main battery, and to short the second switch when the supply voltage is a second voltage lower than the first voltage (Mitsuya at para. [0033]: “it is possible to charge the main battery 12 while the SMR 22 is in an interrupted state, i.e., while the main battery 12 is in a state where it is disconnected from the power grid”; para. [0034]: “it is possible to charge the auxiliary battery 44 even when the SMR 22 is shut off and the main battery 12 is disconnected from the power system, and therefore the second DC/DC converter 46 cannot operate”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding the first switch and the second switch as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency (see Mitsuya at Abstract).
Regarding claim 13, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 1.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein:
the first motor system corresponds to a main drive wheel and has a first motor and a first inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr”),
the second motor system corresponds to an auxiliary drive wheel and has a second motor and a second inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”),
the main battery is electrically connected to the first motor system, and the auxiliary battery is electrically connected to the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 4-9: The first battery B1 is electrically connected to the first drive motor Mr, and the second battery B2 is electrically connected to the second drive motor Mf ), and
Mitsuya further teaches when an external DC charger is connected to the electric vehicle, according to a supply voltage of the external DC charger, the controller is further configured to control power of the external DC charger to be transmitted to the main battery, or to control the power of the external DC charger to be transmitted to the main battery after the supply voltage of the external DC charger is stepped up through the second motor system, and to control the auxiliary battery to be charged after the power of the main battery is stepped down through the first motor system (Mitsuya at para. [0028]: “In the hybrid vehicle 10 of this embodiment, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned force charging of the main battery 12. Specifically, when force charging of the main battery 12 begins, the low-voltage side voltage of the second DC/DC converter 46 (the voltage on the auxiliary battery 44 side) is adjusted to the voltage at which the auxiliary battery 44 is charged, for example, the upper voltage limit value of the auxiliary battery 44 (for example, 14.5 V). As a result, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is carried out in parallel with force charging of the main battery 12”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding controlling the power of the external DC charger as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency (see Mitsuya at Abstract).
Regarding claim 14, Oyama et al. discloses a control method of an electric vehicle including first and second motor systems each comprising a motor and an inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr” “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr” “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”), the method comprising:
controlling a main battery to be charged (Oyama et al. at para. [0216]: “regenerative electric power supplied from the first inverter 3r to the first power line 21 and power supplied to the first power line 21 through the voltage converter 4 are combined with each other, to the first battery B1, and charge the first battery B1”) (Oyama et al. at para. [0124]: “In a case where the driving state is a regenerative traveling state, the drive mode is set as an AWD mode so that as much regenerative electric power as possible can be recovered by the batteries B1 and B2 and that losses in the mechanical braking devices Br and Bf can be reduced.”); and
controlling the auxiliary battery to be charged by voltage step-down of power of the main battery via (Oyama et al. at para. [0122]: “the power required for charging the second battery B2 are all covered by the power that is discharged from the first battery B1”; para. [0091]: “in a case where power in the first power line 21 is supplied to the second power line 22, the ECU 7 drives the voltage converter 4, and exhibits a stepping-down function”).
However, Oyama et al. does not explicitly state by voltage step-up of power of an auxiliary battery via the motor and the inverter of the second motor system, by voltage step-down of power of the main battery via the motor and the inverter of the second motor system, and when charging the main battery through an external power source.
In the same field of endeavor, Brockerhoff teaches by voltage step-up of power of an auxiliary battery via a second motor system (Brockerhoff at para. [0043]: “the first battery ( e.g. 12V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a first switching arrangement (e.g. a first inverter, i.e. inverted rectifier) and the second battery ( e.g. 48V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a second switching arrangement (e.g. a second inverter)”; para. [0049]: “a controller controls switching arrangements coupling batteries of different voltages to an electric machine such that DC current is transferred from one battery to the other battery, for example to charge one of the batteries by means of the other battery”; The voltage must be increased (i.e., “step-up”) to charge the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”) using the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”)),
by voltage step-down of power of the main battery via the motor and the inverter of the second motor system (Brockerhoff at para. [0043]: “the first battery ( e.g. 12V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a first switching arrangement (e.g. a first inverter, i.e. inverted rectifier) and the second battery ( e.g. 48V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a second switching arrangement (e.g. a second inverter)”; para. [0049]: “a controller controls switching arrangements coupling batteries of different voltages to an electric machine such that DC current is transferred from one battery to the other battery, for example to charge one of the batteries by means of the other battery”; The voltage must be decreased (i.e., “step-down”) to charge the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”) using the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. by adding charging the main battery by the auxiliary battery and charging the auxiliary battery by the main battery as taught by Brockerhoff with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff is to provide efficient connection between two power systems.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff does not explicitly state when charging the main battery through an external power source.
In the same field of endeavor, Mitsuya teaches when charging the main battery through an external power source (Mitsuya at para. [0028]: “In the hybrid vehicle 10 of this embodiment, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned force charging of the main battery 12. Specifically, when force charging of the main battery 12 begins, the low-voltage side voltage of the second DC/DC converter 46 (the voltage on the auxiliary battery 44 side) is adjusted to the voltage at which the auxiliary battery 44 is charged, for example, the upper voltage limit value of the auxiliary battery 44 (for example, 14.5 V). As a result, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is carried out in parallel with force charging of the main battery 12”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff by adding charging the auxiliary battery by the main battery when charging the main battery through the external power source as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency.
Regarding claim 15, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the method of claim 14.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein:
the first motor system corresponds to a main drive wheel and has a first motor and a first inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr”),
the second motor system corresponds to an auxiliary drive wheel and has a second motor and a second inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”),
the main battery is electrically connected to the first motor system and the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 4-9: The first battery B1 is electrically connected to the first drive motor Mr and the second drive motor Mf), and
(Oyama et al. at para. [0070]: “the term ‘2WD mode’ refers to a drive mode in which traveling is performed using the first wheel Wr as a driving wheel and using the second wheel Wf as a driven wheel”; para. [0120]: “in a case where the driving state is the low-output traveling state, the drive mode of the vehicle V is a 2WD mode”; para. [0121]: “in the low-output traveling state, the power that is required in the second power line 22 can be covered by power discharged from the second battery B2 alone”).
Brockerhoff further teaches the controlling of the main battery to be charged comprises controlling the main battery to be charged by the voltage step-up through the second motor system when the auxiliary battery is electrically connected to the second motor system (Brockerhoff at para. [0043]: “the first battery ( e.g. 12V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a first switching arrangement (e.g. a first inverter, i.e. inverted rectifier) and the second battery ( e.g. 48V battery) is coupled to the electrical machine via a second switching arrangement (e.g. a second inverter)”; para. [0049]: “a controller controls switching arrangements coupling batteries of different voltages to an electric machine such that DC current is transferred from one battery to the other battery, for example to charge one of the batteries by means of the other battery”; The voltage must be increased (i.e., “step-up”) to charge the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”) using the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”) and the 12V battery (i.e., “auxiliary battery”) must be electrically connected to the electrical machine (i.e., second motor system) to charge the 48V battery (i.e., “main battery”)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding charging the main battery by the auxiliary battery as taught by Brockerhoff with a reasonable expectation of success. During the 2WD mode of Oyama et al., the regenerative electric power is continuously supplied to the batteries while traveling along a downhill road (see Oyama et al. at para. [0120] and [0262]). Therefore, it is obvious to one skilled in the art to be motivated to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya to charge the main battery by the auxiliary battery as taught by Brockerhoff during the 2WD mode of Oyama et al. to maximize energy use between the batteries.
Regarding claim 17, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the method of claim 15.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein in a four-wheel drive mode, the auxiliary battery is electrically disconnected from the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 9A and para. [0135]: “all power required in the first drive motor Mr, the second drive motor Mf, and the vehicle accessory H is covered by the first battery B1”).
Regarding claim 18, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the method of claim 14.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein:
the first motor system corresponds to a main drive wheel and has a first motor and a first inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a first drive motor Mr serving as a first motor generator connected to the first wheel Wr”; para. [0088]: “the power circuit 2 includes a first inverter 3r that transfers power to and from the first drive motor Mr”); and
the second motor system corresponds to an auxiliary drive wheel and has a second motor and a second inverter (Oyama et al. at para. [0068]: “a second drive motor Mf serving as a second motor generator connected to the second wheel Wf”; para. [0088]: “a second inverter 3f that transfers power to and from the second drive motor Mf”),
the main battery is electrically connected to the first motor system and the second motor system (Oyama et al. at FIG. 4-9: The first battery B1 is electrically connected to the first drive motor Mr and the second drive motor Mf), and
Mitsuya further teaches the controlling of the auxiliary battery to be charged comprises controlling power of an external DC charger to be transmitted to the main battery or controlling the power of the auxiliary battery to be transmitted to the main battery after a supply voltage of the external DC charger is stepped up through the first motor system according to the supply voltage when the external DC charger is connected to the electric vehicle (Mitsuya at para. [0028]: “In the hybrid vehicle 10 of this embodiment, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned force charging of the main battery 12. Specifically, when force charging of the main battery 12 begins, the low-voltage side voltage of the second DC/DC converter 46 (the voltage on the auxiliary battery 44 side) is adjusted to the voltage at which the auxiliary battery 44 is charged, for example, the upper voltage limit value of the auxiliary battery 44 (for example, 14.5 V). As a result, charging of the auxiliary battery 44 is carried out in parallel with force charging of the main battery 12”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding controlling the power of the external DC charger as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency (see Mitsuya at Abstract).
Regarding claim 19, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the method of claim 18.
Oyama et al. further discloses wherein the controlling of the auxiliary battery to be charged further comprises controlling the auxiliary battery to be charged after the power of the main battery is stepped down through the second motor system when the auxiliary battery is connected to the second motor system (Oyama et al. at para. [0122]: “the power required for charging the second battery B2 are all covered by the power that is discharged from the first battery B1”; para. [0091]: “in a case where power in the first power line 21 is supplied to the second power line 22, the ECU 7 drives the voltage converter 4, and exhibits a stepping-down function”).
Regarding claim 20, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the method of claim 18.
Mitsuya further teaches wherein the electric vehicle comprises:
a first switch including a first end connected to a positive (+) end of the external DC charger and a second end connected to a positive (+) end of the main battery (Mitsuya at FIG. 1 and 4, para. [0022]: “The charging device 56 is connected between the SMR 22 and the first DC/DC converter 32 via a charging relay 58”); and
a second switch including a first end connected to the positive (+) end of the external DC charger and a second end 32 connected to the first motor system (Mitsuya at FIG. 1 and 4, para. [0022]: “The charging device 56 is connected between the SMR 22 and the first DC/DC converter 32 via a charging relay 58”),
wherein the controlling of the auxiliary battery to be charged further comprises:
shorting the first switch when the supply voltage is a first voltage corresponding to a voltage of the main battery (Mitsuya at para. [0033]: “it is possible to charge the main battery 12 while the SMR 22 is in an interrupted state, i.e., while the main battery 12 is in a state where it is disconnected from the power grid”); and
shorting the second switch when the supply voltage is a second voltage lower than the first voltage (Mitsuya at para. [0034]: “it is possible to charge the auxiliary battery 44 even when the SMR 22 is shut off and the main battery 12 is disconnected from the power system, and therefore the second DC/DC converter 46 cannot operate”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding the first switch and the second switch as taught by Mitsuya with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya is to improve charging efficiency (see Mitsuya at Abstract).
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Matsuda et al. (US 2015/0266386 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 2.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya does not explicitly state further comprising: a disconnector disposed between the auxiliary drive wheel and the second motor, the disconnector being configured to selectively connect the auxiliary drive wheel to the second motor.
In the same field of endeavor, Matsuda et al. teaches further comprising: a disconnector disposed between the auxiliary drive wheel and the second motor, the disconnector being configured to selectively connect the auxiliary drive wheel to the second motor (Matsuda et al. at para. [0067]: “In a case where the driving power transmission mechanism 25 includes a clutch, the switching of the electric power supply state may be automatically performed in a state in which the driving power is cut off by the clutch. Further, in a case where the vehicle includes a mechanism for selecting whether or not to distribute the driving power to the front wheels 3, and is able to perform switching between a two-wheel drive state in which only the rear wheels 4 are driven, and a four-wheel drive state in which the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 4 are driven, the automatic switching of the electric power supply state may be performed concurrently with the switching between the two-wheel drive state and the four-wheel drive state”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding the disconnector as taught by Matsuda et al. with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Matsuda et al. is to provide smooth transition between the 2WD mode and the 4WD mode (see Matsuda et al. at para. [0067]).
Regarding claim 4, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Matsuda et al. teaches the electric vehicle of claim 3.
Matsuda further teaches wherein the disconnector is further configured to disconnect the auxiliary drive wheel from the second motor in the two-wheel drive mode and to connect the auxiliary drive wheel to the second motor in a four-wheel drive mode (Matsuda et al. at para. [0067]: “In a case where the driving power transmission mechanism 25 includes a clutch, the switching of the electric power supply state may be automatically performed in a state in which the driving power is cut off by the clutch. Further, in a case where the vehicle includes a mechanism for selecting whether or not to distribute the driving power to the front wheels 3, and is able to perform switching between a two-wheel drive state in which only the rear wheels 4 are driven, and a four-wheel drive state in which the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 4 are driven, the automatic switching of the electric power supply state may be performed concurrently with the switching between the two-wheel drive state and the four-wheel drive state”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding the disconnector as taught by Matsuda et al. with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Matsuda et al. is to provide smooth transition between the 2WD mode and the 4WD mode (see Matsuda et al. at para. [0067]).
Claims 5 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya, Yang (KR 20200013474 A), and Nakamura et al. (US 2007/0029986 A1). The rejections below are based on the machine translation of Yang.
Regarding claim 5, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 2.
Oyama et al. further discloses (Oyama et al. at para. [0070]: “the term ‘2WD mode’ refers to a drive mode in which traveling is performed using the first wheel Wr as a driving wheel and using the second wheel Wf as a driven wheel”).
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya does not explicitly state wherein when the main battery is charged in the two-wheel drive mode, the second motor system provides a boost converter topology.
In the same field of endeavor, Yang teaches wherein when the main battery is charged in the two-wheel drive mode (Yang at para [0052]: “If the green vehicle 10 has two power sources, a motor and an engine, the green vehicle 10 operates in an electric vehicle (EV) mode driven only by a motor and a hybrid electric vehicle mode in which the engine is driven together”; para. [0060]: “The controller 11 in a state in which the torque reduction amount required for the eco-friendly vehicle 10 for towing in the step S17 does not occur over a torque reduction amount due to regenerative braking which can be achieved by the first motor 17. ) May transfer energy stored in the second battery 27 to the first battery 17 to charge the first battery 17. In order to transfer the energy of the second battery 27 to the first battery 15, the controller 11 may control a power converter such as a converter provided between both batteries, although not shown”; The first battery (i.e., the main battery) is being charged by the energy from the second battery (i.e., the auxiliary battery) while the vehicle 10 (i.e., the first motor system) and the trailer 20 (i.e., the second motor system) are driven by the two wheels of the vehicle 10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding charging the main battery as taught by Yang with a reasonable expectation of success. During the 2WD mode of Oyama et al., the regenerative electric power is continuously supplied to the batteries while traveling along a downhill road (see Oyama et al. at para. [0120] and [0262]). Therefore, it is obvious to one skilled in the art to be motivated to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya to charge the main battery in the two-wheel drive mode as taught by Yang to maximize energy use between the two batteries.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Yang does not explicitly state the second motor system provides a boost converter topology.
In the same field of endeavor, Nakamura et al. teaches the second motor system provides a boost converter topology (Nakamura et al. at FIG. 5 and para. [0123]: “the U-phase coil out of three-phase coils in each of the motor generators is shown as a representative example” “each of a set of U-phase coil U1 and U-phase arm 22 and a set of U-phase coil U2 and U-phase arm 32 has a configuration similar to that of Voltage step up converter 10”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Yang by adding the boost converter topology as taught by Nakamura et al. with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya, Yang, and Nakamura et al. is to improve energy efficiency (see Nakamura et al. at para. [0018]).
Regarding claim 16, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the method of claim 15.
Oyama et al. further discloses further comprising:
allowing the first motor system to output driving force to the main drive wheel (Oyama et al. at para. [0070]: “the term ‘2WD mode’ refers to a drive mode in which traveling is performed using the first wheel Wr as a driving wheel and using the second wheel Wf as a driven wheel”).
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya does not explicitly when the main battery is charged in the two-wheel drive mode and allowing the second motor system to provide a boost converter topology.
In the same field of endeavor, Yang teaches when the main battery is charged in the two-wheel drive mode (Yang at para [0052]: “If the green vehicle 10 has two power sources, a motor and an engine, the green vehicle 10 operates in an electric vehicle (EV) mode driven only by a motor and a hybrid electric vehicle mode in which the engine is driven together”; para. [0060]: “The controller 11 in a state in which the torque reduction amount required for the eco-friendly vehicle 10 for towing in the step S17 does not occur over a torque reduction amount due to regenerative braking which can be achieved by the first motor 17. ) May transfer energy stored in the second battery 27 to the first battery 17 to charge the first battery 17. In order to transfer the energy of the second battery 27 to the first battery 15, the controller 11 may control a power converter such as a converter provided between both batteries, although not shown”; The first battery (i.e., the main battery) is being charged by the energy from the second battery (i.e., the auxiliary battery) while the vehicle 10 (i.e., the first motor system) and the trailer 20 (i.e., the second motor system) are driven by the two wheels of the vehicle 10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding charging the main battery as taught by Yang with a reasonable expectation of success. During the 2WD mode of Oyama et al., the regenerative electric power is continuously supplied to the batteries while traveling along a downhill road (see Oyama et al. at para. [0120] and [0262]). Therefore, it is obvious to one skilled in the art to be motivated to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya to charge the main battery in the two-wheel drive mode as taught by Yang to maximize energy use between the two batteries.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Yang does not explicitly state allowing the second motor system to provide a boost converter topology.
In the same field of endeavor, Nakamura et al. teaches allowing the second motor system to provide a boost converter topology (Nakamura et al. at FIG. 5 and para. [0123]: “the U-phase coil out of three-phase coils in each of the motor generators is shown as a representative example” “each of a set of U-phase coil U1 and U-phase arm 22 and a set of U-phase coil U2 and U-phase arm 32 has a configuration similar to that of Voltage step up converter 10”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Yang by adding the boost converter topology as taught by Nakamura et al. with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the method of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya, Yang, and Nakamura et al. is to improve energy efficiency (see Nakamura et al. at para. [0018]).
Claims 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Nakamura et al.
Regarding claim 9, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 8.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya does not explicitly state wherein when the power of the external DC charger passes through the first motor system, the first motor system provides a boost converter topology.
In the same field of endeavor, Nakamura et al. teaches wherein when the power of the external DC charger passes through the first motor system, the first motor system provides a boost converter topology (Nakamura et al. at FIG. 5 and para. [0123]: “the U-phase coil out of three-phase coils in each of the motor generators is shown as a representative example” “each of a set of U-phase coil U1 and U-phase arm 22 and a set of U-phase coil U2 and U-phase arm 32 has a configuration similar to that of Voltage step up converter 10”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding the boost converter topology as taught by Nakamura et al. with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Nakamura et al. is to improve energy efficiency (see Nakamura et al. at para. [0018]).
Regarding claim 11, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya teaches the electric vehicle of claim 10.
However, Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya does not explicitly state wherein when the auxiliary battery is charged, the second motor system provides a buck converter topology.
In the same field of endeavor, Nakamura et al. teaches wherein when the auxiliary battery is charged, the second motor system provides a buck converter topology (Nakamura et al. at para. [0169]: “DC/DC converter 200 has a configuration having the first and second arms as described above. With this configuration, it is possible to step up and step down the Voltage from the battery B2 side to the battery B1 side, and it is also possible to step up and step down the Voltage from the battery B1 side to the battery B2 side”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya by adding the buck converter topology as taught by Nakamura et al. with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify the electric vehicle of Oyama et al. in view of Brockerhoff further in view of Mitsuya and Nakamura et al. is to improve energy efficiency (see Nakamura et al. at para. [0018]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and can be found in the attached PTO-892 form.
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/JISUN CHOI/Examiner, Art Unit 3666
/SCOTT A BROWNE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666
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