DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to preliminary amendments filed on 10/12/2023. Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/12/2023 was filed after the filing date of the application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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, 3, 12, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Margner et al. US 20130207589 A1 (Hereinafter “Margner”).
Regarding Claim 1, Margner teaches a propulsion unit (Fig. 6, 60) for an electric or hybrid vehicle ([0047]), comprising:
- a rotary electric machine (Fig. 6, 62) comprising a stator (Fig. 6, 67) and a, permanent-magnet, rotor (Fig. 6, 68),
- an inverter/rectifier (Fig. 6, 63) electrically connected to the electrical stator winding and capable of being connected to the on-board electrical system of the vehicle, and
- a control device (Fig. 6, 61) of the inverter/rectifier, the device comprising:
- at least one temperature sensor (Fig. 7, 651), capable of providing a measurement representative of the temperature of the permanent magnets of the rotor, and
- a temperature estimator module ([0038], thermal model), capable of providing an estimate representative of the temperature of these permanent magnets of the rotor,
the control device generating, in a main mode of operation, setpoints ([0028]) for the inverter/rectifier by using, as a signal representative of the temperature:
the measurement provided by the temperature sensor, and the estimate provided by the temperature estimator module, for all or some of the rotation speeds of the rotor ([0037]-[0038]).
Regarding Claim 3, Margner teaches the unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature estimator module implements a thermal model of the rotary electric machine, in particular a map linking temperature and phase currents in the electrical stator winding ([0036] & [0038]).
Regarding Claim 12, Margner teaches a method for controlling an inverter/rectifier (Fig. 6, 63) electrically connected to the electrical stator winding (Fig. 6, 67) of a rotary electric machine (Fig. 6, 62) having a permanent-magnet rotor (Fig. 6, 68), in particular for a vehicle ([0047]),
in which method, according to a main mode of operation, setpoints ([0028]) for the inverter/rectifier are generated by using, as a signal representative of the temperature of the permanent magnets of the rotor:
the measurement representative of this temperature provided by a temperature sensor and the estimate representative of this temperature provided by a temperature estimator module, for all or some of the rotation speeds of the rotor ([0037]-[0038]).
Regarding Claim 13, Margner teaches the unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the temperature estimator module implements a thermal model of the rotary electric machine, in particular a map linking temperature and phase currents in the electrical stator winding ([0036] & [0038]).
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 Margner in view of Takahashi et al. US 20210243922 A (Hereinafter “Takahashi”).
Regarding Claim 2, Margner teaches the unit as claimed in claim 1,
Margner does not expressly disclose wherein the temperature sensor is an NTC or PTC temperature probe or a thermocouple.
However, Takahashi teaches the temperature sensor is an NTC or PTC temperature probe or a thermocouple (Takahashi [0036], the motor temperature is the temperature measured by the thermocouple provided in the rotor or the stator configuring the motor 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a thermocouple as the temperature sensor of Margner, as a design choice due to low costs and can measure extreme high temperatures.
Claims 9 & 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Margner in view of Hao et al. US 20170334297 A1 (Hereinafter “Hao”).
Regarding Claim 9, Margner teaches the unit as claimed in claim 1,
Margner does not expressly disclose the rotary electric machine having a rated voltage of 48 V.
However, Hao teaches the rotary electric machine having a rated voltage of 48 V (Hao [0014], the traction battery 22 is a lithium ion high-voltage battery with a nominal voltage of 48 volts).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the rotary electric machine having a rated voltage of 48 V as taught by Hao in the system of Margner, for the purpose to enhance efficiency.
Regarding Claim 18, Margner teaches the unit as claimed in claim 2,
Margner does not expressly disclose the rotary electric machine having a rated voltage of 48 V.
However, Hao teaches the rotary electric machine having a rated voltage of 48 V (Hao [0014], the traction battery 22 is a lithium ion high-voltage battery with a nominal voltage of 48 volts).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the rotary electric machine having a rated voltage of 48 V as taught by Hao in the system of Margner, for the purpose to enhance efficiency.
Claims 10 & 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Margner, in view of Leonardi et al. US 20040046519 A1 (Hereinafter “Leonardi”).
Regarding Claim 10, Margner teaches a hybrid or electric vehicle powertrain, comprising:
- the unit as claimed in claim 1,
Margner does not expressly disclose - a gearbox, comprising pinions, defining gearbox ratios, and - a front axle and a rear axle, the shaft of the rotary electric machine
However, Leonardi teaches - a gearbox (Leonardi Fig. 1, 20), comprising pinions, defining gearbox ratios, and
- a front axle and a rear axle (Leonardi Fig. 1, 66), the shaft of the rotary electric machine being rigidly connected, for conjoint rotation:
- to an input shaft of the gearbox, or
- to the output shaft (Leonardi Fig. 1, 44) of the gearbox, or
- to idler pinions of the gearbox, or
- to the front axle or the rear axle.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement as taught by Leonardi in the system of Margner, to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication or reduction, in a vehicle.
Regarding Claim 19, Margner teaches a hybrid or electric vehicle powertrain, comprising: - the unit as claimed in 2
Margner does not expressly disclose a gearbox, comprising pinions, defining gearbox ratios, and - a front axle and a rear axle, the shaft of the rotary electric machine being rigidly connected, for conjoint rotation:- to an input shaft of the gearbox, or - to the output shaft of the gearbox, or - to idler pinions of the gearbox, or - to the front axle or the rear axle.
However, Leonardi teaches - a gearbox (Leonardi Fig. 1, 20), comprising pinions, defining gearbox ratios, and
- a front axle and a rear axle (Leonardi Fig. 1, 66), the shaft of the rotary electric machine being rigidly connected, for conjoint rotation:
- to an input shaft of the gearbox, or
- to the output shaft (Leonardi Fig. 1, 44) of the gearbox, or
- to idler pinions of the gearbox, or
- to the front axle or the rear axle.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement as taught by Leonardi in the system of Margner, to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication or reduction, in a vehicle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8, 11, 14-17, and 20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CORTEZ M COOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7954. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30-5pm.
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/CORTEZ M COOK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846