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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 7-9, and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sawada et al. (US 2011/0106358).
Regarding claim 1,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
A cooling system (Fig. 1, all elements) comprising: a cooling device (3, 4, 5, 6,) configured to cool a cooling target including a rotating electric machine (1, ¶0048); and one or more processors (23, 23c) that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory (23m, ¶0052), wherein the cooling device includes: a pump (Fig. 1, 5) configured to circulate a cooling medium (via 6) that absorbs heat released from the rotating electric machine (1, ¶0048); a radiator (3) configured to release heat of the cooling medium (¶0048); and an air blower (4) configured to blow air to the radiator (3, ¶0048), the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the cooling system to: acquire information about a rotational speed of the rotating electric machine (24), and information about torque of the rotating electric machine (25, ¶0068-¶0069); and control the cooling device based on a feedforward value (target temperature) generated based on the rotational speed and the torque (¶0093-¶0095, ¶0138, based on speed measured and accelerator depression which is related to torque), and the feedforward value is a target temperature of the cooling medium supplied from the radiator to the rotating electric machine (¶0093-¶0095).
Regarding claim 3,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
wherein the one or more processors cause the cooling system to: further acquire information indicating an actual temperature of the cooling medium supplied from the radiator to the rotating electric machine (fig. 15, 32, ¶0092); and control the air blower to bring the actual temperature closer to the target temperature by performing feedback control using the actual temperature (¶0093-¶0095).
Regarding claim 7,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
wherein the feedforward value is the target temperature of the cooling medium at an outlet of the radiator (¶0092-¶0095).
Regarding claim 8,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
A moving object (electric vehicle, Fig. 1, ¶0048)comprising the cooling system according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 9,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
A cooling system (Fig. 1, all elements) comprising: a cooling device (3, 4, 5, 6,) configured to cool a cooling target including a rotating electric machine (1, ¶0048); and one or more processors (23, 23c) that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory (23m, ¶0052), wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the cooling system to: acquire information about a rotational speed of the rotating electric machine (24), and information about torque of the rotating electric machine (25, ¶0068-¶0069); and control the cooling device based on a feedforward value (target temperature) generated based on the rotational speed and the torque (¶0093-¶0095), and the one or more processors cause the cooling system to generate the feedforward value (Fig. 10, motor operating point) based on the rotational speed, the torque, and a thermal model of the rotating electric machine that is in a thermally saturated state in which a temperature change of the rotating electric machine has converged (¶0093-¶0095, Fig. 15, the temperature is calculated and measured by sensor and when the amount of power lost and sensed temperature converges, the pump and fan operation commands are created, the thermal model is shown in Fig. 16, where the motor temperature, power loss and power consumption is shown).
Regarding claim 11,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
wherein the cooling device includes: a pump (Fig. 1, 5) configured to circulate a cooling medium (via 6) that absorbs heat released from the rotating electric machine (1, ¶0048); a radiator (3) configured to release heat of the cooling medium (¶0048); and an air blower (4) configured to blow air to the radiator (3, ¶0048), and the one or more processors cause the cooling system to: calculate a temperature difference between a temperature of windings of the rotating electric machine in the thermally saturated state (¶0094, ¶0099) and a temperature of the cooling medium in the thermally saturated state (32, ¶0093, ¶0099), based on the rotational speed, the torque, and the thermal model (¶0092-¶0095, thermal model shown in Fig. 16); and subtract the temperature difference from a predetermined target temperature of the windings to generate the feedforward value (¶0093-¶0095, Fig. 15, the temperature is calculated and measured by sensor and when the amount of power lost and sensed temperature converges, the pump and fan operation commands are created, Fig. 16 shows thermal model of power consumption and motor temperature)
Regarding claim 12,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
wherein the one or more processors cause the cooling system to estimate a heat generation amount of the windings based on the rotational speed, the torque, and a map in which the heat generation amount of the windings is associated with the rotational speed and the torque (Fig. 8, ¶0074).
Regarding claim 13,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
wherein the feedforward value is the target temperature of the cooling medium at an outlet of the radiator (¶0092-¶0095, ¶0099, Fig. 16).
Regarding claim 14,
Sawada discloses (Fig. 1):
A moving object comprising the cooling system according to claim 9 (electric vehicle, Fig. 1, ¶0048).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/2/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claims 1, 3, 7-14, applicant argues that the target temperature is not based on the coolant temperature however, in fig. 15, a cooling medium temperature sensor is used to calculate a target motor temperature (¶0093-¶0094).
Examiner believes that Sawada teaches a cooling medium that is thermally saturated in ¶0099.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 CHARLES S LAUGHLIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7244. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday.
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/C.S.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2837 /KAWING CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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