DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-7, 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 1 amendments require a “magnitude” of change in torque to determine wheel adjustment but the specification only discloses the idea of a change in torque in ¶19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 80, 81, 82, 84.
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(s) 1-3, 5, 7, 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasui (U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,373) in view of Goto (U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,603).
Regarding claim 1 and 10, Yasui discloses an apparatus for controlling rear-wheel steering (col. 3, lines 20-30), comprising:
a sensor (52 and 54) configured to detect steering and driving information of a rear-wheel steering vehicle to determine a yaw rate (col. 17, lines 19-32 discloses the sensors that would feed calculation in col. 9, lines 55-62), the steering and driving information including front and rear wheel steering angles and column torque applied to a steering column (col. 17, lines 23-33 discloses angles for front and rear with col. 7, lines 30-35 disclosing that torque is what causes power steering to occur with 53 being the sensor); a storage module storing a ratio table relating changes in column torque to a desired ratio of wheel angle adjustment (the data in computers can be understood as a table and the equations disclosed produces the values); and
A processor (col. 10, lines 55-65) configured to: compute a reference yaw rate in real time based on a vehicle speed and lateral acceleration, and the front and rear wheel steering angles (eq. 2 in col. 13 shows lateral acceleration being calculated from velocity and steering angle which is how this reference discloses calculating yaw rate. These values can be solved for each other with simply mathematical reworking), determine a change in the column torque based on the column torque (sensors would determine a change); select an opposite-direction mode or a same-direction mode based on the vehicle speed (51, col. 3, lines 30-50 discloses that the rear wheels are adjusted based on the forces which speed would be a consideration in the forces)
wherein the opposite-direction mode adjusts only rear wheel angle (col. 3, lines 30-50 discloses how the rear wheel is adjusted) and the same direction mode adjusts the rear wheel angle and front wheel angle, determine a ratio of wheel angle adjustment (the wheels are both being changed which creates a ratio which the wheels are changed to) from the ratio table based on a magnitude of the change in the column torque (the reference is sensing torque and adjusting when inputs change),
Note: as per 112 rejection this reference is addressing changes in column torque and would change in proportion to the change but not having specific inputs based on the magnitude as opposed to what the torque has changed to.
adjust a gear ratio (col. 18, lines 45-57) between front and rear wheels by proportionally adjusting the front and rear wheel steering angles according to the determined ratio and the change in column torque (they are changed to the desired steering input commands which creates a ratio); and
Adjust a desired yaw rate (turning radius option addressed) or turning radius based on adjustments of the gear ratio (adjusting the gear ratio, like in fig. 17, between the wheels to change how they steer would adjust the turning radius).
Yasui does not specifically disclose a table of steering ratios.
Goto, which deals in front and rear steering, teaches a table of steering ratios (col. 6, lines 42-50).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Yasui with the table of Goto because this is a way of displaying data that is known in the art (col. 7, lines 25-30).
Regarding claim 2 which depends from claim 1, Yasui discloses wherein the processor controls a vehicle in an opposite-direction mode in low-speed sections lower than a specified speed (col. 1, lines 48-60 discloses counter steering to achieve zero deviation).
Regarding claim 3 which depends from claim 1, Yasui discloses wherein the processor additionally controls the rear wheels only when obstacle avoidance or turns requiring steering above a predetermined angle are required, while primarily steering in a same-direction mode at vehicle speeds equal to or greater than a predetermined speed (this system can drive straight and around obstacles and take turns).
Regarding claim 5 which depends from claim 1, Yasui discloses wherein the processor determines a rear-wheel angle proportional to a front-wheel angle based on the desired yaw rate (col. 1, lines 58-65 discloses matching the actual and target yaw rates), wherein a closed-loop controller is applied to track a reference yaw rate based on the desired yaw rate that satisfies conditions required to reach the reference yaw rate (fig. 21).
Regarding claim 7 which depends from claim 6, Yasui discloses wherein the processor adjusts the front and rear wheel angles based on the ratio table, wherein the front and rear wheel angles dynamically increase as the ratio increases in response to an abrupt change in a driver's steering or a substantial increase in the column torque (increase in the column torque is an increase in requested steering angle, this reference responds in this way to the requests from the steering wheel).
Regarding claim 9 which depends from claim 8, Yasui discloses wherein the processor drives an ON/OFF control module that engages in ON/OFF control based on signals received from front and rear wheels, as well as the ratio table, wherein the ON/OFF control module switches between ON and OFF states, further performs the opposite-direction mode or the same-direction mode (the wheels are controlled through the assistance of the motors and so are compensated but do not provide steering input when no steering is required and so toggles on and off).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yasui (U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,373) in view of Goto (U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,603) as applied to claim 1 above, and in view of Endo (U.S. Pat. No. 9,738,307.
Regarding claim 4 which depends from claim 1, Yasui does not disclose wherein the column torque is applied to a differentiator, and a result is passed through a low pass filter (LPF) to eliminate noise.
Endo, which deals in steering controllers, teaches wherein the column torque is applied to a differentiator, and a result is passed through a low pass filter (LPF) to eliminate noise (Col. 14, lines 34-40).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Yasui with the filter of Endo because this helps to correct the change amount (col. 14, lines 36-37).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/02/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on page 5 that the Yasui reference does not make adjustments based on changes to the column torque. The Yasui reference has a torque sensor that measures the changes to the column torque and adjusts the steering based on those inputs. Changes to the column torque will lead to changes in steering.
Applicant argues for the amendments made to the claims which have been addressed above.
Conclusion
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GONZALO LAGUARDA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3747 email: gonzalo.laguarda@uspto.gov
/GONZALO LAGUARDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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