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 .
Claims 1 – 20 remain pending in the application and have been fully considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 – 14, 16 – 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nishimura (US 2017/0253265).
Regarding Claim 1:
Nishimura teaches a method, comprising: generating, by a steering control system (1), a set of initial control requests by employing both of: angle information of an advanced driver assistance system (via 70) and pinion information (theta P, and via 60); and generating, by the steering control system, a motor torque request based on the set of initial control requests (via 20 and 40, see also Fig 2).
Regarding Claim 2:
Nishimura teaches performing, by the steering control system, the generating of the set of initial requests at a first time interval (Fig 8); and performing, by the steering control system, the generating of the motor torque request at a second time interval that is non-overlapping with the first time interval (Figs 2, 8).
Regarding Claim 3:
Nishimura teaches the pinion information is at least one of: pinion angle information (theta p) or pinion torque information.
Regarding Claim 4:
Nishimura teaches employing, by the steering control system, the other of the pinion angle information or the pinion torque information for generating the motor torque request in combination with an output of the set of initial control requests (Figs 1 – 2, 8).
Regarding Claim 5:
Nishimura teaches based on the set of initial requests, outputting, by the steering control system, a secondary output request comprising at least one of: a pinion angle request or a pinion torque request; and directing, by the steering control system, a steering control based on the secondary output request, wherein the motor torque request is generated based on the steering control (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 6:
Nishimura teaches employing, by the steering control system, second pinion information that comprises a sensed pinion angle in a case where the secondary output request comprises the pinion angle request; or employing, by the steering control system, the second pinion information that comprises a sensed pinion torque in a case where the secondary output request comprises the pinion torque request (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 7:
Nishimura teaches outputting, by the steering control system, prior to generating the motor torque request, a position overlay control employing both the angle information and the pinion information (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 8:
Nishimura teaches the motor torque request is a final motor torque request to be issued to a motor controller, by the steering control system, for setting a torque of a motor (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 9:
Nishimura teaches prior to generating the motor torque request, generating, by the steering control system, a secondary pinion request that is based on output of the pair of initial control requests (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 10:
Nishimura teaches employing, by the steering control system, a closed-loop control scheme for the generating of the motor torque request and for the generating of the pair of initial control requests (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 11:
Nishimura teaches a steering control system (1), comprising: a first controller (70) that generates a set of initial control requests by employing both of angle information of an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and pinion information (paragraphs 0044 – 0048); and a second controller (40) that generates a motor torque request that is based on the set of initial control requests (Fig 2).
Regarding Claim 12:
Nishimura teaches the first controller performs the generating of the set of initial requests at a first time interval, and wherein the second controller performs the generating of the motor torque request at a second time interval that is non-overlapping with the first time interval (Figs 1 – 2, 7 – 8).
Regarding Claim 13:
Nishimura teaches the pinion information is pinion angle information or pinion (Fig 2) torque information.
Regarding Claim 14:
Nishimura teaches the second controller employs the other of the pinion angle information or the pinion torque information for generating the motor torque request in combination with an output of the pair of initial control requests (Fig 2).
Regarding Claim 16:
See rejection of Claim 11.
Regarding Claim 17:
See rejection of Claim 12:
Regarding Claim 18:
See rejection of Claim 13:
Regarding Claim 19:
See rejection of Claim 14.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LONG T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1899. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:00 - 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Logan Kraft can be reached at 571-270-5065. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LONG T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747