DETAILED ACTION
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, 2, 4-6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (U.S. Pat. No. 11,572,095) in view of Min (U.S. Pat. No. 10,059,370).
Regarding claim 1 and 12, Zhang discloses a method for steering system position control, the method comprising:
receiving a target angle for a pinion of a rack of a steering system;
receiving an actual angle of the pinion;
determining an angle error value based on a difference between the target angle and the actual angle (202 in fig. 7 receives the target and actual in order to calculate the error);
providing the angle error value to a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller (Abstract);
receiving a target velocity of the pinion, wherein the target velocity corresponds to a value in a bilinear lookup table (there is a table with corresponding values);
Note: is this requiring that the table be on the controller? What will be done with this value once it does or doesn’t correlate? Will the value from the table be used or the received value? If this is just a check that results in no change this is extrasolution activity.
receiving at least on temperature value associated with at least one component of the steering system (col. 4, lines 52-62 discloses a temperature measurement of the motor);
generating a friction compensation value based on the target velocity (col. 5, lines 55-65 discloses the various forces that need to be compensated for citing specifically friction);
generating a control command value based on an output of the PID controller and the friction compensation value (210); and
controlling at least one aspect of the steering system based on the control command value (212).
Zhang does not disclose that the friction compensation is based on a temperature value.
Min, which deals in steering compensation, teaches that the friction compensation is based on a temperature value (col. 7, lines 51-59 discloses a friction compensation calculation based on temperature and velocity).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Zhang with the compensation calculation of Min because this controls torque due to temperature changes (col. 1, line 62 – col. 2, line 2).
Regarding claim 2 and 13 which depends from claim 1 and 12 respectively, Zhang discloses wherein generating the control command value based on the output of the PID controller and the friction compensation value includes adding the friction compensation value to the output of the PID controller (col. 5, lines 55-67 discloses how this is an added consideration).
Regarding claim 4 which depends from claim 1, Zhang discloses wherein the actual angle corresponds to measurement data of a sensor associated with the pinion (col. 7, lines 30-40 discloses the measuring of the pinion 32 would give a measurement).
Regarding claim 5 and 15 which depends from claim 1 and 12 respectively, Zhang discloses further comprising receiving at least one temperature value (23) corresponds to an estimated temperature value.
Regarding claim 6 and 16 which depends from claim 5 and 12 respectively, Zhang discloses wherein the steering system includes a column-assist electronic power steering system (fig. 1 shows the column), and wherein the estimated temperature associated with an assist mechanism of the column-assist electronic power steering system (col. 4, lines 52-60 discloses a temperature of the assist device).
Regarding claim 8 and 18 which depends from claim 5 and 15 respectively, Zhang discloses further comprising determining a temperature scale factor based on the at least one temperature value (col. 4, lines 55-62 discloses transmitting the temperature and the controller processing this for calibration).
Regarding claim 9 which depends from claim 8, Zhang discloses wherein determining the temperature scale factor based on the at least one temperature value includes using a one-dimensional lookup table that correlates temperature values to temperature scale factors (all data in a computer is a look up table and this data is used for calibration which is a form of correlation to a scale).
Claim(s) 3, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (U.S. Pat. No. 11,572,095) in view of Min (U.S. Pat. No. 10,059,370) as applied to claims 1, 12 above, and in view of Higashi (U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0398889).
Regarding claim 3 and 14 which depends from claim 1 and 12 respectively, Zhang does not disclose wherein generating the friction compensation value based on the target velocity includes using a Lugre model of friction.
Higashi, which deals in power steering, teaches wherein generating the friction compensation value based on the target velocity includes using a Lugre model of friction (¶91).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Zhang with the Lugre model of Higashi because this is a known model for modeling friction in a steering system.
Claim(s) 7, 10, 11, 17, 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (U.S. Pat. No. 11,572,095) in view of Min (U.S. Pat. No. 10,059,370) as applied to claims 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18 above, and in view of Toko (U.S. Pat. No. 10,486,737).
Regarding claim 7 and 17 which depends from claim 5 and 15 respectively, Zhang discloses wherein the steering system includes a rack-assist electronic power steering system (col. 3, lines 15-21).
Zhang does not disclose wherein the at least one temperature measurement value corresponds to an estimated temperature associated with a ball nut of the rack-assist electronic power steering system.
Toko, which deals in steering systems, teaches wherein the at least one temperature measurement value corresponds to an estimated temperature associated with a ball nut of the rack-assist electronic power steering system (col. 7, lines 44-50).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Zhang with the temperature measurment of Toko because the temperature at these parts is indicative of the torque needed to turn the wheel (col. 7, lines 55-60).
Regarding claim 10 and 19 which depends from claim 8 and 18 respectively, Toko discloses further comprising adjusting the friction compensation value based on the temperature scale factor (col. 7, lines 55-60 teaches compensating for this low temperature).
Note: The “friction compensation” value is what claim 1 states is used to create the control command. Toko does not state this is modifying the friction compensation value but is instead directly effecting the control command. Effectively Zhang in view of Toko is teaching friction compensation + temp compensation => Torque command which is construed as being equivalent.
Regarding claim 11 which depends from claim 10, Toko discloses wherein adjusting the friction compensation value based on the temperature scale factor includes adding the temperature scale factor to the friction compensation value (the temperature compensation would be an adjustment on top of the friction calculation and so added together).
Regarding claim 20, Zhang discloses an apparatus for steering system position control, the apparatus comprising: a controller configured to: receive a target angle for a pinion of a rack of an electronic power steering system; receive an actual angle of the pinion; determine an angle error value based on a difference between the target angle and the actual angle; provide the angle error value to a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller; receive a target velocity of the pinion, wherein the target velocity corresponds to a value in a bilinear lookup table; determine a temperature scale factor based on at least one temperature value wherein the at least one temperature value is associated with at least one component of the electronic power steering system; generate a friction compensation value based on the target velocity and the at least one temperature value; generate a control command value based on a sum of an output of the PID controller and the friction compensation value; and control at least one aspect of the electronic power steering system based on the control command value (the limitations of this claim have been addressed above in claims 1, 7 and 11).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/08/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues for the amendments made to the claims which have been addressed above.
Conclusion
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.
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GONZALO LAGUARDA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3747 email: gonzalo.laguarda@uspto.gov
/GONZALO LAGUARDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747