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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In ¶ 0009, the phrase “to drive the rear when” appears to omit the word “wheels” after “rear.”
In ¶ 0028, the rear left wheel is identified as “RF,” and the wheels are later listed as “FR, FL, RR, and RF,” although Fig. 1 identifies the rear left wheel as “RL” and the specification otherwise refers to the rear wheels as “RR and RL.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishii et al. (JP 2014226975 A) in view of Toba et al. (US 20210310932 A1), and further in view of Gaither et al. (US 20190135262 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Nishii discloses a brake control device for a vehicle (start control device/ electronic control device 1 for vehicle start control), the brake control device comprising:
a parking brake system configured to maintain a parking/stopping state of the vehicle (parking brake device 5, parking brake switch 6, and rear-wheel parking brake device including a brake shoe and drum for applying braking torque to the wheel; see Fig. 1); and
a control unit (electronic control device 1) at least comprising
a parking brake state determiner configured to determine a state of the parking brake system (electronic control device 1/start control unit determines whether the parking brake device 5 has been operated, uses outside air temperature sensor 7 for freezing possibility, and determines parking brake device 5 may be fixed when vehicle remains stopped after release; Fig. 1-2, ST1, ST4, ST5), and
wherein the control unit is configured to cause a drive control unit to perform drive control based on a determination result of the parking brake state determiner (electronic control device 1/start control unit sends a command to the drive control unit to generate creep torque Tc and increase creep torque Tc when parking brake device 5 may be fixed; see Fig. 2/ST3, ST7, ST8), and
wherein the drive control unit is configured to, when the control unit has determined that the parking brake system is in a sticking state, perform drive control (when the vehicle cannot be started after parking brake release because parking brake device 5 is fixed by rust or freezing, the drive control unit increases creep torque Tc by ΔTc to eliminate the fixed state; see Fig. 2/ST7, ST8).
Nishii does not expressly disclose a drive force controller configured to perform drive control of the front wheels and the rear wheels individually, a road surface μ estimator configured to estimate a friction coefficient of a road surface, or drive control selected based on whether the estimated friction coefficient of the road surface is smaller than a predetermined threshold or larger than or equal to the predetermined threshold.
Toba teaches a road surface μ estimator configured to estimate a friction coefficient of a road surface (road surface friction coefficient estimating device 40 computing road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe, see Figs. 1-2 and ¶¶ 0031 and 0039-41);
Toba also teaches that the control unit is configured to perform vehicle control based on an estimation result of the road surface μ estimator (central control device 41 controls the steering control device 2, the warning control device 42, the engine control device 43, and the brake control device 44 based on road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe; see ¶ 0032);
Toba further teaches that when road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe is low, the vehicle mat be determined to have entered a frozen road and vehicle control is performed based on that low-μ condition (road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe is low when the vehicle has entered a frozen road; ¶¶ 0031, 0033-35).
Gaither teaches a drive force controller configured to perform drive control of front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle individually (communication circuit 201 sends signals to torque splitters 274 to control front/rear torque split and left/right torque split, and sends signals to motor controllers 276 to control motor torque and motor speed; see ¶ 0050);
Gaither also teaches front/rear drive control including limiting or changing drive torque distribution between the front and rear wheels (front/rear torque split may be increased to the front or rear axle and altered from 50/50 up to 100/0 or 0/100 as needed; see Fig. 6, operation 522 and ¶ 0064);
Gaither further teaches drive control to drive the rear wheels while limiting driving of the front wheels, and drive control to drive only the front wheels (all energy may be applied to the rear motor or motors, including shutting down front electric motor/s when present, or alternatively all energy may be applied to the front motor/s; see Fig. 6, operation 526 and ¶ 0066).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake control device of Nishii to include the road surface friction coefficient estimating device of Toba because Nishii performs start control when a parking brake device may be fixed due to freezing, and Toba teaches estimating road surface friction coefficient μe and using μe for vehicle control when vehicle enters a frozen road. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to use the road surface friction coefficient estimation of Toba in Nishii to provide direct road surface condition information during freezing related parking brake recovery, thereby improving vehicle control when the parking brake fixed state occurs under low-friction frozen road conditions.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake control device of Nishii as modified by Toba to include the front/rear individual drive control and selectable front/rear torque allocation taught by Gaither because Gaither teaches that all wheel drive systems can control torque delivery to the front and rear axles based on traction conditions and can alter front/rear torque split up to all front or all rear drive. Applying Gaither’s selectable front/rear torque allocation to the modified Nishii system would have been the predictable use of known front/rear drive-control techniques to control which axle receives drive torque during parking brake fixed state recovery based on the estimated road surface friction coefficient, thereby improving traction control and vehicle stability during starting on frozen or low friction road surfaces.
Regarding claim 2, Nishii as modified discloses the brake control device according to claim 1, wherein the drive force controller is configured to limit the driving of the front wheels by stopping a drive force to be applied to the front wheels when the control unit has determined that the parking brake system is in the sticking state and the estimated friction coefficient of the road surface is smaller than the predetermined threshold (Gaither teaches applying all energy to the rear motor or motors by stopping drive force to the front wheels; see Fig. 6, operation 526 and ¶ 0066).
Regarding claim 3, Nishii as modified discloses the brake control device according to claim 1, wherein:
the control unit is configured to cause the parking brake state determiner to redetermine the state of the parking brake system after the drive force controller starts to perform drive control of the front wheels and the rear wheels (after increasing creep torque Tc, Nishii determines whether the vehicle remains stopped, thereby determining whether the fixed state remains or has been eliminated; see Fig. 2/ST7, ST8); and
the control unit is configured to cause the drive force controller to perform control to gradually attenuate a drive force to be applied to the rear wheels when the control unit has determined that the parking brake system has recovered from the sticking state (after the vehicle starts moving, Nishii reduces creep torque Tc to normal creep torque Tc0 so that jerk ΔG becomes zero; see Fig. 2/ST9-ST11).
Regarding claim 4, Nishii as modified discloses the brake control device according to claim 3, and redetermining that the parking brake system remains in the sticking state after control has started (after increasing creep torque Tc, Nishii determines whether the vehicle remains stopped; when the vehicle remains stopped, control return to increase creep torque Tc again, indicating that the fixed state remains; see Fig. 2/ST7, ST8).
Nishii does not expressly disclose a brake control device further comprising a notifying device, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the notifying device to provide a preset notification when a redetermination result of the parking brake state determiner indicates that the parking brake system is in the sticking state.
Toba teaches a notifying device (warning control device 42 controlling earning devices provided in the vehicle for notifying the driver of abnormalities; see Fig. 1 and ¶ 0033).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further configure the control unit of Nishii as modified to cause Toba’s warning control device to provide a preset notification when Nishii’s redetermination indicates that parking brake device 5 remains in the fixed state, because Toba teaches using warning devices to notify the driver of vehicle abnormalities, and Nishii’s continued fixed state of parking brake device 5 is an abnormal condition affecting vehicle starting.
Regarding claim 5, Nishii as modified discloses the brake control device according to claim 1, including a parking brake state determiner configured to determine a state of the parking brake system (Nishii determines whether parking brake device 5 may be in a fixed state based on whether the vehicle remains stopped after parking brake release and application of creep torque Tc; see Fig. 2/ST4, ST5, ST7, and ST8).
Nishii does not expressly disclose wherein the parking brake state determiner is configured to detect a change in a rotation angle of a drive motor which drives the rear wheels.
Gaither teaches a drive motor which drives the rear wheels and detecting rotation information of the drive motor (motors 12 are illustrated as driving two rear wheels of vehicle 10, and electronic control unit 50 receives signals indicating rotational speed NMS of motors 12; Fig. 1; ¶¶ 0027 and 0033).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further configure the parking brake state determiner of Nishii as modified to detect a change in a rotation angle of the rear-wheel drive motor using the motor rotational speed information taught by Gaither, because detecting motor rotational speed corresponds to detecting a change in motor rotation angle over time, and using such rear drive motor rotation information would provide direct feedback as to whether the rear wheel drive motor and rear wheels are moving after drive force is commanded, thereby improving the determination of whether the parking brake fixed state remains or has been released.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishii et al. (JP 2014226975 A) in view of Toba et al. (US 20210310932 A1), and further in view of Gaither et al. (US 20190135262 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Nishii discloses a brake control device for a vehicle, the brake control device comprising: a parking brake system configured to maintain a parking/stopping state of the vehicle (parking brake device 5, parking brake switch 6, and rear-wheel parking brake device including a brake shoe and drum for applying braking torque to the wheel; see Fig. 1); and
circuitry configured to determine a state of the parking brake system (electronic control device 1/start control unit determines whether the parking brake device 5 has been operated, uses outside air temperature sensor 7 for freezing possibility, and determines parking brake device 5 may be fixed when vehicle remains stopped after release; Fig. 1-2, ST1, ST4, ST5),
wherein the circuitry is configured to perform drive control based on the determined state of the parking brake system (electronic control device 1/start control unit sends a command to the drive control unit to generate creep torque Tc and increase creep torque Tc when parking brake device 5 may be fixed; see Fig. 2/ST3, ST7, ST8),
wherein the circuitry is configured to, when determining that the parking brake system is in a sticking state, perform drive control (when the vehicle cannot be started after parking brake release because parking brake device 5 is fixed by rust or freezing, the drive control unit increases creep torque Tc by ΔTc to eliminate the fixed state; see Fig. 2/ST7, ST8).
Nishii does not expressly disclose circuitry configured to perform drive control of front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle individually, estimated a friction coefficient of the road surface, or perform front/rear drive control based on whether the estimated friction coefficient of the road surface is smaller than a predetermined threshold or larger than or equal to the predetermined threshold.
Toba teaches circuitry configured to estimate a friction coefficient of the road surface (road surface friction coefficient estimating device 40 computing road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe, see Figs. 1-2 and ¶¶ 0031 and 0039-41);
Toba also teaches that the circuitry is configured to perform vehicle control based on the estimated friction coefficient of the road surface (central control device 41 controls the steering control device 2, the warning control device 42, the engine control device 43, and the brake control device 44 based on road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe; see ¶ 0032);
Toba further teaches that when road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe is low, the vehicle may be determined to have entered a frozen road and vehicle control is performed based on that low-μ condition (road surface friction coefficient estimation value μe is low when the vehicle has entered a frozen road; ¶¶ 0031, 0033-35).
Gaither teaches a circuitry configured to perform drive control of front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle individually (communication circuit 201 sends signals to torque splitters 274 to control front/rear torque split and left/right torque split, and sends signals to motor controllers 276 to control motor torque and motor speed; see ¶ 0050);
Gaither also teaches front/rear drive control including limiting or changing drive torque distribution between the front and rear wheels (front/rear torque split may be increased to the front or rear axle and altered from 50/50 up to 100/0 or 0/100 as needed; see Fig. 6, operation 522 and ¶ 0064);
Gaither further teaches drive control limit driving of the front wheels, and to drive the rear wheels, and drive control to drive only the front wheels (all energy may be applied to the rear motor or motors, including shutting down front electric motor/s when present, or alternatively all energy may be applied to the front motor/s; see Fig. 6, operation 526 and ¶ 0066).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake control device of Nishii to include the road surface friction coefficient estimating device of Toba because Nishii performs start control when a parking brake device may be fixed due to freezing, and Toba teaches estimating road surface friction coefficient μe and using μe for vehicle control when vehicle enters a frozen road. A person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to use the road surface friction coefficient estimation of Toba in Nishii to provide direct road surface condition information during freezing related parking brake recovery, thereby improving vehicle control when the parking brake fixed state occurs under low-friction frozen road conditions.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake control device of Nishii as modified by Toba to include the front/rear individual drive control and selectable front/rear torque allocation taught by Gaither because Gaither teaches that all wheel drive systems can control torque delivery to the front and rear axles based on traction conditions and can alter front/rear torque split up to all front or all rear drive. Applying Gaither’s selectable front/rear torque allocation to the modified Nishii system would have been the predictable use of known front/rear drive-control techniques to control which axle receives drive torque during parking brake fixed state recovery based on the estimated road surface friction coefficient, thereby improving traction control and vehicle stability during starting on frozen or low friction road surfaces.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Karem Akram Algarash whose telephone number is (571)272-5789. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am-5pm.
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/K.A.A./Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/Robert A. Siconolfi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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