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. The effective filing date is recognized as February 27, 2024 in continuity with KR10-2024-0028262.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on February 24, 2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4, 10-12, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang (US 20150175010 A1), further in view of Wright (US 20110238251 A1), herein after referred to simply as Tang and Wright.
Regarding Claim 1,
Tang discloses the following limitations,
An electronic system, comprising: a central controller configured to, receive speed information related to a current speed of a vehicle, (Figure 1A, Element 116, VCU, Paragraph [0019], “The vehicle control unit 116 also communicates with the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144, via the Interface_Speed bus, which provides information regarding wheel speeds and vehicle speed.”)
and a first zonal controller configured to control a first zone among a plurality of zones of the vehicle; (Figure 1A, Elements 146, Paragraph [0017], “FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an all-wheel drive electric vehicle motor control system, with motor drive units 146, and corresponding electric motors, in accordance with the present disclosure. Various components of the all-wheel drive electric vehicle motor control system and motor drive units 146 can be implemented with one or more processors, hardware, and/or firmware, and combinations thereof. In the embodiment shown, a vehicle control unit 116 communicates with two motor drive units 146,”)
and a second zonal controller configured to control a second zone among the plurality of zones of the vehicle, (Figure 1A, elements 146, Motor Drive A, and a second drive unit, Motor Drive B)
and control at least one motor of the vehicle based on [information] received from the central controller, the at least one motor configured to drive at least one wheel of the vehicle. (Paragraph [0037], “the vehicle control unit 116, generates an initial commanded torque Tc0, which is sent to the torque command generator 118 via the Data_Motor (A or B) bus. From the initial commanded torque Tc0 and a maximum commanded torque Tcmax, which is treated as a torque upper limit, the torque command generator 118 generates a commanded torque Tc, which is input to the main motor controller 108.” – note Figure 1E, depicting a Motor Drive unit)
However, Tang does not disclose the following limitations,
a central controller configured to …. generate a target speed information representing a speed at which the vehicle will travel based on the speed information, and transmit the target speed information;
and a second zonal controller configured to … control at least one motor of the vehicle based on the target speed information
However, Wright, in the same field of endeavor, teaches that distributed motor control can be performed by having the VCU send target speeds (instead of target torques) to the independent motor units, where the independent motors then convert these commands into a PWM signal that drives the given motor (Paragraph [0022], “The VDCS 210 uses the VVS data and the data received from driver controls to calculate required speeds of the front wheels (FWs) 260 and rear wheels (RWs) 270 and send corresponding signals to the EDMs 130 to command the calculated speeds. The EDMs 130 and drive electronics 150 operate to drive the wheels 260, 270 to the speeds commanded by the VDCS 210” – the central controller sends target speeds to each wheel independently. Note that the motor controller 150 operates to the speed commanded and not to any other variable output that may be sent out, for example, a torque command. The vehicle central controller is described as making explicitly distinct speed and torque commands, Paragraph [0023], “The main VDCS code receives input from all sensors and calculates friction coefficient (μ), slip rates and angles, velocity vectors and resultant wheel motor speed and torque commands.” - The speed command is not just a colloquial name being given for a torque command. Finally, Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” – note Figure 1, the drive electronics 150 is local to each motor, two elements 150 appear in the figure, for two wheels total, leading to a total of four elements 150 for the vehicle overall. The local controllers 150 convert the commanded speeds to 3-phase AC sine waves, which is another name for a PWM signal. Note, further, that the PWM signal is created to drive the motor at variable speed and torque – thus, both calculated speed and calculated torque are sent to the motor, and used concurrently by the local controller 150 to produce the desired signal.)
It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the central output torque to independent motors of Tang, with the sending of torque and speed commands as taught by Wright, as this enables a more nuanced wheel control (Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” and Paragraph [0032], “According to an aspect of the invention, the VDCS does not depend on the actual friction coefficient. For example, the vehicle can be accelerating at a maximum rate on a high μ surface (dry, sealed road) and then cross a patch of lower μ (e.g., a wet or oily patch) without wheel-spin, since the motors are being driving to the optimum slip rate speed already. In such a situation, the torque required will drop, but the speed will not change.” – such calculations can be handled locally). Further, the combination could be performed using known methods, yielding results which are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding Claim 2,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 1. Tang further discloses the following limitation,
wherein the second zonal controller is further configured to: receive the target speed information through a physical layer of a communication bus. (Paragraph [0017], “Communication between the vehicle control unit 116 and the first motor drive unit 146 is handled via the Data_Motor A bus, which couples the vehicle control unit 116 and the first motor drive unit 146. Communication between the vehicle control unit 116 and the second motor drive unit 146 is handled via the Data_Motor B bus, which couples the vehicle control unit 116 and the second motor drive unit 146.”I
Regarding Claim 3
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 1. Tang further discloses the following limitation,
wherein the speed information comprises: speed change information received from a pedal sensor; (Paragraph [0024], “In one embodiment, the driver interface processor 160 receives one version of the accelerator parameter Accel1 from the accelerator pedal assembly 110” – element 160 appears in Figure 1C, which further details the VCU 116 of Figure 1A, Paragraph [0008], “FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of the vehicle control unit of the all-wheel drive electric vehicle motor control system of FIG. 1A, in accordance with some embodiments.”)
and rotation speed information corresponding to the at least one motor. (Paragraph [0019], “The vehicle control unit 116 also communicates with the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144, via the Interface_Speed bus, which provides information regarding wheel speeds and vehicle speed. In one embodiment, the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144 includes a wheel rotation sensor at each wheel. For example, each wheel, disk brake at the wheel, or shaft driving the wheel could have a rotation speed transducer such as a shaft encoder, and the data from the rotation sensor could be sent via the Interface_Speed bus to the vehicle control unit 116.”)
Regarding Claim 4,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 1. Tang further discloses the following limitation,
the controlling the at least one motor including, an inverter connected to the at least one motor, the inverter configured to apply a driving voltage to the at least one motor based on the PWM signal. (Paragraph [0015], “In the present all-wheel drive electric vehicle motor control system, a vehicle control unit sends torque commands to each of two (or more) motor drive units. Each motor drive unit has a respective DC/AC inverter, which sends AC power to a respective electric motor.”)
Wright further already discloses the following limitation,
wherein the second zonal controller is further configured to: control the at least one motor based on the target speed information using a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal (Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” – note Figure 1, the drive electronics 150 is local to each motor, two elements 150 appear in the figure, for two wheels total, leading to a total of four elements 150 for the vehicle overall. The local controllers 150 convert this to 3-phase AC sine waves, which is another name for a PWM signal. The PWM signals are based on target speeds, Paragraph [0022], “The EDMs 130 and drive electronics 150 operate to drive the wheels 260, 270 to the speeds commanded by the VDCS 210”)
Regarding Claim 10,
Tang discloses the following limitations,
An electronic system, comprising: an inverter configured to convert a voltage of a battery to a driving voltage; (Paragraph [0015], “Each motor drive unit has a respective DC/AC inverter, which sends AC power to a respective electric motor.” And, for a battery, Paragraph [0031], “The energy storage system (ESS) power estimator and limiter 192 receives parameters including the DC voltage Vdc, the DC current Idc, the state of charge SOC, and the battery discharge or charge power limit Plimit, from the energy storage system 154 via the Data_ESS bus (see FIG. 1A)”
at least one motor configured to operate based on the driving voltage; Paragraph [0015], “Each motor drive unit has a respective DC/AC inverter, which sends AC power to a respective electric motor.”)
a plurality of zonal controllers configured to control each of a plurality of zones of a vehicle; (Figure 1A, showing Motor Drive A and Motor Drive B, elements 146, as distinct zonal controllers)
and a central controller (Figure 1A, Element 116, VCU)
However, Tang does not disclose the following limitation,
a central controller configured to determine target speed information based on current rotation speed information of the at least one motor and desired speed information of the vehicle housing the at least one motor,
the target speed information indicating a target speed at which the vehicle will travel, and the desired speed information indicating a desired speed to which the vehicle will increase or decrease,
wherein one zonal controller for controlling one of the plurality of zones of the vehicle is configured to, receive the target speed, and adjust the driving voltage based on a target current corresponding to the target speed information and a driving current corresponding to the driving voltage.
However, Wright, in the same field of endeavor, teaches that a central controller can determine an overall vehicle speed, including if desired speed is to increase or decrease (Paragraph [0034], “Alternatively, the VDCS may map an accelerator pedal position to a speed command. A vehicle acceleration command is then generated based on the difference between the current speed and the commanded speed.”), and from this, distributed motor control then can be performed by having the central controller send target speeds to the independent motor units, where the independent motors then convert these commands into a PWM signal that drives the given motor (Paragraph [0022], “The VDCS 210 uses the VVS data and the data received from driver controls to calculate required speeds of the front wheels (FWs) 260 and rear wheels (RWs) 270 and send corresponding signals to the EDMs 130 to command the calculated speeds. The EDMs 130 and drive electronics 150 operate to drive the wheels 260, 270 to the speeds commanded by the VDCS 210” – the central controller sends target speeds to each wheel independently, and further, receives actual wheel speeds, i.e., there is a feedback loop, Paragraph [0022], “The EDMs 130 also report the output shaft speed back to the VDCS 210, which may be used to determine actual wheel speed.”). Note that the motor controller 150 operates to the speed commanded and not to any other variable output that may be sent out, for example, a torque command. The vehicle central controller is described as making explicitly distinct speed and torque commands, Paragraph [0023], “The main VDCS code receives input from all sensors and calculates friction coefficient (μ), slip rates and angles, velocity vectors and resultant wheel motor speed and torque commands.” - The speed command is not just a colloquial name being given for a torque command. Finally, Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” – note Figure 1, the drive electronics 150 is local to each motor, two elements 150 appear in the figure, for two wheels total, leading to a total of four elements 150 for the vehicle overall. The local controllers 150 convert the commanded speeds to 3-phase AC sine waves, which is another name for a PWM signal. Note, further, that the PWM signal is created to drive the motor at variable speed and torque – thus, both calculated speed and calculated torque are sent to the motor, and used concurrently by the local controller 150 to produce the desired signal.
It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the central output torque to independent motors of Tang, with the sending of torque and speed commands as taught by Wright, as this enables a more nuanced wheel control (Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” and Paragraph [0032], “According to an aspect of the invention, the VDCS does not depend on the actual friction coefficient. For example, the vehicle can be accelerating at a maximum rate on a high μ surface (dry, sealed road) and then cross a patch of lower μ (e.g., a wet or oily patch) without wheel-spin, since the motors are being driving to the optimum slip rate speed already. In such a situation, the torque required will drop, but the speed will not change.” – such calculations can be handled locally). Further, the combination could be performed using known methods, yielding results which are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding Claim 11,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 10. Wright further already teaches the following limitations,
wherein the central controller is further configured to: receive the desired speed information from a sensor configured to detect a position of a pedal; (Paragraph [0034], “Alternatively, the VDCS may map an accelerator pedal position to a speed command. A vehicle acceleration command is then generated based on the difference between the current speed and the commanded speed.”),
and receive rotation speed information of the at least one motor from the zonal controller. (Paragraph [0022], “The EDMs 130 also report the output shaft speed back to the VDCS 210, which may be used to determine actual wheel speed.”)
Regarding Claim 12,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 1. Wright further already teaches the following limitations,
wherein the one zonal controller is further configured to: receive the target speed information from the central controller. (Paragraph [0022], “The VDCS 210 uses the VVS data and the data received from driver controls to calculate required speeds of the front wheels (FWs) 260 and rear wheels (RWs) 270 and send corresponding signals to the EDMs 130 to command the calculated speeds. The EDMs 130 and drive electronics 150 operate to drive the wheels 260, 270 to the speeds commanded by the VDCS 210”
Regarding Claim 18,
Tang discloses the following limitations,
A vehicle, comprising: a first motor and a second motor each configured to drive at least one first wheel and at least one second wheel, respectively; (Figure 1A)
a first zonal controller configured to control a first zone among a plurality of zones of the vehicle, and control a first driving voltage applied to the first motor …; and a second zonal controller configured to control a second zone among a plurality of zones of the vehicle, and control a second driving voltage applied to the second motor …(Paragraph [0037], “the vehicle control unit 116, generates an initial commanded torque Tc0, which is sent to the torque command generator 118 via the Data_Motor (A or B) bus. From the initial commanded torque Tc0 and a maximum commanded torque Tcmax, which is treated as a torque upper limit, the torque command generator 118 generates a commanded torque Tc, which is input to the main motor controller 108.” – commanding torque to be applied to the motors of the two zonal controllers entails controlling a driving voltage which will ultimately be applied at each motor.)
However, Tang does not disclose the following limitations,
a central controller configured to generate target speed information and speed change information of the vehicle, the target speed information representing a speed at which the vehicle will travel based on rotation speed information of the first motor and the second motor;
a first zonal controller configured to control a first zone among a plurality of zones of the vehicle, and control a first driving voltage applied to the first motor based on the target speed information;
and a second zonal controller configured to control a second zone among a plurality of zones of the vehicle, and control a second driving voltage applied to the second motor based on the target speed information.
However, Wright, in the same field of endeavor, teaches that a central controller can determine an overall vehicle speed, including if desired speed is to increase or decrease (Paragraph [0034], “Alternatively, the VDCS may map an accelerator pedal position to a speed command. A vehicle acceleration command is then generated based on the difference between the current speed and the commanded speed.”), and from this, distributed motor control then can be performed by having the central controller send target speeds to the independent motor units, where the independent motors then convert these commands into a PWM signal that drives the given motor (Paragraph [0022], “The VDCS 210 uses the VVS data and the data received from driver controls to calculate required speeds of the front wheels (FWs) 260 and rear wheels (RWs) 270 and send corresponding signals to the EDMs 130 to command the calculated speeds. The EDMs 130 and drive electronics 150 operate to drive the wheels 260, 270 to the speeds commanded by the VDCS 210” – the central controller sends target speeds to each wheel independently, and further, receives actual wheel speeds, i.e., there is a feedback loop, Paragraph [0022], “The EDMs 130 also report the output shaft speed back to the VDCS 210, which may be used to determine actual wheel speed.”). Note that the motor controller 150 operates to the speed commanded and not to any other variable output that may be sent out, for example, a torque command. The vehicle central controller is described as making explicitly distinct speed and torque commands, Paragraph [0023], “The main VDCS code receives input from all sensors and calculates friction coefficient (μ), slip rates and angles, velocity vectors and resultant wheel motor speed and torque commands.” - The speed command is not just a colloquial name being given for a torque command. Finally, Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” – note Figure 1, the drive electronics 150 is local to each motor, two elements 150 appear in the figure, for two wheels total, leading to a total of four elements 150 for the vehicle overall. The local controllers 150 convert the commanded speeds to 3-phase AC sine waves, which is another name for a PWM signal. Note, further, that the PWM signal is created to drive the motor at variable speed and torque – thus, both calculated speed and calculated torque are sent to the motor, and used concurrently by the local controller 150 to produce the desired signal.
It would have been obvious to one or ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the central output torque to independent motors of Tang, with the sending of torque and speed commands as taught by Wright, as this enables a more nuanced wheel control (Paragraph [0019], “The drive electronics 150 takes the 320V DC from the battery, and makes 3-phase AC sine waves at variable voltage and variable frequency, in order to drive the motor at variable speed and torque.” and Paragraph [0032], “According to an aspect of the invention, the VDCS does not depend on the actual friction coefficient. For example, the vehicle can be accelerating at a maximum rate on a high μ surface (dry, sealed road) and then cross a patch of lower μ (e.g., a wet or oily patch) without wheel-spin, since the motors are being driving to the optimum slip rate speed already. In such a situation, the torque required will drop, but the speed will not change.” – such calculations can be handled locally). Further, the combination could be performed using known methods, yielding results which are predictable.
Regarding Claim 19,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 18. Tang further discloses the following limitation,
the vehicle further comprises: a communication bus; and wherein the central controller is further configured to receive the rotation speed information through the communication bus; and the first zonal controller and the second zonal controller are each configured to receive the target speed information through the communication bus. (Paragraph [0019], “The vehicle control unit 116 also communicates with the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144, via the Interface_Speed bus, which provides information regarding wheel speeds and vehicle speed. In one embodiment, the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144 includes a wheel rotation sensor at each wheel.” – further note Figure 1E where value Wr, rotational speed, is output from the Motor Drive Unit, Paragraph [0030], “The vehicle power estimator 190 receives estimated torque Te, rotational speed of the rotor Wr, and DC voltage Vdc from each of the motor drive units 146, via respective Data_Motor busses” – the communication is explicitly done with a communication bus.)
Regarding Claim 20,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 18. Tang further discloses the following limitation,
wherein the central controller is further configured to determine a target current corresponding to [commanded motor activity] based on the rotation speed information of the first motor and the second motor (Paragraph [0028], “The vehicle torque safety monitor 172, as shown in FIG. 1C, communicates with other components of the vehicle control unit 116 via the Data_VCU bus. As the name of this component indicates, the vehicle torque safety monitor 172 is responsible for monitoring safety of the vehicle as relates to the torque of the motor drive units 146.” – a central safety monitoring is performed. Paragraph [0033], “From these parameters, the vehicle power monitor 196 indicates, on the Status_VTSM output, whether the various power calculations are in agreement, i.e., are consistent with one another in accordance with expected values, ranges or ratios, or whether the various power calculations show inconsistencies, errors, discrepancies, disagreements, problems or other differences.” And, most notably, Paragraph [0044], “In one embodiment, the torque estimator 204 includes a model of the electric motor 124. This could represent a steady state model or a dynamic model of torque based upon rotor speed and stator current. Embodiments could be lookup-table-based or real-time calculation-based.” – wherein the current associated with a look-up table to produce a torque estimate constitutes a target current, i.e., it is a reference value which corresponds to a commanded motor activity which is being limited. Note that rotation speed is also noted. A current and speed are known, and are then used to look up an expected torque, which is evaluated for safety purposes. The target current is not itself an operationalized target in generally commanding the motors, except in emergency, the target current merely corresponds to the commanded motor activity, as per the claim language.)
and the first zonal controller and the second zonal controller each further configured to, receive rotor position information of the first motor and the second motor, respectively, and generate the rotation speed information based on the respective rotor position information. (Paragraph [0019], “The vehicle control unit 116 also communicates with the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144, via the Interface_Speed bus, which provides information regarding wheel speeds and vehicle speed. In one embodiment, the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144 includes a wheel rotation sensor at each wheel.” – further note Figure 1E where value Wr, rotational speed, is output from the Motor Drive Unit, Paragraph [0030], “The vehicle power estimator 190 receives estimated torque Te, rotational speed of the rotor Wr, and DC voltage Vdc from each of the motor drive units 146, via respective Data_Motor busses” – the communication is explicitly done, as stated here, with a communication bus.)
Wright further already teaches the following limitation,
wherein the central controller is configured to determine … target speed information … and the speed change information of the vehicle; (Paragraph [0034], “Alternatively, the VDCS may map an accelerator pedal position to a speed command. A vehicle acceleration command is then generated based on the difference between the current speed and the commanded speed.” And Paragraph [0022], “The VDCS 210 uses the VVS data and the data received from driver controls to calculate required speeds of the front wheels (FWs) 260 and rear wheels (RWs) 270 and send corresponding signals to the EDMs 130 to command the calculated speeds. The EDMs 130 and drive electronics 150 operate to drive the wheels 260, 270 to the speeds commanded by the VDCS 210” – the central controller sends target speeds to each wheel independently, and further, receives actual wheel speeds, i.e., there is a feedback loop, Paragraph [0022], “The EDMs 130 also report the output shaft speed back to the VDCS 210, which may be used to determine actual wheel speed.” – The safety measure of Tang readily corresponds to the management of target speed, in the combination at hand, as shown above. All that is modified by the inclusion of Wright in this context is why the system of the combination may operate at a particular current)
Claims 5-9, and 13-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Tang and Wright, further in view of Zhao (US 20140333241 A1), herein after referred to simply as Zhao.
Regarding Claim 5,
The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 1. However, it does not teach the following limitations,
wherein the second zonal controller comprises: a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to receive information on a driving current corresponding to a driving voltage applied to the at least one motor;
and a second ADC configured to receive rotor position information of a rotor included in the at least one motor.
However, Zhao, in the same field of endeavor, teaches that an electronic motor can have a first ADC converter that calculates a driving current (Figure 1, element 132 measure the motor current, which corresponds to a voltage from PWM unit 118, Paragraph [0040], “the PWM unit 118, to create 3-phase sinusoidal waveform outputs from the 3-phase 2-level voltage inverter 126, to drive the motor 102 phases.” - The motor current is measured by analog sensors 132, Paragraph [0127], “Note that a Hall sensor, a current transformer, or other current sensors can replace the shunt resistor 132 for motor 102 phase current sensing.” The analog data is then given to the Analog-to-Digital Converter 116, note Figure 1, and further, Paragraph [0038], “Normally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the FOC structure arrangement 100 uses a Clarke Transform 114 to transform 3-phase currents Iu, Iv, and/or Iw output from current calculation stage 115 (as measured by the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 116;”).). Zhao further teaches the use of a second ADC converter to receive rotor position information (Figure 1, a Position Sensor 104, described in Paragraph [0042], “The rotor position φ and speed ω may be obtained from a rotor position sensor 104 (such as encoder, resolver, Hall sensors, etc.)” – i.e. the rotors are receiving analog data. This position data is then given to a Position Calculator 106. The modules are explicitly stated as being digital computers, Paragraph [0047], “In various implementations, one or more of the FOC arrangement 100 modules or components... may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or the like, or in combinations thereof.) – providing analog data to an digital computer means that the position data is receiving analog data and producing a digital calculation thereon, to produce angular data, noted in Figure 1 as φ, see also Paragraph [0062], “φ—Rotor electrical angular position.”). Zhao uses these systems to create a feedback loop through which measured current data is provided alongside command data (follow the inputs to controllers 120 and 122, Id and Iq – which are quadrature currents provided by Park Transform Module 110. The command speed input to 130 is similarly considered alongside the measured speed, provided by speed calculation module 108. These inputs allow the motor controller to produce direct quadrature (DQ)-axis driving voltage (Vd and Vq) leading towards the final motor 102 voltage command (Paragraph [0036], “A reference speed (e.g., desired rotational speed for the motor 102) is received at the input side, and a pulse-width modulated (PWM) motor voltage output signal (e.g., three-phase) is output to the motor 102.” and further, Claim 8, “the angle of the complex voltage space vector comprises an arctangent of a voltage value with reference to a quadrature axis of a d,q coordinate system divided by a voltage value with reference to a direct axis of the d,q coordinate system, the quadrature axis and the direct axis being orthogonal. verifying Examiner’s interpretation of direct quadrature currents and voltages in the control system block diagram of Figure 1) Further note Figure 13, as an embodiment which does not conflict with the features that are herein already described, the angular position information is fed as an input to the Park Transform Module 110, directly influencing the creation of quadrature current information, resulting in a more holistic feedback system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date and with a reasonable likelihood of success, to have modified the motors of Tang, as previously modified by Wright, with the particular technical mechanics of Zhao, as this improves the efficiency and rapidity of motor control (Paragraph [0033], “As an optimized technique, field oriented control (FOC) (i.e., vector control) is a method of variable speed control for three-phase alternate current (AC) electric motors, to improve power efficiency with fast control response over a full range of motor speeds.”). Further, the combination is a simple substitution of elements predictable results.
Regarding Claim 6,
The combination of Tang, Wright, and Zhao, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 5. Tang further discloses the following limitation
wherein the second zonal controller is further configured to: generate rotation speed information corresponding to the at least one motor based on the rotor position information; and provide the rotation speed information to the central controller through a communication bus. (Paragraph [0019], “The vehicle control unit 116 also communicates with the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144, via the Interface_Speed bus, which provides information regarding wheel speeds and vehicle speed. In one embodiment, the all-wheel and vehicle speed sensor 144 includes a wheel rotation sensor at each wheel.” – further note Figure 1E where value Wr, rotational speed, is output from the Motor Drive Unit, Paragraph [0030], “The vehicle power estimator 190 receives estimated torque Te, rotational speed of the rotor Wr, and DC voltage Vdc from each of the motor drive units 146, via respective Data_Motor busses” – the communication is explicitly done, as stated here, with a communication bus. The origin of rotor information continues through the modification of Zhao, see Module 108 of Figure 1, as explained above.)
Regarding Claim 7,
The combination of Tang, Wright, and Zhao, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 6. Zhao further already teaches the following limitations,
wherein the second zonal controller is further configured to: generate angular information corresponding to the rotor based on the rotor position information; (Figure 1, data from Position Sensor 104 is given to a Position Calculator 106, creating angular information, shown in Figure 1 as “φ” – see also Paragraph [0062], “φ—Rotor electrical angular position.”)
and generate direct-quadrature (DQ)-axis driving current information based on the driving current information and the angular information of the rotor. (Zhao uses measured current to create a feedback loop through which measured current data is provided alongside command data (follow the inputs to controllers 120 and 122, Id and Iq – which are quadrature currents, which are provided by Park Transform Module 110. Module 110 takes data from current sensors 132 as shown in Figure 1. Note in Figure 13, as an embodiment which does not conflict with the essential features which are herein already described, the angular position information is fed as an input to the Park Transform Module 110, directly influencing the creation of quadrature current information.)
Regarding Claim 8,
The combination of Tang, Wright, and Zhao, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 7. Zhao further already teaches the following limitations,
wherein the second zonal controller is further configured to: generate a DQ-axis target voltage information based on the DQ-axis driving current information and target current information corresponding to the target speed information; (Figure 1, Elements 120 and 122 create DQ-axis driving voltages (Vd and Vq). Further note Claim 8, “the angle of the complex voltage space vector comprises an arctangent of a voltage value with reference to a quadrature axis of a d,q coordinate system divided by a voltage value with reference to a direct axis of the d,q coordinate system, the quadrature axis and the direct axis being orthogonal.”)
and generate 3-phase voltage information based on the DQ-axis target voltage information. (Paragraph [0033], “an optimized technique, field oriented control (FOC) (i.e., vector control) is a method of variable speed control for three-phase alternate current (AC) electric motors”)
Regarding Claim 9,
The combination of Tang, Wright, and Zhao, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 8. Zhao further already teaches the following limitations,
wherein the second zonal controller is further configured to: adjust a width of a driving voltage to be applied to the at least one motor based on the 3-phase voltage information. (Paragraph [0036], “A reference speed (e.g., desired rotational speed for the motor 102) is received at the input side, and a pulse-width modulated (PWM) motor voltage output signal (e.g., three-phase) is output to the motor 102.” – PWM signals, by definition, function based on the modulation, or adjustment, of the width of driving voltages.)
Regarding Claim 13-17,
Claims 13-17 recite essentially the same limitations to that of Claims 5-9, merely as depends on Claim 10. The combination of Tang and Wright, as shown, teaches all the limitations of Claim 10, and further teaches all the limitations of Claims 5-9. Therefore, Claims 13-17 are also taught.
Conclusion
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/K.L.F./Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/Erin D Bishop/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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