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 .
DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant asserts:
The passages of Zheng cited by the Examiner in the rejection confirm this point. Specifically, paragraph [0092] of Zheng discloses that an RSU may use an information element in an IEEE 802.1 1p-compatible management frame to write information that the RSU needs to transmit to vehicle nodes and encapsulate that information in the management frame. Paragraph [0093] explains what that information is: coverage- area division information, SCH channel division information, and mapping relationship information between dedicated areas and dedicated access periods. Paragraph [0097] likewise concerns a "Mapping Table," namely mapping relationship information between dedicated areas and dedicated access windows. Paragraph [0101] states that a vehicle node receives dedicated-area division information, dedicated-access- window division information, and mapping relationship information from the roadside unit. Paragraphs [0106]-[0109] describe reception, decapsulation, parsing, and storage of the information fields of that management frame at the vehicle node.
Thus, the information encapsulated in Zheng is not operating safety information, a safety command, or information generated by an operating safety monitor of a charging docking station. The information in Zheng is radio channel-access configuration information. It is used to organize access to a communication channel, not to command a safety action of an autonomous-navigation vehicle. Likewise, the management frame of Zheng is not a safety frame in the sense of Applicant's claim 1. It is an IEEE 802.1 ip management frame carrying channel-access parameters, such as zone division information, access-window information, and mapping-table information.
Even if Zheng teaches encapsulating channel-access parameters in a management frame, that teaching does not disclose or suggest a safety frame comprising operating safety information, much less operating safety information comprising a safety command requiring the vehicle to be stopped. Nor does Zheng disclose or suggest providing such information to a vehicle-side operating safety monitor so that the monitor orders a motor of the autonomous-navigation vehicle to stop.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner respectfully asserts that the teachings of Zheng are relied upon specifically for the encapsulation/de-encapsulation of information between a roadside unit and vehicle, or in other words, the formatting of the message between the two. The specific types of information transmitted [such as the safety information] are disclosed by Boisen, with Zheng merely teaching the specific configuration of the transmission structure. Examiner respectfully asserts that incorporating a specific messaging structure as in Zheng with information transmitted in a similar environment [namely infrastructure to vehicle communications] would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention, such that the safety information of Boisen may be transmitted, received, and interpreted in a similar manner to the information of Zheng. Thus, Applicant arguments are not persuasive.
Applicant’s remaining arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 - 6 & 8 - 13 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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, 4, & 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) and Sarkar (US 2019/0351777 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Boisen discloses: A charging assembly for autonomous vehicles comprising: (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraph 0022 a communication system enabling bidirectional communication between a vehicle and charging station, including communication between the safety systems of each. At least Paragraph 0033 of Boisen further discloses wherein autonomous driving information may be transmitted from the vehicle, rendering the vehicle an autonomous vehicle in an embodiment [i.e. the system is a charging assembly for autonomous vehicles])
- a charging docking station configured to be arranged fixedly in a working area, said charging docking station comprising a battery charger, (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0022, 0038, & 0046 wherein a charging station may be placed within a classified area [i.e. a charging docking station configured to be arranged fixedly in a working area] may include a charging cable configured to charge the electrical battery of a vehicle [i.e. said charging docking station comprising a battery charger])
a first operating safety monitor configured to generate and transmit operating safety information, and (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0028 wherein the station may include a station safety system [i.e. a first operating safety monitor], configured to receive information from a plurality of sensors reflecting conditions in the charging station, and send information to a station electronic control unit/station bus [i.e. generate and transmit operating safety information])
a first wireless communication transmitter configured to receive said operating safety information transmitted by the first operating safety monitor and; (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraph 0024 wherein a station bus may be used to connect a station safety system [i.e. a first operating safety monitor] to a station electronic control unit, which may communicate with a vehicle electronic control unit wirelessly over an NFC link, via a station NFC transceiver [i.e. a first wireless communication transmitter] and a corresponding vehicle NFC transceiver [i.e. a second wireless communication transmitter as set forth below] to communicate information from the station safety system to the vehicle safety system as disclosed in at least Paragraph 0025 [i.e. a first wireless communication transmitter receives operating safety information transmitted by the first operating safety monitor to transmit to the vehicle])
- an autonomous-navigation vehicle configured to move in the working area, said vehicle comprising a rechargeable electric battery able to be electrically connected to the terminals of the battery charger, (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0092 wherein a vehicle may be equipped with an electrical battery that can be charged by the charging station via a charging cable [i.e. the vehicle comprising a rechargeable electric battery able to be electrically connected to the terminals of the battery charger]. At least Paragraph 0033 of Boisen further discloses wherein autonomous driving information may be transmitted from the vehicle, rendering the vehicle an autonomous vehicle in an embodiment [i.e. an autonomous-navigation vehicle configured to move in the working area])
a second operating safety monitor connected to the rechargeable electric battery, and (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0023 & 0028 wherein a vehicle may include a vehicle safety system [i.e. a second operating safety monitor] configured to monitor conditions at the vehicle, including temperature, as well as other status indicators for the vehicle battery as disclosed in at least Paragraphs 0092 & 0093 [i.e. a second operating safety monitor connected to the rechargeable electric battery])
a second wireless communication transmitter configured to receive said safety frame comprising said safety information transmitted by the first wireless communication transmitter and (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraph 0025 wherein a vehicle may include a vehicle NFC transceiver [i.e. a second wireless communication transmitter], configured to wirelessly communication with the aforementioned station NFC transceiver to receive data transmitted from the station electronic control unit [i.e. the second wireless communication transmitter configured to receive said safety frame comprising said safety information transmitted by the first wireless communication transmitter])
to transmit said safety information to the second operating safety monitor, said second operating safety monitor being configured to process said operating safety information. (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraph 0025 wherein the vehicle NFC transceiver [i.e. the second wireless communication transmitter] is configured to receive data from the station safety system, and provide said information to the vehicle safety system [i.e. to transmit said safety information to the second operating safety monitor]. At least Paragraphs 0033, 0055, & 0057 of Boisen further disclose wherein the communications from the station, including safety information such as a watchdog timer, may be received by the vehicle data unit or safety module, and responded to as further disclosed in at least Paragraph 0075 [i.e. said second operating safety monitor being configured to process said operating safety information]. At least Figure 2A of Boisen, below, further depicts the configuration of the above-described system, including the respective station and vehicle systems, as well as the communication zone therebetween)
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Boisen however appears to be silent regarding:
Wherein a first wireless communication transmitter is configured to encapsulate the safety information in a safety frame and transmit the safety frame comprising said operating safety information
a second wireless communication transmitter configured to decapsulate the safety frame to extract the safety information
ordering a motor of the autonomous-navigation vehicle to stop in response to the received operating safety information: wherein the operating safety information comprises a safety command requiring the autonomous-navigation vehicle to be stopped.
However Zheng teaches wherein a roadside unit may write and encapsulate information that an RSU needs to transfer to a vehicle node into a management frame prior to transmission to the vehicle node.
Wherein a first wireless communication transmitter is configured to encapsulate the safety information in a safety frame and transmit the safety frame comprising said operating safety information (However Zheng teaches in at least Paragraph 0097 wherein a roadside unit may write and encapsulate information that an RSU needs to transfer to a vehicle node into a management frame [i.e. a safety frame which is generated by the first wireless communication transmitter], which may be broadcast during a communication process to vehicle nodes as taught in at least Paragraph 0101 [i.e. the safety frame is transmitted once generated]. Upon receipt by the vehicle node, the management frame is decapsulated to identify specific information units of the plurality of information units stored in the management frame as taught by Zheng in at least Paragraph 0109 [i.e. a second wireless communication transmitter is configured to receive said safety frame])
a second wireless communication transmitter configured to decapsulate the safety frame to extract the safety information (However Zheng teaches in at least Paragraph 0097 wherein a roadside unit may write and encapsulate information that an RSU needs to transfer to a vehicle node into a management frame [i.e. the first communication transmitter is configured to encapsulate the safety information originating from the first operating safety monitor in a safety frame], which may be broadcast during a communication process to vehicle nodes as taught in at least Paragraph 0101. Upon receipt by the vehicle node, the management frame is decapsulated to identify specific information units of the plurality of information units stored in the management frame as taught by Zheng in at least Paragraph 0109 [i.e. the second wireless communication transmitter is configured to decapsulate the safety frame in order to extract the safety information])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the encapsulation and transmission of information within a management frame between a vehicle and roadside unit as taught by Zheng.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Zheng in at least Paragraph 0097, the transmissions and information sharing between the charging station and vehicle may be adjusted in a manner to make said transmissions IEEE 802.11p compliant, which is a specifically designed standard for vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, improving the data exchange between vehicle and charging station.
However Sarkar teaches wherein a vehicle stop instruction may be received from a charging apparatus at a vehicle, and cause the vehicle to be stopped.
ordering a motor of the autonomous-navigation vehicle to stop in response to the received operating safety information: wherein the operating safety information comprises a safety command requiring the autonomous-navigation vehicle to be stopped. (However Sarkar teaches in at least Paragraphs 0058, 0088, & 0090 wherein automatic stoppage of a vehicle approaching a charging system may be provided for via receipt of a signal at the vehicle transmitted from the charging station, the signal instructing the vehicle to automatically engage the brakes when the vehicle is at a desired location [i.e. ordering a motor of the autonomous-navigation vehicle to stop in response to the received operating safety information: wherein the operating safety information comprises a safety command requiring the autonomous-navigation vehicle to be stopped])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the stopping of a vehicle based on a message transmitted from a charging station as taught by Sarkar.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Sarkar in at least Paragraphs 0058, 0088, & 0090, a vehicle may be stopped in a desired location, improving the engagement of the vehicle with the charging system.
Regarding Claim 4:
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the first wireless communication transmitter and the second communication transmitter are wireless radio transmitters, the radio communication between the first transmitter and the second transmitter being established periodically.
Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0022, 0025, & 0040 wherein data may be provided between the vehicle and station electronic control units through NFC communication, which is a form of radio communication [i.e. the first wireless communication transmitter and the second communication transmitter are wireless radio transmitters], with transmissions taking place at specified appropriate intervals, such as in 200 or 50 millisecond intervals [i.e. the radio communication between the first transmitter and the second transmitter being established periodically].
Regarding Claim 5:
The assembly as claimed in claim 4, in which the first wireless communication transmitter and the second wireless communication transmitter are wireless radio transmitters and receivers configured to transmit and receive information.
Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0038 wherein the station and vehicle may each be equipped with an NFC antenna, which operates over radio frequencies [i.e. a first and second wireless communication transmitter are wireless radio transmitters]. At least Paragraph 0033 of Boisen further discloses wherein the NFC link is bidirectional, enabling both the transmission and receipt of data over the link [i.e. the vehicle and station are wireless radio transmitters and receivers configured to transmit and receive information.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) and Sarkar (US 2019/0351777 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Oman (US 2015/0015193 A1).
Regarding Claim 2:
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the first wireless communication transmitter is configured to transmit position information of the docking station to the second wireless communication transmitter, the vehicle further comprising a navigation monitor configured to receive the position information of the docking station from the second wireless communication transmitter and to calculate the location of the vehicle in relation to the charging docking station in the working area based on said position information.
Boisen does not appear to specifically disclose wherein the first (station) wireless communication transmitter is configured to transmit position information of the docking station to the second (vehicle) wireless communication transmitter with the vehicle further comprising a navigation monitor configured to calculate the location of the vehicle in relation to the charging docking station in the working area based on said position information.
However Oman teaches in at least Paragraphs 0006, 0016, & 0017 wherein charging stations are equipped with wideband transceivers configured to communicate with corresponding transceivers located at the vehicle, including the transmission of distances between the wireless charging station and vehicle [i.e. transmit position information of the docking station to the second (vehicle) wireless communication transmitter]. At least Paragraphs 0017 & 0033 of Oman further teach wherein the location of the wireless charging station relative to the vehicle may be determined by a controller of the vehicle based on the received distance(s), including through triangulation with a plurality of receivers located on the vehicle [i.e. the vehicle further comprising a navigation monitor configured to receive the position information of the docking station from the second wireless communication transmitter and to calculate the location of the vehicle in relation to the charging docking station in the working area based on said position information].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the determination of charging station location relative to the vehicle based on distance information transmitted by transmitters at the charging stations as taught by Oman.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Oman in at least Paragraph 0033, the determination of location of a wireless charging station relative to a vehicle may be determined in a more reliable manner, improving the positioning of the vehicle relative to the charging station.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) and Oman (US 2015/0015193 A1) as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Hom (US 2020/0039370 A1).
Regarding Claim 3:
The assembly as claimed in claim 2, comprising a plurality of charging docking stations and a plurality of autonomous vehicles, each autonomous vehicle being configured to receive position information originating from at least three of the charging docking stations of the working area in order to calculate the location of said autonomous vehicle by triangulation.
Boisen does not appear to specifically disclose wherein each autonomous vehicle of a plurality is configured to receive position information originating from at least three of the charging docking stations of the working area in order to calculate the location of said autonomous vehicle by triangulation.
Oman teaches in at least Paragraphs 0006, 0016, & 0017 wherein charging stations are equipped with wideband transceivers configured to communicate with corresponding transceivers located at the vehicle, including the transmission of distances between the wireless charging station and vehicle, with at least Paragraphs 0017 & 0033 of Oman further teaching wherein the location of the wireless charging station relative to the vehicle may be determined by a controller of the vehicle based on the received distance(s), including through triangulation with a plurality of receivers located on the vehicle, however this triangulation does not appear to take place based on distances to multiple charging docking stations as recited by the present claimed invention.
However Hom teaches in at least Paragraph 0022 wherein a plurality of fixed transceivers may be arranged in a charging station on top of chargers [i.e. a plurality of charging stations]. Multiple transceivers may be communicated with at once to triangulate the position of a bus [i.e. vehicle] in the environment as further disclosed in at least Paragraph 0022, including four in an embodiment, as depicted in at least Figure 2B of Hom, below [i.e. receive position information originating from at least three of the charging docking stations of the working area in order to calculate the location of said autonomous vehicle by triangulation].
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the triangulation of the position of the vehicle based on the triangulation of the vehicle to multiple charging station fixed transceivers as taught by Hom.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Hom in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0023, the position of a vehicle travelling in a charging station area may be accurately tracked, improving the positioning of the vehicle relative to charging stations.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Hom (US 2020/0039370 A1).
Regarding Claim 6:
The assembly as claimed in claim 5, in which the second wireless communication transmitter is configured to transmit vehicle status information and location information of the vehicle to the first wireless communication transmitter.
Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0025 & 0033 wherein information acquired from the safety system of a vehicle, including vehicle and fueling operation data, may be transmitted to the station safety system across an NFC link [i.e. the second wireless communication transmitter is configured to transmit vehicle status information and location information of the vehicle to the first wireless communication transmitter].
However Hom teaches in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0023 wherein a plurality of fixed transceivers [i.e. a second wireless communication transmitter] may receive positioning signal information from a mobile transceiver located on a vehicle [i.e. a second wireless communication transmitter], and compute the position of the vehicle based on such [i.e. vehicle location information is transmitted].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the transmission of location information by the vehicle as taught by Hom.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Hom in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0023, the position of a vehicle travelling in a charging station area may be accurately tracked, improving the positioning of the vehicle relative to charging stations.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) and Sarkar (US 2019/0351777 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Li (CN 112046325 A).
Regarding Claim 8:
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an emergency stop button connected to the first operating safety monitor.
Boisen does not appear to specifically disclose wherein safety information is generated via a connected emergency stop button.
However Li teaches in at least Paragraphs 0021 & 0054 wherein a charging pile [i.e. charging station] may be equipped with an emergency stop button that, once pressed, stops the charging process by disconnecting electrical contacts, and further transmits a safety protection signal [i.e. an emergency stop button connected to the first operating safety monitor].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the connection of an emergency stop button to the safety system of a charging station as taught by Li.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Lin in at least Paragraph 0054, the charging process may be stopped by the actuation of an emergency stop button and the transmission of the safety protection signal, improving the safety of the charger.
Claim(s) 9 & 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) and Sarkar (US 2019/0351777 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Roehrl (US 2019/0160950 A1).
Regarding Claim 9:
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the second operating safety monitor is configured to cut the electrical power supply connection between an electric motor and the battery in order to stop the vehicle motor on the basis of operating safety information originating from the charging docking station, or to engage a safety stop function of the vehicle motor on the basis of operating safety information originating from the charging docking station.
Boisen does not appear to specifically disclose wherein the second operating safety monitor is configured to cut the electrical power supply connection between an electric motor and the battery in order to stop the vehicle motor on the basis of operating safety information originating from the charging docking station.
However Roehrl teaches in at least Paragraphs 0020, 0021, & 0037 wherein a charging station may transmit an emergency shutdown signal to a vehicle drive battery module in the event that the charging station is no longer capable of performing a shutdown on its own, with the vehicle disconnecting the motor vehicle drive battery from the rest of the motor vehicle in response to said signal [i.e. the second operating safety monitor is configured to cut the electrical power supply connection between an electric motor and the battery in order to stop the vehicle motor on the basis of operating safety information originating from the charging docking station].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the disconnection of the vehicle battery responsive to receiving safety information from a vehicle charger as taught by Roehrl.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Roehrl in at least Paragraphs 0020 & 0037, the vehicle components, including the battery and motor of the vehicle, may be protected in the event of a fault event in the charger, improving the safety of the charging system.
Regarding Claim 10:
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electricity network suitable for supplying said charging docking station.
Boisen does not appear to specifically disclose wherein the system includes an electricity network suitable for supplying said charging docking station.
However Roehrl teaches in at least Paragraph 0017 wherein a charging station may be supplied power by a public grid [i.e. an electricity network suitable for supplying said charging docking station].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the supply of power to the vehicle charging station from a public grid as taught by Roehrl.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Roehrl in at least Paragraph 0017, and as would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention, the motor vehicle charging coil may be supplied with appropriate power for operating to charge the motor vehicle.
Claim(s) 11 & 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B) and Sarkar (US 2019/0351777 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Moghe (US 2019/0202304 A1) and Roehrl (US 2019/0160950 A1).
Regarding Claim 11:
Boisen discloses: A method for managing the charging of an autonomous vehicle in a charging assembly as claimed in claim 1, comprising the following steps: (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0021 & 0022 a communication method enabling bidirectional communication between a vehicle and charging station, including communication between the safety systems of each. At least Paragraph 0033 of Boisen further discloses wherein autonomous driving information may be transmitted from the vehicle, rendering the vehicle an autonomous vehicle in an embodiment [i.e. the method is for managing a charging assembly for autonomous vehicles])
However Moghe teaches:
- navigating the mobile autonomous vehicle towards a charging docking station in a working area based on position information transmitted by at least one charging docking station; (However Moghe teaches in at least Paragraphs 0059 & 0098 wherein an autonomous vehicle may autonomously move within a parking area to park at a particular charging spot to be charged [i.e. navigating the mobile autonomous vehicle towards a charging docking station in a working area]. At least Paragraphs 0025, 0050, & 0098 of Moghe further teach wherein the particular configuration of the charging spot(s), including the precise location of each charging coil, are transmitted to the vehicle via a supervisory service [i.e. based on position information transmitted by at least one charging docking station])
- docking with the charging docking station with which the vehicle is associated and charging the rechargeable battery; (However Moghe teaches in at least Paragraphs 0050, 0051, 0104, & 0105 wherein the vehicle may park at a particular charging spot and initiate charging of the electric battery [i.e. docking with the charging docking station with which the vehicle is associated and charging the rechargeable battery])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the autonomous navigation of a vehicle in the vicinity of a charger, and the docking of the vehicle with said charger as taught by Moghe.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Moghe in at least Paragraph 0059, the vehicle may be precisely aligned with a charging coil apparatus, improving the docking of the vehicle with the charging station, and thus improving vehicle charging.
However Roehrl teaches:
- stopping the autonomous vehicle remotely when it receives operating safety information originating from the charging docking station. (However Roehrl teaches in at least Paragraphs 0020, 0021, & 0037 wherein a charging station may transmit an emergency shutdown signal to a vehicle drive battery module in the event that the charging station is no longer capable of performing a shutdown on its own, with the vehicle disconnecting the motor vehicle drive battery from the rest of the motor vehicle in response to said signal [i.e. stopping the autonomous vehicle remotely when it receives operating safety information originating from the charging docking station])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the disconnection of the vehicle battery responsive to receiving safety information from a vehicle charger as taught by Roehrl.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Roehrl in at least Paragraphs 0020 & 0037, the vehicle components, including the battery and motor of the vehicle, may be protected in the event of a fault event in the charger, improving the safety of the charging system.
Regarding Claim 12:
The method as claimed in claim 11, in which the autonomous vehicle is stopped according to the following steps: - generation of operating safety information by the first operating safety monitor; - transmission of operating safety information from the first operating safety monitor to the first communication transmitter; (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraphs 0022 & 0028 wherein the station may include a station safety system [i.e. a first operating safety monitor], configured to receive information from a plurality of sensors reflecting conditions in the charging station, and send information to a station electronic control unit/station bus [i.e. generate and transmit operating safety information])
- transmission of the safety frame from the first communication transmitter to the second communication transmitter; (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraph 0024 wherein a station bus may be used to connect a station safety system [i.e. a first operating safety monitor] to a station electronic control unit, which may communicate with a vehicle electronic control unit wirelessly over an NFC link, via a station NFC transceiver [i.e. a first wireless communication transmitter] and a corresponding vehicle NFC transceiver [i.e. a second wireless communication transmitter as set forth below] to communicate information from the station safety system to the vehicle safety system as disclosed in at least Paragraph 0025 [i.e. a first wireless communication transmitter receives operating safety information transmitted by the first operating safety monitor to transmit to the vehicle])
- transmission of the safety information from the second communication transmitter to the second operating safety monitor; (Boisen discloses in at least Paragraph 0025 wherein the vehicle NFC transceiver [i.e. the second wireless communication transmitter] is configured to receive data from the station safety system, and provide said information to the vehicle safety system [i.e. transmission of the safety information from the second communication transmitter to the second operating safety monitor])
Boisen however appears to be silent regarding:
- encapsulation of the operating safety information by the first communication transmitter in a safety frame;
- decapsulation of the safety frame by the second communication transmitter in order to extract the safety information;
- cutting of the electrical power supply connection between the motor and the battery in order to stop the vehicle motor.
However Zheng teaches wherein information transmitted between a vehicle and infrastructure may be encapsulated into, and decapsulated from, a management frame.
- encapsulation of the operating safety information by the first communication transmitter in a safety frame; (However Zheng teaches in at least Paragraph 0097 wherein a roadside unit may write and encapsulate information that an RSU needs to transfer to a vehicle node into a management frame [i.e. encapsulation of the operating safety information by the first communication transmitter in a safety frame], which may be broadcast during a communication process to vehicle nodes as taught in at least Paragraph 0101 of Zheng)
- decapsulation of the safety frame by the second communication transmitter in order to extract the safety information; (However Zheng teaches in at least Paragraph 0109 wherein upon receipt by the vehicle node, the management frame is decapsulated to identify specific information units of the plurality of information units stored in the management frame [i.e. decapsulation of the safety frame by the second communication transmitter in order to extract the safety information])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the encapsulation/decapsulation and transmission of information within a management frame between a vehicle and roadside unit as taught by Zheng.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Zheng in at least Paragraph 0097, the transmissions and information sharing between the charging station and vehicle may be adjusted in a manner to make said transmissions IEEE 802.11p compliant, which is a specifically designed standard for vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, improving the data exchange between vehicle and charging station.
However Roehrl teaches wherein a vehicle power supply connection between a vehicle battery and motor may be
- cutting of the electrical power supply connection between the motor and the battery in order to stop the vehicle motor. (However Roehrl teaches in at least Paragraphs 0020, 0021, & 0037 wherein a charging station may transmit an emergency shutdown signal to a vehicle drive battery module in the event that the charging station is no longer capable of performing a shutdown on its own, with the vehicle disconnecting the motor vehicle drive battery from the rest of the motor vehicle in response to said signal [i.e. the second operating safety monitor is configured to cut the electrical power supply connection between an electric motor and the battery in order to stop the vehicle motor on the basis of operating safety information originating from the charging docking station])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the disconnection of the vehicle battery responsive to receiving safety information from a vehicle charger as taught by Roehrl.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Roehrl in at least Paragraphs 0020 & 0037, the vehicle components, including the battery and motor of the vehicle, may be protected in the event of a fault event in the charger, improving the safety of the charging system.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boisen (US 2020/0346554 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 103415082 B), Sarkar (US 2019/0351777 A1), Moghe (US 2019/0202304 A1), and Roehrl (US 2019/0160950 A1) as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Li (CN 112046325 A).
Regarding Claim 13:
The method as claimed in claim 11, in which the safety information is generated by an emergency stop button connected to the first operating safety monitor of a charging docking station.
Boisen does not appear to specifically disclose wherein safety information is generated via a connected emergency stop button.
However Li teaches in at least Paragraphs 0021 & 0054 wherein a charging pile [i.e. charging station] may be equipped with an emergency stop button that, once pressed, stops the charging process by disconnecting electrical contacts, and further transmits a safety protection signal [i.e. safety information generated by an emergency stop button].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present claimed invention to have modified the disclosure of Boisen by incorporating the generation of a safety protection signal after an emergency stop button is pressed as taught by Li.
The motivation to do so is that, as acknowledged by Lin in at least Paragraph 0054, the charging process may be stopped by the actuation of an emergency stop button and the transmission of the safety protection signal, improving the safety of the charger.
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to the Applicant’s disclosure:
Heuer (US 11,173,802 B2): Heuer recites a method for controlling the charging operation of a vehicle at a charging station, including monitoring and modifying/stopping the charging operation. Communication may be established between the charging device and mobile terminal via an NFC link.
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/CHRISTOPHER R CARDIMINO/Examiner, Art Unit 3661
/RAMYA P BURGESS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3661
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