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 .
Priority
2. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. JP2023-196991, filed on 11/20/2023.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1, 2, and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okuda (JP 2022-152851 A) in view of Kaji et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0104382 A1), Garcia et al. (US 10,780,849 B1), and Tabata et al. (US Patent Publication 2007/0225098).
a. Regarding claim 1, Okuda teaches an electric vehicle comprising drive casing 2 that houses a drive apparatus including an electric motor and power transmission device to which the electric motor is connected in a power transmittable manner [FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted unit of the embodiment. The in-vehicle unit 1 is mounted in a vehicle using a motor as a power source. This in-vehicle unit 1 includes a transaxle case (hereinafter referred to as T/A case) 2 housing a motor [0021]], first electrical casing 11 that houses first electrical equipment [PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]] and second electrical casing 21 that houses second electrical equipment [electric unit 4 includes a DC/DC converter and a housing 21 that accommodates the DC/DC converter [0026]], wherein drive casing 2, first electrical casing 11 and second electrical casing 21 are integrally arranged and cooperate to constitute a mechanical-electrical integrated unit [FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted unit of the embodiment. The in-vehicle unit 1 is mounted in a vehicle using a motor as a power source. This in-vehicle unit 1 includes a transaxle case (hereinafter referred to as T/A case) 2 housing a motor, a power control unit (hereinafter referred to as PCU) 3 for driving the motor, and an electric unit 4 housing electric parts. and In the in-vehicle unit 1, the T/A case 2, the PCU 3 and the electric unit 4 are integrated [0021]].
Okuda does not specifically teach the first electrical casing and the second electrical casing are separately disposed on respective two of second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth wall surfaces that cooperate to define a drive casing space in which the drive apparatus is housed.
Kaji teaches first electrical casing 10a and second electrical casing 10b [electric power converter 10 is divided into two casings (a main casing 10 a and an auxiliary casing 10 b) [0026]] are separately disposed with first electrical casing 10a on the upper surface of drive case 3 [as shown in FIG. 2C, the top face of the motor case 3 is inclined forward, and the main casing 10 a is fixedly mounted on the inclined top face of the motor case 3 [0040]] and second electrical casing 10b laterally adjacent thereto [auxiliary casing 10 b of the electric power converter 10 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the main casing 10 a in the vehicle width direction [0041]] for the purpose of providing for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda to include first electrical casing containing the inverter disposed on an upper wall surface of the drive casing and the second electrical casing containing the DC/DC converter separately disposed laterally with respect to the drive casing, on a side remote from the engine as taught by Kaji because doing so would have provided for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
Okuda in view of Kaji does not specifically teach the second electrical casing separately disposed on a second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth drive casing wall surface.
Garcia teaches drive casing 246 and second electrical casing 230 are integrally arranged and cooperate to constitute a mechanical-electrical integrated unit, [FIG. 7 is a perspective-view illustration of another representative EDU assembly with IPE unit; col. 9 line 21 – col. 12 line 12 teaches integrally bolting a power-electronics (PE) housing to a motor/gear-train drive casing via mating interface flanges, in either of two disclosed mounting geometries — top-mount (Figs. 2–3) or side-mount (Figs. 7–8)], drive casing 246 has first-sixth wall surfaces that cooperate to define a space in which the drive apparatus is housed [the EDU assembly 214 of FIG. 7 is a side-mount configuration with a singular mounting plane that is parallel to the vertical axis extending through the center of the EDU's main casing 246, col. 11 line 67- col. 12 lines 1-3] for the purpose of providing a side-mount configuration in which the second electrical casing is mechanically attached to the drive casing to increase packaging efficiency and to provide weight savings and packaging compactness for reducing system complexity and associated hardware.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to directly mount the laterally relocated second electrical casing taught by Okuda in view of Kaji to the corresponding lateral exterior wall surface of Okuda's transaxle case, as taught by Garcia, in order to integrate the power-electronic equipment with the drive unit and obtain the known packaging, weight, and system-integration benefits taught by Garcia.
The resulting combination therefore provides a drive casing and first and second electrical casings integrally arranged to constitute a mechanical-electrical integrated unit, wherein the first and second electrical casings are separately disposed on respective different non-engine-facing wall surfaces of the drive casing.
Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia does not specifically teach the engine disposed on the first wall surface and connected to an input shaft of the power transmission device on a side of the first wall surface.
Tabata teaches a hybrid vehicular drive system wherein engine 8 is connected to input shaft 14, which transmits engine output to power distributing mechanism 16 housed with electric motor M1 in first casing 12a [differential mechanism input shaft 14 is connected at its one end to the engine 8, and the power distributing mechanism 16 is a mechanism configured to mechanically synthesize an output of the engine 8 received from the differential mechanism input shaft 14, or to mechanically distribute the output of the engine 8. That is, the power distributing mechanism 16 distributes the output of the engine 8 to a first electric motor M1 and the power transmitting member 18 [0112]], thereby teaching the claimed engine/input-shaft relationship at the engine-facing side of the drive casing.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ Tabata's known engine-input arrangement in the hybrid drive architecture taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to provide mechanical transmission of engine power to the power transmission device.
b. Regarding claim 2, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 1.
Kaji further teaches engine 84 is disposed on one of opposite sides of drive casing 3 which are opposite to each other in a horizontal direction of the electric vehicle, one of first electrical casing 10a and second electrical casing 10b [electric power converter 10 is divided into two casings (a main casing 10 a and an auxiliary casing 10 b) [0026]] disposed on the other of the opposite sides of drive casing 3 in the horizontal direction [auxiliary casing 10 b of the electric power converter 10 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the main casing 10 a in the vehicle width direction [0041]], and the other of first electrical casing 10a and second electrical casing 10b disposed on an upper side of drive casing 3 in a vertical direction of the electric vehicle [as shown in FIG. 2C, the top face of the motor case 3 is inclined forward, and the main casing 10 a is fixedly mounted on the inclined top face of the motor case 3 [0040]; FIG. 2B] for the purpose of providing for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata to include the engine on one of opposite sides of the drive casing opposite to each other in a horizontal direction, one of the first and second electrical casing on the other of the opposite sides of the drive casing in the horizontal direction, and the other of the first and second electrical casing on an upper side of the drive casing in a vertical direction of the electric vehicle as taught by Kaji because doing so would have provided for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
c. Regarding claim 5, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 1.
Okuda further teaches the first electrical equipment includes an inverter configured to convert a DC power supplied from the high-voltage battery into an AC power that is to be supplied to the electric motor [PCU 3 includes an inverter and a case (hereinafter referred to as a PCU case) 11 that accommodates the inverter [0024]; PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]], and the second electrical equipment includes a DC-DC converter that is configured to lower a voltage of the high-voltage battery to charge the low-voltage battery [electric unit 4 includes at least a DC/DC converter as an electric component. The DC/DC converter is a power conversion device connected to the high-voltage power line and the low-voltage power line, and steps down the power of the battery and the PCU 3 (high-voltage power line) to supply a plurality of auxiliary devices. and low voltage battery (low voltage side power line); electric unit 4 includes a DC/DC converter and a housing 21 that accommodates the DC/DC converter [0026]].
d. Regarding claim 6, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches (references to Okuda) the electric vehicle according to claim 5 having the inverter [PCU 3 includes an inverter and a case (hereinafter referred to as a PCU case) 11 that accommodates the inverter [0024]; PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]].
Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata does not specifically teach the second electrical equipment includes a reactor in a boost converter configured to boost DC power from the high-voltage battery and supply the boosted DC power to the inverter.
Kaji teaches reactor 14 in boost converter 28 [reactor 14 is connected to the middle point of the series circuit of the transistors, and the other end is connected to a battery-side input terminal PL of the voltage converter circuit 28 [0028]] configured to boost DC power from the high-voltage battery and supply the boosted DC power to inverter 29 [electric power converter 10 includes a voltage converter circuit 28 and an inverter circuit 29; voltage converter circuit 28 is able to carry out both a step-up operation and a step-down operation. In the step-up operation, the voltage of the main battery 81 is stepped up, and electric power having the stepped-up voltage is supplied to the inverter circuit 29 [0028]] for the purpose of providing for carrying out a step-up operation wherein the voltage of the battery is stepped up, and supplying electric power having the stepped-up voltage to the inverter circuit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata to include a reactor in a boost converter configured to boost DC power from the high-voltage battery and supply the boosted DC power to the inverter as taught by Kaji because doing so would have provided for carrying out a step-up operation wherein the voltage of the battery is stepped up, and supplying electric power having the stepped-up voltage to the inverter circuit.
e. Regarding claim 7, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches (references to Okuda) the electric vehicle according to claim 5 having first electrical casing 11 [PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]] and second electrical casing 21 [electric unit 4 includes a DC/DC converter and a housing 21 that accommodates the DC/DC converter [0026]].
Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata does not specifically teach a charger configured to charge the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external power source housed in one of the first and second electrical casing.
Garcia teaches charger configured to charge the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external power source housed in one of the first and second electrical casing 130 [In accord with the representative architecture illustrated in FIG. 4, an onboard charge module (OBCM) 171 is mounted to an underside of the main case 166, between the housing chassis 164 and cover 168. This OBCM 171 is adapted to connect to an electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) or other appropriate electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for recharging the vehicle's onboard traction battery pack, e.g., using a wall-mounted charge cable or a household outlet. An auxiliary power module (APM) with an HV-12V DC/DC power converter module 173 is mounted to a topside of the main case 166 underneath the housing cover 168, col. 10 line 67- col. 11 lines 1-11] for the purpose of providing an onboard charger to connect to a charging station or other appropriate electric vehicle supply equipment for recharging the vehicle's battery pack, e.g., using a wall-mounted charge cable or a household outlet.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata to include a charger to charge the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external power source housed in one of the first and second electrical casing as taught by Garcia because doing so would have provided an onboard charger to connect to a charging station or other appropriate electric vehicle supply equipment for recharging the vehicle's battery pack, e.g., using a wall-mounted charge cable or a household outlet.
5. Claims 3, 4, and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okuda (JP 2022-152851 A) in view of Kaji et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0104382 A1), and Garcia et al. (US 10,780,849 B1).
a. Regarding claim 3, Okuda teaches an electric vehicle comprising a drive casing 2 that houses drive apparatus including an electric motor and power transmission device to which the electric motor is connected in a power transmittable manner [FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted unit of the embodiment. The in-vehicle unit 1 is mounted in a vehicle using a motor as a power source. This in-vehicle unit 1 includes a transaxle case (hereinafter referred to as T/A case) 2 housing a motor [0021]], first electrical casing 11 that houses first electrical equipment [PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]] and second electrical casing 21 that houses second electrical equipment [electric unit 4 includes a DC/DC converter and a housing 21 that accommodates the DC/DC converter [0026]], wherein drive casing 2, first electrical casing 11, and second electrical casing 21 are integrally arranged and cooperate to constitute a mechanical-electrical integrated unit [FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted unit of the embodiment. The in-vehicle unit 1 is mounted in a vehicle using a motor as a power source. This in-vehicle unit 1 includes a transaxle case (hereinafter referred to as T/A case) 2 housing a motor, a power control unit (hereinafter referred to as PCU) 3 for driving the motor, and an electric unit 4 housing electric parts. and In the in-vehicle unit 1, the T/A case 2, the PCU 3 and the electric unit 4 are integrated [0021]].
Okuda does not specifically teach the drive casing has first-sixth wall surfaces that cooperate to define a space in which the drive apparatus is housed, the first wall surface located on one of both sides of the power transmission device remote from the electric motor, the second wall surface located on the other, electric motor side of the power transmission device, one of the first and second electrical casings disposed on the first wall surface.
Kaji teaches drive casing 3 has first-sixth wall surfaces that cooperate to define a space in which the drive apparatus is housed, the first wall surface located on one of both sides of the power transmission device remote from the electric motor, the second wall surface located on the other, electric motor side of the power transmission device, one of first electrical casing 10a and second electrical casing 10b [electric power converter 10 is divided into two casings (a main casing 10 a and an auxiliary casing 10 b) [0026]] disposed on the first wall surface [as shown in FIG. 2C, the top face of the motor case 3 is inclined forward, and the main casing 10 a is fixedly mounted on the inclined top face of the motor case 3 [0040]] for the purpose of providing for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda to include the drive casing having wall surfaces that cooperate to define a space in which the drive apparatus is housed, the first wall surface located on one of both sides of the power transmission device remote from the electric motor, the second wall surface located on the other, electric motor side of the power transmission device, and one of the first and second electrical casings disposed on the first wall surface as taught by Kaji because doing so would have provided for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
Okuda in view of Kaji does not specifically teach the other of the first and second electrical casings disposed on one of the third-sixth wall surfaces.
Garcia teaches electrical casing 230 [FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate alternative EDU assembly configurations 214 and 314, respectively, with a corresponding IPE unit 230 and 330 with an IPE outer housing 262 and 362 that is mechanically attached along on a single plane to the EDU outer housing 244 and 344, col. 11 lines 61-66], disposed on one of the third-sixth wall surfaces [the EDU assembly 214 of FIG. 7 is a side-mount configuration with a singular mounting plane that is parallel to the vertical axis extending through the center of the EDU's main casing 246, col. 11 line 67- col. 12 lines 1-3] for the purpose of providing a side-mount configuration in which the electrical casing is mechanically attached to the drive casing to increase packaging efficiency and to provide weight savings and packaging compactness for reducing system complexity and associated hardware.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to directly mount the laterally relocated second electrical casing taught by Okuda in view of Kaji to the corresponding lateral exterior wall surface of Okuda's transaxle case, as taught by Garcia, in order to integrate the power-electronic equipment with the drive unit and obtain the known packaging, weight, and system-integration benefits taught by Garcia.
The resulting combination therefore provides a drive casing and first and second electrical casings integrally arranged to constitute a mechanical-electrical integrated unit, wherein the first and second electrical casings are separately disposed on respective different non-engine-facing wall surfaces of the drive casing.
b. Regarding claim 4, Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 3.
Kaji teaches one of first electrical casing 10a and second electrical casing 10b [electric power converter 10 is divided into two casings (a main casing 10 a and an auxiliary casing 10 b) [0026]] disposed on one of opposite sides of drive casing 3 which are opposite to each other in a horizontal direction of the electric vehicle [auxiliary casing 10 b of the electric power converter 10 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the main casing 10 a in the vehicle width direction [0041]] and the other of first electrical casing 10a and second electrical casing 10b is disposed on an upper side of drive casing 3 in a vertical direction of the electric vehicle [as shown in FIG. 2C, the top face of the motor case 3 is inclined forward, and the main casing 10 a is fixedly mounted on the inclined top face of the motor case 3 [0040]; FIG. 2B] for the purpose of providing for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to include one of the first and second electrical casings on one of opposite sides of the drive casing opposite each other in a horizontal direction and the other of the first and second electrical casings on an upper side of the drive casing in a vertical direction because doing so would have provided for reducing vertical stacking and permitting the electrical units to utilize available space around the drive unit.
c. Regarding claim 11, Okuda in view of Kaji, and Garcia teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 3.
Okuda further teaches the first electrical equipment includes an inverter configured to convert a DC power supplied from the high-voltage battery into an AC power that is to be supplied to the electric motor [PCU 3 includes an inverter and a case (hereinafter referred to as a PCU case) 11 that accommodates the inverter [0024]; PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]], and the second electrical equipment includes a DC-DC converter that is configured to lower a voltage of the high-voltage battery to charge the low-voltage battery [electric unit 4 includes at least a DC/DC converter as an electric component. The DC/DC converter is a power conversion device connected to the high-voltage power line and the low-voltage power line, and steps down the power of the battery and the PCU 3 (high-voltage power line) to supply a plurality of auxiliary devices. and low voltage battery (low voltage side power line); electric unit 4 includes a DC/DC converter and a housing 21 that accommodates the DC/DC converter [0026]].
d. Regarding claim 12, Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia teaches (references to Okuda) the electric vehicle according to claim 11 having the inverter [PCU 3 includes an inverter and a case (hereinafter referred to as a PCU case) 11 that accommodates the inverter [0024]; PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]].
Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia does not specifically teach the second electrical equipment includes a reactor in a boost converter configured to boost DC power from the high-voltage battery and supply the boosted DC power to the inverter.
Kaji teaches reactor 14 in boost converter 28 [reactor 14 is connected to the middle point of the series circuit of the transistors, and the other end is connected to a battery-side input terminal PL of the voltage converter circuit 28 [0028]] configured to boost DC power from the high-voltage battery and supply the boosted DC power to inverter 29 [electric power converter 10 includes a voltage converter circuit 28 and an inverter circuit 29; voltage converter circuit 28 is able to carry out both a step-up operation and a step-down operation. In the step-up operation, the voltage of the main battery 81 is stepped up, and electric power having the stepped-up voltage is supplied to the inverter circuit 29 [0028]] for the purpose of providing for carrying out a step-up operation wherein the voltage of the battery is stepped up, and supplying electric power having the stepped-up voltage to the inverter circuit.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to include a reactor in a boost converter configured to boost DC power from the high-voltage battery and supply the boosted DC power to the inverter as taught by Kaji because doing so would have provided for carrying out a step-up operation wherein the voltage of the battery is stepped up, and supplying electric power having the stepped-up voltage to the inverter circuit.
e. Regarding claim 13, Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia teaches (references to Okuda) the electric vehicle according to claim 11 having first electrical casing 11 [PCU case 11 is attached to the upper surface of the T/A case 2 while accommodating the inverter [0025]] and second electrical casing 21 [electric unit 4 includes a DC/DC converter and a housing 21 that accommodates the DC/DC converter [0026]].
Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia does not specifically teach a charger configured to charge the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external power source housed in one of the first and second electrical casing.
Garcia teaches charger configured to charge the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external power source housed in one of the first and second electrical casing 130 [In accord with the representative architecture illustrated in FIG. 4, an onboard charge module (OBCM) 171 is mounted to an underside of the main case 166, between the housing chassis 164 and cover 168. This OBCM 171 is adapted to connect to an electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) or other appropriate electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for recharging the vehicle's onboard traction battery pack, e.g., using a wall-mounted charge cable or a household outlet. An auxiliary power module (APM) with an HV-12V DC/DC power converter module 173 is mounted to a topside of the main case 166 underneath the housing cover 168, col. 10 line 67- col. 11 lines 1-11] for the purpose of providing an onboard charger to connect to a charging station or other appropriate electric vehicle supply equipment for recharging the vehicle's battery pack, e.g., using a wall-mounted charge cable or a household outlet.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to include a charger to charge the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external power source housed in one of the first and second electrical casing as taught by Garcia because doing so would have provided an onboard charger to connect to a charging station or other appropriate electric vehicle supply equipment for recharging the vehicle's battery pack, e.g., using a wall-mounted charge cable or a household outlet.
6. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okuda (JP 2022-152851 A) in view of Kaji et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0104382 A1), Garcia et al. (US 10,780,849 B1), and Tabata et al. (US Patent Publication 2007/0225098) as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Ito et al. (US Patent Publication 2015/0171709).
a. Regarding claim 8, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 5.
Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata does not specifically teach a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device configured to control the inverter, and the current sensor to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device housed in the first electrical casing.
Ito teaches current sensor 28 [current detection means 28 [0059]] to detect an electric current of electric motor 1, an electric-motor control device 26 to control the inverter and current sensor 28 to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of electric motor 1 to electric-motor control device 26 [microcomputer 26 computes the assist torque based on a steering torque signal from the torque sensor 51, and also computes a current corresponding to the assist torque by feeding back the motor current IM and the rotation position of the rotor of the electric motor 1, which is detected by the resolver 29 [0059]; drive circuit 27 outputs a drive signal for driving the FETs 23 a in response to a command from the microcomputer 26. Moreover, the current detection means 28 is connected to one end of each shunt resistor 24, and detects the motor current IM flowing in the electric motor 1 [0060]] for the purpose of providing for minimizing wiring length and eliminating external hardware for current sensing, improving electrical reliability, and simplifying assembly.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata to include a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device to control the inverter and current sensor to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device as taught by Ito because doing so would have provided for minimizing wiring length, eliminating external hardware for current sensing, improving electrical reliability, and simplifying assembly.
7. Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okuda (JP 2022-152851 A) in view of Kaji et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0104382 A1), Garcia et al. (US 10,780,849 B1), and Tabata et al. (US Patent Publication 2007/0225098) as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Hotta et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0344295).
a. Regarding claim 9, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 5.
Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata does not specifically teach a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, the first electrical equipment includes an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device.
Hotta teaches resolver 44 to detect a rotational speed of electric motor 83 [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], first electrical equipment includes electric-motor control device 50 to control inverter 1 [rotating electrical machine 83 is electrically connected to a direct-current power supply B through the inverter unit 1 (see FIG. 2) [0032]; control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], resolver 44 configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of electric motor 83 to electric-motor control device 50 [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]] for the purpose of providing for reducing resolver wire length, eliminating unnecessary external connectors and exposed signal wiring, improving packaging efficiency, and protecting the resolver signal path.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata to include a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, the first electrical equipment includes an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device as taught by Hotta because doing so would have provided for reducing resolver wire length, eliminating unnecessary external connectors and exposed signal wiring, improving packaging efficiency, and protecting the resolver signal path.
Okuda further teaches directly integrating first electrical case 11 with T/A case 2 and providing an internal connecting portion between the respective casings through which a conductive member electrically connecting electrical equipment in PCU case 11 and the motor in T/A case 2 is arranged [connecting portion 6 connects the T/A case 2 and the PCU case 11. The connecting portion 6 has a first connecting portion formed on the upper surface of the T/A case 2 and a second connecting portion formed on the lower surface of the PCU case 11. The conductive member 5 arranged inside the connecting portion 6 is composed of a bus bar that electrically connects the inverter and the motor [0043]]. Hotta teaches providing a resolver associated with the rotating electrical machine and supplying the resolver detection signal to the inverter control board.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to route the resolver signal conductor of Hotta through the internal interconnection between Okuda's motor-containing T/A case 2 and inverter-containing PCU case 11, thereby avoiding an unnecessary external wiring path between two directly integrated housings and protecting the signal conductor within the housings. The resulting resolver-to-control-device wire would be disposed within the drive casing and first electrical casing as claimed.
b. Regarding claim 10, Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 5.
Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata does not specifically teach a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor and a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the current sensor configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and housed in the first electrical casing, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and disposed in the electric motor housed in the drive casing.
Hotta teaches current sensor 42 to detect an electric current of electric motor 83 [current sensor 42 may individually detect currents flowing through the respective three-phase bus bars 36 corresponding to the stator coils of three phases of the rotating electrical machine 83 [0042]] and resolver 44 to detect a rotational speed of electric motor 83 [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], electric-motor control device 50 to control inverter 32 [In the control board 50 there is constructed an inverter control part; current flowing through each of the three-phase bus bars 36 and detected by the current sensor 42 is inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part); control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], current sensor 42 configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of electric motor 83 to electric-motor control device 50 [current flowing through each of the three-phase bus bars 36 and detected by the current sensor 42 is inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part) [0043]] and is housed in a first electrical casing [As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the capacitor 20, the switching element unit 30, the three-phase bus bars 36, the current sensor 42, and the control board 50 are contained in an inverter case 60 that is integrally fixed to the drive device case 9. Here, the inverter case 60 includes a case main body 61 and a case cover 68 attached to the case main body 61 [0044]], and resolver 44 configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of electric motor 83 to electric-motor control device 50 and is disposed in the electric motor housed in the drive casing [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part) [0043]] and resolver 44 located on one of opposite sides of electric motor 83 that are opposite each other in a direction parallel to an axis of electric motor 83 and current sensor 42 on the other of the opposite sides of electric motor 83 in the direction parallel the axis of electric motor 83 [Hotta’s Fig. 2 further depicts current sensor 42/three-phase terminal 38 connection on one side of rotating electrical machine 83 and resolver 44 on the opposite side of rotating electrical machine 83, with rotation sensor 44 associated with the rotor/shaft side. Accordingly, Hotta teaches or at minimum suggests arranging the motor-current sensing structure at the motor's power-terminal side and the resolver at the opposite rotor/shaft side] for the purpose of providing a resolver at one end of the motor and the current sensor at the other end to shorten and simplify the bus-bar path between the inverter and the motor's power terminals, to isolate the resolver signal path from the high-current bus bars, and to make productive use of the otherwise unused shaft-end region of the motor opposite the power-terminal interface.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji, Garcia, and Tabata to include a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor and a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the current sensor configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and housed in the first electrical casing, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and disposed in the electric motor housed in the drive casing, the resolver on one of opposite sides of the electric motor opposite each other in a direction parallel to an axis of the electric motor, and the current sensor located on the other of the opposite sides of the electric motor in the direction parallel the axis of the electric motor as taught by Hotta because doing so would have provided a resolver at one end of the motor and the current sensor at the other end to shorten and simplify the bus-bar path between the inverter and the motor's power terminals, to isolate the resolver signal path from the high-current bus bars, and to make productive use of the otherwise unused shaft-end region of the motor opposite the power-terminal interface.
8. Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okuda (JP 2022-152851 A) in view of Kaji et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0104382 A1), Garcia et al. (US 10,780,849 B1), as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Ito et al. (US Patent Publication 2015/0171709).
a. Regarding claim 14, Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 11.
Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia does not specifically teach a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device configured to control the inverter, and the current sensor to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device housed in the first electrical casing.
Ito teaches current sensor 28 [current detection means 28 [0059]] to detect an electric current of electric motor 1, an electric-motor control device 26 to control the inverter and current sensor 28 to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of electric motor 1 to electric-motor control device 26 [microcomputer 26 computes the assist torque based on a steering torque signal from the torque sensor 51, and also computes a current corresponding to the assist torque by feeding back the motor current IM and the rotation position of the rotor of the electric motor 1, which is detected by the resolver 29 [0059]; drive circuit 27 outputs a drive signal for driving the FETs 23 a in response to a command from the microcomputer 26. Moreover, the current detection means 28 is connected to one end of each shunt resistor 24, and detects the motor current IM flowing in the electric motor 1 [0060]] for the purpose of providing for minimizing wiring length and eliminating external hardware for current sensing, improving electrical reliability, and simplifying assembly.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to include a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device to control the inverter and current sensor to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device as taught by Ito because doing so would have provided for minimizing wiring length, eliminating external hardware for current sensing, improving electrical reliability, and simplifying assembly.
9. Claims 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okuda (JP 2022-152851 A) in view of Kaji et al. (US Patent Publication 2017/0104382 A1), Garcia et al. (US 10,780,849 B1), as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Hotta et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0344295).
a. Regarding claim 15, Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 11.
Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia does not specifically teach a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, the first electrical equipment includes an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device.
Hotta teaches resolver 44 to detect a rotational speed of electric motor 83 [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], first electrical equipment includes electric-motor control device 50 to control inverter 1 [rotating electrical machine 83 is electrically connected to a direct-current power supply B through the inverter unit 1 (see FIG. 2) [0032]; control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], resolver 44 configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of electric motor 83 to electric-motor control device 50 [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]] for the purpose of providing for reducing resolver wire length, eliminating unnecessary external connectors and exposed signal wiring, improving packaging efficiency, and protecting the resolver signal path.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to include a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, the first electrical equipment includes an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device as taught by Hotta because doing so would have provided for reducing resolver wire length, eliminating unnecessary external connectors and exposed signal wiring, improving packaging efficiency, and protecting the resolver signal path.
Okuda further teaches directly integrating first electrical case 11 with T/A case 2 and providing an internal connecting portion between the respective casings through which a conductive member electrically connecting electrical equipment in PCU case 11 and the motor in T/A case 2 is arranged [connecting portion 6 connects the T/A case 2 and the PCU case 11. The connecting portion 6 has a first connecting portion formed on the upper surface of the T/A case 2 and a second connecting portion formed on the lower surface of the PCU case 11. The conductive member 5 arranged inside the connecting portion 6 is composed of a bus bar that electrically connects the inverter and the motor [0043]]. Hotta teaches providing a resolver associated with the rotating electrical machine and supplying the resolver detection signal to the inverter control board.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to route the resolver signal conductor of Hotta through the internal interconnection between Okuda's motor-containing T/A case 2 and inverter-containing PCU case 11, thereby avoiding an unnecessary external wiring path between two directly integrated housings and protecting the signal conductor within the housings. The resulting resolver-to-control-device wire would be disposed within the drive casing and first electrical casing as claimed.
b. Regarding claim 16, Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia teaches the electric vehicle according to claim 11.
Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia does not specifically teach a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor and a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the current sensor configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and housed in the first electrical casing, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and disposed in the electric motor housed in the drive casing.
Hotta teaches current sensor 42 to detect an electric current of electric motor 83 [current sensor 42 may individually detect currents flowing through the respective three-phase bus bars 36 corresponding to the stator coils of three phases of the rotating electrical machine 83 [0042]] and resolver 44 to detect a rotational speed of electric motor 83 [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part). The control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], electric-motor control device 50 to control inverter 32 [In the control board 50 there is constructed an inverter control part; current flowing through each of the three-phase bus bars 36 and detected by the current sensor 42 is inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part); control board 50 (inverter control part) performs on/off control of each switching element 31 [0043]], current sensor 42 configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of electric motor 83 to electric-motor control device 50 [current flowing through each of the three-phase bus bars 36 and detected by the current sensor 42 is inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part) [0043]] and is housed in a first electrical casing [As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the capacitor 20, the switching element unit 30, the three-phase bus bars 36, the current sensor 42, and the control board 50 are contained in an inverter case 60 that is integrally fixed to the drive device case 9. Here, the inverter case 60 includes a case main body 61 and a case cover 68 attached to the case main body 61 [0044]], and resolver 44 configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of electric motor 83 to electric-motor control device 50 and is disposed in the electric motor housed in the drive casing [rotational speed at each time point of the rotor of the rotating electrical machine 83 are detected by a rotation sensor 44, e.g., a resolver, and information on results of the detection is also inputted to the control board 50 (inverter control part) [0043]] and resolver 44 located on one of opposite sides of electric motor 83 that are opposite each other in a direction parallel to an axis of electric motor 83 and current sensor 42 on the other of the opposite sides of electric motor 83 in the direction parallel the axis of electric motor 83 [Hotta’s Fig. 2 further depicts current sensor 42/three-phase terminal 38 connection on one side of rotating electrical machine 83 and resolver 44 on the opposite side of rotating electrical machine 83, with rotation sensor 44 associated with the rotor/shaft side. Accordingly, Hotta teaches or at minimum suggests arranging the motor-current sensing structure at the motor's power-terminal side and the resolver at the opposite rotor/shaft side] for the purpose of providing a resolver at one end of the motor and the current sensor at the other end to shorten and simplify the bus-bar path between the inverter and the motor's power terminals, to isolate the resolver signal path from the high-current bus bars, and to make productive use of the otherwise unused shaft-end region of the motor opposite the power-terminal interface.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle taught by Okuda in view of Kaji and Garcia to include a current sensor to detect an electric current of the electric motor and a resolver to detect a rotational speed of the electric motor, an electric-motor control device to control the inverter, the current sensor configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected electric current of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and housed in the first electrical casing, the resolver configured to supply a signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the electric motor to the electric-motor control device and disposed in the electric motor housed in the drive casing, the resolver on one of opposite sides of the electric motor opposite each other in a direction parallel to an axis of the electric motor, and the current sensor located on the other of the opposite sides of the electric motor in the direction parallel the axis of the electric motor as taught by Hotta because doing so would have provided a resolver at one end of the motor and the current sensor at the other end to shorten and simplify the bus-bar path between the inverter and the motor's power terminals, to isolate the resolver signal path from the high-current bus bars, and to make productive use of the otherwise unused shaft-end region of the motor opposite the power-terminal interface.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jeffrey Ryan Larsen whose telephone number is (571) 270-5458. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm est.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy Weisberg can be reached on (571) 270-5500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J. R. L./
Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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