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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ogawa (US2004/0211618 A1).
Regarding to Claim 1, Ogawa teaches a steering control device comprising a processing circuit configured to control a reaction force motor configured to generate a steering reaction force applied to a steering wheel that is separated from turning wheels of a vehicle in terms of power transmission (Fig. 1, Part 13, Paragraph 17),
control a turning motor configured to generate a turning force for turning the turning wheels (Fig. 1, Part 31, Paragraph 19), and
execute reaction force change processing of, in a case where an event in which an output of the turning motor is limited has occurred, changing the steering reaction force according to contents of the event (Fig. 2 teaches the operation of the system, and based on the claimed language, the examiner considered Paragraph 22, especially the operation of Steps S2 and S3 would reflect the limitations under the broadest reasonable interpretation).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 2-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US2004/0211618 A1) in view of Yamazaki (US2008/0047775 A1).
Regarding to Claim 2, Ogawa fails to explicitly disclose, but Yamazaki teaches a steering control device, wherein:
the processing circuit is configured to execute
processing of calculating an assist torque command value that is a torque in the same direction as a steering direction of the steering wheel based on a first state variable reflecting a steering state of the steering wheel,
processing of calculating an axial force acting on a turning shaft that turns the turning wheels based on a second state variable reflecting a turning state of the turning wheels and calculating an axial torque by converting the calculated axial force into a torque with respect to the steering wheel, and
processing of calculating a reaction torque command value that is a target value of the steering reaction force by subtracting the axial torque from the assist torque command value; and
the reaction force change processing includes processing of changing the assist torque command value and processing of changing the axial torque [Yamazaki teaches a torque calculation process (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72, especially Steps S15-S20 teach an operation to calculate certain parameter, including assisting torque, which would reflect the limitations under the broadest reasonable interpretation) to improve the steering feeling (Yamazaki, Paragraph 11).]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ogawa to incorporate the teachings of Yamazaki to calculate certain values in certain ways in order to improve the steering feeling (Yamazaki, Paragraph 11).
Regarding to Claim 3, Ogawa in view of Yamazaki teaches the modified control device, wherein:
the first state variable is a steering torque applied to the steering wheel (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72); and
the processing of changing the assist torque command value is processing of limiting the steering torque detected by a torque sensor according to the contents of the event (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72).
Regarding to Claim 4, Ogawa in view of Yamazaki teaches the modified control device, wherein:
the second state variable includes a current of the turning motor and a target rotation angle of a pinion shaft configured to rotate in conjunction with the turning shaft (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72);
the axial force includes a mixed axial force in which a current axial force corresponding to a value of the current of the turning motor and an angle axial force corresponding to the target rotation angle of the pinion shaft are mixed (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72); and
the processing circuit is configured to, in the case where the event has occurred, execute processing of switching the axial force from the mixed axial force to the angle axial force (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72).
Regarding to Claim 5, Ogawa in view of Yamazaki teaches the modified control device, wherein the processing circuit is configured to, in the case where the event has occurred, execute processing of adjusting the assist torque command value such that the assist torque command value is adapted to a normal state in which the output of the turning motor is not limited, when the axial force is switched from the mixed axial force to the angle axial force (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72).
Regarding to Claim 6, Ogawa in view of Yamazaki teaches the modified control device, wherein:
the processing circuit is configured to
calculate a basic assist torque that is a basis for calculating the assist torque command value, based on the first state variable (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72), and
calculate the assist torque command value by multiplying the calculated basic assist torque by a gain corresponding to a vehicle speed (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72); and
the processing of adjusting the assist torque command value is processing of adjusting a value of the gain such that the assist torque command value is adapted to the normal state in which the output of the turning motor is not limited (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72).
Regarding to Claim 7, Ogawa in view of Yamazaki teaches the modified control device, wherein:
the axial force is an axial force obtained by adding a deviation compensation axial force corresponding to an angle deviation which is a difference between a steering angle of the steering wheel and a steering angle of the steering wheel converted from a rotation angle of the pinion shaft, to the mixed axial force (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72); and
the processing circuit is configured to, in the case where the event has occurred, execute processing of increasing a value of the deviation compensation axial force as compared with a normal state in which the output of the turning motor is not limited (Yamazaki, Fig. 3, Paragraphs 65-72).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ogawa (US2004/0211618 A1) in view of Peter (US2021249977A1).
Regarding to Claim 8, Ogawa fails to explicitly disclose, but Peter teaches a steering control device, wherein:
the event includes an abnormality of the vehicle or the turning motor; and
the processing circuit is configured to increase the steering reaction force as a degree of the abnormality increases [Peter teaches a steering reaction force would be adjusted based on the degree of the abnormality of a turning motor (Peter, please see the translation version, Paragraph 9, the examiner considered degradation is a kind of an abnormality) to improve the system safety (Peter, Paragraphs 5-8).]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ogawa to incorporate the teachings of Peter to adjust the steering reaction force based on the degree of the abnormality of the system in order to improve the system safety (Peter, Paragraphs 5-8).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YI-KAI WANG whose telephone number is (313)446-6613. The examiner can normally be reached Flexible.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lindsay Low can be reached at 5712721196. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YI-KAI WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747