DETAILED ACTION
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Controlling Creep Speed and Torque in an electric vehicle.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4, 8-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Johri (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0134298).
Regarding claim 1, Johri discloses an electric vehicle (EV) (Fig. 1) comprising:
a vehicle wheel (42); a drive subsystem comprising a drive motor (18) coupled with the vehicle wheel and configured to produce a driving torque applied to the vehicle wheel to drive the EV;
a brake subsystem (58 is the pedal and 60 is the friction brake) configured to apply a braking force to brake the vehicle wheel based on an amount of an engagement of a braking input by a driver; and
a control subsystem (50) coupled to the drive subsystem and to the brake subsystem; wherein the control subsystem is configured to:
detect an amount of an engagement of a torque input by the driver (¶23 and step 402 of fig. 4);
control the drive motor to apply an amount of the driving torque to the vehicle wheel based on the amount of an engagement of the torque input (¶23);
determine a target creeping speed (step 406 and fig. 2 t0-t1);
detect amount of an engagement of the braking input by the driver (step 404);
calculate an amount of a creeping torque based on the target creeping speed and the amount of the engagement of the braking input (step 404, yes leads to 408 and 410, shown in t1-t7 the creep changes as the brake pedal is pressed); and
subsequent to detecting the amount of the engagement of the braking input and prior to detecting any engagement of the torque input by the driver, control the drive motor to apply the amount of the creeping torque to the vehicle wheel via the drive motor (¶2, ¶3, ¶33, ¶34, ¶37).
Regarding claim 2 which depends from claim 1, Johri discloses wherein the control subsystem comprises an accelerator pedal (52) configured to define the amount of engagement of the torque input by the driver.
Regarding claim 4 which depends from claim 1, Johri discloses wherein the control subsystem is further configured to: determine an actual speed of the vehicle wheel in response to the amount of the creeping torque applied to the vehicle wheel; and control the drive motor to adjust the amount of the creeping torque applied to the vehicle wheel based on a comparison of the target creep speed with the actual speed (between t0-t1 in fig. 2 and ¶37-38).
Regarding claim 8 which depends from claim 1, Johri discloses wherein the control subsystem is further configured to: detect the engagement of the torque input by the driver after application of the amount of the creeping torque; and control the drive motor to remove the application of the amount of the creeping torque in response to detecting the engagement of the torque input by the driver (¶37 creep mode is active as long as accelerator is not pressed and ‘yes’ at 402).
Regarding claim 9 which depends from claim 1, Johri discloses further comprising: an additional vehicle wheel; a first axle coupled to the vehicle wheel; a second axle coupled to the additional vehicle wheel; and a differential coupled between the first and second axles; wherein the drive motor is coupled to the differential (40).
Regarding claim 10, Johri discloses a method of propelling an electric vehicle (EV) comprising a driving wheel, a drive subsystem comprising a drive motor, a brake subsystem configured to apply a braking force to brake the driving wheel, and a control subsystem, the method comprising: applying a driving torque to the driving wheel sufficient to propel the EV in a drive direction in response to engagement of a propulsion input by a driver; determining a target creeping speed; sensing a level of engagement of the brake subsystem by the driver; applying a creeping torque to the driving wheel sufficient to propel the EV in the drive direction based on the level of engagement and based on a lack of the engagement of the propulsion input by the driver subsequent to sensing the level of engagement of the brake subsystem; determining a speed of the EV in response to the application of the creeping torque; and adjusting the creeping torque based on the determined speed of the EV being different than the target creeping speed (the limitations of this claim have been addressed in claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 11 which depends from claim 10, Johri discloses further comprising determining an amount of a driver request torque via the propulsion input; and calculating the driving torque based on the amount of the driver request torque (between t0-t1 in fig. 2 and ¶37-38).
Regarding claim 12 which depends from claim 11, Johri discloses wherein the level of engagement of the brake subsystem by the driver causes a braking force to be applied to the driving wheel; and wherein the method further comprises applying the creeping torque to the driving wheel sufficient to propel the EV in the drive direction (see t1-t6 in fig. 2 and ¶37-44).
Regarding claim 13 which depends from claim 12, Johri discloses wherein adjusting the creeping torque comprises adjusting the creeping torque to cause the speed of the EV to be constant (t0-t1 in fig. 2 and ¶37-38).
Regarding claim 14 which depends from claim 10, Johri discloses wherein the method further comprises maintaining the application of the creeping torque absent any time-based threshold determined based on a length of engagement time of the application of the creeping torque (no timer disclosed).
Regarding claim 15 which depends from claim 10, Johri discloses wherein the EV further comprises an inclinometer; and wherein the method further comprises: detecting an angle of incline of the EV via the inclinometer; and determining the target creeping speed based on the detected angle of incline (¶33-34 discloses a method of overcoming incline angle).
Regarding claim 16 which depends from claim 15, Johri discloses further comprising setting a maximum amount of the creeping torque available to be applied to the driving wheel based on the detected angle of incline (¶33-34).
Regarding claim 17, Johri discloses an electric vehicle (EV) comprising: a drive subsystem comprising a drive motor; a control subsystem comprising: an accelerator pedal sensor configured to sense a plurality of accelerator pedal positions of an accelerator pedal, the plurality of accelerator pedal positions comprising an accelerator pedal home position and a plurality of accelerator pedal engagement positions; a brake pedal sensor configured to sense a plurality of brake pedal positions of a brake pedal, the plurality of brake pedal positions comprising a brake pedal home position and a plurality of brake pedal engagement positions; and a controller configured to: sense a first accelerator pedal engagement position of the plurality of accelerator pedal engagement positions via the accelerator pedal sensor; in response to sensing the first accelerator pedal engagement position, cause the drive motor to produce a driving torque sufficient to propel the EV in a drive direction; sense the brake pedal home position; sense the accelerator pedal home position; in response to sensing the brake pedal home position and the accelerator pedal home position, cause the drive motor to produce a creeping torque sufficient to propel the EV in a drive direction; and adjust the creeping torque to cause the EV to be propelled at a constant creeping speed (the limitations of this claim have been addressed in claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 18 which depends from claim 17, Johri discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: sense a first brake pedal engagement position of the plurality of brake pedal engagement positions; and in response to sensing the first brake pedal engagement position and the accelerator pedal home position, cause the drive motor to produce a first portion of the creeping torque; wherein the first portion of the creeping torque is less than the creeping torque; and wherein the first portion of the creeping torque is sufficient to propel the EV in the drive direction (see t1-t6 in fig. 2 and ¶37-44).
Regarding claim 19 which depends from claim 18, Johri discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: sense a second brake pedal engagement position of the plurality of brake pedal engagement positions; and in response to sensing the second brake pedal engagement position, cause the drive motor to cease producing any torque (see t1-t6 in fig. 2 and ¶37-44).
Regarding claim 20 which depends from claim 17, Johri discloses 20. The EV of claim 17 further comprising an inclinometer; and wherein the controller is further configured to: detect an angle of incline of the EV via the inclinometer; and set a maximum value of the creeping torque based on the detected angle of incline (¶33-34).
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.
Claim(s) 3, 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Johri (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0134298) as applied to claims 1 and 2 above, and in view of Lake (U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,094).
Regarding claim 3 which depends from claim 2, Johri does not disclose wherein the control subsystem further comprises an accelerator return mechanism coupled to the accelerator pedal and configured to return the accelerator pedal to a home position in response to a disengagement of the accelerator pedal by the driver.
Lake, which deals in pedals, teaches wherein the control subsystem further comprises an accelerator return mechanism coupled to the accelerator pedal and configured to return the accelerator pedal to a home position in response to a disengagement of the accelerator pedal by the driver (col. 2, lines 62-68 discloses a biasing spring).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Johri with the spring of Lake because this allows the pressure to release when force is removed (col. 2, liens 67-68).
Regarding claim 5 which depends from claim 1, Lake discloses wherein the brake subsystem comprises: a brake pedal configured to define the amount of the engagement of the braking input by the driver; and a braking return mechanism coupled to the brake pedal and configured to return the brake pedal to a home position in response to a disengagement of the brake pedal by the driver (col. 3, lines 25-30 discloses a biasing spring for the accelerator pedal).
Regarding claim 6 which depends from claim 5, Johri discloses wherein the control subsystem is further configured to: detect a position of the brake pedal; and control the drive motor to apply the amount of the creeping torque to the vehicle wheel based on the detected position of the brake pedal being different than the home position and based on a difference between the position of the brake pedal and the home position being less than a braking threshold (see t1-t6 in fig. 2 and ¶37-44).
Regarding claim 7 which depends from claim 6, Johri discloses wherein the amount of the creeping torque applied to the vehicle wheel is sufficient to overcome the amount of the braking force applied to the vehicle wheel (see t1-t6 in fig. 2 and ¶37-44).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please review when considering a response to this office action.
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GONZALO LAGUARDA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3747 email: gonzalo.laguarda@uspto.gov
/GONZALO LAGUARDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747