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.
(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) 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Jung (U.S. 2021/0155287A1). Jung discloses “A control method of an in-wheel motor vehicle includes: determining, by a controller, a state of a steering load that is a load of a steering system; maintaining, by the controller, a front wheel brake in a released state, when the state of the steering load is in a high load state of a predetermined level or more; determining, by the controller, a tire angle of a front wheel according to a driver steering input based on driver steering input information in the released state of the front wheel brake; determining, by the controller, a required tire rotational angle of the front wheel by using the determined tire angle of the front wheel; and reducing, by the controller, the steering load by driving an in-wheel motor of the front wheel for a compensation by the determined required tire rotational angle of the front wheel.” (Abstract) and “an in-wheel system is introduced as a representative example of a motor driven system, and the in-wheel system is a system that has an in-wheel motor mounted in each wheel of a vehicle (vehicle wheel) so that each wheel of the vehicle may be driven and controlled independently by the in-wheel motor” (¶0004).
Regarding Claim 1, Jung discloses: A computer system (Fig. 4), for steering of a vehicle (“vehicle”; Abstract) at standstill (¶0050; “When the driver steers, i.e., when the rotation of the steering wheel 5 is operated without depressing a brake pedal in a vehicle stopped state, as illustrated in FIG. 3”), wherein a steered wheel of the vehicle is configured to be individually driven (¶0004), the computer system comprising processing circuitry configured to apply a torque to the steered wheel (Fig. 5, S16; ¶0097), wherein the torque is configured to cause a rotation of the steered wheel (¶0100; “As described above, it is possible to forcibly drive the in-wheel motor 23 of the front wheel for the compensation by the required tire rotational angle (θ) of the front wheel, and thus reduce the load of the steering system.”) that corresponds to a rolling distance of the steered wheel (Fig. 7, ¶0092, “wheel center movement distance (A)”), wherein the rolling distance depends on a change of steering angle (¶0090; Fig. 6; “α refers to the tire angle”) multiplied by a steering axis offset (Fig. 6, ¶0090; “K refers to the distance from the kingpin axis to the wheel center”)
Regarding Claim 2, Jung discloses A computer-implemented method (Fig. 5) for steering of a vehicle (“vehicle”; Abstract) at standstill (¶0050; “When the driver steers, i.e., when the rotation of the steering wheel 5 is operated without depressing a brake pedal in a vehicle stopped state, as illustrated in FIG. 3”), wherein a steered wheel of the vehicle is configured to be individually driven (¶0004), the method comprising: applying, by processing circuitry of a computer system (Fig. 4, controller 10) , a torque to the steered wheel (Fig. 5, S16; ¶0097), wherein the torque is configured to cause a rotation of the steered wheel (¶0100; “As described above, it is possible to forcibly drive the in-wheel motor 23 of the front wheel for the compensation by the required tire rotational angle (θ) of the front wheel, and thus reduce the load of the steering system.”) that corresponds to a rolling distance of the steered wheel (Fig. 7, ¶0092, “wheel center movement distance (A)”), wherein the rolling distance depends on a change of steering angle (¶0090; Fig. 6; “α refers to the tire angle”) multiplied by a steering axis offset (Fig. 6, ¶0090; “K refers to the distance from the kingpin axis to the wheel center”)
Regarding Claim 3, Jung further discloses wherein the rolling distance (A) of the steered wheel equals the change of steering angle (α refers to the tire angle) multiplied by the steering axis offset (“K refers to the distance from the kingpin axis to the wheel center; ¶0091; Equation 1)
Regarding Claim 4, Jung further discloses wherein the steering axis offset (K) is based on a change of suspension and/or on suspension kinematics (Fig. 1-2, 6; Kingpin axis tilt angle, suspension geometry, etc.)
Regarding Claim 5, Jung further discloses wherein the vehicle comprises first and second steered wheels (Fig. 2 showing first and second steered wheels) configured to be individually driven (“the in-wheel system is a system that has an in-wheel motor mounted in each wheel of a vehicle (vehicle wheel) so that each wheel of the vehicle may be driven and controlled independently by the in-wheel motor”; ¶0004), and wherein applying the torque to the steered wheel comprises applying a first torque to the first steered wheel and a second torque to the second steered wheel, wherein the first and second torques have opposite direction (Fig. 3, ¶0050; “as illustrated in FIG. 3, the outside vehicle wheel of the turning vehicle, i.e., the outer wheel rotates the tire 4 forwards, and the inner wheel that is the inside vehicle wheel rotates the tire backwards. [0051] In other words, comparing the tire position (wheel center) before and after the steering when the tire 4 rotates around the kingpin axis (A) during the steering, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the wheel center of the right (RH) tire 4 moves forwards around the kingpin axis during the left turn in which the vehicle turns to the left by the driver steering to the left, and the wheel center of the right (RH) tire 4 moves backwards around the kingpin axis during the right turn. [0052] The present disclosure uses this principle, and as the main feature, rotates the in-wheel motor in a direction in which the tire rotates (being a movement direction of the wheel center) during the steering of the in-wheel motor vehicle. Thus, the steering load may be reduced.” ¶0050-0053)
Regarding Claim 6, Jung further discloses wherein the individual drive for a steered wheel is implemented by a corresponding electric motor associated with the steered wheel (“the in-wheel system is a system that has an in-wheel motor mounted in each wheel of a vehicle (vehicle wheel) so that each wheel of the vehicle may be driven and controlled independently by the in-wheel motor”; ¶0004), and wherein applying the torque comprises controlling the electric motor to apply the torque (“The present disclosure uses this principle, and as the main feature, rotates the in-wheel motor in a direction in which the tire rotates (being a movement direction of the wheel center) during the steering of the in-wheel motor vehicle. Thus, the steering load may be reduced.” ¶0050-0053)
Regarding Claim 7, Jung further discloses further comprising, before applying the torque, reducing, by the processing circuitry, a braking force applied to the steered wheel (Fig. 5, S12; ¶0070 and ¶0073)
Regarding Claim 8, Jung further discloses further comprising increasing, by the processing circuitry, a braking force applied to non-steered wheels of the vehicle (¶0073; “ if it is in a state where the driver is depressing a brake pedal, the front wheel brake is forcibly released because the compensation control using a front wheel in-wheel motor 23 for the front wheel is performed to reduce the load of the steering system as described below. The rear wheel brake maintains the operating state without being released because the compensation control for the rear wheel is not performed” e.g. relative to the braking force applied to the front wheels (now forcibly released), the rear braking force is increased (i.e. maintained))
Regarding Claim 9, Jung further discloses further comprising determining, by the processing circuitry, whether a braking force of non-steered wheels of the vehicle fulfills a safety condition (¶0074; “the controller 10 may determine whether the driver operates the brake pedal from the signal of a Brake Pedal Sensor (BPS).”), and reducing the braking force applied to the steered wheel responsive to the safety condition being fulfilled (Fig. 5, S12, ¶0073 “if it is in a state where the driver is depressing a brake pedal, the front wheel brake is forcibly released because the compensation control using a front wheel in-wheel motor 23 for the front wheel is performed to reduce the load of the steering system as described below”)
Regarding Claim 10, Jung further discloses wherein the determination comprises determining whether a current braking force applied to non-steered wheels of the vehicle fulfills the safety condition (¶0074; “the controller 10 may determine whether the driver operates the brake pedal from the signal of a Brake Pedal Sensor (BPS).”), and/or determining whether a maximum braking force applicable to non-steered wheels of the vehicle fulfills the safety condition (¶0073; “if it is in a state where the driver is depressing a brake pedal, the front wheel brake is forcibly released because the compensation control using a front wheel in-wheel motor 23 for the front wheel is performed to reduce the load of the steering system as described below. The rear wheel brake maintains the operating state without being released because the compensation control for the rear wheel is not performed.”)
Regarding Claim 11, Jung further discloses A control system (Fig. 4) comprising one or more control units (Fig. 4, controller 10) configured to perform the method of claim 2 (Fig. 5; ¶0100 “As described above, it is possible to forcibly drive the in-wheel motor 23 of the front wheel for the compensation by the required tire rotational angle (θ) of the front wheel, and thus reduce the load of the steering system.”).
Regarding Claim 12, Jung further discloses A vehicle (Abstract “A control method of an in-wheel motor vehicle”) comprising the computer system of claim 1.
Regarding Claim 13, Jung further discloses: The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising one or more steered wheels with individual drive (“the in-wheel system is a system that has an in-wheel motor mounted in each wheel of a vehicle (vehicle wheel) so that each wheel of the vehicle may be driven and controlled independently by the in-wheel motor”; ¶0004)
Regarding Claim 14, Jung further discloses: A computer program product comprising program code (¶0038; “the controller or controllers described herein may include a processor programmed to perform the noted operation, function, operation, or the like”) for performing, when executed by processing circuitry (Fig. 4, controller 10) , the method of claim 2
Regarding Claim 15, Jung further discloses: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (¶0077; “The map or the table is setting data that is used by being input and stored in advance in the controller 10”; stored in advance implies a non-transitory computer readable storage medium) comprising instructions, which when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform (¶0038; “the controller or controllers described herein may include a processor programmed to perform the noted operation, function, operation, or the like”)the method (Fig. 5) of claim 2.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Simard et al. (U.S. 5323866). Simard discloses “A steering system used in a ground-engaged vehicle having independently motorized steerable wheels, where a steering assistance is provided by generating a differential torque in the motors for producing steering assistance forces, is disclosed. The steering assistance is provided, when a torque is applied on the steering wheel, by generating the differential torque by the motors and thus producing steering assistance forces due to virtual lever arms defined between the mean contact point of a wheel with the ground, and the virtual intersection with the ground of a prolongation of the pivot axis of the wheel.” (Abstract)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN R KIRBY whose telephone number is (571)270-3665. The examiner can normally be reached Telework: M-F, 9a-5p.
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/BRIAN R KIRBY/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747