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 .
Status of Claims
This communication is in response to Application 19/077,568 filed on 03/12/2025. Claims 1-7 are currently pending and examined below.
Priority
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. JP2024-061567, filed on 04/05/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/12/2025 has been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiokawa et al., US 20230025026 A1, in view of Kitano et al., US 20140018989A1, in view of Yifan Tang, US 20140257613A1 and in view of Tian et al., US CN111071064A
Regarding claim 1, Shiokawa discloses an electric all-wheel-drive vehicle (An aspect of the disclosure provides all-wheel-drive electric vehicle – See at least ¶5) comprising:
a front electric motor configured to drive a front wheel (The one or more front electric motors are configured to directly drive front wheels – See at least ¶5);
a rear electric motor configured to drive a rear wheel (The one or more rear electric motors are configured to directly drive rear wheels – See at least ¶5);
an accelerator sensor configured to detect an amount of operation of an accelerator (The accelerator sensor is configured to determine an operation amount of an accelerator – See at least ¶5);
a front wheel speed sensor configured to detect a number of rotations of the front wheel (Front wheel speed sensors 12FL and 12FR detect rotational speed of the respective front wheels – See at least ¶20 and FIG. 1);
a rear wheel speed sensor configured to detect a number of rotations of the rear wheel (Rear wheel speed sensors 12RL and 12RR detect rotational speed of the respective rear wheels – See at least ¶20 and FIG. 1);
one or more processors configured to control the front electric motor and the rear electric motor based on the amount of operation of the accelerator, the number of rotations of the front wheel, and the number of rotations of the rear wheel (EV-CU 60 receives accelerator pedal depression information and wheel speed information and controls front motor generator 21 and rear motor generator 22 based on the received vehicle operation information – See at least ¶28).
Shiokawa fails to disclose the one or more processors being configured to, when a predetermined learning condition is established, vary output torque of the rear electric motor and output torque of the front electric motor, while satisfying requested torque, to learn longitudinal differential rotation at which total power consumption or total torque of the front electric motor and the rear electric motor is minimized, the longitudinal differential rotation being a difference between the number of rotations of the front wheel and the number of rotations of the rear wheel, and after learning the longitudinal differential rotation, control the output torque of the front electric motor and the output torque of the rear electric motor to allow actual longitudinal differential rotation to match with the learned longitudinal differential rotation.
However, Kitano teaches the one or more processors being configured to, when a predetermined learning condition is established, vary output torque of the rear electric motor and output torque of the front electric motor, while satisfying requested torque (An efficiency map generation/learning operation when predetermined stable vehicle operating conditions are satisfied, including substantially constant speed and straight travel conditions; Varies the distribution of instructed torque among the electric motors through a plurality of torque combinations while maintaining the instructed total torque, and obtains motor rotational information and motor power consumption information for the respective torque distributions – See at least ¶68-70 and 167).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Shiokawa and include the feature of the one or more processors being configured to, when a predetermined learning condition is established, vary output torque of the rear electric motor and output torque of the front electric motor, while satisfying requested torque, as taught by Kitano, to improve electric motor operating efficiency.
The combination of Shiokawa and Kitano fail to disclose to learn longitudinal differential rotation at which total power consumption or total torque of the front electric motor and the rear electric motor is minimized.
However, Tang teaches to learn longitudinal differential rotation at which total power consumption or total torque of the front electric motor and the rear electric motor is minimized (Evaluates different distributions of a requested total torque between first and second electric motors, determines the power consumption associated with the respective motor torque combinations, and selects the front/rear motor torque combination providing minimum combined motor input power/maximized operating efficiency – See at least ¶47-49, 61).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Shiokawa and Kitano and include the feature of to learn longitudinal differential rotation at which total power consumption or total torque of the front electric motor and the rear electric motor is minimized, as taught by Tang, to provide efficient traction control in a conventional vehicle utilizing a combustion engine drive train.
The combination of Shiokawa, Kitano and Tang fail to disclose the longitudinal differential rotation being a difference between the number of rotations of the front wheel and the number of rotations of the rear wheel, and after learning the longitudinal differential rotation, control the output torque of the front electric motor and the output torque of the rear electric motor to allow actual longitudinal differential rotation to match with the learned longitudinal differential rotation.
However, Tian teaches the longitudinal differential rotation being a difference between the number of rotations of the front wheel and the number of rotations of the rear wheel, and after learning the longitudinal differential rotation, control the output torque of the front electric motor and the output torque of the rear electric motor to allow actual longitudinal differential rotation to match with the learned longitudinal differential rotation (Determines a rotational speed difference between the front and rear axles based on the respective front and rear rotational speed signals; the front/rear rotational speed difference as a feedback control variable and adjusts electric motor target torque based on the rotational speed difference so as to control the relative front/rear rotational condition and reduce power loss – See at least Summary of Invention description, lines 24-27).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Shiokawa, Kitano and Tang and include the feature of the longitudinal differential rotation being a difference between the number of rotations of the front wheel and the number of rotations of the rear wheel, and after learning the longitudinal differential rotation, control the output torque of the front electric motor and the output torque of the rear electric motor to allow actual longitudinal differential rotation to match with the learned longitudinal differential rotation, as taught by Tian, for coordinated control of the speed of a dual-motor electric vehicle.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Shiokawa and Kitano fails to disclose wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when the predetermined learning condition is established, vary the output torque of the rear electric motor and the output torque of the front electric motor, while satisfying the requested torque, to allow a slip ratio of the front wheel and a slip ratio of the rear wheel to fall within a predetermined range of the slip ratio.
However, Tang teaches wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when the predetermined learning condition is established, vary the output torque of the rear electric motor and the output torque of the front electric motor, while satisfying the requested torque, to allow a slip ratio of the front wheel and a slip ratio of the rear wheel to fall within a predetermined range of the slip ratio (Calculates respective wheel slip ratios for the front and rear driven axles, compares the calculated slip ratios with respective target wheel slip ratios, and determines respective slip errors; provides a dead band, i.e. neutral zone, about the target slip ratio and controls the respective motor torques through feedback to minimize the slip errors. The optimized front/rear torque split and total requested torque are used together with the slip-error control – See at least ¶52-54).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Shiokawa and Kitano and include the feature of wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when the predetermined learning condition is established, vary the output torque of the rear electric motor and the output torque of the front electric motor, while satisfying the requested torque, to allow a slip ratio of the front wheel and a slip ratio of the rear wheel to fall within a predetermined range of the slip ratio, as taught by Tang, to provide efficient traction control in a conventional vehicle utilizing a combustion engine drive train.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAHMOUD M KAZIMI whose telephone number is (571)272-3436. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Erin Bishop can be reached at 5712703713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MAHMOUD M KAZIMI/Examiner, Art Unit 3665
