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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by US 20220041063 A1 to Isami et al. (herein after “Isami”).
Regarding claim 1, Isami teaches A battery electric vehicle (See para[0041]The electric vehicle 10 includes a battery 14 and an inverter 16. The battery 14 stores electrical energy that drives the electric motor 2) that travels with a driving force generated by an electric motor, the battery electric vehicle comprising: a shifter operable by a driver (See Isami para[0043] The electric vehicle 10 further includes a pseudo-shift lever (pseudo-shifter) 26 and a pseudo-clutch pedal 28 as operation input devices.) ; and
a control device (See Isami Controller 50) configured to be able to execute multiple types of automatic driving force control of changing the driving force (See Abstract the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal using the stored pedal reaction force characteristic.) regardless of input from the driver during execution of manual driving force control of changing the driving force in response to the input from the driver, (See Isami Isami para[0006] Particularly for drivers who are accustomed to driving MT vehicles, a pseudo-shifting operation that does not involve the driver's own manual shifting operation may cause discomfort in the driving senses of drivers who seek the pleasure of driving MT) wherein: the manual driving force control includes a first mode in which the input from the driver includes an operation of the shifter (See Isami para[0003] Of course, EVs are not equipped with a manual transmission (MT: Manual Transmission) that switches gear ratios by the driver's manual operation.) , and an output characteristic of the electric motor is switchable in multiple stages by the operation of the shifter, (See Isami para[0007] the electric motor to be controlled by the operation of the pseudo-shifter and the pseudo-clutch pedal so that torque characteristic similar to the torque characteristic of the MT vehicle can be obtained) and a second mode (See EV mode) in which the input from the driver does not include the operation of the shifter; (See Isami para[0043] The pseudo-shift lever 26 and the pseudo-clutch pedal 28 are dummies that differ from the original shift lever or clutch pedal, see claim 1 a process of receiving an operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal as an input of an operation amount of the clutch pedal with respect to the MT vehicle model,a process of receiving a shift position of the pseudo-shifter as an input of a shift position of the shifter with respect to the MT vehicle model,) and
the multiple types of automatic driving force control include
first-type automatic driving force control that is operated during driving in the first mode (See para[0010] The electric vehicle includes a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator. Then, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal) and is also operated during driving in the second mode (See claim 1 the electric vehicle comprises a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator, and
wherein, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal.), and
second-type automatic driving force control that is not operated during the driving in the first mode and is operated during the driving in the second mode. (See para [0062] In the EV mode, the operation is not reflected in the operation of the electric vehicle 10 even if the driver operates the pseudo-shift lever 26 or the pseudo-clutch pedal 28. That is, in the EV mode, the operation of the pseudo-shift lever 26 and the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal 28 are disabled).
Regarding claim 2, Isami teaches wherein the first -type automatic driving force control includes automatic driving force control that is not operated during the driving in the first mode (see Isami operating as EV mode) when the driver selects non-operation of the first-type automatic driving force control. (see Isami at least para[0050] the mode selection switch 42 )(See Isami at least para[0010] The electric vehicle includes a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator. Then, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal.)
Regarding claim 3, Isami teaches wherein the second-type automatic driving force control includes automatic driving force control that is operated during the driving in the first mode (see Isami operated in MT mode) when the driver selects operation of the second-type automatic driving force control(see Isami at least para[0050] the mode selection switch 42 )(see Isami at least para[0010] using the MT vehicle model, and a process of calculating the motor torque for providing the driving wheel torque to driving wheels of the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle includes a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator. Then, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal).
Regarding claim 4, Isami teaches further comprising a clutch pedal operable by the driver, wherein: in the first mode (see Isami MT mode) , the input from the driver includes an operation of the clutch pedal (See Isami at least para[0043] The electric vehicle 10 further includes a pseudo-shift lever (pseudo-shifter) 26 and a pseudo-clutch pedal 28 as operation input devices.), and the output characteristic of the electric motor is switchable in multiple stages by the operation of the shifter and an operation of the clutch pedal (See Isami at least para[0010] a process of receiving a shift position of the pseudo-shifter as an input of a shift position of the shifter with respect to the MT vehicle model, a process of calculating the driving wheel torque determined by the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo-shifter, using the MT vehicle model, and a process of calculating the motor torque for providing the driving wheel torque to driving wheels of the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle includes a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator. Then, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal.); and
in the second mode (EV mode), the input from the driver does not include the operation of the clutch pedal (see at least para[0010] The electric vehicle includes an accelerator pedal, a pseudo-clutch pedal, a pseudo-shifter, and a controller configured to control motor torque output by the electric motor, MT vehicle model simulating a torque characteristic of a driving wheel torque in an MT vehicle having an internal combustion engine which is controlled torque by operation of a gas pedal, and a manual transmission in which a gear stage is switched by operation of a clutch pedal and a shifter) .
Regarding claim 5, Isami teaches A non-transitory storage medium storing a program (see The controller includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store an MT vehicle model simulating a torque characteristic of a driving wheel torque in an MT vehicle having an internal combustion engine which is controlled torque by operation of a gas pedal, para[0049] The controller 50 is typically an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the electric vehicle 10. The controller 50 may be a combination of a plurality of ECUs. ) for a battery electric vehicle (See para[0041]The electric vehicle 10 includes a battery 14 and an inverter 16. The battery 14 stores electrical energy that drives the electric motor 2) including a shifter operable by a driver(See Isami para[0043] The electric vehicle 10 further includes a pseudo-shift lever (pseudo-shifter) 26 and a pseudo-clutch pedal 28 as operation input devices.), the program being configured to cause an in-vehicle computer to execute multiple types of automatic driving force See Abstract the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal using the stored pedal reaction force characteristic.) control of changing a driving force regardless of input from the driver during execution of manual driving force control of changing the driving force in response to the input from the driver(See Isami Isami para[0006] Particularly for drivers who are accustomed to driving MT vehicles, a pseudo-shifting operation that does not involve the driver's own manual shifting operation may cause discomfort in the driving senses of drivers who seek the pleasure of driving MT), wherein: the manual driving force control includes a first mode in which the input from the driver includes an operation of the shifter(See Isami para[0003] Of course, EVs are not equipped with a manual transmission (MT: Manual Transmission) that switches gear ratios by the driver's manual operation.), and an output characteristic of an electric motor is switchable in multiple stages by the operation of the shifter(See Isami para[0007] the electric motor to be controlled by the operation of the pseudo-shifter and the pseudo-clutch pedal so that torque characteristic similar to the torque characteristic of the MT vehicle can be obtained), and a second mode(See EV mode) in which the input from the driver does not include the operation of the shifter(See Isami para[0043] The pseudo-shift lever 26 and the pseudo-clutch pedal 28 are dummies that differ from the original shift lever or clutch pedal, see claim 1 a process of receiving an operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal as an input of an operation amount of the clutch pedal with respect to the MT vehicle model,a process of receiving a shift position of the pseudo-shifter as an input of a shift position of the shifter with respect to the MT vehicle model,); and the multiple types of automatic driving force control include first-type automatic driving force control that is operated during driving in the first mode (See para[0010] The electric vehicle includes a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator. Then, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal) and is also operated during driving in the second mode(See claim 1 the electric vehicle comprises a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator, and
wherein, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal.), and second-type automatic driving force control that is not operated during the driving in the first mode and is operated during the driving in the second mode(See para [0062] In the EV mode, the operation is not reflected in the operation of the electric vehicle 10 even if the driver operates the pseudo-shift lever 26 or the pseudo-clutch pedal 28. That is, in the EV mode, the operation of the pseudo-shift lever 26 and the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal 28 are disabled).
Conclusion
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/NAZIA AFRIN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3666
/SCOTT A BROWNE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666
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