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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on June 24, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed June 24, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant's argument on page 12 pertaining to “In other words, Yen's ratio is merely a temporal comparison to determine the aging degree of the cell pack over time (i.e., comparing past data vs. present data). Yen, however, fails to teach or suggest comparing two different statistical indicators to diagnose spatial nonuniformity within a battery unit. … Since Yen strictly relies on comparing data across different time periods (current vs. new), Yen cannot teach or suggest deriving two different types of SoH from a single unit period to identify internal unevenness among series-connected cells. The Office's combination of references relies on impermissible hindsight by merely picking the words "ratio" and "standard deviation" out of context. Consequently, the combination of Kim '646, Brun, and Yen fails to disclose, suggest, or render obvious the claimed features.”. The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
As mentioned in this Office Action (OA), the Examiner does not rely on Yen to teach or suggest comparing two different statistical indicators to diagnose spatial nonuniformity within a battery unit. The Examiner relies on Duan. Duan teaches comparing two different statistical indicators (Fig. 2. Col. 9. Ln. 21 reference capacity value, χ), (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 48 χo is an beginning-of-life capacity value) to diagnose spatial nonuniformity within a battery unit. Duan further teaches, deriving two different types of SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 9. Ln. 21 reference capacity value, χ), (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 48 χo is an beginning-of-life capacity value) from a single unit period (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 sliding window may be selected) to identify internal unevenness among series-connected cells. It would be obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Kim `646 in view of Brun for the benefit of improving the carrying out of the diagnosis of the state of the battery. It would further be obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to combine Kim `646 in view of Brun with Duan for the benefit of determining an SOH of a battery by estimating the battery capacity to maintain acceptable vehicle performance.
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) 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 18 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US 2021/0031646 A1) (herein after Kim `646) in view of Brun-Buisson (US 2014/0077764 A1) (herein after Brun), and further in view of Duan et al (US 10,793,008 B2) (herein after Duan).
Regarding Claim 1, Kim `646 teaches, an information processing apparatus (Fig. 2, wireless power receiver 142) comprising: an SoH calculator (Fig. 2, charging controller 202) to calculate an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 2, ¶ 16 charging controller is configured to variably apply a magnitude of the threshold voltage based on a state of health (SOH)) for each of a plurality of battery units (Fig. 2, battery cell 262) on the basis of time-series measurement data related to an electric power applied to each of the plurality of battery units in a rechargeable battery (Fig. 2, ¶ 14 battery cell of a plurality of battery cells), each of the plurality of battery units comprising a plurality of cells or a plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2, battery cell 262); a maximum/minimum voltage SoH calculator (Fig. 2, cell balancing unit 252) to detect, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH) among voltages applied to the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits in the corresponding battery unit on the basis of the measurement data (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH),—
Kim `646 fails to teach, — and calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; and an SoH ratio calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and(ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Brun teaches, — and calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH (Fig. 4, ¶ 14 computation of the state of health SOH) which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit (Fig. 4, ¶ 37 variable state, such as their different aging), by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 maximum voltage at the end of the charging phase) and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 minimum voltage at the end of the discharging phase); —
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 by combining the information processing apparatus comprising an SOH calculator taught by Kim `646 with an SOH calculator to calculate, for each of a plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; taught by Brun for the benefit of improving the carrying out of the diagnosis of the state of the battery [Brun: ¶ 5].
Kim `646 in view of Brun fail to teach, — and an SoH ratio calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and(ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Duan discloses, — and an SoH ratio calculator (Fig. 2, Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) 76) to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 42 capacity retention function; Col. 11. Ln. 56 A ratio of the reference amp-hour value to the beginning-of-life amp-hour value may be computed) which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 38 As the battery ages, the battery capacity may be expected to decrease), the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 9. Ln. 21 reference capacity value, χ), being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition), and(ii) a second SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 48 χo is an beginning-of-life capacity value), calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 33 mean and the standard deviation may be used to compute the reference capacity) of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 sliding window may be selected), which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 The sliding window 50 may include a fixed number, n, of estimated battery capacity values) for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition) which are connected in series within the battery unit (Fig. 2. N battery cells 72), and the SoH ratio decreases (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 65 numerator may decrease so that the capacity retention percentage decreases) as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun by combining the information processing apparatus comprising an SOH calculator taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun with an SoH ratio calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and(ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits; disclosed by Duan for the benefit of determining an SOH of a battery by estimating the battery capacity to maintain acceptable vehicle performance [Duan: Col. 6, Ln. 41].
Regarding Claim 3, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 1, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detector (Fig. 2, comparator 214) to detect an alert target battery unit (Fig. 2, ¶ 53 charge the other battery cell 262) from the plurality of battery units on the basis of the SoH ratio of each of the plurality of battery units (Fig. 2, ¶ 53 reset the comparator 214 to charge the other battery cell 262).
Regarding Claim 4, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 3, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detector detects the alert target battery unit from the plurality of battery units, based on a degree of how much each SoH ratio deviates from a value "1" (Fig. 2, ¶ 25 a ratio of less than 100% proportional to the SOH of the battery cell).
Regarding Claim 7, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 3, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim3, wherein the detector determines the rechargeable battery to be the alert target when the alert target battery unit is detected (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 higher priority to a battery cell 262).
Regarding Claim 8, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 3, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim3, wherein the detector detects a deteriorated battery unit (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 small SOH) from the plurality of battery units on the basis of the first SoH or the second SoH (Fig. 2, ¶ higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH).
Regarding Claim 18, Kim `646 teaches, an information processing method (Abstract: charging control method) comprising: calculating an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 2, ¶ 16 charging controller is configured to variably apply a magnitude of the threshold voltage based on a state of health (SOH)) for each of a plurality of battery units (Fig. 2, battery cell 262) on the basis of time-series measurement data related to an electric power applied to each of the plurality of battery units in a rechargeable battery (Fig. 2, ¶ 14 battery cell of a plurality of battery cells), each of the plurality of battery units comprising a plurality of cells or a plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2, battery cell 262); detecting, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage among voltages applied to the plurality of cells (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH) or the plurality of battery subunits in the corresponding battery unit on the basis of the measurement data (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH), —
Kim `646 fails to teach, — and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of:(i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and (ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Brun teaches, — and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH (Fig. 4, ¶ 14 computation of the state of health SOH) which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit (Fig. 4, ¶ 37 variable state, such as their different aging), by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 maximum voltage at the end of the charging phase) and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 minimum voltage at the end of the discharging phase); —
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 by combining the information processing method taught by Kim `646 with an information processing method comprising: calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; taught by Brun for the benefit of improving the carrying out of the diagnosis of the state of the battery [Brun: ¶ 5].
Kim `646 in view of Brun fail to teach, — and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and (ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Duan discloses, — and calculating (Fig. 2, Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) 76), for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 42 capacity retention function; Col. 11. Ln. 56 A ratio of the reference amp-hour value to the beginning-of-life amp-hour value may be computed) which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 38 As the battery ages, the battery capacity may be expected to decrease), the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 9. Ln. 21 reference capacity value, χ), being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition), and(ii) a second SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 48 χo is an beginning-of-life capacity value), calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 33 mean and the standard deviation may be used to compute the reference capacity) of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 sliding window may be selected), which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 The sliding window 50 may include a fixed number, n, of estimated battery capacity values) for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition) which are connected in series within the battery unit (Fig. 2. N battery cells 72), and the SoH ratio decreases (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 65 numerator may decrease so that the capacity retention percentage decreases) as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun by combining the information processing method taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun with an information processing method comprising: calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of:(i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and (ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits; disclosed by Duan for the benefit of determining an SOH of a battery by estimating the battery capacity to maintain acceptable vehicle performance [Duan: Col. 6, Ln. 41].
Regarding Claim 19, Kim `646 teaches, a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program stored therein which when executed by a computer (Fig. 2, ¶ 52 stored in the memory 204), causes the computer to perform processes comprising: calculating an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 2, ¶ 16 charging controller is configured to variably apply a magnitude of the threshold voltage based on a state of health (SOH)) for each of a plurality of battery units (Fig. 2, battery cell 262) on the basis of time-series measurement data related to an electric power applied to each of the plurality of battery units in a rechargeable battery (Fig. 2, ¶ 14 battery cell of a plurality of battery cells), each of the plurality of battery units comprising a plurality of cells or a plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2, battery cell 262); detecting, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage among voltages applied to the plurality of cells (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH) or the plurality of battery subunits in the corresponding battery unit on the basis of the measurement data (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH), —
Kim `646 fails to teach, — and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of:(i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and(ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Brun teaches, — and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH (Fig. 4, ¶ 14 computation of the state of health SOH) which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit (Fig. 4, ¶ 37 variable state, such as their different aging), by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 maximum voltage at the end of the charging phase) and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 minimum voltage at the end of the discharging phase); —
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 by combining the non-transitory computer readable medium taught by Kim `646 a non-transitory computer readable medium to perform the process comprising: calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; taught by Brun for the benefit of improving the carrying out of the diagnosis of the state of the battery [Brun: ¶ 5].
Kim `646 in view of Brun fail to teach, — and calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of:(i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and(ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Duan discloses, — and calculating (Fig. 2, Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) 76), for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 42 capacity retention function; Col. 11. Ln. 56 A ratio of the reference amp-hour value to the beginning-of-life amp-hour value may be computed) which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 38 As the battery ages, the battery capacity may be expected to decrease), the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 9. Ln. 21 reference capacity value, χ), being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition), and(ii) a second SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 48 χo is an beginning-of-life capacity value), calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 33 mean and the standard deviation may be used to compute the reference capacity) of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 sliding window may be selected), which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 The sliding window 50 may include a fixed number, n, of estimated battery capacity values) for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition) which are connected in series within the battery unit (Fig. 2. N battery cells 72), and the SoH ratio decreases (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 65 numerator may decrease so that the capacity retention percentage decreases) as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun by combining the non-transitory computer readable medium taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun a non-transitory computer readable medium to perform the process comprising: calculating, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of:(i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and (ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits; disclosed by Duan for the benefit of determining an SOH of a battery by estimating the battery capacity to maintain acceptable vehicle performance [Duan: Col. 6, Ln. 41].
Regarding Claim 20, Kim `646 teaches, an information processing system (Fig. 1, ¶ 40 wireless charging system) comprising: a rechargeable battery (Fig. 2, ¶ 14 battery cell of a plurality of battery cells); and an information processing apparatus (Fig. 2, wireless power receiver 142), wherein the rechargeable battery comprises a plurality of battery units (Fig. 2, battery cell 262), each of the battery units comprises a plurality of cells or a plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2, battery cell 262), and the information processing apparatus comprises an SoH calculator (Fig. 2, charging controller 202) to calculate an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 2, ¶ 16 charging controller is configured to variably apply a magnitude of the threshold voltage based on a state of health (SOH)) for each of the plurality of battery units on the basis of time-series measurement data related to an electric power applied to each of the plurality of battery units in the rechargeable battery (Fig. 2, ¶ 14 battery cell of a plurality of battery cells); a maximum/minimum voltage SoH (Fig. 2, cell balancing unit 252) calculator to detect, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum voltage or a minimum voltage among voltages applied to the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH) in the corresponding battery unit on the basis of the measurement data (Fig. 2, ¶ 69 gives higher priority to a battery cell 262 having a small SOH), —
Kim `646 fails to teach, — and calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; and an SoH ratio calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and (ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Brun teaches, and calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH (Fig. 4, ¶ 14 computation of the state of health SOH) which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit (Fig. 4, ¶ 37 variable state, such as their different aging), by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 maximum voltage at the end of the charging phase) and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed (Fig. 4, ¶ 18 minimum voltage at the end of the discharging phase); —
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 by combining the information processing system comprising an SOH calculator taught by Kim `646 with an SOH calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, a maximum/minimum voltage SoH which represents an SoH of a most deteriorated cell or battery subunit within the battery unit, by replacing a voltage of the battery unit with the maximum voltage when charging of the battery unit is performed and the minimum voltage when discharging of the battery unit is performed; taught by Brun for the benefit of improving the carrying out of the diagnosis of the state of the battery [Brun: ¶ 5].
Kim `646 in view of Brun fail to teach, — and an SoH ratio calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and (ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits.
In analogous art, Duan discloses, — and an SoH ratio calculator (Fig. 2, Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) 76) to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 42 capacity retention function; Col. 11. Ln. 56 A ratio of the reference amp-hour value to the beginning-of-life amp-hour value may be computed) which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 38 As the battery ages, the battery capacity may be expected to decrease), the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 9. Ln. 21 reference capacity value, χ), being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition), and(ii) a second SoH (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 48 χo is an beginning-of-life capacity value), calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 33 mean and the standard deviation may be used to compute the reference capacity) of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 sliding window may be selected), which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data (Fig. 2. Col. 7. Ln. 50 The sliding window 50 may include a fixed number, n, of estimated battery capacity values) for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition) which are connected in series within the battery unit (Fig. 2. N battery cells 72), and the SoH ratio decreases (Fig. 2. Col. 10. Ln. 65 numerator may decrease so that the capacity retention percentage decreases) as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits (Fig. 2 Col. 10. Ln. 52 a percentage of capacity that is retained from the initial condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun by combining the information processing system comprising an SOH calculator taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun with an SoH ratio calculator to calculate, for each of the plurality of battery units, an SoH ratio which indicates a degree of internal deterioration unevenness within the battery unit, the SoH ratio being a ratio of: (i) a first SoH, being the maximum/minimum voltage SoH reflecting the most deteriorated cell or battery subunit, and(ii) a second SoH, calculated based on a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values of the battery unit derived from the time-series measurement data, which depends on all of the cells or the battery subunits in the battery unit, wherein both the first SoH and the second SoH are derived from the time-series measurement data for a single unit period to determine the internal deterioration unevenness among the plurality of cells or the plurality of battery subunits which are connected in series within the battery unit, and the SoH ratio decreases as the deterioration of a part of the cells or battery subunits in the battery unit progresses more than other cells or battery subunits; disclosed by Duan for the benefit of determining an SOH of a battery by estimating the battery capacity to maintain acceptable vehicle performance [Duan: Col. 6, Ln. 41].
Claim(s) 2, 15, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US 2021/0031646 A1) (herein after Kim `646) in view of Brun-Buisson (US 2014/0077764 A1) (herein after Brun) in view of Duan et al (US 10,793,008 B2) (herein after Duan), and further in view of Kim et al (US 2020/0282861 A1) (herein after Kim `861).
Regarding Claim 2, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 1, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, he information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculated SoH ratio of the battery unit represents how much the cell or the battery subunit in which deterioration most progresses in the battery unit progresses in deterioration compared with other cells or battery subunits in the battery unit.
In analogous art, Kim `861 teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculated SoH ratio of the battery unit represents how much the cell or the battery subunit in which deterioration (Fig. 1, ¶ 42 aging) most progresses in the battery unit progresses in deterioration compared with other cells or battery subunits in the battery unit (Fig. 1, ¶ 42 aging of each of the battery cells 112 is differentiated).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an information processing apparatus wherein, the calculated SoH ratio of the battery unit represents how much the cell or the battery subunit in which deterioration most progresses in the battery unit progresses in deterioration compared with other cells or battery subunits in the battery unit; taught by Kim `861 for the benefit of setting the charging/discharging time according to the consumption patterns of the plurality of batteries in order to minimize capacity loss. [Kim `861: ¶ 41].
Regarding Claim 15, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 1, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the SoH is a ratio of a full-charge capacity at an evaluation time point to a full-charge capacity defined in specification of the battery unit.
In analogous art, Kim `861 teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the SoH is a ratio of a full-charge capacity at an evaluation time point (Fig. 1, ¶ 39 'a decreased value') to a full-charge capacity defined in specification (Fig. 1, ¶ 36 'an initial value') of the battery unit (Fig. 1, ¶ 36 ratio of 'a decreased value' to 'an initial value').
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an information processing apparatus wherein, the SoH is a ratio of a full-charge capacity at an evaluation time point to a full-charge capacity defined in specification of the battery unit; taught by Kim `861 for the benefit of setting the charging/discharging time according to the consumption patterns of the plurality of batteries in order to minimize capacity loss. [Kim `861: ¶ 41].
Regarding Claim 16, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 1, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the SoH is a ratio of a full-charge capacity at a second time point to a full-charge capacity at a first time point of the battery unit.
In analogous art, Kim `861 further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the SoH is a ratio of a full-charge capacity at a second time point (Fig. 1, ¶ 39 charging/discharging at a proper ratio, turn-on time (pulse width)) to a full-charge capacity at a first time point (Fig. 1, ¶ 39 charging/discharging at a proper ratio, turn-on time (pulse width)) of the battery unit.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an information processing apparatus wherein, the SoH is a ratio of a full-charge capacity at a second time point to a full-charge capacity at a first time point of the battery unit; taught by Kim `861 for the benefit of setting the charging/discharging time according to the consumption patterns of the plurality of batteries in order to minimize capacity loss. [Kim `861: ¶ 41].
Claim(s) 5, 6, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US 2021/0031646 A1) (herein after Kim `646) in view of Brun-Buisson (US 2014/0077764 A1) (herein after Brun) in view of Duan et al (US 10,793,008 B2) (herein after Duan), and further in view of HWANG et al (US 2015/0168498 A1) (herein after Hwang).
Regarding Claim 5, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 3, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detector calculates a standard deviation of SoH ratios calculated at a plurality time points within a predetermined period for each of the battery units, determines a threshold value on the basis of the standard deviation, and detects the alert target battery unit by comparing the SoH ratio with the threshold value after an elapse of the predetermined period.
Hwang further teaches, the information processing apparatus (Fig. 1, operating module 140) according to claim 3, wherein the detector calculates a standard deviation of SoH ratios (Fig. 1, ¶ 29 standard- deviation-trough-value according to a SOH) calculated at a plurality time points within a predetermined period (Fig. 4, ¶ 24 predetermined sampling; Note: Fig. 4 illustrates Fig 2, see ¶ 20; Fig 2 is part of Fig 1, see ¶ 18) for each of the battery units, determines a threshold value (Fig. 2, ¶ 40 AHvalley) on the basis of the standard deviation, and detects the alert target battery unit by comparing the SoH ratio with the threshold value after an elapse of the predetermined period (Fig. 2, ¶ 10 AHvalley, AHoriginal; Examiner interpretation: AHvalley compared with AHoriginal).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with the information processing apparatus wherein, the detector calculates a standard deviation of SoH ratios calculated at a plurality time points within a predetermined period for each of the battery units, determines a threshold value on the basis of the standard deviation, and detects the alert target battery unit by comparing the SoH ratio with the threshold value after an elapse of the predetermined period; taught by Hwang for the benefit of obtaining a battery SOH and amending the battery set SOC without a lot of time for building a database. [Hwang: ¶ 44].
Regarding Claim 6, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan in view of Hwang teaches the limitations of claim 5, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the detector determines the threshold value by multiples of the standard deviation.
Hwang further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the detector determines the threshold value by multiples of the standard deviation (Fig. 4, ¶ 41 standard deviation- trough-values, degraded 20 times, 30 times, 40 times, and 50 times).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with the information processing apparatus wherein, the detector determines the threshold value by multiples of the standard deviation; taught by Hwang for the benefit of obtaining a battery SOH and amending the battery set SOC without a lot of time for building a database. [Hwang: ¶ 44].
Regarding Claim 17, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 1, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the SoH calculator calculates the SoH on the basis of a general relationship between an SoH and a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values for a unit period with respect to the battery unit.
In analogous art, Hwang further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the SoH calculator calculates the SoH on the basis of a general relationship between an SoH and a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values (Fig. 1, ¶ 29 standard- deviation-trough-value according to a SOH) for a unit period (Fig. 4, ¶ 24 predetermined sampling; Note: Fig. 4 illustrates Fig 2, see ¶ 20; Fig 2 is part of Fig 1, see ¶ 18) with respect to the battery unit.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an information processing apparatus wherein, the SoH calculator calculates the SoH on the basis of a general relationship between an SoH and a standard deviation or a variance of voltage values for a unit period with respect to the battery unit; taught by Hwang for the benefit of obtaining a battery SOH and amending the battery set SOC without a lot of time for building a database. [Hwang: ¶ 44].
Claim(s) 9 – 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US 2021/0031646 A1) (herein after Kim `646) in view of Brun-Buisson (US 2014/0077764 A1) (herein after Brun) in view of Duan et al (US 10,793,008 B2) (herein after Duan), and further in view of Subbaraman et al (US 2019/0036356 A1) (herein after Subbaraman).
Regarding Claim 9, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 8, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an output circuit to output information indicating an alert corresponding to the deteriorated battery unit when the deteriorated battery unit is detected based on the SoH, and to output information indicating an alert corresponding to the cell or the battery subunit in the alert target cell when the alert target battery unit is detected based on the SoH ratio.
In analogous art, Subbaraman teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an output circuit (Fig. 1, display device 180) to output information indicating an alert (Fig. 1, ¶ 25 lifetime of the battery pack 104) corresponding to the deteriorated battery unit when the deteriorated battery unit is detected based on the SoH (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a numeric capacity value, of the battery pack 104), and to output information indicating an alert corresponding to the cell or the battery subunit in the alert target cell when the alert target battery unit is detected based on the SoH ratio (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a percentage of the nominal capacity of the battery pack 104).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an output circuit to output information indicating an alert corresponding to the deteriorated battery unit when the deteriorated battery unit is detected based on the SoH, and to output information indicating an alert corresponding to the cell or the battery subunit in the alert target cell when the alert target battery unit is detected based on the SoH ratio; taught by Subbaraman for the benefit of being able to accurately estimate the SOH of a battery while connected to a load [Subbaraman: ¶ 6 ].
Regarding Claim 10, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan view of Subbaraman teaches the limitations of claim 9, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the output circuit outputs information indicating that at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell is normal when the deteriorated battery unit is not detected based on the SoH and when the alert target battery unit is not detected based on the SoH ratio.
Subbaraman further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the output circuit outputs information indicating that at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell is normal (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 output of the status of the battery cells 112 in the battery pack 104) when the deteriorated battery unit is not detected based on the SoH (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a numeric capacity value, of the battery pack 104) and when the alert target battery unit is not detected based on the SoH ratio (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a percentage of the nominal capacity of the battery pack 104).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan view of Subbaraman by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan view of Subbaraman with an output circuit wherein, the output circuit outputs information indicating that at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell is normal when the deteriorated battery unit is not detected based on the SoH and when the alert target battery unit is not detected based on the SoH ratio; taught by Subbaraman for the benefit of being able to accurately estimate the SOH of a battery while connected to a load [Subbaraman: ¶ 6 ].
Regarding Claim 11, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 8, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an output circuit to output information indicating that at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell is normal when the deteriorated battery unit is not detected based on the SoH and when the alert target battery unit is not detected based on the SoH ratio.
In analogous art, Subbaraman teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an output circuit (Fig. 1, display device 180) to output information indicating that at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell is normal (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 output of the status of the battery cells 112 in the battery pack 104) when the deteriorated battery unit is not detected based on the SoH (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a numeric capacity value, of the battery pack 104) and when the alert target battery unit is not detected based on the SoH ratio (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a percentage of the nominal capacity of the battery pack 104).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an information processing apparatus further comprising, an output circuit to output information indicating that at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell is normal when the deteriorated battery unit is not detected based on the SoH and when the alert target battery unit is not detected based on the SoH ratio; taught by Subbaraman for the benefit of being able to accurately estimate the SOH of a battery while connected to a load [Subbaraman: ¶ 6 ].
Regarding Claim 12, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan teaches the limitations of claim 3, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim3, further comprising an output circuit to output information on a processing result of at least any one of the SoH calculator, the maximum/minimum voltage SoH calculator, the SoH ratio calculator and the detector.
In analogous art, Subbaraman teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an output circuit (Fig. 1, display device 180) to output information on a processing result of at least any one of the SoH calculator, the maximum/minimum voltage SoH calculator, the SoH ratio calculator and the detector (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a numeric capacity value, of the battery pack 104; ¶ 44 the SoH as a percentage of the nominal capacity of the battery pack 104).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan by combining the information processing apparatus taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan with an output circuit to output information on a processing result of at least any one of the SoH calculator, the maximum/minimum voltage SoH calculator, the SoH ratio calculator and the detector; taught by Subbaraman for the benefit of being able to accurately estimate the SOH of a battery while connected to a load [Subbaraman: ¶ 6].
Regarding Claim 13, Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan view of Subbaraman teaches the limitations of claim 12, which this claim depends on.
Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan fail to teach, the information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the detector selects one of categories corresponding to a plurality of alerts for at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell on the basis of at least any one of the first SoH, the second SoH, and the SoH ratio, and the output circuit outputs information indicating the selected category.
Subbaraman further teaches, the information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the detector (Fig. 1, vehicle range/device remaining runtime estimation 172) selects one of categories corresponding to a plurality of alerts for at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 status of the battery cells 112) on the basis of at least any one of the first SoH, the second SoH, and the SoH ratio, and the output circuit outputs information indicating the selected category (Fig. 1, ¶ 44 the SoH as a numeric capacity value, of the battery pack 104; ¶ 44 the SoH as a percentage of the nominal capacity of the battery pack 104).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan view of Subbaraman by combining the detector taught by Kim `646 in view of Brun in view of Duan view of Subbaraman with a detector wherein, the detector selects one of categories corresponding to a plurality of alerts for at least any one of the rechargeable battery, the battery unit, the battery subunit and the cell on the basis of at least any one of the SoH, the maximum/minimum voltage SoH and the SoH ratio, and the output circuit outputs information indicating the selected category; taught by Subbaraman for the benefit of being able to accurately estimate the SOH of a battery while connected to a load [Subbaraman: ¶ 6 ]
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Basu et al (US 2016/0187428 A1) teaches, an information processing apparatus to calculate an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 1, system 100 for estimating a state of health (SOH) of a battery 110).
JUNG et al (US 2018/0145531 A1) teaches, an information processing apparatus to calculate an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 1, the battery charging apparatus estimates a state of charge (SOC) and a state of health (SOH)).
Jiang et al (US 2018/0364312 A1) teaches, an information processing apparatus to calculate an SoH (State of Health) (Fig. 1, BMU 104 obtains the battery SOH).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH O. NYAMOGO whose telephone number is (469)295-9276. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 A to 5:00 P CT.
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/JOSEPH O. NYAMOGO/
Examiner
Art Unit 2858
/FARHANA A HOQUE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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