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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Non-Final office is a response to the papers filed on 01/19/2023.
Claims 1-19 are pending.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (Pub. No. 20160214500 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 12, Kim discloses:
A method of inspecting an electrified vehicle, the method comprising:
determining, by a battery controller, a charge time of a battery in the electrified vehicle in each of voltage period corresponding to different charge current values, respectively (see Fig. 3-4, see par [0015-0016], each difference gradient being a change rate of the voltage differences with respect to the current differences in a period….. see par [0110-0113], in the period to the present from the past that goes back the predetermined time T1 from the present….. [wherein T1-T4 charge time], see par [0166]); and
determining, by the battery controller, a state of health (SOH) of the battery based on charge times in one or more periods of the determined charge times in the periods (see par [0166-0169], the above computer simulation calculates the terminal current Ite and terminal voltage Vte, and SOC and SOH at each predetermined time interval dt in charging and discharging according to a predetermined charge-discharge story…., see par [0170-0173], see par [0206-0208], the state estimation model 126 can learn the relationship of the behavior of the change (gradient) of the terminal current vs. the terminal voltage with the SOC and SOH….).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses:
wherein the different charge current values are maintained in the plurality of voltage periods corresponding thereto, respectively (see Fig. 3-4, see par [0015-0016], each difference gradient being a change rate of the voltage differences with respect to the current differences in a period…..).
Regarding claim 11, Kim discloses:
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which a program for performing the method of claim 1 is recorded (see Fig. 2, storage device).
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.
Claims 3-4, 7, 13, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (Pub. No. 20160214500 A1) further in view of Michaela et al. (DE 102016101789 B4).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Kim discloses the time-series combination of the measured values of the operating parameters (voltage V, current I, internal impedance Z, temperature T) of the secondary battery (see par [0004-0006].
However Kim fails to disclose::
wherein the determining of charge times includes: checking whether a current charge environment of the determined charge times in the periods and a charge environment of charge times in periods determined in previous charge are a same; and updating the charge times in periods determined in the previous charge into the determined charge times in the periods when the battery controller concludes that the current charge environment and the charge environment are the same.
Thus, Michaela discloses:
wherein the determining of charge times includes: checking whether a current charge environment of the determined charge times in the periods and a charge environment of charge times in periods determined in previous charge are a same; (see page 8, par 3-5, the actual data (804) may include characterized behaviors such as SOH (dead cell information, weak cell information, charge current, capacity, maximum discharge, maximum rate of charge, heat generation, temperature change, etc (806).The adaptive algorithm can compare (808) current data (804), including the characterized behavior, with the previous data (810)…. [wherein the charge temperature is the charge environment….); and
updating the charge times in periods determined in the previous charge into the determined charge times in the periods when the battery controller concludes that the current charge environment and the charge environment are the same (see page 8, par 3-5, The adaptive algorithm updates the output parameters (820) and updates the timeline (822), e.g. the predicted life of the battery 102, for input to the inference/estimation algorithm (802), e.g. to include the current data (804). Determine…..).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified a state estimation method, and a state estimation device of Kim to include checking whether a current charge environment of the determined charge times in the periods and a charge environment of charge times in periods determined in previous charge in order to provides safe operating conditions and optimizes battery usage (see Michaela page 3).
Regarding claim 4, Michaela discloses:
wherein the current charge environment includes a temperature of the battery and an external air temperature before charge of the battery is performed (see page 3-4, These models adapt to the existing work environments of real-time processing and save the control and work parameters….., the charge and power module 104 incorporates multiple control parameters; such as load voltage, charge current, stack balance monitor, temperature, and supply current to set the proper and safe battery 102 charge….).
Regarding claims 7 and 16, Michaela discloses:
wherein the updating further includes updating the determined charge times in the periods for at least one or more periods corresponding to the periods of the determined charge times in the periods of the charge times in periods determined in the previous charge (see page 8, The adaptive algorithm updates the previous data for future reference (818). The adaptive algorithm updates the output parameters (820) and updates the timeline (822), e.g. the predicted life of the battery 102, for input to the inference/estimation algorithm (802), e.g. to include the current data (804). Determine…..).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6, 8-10, 14-15, and 17-19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record does not teach or suggest the limitation as in the claims.
Conclusion
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/BRIAN NGO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851