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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GOURARI et al. (US 2023/0223766 A1, hereinafter GOURARI) in view of NAKAO et al. (US 2013/0106356 A1, hereinafter NAKAO).
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Regarding claims 1 and 8 (claim 1 is considered representative for limitation matching purposes), GOURARI discloses a storage battery control device (See Fig.2A, Item#206) configured to control a power storage system including a plurality of storage batteries connected in series (See Fig.2A, Items#201-204) and a bypass circuit configured to bypass each of the storage batteries (See Fig.2A, Items#SW1-2 to SW(N)-2), wherein
the storage battery control device is configured to execute
a first process of causing each of the plurality of storage batteries to discharge while switching the storage batteries caused to be bypassed by the bypass circuit (See Fig.6 and Pars.74-72, discloses monitoring cells while discharging and disconnecting the cell which is determined to be discharging at a higher rate than the remaining battery cells); and
a second process of completing the discharge of the plurality of storage batteries after the first process (See Fig.6, Steps #605-606 and Pars.96-99, disclose when the adverse condition is removed [reconnection condition is detected], the bypassed battery is reconnected and discharging continues).
the first process is executed so that available output power of the storage battery caused to discharge does not fall below minimum necessary power of a power supply destination (The examiner explains that ensuring that battery cells are equalized, allows all the cells of the battery to be discharged to a minimum value. Without balancing the battery discharging stops when one of the battery cells is discharged to a minimum discharge value even if the remaining cells still have available capacity to provide to the load. Therefore, balancing battery cells ensures that the battery remains available for a longer period by providing the full capacity remaining in each of its cells).
However, GOURARI does not disclose battery bypass switch is controlled as to reduce a difference between remaining discharge amounts until discharge completion of the plurality of storage batteries and wherein the first process is executed until an open circuit voltage (OCV) or a state of charge (SOC) of each of the storage batteries decreases to be equal to or smaller than a threshold value of the OCV or the SOC set for each of the storage batteries.
NAKAO teaches a battery control circuit wherein a battery relay switch is controlled to reduce a difference between remaining discharge amounts until discharge completion of the plurality of storage batteries and wherein the first process is executed until an open circuit voltage (OCV) or a state of charge (SOC) of each of the storage batteries decreases to be equal to or smaller than a threshold value of the OCV or the SOC set for each of the storage batteries (See Figs.2,4 and 7A , discloses receiving the plurality of open circuit voltages of each of the cells and controlling the discharge of the cells which have an OCV higher than that at the target value until all the cells reach the target value).
GOURARI and NAKAO are analogous art since they both deal with battery cell balancing.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed GOURARI with the teachings of NAKAO by monitoring the OCV of each of the cells and bypassing the cell with the lowest OCV until the remaining cells catch up in addition to bypassing the cell with a higher discharge rate for the benefit of prolonging the availability of the battery by ensuring that the cells reach the end of discharge at the same time.
Regarding claim 7, GOURARI discloses a power storage system comprising:
a plurality of storage batteries connected in series (See Fig.2A, Items#201-204);
a bypass circuit configured to bypass each of the storage batteries; and
a storage battery control device configured to control the bypass circuit (See Fig.2A, Items#SW1-2 to SW(N)-2),
wherein the storage battery control device (See Fig.2A, Item#206) is configured to execute:
a first process of causing each of the plurality of storage batteries to discharge while switching the storage batteries caused to be bypassed by the bypass circuit (See Fig.6 and Pars.74-72, discloses monitoring cells while discharging and disconnecting the cell which is determined to be discharging at a higher rate than the remaining battery cells); and
a second process of completing the discharge of the plurality of storage batteries after the first process (See Fig.6, Steps #605-606 and Pars.96-99, disclose when the adverse condition is removed [reconnection condition is detected], the bypassed battery is reconnected, and discharging continues).
the first process is executed so that available output power of the storage battery caused to discharge does not fall below minimum necessary power of a power supply destination (The examiner explains that ensuring that battery cells are equalized, allows all the cells of the battery to be discharged to a minimum value. Without balancing the battery discharging stops when one of the battery cells is discharged to a minimum discharge value even if the remaining cells still have available capacity to provide to the load. Therefore, balancing battery cells ensures that the battery remains available for a longer period by providing the full capacity remaining in each of its cells).
However, GOURARI does not disclose battery bypass switch is controlled as to reduce a difference between remaining discharge amounts until discharge completion of the plurality of storage batteries and wherein the first process is executed until an open circuit voltage (OCV) or a state of charge (SOC) of each of the storage batteries decreases to be equal to or smaller than a threshold value of the OCV or the SOC set for each of the storage batteries.
NAKAO teaches a battery control circuit wherein a battery relay switch is controlled to reduce a difference between remaining discharge amounts until discharge completion of the plurality of storage batteries and wherein the first process is executed until an open circuit voltage (OCV) or a state of charge (SOC) of each of the storage batteries decreases to be equal to or smaller than a threshold value of the OCV or the SOC set for each of the storage batteries (See Figs.2,4 and 7A , discloses receiving the plurality of open circuit voltages of each of the cells and controlling the discharge of the cells which have an OCV higher than that at the target value until all the cells reach the target value).
GOURARI and NAKAO are analogous art since they both deal with battery cell balancing.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed GOURARI with the teachings of NAKAO by monitoring the OCV of each of the cells and bypassing the cell with the lowest OCV until the remaining cells catch up in addition to bypassing the cell with a higher discharge rate for the benefit of prolonging the availability of the battery by ensuring that the cells reach the end of discharge at the same time.
Regarding claim 2, GOURARI and NAKAO disclose the storage battery control device according to claim 1 as discussed above,
wherein the first process is executed according to a predetermined discharge bypass schedule (See GOURARI, Fig.6, discloses monitoring the cells in each stack and determining the discharge bypass schedule based on the results. Pars.74-75 disclose this is done based on the monitored rate of discharge. GOURARI as modified by NAKAO, discloses determining the discharging amount of each cell based on the measured OCV and closeness to the target level), and
in the discharge bypass schedule, a combination of two or more storage batteries caused to discharge and a storage battery caused to be bypassed is determined for each period so that a difference between remaining discharge amounts until discharge completion of the plurality of storage batteries is reduced (See NAKAO, Fig.4 and Pars78-76, disclose the discharging time of each cell is determined based on its detected OCV/SOC and distance from target SOC, the plurality of cells are discharged until the target SOC is reached) in a state where the available output power of the plurality of storage batteries is maintained to be equal to or greater than the minimum necessary power of the power supply destination (The examiner explains that ensuring that battery cells are equalized, allows all the cells of the battery to be discharged to a minimum value. Without balancing the battery discharging stops when one of the battery cells is discharged to a minimum discharge value even if the remaining cells still have available capacity to provide to the load. Therefore, balancing battery cells ensures that the battery remains available for a longer period by providing the full capacity remaining in each of its cells).
Regarding claim 4, GOURARI and NAKAO disclose the storage battery control device according to claim 1, wherein a state of each of the storage batteries is estimated before start of the first process, and it is determined whether to update the discharge bypass schedule based on an estimation result (See GOURARI, Fig.6 and Pars.74-75, disclose that the bypass schedule, interpreted to mean the battery which is bypassed is determined based on steps #601-602. The examiner explains that a different measurement changes identity of the cell which is bypassed and GOURARI as modified by NAKAO discloses the schedule i.e. the discharge time is set according to the distance from the OCV target).
Regarding claim 5, GOURARI and NAKAO disclose the storage battery control device according to claim 1 as discussed above, wherein, in the first process, storage batteries whose OCV or SOC decreases to the threshold value are sequentially bypassed (See NAKAO, Figs.4-5 and 8A, disclose the process of discharging the cell moves from one cell to the next until all the cells reach the target OCV).
Regarding claim 6, GOURARI and NAKAO disclose the storage battery control device according to claim 1, wherein the second process is executed until the OCV or the SOC of each of the storage batteries decreases to a threshold value of the OCV or the SOC set for each of the storage batteries (See Figs.4-5 and 8A disclose the cell discharge continues until all cells reach the target OCV, after which the process ends [S122, END]).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GOURARI in view NAKAO and in further view of TAKEGAMI et al. (US 2020/0393518 A1, hereinafter TAKEGAMI).
Regarding claim 3, GOURARI and NAKAO disclose the storage battery control device according to claim 1 as discussed above, wherein a state of each of the storage batteries is estimated before start of the first process (See NAKAO, Fig.7A, discloses acquiring OCVs at step#S110 before starting the process and determining discharge ending condition at step S112).
However, GOURARI and NAKAO do not disclose it is determined whether to update the threshold value based on an estimation result.
TAKEGAMI discloses a battery diagnostic device and method comprising updating the SOC-OCV relationship based on battery degradation.
GOURARI, NAKAO and TAKEGAMI are analogous art since they all deal with battery monitoring and diagnosis.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention disclosed by GOURARI and NAKAO with the teachings od TAKEGAMI by updating the OCV threshold based on the battery degradation value for the benefit of protecting the battery by taking into account the changed OCV threshold due to degradation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED H OMAR whose telephone number is (571)270-7165. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am -7:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Drew Dunn can be reached at 571-272-2312. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AHMED H OMAR/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859