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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The references listed in the Information Disclosure Statement filed on 07/31/2023have been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 forms).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Frost et al. [US Patent Number 10,048,320 B2 (as submitted in IDS 07/31/2023); hereinafter “Frost”].
Regarding claim 1, Frost teaches a state of power (SOP) measurement system (battery system power capability – C6L63-67) for a battery system, the SOP measurement system comprising:
a set of sensors configured to measure a set of parameters of the battery system, the set of parameters including at least a state of charge (SOC) and a current or voltage of the battery system (sensors 106 may provide battery control system 104 with information used to estimate a SOC, estimate an impedance, measure a current, measure voltage of a battery pack – C4L19-24); and
a control system configured to determine an initial power command corresponding to a potential SOP of the battery system and perform an iterative power command searching process including (forward-iterative method - C6L4-26):
preparing the battery system by charging the battery system to a fully-charged SOC; discharging the battery system to a set of SOC breakpoints until the battery system reaches a fully-discharged SOC (At 412, based on the values determined at 408, a SOC of the battery system may be determined - C7L49-60);
after reaching each SOC breakpoint, applying a power command as a constant power pulse to the battery system, the power command being the initial power command or a subsequently updated power command (Based on the information determined in steps 446-442 (e.g., OCV, V.sub.1, V.sub.2, V.sub.diff, and a current limit), a predicted battery voltage when the battery system operates at its current limit for the present iteration may be determined at 444. At 446, it may be determined whether a time associated with the present iteration has reached a first iteration threshold (e.g., a short term iteration threshold associated with 2 seconds in the future from an initial present state or the like). If so, the method 400 may proceed to 448, where the voltage determined at 444 may be output for use in connection with determining a future estimated power capability of the battery system at the future iteration time associated with the first iteration threshold. - C8L60-67);
when a current or voltage of the battery system exceeds an error tolerance, updating the initial power command and repeating the iterative power command searching process (first iteration threshold – C9L1-37); and
when the current or voltage of the battery system does not exceed the error tolerance (second, third iteration threshold – C9L1-37), outputting the initial power command or the subsequently updated power command as a measured SOP of the battery system (At 458, an estimated and/or otherwise predicted power capability of the battery system for the various iteration thresholds (e.g., short term and/or long term thresholds) may be determined at 458 based on the current and/or voltage information output - C9L20-30).
Regarding claim 2, Frost teaches the initial power command is a power based on an SOP estimation algorithm to be validated, and wherein the SOP estimation algorithm to be validated is one of a battery model-based SOP estimation algorithm (circuit model – C7L33-37) and a machine learning-based SOP estimation algorithm.
Regarding claim 3, Frost teaches the initial power command is a power determined using a pulse-based battery test (steps 422, 426, 428, 432, 436, 438, 446-442 C8L9-65).
Regarding claim 4, Frost teaches the pulse-based battery test is one of a hybrid power pulse characterization (HPPC) test, a constant voltage (CV) test, a constant current (CC) test, and a constant current, constant voltage (CCCV) or constant power (CP) test (steps 422, 426, 428, 432, 436, 438, 446-442 C8L9-65).
Regarding claim 5, Frost teaches the fully-charged SOC is approximately 100% and the fully-discharged SOC is approximately 0% (steps 422, 426, 428, 432, 436, 438, 446-442 C8L9-65).
Regarding claim 6, Frost teaches the set of parameters of the battery system further includes an internal temperature of the battery system; the battery system is placed in a thermal chamber that is temperature-controlled by the control system; and the preparing of the battery system further includes the internal temperature of the battery system achieving a desired temperature (operating temperature information - C4L52-59, C5L3-5).
Regarding claim 7, Frost teaches the iterative power capability searching technique further comprises determining an open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery system after the discharging and a rest period (open circuit voltage - C5L60-67, C7L28-32, C8L1-5, C8L44-46, C8L60-64).
Regarding claim 8, Frost teaches the discharging of the battery system is a constant discharge rate (time constant - C7L38-48).
Regarding claim 9, Frost teaches the discharging of the battery system is a vehicle drive cycle discharge or a load profile for an application of interest (control action based on the estimated battery system power capability. For example, in some embodiments, an available drivetrain acceleration, vehicle top speed, and/or drivetrain torque may be adjusted by a vehicle control system based on the estimated available battery system power capability - C9L30-37).
Regarding claim 10, Frost teaches the battery system is a high voltage battery system of an electrified powertrain of an electrified vehicle, and wherein the control system is configured to output the measured SOP of the high voltage battery system into a controller of the electrified vehicle that utilizes the measured SOP of the high voltage battery system for control of the electrified powertrain (control action based on the estimated battery system power capability. For example, in some embodiments, an available drivetrain acceleration, vehicle top speed, and/or drivetrain torque may be adjusted by a vehicle control system based on the estimated available battery system power capability - C9L30-37).
Regarding claim 11, Frost teaches a state of power (SOP) measurement method for a battery system (battery system power capability – C6L63-67), the SOP measurement method comprising:
providing a set of sensors configured to measure a set of parameters of the battery system, the set of parameters including at least a state of charge (SOC) and a current or voltage of the battery system (sensors 106 may provide battery control system 104 with information used to estimate a SOC, estimate an impedance, measure a current, measure voltage of a battery pack – C4L19-24); and
providing a control system configured to determine an initial power command corresponding to a potential SOP of the battery system and perform an iterative power command searching process including (forward-iterative method - C6L4-26):
preparing the battery system by charging the battery system to a fully-charged SOC; discharging the battery system to a set of SOC breakpoints until the battery system reaches a fully-discharged SOC (At 412, based on the values determined at 408, a SOC of the battery system may be determined - C7L49-60);
after reaching each SOC breakpoint, applying a power command as a constant power pulse to the battery system, the power command being the initial power command or a subsequently updated power command (Based on the information determined in steps 446-442 (e.g., OCV, V.sub.1, V.sub.2, V.sub.diff, and a current limit), a predicted battery voltage when the battery system operates at its current limit for the present iteration may be determined at 444. At 446, it may be determined whether a time associated with the present iteration has reached a first iteration threshold (e.g., a short term iteration threshold associated with 2 seconds in the future from an initial present state or the like). If so, the method 400 may proceed to 448, where the voltage determined at 444 may be output for use in connection with determining a future estimated power capability of the battery system at the future iteration time associated with the first iteration threshold. - C8L60-67);
when a current or voltage of the battery system exceeds an error tolerance, updating the initial power command and repeating the iterative power command searching process (first iteration threshold – C9L1-37); and
when the current or voltage of the battery system does not exceed the error tolerance (second, third iteration threshold – C9L1-37), outputting the initial power command or the subsequently updated power command as a measured SOP of the battery system (At 458, an estimated and/or otherwise predicted power capability of the battery system for the various iteration thresholds (e.g., short term and/or long term thresholds) may be determined at 458 based on the current and/or voltage information output - C9L20-30).
Regarding claim 12, Frost teaches the initial power command is a power based on an SOP estimation algorithm to be validated, and wherein the SOP estimation algorithm to be validated is one of a battery model-based SOP estimation algorithm (circuit model – C7L33-37) and a machine learning-based SOP estimation algorithm.
Regarding claim 13, Frost teaches the initial power command is a power using a pulse-based battery test (steps 422, 426, 428, 432, 436, 438, 446-442 C8L9-65)
Regarding claim 14, Frost teaches the pulse-based battery test is one of a hybrid power pulse characterization (HPPC) test, a constant voltage (CV) test, a constant current (CC) test, and a constant current, constant voltage (CCCV) or constant power (CP) test (steps 422, 426, 428, 432, 436, 438, 446-442 C8L9-65)
Regarding claim 15, Frost teaches the fully-charged SOC is approximately 100% and the fully-discharged SOC is approximately 0% (steps 422, 426, 428, 432, 436, 438, 446-442 C8L9-65)
Regarding claim 16, Frost teaches the set of parameters of the battery system further includes an internal temperature of the battery system; the battery system is placed in a thermal chamber that is temperature-controlled by the control system; and the preparing of the battery system further includes the internal temperature of the battery system achieving a desired temperature (operating temperature information - C4L52-59, C5L3-5).
Regarding claim 17, Frost teaches the iterative power capability searching technique further comprises determining an open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery system after the discharging and a rest period (open circuit voltage - C5L60-67, C7L28-32, C8L1-5, C8L44-46, C8L60-64).
Regarding claim 18, Frost teaches the discharging of the battery system is a constant discharge rate (time constant - C7L38-48).
Regarding claim 19, Frost teaches the discharging of the battery system is a vehicle drive cycle discharge or a load profile for an application of interest (control action based on the estimated battery system power capability. For example, in some embodiments, an available drivetrain acceleration, vehicle top speed, and/or drivetrain torque may be adjusted by a vehicle control system based on the estimated available battery system power capability - C9L30-37).
Regarding claim 20, Frost teaches the battery system is a high voltage battery system of an electrified powertrain of an electrified vehicle, and wherein the control system is configured to output the measured SOP of the high voltage battery system into a controller of the electrified vehicle that utilizes the measured SOP of the high voltage battery system for control of the electrified powertrain (control action based on the estimated battery system power capability. For example, in some embodiments, an available drivetrain acceleration, vehicle top speed, and/or drivetrain torque may be adjusted by a vehicle control system based on the estimated available battery system power capability - C9L30-37).
Relevant Prior Art / Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Redey (US Patent Application Publication 2012/0310565 A1) discloses an apparatus and method for determining battery/cells performance, age, and health;
Cawthorne et al. (US Patent Application Publication 2005/0077867 A1) discloses a method of determining battery power limits for an energy storage system of a hybrid electric vehicle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICKY GO whose telephone number is (571)270-3340. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arleen M. Vazquez can be reached on (571) 272-2619. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICKY GO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857