DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 6, 10, 11, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LEE ET AL. (US 20190070972 A1) (hereinafter “LEE”).
With respect to Claim(s) 1, 10, LEE teaches an apparatus for controlling charging of an environment-friendly vehicle. The apparatus includes a high-voltage battery SOC determining unit configured to determine a state of charge (SOC) of a high-voltage battery that is a main power source, an auxiliary battery SOC determining unit configured to determine an SOC of an auxiliary battery that assists power of the high-voltage battery, and an auxiliary battery charging control unit configured to, when receiving a request for an operation of an engine for controlling heating, perform a control such that the auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage battery and the BRI of:
controlling a battery (See, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT),
…
identifying, by a controller, an estimated state of charge (SOC) value of a first battery based on a measured current of the first battery (See, e.g., ¶ 0040-0048, 0056-0090, 0097; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT);
setting, by the controller, an output voltage command value of a direct current (DC)-DC converter, which adjusts a voltage of a second battery and outputs the adjusted voltage to the first battery, based on the estimated SOC value (See, e.g., ¶ 0048, 0051, 0057, 0058, 0063, 0064, 0079-0085; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT);
and
adjusting, by the controller, the estimated SOC value based on the estimated SOC value and the output voltage command value (See, e.g., ¶ 0040-0048, 0056-0090, 0097; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
With respect to Claim(s) 11, LEE teaches an apparatus for controlling charging of an environment-friendly vehicle. The apparatus includes a high-voltage battery SOC determining unit configured to determine a state of charge (SOC) of a high-voltage battery that is a main power source, an auxiliary battery SOC determining unit configured to determine an SOC of an auxiliary battery that assists power of the high-voltage battery, and an auxiliary battery charging control unit configured to, when receiving a request for an operation of an engine for controlling heating, perform a control such that the auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage battery and the BRI of:
A battery power conversion apparatus (See, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT)
comprising:
a first battery (See, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT);
a second battery (See, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT);
a direct current (DC)-DC converter connected between the first and second batteries (See, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT)
and
configured to
adjust and output a voltage of the second battery to the first battery (See, e.g., ¶ 0048, 0051, 0057, 0058, 0063, 0064, 0079-0085; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT);
and
a controller (See, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT)
configured to
identify an estimated state of charge (SOC) value of the first battery based on a measured current of the first battery, set an output voltage command value of the DC-DC converter based on the estimated SOC VALUE, and adjust the estimated SOC value based on the estimated SOC value and the output voltage command value (See, e.g., ¶ 0040-0048, 0056-0090, 0097; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
With respect to Claim(s) 6, 16, LEE teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
LEE further teaches the BRI of:
wherein
the adjusting of the estimated SOC is performed upon the measured current being maintained below a preset measured level for a preset time period (See, e.g., ¶ 0040-0048, 0056-0090, 0097; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
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.
Claim(s) 2-4, 7-9, 12-14, 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the cited references of the parent claim(s) in view of TENMYO ET AL. (US 20150293183 A1) (hereinafter “TENMYO”).
With respect to Claim(s) 2, 12, LEE teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
LEE further teaches the BRI of:
the identifying of the estimated SOC.
However, LEE is lacking the explicit language of:
identifying an initial SOC value of the first battery; identifying a change in SOC value of the first battery by integrating the measured current of the first battery; and setting a value, which is obtained by adding the change in SOC value to the initial SOC value, as the estimated SOC.
TENMYO teaches Current-integration estimation unit estimates the SOC of a battery by integrating the value of the current flowing through the battery. Open-circuit voltage estimation unit estimates the open-circuit voltage value of the battery from a value that includes at least the measured voltage value of the battery and indicates the state of the battery, and identifies the SOC corresponding to the open-circuit voltage value. In neither charged nor discharged state, SOC determination unit employs the SOC estimated by open-circuit voltage estimation unit. In charged or discharged state, SOC determination unit employs the SOC estimated by current-integration estimation unit without change or after correction using the SOC estimated by open-circuit voltage estimation unit. In parallel with the SOC estimation, SOH estimation unit estimates the SOH of the battery based on the variation value of the SOC employed by SOC determination unit and the integrated current value in the time period required for the variation and the BRI of:
identifying an initial SOC value of the first battery; identifying a change in SOC value of the first battery by integrating the measured current of the first battery; and setting a value, which is obtained by adding the change in SOC value to the initial SOC value, as the estimated SOC (See, e.g., ¶ 0036, 0065, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include identifying an initial SOC value of the first battery; identifying a change in SOC value of the first battery by integrating the measured current of the first battery; and setting a value, which is obtained by adding the change in SOC value to the initial SOC value, as the estimated SOC.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to improve battery parameter estimation. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 3, 13, LEE, TENMYO teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
TENMYO further teaches the BRI of:
wherein
the identifying of the initial SOC includes setting the initial SOC value based on
an open circuit voltage (OCV) (See, e.g., ¶ 0003, 0006, 0008, 0024-0038, 0050-0060, 0072, 0078; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT)
and
a temperature of the first battery (See, e.g., ¶ 0012, 0020, 0023, 0032, 0041-0043, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT)
with
reference to a lookup table (LUT) (See, e.g., ¶ 0012, 0020, 0023, 0032, 0041-0043, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include wherein the identifying of the initial SOC includes setting the initial SOC value based on an open circuit voltage (OCV) and a temperature of the first battery with reference to a lookup table (LUT).
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to improve battery parameter estimation. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 4, 14, LEE, TENMYO teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
TENMYO further teaches the BRI of:
wherein
the identifying of the change in SOC includes
setting the change in the SOC value by dividing the integrated measured current by a capacity of the first battery (See, e.g., ¶ 0027; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-4; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include wherein the identifying of the change in SOC includes setting the change in the SOC value by dividing the integrated measured current by a capacity of the first battery.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to improve battery parameter estimation. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 7, 17, LEE teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
LEE further teaches the BRI of:
the adjusting of the estimated SOC.
However, LEE is lacking the explicit language of:
adjusting the estimated SOC to become lower upon the estimated SOC being within a first set range and the output voltage command value being lower than a first set value; and adjusting the estimated SOC to become higher upon the estimated SOC being within a second set range and the output voltage command value being higher than a second set value, and the first set range is set to be higher than the second set range, and the first set value is set to be lower than the second set value.
TENMYO teaches Current-integration estimation unit estimates the SOC of a battery by integrating the value of the current flowing through the battery. Open-circuit voltage estimation unit estimates the open-circuit voltage value of the battery from a value that includes at least the measured voltage value of the battery and indicates the state of the battery, and identifies the SOC corresponding to the open-circuit voltage value. In neither charged nor discharged state, SOC determination unit employs the SOC estimated by open-circuit voltage estimation unit. In charged or discharged state, SOC determination unit employs the SOC estimated by current-integration estimation unit without change or after correction using the SOC estimated by open-circuit voltage estimation unit. In parallel with the SOC estimation, SOH estimation unit estimates the SOH of the battery based on the variation value of the SOC employed by SOC determination unit and the integrated current value in the time period required for the variation and the BRI of:
adjusting the estimated SOC to become lower upon the estimated SOC being within a first set range and the output voltage command value being lower than a first set value; and adjusting the estimated SOC to become higher upon the estimated SOC being within a second set range and the output voltage command value being higher than a second set value, and the first set range is set to be higher than the second set range, and the first set value is set to be lower than the second set value (See, e.g., ¶ 0036, 0065, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include adjusting the estimated SOC to become lower upon the estimated SOC being within a first set range and the output voltage command value being lower than a first set value; and adjusting the estimated SOC to become higher upon the estimated SOC being within a second set range and the output voltage command value being higher than a second set value, and the first set range is set to be higher than the second set range, and the first set value is set to be lower than the second set value.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to improve battery parameter estimation. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 8, 18, LEE teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
TENMYO teaches Current-integration estimation unit estimates the SOC of a battery by integrating the value of the current flowing through the battery. Open-circuit voltage estimation unit estimates the open-circuit voltage value of the battery from a value that includes at least the measured voltage value of the battery and indicates the state of the battery, and identifies the SOC corresponding to the open-circuit voltage value. In neither charged nor discharged state, SOC determination unit employs the SOC estimated by open-circuit voltage estimation unit. In charged or discharged state, SOC determination unit employs the SOC estimated by current-integration estimation unit without change or after correction using the SOC estimated by open-circuit voltage estimation unit. In parallel with the SOC estimation, SOH estimation unit estimates the SOH of the battery based on the variation value of the SOC employed by SOC determination unit and the integrated current value in the time period required for the variation and the BRI of:
up-counting an error flag value whenever the estimated SOC is adjusted; and maintaining the output voltage command value at a predetermined value upon the error flag value exceeding a preset value (See, e.g., ¶ 0033, 0036, 0041-0043, 0060, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include up-counting an error flag value whenever the estimated SOC is adjusted; and maintaining the output voltage command value at a predetermined value upon the error flag value exceeding a preset value.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to improve battery parameter estimation. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 9, 19, LEE, TENMYO teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
TENMYO further teaches the BRI of:
outputting an error state about the first battery to an external device upon the error flag value exceeding the preset value (See, e.g., ¶ 0033, 0036, 0041-0043, 0060, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 2-5; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include outputting an error state about the first battery to an external device upon the error flag value exceeding the preset value.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to improve battery parameter estimation. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
Claim(s) 5, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the cited references of the parent claim(s) in view of MITSUTANI ET AL. (US 20190359079 A1) (hereinafter “MITSUTANI”).
With respect to Claim(s) 5, 15, LEE teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
LEE further teaches the BRI of:
the setting of the output voltage command value includes: adjusting the output voltage command value.
However, LEE is lacking the explicit language of:
discharge the first battery upon the estimated SOC being higher than a reference level; and charge the first battery upon the estimated SOC being lower than the reference level.
MITSUTANI teaches a power supply device is mountable to a vehicle and includes: a high-voltage battery; a low-voltage battery of which an output voltage is lower than that of the high-voltage battery, and which can be charged by output power from the high-voltage battery; and a control unit configured to perform charging/discharging control for the high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery. The control unit performs feeding control for causing the high-voltage battery to supply power to a predetermined on-vehicle device while consumed power is higher than a predetermined value in a state in which a main switch of the vehicle is not on and the BRI of:
discharge the first battery upon the estimated SOC being higher than a reference level; and charge the first battery upon the estimated SOC being lower than the reference level (See, e.g., ¶ 0007, 0041, 0045, 0054, 0061, 0063, 0072; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-7; See also, e.g., ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify LEE to include discharge the first battery upon the estimated SOC being higher than a reference level; and charge the first battery upon the estimated SOC being lower than the reference level.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify LEE because it would be beneficial to prevent or decrease battery deterioration. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
Conclusion
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RAYMOND NIMOX
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2857
/RAYMOND L NIMOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit