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
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 1 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Narla (US 2018/0037121 A1), in view of Schaffner. (US 2017/0012326 A1)
Re Claim 1; Narla discloses a first battery array comprising a first plurality of battery modules
(Narla discloses battery pack 418 connected to hybrid inverter power-control system 406. Narla expressly states that battery pack 418 includes battery modules 424, which may be low-voltage or high-voltage battery modules. Narla further recites in claim 19 that the battery pack comprises “a plurality of unit battery packs coupled in parallel.” See Narla, paragraphs [0051]–[0053], Figure 4, and claim 19.)
a bi-directional direct current (DC/DC 426) converter in electrical communication with the first battery array
(Narla discloses DC/DC buck-boost stage 420 or 426 disposed between battery pack 418 and central DC bus 441. Paragraph [0052] discloses charging battery pack 418 through DC/DC stage 420 or 426, while paragraph [0053] discloses discharging battery pack 418 through that stage to charge EV battery 144 or supply other loads. Narla claim 19 additionally states that the stationary battery pack may supply stored energy to or receive energy from the EV battery. Thus, the DC/DC buck-boost stage is used for power transfer both into and out of battery pack 418 and is functionally bidirectional. See Narla, paragraphs [0011], [0014], [0052]–[0053], Figure 4, and claim 19.)
a charging interface in electrical communication with the bi-directional DC/DC converter
(Narla discloses DC car port 423 and bidirectional DC car-port connection 457 electrically coupled to central DC bus 441 and DC/DC buck-boost stage 420 or 426. The DC car port directly connects the inverter system to EV battery 144. See Narla, paragraphs [0012], [0014], [0053]–[0054], and Figure 4. DC car port 423 and connection 457 therefore read on the claimed charging interface.)
the charging interface configured to electrically couple to a second battery array of an electric vehicle
(Narla expressly discloses DC car port 423 coupled through bidirectional DC car-port connection 457 to battery 144 of EV 140. Paragraph [0054] states that AC/DC converter 142 may be bypassed when DC car port 423 supplies DC power directly to EV battery 144. See Narla, paragraphs [0053]–[0054] and Figure 4.)
Narla discloses EV battery 144 but does not expressly describe its internal modular construction. i.e. the second battery array including a second plurality of battery modules
Schaffner discloses an electric-vehicle battery, particularly an aircraft battery, composed of one or more removable battery modules 100. Schaffner states that multiple modules may be combined in series, parallel, or a series-parallel configuration to form a battery. Each module includes cells, sensors, a module processor, and an interface with a battery master system. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0029]–[0031], [0034]–[0038], and Figures 1–4.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to implement Narla’s EV battery 144 using Schaffner’s known modular aircraft-battery architecture. Narla broadly addresses EV batteries, while Schaffner identifies the advantages of individually removable and monitored aircraft battery modules, including module-level status determination, fault isolation, qualification, and replacement. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0042]–[0050] and [0067]–[0068].
Regarding Claim 8; Narla discloses a control system for an electric vehicle charging system, the control system comprising
“one or more processors”
Narla discloses site controller 430 and distributed microcontrollers in DC/DC buck-boost stages 409 and 420, DC/AC inverter 411, and battery pack 418. The controllers communicate over a controller bus and monitor and control the components in which they reside. See Narla, paragraphs [0055]–[0056] and [0060].
commanding, by the one or more processors and through a bi-directional direct current (DC)/DC converter a first battery array to charge a second battery array
Narla discloses site controller 430 commanding energy stored in battery pack 418 to charge EV battery 144 through DC/DC buck-boost stage 420 or 426, central DC bus 441, DC car port 423, and bidirectional DC car-port connection 457. See Narla, paragraphs [0052]–[0056] and Figure
the first battery array comprising a first plurality of battery modules, the second battery array comprising a second plurality of battery modules
Narla discloses stationary battery pack 418 containing modules 424, and
commanding, by the one or more processors and through the bi-directional DC/DC converter, the second battery (144) to discharge to the first battery array (424)
Narla’s paragraphs [0010]– [0014] describe a controller-controlled bidirectional battery-pack and EV interface. Narla claim 19 expressly recites that the stationary battery pack may receive energy from the EV battery. Figure 4 shows that power received at bidirectional DC car port 457 reaches central DC bus 441 and battery pack 418 through DC/DC stage 420 or 426. See Narla, paragraphs [0010]–[0014], Figure 4, and claim 19.
Narla does not disclose a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon and the second battery array
Schaffner also discloses battery module processor 110 and battery master processor 210. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0042]–[0050] and [0059]–[0060].
Schaffner discloses that battery module processor 110 includes associated flash memory, EEPROM, RAM, or other memory and executes software instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media. Schaffner further discloses digital charge settings stored in a nonvolatile memory device and data-logging memory 118. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0037], [0042]–[0044].
Schaffner discloses an electric-aircraft battery formed from a plurality of modules 100. See Narla, paragraph [0052] and claim 19; Schaffner, paragraphs [0029]–[0031].
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to implement Narla’s EV battery 144 using Schaffner’s known modular aircraft-battery architecture. Narla broadly addresses EV batteries, while Schaffner identifies the advantages of individually removable and monitored aircraft battery modules, including module-level status determination, fault isolation, qualification, and replacement. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0042]–[0050] and [0067]–[0068].
Claims 2–4, 9–14, 17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Narla in view of Schaffner and further in view of Zhao.
Re Claim 2; Narla discloses
a controller in electronic communication with the bi-directional DC/DC
(Narla discloses site controller 430 communicating with and controlling hybrid inverter PCS 406, battery pack 418, and DC/DC buck-boost stage 420 or 426. Narla also discloses distributed microcontrollers in the DC/DC stages and battery pack communicating over a controller bus. See Narla, paragraphs [0055]–[0056] and [0060].)
command the first battery array to charge the second battery array
Narla expressly discloses receiving commands from site controller 430 to charge EV battery 144 using energy stored in battery pack 418 through DC car port 423 and bidirectional DC car-port connection 457. See Narla, paragraphs [0053], [0055]–[0056], and Figure 4.
command the second battery array to discharge to the first battery array
(Narla establishes the controller-controlled bidirectional EV and battery-pack connections in paragraphs [0010]–[0014]. Narla claim 19 expressly states that the stationary battery pack receives energy from the EV battery. Figure 4 places DC/DC stage 420 or 426 between battery pack 418 and central DC bus 441, to which bidirectional EV DC port 457 is connected. See Narla, paragraphs [0010]–[0014], [0052]–[0054], Figure 4, and claim 19.)
Schaffner discloses an individual processor 110 for each module 100, current sensors 103, voltage and temperature sensing, analog-to-digital conversion, data logging, and module status calculations. Each module processor determines and communicates capacity, SOC, and health data to battery master processor 210. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0038], [0042]–[0050].
The combination does not disclose monitor each of the second plurality of battery modules during the discharging”
Zhao more specifically discloses performing a controlled battery characterization by segmenting a battery array into groups, selecting one group for characterization, and discharging the selected group according to a test profile while transferring the discharged energy into another battery group. The controller monitors the test and gathers performance data concerning the batteries being characterized. See Zhao, paragraphs [0066]–[0073], [0074]–[0079], and Figures 8–9.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to apply Zhao’s controlled battery-to-battery characterization discharge to Schaffner’s individually monitored aircraft battery modules using Narla’s existing bidirectional EV-to-stationary-battery path. Narla provides the power-transfer circuitry, Schaffner provides per-module sensors and processors, and Zhao teaches deliberately monitoring batteries while their energy is transferred into another battery group during characterization.
Re Claim 3; Schaffner discloses determine a state of health of each of the second plurality of battery modules, based on discharging the second battery array to the first battery array
Schaffner discloses test component 111 and health component 114 in each module processor. Test component 111 performs startup, continuous, or on-demand tests and communicates the results to determine the overall health of the module. Health component 114 determines health using voltage response to a load, impedance changes, voltage imbalance, change in capacity, calendar life, electronics failures, impending failure, and lack of capability. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0045]–[0050].
Schaffner further discloses battery master processor 210 receiving status information from a plurality of module processors and aggregating capacity, SOC, and SOH information. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0059]–[0060].
Zhao discloses discharging the batteries selected for characterization according to a test profile into a receiving battery group and gathering performance data concerning the batteries undergoing characterization. See Zhao, paragraphs [0066]–[0073] and [0077]–[0079].
In the proposed combination, each Schaffner module corresponds to a Zhao battery selected for characterization. Its voltage, current, capacity, and load-response data are obtained while the aircraft array discharges through Narla’s converter into the stationary array. Schaffner’s health component then determines the module’s SOH from those discharge measurements.
determine whether an airworthiness standard for each of the second plurality of battery modules is met based on the state of health (Schaffner discloses evaluating each aircraft module against:
minimum requirements established by the aircraft host system; predefined aircraft mission requirements; regulatory requirements; aircraft compatibility requirements; and FAA-mandated requirements. If a module does not meet minimum requirements, the battery master prevents it from connecting to the aircraft power bus. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0067]–[0075].
In particular, paragraph [0073] verifies module status against mission and regulatory requirements; paragraph [0074] evaluates aircraft discharge and capacity requirements; and paragraph [0075] expressly identifies FAA-mandated requirements. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, these module-level aircraft mission and FAA qualification requirements constitute the claimed “airworthiness standard.”
It would have been obvious to apply Schaffner’s aircraft qualification criteria to the SOH determined from the controlled Zhao/Narla discharge because Schaffner itself uses module health and capacity to determine whether a module possesses sufficient capability for continued aircraft use.)
Re Claim 4; Schaffner discloses provide an indication to a display device in response to a first of the second plurality of battery modules no longer meeting the airworthiness standard. (Schaffner discloses that when a particular module does not meet the minimum aircraft requirements, battery master processor 210: prevents the module from connecting to the power bus; communicates an appropriate error message to aircraft host system 300; and causes a visible error indication that assists a mechanic in identifying which module does not meet the minimum requirements. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0069]–[0071].
The error message sent to aircraft host system 300 and the visible module-specific indication teach, or at minimum render obvious, providing the claimed indication to a display device.)
Re Claim 9; Schaffner discloses monitoring, by the one or more processors, each of the second plurality of battery modules during the discharge of the second battery array (Schaffner discloses current sensors, voltage sensing, temperature sensing, analog-to-digital conversion, data logging, and individual module processors for the battery modules. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0038], [0042]–[0050].)
Zhao discloses commanding one or more batteries to discharge according to a characterization test profile and continuing to monitor the test until completion. Zhao gathers performance data including voltage, power, environmental conditions, and other data reflecting battery capability. See Zhao, paragraphs [0052]–[0058] and [0074]–[0079].
Using Schaffner’s respective module processors and sensors during Zhao’s controlled discharge teaches the claimed module-by-module monitoring.
Re Claim 10 Schaffner determining, by the one or more processors, a state of health for each of the second plurality of battery modules (Schaffner’s health component 114 determines health from voltage response to load, impedance, voltage imbalance, changes in capacity, calendar life, and detected failures. Each module 100 has its own processor 110 and health component. The module status is communicated to master processor 210, which receives and aggregates information from the plurality of module processors. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0042], [0045]–[0050], and [0059]–[0060].)
Re Claim 11; Schaffner discloses determining, by the one or more processors, whether an airworthiness standard for each of the second plurality of battery modules is met based on the state of health (Schaffner compares individual module status with minimum aircraft requirements, mission requirements, regulatory requirements, compatibility requirements, and FAA-mandated requirements. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0067]–[0075].
Because health is one of the statuses determined by the module processor under paragraphs [0045]–[0050], applying those aircraft requirements to the determined health directly teaches or renders obvious the claimed determination.)
Re Claim 12; Schaffner discloses sending, by the one or more processors, an indication to a display device that a first of the second plurality of battery modules no longer meets the airworthiness standard in response to determining the first of the second plurality of battery modules no longer meets the airworthiness standard. (Schaffner discloses communicating an error message to aircraft host system 300 and causing a visible error indication identifying the particular module that fails the minimum aircraft requirements. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0069]–[0071].)
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Narla in view of Schaffner and further in view of Rao. (2020/0259336)
Re Claim 5; Narla’s stationary battery and inverter system expressly charges an EV battery.
“the AC/DC converter is disposed electrically between the power distribution panel and the second charging interface”
The combination disclosure has been discussed above.
The combination does not disclose a second charging interface, a power distribution panel and an alternating current (‘AC’)/DC converter
Rao discloses an integrated electrical power-distribution panel having:
a grid connection or main-breaker interface;
a power-conversion device including an AC/DC converter;
a shared DC link within the panel;
a battery system connected to the DC link through a DC/DC converter; and
an EV charging connection.
Rao Figure 14 shows panel DC link 542, battery system 545 coupled through DC/DC converter 544, and an EV charging system coupled to the panel. Figures 17–18 show the panel containing a grid-connection main-breaker relay and AC/DC power-conversion device.
the battery system is a charging system
Rao discloses the grid or AC-source interface coupled through the integrated AC/DC power-conversion device to the shared DC link of the panel.
the bi-directional DC/DC converter is disposed electrically between the power distribution panel and the first battery array
Rao Figure 14 shows battery system 545 connected to panel DC link 542 through DC/DC converter 544. Narla teaches making the corresponding battery DC/DC converter bidirectional.
It would have been obvious to implement Narla’s charging system in Rao’s integrated-panel architecture. Rao expressly teaches integrating grid conversion, battery conversion, EV charging, sensing, switching, and control around a common panel DC link. The modification would consolidate power conversion and circuit protection and would permit the same panel to distribute energy among the grid interface, stationary battery, and EV interface.
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Narla in view of Schaffner and further in view of Mao. (US 2020/0076249).
Re Claim 6; Narla’s stationary battery and inverter system expressly charges an EV battery.
the AC/DC converter is disposed electrically between the power distribution panel and the second charging interface
Narla does not disclose
an inductive receiving coil in electrical communication with the bi-directional DC/DC converter
Mao discloses a wireless power receiver having a receiver coil. The receiver outputs DC power to a power bus, and a DC/DC converter connected to that bus uses the received power to charge a battery.
the inductive receiving coil configured to wirelessly communicate with an inductive charging coil to charge the first battery array
Mao expressly discloses that the receiver coil: receives electrical power inductively from a transmitting coil; communicates wirelessly with the wireless-power transmitter; and supplies the received power through a DC/DC converter to charge the battery.
It would have been obvious to add Mao’s wireless receiving circuit as an additional charging input for Narla’s stationary battery array. Narla already includes a DC bus and DC/DC stage for charging its battery, and Mao supplies a known alternative source of DC charging power. Connecting Mao’s receiver output to Narla’s DC charging bus would preserve the existing operation of each component and predictably permit contactless charging of the stationary battery.
Re Claim 7; Mao discloses a power distribution panel disposed electrically between the inductive receiving coil and the bi-directional DC/DC converter”
Mao discloses placing a DC power bus between the wireless receiver and battery-charging converter. Rao discloses implementing such a common DC link in an integrated power-distribution panel. Rao’s panel DC link connects external or renewable power sources to the stationary battery through a battery DC/DC converter.
It would have been obvious to connect Mao’s wireless receiver output to Rao’s panel DC link and connect the panel DC link to Narla’s bidirectional battery DC/DC converter. This is the conventional common-bus topology taught by Rao and yields the predictable result of routing wirelessly received power through the panel to the stationary battery converter.
Accordingly, claim 7 would have been obvious.
Claims 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Narla (US 2018/0037121 A1), in view of Iwane et al (US 2008/0120050)
Re Claim 13; Narla discloses a method of determining charging and commissioning an electric vehicle battery system, the method comprising;
electrically coupling the electric vehicle battery system to a charging system, the electric vehicle battery system comprising a first battery module (144), the charging system comprising a second plurality of battery modules ( Narla discloses coupling EV battery 144 to the stationary energy-storage and charging system through DC car port 423 and bidirectional DC car-port connection 457. See Narla, paragraphs [0012]–[0014], [0053]–[0054], and Figure 4. Furthermore Narla expressly states that battery pack 418 includes battery modules 424, which may be low-voltage or high-voltage battery modules. Narla further recites in claim 19 that the battery pack comprises “a plurality of unit battery packs coupled in parallel.” See Narla, paragraphs [0051]–[0053], Figure 4, and claim 19.))
charging the electric vehicle battery system through a bi-directional DC/DC converter
Narla discloses discharging stationary battery pack 418 through DC/DC stage 420 or 426 and central DC bus 441 to charge EV battery 144 through DC car port 423. See Narla, paragraphs [0052]–[0056] and Figure 4.
discharging the electric vehicle battery system through the bi-directional DC/DC converter
Narla claim 19 expressly states that stationary battery pack 418 may receive energy from the EV battery. The Figure 4 topology places DC/DC stage 420 or 426 between central DC bus 441 and battery pack 418. See Narla, paragraphs [0010]–[0014], [0052]–[0054], Figure 4, and claim 19.
Narla does not necessarily disclose
determining a state of health for each of the first plurality of battery modules based on the discharging and determining whether the state of health for each of the first plurality of battery modules of the electric vehicle battery system exceeds a threshold state of health
However, Iwane discloses determining a state of health for each of a battery modules based on the discharging and determining whether the state of health for each of the battery module of battery system exceeds a threshold state of health. (Par 0084-5)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing of the invention to have determine the state of health for each of the first plurality of battery modules based on the discharging and determining whether the state of health for each of the first plurality of battery modules of the electric vehicle battery system exceeds a threshold state of health in order to provide adequate power to the load
Claims 14 rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Narla (US 2018/0037121 A1), in view of Iwane et al (US 2008/0120050) and further in view of Schaffner
Re Claim 14; Narla in view of Iwane wdiscloses herein the threshold state of health.
Narla does not disclose is based on an airworthiness standard.
Schaffner discloses determine a state of health of each of the second plurality of battery modules, based on discharging the second battery array to the first battery array
Schaffner discloses test component 111 and health component 114 in each module processor. Test component 111 performs startup, continuous, or on-demand tests and communicates the results to determine the overall health of the module. Health component 114 determines health using voltage response to a load, impedance changes, voltage imbalance, change in capacity, calendar life, electronics failures, impending failure, and lack of capability. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0045]–[0050].
Schaffner further discloses battery master processor 210 receiving status information from a plurality of module processors and aggregating capacity, SOC, and SOH information. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0059]–[0060].
Schaffner’s health component then determines the module’s SOH from those discharge measurements.
determine whether an airworthiness standard for each of the second plurality of battery modules is met based on the state of health (Schaffner discloses evaluating each aircraft module against:
minimum requirements established by the aircraft host system; predefined aircraft mission requirements; regulatory requirements; aircraft compatibility requirements; and FAA-mandated requirements. If a module does not meet minimum requirements, the battery master prevents it from connecting to the aircraft power bus. See Schaffner, paragraphs [0067]–[0075].
In particular, paragraph [0073] verifies module status against mission and regulatory requirements; paragraph [0074] evaluates aircraft discharge and capacity requirements; and paragraph [0075] expressly identifies FAA-mandated requirements. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, these module-level aircraft mission and FAA qualification requirements constitute the claimed “airworthiness standard.”
It would have been obvious to apply Schaffner’s aircraft qualification criteria to the SOH determined from the controlled Narla discharge because Schaffner itself uses module health and capacity to determine whether a module possesses sufficient capability for continued aircraft use.)
Claims 13 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Adegbohun et al. (US 2022/0289067 A1) in view of Wachal (US 2014/0266061 A1), and further in view of Neelam et al. (US 2017/0146606 A1).
Re Claim 13; Adegbohun discloses A method of determining charging and commissioning an electric vehicle battery system,”
Adegbohun discloses managing, charging, diagnosing, and swapping modular battery packs used as the electrical energy source of an electric vehicle. Adegbohun describes an EV having “individually modular swappable battery packs” that function as electrical energy storage and power sources. Adegbohun also describes battery health management, charging status, battery swapping, and reassignment of battery packs according to health. See Adegbohun ¶¶82–83 and 90–92.
electrically coupling the electric vehicle battery system to a charging system
(Adegbohun discloses a mobile battery storage unit or automated battery swapping terminal that connects to onboard EV battery packs through an interface. Paragraph 83 expressly states that the mobile battery storage unit provides an interface for connecting to the onboard battery packs for charging or discharging, including vehicle-to-vehicle and battery-to-battery operation. See Adegbohun ¶83.)
the electric vehicle battery system comprising a first plurality of battery modules
(Adegbohun discloses an electric vehicle having “individually modular swappable battery packs” positioned at different parts of the vehicle. Paragraph 55 expressly provides that the terms “battery pack” and “battery modules” are used interchangeably in the disclosure. Thus, Adegbohun’s plurality of individually modular vehicle battery packs constitutes the claimed first plurality of battery modules. See Adegbohun ¶¶55 and 82.)
the charging system comprising a second plurality of battery modules
(Adegbohun discloses a mobile battery storage unit containing and storing a plurality of fully charged battery packs. The automated battery swapping station also includes storage racks for retrieving charged batteries and receiving depleted batteries. Because Adegbohun expressly treats a battery pack as a battery module, the plurality of charged packs stored by the charging/swapping system constitutes a second plurality of battery modules. See Adegbohun ¶¶55 and 83–84.)
charging the electric vehicle battery system through a bi-directional DC/DC converter
(Adegbohun discloses a bidirectional charger that includes a bidirectional DC/DC converter. The charger controller measures battery voltage and current and controls the power-conversion components. Adegbohun further teaches that the bidirectional charger is usable in EV, mobile battery-swapping, and battery-to-battery applications. The station-side architecture likewise includes DC/DC conversion and a bidirectional charger. See Adegbohun ¶¶66–67 and 86.
In combination with the interface of paragraph 83, Adegbohun therefore teaches charging the onboard EV battery modules from the charging system through the disclosed bidirectional charger and its bidirectional DC/DC converter.)
discharging the electric vehicle battery system through the bi-directional DC/DC converter
(Adegbohun expressly characterizes the converter as bidirectional and teaches V2G, V2V, and B2B operation. Paragraph 83 expressly states that the interface connects to the onboard battery packs for both “charging or discharging,” while paragraphs 66–67 identify the bidirectional DC/DC converter through which bidirectional energy flow is performed. See Adegbohun ¶¶66–67 and 83.)
determining a state of health for each of the first plurality of battery modules based on the discharging
(Adegbohun teaches that the BMS determines battery-pack SOC, SOH, internal resistance, and usable capacity and reports those values to an EV or battery-swapping station. Adegbohun also discloses determining SOH from a charge/discharge curve, with battery capacity representing SOH. See Adegbohun ¶¶64–65 and 69.)
Adegbohun does not state as expressly as the claim that the discharge-based SOH determination is performed for each one of the modular EV battery packs. Wachal supplies that teaching.
Wachal expressly discloses:
observing state variables associated with each of a plurality of batteries while each battery is discharged;
determining the health status of each battery from the observed variables;
observing voltage, discharge current/coulomb counts, state of discharge, internal resistance, impedance, and related variables during discharge; and
deducing the capacity and SOH of each battery for the particular charge/discharge cycle.
See Wachal ¶¶43–45, 62–64, and 92–94.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to implement Wachal’s module-by-module discharge diagnostic in Adegbohun’s modular EV battery system because Adegbohun expressly relies on battery health information to manage, dispatch, charge, and swap individual modular battery packs. Wachal’s technique would provide the module-specific health information needed to identify deterioration or unequal performance among Adegbohun’s modular packs. The modification would merely apply a known battery-diagnostic technique to a modular battery system ready for such improvement, producing the predictable result of more accurate identification of weak modules.
The combination does not disclose determining whether the state of health for each of the first plurality of battery modules of the electric vehicle battery system exceeds a threshold state of health
Neelam teaches an SOH monitor coupled to a battery and its individual cells. Neelam determines whether battery SOH is below a predetermined value and disconnects the battery when the predetermined SOH criterion is not met. In its aircraft embodiment, Neelam similarly determines whether SOH is lower than a predetermined value or is approaching a predetermined replacement limit. See Neelam ¶¶18–21.
A determination that SOH is “below” a predetermined value necessarily requires comparing the determined SOH with that value and therefore determines whether the SOH exceeds the threshold or fails to exceed the threshold. The claim does not require any particular mathematical form for the comparison.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to compare each module-level SOH produced by the Adegbohun-Wachal system with Neelam’s predetermined SOH limit. Adegbohun teaches battery health management and swapping; Wachal supplies an SOH value for each module; and Neelam teaches making the health value operationally actionable through a predetermined safety or replacement limit. The combination would allow the system to identify modules that are fit for continued service and modules requiring removal or replacement.
The combination is consistent with the recognized obviousness rationales of applying a known technique to a known system ready for improvement and combining known elements according to known methods to obtain predictable results. A proper rationale must connect the factual findings to the proposed modification, rather than merely state that the combination would have been obvious.
Re Claim 15 the combination discloses further comprising replacing a first of the first plurality of battery modules with a first of the second plurality of battery modules in response to the of the first plurality of battery modules having a first state of health below the threshold state of health.
For purposes of the prior-art analysis, this claim is interpreted as intending to recite replacement “in response to the first of the first plurality of battery modules having a first state of health below the threshold state of health.”
Adegbohun teaches an EV with individually modular swappable battery packs and a charging/swapping system containing a plurality of charged replacement packs. Adegbohun further teaches: swapping EV battery packs from a mobile storage unit containing fully charged battery packs; storing a plurality of charged battery packs in the mobile unit; detaching a depleted onboard battery pack; and obtaining a charged battery pack from the station and attaching it to the vehicle. See Adegbohun ¶¶82–85.
Adegbohun does not expressly state in paragraphs 83–85 that the replacement is initiated specifically because the removed module’s SOH is below a threshold. Neelam supplies that trigger.
Neelam teaches determining that an aircraft battery has an SOH below a predetermined value and teaches replacement of a low-SOH battery when the battery reaches a predetermined replacement limit. See Neelam ¶¶19–21.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to use Neelam’s low-SOH determination as a trigger for Adegbohun’s known module-swapping process. Adegbohun already monitors and communicates battery health to the swapping station, and its station maintains charged replacement modules. Once the system determines that one module is below the acceptable SOH threshold, replacing that module with a charged station module would have been a predictable use of the existing swap architecture and would avoid returning an unfit module to service.
Re Claim 16; Adegbohun discloses wherein the first of the second plurality of battery modules is in a battery system of the charging system.
Adegbohun discloses that the replacement battery module is stored in a mobile battery storage unit or battery-swapping station. The mobile unit contains a plurality of fully charged battery packs, and the automated station includes battery storage racks from which charged packs are retrieved. See Adegbohun ¶¶83–85.
Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, Adegbohun’s mobile storage unit containing a plurality of charged battery modules constitutes a battery system of the charging/swapping system. Paragraph 83 additionally provides an electrical interface through which those modules participate in charging, discharging, V2V, and B2B applications.
Re Claim 17 Adegbohun teaches further comprising monitoring each of the first plurality of battery modules of the electric vehicle battery system during the discharging.”
Adegbohun teaches a BMS that monitors battery cells and determines or estimates SOC, SOH, internal resistance, usable capacity, temperature, and related operational parameters. See Adegbohun ¶¶64–65.
Wachal more expressly teaches observing at least one state variable associated with each battery while each battery is being discharged. Wachal identifies discharge voltage, discharge current/coulomb counts, state of discharge, self-discharge, temperature, resistance, and impedance as monitored discharge variables. Wachal further states that this monitoring should be repeated for subsequent discharge/recharge cycles, preferably every cycle, to continually monitor the deterioration of each battery. See Wachal ¶¶63, 67, and 92.
It would have been obvious to use Wachal’s per-module monitoring in Adegbohun’s modular EV battery system for the same reasons stated for claim 13: to produce accurate, individual health information for battery management and swapping.
Re Claim 18; Adegbohun teaches further comprising: determining a state of charge for each of the first plurality of battery modules of the electric vehicle battery system; and replacing a first of the first plurality of battery modules in the electric vehicle battery system with a first of the second plurality of battery modules of the charging system in response to the state of health for the first of the first plurality of battery modules being below the threshold state of health.”
determining a state of charge for each of the first plurality of battery modules of the electric vehicle battery system
Adegbohun teaches that the BMS associated with a battery pack executes algorithms for determining the pack’s state of charge and state of health. It also estimates SOC, SOH, internal resistance, and usable capacity and communicates those values to the battery-swapping station or EV. Because Adegbohun’s vehicle includes individually modular battery packs, providing the disclosed BMS functionality for the modular packs teaches or at least suggests determining SOC for each modular pack. See Adegbohun ¶¶64–65 and 82.
Wachal independently teaches using a controller associated with each battery to observe state variables for each battery during charge and discharge. Wachal expressly lists state of charge among the variables that may be observed. See Wachal ¶¶62–64 and 91–92.
“replacing a first of the first plurality of battery modules in the electric vehicle battery system with a first of the second plurality of battery modules of the charging system”
Adegbohun teaches detaching an onboard modular battery pack and installing a charged battery pack retrieved from the charging/swapping station’s stored plurality of charged packs. See Adegbohun ¶¶83–85.
in response to the state of health for the first of the first plurality of battery modules being below the threshold state of health
Neelam teaches identifying that SOH is below a predetermined value and replacing the low-SOH battery when it reaches the predetermined replacement limit. See Neelam ¶¶19–21.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to use Neelam’s low-SOH threshold as the condition initiating Adegbohun’s known replacement operation. This would ensure that the station replaces a module that is no longer fit for continued service rather than replacing modules solely because they are temporarily discharged.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Adegbohun in view of Wachal and Neelam, as applied to claim 13, and further in view of Khozikov et al. (US 2022/0255335 A1).
Re Claim 14 recites wherein the threshold state of health is based on an airworthiness standard.
Neelam expressly applies its SOH threshold and replacement-limit teachings to an aircraft battery. Neelam determines whether the SOH is lower than a predetermined value and identifies a predetermined replacement limit used to determine when a low-SOH aircraft battery should be replaced during scheduled maintenance. See Neelam ¶¶20–21.
Neelam does not expressly state that its predetermined SOH limit is based on an airworthiness standard.
Khozikov teaches an aircraft battery protection system configured specifically to comply with CAT III airworthiness requirements. Khozikov explains that aircraft battery protection requires a redundant fail-safe layer compatible with CAT III airworthiness requirements and compares monitored battery values with predetermined threshold levels dynamically calculated to maintain safety margins. See Khozikov ¶¶4 and 9.
It would have been obvious to establish Neelam’s aircraft-battery SOH acceptance or replacement threshold according to the governing airworthiness requirements taught by Khozikov. Both references concern determining whether an aircraft battery may safely remain operational. A person of ordinary skill would have recognized that a predetermined SOH threshold controlling continued use or replacement of an aircraft battery should be selected to satisfy the applicable airworthiness safety criteria rather than selected arbitrarily. The result would predictably be an SOH threshold that identifies whether the battery remains within the safety and reliability margins required for aircraft operation.
This is an obviousness finding, not an assertion that Khozikov expressly discloses an “SOH threshold” calculated from an airworthiness standard. Claim 14 is the least direct of the proposed rejections, but the combination provides a reasonable technical nexus between Neelam’s aircraft SOH replacement threshold and Khozikov’s airworthiness-based battery safety thresholds.
Accordingly, claim 14 would have been obvious over Adegbohun, Wachal, Neelam, and Khozikov.
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Adegbohun in view of Wachal and Neelam, as applied to claim 13, and further in view of Basu et al. (US 2016/0187428 A1).
Re Claim 19; Wachal discloses further comprising measuring a capacity of the electric vehicle battery system during the discharging.
Wachal teaches monitoring voltage, discharge current/coulomb counts, state of discharge, resistance, and other state variables during discharge. Wachal states that profiles of the measured variables may be plotted against charge/discharge time and that the capacity of each battery may be deduced for the particular charge/discharge cycle. See Wachal ¶¶92–94.
Basu provides a more explicit capacity-measurement technique. Basu teaches:
measuring battery voltage and partial discharge time; acquiring full discharge time from the measured partial-discharge data; estimating battery capacity; measuring voltage during battery discharge; and calculating capacity using battery voltage, current, full discharge time, and normalized discharge time. See Basu ¶¶61–62, 70–76, and 94–96.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to apply Basu’s discharge-based capacity calculation to Adegbohun’s EV battery system because Adegbohun already monitors usable capacity and uses charge/discharge information to determine SOH. Basu provides a known quantitative method for obtaining the capacity value from discharge measurements. Applying the method to the entire EV battery system, or determining total system capacity from the capacities of the constituent modules, would have been a routine application of the same measurement technique.
Re Claim 20; Basu recites further comprising monitoring a performance of the electric vehicle battery system relative to a known discharge profile during the discharging.”
Basu teaches measuring voltage and elapsed time during discharge and comparing the measured performance with a stored battery model. Basu’s stored model includes a graph showing voltage change over time during discharge of a reference battery, such as a new, fully charged battery. The measured voltages are located on the normalized reference curve, and the resulting partial and full discharge times are used to estimate SOH. See Basu ¶¶61–71 and 73–85.
The stored reference-battery voltage-versus-time curve constitutes a “known discharge profile.” Comparing the actual EV battery voltage and discharge timing with that stored reference curve constitutes monitoring battery-system performance relative to the known discharge profile during discharge.
Wachal also supports the modification by teaching that measured battery state variables are plotted against charge/discharge time and evaluated with anticipated state-variable profiles. See Wachal ¶94.
Therefore, it would have been obvious in the art before the effective filing of the invention to incorporate Basu’s stored reference-discharge model into the Adegbohun-Wachal diagnostic system to provide a consistent baseline for evaluating degradation, remaining capacity, and SOH. The technique would perform its established function and predictably improve the objectivity and repeatability of the commissioning test.
Conclusion
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/DANIEL KESSIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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