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 .
Status of Claims
This is in response to Applicant’s case, no. 18/574,833, with an effective filing date of 12/28/2023. Claims 1-21 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Examiner acknowledges the changes made regarding 35 USC § 101 to claim 1 found in Applicant’s arguments, see pp. 5. The Examiner has considered the amended claim limitation and the amendment properly integrates the judicial exception into a practical application by providing an improvement to the technical field by using a specific calculation for managing energy usage on an electric vehicle. Therefore, the rejection under 35 USC § 101 is hereby withdrawn.
Regarding the 35 USC § 102 rejection of claim 1 as being anticipated by Hancock et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2025/0033517 A1) [hereinafter referred to as Hancock], the Applicant has elected to amend the aforementioned claim. Therefore, the Examiner’s rejection in the previous Office Action based on 35 USC § 102 is rendered moot. However, due to said amendments, new reference Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1) [hereinafter referred to as Wu] has been necessitated which upon closer examination fully replaces Hancock. Furthermore, Wu has been further modified in view of the previously utilized Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/00393259 A1) [hereinafter referred to as Gantt] in order to address the limitations of the claim. Therefore, a new rejection based on 35 USC § 103 has been made and is discussed in detail below.
Regarding claim 1, the Applicant argues that Hancock does not disclose the limitation determine a first amount of a first portion of an energy management calculation related to energy management of the vehicle to be processed by the at least one processor. However, Wu discloses in [0046] a power integral value calculation unit, configured to calculate a discharge power integral value within a preset time threshold, where the power integral value is construed to be a first amount of a first portion of an energy management calculation.
Therefore, this argument is moot.
Further regarding claim 1, the Applicant argues that Hancock does not disclose the limitation a second amount of a second portion of the energy management calculation related to energy management of the vehicle to be processed outside of the at least one processor. However, Wu discloses in [0047] a discharge energy calculation unit, configured to calculate a discharge energy according to the power information, where the discharge energy is construed to be a second amount of a second portion of an energy management calculation.
Therefore, this argument is moot.
Further regarding claim 1, the Applicant argues that Hancock does not disclose the limitation wherein the first amount and the second amount are based on at least one of a driving information of the vehicle or the battery state information . However, Wu discloses in [0005] sentence (s.)2, in conjunction with the actual state of the current battery and the current actual power information. Furthermore, in [0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power, including acquiring power information, the power information including a first time discharge power, a second time discharge power, and a maximum allowable output power, which is construed as obtaining battery state information from the battery. Furthermore, in [0046-47] as discussed above where the discharge energy and the discharge power are based on the battery state information.
Therefore, this argument is moot.
Further regarding claim 1, the Applicant argues that Hancock does not disclose the limitation wherein the first amount and the second amount are dynamically adjustable during operation of the vehicle . However, Wu discloses in [0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power. Furthermore, in [0048] a determination unit, configured to determine whether a power regulation condition is met based on the discharge power integral value and the discharge energy. Furthermore, in [0049] a regulation unit, configured to, adjust the maximum allowable output power from the first time discharge power to the second time discharge power or adjust the maximum allowable output power from the second time discharge power to the first time discharge power in response to the power regulation condition being met. Furthermore, in [0106] the power is adjusted during driving, so that the calculation of the actual power is also performed in the driving mode, which is construed as adjusting the first and second amounts dynamically based on new inputs during driving.
Therefore, this argument is moot.
Applicant argues the dependent claims are patentable by virtue of their dependency.
This argument is unpersuasive as each independent claim has been fully rejected for the reasons as given above.
However, claims 5-10 contain allowable subject matter as discussed in the previous office action and the objection to those claims is hereby maintained as each independent claim has been fully rejected for the reasons as given above.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 6-7 and 13 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 6 line 5 and line 6, the phrases the first amount and the second amount, respectively, should be corrected to the first amount of the first portion and the second amount of the second portion in order to provide consistent terminology throughout the claim and to ensure clarity.
Regarding claim 7 line 4 and line 5, the phrases the first amount and the second amount, respectively, should be corrected to the first amount of the first portion and the second amount of the second portion in order to provide consistent terminology throughout the claim and to ensure clarity.
Regarding claim 13 line 8, the limitation contains a typographical error where as the a portion should be corrected to as the [[a]] portion.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim(s) 1-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the Applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1, 3, 8-10, 13, 15-16, and 19 (i.e., claim 1 line 12), the limitation portion is indefinite because it is unclear if this is the amount of the… portion as discussed in claim 1 line 5, if this is the entire portion, or if the amount of the portion and the portion are the same.
Further regarding claim 3, the limitation energy management calculation is processed by the battery is rendered indefinite because it is unclear how a battery, which does not contain processing capabilities, can perform a calculation. Applicant can overcome this rejection by reciting battery management module as disclosed in the Applicant’s Specification in [0096] and in Fig. 2 of the Drawings.
Further regarding claim 13 (e.g., lines 7and 8), the limitations amount and portion are considered indefinite because it is unclear if the Applicant is referring to the first amount of the first portion as stated in claim 13 line 5 or if this is referring to the second amount of the second portion as stated in claim 1 line 6-7.
Claims 2-21 are rejected as they inherit the rejections of the claims from which they depend.
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:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, and 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wu, in view of Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0393259 A1), hereinafter referred to as Gantt.
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses:
at least one processor ([0050-51] a battery management system, including a processor and a memory and the memory being configured to store programs) operatively coupled to a battery of a vehicle, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: obtain, from the battery, battery state information related to a state of the battery ([0005] sentence (s.)2, in conjunction with the actual state of the current battery and the current actual power information; and [0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power, including acquiring power information, the power information including a first time discharge power, a second time discharge power, and a maximum allowable output power, which is construed as obtaining battery state information from the battery);
determine a first amount of a first portion of an energy management calculation related to energy management of the vehicle to be processed by the at least one processor ([0046] a power integral value calculation unit, configured to calculate a discharge power integral value within a preset time threshold, where the power integral value is construed to be a first amount of a first portion of an energy management calculation) and a second amount of a second portion of the energy management calculation related to energy management of the vehicle to be processed outside of the at least one processor (0047] a discharge energy calculation unit, configured to calculate a discharge energy according to the power information, where the discharge energy is construed to be a second amount of a second portion of an energy management calculation), wherein the first amount and the second amount are based on at least one of a driving information of the vehicle or the battery state information ([0005] sentence (s.)2, in conjunction with the actual state of the current battery and the current actual power information; [0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power, including acquiring power information, the power information including a first time discharge power, a second time discharge power, and a maximum allowable output power, which is construed as obtaining battery state information from the battery; and [0046-47] as discussed above where the discharge energy and the discharge power are based on the battery state information), wherein the first amount and the second amount are dynamically adjustable during operation of the vehicle ([0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power; [0048] a determination unit, configured to determine whether a power regulation condition is met based on the discharge power integral value and the discharge energy; [0049] a regulation unit, configured to, adjust the maximum allowable output power from the first time discharge power to the second time discharge power or adjust the maximum allowable output power from the second time discharge power to the first time discharge power in response to the power regulation condition being met; and [0106] the power is adjusted during driving, so that the calculation of the actual power is also performed in the driving mode, which is construed as adjusting the first and second amounts dynamically based on new inputs during driving);
perform the determined first portion of the energy management calculation, wherein the energy management calculation is based on the battery state information ([0048] regarding determine whether a power regulation condition is met based on the discharge power integral value and the discharge energy and [0049] a regulation unit, configured to, adjust the maximum allowable output power from the first time discharge power to the second time discharge power or adjust the maximum allowable output power from the second time discharge power to the first time discharge power in response to the power regulation condition being met, which is construed as performing the first portion of the energy management calculation based on battery information where it appears that the first portion for the calculation (e.g., power integral value calculation) is performed); and
provide to the battery at least a part of an energy management result obtained from the energy management calculation based on the first portion of the energy management calculation ([0048] a determination unit, configured to determine whether a power regulation condition is met based on the discharge power integral value and the discharge energy; [0049] a regulation unit, configured to, adjust the maximum allowable output power from the first time discharge power to the second time discharge power or adjust the maximum allowable output power from the second time discharge power to the first time discharge power in response to the power regulation condition being met; and [0052] the processor being configured to execute, according to the programs, the method for dynamically adjusting power in the first aspect to adjust a power of a battery).
However, although Wu discloses in [0085] a battery management system is mounted on a smart-vehicle, it does not explicitly disclose:
An autonomous driving platform.
However, Gantt teaches in [0047] s.3, use of cruise control, use of autonomous vehicle (AV) features when the vehicle is an AV. Further Gantt teaches in [0091] battery system usage data can also include information concerning electric loads, such as output power provided by the vehicle battery to one or more components of the vehicle electronics.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, by incorporating the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of a vehicle’s processor onboarding the capabilities to manage its energy distribution more efficiently.
Regarding claim 2, Wu, as modified by Gantt, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is included in the vehicle ([0085] s.1, the battery management system may be mounted on a smart vehicle-mounted device).
Regarding claim 3, Wu, as modified by Gantt, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the energy management calculation is processed by the battery ([0082] battery management system may include: a processor and a memory and [0056] battery management system being electrically connected to the battery).
Regarding claim 19, Wu, as modified by Gantt, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 3, further comprising the battery, wherein the battery either:
comprises a battery management system, the battery management system configured to perform the second portion of the energy management calculation and deliver a result of the second portion of the energy management calculation to the at least one processor ([0002] a battery management system); or
is communicatively connected to a data management server that is configured to perform the second portion of the energy management calculation and deliver a result of the second portion of the energy management calculation to the at least one processor ([0081] s.2, dynamically adjusting power provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a terminal or a server, or may be software running in a terminal or a server).
Regarding claim 20, Wu, as modified by Gantt, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is included in a system-on-a-chip, and wherein the autonomous driving platform further comprises an interface circuit configured to operatively interconnect the at least one processor to one or more of the plurality of sensors of the vehicle ([0084] the processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities).
Regarding claim 21, Wu, as modified by Gantt, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control operation of the battery according to the energy management result ([0052] the processor being configured to execute, according to the programs, the method for dynamically adjusting power in the first aspect to adjust a power of a battery).
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Claims 4, 11-12, 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wu, in view of Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0393259 A1), hereinafter referred to as Gantt, and Sowa et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2023/0294544 A1), hereinafter referred to as Sowa.
Regarding claim 4, Wu, as modified by Gantt, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 1,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to: adjust the first amount of the first portion of the of the energy management calculation performed by the at least one processor ([0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power; [0048] a determination unit, configured to determine whether a power regulation condition is met based on the discharge power integral value and the discharge energy; [0049] a regulation unit, configured to, adjust the maximum allowable output power from the first time discharge power to the second time discharge power or adjust the maximum allowable output power from the second time discharge power to the first time discharge power in response to the power regulation condition being met; and [0106] the power is adjusted during driving, so that the calculation of the actual power is also performed in the driving mode, which is construed as adjusting the first and second amounts dynamically based on new inputs during driving),
but Wu, as modified by Gantt, does not explicitly disclose:
adjust the first amount based further on a characteristic of the energy management calculation.
However, Sowa teaches in [0005] controller uses a battery life model to determine optimal battery setpoints that may be also adjusted based on the estimated amount of the battery degradation. This is construed as adjusting the system thresholds, which may be necessarily calculated, based on a characteristic of the energy management calculation of which the state of the battery is incorporated.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt, by incorporating the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of, as acknowledged by Sowa in [0006], optimizing power generation and energy efficiency.
Regarding claim 11, Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 4, wherein the battery state information includes at least one of a measured voltage of the battery ([0012] s.2, acquiring a current working state and a cutoff voltage; and [0021] discharging to the cutoff voltage, which is construed as measuring the current voltage), a state of charge (SOC) of the battery ([0093] current state of charge (SOC)), a state of health (SOH) of the battery, an amount of accumulated charge current at the battery, an amount of accumulated discharge current at the battery, an amount of accumulated charge power at the battery, an amount of accumulated discharge power at the battery ([0007] acquiring power information, the power information including a first time discharge power), an insulation resistance of the battery, or a relay state of the battery.
a measured current of the battery,
However, Sowa teaches [0004] s.13, measurement of state of charge might include measurement of voltage or current.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt and the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, by further incorporating the measurement of voltage or current teachings of Sowa, such that as vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation are considered within Wu, the measurement of voltage or current teachings are also considered.
Regarding claim 12, Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
adjust the first amount of the first portion of the energy management calculation performed by the at least one processor based further on the driving information ([0006-7] In order to achieve the above objective, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dynamically adjusting power; [0048] a determination unit, configured to determine whether a power regulation condition is met based on the discharge power integral value and the discharge energy; [0049] a regulation unit, configured to, adjust the maximum allowable output power from the first time discharge power to the second time discharge power or adjust the maximum allowable output power from the second time discharge power to the first time discharge power in response to the power regulation condition being met; and [0106] the power is adjusted during driving, so that the calculation of the actual power is also performed in the driving mode, which is construed as adjusting the first and second amounts dynamically based on new inputs based on driving information).
Regarding claim 14, Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 12, wherein the driving information includes at least one of a speed of the vehicle or movements of objects detected by one of more sensors of the vehicle ([0179-180] speed and acceleration state information in terms of power discharge).
Regarding claim 15, Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
estimate the state of the battery based on the driving information ([0079] s.1, maximum allowable output power is adjusted between short-term discharge power and long-term discharge power by detecting the actual state of the current battery and combining the current actual power information); and
process the first portion of the energy management calculation based on the estimated state of the battery ([0079] s.1, maximum allowable output power is adjusted between short-term discharge power and long-term discharge power by detecting the actual state of the current battery and combining the current actual power information, which, on the premise of protecting the battery, meets the power requirements of the entire vehicle under different working conditions, thereby improving the driving experience).
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Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wu, in view of Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0393259 A1), hereinafter referred to as Gantt, Sowa et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2023/0294544 A1), hereinafter referred to as Sowa, Hancock et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2025/0033517 A1), hereinafter referred to as Hancock, and Opila et al. article “An Energy Management Controller to Optimally Trade Off Fuel Economy and Drivability for Hybrid Vehicles”, hereinafter referred to as Opila
Regarding claim 13, although Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses:
discloses the limitation adjust the first amount of the first portion of the energy management calculation performed by the at least one processor in [0106] s.4, the power is adjusted during driving, so that the calculation of the actual power is also performed in the driving mode, which is construed as adjusting the first and second amounts dynamically based on new inputs based on driving information,
not explicitly disclose:
predict a calculation load for driving control calculations performed by the at least one processor based on the driving information.
However, Hancock teaches in [0054] provide a charge instruction for the at least one electric vehicle based at least in part on said energy use optimization calculation, and provide a control instruction for said at least one non-vehicle energy device in the zone based at least in part on said energy use optimization calculation. Furthermore, in [0087] it is taught to provide an optimal or improved recommendation or strategy for energy use based on overall user needs, and in [0131] where the recommendations are provided to computers and other databases that are necessarily within a vehicle that are communicably coupled and relate to energy management results (i.e., an energy management system and a battery management system (BMS) of a vehicle). Furthermore, Hancock teaches in [0146] that optimization calculations may be used in near real-time or real-time and taking into account the dynamic energy needs of the zone, and the vehicle and non-vehicle energy needs. Lastly, [0151] Individual EV data may comprise a data feed that contains specific information that comes from the actual electric vehicle, and contains information including vehicle location data in the form of GPS, battery information including current battery state (charge status) that is the amount that the battery is currently charged, battery temperature and age, battery capacity (e.g. the max charge the battery may hold, which may change with age and temperature), battery charge and discharge rates, and general vehicle information, such as if the EV is autonomous or non-autonomous. This is construed as predicting a calculation load for driving control in order to optimize the dynamic needs of the vehicle based on driving information.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt and the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, by incorporating the optimization calculation teachings of Hancock, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of improved management of energy needs in order to preserve the ability to drive the vehicle safely.
However, although Gantt teaches in [0091] battery system usage data can also include information concerning electric loads, such as output power provided by the vehicle battery to one or more components of the vehicle electronics, the references do not explicitly disclose or teach:
whereby a relative increase in the calculation load for the driving control calculations corresponds to a decrease in the amount of the energy management calculation being designated as the a portion of the energy management calculation.
However, Opila teaches in pg.1493 Section III ¶1, Drivability is a term that covers many aspects of vehicle performance including acceleration, engine noise, braking, automated shifting activity, and shift quality. Meeting a customer's expectations of drivability often involves a tradeoff with fuel economy. This tradeoff is construed as adjusting a calculation load based on an increase in drive control corresponding in a decrease in energy management.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt, the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, and he optimization calculation teachings of Hancock, by incorporating the drivability teachings of Opila, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of improved management of energy needs in order to preserve the ability to drive the vehicle safely and effectively.
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Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wu, in view of Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0393259 A1), hereinafter referred to as Gantt, Sowa et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2023/0294544 A1), hereinafter referred to as Sowa, and Liu et al. (US Pat. No. 12,560,657 B2), hereinafter referred to as Liu.
Regarding claim 16, although Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses the limitation the first portion of the energy management calculation is processed without using the battery state information from the battery([0079] s.1, maximum allowable output power is adjusted between short-term discharge power and long-term discharge power by detecting the actual state of the current battery and combining the current actual power information, which, on the premise of protecting the battery, meets the power requirements of the entire vehicle under different working conditions, thereby improving the driving experience), however it does not explicitly disclose:
estimate the state of the battery based on the driving information in response to the battery state information being unavailable from the battery.
However, Liu teaches in column (col) lines (ln) 4-7 a battery state of health (SOH) is associate with an aging state of one battery cell in the battery pack, and that the aging state can be estimated when the battery pack is unavailable.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt and the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, by incorporating the estimating state of health when the battery pack is unavailable teachings of Liu, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of, as acknowledged by Liu in col 1 ln 29-31, battery pack is inevitably aged in long-term use and, therefore, an aging state of the battery pack needs to be estimated.
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Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wu, in view of Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0393259 A1), hereinafter referred to as Gantt, Sowa et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2023/0294544 A1), hereinafter referred to as Sowa, and Hu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2025/0237703 A1), hereinafter referred to as Hu.
Regarding claim 17, Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
estimate the state of the battery ([0079] s.1, maximum allowable output power is adjusted between short-term discharge power and long-term discharge power by detecting the actual state of the current battery and combining the current actual power information).
However, Wu, as modified by Gantt and Sowa, does not explicitly disclose:
using a state estimation model; and
update the state estimation model based on a comparison of estimation state information derived from the state estimation model with the battery state information obtained from the battery.
However, Hu teaches in [0040] that SOC and SOH of battery packs in EVs are processed in machine learning models. This model is validated through comparison with experimental measurement results. This is construed as a battery state estimation model is compared and updated according to said comparison.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt and the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, by incorporating the estimating state of health using a model teachings of Hu, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of, as acknowledged by Hu in [0040], an improvement in accuracy achieved by the nonlinear state space reconstruction (NSSR) approach is incorporated into this model in estimating SOC and SOH of EV battery packs.
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Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2026/0031642 A1), hereinafter referred to as Wu, in view of Gantt et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0393259 A1), hereinafter referred to as Gantt, Sowa et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2023/0294544 A1), hereinafter referred to as Sowa, Hu et al. (US Pat. Pub. No. 2025/0237703 A1), hereinafter referred to as Hu, and Su et al. article “A Hybrid Battery Equivalent Circuit Model, Deep Learning, and Transfer Learning for Battery State Monitoring”, hereinafter referred to as Su.
Regarding claim 18, Wu, as modified by Gantt, Sowa, and Hu, discloses:
The autonomous driving platform of claim 17, wherein the state estimation model is a machine learning model, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to train the machine learning model using the battery state information obtained from the battery wherein the at least one processor is configured to adjust the machine learning model (Hu teaches in [0040] that SOC and SOH of battery packs in EVs are processed in machine learning models. This model is validated through comparison with experimental measurement results, which is construed as a battery state estimation model is compared and updated according to said comparison),
but Wu, as modified by Gantt, Sowa, and Hu, does not explicitly disclose:
to reduce a difference between the battery state information and the estimation state information.
However, Su teaches on pg.1115 left column first paragraph that transfer learning method is used to reduce the distribution difference between virtual data and actual data. From this capacity estimation models with different transfer learning methods are established and compared.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of energy management within an electric vehicle before the effective filing date of the current invention to modify the battery management system of Wu, as already modified by the vehicle energy management system teachings of Gantt, the vehicle system estimation based on battery degradation teachings of Sowa, and the estimating state of health using a model teachings of Hu, by incorporating the learning method model teachings of Su, such that the combination would provide for the predictable result of improving data accuracy between theoretical and actual.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 5-10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, there are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. However, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious wherein the amount of the energy management calculation is determined as a ratio of processing cycles for each of a first portion of the energy management calculation and a second portion of the energy management calculation, in combination with the other elements required by the claim.
Regarding claim 6, there are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. However, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious control the first amount of the energy management calculation designated as the first portion of the energy management calculation relative to the second amount of the energy management calculation designated as the second portion of the energy management calculation based on determined complexity or variability, in combination with the other elements required by the claim.
Regarding claim 7, there are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. However, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious control the first amount of the energy management calculation designated as the first portion of the energy management calculation relative to the second amount of the energy management calculation designated as the second portion of the energy management calculation based on determined complexity, in combination with the other elements required by the claim.
Regarding claim 8, there are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. However, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious increase a relative weight of the first portion of the energy management calculation compared to the second portion of the energy management calculation in response to the energy management calculation having a feature involved in driving control of the vehicle, in combination with the other elements required by the claim.
Regarding claim 9, there are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. However, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious increase a relative weight of the first portion of the energy management calculation compared to the second portion of the energy management calculation in response to the battery temperature being not less than a threshold temperature value, in combination with the other elements required by the claim.
Regarding claim 10, there are inventions in the field that provide similar functionality and/or have similar features, as the prior art of record shows. However, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious reduce the relative weight of the second portion of the energy management calculation compared to the first portion of the energy management calculation until the battery temperature does not exceed the threshold temperature value, in combination with the other elements required by the claim.
Conclusion
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/Keith A von Volkenburg/ Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/Erin D Bishop/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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