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 § 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.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chikkannanavar et al. (US 9,840,161 B2 hereinafter Chikkannanavar).
As to claim 1, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, a method for diagnosing voltage abnormality of a battery cell in a vehicle (traction battery 124 as shown in Fig. 1 and battery pack with BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2), the method comprising the steps of:
determining, by a processor (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2, “a battery management system for a vehicle includes a controller configured to, in response to a rate of change of voltage during discharge of a battery cell exceeding a first threshold more than a predetermined number of times over a predefined duration, output an error signal”), whether a voltage deviation of at least one cell of a plurality of cells forming a battery (battery cells 202 as shown in Fig. 2) occurs at or above a first threshold voltage a threshold number of times or more than the threshold number during a one-cycle discharge period of the battery (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6, “in response to a rate of change of voltage during discharge of a battery cell exceeding a first threshold more than a predetermined number of times over a predefined duration” AND “the controller compares the counter with a count threshold (e.g., 5 instances …)” AND “during discharge of a battery cell”); and
concluding, by the processor, that voltage deviation abnormality has occurred in the at least one cell in response that the voltage deviation of the at least one cell has occurred at or above the first threshold voltage the threshold number of times or more than the threshold number (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6, “If the count is greater than the count threshold, the controller will proceed to operation 626 … the controller outputs the fault signal”).
As to claim 2, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the method of claim 1, further including the steps of:
determining, by the processor, whether a voltage of the at least one cell is maintained at or below a second threshold voltage for a threshold time period; and
concluding, by the processor, that low voltage abnormality has occurred in the at least one cell in response that the voltage of the at least one cell is maintained at or below the second threshold voltage for the threshold time period (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6, “more than a predetermined number of times over a predefined duration” AND “within a predetermined duration (e.g., a 10 second window)”).
As to claim 3, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the method of claim 1, wherein
the one-cycle discharge period is a time period until the vehicle switches from an ignition on (IG ON) mode to an ignition off (IG OFF) mode, or a time period until the battery is charged after the vehicle switches to the ignition OFF mode (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2, “Vehicle operation includes a time when the vehicle is traveling on a roadway … or a time when a vehicle is in a key-on condition” AND “during discharge of a battery cell”).
As to claim 4, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the method of claim 1, wherein
the voltage deviation is defined as a voltage difference between an immediately preceding maximum or minimum value of voltage measured in the at least one cell and a maximum or minimum value of the voltage measured to a current point (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3B, “FIG. 3B is a graphical representation of a change in a voltage of a battery cell with respect to time (dV/dt)”), and
in response that the voltage deviation greater than or equal to the first threshold voltage occurs once, the processor counts whether a new voltage deviation is occurred based on the voltage measured from the current point (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 6, “the controller increments a counter and proceeds to operation 624. In operation 624, the controller compares the counter with a count threshold”).
As to claim 9, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the method of claim 2, further including the step of
restricting, by the processor, the battery from being charged or controlling the vehicle in response that the low voltage abnormality occurs in the at least one cell (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2, “in response to outputting the fault signal, bypass the battery cell” AND “bypassing the battery cell in response to outputting the fault signal”).
As to claim 11, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, an apparatus for diagnosing voltage abnormality of a battery cell in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a battery that stores power energy for driving the vehicle and includes a plurality of cells (traction battery 124 with battery cells 202 as shown in Figs. 1-2);
a sensor unit including a voltage sensor that detects a voltage of the plurality of cells (pack voltage measurement sensors 210 as shown in Fig. 2); and
a battery management unit that includes a processor and is configured to determine whether a voltage deviation of at least one cell of the plurality of cells forming the battery occurs at or above a first threshold voltage a threshold number of times or more than the threshold number during a one-cycle discharge period of the battery, and is configured to determine that voltage deviation abnormality has occurred in the at least one cell in response that the voltage deviation of the at least one cell has occurred at or above the first threshold voltage the threshold number of times or more than the threshold number (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6,).
As to claim 12, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the apparatus of claim 11, further including the steps of:
determining, by the processor, whether a voltage of the at least one cell is maintained at or below a second threshold voltage for a threshold time period; and
concluding, by the processor, that low voltage abnormality has occurred in the at least one cell in response that the voltage of the at least one cell is maintained at or below the second threshold voltage for the threshold time period (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6,).
As to claim 13, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the apparatus of claim 11, wherein
the one-cycle discharge period is a time period until the vehicle switches from an ignition on (IG ON) mode to an ignition off (IG OFF) mode, or a time period until the battery is charged after the vehicle switches to the ignition OFF mode (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2,).
As to claim 14, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the apparatus of claim 11, wherein
the voltage deviation is defined as a voltage difference between an immediately preceding maximum or minimum value of voltage measured in the at least one cell and a maximum or minimum value of the voltage measured to a current point (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3B, verbatim dV/dt quote above), and
in response that the voltage deviation greater than or equal to the first threshold voltage occurs once, the processor counts whether a new voltage deviation is occurred based on the voltage measured from the current point (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 6,).
As to claim 19, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the apparatus of claim 12, wherein the battery management unit is configured to restrict the battery from being charged or to control the vehicle in response that the low voltage abnormality occurs in the at least one cell (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 2,).
As to claims 10, 20, Chikkannanavar discloses in Figs. 1-2, 3B and 6, the apparatus of claim 11, wherein
the first threshold voltage is 500 mV, and the threshold number of times is 5 (BECM 206 as shown in Fig. 6, “the controller compares the counter with a count threshold (e.g., 5 instances …)”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8, 15-18 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
As to claims 5-8, 15-18, the prior art alone and/or in combination does disclose all the limitations recited in the claims above
Conclusion
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/TUNG X NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858 3/19/2026
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