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
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:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. sec. 103 as being unpatentable as obvious in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20210119267A1 to Kim assigned to SAMSUNG™ and filed in 2016 and in view of U.S. Patent No.: US6198253B1 to Curle.
In regard to claim 1, and 20, Kim discloses “…1. (Original) A method for controlling batteries for an electric vehicle, the method (see paragraph 51-59)
comprising:
determining, by a controller, a battery between a first battery and a second battery based on an operating area in which an operating characteristic of a driving motor is disposed among a
plurality of operating areas; and (see paragraph 41 where the electric vehicle controller can request a complete discharge of all batteries for power and see paragraph 29-37 where FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 schematically illustrate a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0030]
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, according to the present exemplary embodiment, a battery pack 10 may include a battery 100, a cell balancing circuit 110, a cell balancing controller 120, a controller 130, and a mechanical switch 140.
[0031]
The battery 100 may be a high voltage battery including a plurality of cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 connected to each other in series. In addition, each of the cells may be a rechargeable battery that can be charged and discharged. Examples of the rechargeable battery used as the cell may include a nickel-cadmium battery, a lead-acid battery, a nickel metal hydride battery (NiMH), a lithium-ion battery, and a lithium polymer battery.
[0032]
Although a case where the battery 100 includes four cells is illustrated as an example in FIG. 2, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a number of cells included in the battery 100 may be changed depending on a design specification of the battery pack 10.
[0033]
The cell balancing circuit 110 includes a discharging circuit for each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 constituting the battery 100 to perform a cell balancing operation for reducing a voltage difference between the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.
[0034]
The cell balancing circuit 110 may include a plurality of discharge resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 and a plurality of switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4. The discharge resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 and the switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 are respectively connected between opposite ends of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 to form discharge paths of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.
[0035]
The switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 respectively function to open or close the discharge paths of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4. When the discharging paths are closed by the switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4, a discharging current flows through the discharge paths to the discharge resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4, thereby discharging the corresponding cell. The switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 may be controlled by the cell balancing controller 120.
[0036]
The cell balancing circuit 110 may further include a plurality of voltage sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4. The voltage sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4 may be respectively connected between opposite ends of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 to detect cell voltages of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.
[0037]
When a signal for commanding cell balancing is received from the controller 130, the cell balancing controller 120 may control the cell balancing circuit 110 to perform the cell balancing on the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 based on a state of charge (SOC) of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.)
controlling, by the controller, power supply from the determined battery to the driving
motor (see paragraph 41) or (OPTIONALLY) charging the determined battery by power generated by the driving motor,
wherein the determining the battery between the first battery and the second battery includes:
determining, by the controller, an adjustment mode for reference data that divide the plurality of operating areas based on states of charge (SOCs)” (see paragraph 38-43 where In the present exemplary embodiment, a complete discharge function of the cell balancing circuit 110 may be used for fast and safe complete discharge of the battery 100 when the battery pack 10 is discarded.
[0039]
The complete discharge function of the battery 100 must operate only when it is discarded, and may cause serious problems in the case of malfunction. For example, when a vehicle equipped with the battery pack 10 malfunctions due to a communication error or the like during driving, this may pose a serious risk to vehicle safety.
[0040]
Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment, the cell balancing controller 120 that finally controls the cell balancing circuit 110 is designed to determine whether the complete discharge function is to be operated or not in order to minimize the error in the process of transferring the complete discharge command to the cell balancing circuit 110. In addition, the cell balancing controller 120 may control the complete discharge function of the cell balancing circuit 110 to operate only when receiving a signal commanding the complete discharge from a plurality of apparatuses that are completely independent of each other without interrelationship. For example, the cell balancing controller 120 may control the Complete discharge function of the cell balancing circuit 110 to operate only when it receives the signal commanding the complete discharge from both the controller 130 and the mechanical switch 140.
[0041]
When a request for complete discharge of the battery pack 10 is received from an external device 20 (e.g., an electronic control unit (ECU) inside a vehicle) outside the battery pack 10, the controller 130 may transfer a signal commanding the complete discharge of the battery pack 10 to the cell balancing controller 120. The controller 130 may receive a complete discharge request from the external device 20 through a communication line such as a controller area network (CAN) bus. In addition, the controller 130 may transmit a signal commanding the complete discharge of the battery 100 to the cell balancing controller 120 through the communication line.
[0042]
The mechanical switch 140 may be outside the battery pack 10, and may be operated by a mechanical operation. When the mechanical switch 140 is manually operated by a user, a signal commanding complete discharge may be transmitted to the cell balancing controller 120. The mechanical switch 140 may be disposed outside the battery pack 10 to facilitate user operation. As the mechanical switch 140, a jumper switch or the like may be used.
[0043]
When the signal commanding the complete discharge is received from both the controller 130 and the mechanical switch 140, the cell balancing controller 120 drives the switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 to perform the complete discharge function on the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.)
and states of health (SORs) of the first battery and the second battery, (see paragraph 51-59 where In the case of an abnormal cell, a continuous discharge for complete discharge may cause a fire or the like. Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment, a process of detecting an abnormal cell among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 may be performed before the complete discharge using the cell balancing circuit 110 is performed. In addition, normal cells among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 except for the abnormal cell may be controlled to be completely discharged using the cell balancing circuit 110.
[0052]
The process of detecting the abnormal cell among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 may be performed by the cell balancing controller 120. The cell balancing controller 120 may detect a cell voltage of each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 through the voltage sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4, to detect an abnormal cell based on the detected cell voltages.
[0053]
The process of detecting the abnormal cell among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 may be performed by the controller 130. In this case, when the complete discharge is requested from the outside, the controller 130 may detect an abnormal cell among the cells cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4, and may transmit information related to the abnormal cell together when transmitting the signal commanding the complete discharge.
[0054]
When a number of the cells constituting the battery 100 is large, when the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 is operated for all the cells, a discharge current may be too large to be exposed to the risk of fire. Accordingly, in the exemplary embodiment, the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 may be operated for the cells cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4.
[0055]
The cell balancing controller 120 may divide the cells cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4 into a plurality of cell groups, and may control the cell groups to have different starting times of the complete discharge using the cell balancing circuit 110.
[0056]
The cell balancing controller 120 may detect the cell voltage of each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, cell4 through the voltage sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4, and may control the starting times of the complete discharge using the cell balancing circuit 110 for each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 to be different from each other depending on the detected cell voltages. For example, when the cell voltage is higher, the starting times of the complete discharge may be controlled to be faster.
[0057]
The battery pack 10 may further include an output device 150 such as a buzzer or a light emitting device. The cell balancing controller 120 may output notification of a complete discharge state through the output device 150 when the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 is performed.
[0058]
For example, the cell balancing controller 120 may output finishing of complete discharge through a sound output device such as the buzzer when the complete discharge of all the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 is finished. For example, the cell balancing controller 120 may control lighting of the light emitting device such as an LED to display the complete discharge state of each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.
[0059]
When the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 is performed, the cell balancing controller 120 may transmit the notification of the complete discharge state to an upper controller (not illustrated) such as the ECU of the vehicle or a display (not illustrated) through the communication line.)
Kim is silent but Curle teaches “…and adjusting, by the controller, the reference data based on the determined adjustment mode”. (See claims 1-7 where the state of charge and state of discharge can be changed based on the age of the battery and FIG. 7a to 7c where the batteries are not normal and the amount of discharge is set and a high temperature is noted and the capacity is lower and this battery is running to the end of the useful life and the parameters for charge and discharge can be changed and the battery can be noted for replacement)”.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of CURLE with a reasonable expectation of success since CURLE teaches that a battery can be provided. The age of the battery can also be noted where a new battery can have different discharge and charge rates while a second different old battery can have a less capacity and different discharge and charge rates. The processor can note reference data that a temperature of the battery is very high and modulate the charge and discharge parameters being based on the age and then note that this battery requires a replacement. A user can then avoid a dangerous less capacity battery and provide for a replacement. See claims 1-7 and the abstract of CURLE.
Kim is silent but Curle teaches “…2. (Original) The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustment mode comprises a SOC-based adjustment, a SOR-based adjustment, and a SOC/SOR-based adjustment”. (See claims 1-7 where the state of charge and state of discharge can be changed based on the age of the battery and FIG. 7a to 7c where the batteries are not normal and the amount of discharge is set and a high temperature is noted and the capacity is lower and this battery is running to the end of the useful life and the parameters for charge and discharge can be changed and the battery can be noted for replacement; Another of the factors that affect the accuracy of the SOC is self discharge experienced by the smart battery 22 as a result of its own internal resistance. As this discharge is internal to the cells, it is impossible for the smart battery 22 to measure and therefore must be estimated. Statistical testing can be used to establish the expected self discharge rate for a specific manufacturer's cell and these values can be incorporated into an algorithm. Unfortunately the self discharge rate is temperature dependent, so the temperature of the cell must be measured to adjust the self discharge rate to compensate for temperature. What can't be estimated is the changes in self discharge that occur as a cell ages or begins to fail. An unexpected increase in self discharge would cause the SOC to become inaccurate—possibly indicating more capacity than actually exists in the smart battery 22. To mitigate the effect of a changing self discharge rate on the accuracy of the SOC, the present invention disables the SOC display by recording a critical error in the smart battery's non-volatile memory 142 after a predefined number of cycles (precluding the possibility of old age). The present invention also mitigates the effect of self discharge on the SOC by monitoring the amount of discrepancy attributed to self discharge and disabling the SOC display by recording a critical error in the smart battery's non-volatile memory 142 once the self discharge exceeds a predefined self discharge threshold. This second method is performed every time the battery is discharged in accordance with the method discussed below with reference to FIG. 7C. As is discussed in more detail below, if the residual value in the SOC is a positive number when the End of Discharge message is received by the smart battery from the battery maintenance and testing system, it means that there is unaccounted self discharge occurring. If this value exceeds a predefined self discharge threshold (that allows for minor variations in the charge cycling) the battery will log a critical error effectively ending its life.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of CURLE with a reasonable expectation of success since CURLE teaches that a battery can be provided. The age of the battery can also be noted where a new battery can have different discharge and charge rates while a second different old battery can have a less capacity and different discharge and charge rates. The processor can note reference data that a temperature of the battery is very high and modulate the charge and discharge parameters being based on the age and then note that this battery requires a replacement. A user can then avoid a dangerous less capacity battery and provide for a replacement. See claims 1-7 and the abstract of CURLE.
Kim is silent but Curle teaches “…3. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 2, wherein the determining the
adjustment mode comprises at least one of:
determining the SOC-based adjustment as the adjustment mode when an SOC of at least one battery of the first battery and the second battery is deviated from a set SOC range;
determining based SOR-based adjustment as the adjustment mode when
both SOCs of the first battery and the second battery are within the set SOC range; and
determining the S-(}H b-as-ed-SOC/SOH-based adjustment as the adjustment mode when
both the SOCs of the first battery and the second battery are within the set SOC range, a difference between the SOCs of the first battery and the second battery is less than a set SOC difference, and a difference bet\veen SOHs of the first battery and the second battery is deviated from a set SOH range”. (See claims 1-7 where the state of charge and state of discharge can be changed based on the age of the battery and FIG. 7a to 7c where the batteries are not normal and the amount of discharge is set and a high temperature is noted and the capacity is lower and this battery is running to the end of the useful life and the parameters for charge and discharge can be changed and the battery can be noted for replacement; Another of the factors that affect the accuracy of the SOC is self discharge experienced by the smart battery 22 as a result of its own internal resistance. As this discharge is internal to the cells, it is impossible for the smart battery 22 to measure and therefore must be estimated. Statistical testing can be used to establish the expected self discharge rate for a specific manufacturer's cell and these values can be incorporated into an algorithm. Unfortunately the self discharge rate is temperature dependent, so the temperature of the cell must be measured to adjust the self discharge rate to compensate for temperature. What can't be estimated is the changes in self discharge that occur as a cell ages or begins to fail. An unexpected increase in self discharge would cause the SOC to become inaccurate—possibly indicating more capacity than actually exists in the smart battery 22. To mitigate the effect of a changing self discharge rate on the accuracy of the SOC, the present invention disables the SOC display by recording a critical error in the smart battery's non-volatile memory 142 after a predefined number of cycles (precluding the possibility of old age). The present invention also mitigates the effect of self discharge on the SOC by monitoring the amount of discrepancy attributed to self discharge and disabling the SOC display by recording a critical error in the smart battery's non-volatile memory 142 once the self discharge exceeds a predefined self discharge threshold. This second method is performed every time the battery is discharged in accordance with the method discussed below with reference to FIG. 7C. As is discussed in more detail below, if the residual value in the SOC is a positive number when the End of Discharge message is received by the smart battery from the battery maintenance and testing system, it means that there is unaccounted self discharge occurring. If this value exceeds a predefined self discharge threshold (that allows for minor variations in the charge cycling) the battery will log a critical error effectively ending its life.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of CURLE with a reasonable expectation of success since CURLE teaches that a battery can be provided. The age of the battery can also be noted where a new battery can have different discharge and charge rates while a second different old battery can have a less capacity and different discharge and charge rates. The processor can note reference data that a temperature of the battery is very high and modulate the charge and discharge parameters being based on the age and then note that this battery requires a replacement. A user can then avoid a dangerous less capacity battery and provide for a replacement. See claims 1-7 and the abstract of CURLE.
Curle teaches “..4. (Original) The method of claim 2, wherein the SOC-based adjustment comprises adjusting the reference data based on the SOCs of the first battery and the second battery”. (See claims 1-7 where the state of charge and state of discharge can be changed based on the age of the battery and FIG. 7a to 7c where the batteries are not normal and the amount of discharge is set and a high temperature is noted and the capacity is lower and this battery is running to the end of the useful life and the parameters for charge and discharge can be changed and the battery can be noted for replacement; Another of the factors that affect the accuracy of the SOC is self discharge experienced by the smart battery 22 as a result of its own internal resistance. As this discharge is internal to the cells, it is impossible for the smart battery 22 to measure and therefore must be estimated. Statistical testing can be used to establish the expected self discharge rate for a specific manufacturer's cell and these values can be incorporated into an algorithm. Unfortunately the self discharge rate is temperature dependent, so the temperature of the cell must be measured to adjust the self discharge rate to compensate for temperature. What can't be estimated is the changes in self discharge that occur as a cell ages or begins to fail. An unexpected increase in self discharge would cause the SOC to become inaccurate—possibly indicating more capacity than actually exists in the smart battery 22. To mitigate the effect of a changing self discharge rate on the accuracy of the SOC, the present invention disables the SOC display by recording a critical error in the smart battery's non-volatile memory 142 after a predefined number of cycles (precluding the possibility of old age). The present invention also mitigates the effect of self discharge on the SOC by monitoring the amount of discrepancy attributed to self discharge and disabling the SOC display by recording a critical error in the smart battery's non-volatile memory 142 once the self discharge exceeds a predefined self discharge threshold. This second method is performed every time the battery is discharged in accordance with the method discussed below with reference to FIG. 7C. As is discussed in more detail below, if the residual value in the SOC is a positive number when the End of Discharge message is received by the smart battery from the battery maintenance and testing system, it means that there is unaccounted self discharge occurring. If this value exceeds a predefined self discharge threshold (that allows for minor variations in the charge cycling) the battery will log a critical error effectively ending its life.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of CURLE with a reasonable expectation of success since CURLE teaches that a battery can be provided. The age of the battery can also be noted where a new battery can have different discharge and charge rates while a second different old battery can have a less capacity and different discharge and charge rates. The processor can note reference data that a temperature of the battery is very high and modulate the charge and discharge parameters being based on the age and then note that this battery requires a replacement. A user can then avoid a dangerous less capacity battery and provide for a replacement. See claims 1-7 and the abstract of CURLE.
Kim discloses “…5. (Original) The method of clairn 4, wherein the SOC-based adjustment comprises:
a first SOC-based adjustment of adjusting the reference data based on a first mode
oriented towards charging a lower-voltage battery or discharging a higher-voltage battery when a
first SOC of the lower-voltage battery among the first battery and the second battery is less than
a second SOC of the higher-voltage battery among the first battery and the second battery; or
a second SOC-based adjustment of adjusting the reference data based on a second mode
oriented towards discharging the lower-voltage battery or charging the higher-voltage battery
when the first SOC is greater than the second SOC”. (see paragraph 38-43 where In the present exemplary embodiment, a complete discharge function of the cell balancing circuit 110 may be used for fast and safe complete discharge of the battery 100 when the battery pack 10 is discarded.
[0039]
The complete discharge function of the battery 100 must operate only when it is discarded, and may cause serious problems in the case of malfunction. For example, when a vehicle equipped with the battery pack 10 malfunctions due to a communication error or the like during driving, this may pose a serious risk to vehicle safety.
[0040]
Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment, the cell balancing controller 120 that finally controls the cell balancing circuit 110 is designed to determine whether the complete discharge function is to be operated or not in order to minimize the error in the process of transferring the complete discharge command to the cell balancing circuit 110. In addition, the cell balancing controller 120 may control the complete discharge function of the cell balancing circuit 110 to operate only when receiving a signal commanding the complete discharge from a plurality of apparatuses that are completely independent of each other without interrelationship. For example, the cell balancing controller 120 may control the Complete discharge function of the cell balancing circuit 110 to operate only when it receives the signal commanding the complete discharge from both the controller 130 and the mechanical switch 140.
[0041]
When a request for complete discharge of the battery pack 10 is received from an external device 20 (e.g., an electronic control unit (ECU) inside a vehicle) outside the battery pack 10, the controller 130 may transfer a signal commanding the complete discharge of the battery pack 10 to the cell balancing controller 120. The controller 130 may receive a complete discharge request from the external device 20 through a communication line such as a controller area network (CAN) bus. In addition, the controller 130 may transmit a signal commanding the complete discharge of the battery 100 to the cell balancing controller 120 through the communication line.
[0042]
The mechanical switch 140 may be outside the battery pack 10, and may be operated by a mechanical operation. When the mechanical switch 140 is manually operated by a user, a signal commanding complete discharge may be transmitted to the cell balancing controller 120. The mechanical switch 140 may be disposed outside the battery pack 10 to facilitate user operation. As the mechanical switch 140, a jumper switch or the like may be used.
[0043]
When the signal commanding the complete discharge is received from both the controller 130 and the mechanical switch 140, the cell balancing controller 120 drives the switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 to perform the complete discharge function on the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.) (see paragraph 51-59 where In the case of an abnormal cell, a continuous discharge for complete discharge may cause a fire or the like. Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment, a process of detecting an abnormal cell among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 may be performed before the complete discharge using the cell balancing circuit 110 is performed. In addition, normal cells among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 except for the abnormal cell may be controlled to be completely discharged using the cell balancing circuit 110.
[0052]
The process of detecting the abnormal cell among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 may be performed by the cell balancing controller 120. The cell balancing controller 120 may detect a cell voltage of each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 through the voltage sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4, to detect an abnormal cell based on the detected cell voltages.
[0053]
The process of detecting the abnormal cell among the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 may be performed by the controller 130. In this case, when the complete discharge is requested from the outside, the controller 130 may detect an abnormal cell among the cells cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4, and may transmit information related to the abnormal cell together when transmitting the signal commanding the complete discharge.
[0054]
When a number of the cells constituting the battery 100 is large, when the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 is operated for all the cells, a discharge current may be too large to be exposed to the risk of fire. Accordingly, in the exemplary embodiment, the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 may be operated for the cells cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4.
[0055]
The cell balancing controller 120 may divide the cells cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4 into a plurality of cell groups, and may control the cell groups to have different starting times of the complete discharge using the cell balancing circuit 110.
[0056]
The cell balancing controller 120 may detect the cell voltage of each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, cell4 through the voltage sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4, and may control the starting times of the complete discharge using the cell balancing circuit 110 for each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 to be different from each other depending on the detected cell voltages. For example, when the cell voltage is higher, the starting times of the complete discharge may be controlled to be faster.
[0057]
The battery pack 10 may further include an output device 150 such as a buzzer or a light emitting device. The cell balancing controller 120 may output notification of a complete discharge state through the output device 150 when the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 is performed.
[0058]
For example, the cell balancing controller 120 may output finishing of complete discharge through a sound output device such as the buzzer when the complete discharge of all the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4 is finished. For example, the cell balancing controller 120 may control lighting of the light emitting device such as an LED to display the complete discharge state of each of the cells cell1, cell2, cell3, and cell4.
[0059]
When the complete discharge function using the cell balancing circuit 110 is performed, the cell balancing controller 120 may transmit the notification of the complete discharge state to an upper controller (not illustrated) such as the ECU of the vehicle or a display (not illustrated) through the communication line.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of CURLE with a reasonable expectation of success since CURLE teaches that a battery can be provided. The age of the battery can also be noted where a new battery can have different discharge and charge rates while a second different old battery can have a less capacity and different discharge and charge rates. The processor can note reference data that a temperature of the battery is very high and modulate the charge and discharge parameters being based on the age and then note that this battery requires a replacement. A user can then avoid a dangerous less capacity battery and provide for a replacement. See claims 1-7 and the abstract of CURLE.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. sec. 103 as being unpatentable as obvious in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20210119267A1 to Kim assigned to SAMSUNG™ and filed in 2016 and in view of U.S. Patent No.: US6198253B1 to Curle and in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20250088013A1 to Lee that was filed in 2023.
Kim is silent but Lee teaches “…6. (Original) The method of claim 5, wherein the first SOC-based adjustment
comprises adjusting the reference data to extend a higher-voltage discharging area or a lower voltage
charging area of the plurality of operating areas, and
wherein the second SOC-based adjustment comprises adjusting the reference data to extend a lower-voltage discharging area or a higher-voltage charging area of the plurality of
operating areas”. (see claims 1-9 and paragraph 63-94 where some cells can be abnormal and a new discharge and charge reference can be provided to accommodate the old and damaged cells while a new cell have a higher discharge rate and charge rate)”.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of LEE with a reasonable expectation of success since LEE teaches that a battery can be provided. The abnormality and damage level of the battery can also be noted. Based on the damage, and abnormal level, a different charge and discharge rate can be provided so the device can still function with an abnormal battery. See claims 1-9 of Lee.
Claims 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. sec. 103 as being unpatentable as obvious in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20210119267A1 to Kim assigned to SAMSUNG™ and filed in 2016 and in view of U.S. Patent No.: US6198253B1 to Curle and in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20250088013A1 to Lee that was filed in 2023 and in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.; US20190126770A1 to Koch and assigned to GM.
Kim is silent but Koch teaches “…7. (Original) The method of claim 6, wherein the reference data includes at least one
hysteresis of: pmver-based hysteresis; torque-based hysteresis; or revolutions per minute (RPM)based
hysteresis, and
wherein the adjusting the reference data comprises adjusting the at least one hysteresis”. (See paragraph 35-47 where a reference of the soc for the charging state and discharging state can be provided by the hysteresis calculation using the device).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of KOCH with a reasonable expectation of success since KOCH teaches that a battery can be provided. The hysteresis level of the battery can be provided via a calculation. Based on this level, different charge and discharge rates can be provided so the device can operate with different batteries. If hysteresis is not accounted for, SoC algorithms may misread the battery’s charge level, leading to inaccurate energy predictions and the performance of the system can be degraded.
Kim is silent but Koch teaches “8. (Original) The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one hysteresis is
determined based on an average and a standard deviation obtained based on learning data. (See paragraph 35-47 where a reference of the soc for the charging state and discharging state can be provided by the hysteresis calculation using the device)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of KOCH with a reasonable expectation of success since KOCH teaches that a battery can be provided. The hysteresis level of the battery can be provided via a calculation. Based on this level, different charge and discharge rates can be provided so the device can operate with different batteries. If hysteresis is not accounted for, SoC algorithms may misread the battery’s charge level, leading to inaccurate energy predictions and the performance of the system can be degraded.
Kim is silent but Koch teaches “9. (Original) The method of claim 8, wherein the adjusting the at least one hysteresis
comprises adjusting the at least one hysteresis by an adjustment amount detem1ined based on the
standard deviation. (See paragraph 35-47 where a reference of the soc for the charging state and discharging state can be provided by the hysteresis calculation using the device)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of KOCH with a reasonable expectation of success since KOCH teaches that a battery can be provided. The hysteresis level of the battery can be provided via a calculation. Based on this level, different charge and discharge rates can be provided so the device can operate with different batteries. If hysteresis is not accounted for, SoC algorithms may misread the battery’s charge level, leading to inaccurate energy predictions and the performance of the system can be degraded.
Kim is silent but Koch teaches “10. (Original) The method of claim 9 wherein the adjustment amount is determined
based on a difference between the first SOC and the second SOC and the standard deviation. (See paragraph 35-47 where a reference of the soc for the charging state and discharging state can be provided by the hysteresis calculation using the device)”.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of KOCH with a reasonable expectation of success since KOCH teaches that a battery can be provided. The hysteresis level of the battery can be provided via a calculation. Based on this level, different charge and discharge rates can be provided so the device can operate with different batteries. If hysteresis is not accounted for, SoC algorithms may misread the battery’s charge level, leading to inaccurate energy predictions and the performance of the system can be degraded.
Claims 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. sec. 103 as being unpatentable as obvious in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20210119267A1 to Kim assigned to SAMSUNG™ and filed in 2016 and in view of U.S. Patent No.: US6198253B1 to Curle and in view of Chinese Patent Application Pub. No.: CN117318255B to Beijing Century Zhihui Oriental Technology
Zhihui teaches “…11. (Original) The method of claim 2, wherein the SOh-based adjustment comprises
adjusting the reference data based on the SOHs of the first battery and the second battery”. (See abstract where the reference data for charging and discharging can be made based on the age and health of the batteries; The application discloses battery state analysis system and method based on big data visualization, relates to the technical field of battery charging and discharging, and comprises the following steps: collecting charge and discharge parameters of different types of batteries, wherein the charge and discharge parameters comprise voltage data, current data, charge and discharge curve data, temperature data, internal resistance data and battery health state data; establishing a battery charge-discharge model and a battery aging model according to the collected charge-discharge parameters, and predicting the charge-discharge parameters of the battery; setting a multi-stage charging strategy according to the predicted charging and discharging parameters, calculating and controlling the output voltage and the output current of the charger through a PID or enhanced PID algorithm, and controlling the charging voltage and the charging current of the battery; and displaying the charge and discharge parameters of the battery through a chart, and prompting the user about corresponding maintenance measures. Aiming at the problem of low charging efficiency of different aged batteries in the prior art, the battery charging and discharging model and the aging model are built, so that the charging efficiency is improved. )
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of ZHIHUI with a reasonable expectation of success since ZHUHUI teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured using the PID controller. The PID controller can modulate the operation of the battery charge and discharge rate and provide a different charge and discharge strategy being based on the state of battery health. This can provide a more responsive discharge cycle and/or a more effective charging of the battery.
Zhihui teaches “…12 (Original) The method of claim 11, wherein the SOH-based adjustment
comprises:
a first SOH-based adjustment of adjusting the reference data to increase use of a higher voltage
battery among the first battery and the second battery and to decrease use of a lower voltage
battery among the first battery and the second battery ,vhen a first SOH of the lower voltage
battery is less than a second SOH of the higher-voltage battery; or
a second SOB-based adjustment of adjusting the reference data to increase the use of the
lower-voltage battery and to decrease the use of the higher-voltage battery when the first SOH is
greater than the second SOB”. (See abstract and claims 1-4 where based on the health and age of the battery, the voltage and current parameters for charging and discharging can be changed to be higher or lower to provided a PID controller to control the charging and discharging)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of ZHIHUI with a reasonable expectation of success since ZHUHUI teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured using the PID controller. The PID controller can modulate the operation of the battery charge and discharge rate and provide a different charge and discharge strategy being based on the state of battery health. This can provide a more responsive discharge cycle and/or a more effective charging of the battery.
Zhihui teaches “…13. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 12, wherein the first SOB-based adjustment comprises adjusting the reference data to extend a higher-voltage discharging area or
a higher -voltage charging area of the plurality of operating areas, and
wherein the second SOH-based adjustment comprises adjusting the reference data to extend a lower-voltage discharging area or a lower~-voltage charging area of the plurality of operating areas”. (see abstract and claims 1-4 and also the detailed description that the areas of the aging battery can be changed to provide different charging and discharging profiles based on the area and age of the battery; Proprietary models of different battery types and aging levels can be built. And simulating voltage, current and temperature curves of different charging strategies by using the model. And comparing the charging time, capacity utilization rate and heating condition of different strategies. The charging efficiency of the aged battery under different strategies was evaluated. An optimal charging strategy is determined that minimizes charging time and heating. And designing a constant current and constant voltage stage of the charger according to the optimized curve. And detecting the feedback of the battery in real time, and adjusting the strategy to control the charging process in a closed loop manner. And quick and accurate control is realized by means of a DSP and PID algorithm. And finally, the quick, efficient and stable charging of the aged battery is realized. Specifically, in the present application, charge-discharge curve data of a typical lithium ion battery is collected. And measuring parameters such as voltage, current, temperature and the like. And (3) establishing an electrochemical model in the emodel, and selecting a copper cathode and a lithium cobalt oxide anode. The geometry and material parameters of the model, such as electrode area, active material loading, etc., are set. Electrolyte parameters such as transfer number, diffusion coefficient, etc. are set. And establishing an activated polarization model, and adding a logarithmic current overvoltage equation of the positive electrode and the negative electrode. And establishing an ion transmission model of the polymer diaphragm. And solving a partial differential equation set by adopting a Newton method to obtain a voltage time curve. And comparing with experimental data, and correcting model parameters until the fitting effect is satisfied. And (5) taking different charging current and temperature conditions into consideration to obtain a charging curve. Repeating the steps to build a discharge model. Finally, battery models which can be used for different charge and discharge conditions are obtained, and the battery models are utilized to optimize a charge strategy and improve efficiency.)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of ZHIHUI with a reasonable expectation of success since ZHUHUI teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured using the PID controller. The PID controller can modulate the operation of the battery charge and discharge rate and provide a different charge and discharge strategy being based on the state of battery health. This can provide a more responsive discharge cycle and/or a more effective charging of the battery.
Claims 14 to 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. sec. 103 as being unpatentable as obvious in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20210119267A1 to Kim assigned to SAMSUNG™ and filed in 2016 and in view of U.S. Patent No.: US6198253B1 to Curle and in view of Chinese Patent Application Pub. No.: CN117318255B to Beijing Century Zhihui Oriental Technology and in view of United States Patent Application Pub. No.: US20210141028A1 to Du.
The primary reference is silent but Du teaches “…14. (Original) The method of claim 13, wherein the reference data comprises at least
one hysteresis of: power-based hysteresis; torque-based hysteresis; or revolutions per minute
(RPM)-based hysteresis, and
wherein the adjusting of the reference data comprises adjusting the at least one hysteresis”. (see paragraph 6-23)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of DU with a reasonable expectation of success since DU teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured. The processor can include a function of correcting a state of health of a battery with a correction occasion judgment module, configured to determine whether a current voltage value of a battery cell is within a correction OCV section of the battery cell, where the correction OCV section includes at least one of a non-attenuation OCV section and a non-hysteresis OCV section; and a state of health correction module, configured to: if the current voltage value of the battery cell is within the correction OCV section, use the current voltage value of the battery cell as a correction voltage value, acquire an SOC correction value corresponding to the correction voltage value, and correct a state of health (SOH) of the battery cell by using the SOC correction value. This can provide an effective tool for aging battery to improve temperature values and improve the charge and discharge cycles of the battery.
Du teaches “…15. (Original) The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one hysteresis is
determined based on an average and a standard deviation obtained through learning”. (see paragraph 72-84 and 132-139).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of DU with a reasonable expectation of success since DU teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured. The processor can include a function of correcting a state of health of a battery with a correction occasion judgment module, configured to determine whether a current voltage value of a battery cell is within a correction OCV section of the battery cell, where the correction OCV section includes at least one of a non-attenuation OCV section and a non-hysteresis OCV section; and a state of health correction module, configured to: if the current voltage value of the battery cell is within the correction OCV section, use the current voltage value of the battery cell as a correction voltage value, acquire an SOC correction value corresponding to the correction voltage value, and correct a state of health (SOH) of the battery cell by using the SOC correction value. This can provide an effective tool for aging battery to improve temperature values and improve the charge and discharge cycles of the battery.
Du teaches “…16. (Original) The method of claim 15, wherein the adjusting of the at least one
hysteresis comprises adjusting the at least one hysteresis by an adjustment amount determined
based on the standard deviation. (see paragraph 72-84 and 132-139).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of DU with a reasonable expectation of success since DU teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured. The processor can include a function of correcting a state of health of a battery with a correction occasion judgment module, configured to determine whether a current voltage value of a battery cell is within a correction OCV section of the battery cell, where the correction OCV section includes at least one of a non-attenuation OCV section and a non-hysteresis OCV section; and a state of health correction module, configured to: if the current voltage value of the battery cell is within the correction OCV section, use the current voltage value of the battery cell as a correction voltage value, acquire an SOC correction value corresponding to the correction voltage value, and correct a state of health (SOH) of the battery cell by using the SOC correction value. This can provide an effective tool for aging battery to improve temperature values and improve the charge and discharge cycles of the battery.
Du teaches “…17. (Original) The method of claim 16, wherein the adjustment amount is determine
based on a difference between the first SOH and the second SOH and the standard deviation. (see paragraph 86-96 and 72-84 and 132-139).
Du teaches “…18. (Original) The method of clairn 2, wherein the SOC/SOJ-i-based adjustment
Comprises:
determining a first adjustment amount to change the reference data based on the SOCs of
the first battery and the second battery; and
determining a second adjustment amount to change the reference data based on the SOHs
of the first battery and the second battery. (see paragraph 11-24 and 72-84 and 132-139).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of DU with a reasonable expectation of success since DU teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured. The processor can include a function of correcting a state of health of a battery with a correction occasion judgment module, configured to determine whether a current voltage value of a battery cell is within a correction OCV section of the battery cell, where the correction OCV section includes at least one of a non-attenuation OCV section and a non-hysteresis OCV section; and a state of health correction module, configured to: if the current voltage value of the battery cell is within the correction OCV section, use the current voltage value of the battery cell as a correction voltage value, acquire an SOC correction value corresponding to the correction voltage value, and correct a state of health (SOH) of the battery cell by using the SOC correction value. This can provide an effective tool for aging battery to improve temperature values and improve the charge and discharge cycles of the battery.
Du teaches “…19 (Original) The method of claim 18, wherein the SOC/SOH-based adjustment
Further comprises determining a total adjustment amount by addition or (OPTIONALLY) multiplication of the first
adjustment amount and the second adjustment amount”. (see paragraph 11-24 and 72-84 and 132-139).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present disclosure to combine the disclosure of KIM with the teachings of DU with a reasonable expectation of success since DU teaches that a battery can be provided. The state of health of the battery can also be measured. The processor can include a function of correcting a state of health of a battery with a correction occasion judgment module, configured to determine whether a current voltage value of a battery cell is within a correction OCV section of the battery cell, where the correction OCV section includes at least one of a non-attenuation OCV section and a non-hysteresis OCV section; and a state of health correction module, configured to: if the current voltage value of the battery cell is within the correction OCV section, use the current voltage value of the battery cell as a correction voltage value, acquire an SOC correction value corresponding to the correction voltage value, and correct a state of health (SOH) of the battery cell by using the SOC correction value. This can provide an effective tool for aging battery to improve temperature values and improve the charge and discharge cycles of the battery.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEAN PAUL CASS whose telephone number is (571)270-1934. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 7 am to 7 pm; Saturday 10 am to 12 noon.
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/JEAN PAUL CASS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3666
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