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 .
Notice to Applicant
This is the first Non-Final Office Action in response to Application Serial Number: 19/265,284, filed on July 10, 2025. Claims 1-6 are pending in this application and have been rejected below.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of Applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. The Examiner has noted the Applicant is claiming foreign priority to Japanese Application No. JP2024-147882 filed August 29, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) filed on July 10, 2025 and March 10, 2026 comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609 and are considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Step 1: The claimed subject matter falls within the four statutory categories of patentable subject matter.
Claims 1-5 are directed towards a control device and claim 6 is directed towards a method, both of which are among the statutory categories of invention.
Step 2A – Prong One: The claims recite an abstract idea.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite managing electric power between areas.
Claim 1 recites limitations directed to an abstract idea based on certain methods of organizing human activity and mental processes. Specifically, acquires a total electric power supply amount to be supplied from a system of a first area to the first area, compares the acquired total electric power supply amount and a total electric power consumption expected amount calculated based on a charging plan of an electricity storage body present in the first area, the total electric power consumption expected amount being an electric power consumption expected amount of the whole of the first area including an electric power supply expected amount to the electricity storage body, calculates a first adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount exceeds the total electric power consumption expected amount, determines a second area that is an electric power transmission destination of an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated first adjustment amount constitutes methods based commercial interactions, as well as, methods based on observations, evaluations, judgements and/or opinion that can be performed mentally by a combination of the human mind and a human using pen and paper. The recitation of aa control device comprising a control unit and systems of the first and second area does not take the claim out of the certain methods of organizing human activity and mental processes groupings. Thus the claim recites an abstract idea. Claims 2 and 6 recite certain method of organizing human activity for similar reasons as claim 1.
Step 2A – Prong Two: The judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application.
The judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, claim 1 recites the total electric power supply amount being measured by an electric power sensor, which is considered to be an insignificant extra-solution activity of collecting and delivering data; see MPEP 2106.05(g). Claim 1 recites a control device comprising a control unit and systems for the first and second area at a high-level of generality such that they amounts to no more than generic computer components used as tools to apply the instructions of the abstract idea; see MPEP 2106.05(f). Additionally, claim 1 recites causes the system of the first area to obtain the electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the first adjustment amount preferentially from an electric power generation facility that utilizes electric power generation using natural energy, and causes the system of the first area to transmit the obtained electric power amount to a system of the second area, which is not technological in nature and merely limits the abstract idea to a particular technological environment or field of use; see MPEP 2106.05(h). Thus, the additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limitations on practicing the abstract idea. Claim 1 as a whole, looking at the additional elements individually and in combination, does not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application and therefore is directed to an abstract idea. The control device comprising a control unit recited in claim 2 and method executed by the control device in claim 6 also amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer components; see MPEP 2106.05(f). Thus, the additional elements recited in claims 2 and 6 do not integrate the abstract idea into practical application for similar reasons as claim 1.
Step 2B: The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. The additional elements in the claims other than the abstract idea per se, including the control device comprising a control unit and systems for the first and second area amount to no more than a recitation of generic computer elements utilized to perform generic computer functions, such as receiving or transmitting data over a network, e.g., using the Internet to gather data, Symantec, 838 F.3d at 1321, 120 USPQ2d at 1362 (utilizing an intermediary computer to forward information); buySAFE, Inc. v. Google, Inc., 765 F.3d 1350, 1355, 112 USPQ2d 1093, 1096 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (computer receives and sends information over a network); and performing repetitive calculations, Bancorp Services v. Sun Life, 687 F.3d 1266, 1278, 103 USPQ2d 1425, 1433 (Fed. Cir. 2012) ("The computer required by some of Bancorp’s claims is employed only for its most basic function, the performance of repetitive calculations, and as such does not impose meaningful limits on the scope of those claims."). Viewed as a whole, these additional claim elements do not provide meaningful limitations to transform the abstract idea into a patent eligible application of the abstract idea such that the claims amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. Therefore, since there are no limitations in the claim that transform the abstract idea into a patent eligible application such that the claim amounts to significantly more than the abstract idea itself, the claims are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as being directed to non-statutory subject matter.
§ 101 Analysis of the dependent claims.
Regarding the dependent claims, dependent claim 3 recites requests a control device of an area other than the first area to transmit an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated second adjustment amount to the system of the first area from a system of the area, which are not technological in nature and merely limits the abstract idea to a particular technological environment or field of use; see MPEP 2106.05(h). Additionally, claims 3-5 recite steps that further narrow the abstract idea. No additional elements are disclosed in the dependent claims that were not considered in the independent claims. Therefore claims 3-5 do not provide meaningful limitations to transform the abstract idea into a patent eligible application of the abstract idea such that the claims amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu, U.S. Publication No. 2019/0389314 [hereinafter Zhu], and further in view of Yokoyama et al., U.S. Publication No. 2019/0280509 [hereinafter Yokoyama].
Referring to Claim 1, Yokoyama teaches:
A control device comprising a control unit that acquires a total electric power supply amount to be supplied from a system of a first area to the first area, the total electric power supply amount being measured by an electric power sensor (Zhu, [0067]), “The total power that goes into the electricity demand center is monitored in real-time by the grid monitor 118. The grid monitor 118 senses the real-time current and voltage of the power lines going into the electricity demand center from the grid 104 using one or more load sensors. In some embodiments, the grid monitor 118 stores the electricity consumption data that has been accumulated at a data storage location that is accessible by the charging control module 120 of the charging facility management device 114”; (Zhu, [0050]),
compares the acquired total electric power supply amount and a total electric power consumption expected amount calculated based on a charging plan of an electricity storage body present in the first area, the total electric power consumption expected amount being an electric power consumption expected amount of the whole of the first area including an electric power supply expected amount to the electricity storage body (Zhu, [0053]), “the electricity consumption cap 208 is selected based on the maximum power usage during the electricity consumption cycle, that is predicted based on past electricity consumption patterns observed for multiple electricity consumption cycles before electric vehicle charging is made available at the electricity demand center. Electric vehicle charging needs are estimated based on other factors, such as percentage of visitors that own electric vehicles and their visit schedules, and an electricity consumption cap is adjusted while taking into consideration a small portion of the estimate of electricity vehicle charging needs that cannot be shifted away from the peak electricity consumption period based on adjustment of charging power…”; (Zhu, [0038]; [0117]; [0123]).
Zhu teaches a control module of a charging facility management device includes a central control module located in proximity to a grid monitor, and a plurality of individual control modules distributed at various charging stations at a electricity demand center (see par. 0050), but Zhu does not explicitly teach:
calculates a first adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount exceeds the total electric power consumption expected amount, determines a second area that is an electric power transmission destination of an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated first adjustment amount, causes the system of the first area to obtain the electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the first adjustment amount preferentially from an electric power generation facility that utilizes electric power generation using natural energy, and causes the system of the first area to transmit the obtained electric power amount to a system of the second area.
However Yokoyama teaches:
calculates a first adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount exceeds the total electric power consumption expected amount, determines a second area that is an electric power transmission destination of an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated first adjustment amount, causes the system of the first area to obtain the electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the first adjustment amount preferentially from an electric power generation facility that utilizes electric power generation using natural energy, and causes the system of the first area to transmit the obtained electric power amount to a system of the second area (Yokoyama, [0062]), “The instruction sent by the aggregator 17 to the electric vehicle 15 participating in the V2G is an instruction related to the transfer of the electric power between the electric vehicle 15 and the electric power network 12, and varies depending on an electric power quality or supply-demand balance of the electric power of the electric power network 12. In other words, the instruction is a first instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to switch between charge and discharge in a short-term for frequency regulation of the electric power network 12 described above, or a second instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to continue discharge for providing spinning reserve to the electric power network 12 described above”. (Yokoyama, [0077]), “The charge and discharge of the storage battery 125 for the frequency regulation corresponding to the first instruction is performed with the SOC of the storage battery 125 within the first range from the V2G lower limit SOC to the frequency control SOC, the continuous discharge of the storage battery 125 for providing the spinning reserve to the electric power network 12 corresponding to the second instruction is performed with the SOC of the storage battery 125 within the second range from the V2G lower limit SOC to the full charge SOC”; (Yokoyama, [0067]), “The analyzer 204 performs time series analysis of the electric power amount by using the information included in the electric power amount database 201, and performs demand-supply prediction of the electric power in the electric power system… the decision unit 205 determines whether to perform the first instruction (the first instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to switch the short-term charge and discharge for the frequency regulation of the electric power network 12) or the second instruction (an instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to continuously discharge for providing the spinning reserve to the electric power network 12) for each electric vehicle based on the information of each electric vehicle 15 included in the setting information database 202. Further, in a case where the electric power network 12 requires both the frequency regulation and provision of the spinning reserve, the second instruction is determined to have a higher priority than the first instruction…”; (Yokoyama, [0058]), “The storage battery 125 includes a plurality of power storage cells such as a lithium ion battery and a nickel hydrogen battery… in a state where the electric vehicle 15 is connected to the EVSE 14, the storage battery 125 transfers the electric power to and from the electric power network 12 according to the instruction sent from the aggregator 17”; (Yokoyama, ([0028]-[0029]; [0050]-[0052]; [0066]; [0083])
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the control module in Zhu to include the electric power limitations as taught by Yokoyama. The motivation for doing this would have been to improve the method of controlling an electric vehicle charging station in Zhu (see par. 0008) to efficiently include the results of bidirectionally transferring electric power between a storage battery and an electric power system (see Yokoyama par. 0001).
Referring to Claim 2, Zhu teaches:
A control device comprising a control unit that compares a total electric power supply amount to be supplied from a system of a first area to the first area, and a total electric power consumption expected amount calculated based on a charging plan of an electricity storage body present in the first area (Zhu, [0053]), “the electricity consumption cap 208 is selected based on the maximum power usage during the electricity consumption cycle, that is predicted based on past electricity consumption patterns observed for multiple electricity consumption cycles before electric vehicle charging is made available at the electricity demand center. Electric vehicle charging needs are estimated based on other factors, such as percentage of visitors that own electric vehicles and their visit schedules, and an electricity consumption cap is adjusted while taking into consideration a small portion of the estimate of electricity vehicle charging needs that cannot be shifted away from the peak electricity consumption period based on adjustment of charging power…”; (Zhu, [0067]; [0050]; [0038]; [0117]; [0123]),
the total electric power consumption expected amount being an electric power consumption expected amount of the whole of the first area including an electric power supply expected amount to the electricity storage body (Zhu, [0045]), “an input main 102 of an electricity demand center (e.g., a public or private facility that uses electricity supplied from the power distribution network of a utility company) is connected to the electric grid 104 (e.g., the public electricity transmission and distribution network), and a main input circuit breaker 106 is installed to monitor and restrict the total current draw of the electricity demand center from the grid. The maximum breaker current is set by the circuit breaker 106 in accordance with the instruction by the utility company. The circuit breaker 106 will trip if there is a surge in current above the maximum breaker current through the circuit breaker 106, and the electrical connection from the grid 104 to the breaker panel 108 will be broken and electrical supply to the circuits in the electricity demand center will be cut off. There are also electricity meters at the input main 102 to measure the total electricity usage in a predefined time period (e.g., per month or per quarter, etc.). The breaker panel 108 provides the electricity to all circuits at the electricity demand center, including non-EV-charging circuits 110 and EV-charging circuits 112”; (Zhu, [0049]; [0052]; [0066]-[0067]; [0123]).
Zhu teaches a control module of a charging facility management device includes a central control module located in proximity to a grid monitor, and a plurality of individual control modules distributed at various charging stations at a electricity demand center (see par. 0050), but Zhu does not explicitly teach:
calculates a first adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount exceeds the total electric power consumption expected amount, determines a second area that is an electric power transmission destination of an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated first adjustment amount, causes the system of the first area to obtain the electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the first adjustment amount preferentially from an electric power generation facility that utilizes electric power generation using natural energy, and causes the system of the first area to transmit the obtained electric power amount to a system of the second area.
However Yokoyama teaches:
calculates a first adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount exceeds the total electric power consumption expected amount, determines a second area that is an electric power transmission destination of an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated first adjustment amount, causes the system of the first area to obtain the electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the first adjustment amount preferentially from an electric power generation facility that utilizes electric power generation using natural energy, and causes the system of the first area to transmit the obtained electric power amount to a system of the second area (Yokoyama, [0062]), “The instruction sent by the aggregator 17 to the electric vehicle 15 participating in the V2G is an instruction related to the transfer of the electric power between the electric vehicle 15 and the electric power network 12, and varies depending on an electric power quality or supply-demand balance of the electric power of the electric power network 12. In other words, the instruction is a first instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to switch between charge and discharge in a short-term for frequency regulation of the electric power network 12 described above, or a second instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to continue discharge for providing spinning reserve to the electric power network 12 described above”. (Yokoyama, [0077]), “The charge and discharge of the storage battery 125 for the frequency regulation corresponding to the first instruction is performed with the SOC of the storage battery 125 within the first range from the V2G lower limit SOC to the frequency control SOC, the continuous discharge of the storage battery 125 for providing the spinning reserve to the electric power network 12 corresponding to the second instruction is performed with the SOC of the storage battery 125 within the second range from the V2G lower limit SOC to the full charge SOC”; (Yokoyama, [0067]), “The analyzer 204 performs time series analysis of the electric power amount by using the information included in the electric power amount database 201, and performs demand-supply prediction of the electric power in the electric power system… the decision unit 205 determines whether to perform the first instruction (the first instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to switch the short-term charge and discharge for the frequency regulation of the electric power network 12) or the second instruction (an instruction for requesting the electric vehicle 15 to continuously discharge for providing the spinning reserve to the electric power network 12) for each electric vehicle based on the information of each electric vehicle 15 included in the setting information database 202. Further, in a case where the electric power network 12 requires both the frequency regulation and provision of the spinning reserve, the second instruction is determined to have a higher priority than the first instruction…”; (Yokoyama, [0058]), “The storage battery 125 includes a plurality of power storage cells such as a lithium ion battery and a nickel hydrogen battery… in a state where the electric vehicle 15 is connected to the EVSE 14, the storage battery 125 transfers the electric power to and from the electric power network 12 according to the instruction sent from the aggregator 17”; (Yokoyama, ([0028]-[0029]; [0050]-[0052]; [0066]; [0083])
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the control module in Zhu to include the electric power limitations as taught by Yokoyama. The motivation for doing this would have been to improve the method of controlling an electric vehicle charging station in Zhu (see par. 0008) to efficiently include the results of bidirectionally transferring electric power between a storage battery and an electric power system (see Yokoyama par. 0001).
Referring to Claim 3, the combination of Zhu in view of Yokoyama teaches the control device according to claim 2. Zhu further teaches:
wherein the control unit calculates a second adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount falls below the total electric power consumption expected amount, and requests a control device of an area other than the first area to transmit an electric power amount corresponding to all or part of the calculated second adjustment amount to the system of the first area from a system of the area (Zhu, [0091]), “… the electricity demand center includes an electricity reservoir 122 (e.g., See FIG. 1) (e.g., a battery or charge reservoir) that is configured to supply DC power to the EV charging circuits 112 when the electricity consumption at the electricity demand center is about to exceed the electricity consumption cap or when the electricity reserve in the electricity reservoir exceeds a predefined threshold. In some embodiments, the electricity reservoir 122 is charged when the electricity consumption is far below the electricity consumption cap of the electricity demand center, and/or when the alternative energy sources (e.g., solar panels) at the electricity demand center is producing power in excess of the electricity needs at the electricity demand center”; (Zhu, [0038]), “an electric vehicle charging facility management device of a large electricity demand center determines an electricity consumption cap for a current electricity consumption cycle (e.g., a day, a month, a quarter, a year, or any other period that is dictated by how frequently quantity of grid reserve is measured and charged by utility companies) based on an estimated maximum electricity demand level (e.g., based on past load monitoring at the input main of the electricity demand center), monitors actual electricity load on the circuits of the electricity demand center, and determines in real-time how much grid reserve below the electricity consumption cap is available for electric vehicle charging. Based on the real-time load monitoring on the primary electricity usage circuits, the electric vehicle charging facility management device determines the starting charging power and the subsequent charging power for each charging station during the active charging period of the different charging stations… The electric vehicle charging facility management device also optionally takes into account the different needs, capacities, routes, battery types, and other characteristics of the electric vehicles and/or their on-board charging systems to determine how to coordinate the charging at the multiple charging stations. The electric vehicle charging facility management devices as described herein help the large electricity demand centers… to overcome the technical, logistical, and economic hurdles currently present and to provide low cost, efficient charging stations that not only make use of underutilized grid resources but also bring in additional business and customer traffic (e.g., by offering the electric vehicle charging services) to further utilize other underutilized facilities and resources at the large electricity demand centers”; (Zhu, [0118]; [0120]-[0121]; [0123]-[0124]).
Referring to Claim 5, the combination of Zhu in view of Yokoyama teaches the control device according to claim 2. Zhu further teaches:
wherein the control unit notifies control devices of all areas of identification information of the second area and an electric power amount to be transmitted to the system of the second area (Zhu, [0033]-[0034]), “determining a request to be transmitted to the power storage device as the first request or the second request, when a variable representing a state of charge of the storage battery by a level of a value is a value between a first value (for example, a frequency control SOC in the embodiment to be described later) smaller than an upper limit value (for example, a full charge SOC in the embodiment to be described later) when the storage battery is fully charged and a second value (for example, a V2G lower limit SOC in the embodiment to be described later) smaller than the first value… determining an electric power request to be transmitted to the power storage device as the second request, when the variable is a value between the upper limit value and the first value”; (Zhu, [0037]), “The decision unit 205 determines whether the frequency regulation of the electric power network 12 or provision of the spinning reserve to the electric power network 12 is required based on a result of the demand-supply prediction of the electric power performed by the analyzer 204…The transmitter 206 transmits the instruction determined by the decision unit 205 to the electric vehicle 15 via the communication network 16 and the EVSE 14”; (Zhu, [0074]; [0083]).
Referring to Claim 6 Zhu teaches:
A control method to be executed by a control device (Zhu, [0050]), the control method comprising:
Claim 6 disclose substantially the same subject matter as claim 2, and is rejected using the same rationale as previously set forth.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu, U.S. Publication No. 2019/0389314 [hereinafter Zhu], in view of Yokoyama et al., U.S. Publication No. 2019/0280509 [hereinafter Yokoyama], and further in view of Komatsu et al., U.S. Publication No. 2025/0350119 [hereinafter Komatsu].
Referring to Claim 4, the combination of Zhu in view of Yokoyama teaches the control device according to claim 2. Zhu teaches a control module of a charging facility management device includes a central control module located in proximity to a grid monitor, and a plurality of individual control modules distributed at various charging stations at a electricity demand center (see par. 0050), but Zhu does not explicitly teach:
wherein the second area is an area in which a length of an electric power line connecting the system of the area and the system of the first area is the shortest or an area for which the second adjustment amount is the largest among areas for which the second adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount falls below the total electric power consumption expected amount is calculated.
However Komatsu teaches:
wherein the second area is an area in which a length of an electric power line connecting the system of the area and the system of the first area is the shortest or an area for which the second adjustment amount is the largest among areas for which the second adjustment amount that is a difference when the total electric power supply amount falls below the total electric power consumption expected amount is calculated (Komatsu, [0151]-[0152]), “according to the power adjustment device 1, when it is predicted that an abnormality in the supply and demand balance will occur, the setting unit 13 may set the target power device so that the abnormality in the supply and demand balance can be resolved. With this configuration, the abnormality in the supply and demand balance can be resolved by controlling the operation of the target power device… according to the power adjustment device 1, the setting unit 13 may set the target power device so that the adjustment power amount that can be adjusted by controlling the operation of the target power device is equal to or greater than the differential power amount, which is the difference between the supply power amount scheduled to be supplied to the power system 6 and the demand power amount predicted to occur in the power system 6. With this configuration, the abnormality in the supply and demand balance can be reliably resolved by controlling the operation of the target power device. In addition, according to the power adjustment device 1, the setting unit 13 may set the target power device so that the difference between the adjustment power amount and the differential power amount is minimized”; (Komatsu, [0051], “The term “target power device” refers to a power device for which operation control related to power is possible, and is used to adjust the supply and demand balance. “Operation control related to the power of the target power device” refers to control for adjusting the power supply and demand balance. For example, “operation control related to the power of the target power device” refers to control related to discharging or charging of the storage battery 3 when the power device is the storage battery 3, and refers to control of the operating state of the load 4 when the power device is the load 4. The power adjustment device 1 sets a target power device among a plurality of power devices based on the predicted supply and demand balance”; (Komatsu, [0150]).
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the control module in Zhu to include the electric power limitations as taught by Komatsu. The motivation for doing this would have been to improve the method of controlling an electric vehicle charging station in Zhu (see par. 0008) to efficiently include the results of adjusting a power supply and demand balance (see Komatsu par. 0001).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Momose et al. (US 20130162025 A1) - Battery information output equipment allows a driver of an electric vehicle 10 of an electricity consumer 2, now parked, to input what battery capacity is required at two or more points of time on or before the time at which the electric vehicle is scheduled to come into use, considering an operation schedule for the vehicle, and transmits the usable capacity at each point of the times, i.e., maximum capacity minus capacity required at each point of the times, to a power supply/demand management center 3, so that charge and discharge of a battery 17 is controlled by a charge/discharge command from the power supply/demand management center 3 such that use of battery capacity for power supply and demand leveling is kept within the usable capacity at any point of the times.
Foland et al. (WO 2024191779 A1) - Aspects relate to a system for discharging a power source of an electric vehicle. System may be configured to transfer power from the electric vehicle via a charging connection. In one or more embodiments, a charging station in electric communication with the power source may discharge the power source. For example, a controller communicatively connected to the electric vehicle may be configured to initiate a transfer of electrical power from the power supply to discharge the power source so that power data associated with the discharge may be collected and transmitted to the controller or a remote device of the user.
Janfeshan et al. (Hierarchical Supervisory Control System for PEVs Participating in Frequency Regulation of Smart Grids) - This paper proposes a two-level hierarchical supervisory control system for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) participating in frequency regulation in microgrids with interconnected areas. At the lower level, decentralized fuzzy logic control systems are designed for individual PEVs which locally adjust the V2G power flow rates from each vehicle to the grid according to the frequency deviation in each area and the vehicle’s current state of charge (SOC), while maintaining the SOC level above the driver’s requested SOC lower limit. At the grid level, a centralized supervisory control system is used to coordinate the injected power from generating units and PEVs based on the grid demand. Simulation results are presented and analyzed to investigate the performance of the proposed two-level system in a network consisting of three interconnected areas populated with PEVs under load disturbances and wind power fluctuations.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Crystol Stewart whose telephone number is (571)272-1691. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/CRYSTOL STEWART/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3624
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