DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 31-60 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Holdsworth (US 2022/0021038).
Regarding claim 31 Holdsworth discloses a thermal management (sec 0047, 0049) method, comprising:
determining, using at least one hardware processor, temperatures associated with respective components of an electric propulsion unit (EPU) (sec 0053, 0054, 0062, 0063);
computing, using the at least one hardware processor, an estimate of a future thermal state of at least one of the EPU or one of the respective components of the EPU based on a thermal limit associated with the one respective component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079); and
applying, using the at least one hardware processor, based on the estimated future thermal state, one or more protective actions to the EPU to mitigate overheating (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 32 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, wherein the computing of an estimate of the future thermal state comprises computing an estimated time remaining for at least one of the EPU or one of the respective components of the EPU based on the thermal limit associated with the one respective component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 33 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 32, wherein the one or more protective actions against overheating are determined based on the estimated time remaining (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 34 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 32, wherein the estimated time remaining is computed based on a component of the EPU with a lowest estimated time remaining (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 35 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 34, wherein the one or more protective actions against overheating are determined based on the component of the EPU with the lowest estimated time remaining (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 36 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 34, wherein the component of the EPU with the lowest estimated time remaining is based on a consolidation of the determined temperatures (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 37 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 36, wherein the consolidation of the determined temperatures is determined based on an input validity of one or more communication signals associated with the determined temperatures (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 38 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 37, wherein the component of the EPU with the lowest estimated time remaining is determined based on determining one or more temperature faults associated with the consolidation of the determined temperatures (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 39 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, wherein computing the future thermal state comprises determining whether a temperature of the determined temperatures exceeds an associated threshold of the respective component corresponding to the temperature (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 40 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 39, wherein applying the one or more protective actions to the EPU to mitigate overheating is based on the determined temperature exceeding the associated threshold (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 41 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, further comprising determining, using the at least one hardware processor, a thermally most-limiting component based on the estimated future thermal state (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 42 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 41, wherein applying the one or more protective actions to the EPU to mitigate overheating is based on the thermally most- limiting component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 43 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 42, wherein the one or more protective actions include at least one of: reducing a power associated with the thermally most-limiting component, communicating a warning associated with the thermally most-limiting component, or performing an emergency shutdown associated with the thermally most- limiting component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 44 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 42, wherein the thermally most-limiting component is determined based on a consolidation of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 45 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, further comprising determining, using the at least one hardware processor, an input validity of one or more communication signals associated with the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 46 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 45, further comprising computing, using the at least one hardware processor, a consolidation of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU based on the input validity (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 47 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, further comprising determining, using the at least one hardware processor, one or more temperature faults associated with at least one of the respective components of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 48 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 47, wherein the one or more temperature faults are determined based on an input validity of a consolidation of at least a portion of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 49 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 48, wherein the one or more temperature faults include determining, using the at least one hardware processor, the consolidation of at least a portion of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU is outside a temperature range (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 50 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 48, wherein the one or more temperature faults include a temperature fault based on the input validity of the consolidation including a temperature of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU that is associated with a thermally most-limiting component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 51 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 50, wherein the one or more protective actions include at least one of: reducing a power associated with the thermally most-limiting component, communicating a warning associated with the thermally most-limiting component, or performing an emergency shutdown associated with the thermally most- limiting component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 52 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, wherein at least one of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU is measured by a sensor of the EPU, and wherein at least one of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU is estimated by an estimation algorithm (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 53 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 52, wherein a measured temperature and an estimated temperature of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU are associated with the same component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 54 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 53, wherein the measured temperature and the estimated temperature is determined are cross-validated to determine an input validity (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 55 Holdsworth discloses the method of claim 31, wherein computing the estimate of the future thermal state comprises normalizing temperatures of the temperatures associated with the respective components of the EPU based on at least one of a temperature limit, a time constant, or a time-based metric associated with the respective components of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 56 Holdsworth discloses a system for thermal management, comprising:
an electric propulsion unit (EPU) comprising components (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079);
a temperature sensor, configured to transmit a communication signal to a processor (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079);
the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium to perform operations for thermal management of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079), the operations comprising:
determining temperatures associated with respective components of the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079);
computing an estimate of a future thermal state of at least one of the EPU or one of the respective components of the EPU based on a thermal limit associated with the one respective component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079); and
applying, based on the estimated future thermal state, one or more protective actions to the EPU to mitigate overheating (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 57 Holdsworth discloses the system of claim 56, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
computing an estimated time remaining for at least one of the EPU or one of the respective components of the EPU based on the thermal limit associated with the one respective component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079);
Regarding claim 58 Holdsworth discloses the system of claim 56, further comprising a plurality of temperature sensors, wherein at least two of the temperature sensors are in different locations within the EPU (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 59 Holdsworth discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
determining temperatures associated with respective components of an electric propulsion unit (EPU) (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079);
computing an estimate of a future thermal state of at least one of the EPU or one of the respective components of the EPU based on a thermal limit associated with the one respective component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079); and
applying, based on the estimated future thermal state, one or more protective actions to the EPU to mitigate overheating (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Regarding claim 60 Holdsworth discloses the computer-readable medium of claim 59, further comprising instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
computing an estimated time remaining for at least one of the EPU or one of the respective components of the EPU based on the thermal limit associated with the one respective component (sec 0047-0049, 0074-0079).
Conclusion
The prior art (US 9561860 B2, US 12315377 B2) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RONNIE MANCHO whose telephone number is (571)272-6984. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Adam Mott can be reached at 571 270 5376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RONNIE M MANCHO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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