Office Action 5: Notice of Allowance (2025-03-17)

CLAIMS:
Listing of Claims:

This listing of claims will replace all prior versions, and listings, of claims in the application.

1-14. Canceled.213

15\. (Currently Amended) An assembly for delivering an output current Is, comprising:
N electrical energy storage or production cells Bi of rank i, where N>2, each cell comprising an elementary cell or an elementary assembly of elementary cells CEij arranged in series and/or in parallel, each electrical energy storage or production cell being able to supply a maximum current Imax,i continuously during a time period T;
a management circuit for managing said electrical energy storage or production cells Bi, wherein said electrical energy storage or production cells are ordered according to their rank i in decreasing priority order of use,
wherein a production cell Bi is able to provide a maximum current Imax,i at any time t,
said management circuit comprises means, in discharge mode, for discharging at least the electrical energy storage or production cell of rank 1 or the electrical energy storage or production cells according to their rank i and according to the following criteria:
the discharge of the electrical energy storage or production cell Bi of rank 1 is activated:if the electrical energy storage or production cell Bi of rank 1 is able to supply an output current Is, where SVG {EMBED HERE} 0.140.637 \[\[,\]\]only the electrical energy storage or production cell Bi of rank 1 is discharged;otherwise, ifImax,1

blocks Mi of rank i for controlling the electrical energy storage or production cells Bi, each electrical energy storage or production cell Bi being coupled to a block Mi, each cell Bi coupled to a block Mi being capable of delivering an output current Ii,
the set of said blocks Mi generating said output current Is which is equal to the sum of the output currents Ii, the blocks Mi being configured to selectively address the associated electrical energy storage or production cells Bi,
wherein each block Mi comprises a regulator with a reference output voltage Uthi, wherein the assembly operates with an output voltage Vs, the regulator of each block Mi operating with a voltage threshold Uthi, and the voltage thresholds of the regulators of the blocks Mi being such that Uth2 >Uth3 > ... > UthN, and
wherein in discharge mode:
the cell of rank 1, B1, is first activated by the management circuit if Vs> Uth2; and for each index i different from 1:
a next cell Bi+1 is activated in addition to the cells of lower rank B1+B2+ ... Bi, when Vs< Uthi+1, so as to supply an additional current,
wherein when the voltage Vs > Uthi-1, the cell of highest rank is disconnected, and only B1, ... , Bi-1 are connected.

16-17. (Canceled)

18\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, comprising electrical energy storage or production cells having different electrical capacity values.

19\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the electrical energy storage or production cells have electrical capacity values that decrease according to the rank i.

20\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the elementary electrical energy storage or production cells are batteries.

21\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the elementary electrical energy storage or production cells are microbatteries.

22\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the elementary electrical energy storage or production cells are hydrogen fuel cells.

23\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the microbatteries and the management circuit are contained in a 3D stack.

24\. (New) The assembly according to claim 15, further comprising an estimator configured to estimate said maximal current Imax,i per instant time.

OFFICE ACTION:
DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA  or AIA  Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 3/3/2025.  Claims 15, and 18-24 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 1/27/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.  Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15, and 18-24 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim(s) 15, although the prior art discloses an assembly for delivering an output current Is, comprising: N electrical energy storage or production cells Bi of rank i, where N2:2, each cell comprising an elementary cell or an elementary assembly of elementary cells CEij arranged in series and/or in parallel, each electrical energy storage or production cell being able to supply a maximum current lmax,i continuously during a time period T;  a management circuit for managing said electrical energy storage or production cells B1, wherein said electrical energy storage or production cells are ordered according to their rank i in decreasing priority order of use, wherein a production cell B1 is able to provide a maximum current Imax,i at any time t, said management circuit comprises means, in discharge mode, for discharging at least the electrical energy storage or production cell of rank 1 or the electrical energy storage or production cells according to their rank i and according to the following criteria: the discharge of the electrical energy storage or production cell Bi of rank 1 is activated: if the electrical energy storage or production cell Bi of rank 1 is able to supply an output current Is, where Imax,1>Is, only the electrical energy storage or production cell Bi of rank 1 is discharged; otherwise, if Imax,1
PNG
media_image1.png
50
313
media_image1.png
Greyscale
said management circuit for managing said electrical energy storage or production cells B1 comprising:  blocks Mi of rank i for controlling the electrical energy storage or production cells B1, each electrical energy storage or production cell B1 being coupled to a block M1, each cell B1 coupled to a block Mi being capable of delivering an output current L,  the set of said blocks Mi generating said output current Is which is equal to the sum of the output currents L, the blocks Mi being configured to selectively address the associated electrical energy storage or production cells B1, wherein each block M1 comprises a regulator with a reference output voltage Uthi, wherein the assembly operates with an output voltage Vs, the regulator of each block M operating with a voltage threshold Uthi, and the voltage thresholds of the regulators of the blocks Mi being such that Uth2>Uth3 >...> UthN, the prior art of record does not disclose or teach the combination of:
“wherein in discharge mode: the cell of rank 1, B1, is first activated by the management circuit if Vs> Uth2; and for each index i different from 1: a next cell Bi+1 is activated in addition to the cells of lower rank B1+B2+ . . . B1, when VsUthi-1, the cell of highest rank is disconnected, and only B1, ..., Bi-1 are connected”.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee.  Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion and Related art
Chen (US 20240213786) is cited for based on the voltage difference, that the first regulator is to be invoked comprises: when the voltage difference is greater than a first voltage threshold and less than a second voltage threshold, determining that the first regulator is to be invoked, wherein the first voltage threshold is determined based on a maximum allowable voltage difference between the multiple battery clusters, and the second voltage threshold is determined based on a maximum regulating voltage of the first regulator.
However Chen is filed after the effective filing date.

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKSClaims 1 and 6-17 are pending, with claims 1 and 15 being independent.Claims 1, 6-14 and 16-17 stand rejected. Claims 15 and 16 stand objected.Claim 15 is amended. Claims 1, 6-14, and 16-17 are canceled. Claims 18-24 are new. No new subject matter has been added.Allowable Subject Matter Claim 15 is allowable if rewritten to overcome the claim objection. Office Action, at 26.Applicant thanks the Office for indicating allowable subject matter and submits that all claims are in condition for allowance in view of Applicant's remarks and amendments submitted herein.Claim Objections Claims 15 and 16 stand objected to for reciting "Is, ,only" wherein two (2) commas are placed. Office Action, at 8. Claim 15 has been amended to address the claim objection. As such, Applicant submits that claim 15 is in condition for allowance. Claim 16 is canceled.Reconsideration and withdrawal of the claim objections are respectfully requested.Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 112 Claim 17 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(a), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement and under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter. Office Action, at 9. Claim 17 is canceled, rendering the 35 U.S.C. § 112 rejections of claim 17 moot.Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 103 Claims 1, 6-10, 14 and 16 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication No. 2017/0229880 (hereinafter "Jhunjhunwala") in view of U.S.Publication No. 2016/0226268 (hereinafter "Okui") and further in view of U.S. Publication No.2008/0157743 (hereinafter "Martin"). Office Action, at 10. Claims 1, 6-10, 14 and 16 are canceled, rendering the 35 U.S.C. § 103 of claims 1, 6-10, 14 and 16 moot.Claims 11 and 13 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jhunjhunwala in view of Okui in view of Martin and further in view of U.S. Publication No.2019/0027943 (hereinafter "Rothschild"). Office Action, at 23. Claims 11 and 13 are canceled, rendering the 35 U.S.C. § 103 of claims 11 and 13 moot.Claim 12 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jhunjhunwala in view of Okui in view of Martin and further in view of U.S. Publication No. 2014/0287278 (hereinafter "Despesse"). Office Action, at 24. Claim 12 is canceled, rendering the 35 U.S.C. § 103 of claim 12 moot.Claim 17 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jhunjhunwala in view of Okui in view of Martin and further in view of U.S. Publication No. 2016/0043580 (hereinafter "Rush"). Office Action, at 25. Claim 17 is canceled, rendering the 35 U.S.C. § 103 of claim 17 moot.New Claims New claims 18-24, which correspond to now-canceled claims 6, 7, 10-14, depend from amended independent claim 15. The Office has indicated that claim 15, as amended, is allowable. As such, new claims 18-24 are also in condition for allowance based at least on their dependency from amended claim 15.CONCLUSIONApplicant respectfully submits that the present application is in condition for allowance.Reconsideration of the application and an early Notice of Allowance are respectfully requested.In the event that the Examiner cannot allow the application for any reason, the Examiner is encouraged to contact Applicant's representative.Date: March 3, 2025


CITED REFERENCE SUMMARIES: Ref US20240213786A1: [content unavailable]
Ref US20240213786: Claims:
1. A control method for an energy storage system, wherein the method comprises:
obtaining a first cluster voltage of a target battery cluster in the energy storage system; determining a second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and a preset redundancy voltage, and determining an output voltage of a first regulator corresponding to the target battery cluster in the energy storage system based on a bus voltage and the second cluster voltage, wherein the redundancy voltage is within a regulation range of the first regulator; and controlling the first regulator to output the output voltage for voltage regulation on the target battery cluster.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the determining a second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and a preset redundancy voltage comprises:
obtaining a state of charge of the target battery cluster; and determining the second cluster voltage based on the state of charge, the first cluster voltage, and the redundancy voltage.
3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the determining the second cluster voltage based on the state of charge, the first cluster voltage, and the redundancy voltage comprises:
determining a target regulation mode based on the state of charge, wherein the target regulation mode comprises an anti-overcharge regulation mode or an anti-overdischarge regulation mode; and using the target regulation mode to determine the second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and the redundancy voltage.
4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the using the target regulation mode to determine the second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and the redundancy voltage comprises:
when the target regulation mode is the anti-overcharge regulation mode, obtaining a difference between the first cluster voltage and the redundancy voltage to obtain the second cluster voltage.
5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the using the target regulation mode to determine the second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and the redundancy voltage comprises:
when the target regulation mode is the anti-overdischarge regulation mode, obtaining a sum of the first cluster voltage and the redundancy voltage to obtain the second cluster voltage.
6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the determining a target regulation mode based on the state of charge comprises:
when a value of the state of charge of the target battery cluster is greater than a first charge threshold, determining that the target regulation mode is the anti-overcharge regulation mode; or when a value of the state of charge of the target battery cluster is less than a second charge threshold, determining that the target regulation mode is the anti-overdischarge regulation mode.
7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the determining an output voltage of a first regulator corresponding to the target battery cluster in the energy storage system based on a bus voltage and the second cluster voltage comprises:
determining a difference between the bus voltage and the second cluster voltage as the output voltage.
8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:
powering on a first battery cluster in multiple battery clusters of the energy storage system to obtain the bus voltage; selecting the target battery cluster from a second battery cluster other than the first battery cluster; determining a voltage difference between the first cluster voltage of the target battery cluster and the bus voltage; and when it is determined based on the voltage difference that the first regulator is to be invoked, performing the step of determining a second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and a preset redundancy voltage and determining an output voltage of a first regulator corresponding to the target battery cluster in the energy storage system based on a bus voltage and the second cluster voltage.
9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the determining, based on the voltage difference, that the first regulator is to be invoked comprises:
when the voltage difference is greater than a first voltage threshold and less than a second voltage threshold, determining that the first regulator is to be invoked, wherein the first voltage threshold is determined based on a maximum allowable voltage difference between the multiple battery clusters, and the second voltage threshold is determined based on a maximum regulating voltage of the first regulator.
10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the method further comprises:
when it is determined based on the voltage difference that the first regulator is not to be invoked, controlling the first regulator to change to a bypass state.
11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the powering on a first battery cluster in multiple battery clusters of the energy storage system to obtain the bus voltage comprises:
selecting, from the multiple battery clusters, a battery cluster with a first cluster voltage being within a target voltage range as the first battery cluster; and controlling a second regulator corresponding to the first battery cluster to change to a bypass state, and powering on the first battery cluster to obtain the bus voltage.
12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:
obtaining a maximum charge difference between the multiple battery clusters when the multiple battery clusters are in a charge plateau range or a discharge plateau range, wherein the charge plateau range is a stage of charging during which a change rate of battery voltage is less than a first change rate threshold, and the discharge plateau range is a stage of discharging during which the change rate of battery voltage is less than a second change rate threshold; when it is determined that the maximum charge difference satisfies a preset condition, determining an output current of a third regulator corresponding to a battery cluster to be regulated; and controlling the third regulator to output the output current.
13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the determining an output current of a third regulator corresponding to a battery cluster to be regulated comprises:
determining the output current based on total current of the multiple battery clusters and a maximum allowable current and a current safety margin of a single cluster when the battery cluster to be regulated is in a charging state.
14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the determining an output current of a third regulator corresponding to a battery cluster to be regulated comprises:
determining the output current based on a maximum allowable current and a current safety margin of a single cluster when the battery cluster to be regulated is in a discharging state.
15. An energy storage system, comprising a controller, at least one regulator, and multiple battery clusters connected in parallel; wherein
the controller is configured to: obtain a first cluster voltage of a target battery cluster; determine a second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and a preset redundancy voltage, and determine an output voltage of a regulator corresponding to the target battery cluster based on a bus voltage and the second cluster voltage; and control the regulator to output the output voltage for voltage regulation on the target battery cluster, wherein the redundancy voltage is within a regulation range of the regulator.
16. The energy storage system according to claim 15, characterized in that the energy storage system further comprises a bypass switch, and the bypass switch is connected in parallel with the regulator; and
the controller is further configured to: when it is determined that the regulator is not to be invoked, control the bypass switch to be on so that the regulator changes to a bypass state.
17. The energy storage system according to claim 15, characterized in that the energy storage system further comprises a first relay, a second relay, and a precharge relay, wherein the first relay is connected in series with a first end of the target battery cluster, the second relay is connected in series with a second end of the target battery cluster, and the precharge relay is connected in parallel with the second relay;
the controller is further configured to: when powering on the target battery cluster, control the first relay and the precharge relay to be on in sequence; and after a preset duration, control the second relay to be on, and then control the precharge relay to be off and the regulator is a DCDC converter.
18. A control apparatus for an energy storage system, wherein the apparatus comprises:
an obtaining module, configured to obtain a first cluster voltage of a target battery cluster in the energy storage system; an output voltage determining module, configured to: determine a second cluster voltage based on the first cluster voltage and a preset redundancy voltage, and determine an output voltage of a first regulator corresponding to the target battery cluster in the energy storage system based on a bus voltage and the second cluster voltage, wherein the redundancy voltage is within a regulation range of the first regulator; and a first control module, configured to control the output voltage of the first regulator for voltage regulation on the target battery cluster.
19. An electronic device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the method according to claim 1 is implemented.
20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to claim 1 is implemented.