High-voltage box line of energy storage equipment, high-voltage box and energy storage equipment
By using a combination of pluggable connectors and a variety of communication methods in the high-voltage box of energy storage equipment, the installation difficulty and maintenance hidden dangers caused by the messy wiring harness in the high-voltage box are solved, and efficient and accurate wiring and cost-reducing effects are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421662645.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-01
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-15
AI Technical Summary
The internal wiring harnesses of the high-voltage boxes of existing energy storage equipment are numerous and messy, which makes it easy to make mistakes during production installation, and later maintenance and maintenance bring many hidden dangers.
A high-voltage box circuit for energy storage equipment is designed, and the pluggable connector wiring is used. The power line and the control line are connected through different models of pluggable connectors. The communication line is combined with daisy chain communication and CAN communication.
It improves the integration of the wiring harness, reduces installation difficulty, improves wiring efficiency and accuracy, simplifies the circuit, reduces costs, and is suitable for small-voltage high-voltage boxes.
Smart Images

Figure CN223052580U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the technical field of energy storage, and particularly to a high-voltage box circuit, a high-voltage box, and an energy storage device of an energy storage device. Background Art
[0002] As a key device of the energy storage system, the wire harness inside the high-voltage box is very crucial for information collection, command transmission, and device power supply.
[0003] Currently, the functions of energy storage devices are becoming more and more abundant, the internal components are increasing, and the volume is more miniaturized. The internal layout of the high-voltage box is also more compact, which puts higher requirements on the internal wire harness connection. However, the current high-voltage box has problems such as many and messy internal wire harnesses, and it is easy to make mistakes during installation during production. The complex wire harness also brings many hidden dangers to later maintenance and repair. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of this application provides a high-voltage box circuit, a high-voltage box, and an energy storage device of an energy storage device to solve at least one problem in the background art.
[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a high-voltage box circuit of an energy storage device, including a power circuit and a control circuit; the high-voltage box is configured to be connected to a battery pack and an energy storage converter respectively; the high-voltage box includes a main control board of a battery management system, a power supply, a main positive relay, a main negative relay, a pre-charge relay, a miniature circuit breaker, a positive output terminal of the high-voltage box, and a negative output terminal of the high-voltage box; the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells, a total positive output terminal of the battery pack, and a total negative output terminal of the battery pack;
[0006] The power circuit includes a total positive circuit and a total negative circuit; the total positive circuit is configured to sequentially connect from the total positive output terminal of the battery pack through a miniature circuit breaker and a fuse, and then connect to the main positive relay and the pre-charge relay connected in parallel, and finally connect to the positive output terminal of the high-voltage box; the total negative circuit is configured to sequentially connect from the total negative output terminal of the battery pack through a shunt and a main negative relay to the negative output terminal of the high-voltage box;
[0007] The control circuit includes a first control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the main positive relay, a second control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the main negative relay, a third control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the pre-charge relay, and a fourth control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the miniature circuit breaker; the first control circuit to the fourth control circuit include pluggable connectors.
[0008] Combined with the first aspect of this application, in an optional embodiment, the control circuit further includes a fifth control circuit, configured to connect from the main control board to the power supply through a switch, and the fifth control circuit is plugged with the switch.
[0009] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an alternative embodiment, the models of the pluggable connectors in the first to fourth control lines are different from each other.
[0010] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an alternative embodiment, a communication line is further included; the battery cells further include a plurality of slave control boards respectively connected to the plurality of battery cells; the communication line includes a first communication line configured to connect the plurality of slave control boards in sequence and then to the master control board, a second communication line configured to connect the master control board and the energy storage converter, and a test line configured to lead out from the master control board.
[0011] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an alternative embodiment, the first communication line adopts a daisy chain communication mode, and the second communication line adopts a CAN communication mode.
[0012] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an alternative embodiment, a sampling line is further included, including a battery pack positive sampling line configured to connect the total positive circuit and the master control board, a high-voltage box positive sampling line configured to connect the positive output terminal of the high-voltage box and the master control board, a high-voltage box negative sampling line configured to connect the negative output terminal of the high-voltage box and the master control board, and a current sampling line connecting the shunt and the master control board.
[0013] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an alternative embodiment, the battery pack positive sampling line is configured to lead out from the rear end of the fuse, and after passing through the second resistor, it is connected to the first sampling terminal of the master control board; the high-voltage box positive sampling line is configured to lead out from the rear end of the main positive relay, pass through the third resistor, and is connected to the second sampling terminal of the master control board; the high-voltage box negative sampling line is configured to lead out from the rear end of the main negative relay and is connected to the third sampling terminal of the master control board.
[0014] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an alternative embodiment, the current sampling line is configured to connect the fourth sampling terminal of the master control board, the first sampling point of the shunt, the second sampling point, and the fifth sampling terminal of the master control board in sequence.
[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a high-voltage box of an energy storage device, including the high-voltage box line of the energy storage device in any of the above aspects.
[0016] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an energy storage device, including a battery pack, an energy storage inverter, and the high-voltage box of the energy storage device described above.
[0017] For the energy storage device high-voltage box circuit, high-voltage box, and energy storage device according to the embodiments of the present application, by using pluggable connectors for wiring in the control circuit, there is no need to manually wire each root one by one, which improves the harness integration, reduces the installation difficulty, and improves the wiring efficiency. The pluggable connectors for different control circuits use different models, further improving the wiring accuracy and working efficiency; in the communication circuit, a combination of daisy chain communication and CAN communication is used, which simplifies the circuit, further reduces the installation difficulty, improves the wiring efficiency, and at the same time ensures the reliability of communication and reduces the cost. In this way, the circuit of the present application is more suitable for small-volume high-voltage boxes in scenarios such as household energy storage devices.
[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the following description, become apparent in part from the following description, or be understood through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application, and constitute a part of the present application. The schematic embodiments and descriptions thereof of the present application are used to explain the present application, and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present application. In the drawings:
[0020] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the energy storage device high-voltage box circuit provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the control circuit provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the energy storage device high-voltage box provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the energy storage device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0024] To make the technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application more obvious and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below by way of listing specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.
[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present application belongs. The terms used in the description of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present application.
[0026] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in this application may be used herein to describe various elements, but these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish a first element from another element, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. The terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, without excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features.
[0027] An embodiment of this application provides a high-voltage box circuit for an energy storage device. Refer to Figure 1 , the energy storage device includes a battery pack 1, a high-voltage box 2, and a power conversion system (PCS) 3. The high-voltage box 2 is respectively connected to the battery pack 1 and the power conversion system 3. The battery pack 1 includes a plurality of battery cells Cn, a slave control board bn respectively connected to the plurality of battery cells, a total positive output terminal 11 of the battery cells, and a total negative output terminal 12 of the battery cells. Among them, n is a natural number greater than 3. The high-voltage box 2 includes a main control board 21 of the battery management system, a power supply 22, a main positive relay KM1, a main negative relay KM3, a pre-charge relay KM2, a miniature circuit breaker QF, a fuse FU, a shunt FL, and a circuit 4 connecting the above components. The power supply 22 is used to supply power to devices such as the main control board 21. The slave control board bn is used to implement signal sampling of the battery cells and send the sampling signals to the main control board 21. The sampling signals include battery cell voltage signals, temperature signals, etc. The above high-voltage box circuit includes a power circuit, a communication circuit, a sampling circuit, and a control circuit.
[0028] The power circuit includes a total positive loop and a total negative loop. The total positive loop is configured to sequentially pass through the miniature circuit breaker QF and the fuse FU from the total positive output terminal 11 (BAT+) of the battery pack, connect the main positive relay KM1 and the pre-charge relay KM2 in parallel, and finally connect to the positive output terminal 24 (PACK+) of the high-voltage box. After passing through the fuse FU, one path of the circuit connects to the main contact of the total positive relay KM1, and the other path sequentially connects to the main contact of the pre-charge relay KM2 and the pre-charge resistor R1, and finally both connect to the positive output terminal 24 of the high-voltage box. The total negative loop is configured to sequentially pass through the shunt FL and the main negative relay KM3 from the total negative output terminal 12 of the battery pack to the negative output terminal 25 of the high-voltage box. The shunt FL is connected to the main contact of the main negative relay KM3. The power circuit is used to transmit the electrical energy of the battery pack 1 to the high-voltage box 2 and then output it to the power conversion system 3 for power conversion. Optionally, the power circuit uses a copper busbar to improve the cleanliness inside the high-voltage box 2.
[0029] The control circuit is used to implement the control of the main positive relay KM1, pre-charge relay KM2, main negative relay KM3, and miniature circuit breaker QF by the main control board 21, as well as the control of the power supply 22 to the main control board 21 by the switch 26. The control circuit includes a first control circuit configured to connect the main control board 21 to the main positive relay KM1, a second control circuit configured to connect the main control board 21 to the main negative relay KM3, a third control circuit configured to connect the main control board 21 to the pre-charge relay KM2, and a fourth control circuit configured to connect the main control board 21 to the miniature circuit breaker QF.
[0030] The first control circuit is configured such that the first control terminal HSS4 and the ground terminal GND of the main control board 21 are respectively connected to both ends of the coil of the main positive relay KM1, namely KM1-1 and KM1-2, to implement the control of the main positive relay KM1 by the main control board 21. The second control circuit 442 is configured such that the second control terminal HSS8 and the ground terminal GND of the main control board 21 are respectively connected to both ends of the coil of the main negative relay KM3, namely KM3-1 and KM3-2, to implement the control of the main negative relay KM3 by the main control board 21. The third control circuit is configured such that the second control terminal HSS3 and the ground terminal GND of the main control board 21 are respectively connected to both ends of the coil of the pre-charge relay KM2, namely KM2-1 and KM2-2, to implement the control of the pre-charge relay KM2 by the main control board 21. The fourth control circuit is configured such that the fourth control terminal HSS2 and the ground terminal GND of the main control board 21 are respectively connected to both ends of the shunt trip coil of the miniature circuit breaker QF, namely QF-1 and QF-2, to implement the control of the shunt trip coil by the main control board 21.
[0031] The control circuit further includes a fifth control circuit configured to connect from the main control board 21 to the power supply 22 via the switch 26. That is, the switch 26 is connected in series between the main control board 21 and the power supply 22. The first input terminal 211 and the second input terminal 212 of the power supply 22 are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery pack 1. The first output terminal 213 and the second output terminal 214 of the power supply 22 are respectively connected to the first power supply terminal KL31 and the second power supply terminal KL30 of the main control board 21. The second output terminal 212 is connected to the power supply wake-up terminal KL15 of the main control board 21 via a set of normally open contacts of the switch 26. After the switch 26 is pressed, the main control board 21 receives a power supply wake-up signal, and the power supply 22 supplies power to the main control board 21.
[0032] The first to fourth control circuits include pluggable connectors. Such as Figure 2As shown, in the first control circuit, the second control circuit, the third control circuit and the fourth control circuit, each circuit includes a pluggable connector, namely the first connector 41, the second connector 42, the third connector 43 and the fourth connector 44 respectively. Each pluggable connector includes a male head and a female head. The first connector 41 includes a male head 41-1 and a female head 41-2, the second connector 42 includes a male head 42-1 and a female head 42-2. The third connector 43 includes a male head 43-1 and a female head 43-2. The fourth connector 44 includes a male head 44-1 and a female head 44-2. The main control board 21 is connected to the male heads of each connector and is plugged into the main control board 21 through the X interface. The main positive relay KM1 includes a female head 41-2 plugged into the male head 41-1 of the first connector 41. The main negative relay KM3 includes a female head 42-2 plugged into the male head 42-1 of the second connector 42. The pre-charge relay KM2 includes a female head 43-2 plugged into the male head 43-2 of the third connector 43. The miniature circuit breaker QF includes a female head 44-2 plugged into the male head 44-1 of the fourth connector 44. One end of the fifth control circuit is plugged into the switch 26.
[0033] During installation, only the connectors with the same labels need to be plugged together to complete the wiring. Since the control circuits are relatively complex, the differences between the sub-control circuits are relatively small, and the miniaturization of the high-voltage box volume results in a narrow installation space, making it easy to make mistakes during installation. By using pluggable connectors for wiring, there is no need to manually wire each root one by one, which improves the harness integration, reduces the installation difficulty, and improves the wiring efficiency. The models of the pluggable connectors in the first control circuit to the fourth control circuit are different. For example, different colors, different numbers of pins or different sizes of interfaces are used. Only connectors with the same model can be connected, which further improves the wiring accuracy. Optionally, labels are attached to the first control circuit to the fifth control circuit to facilitate installation, avoid wiring errors, and improve the wiring accuracy. Labels MX+ and MX- are respectively attached to the connection lines of the pluggable ends QF-1 and QF-2. The plugging line of the switch 26 is labeled KEY.
[0034] The communication lines include a first communication line configured to connect multiple slave control boards Bn in sequence and then connect to the master control board 21, a second communication line configured to connect the master control board 21 and the PCS3, and a test line configured to lead out from the master control board. The first communication line adopts a daisy-chain communication method. Each slave control board Bn includes a communication positive input IP-IN, a communication negative input IM-IN, a communication positive output IP-OUT, and a communication negative output IM-OUT. The IP-OUT and IM-OUT of the first slave control board B1 are connected to the IP-IN and IM-IN of the second slave control board B2, and the IP-OUT and IM-OUT of the second slave control board B2 are connected to the IP-IN and IM-IN of the third slave control board B3, and so on until the last slave control board. The IP-IN and IM-IN of the first slave control board B1 are respectively connected to the first communication terminal ISOSPI_H and the second communication terminal ISOSPI_L of the master control board 21, thereby realizing the daisy-chain communication between the master control board 21 and the slave control boards Bn.
[0035] The second communication line adopts a CAN communication method. It is connected from the third communication terminal CAN1 of the master control board 21 to the PCS3. The first CAN communication terminal CANH and the second CAN communication terminal CANL of the master control board 21 are respectively connected to the first communication terminal 33 and the second communication terminal 34 of the PCS3. The test line is connected from the master control board 21 to the test communication terminal DEBUG of the test host computer. The third CAN communication terminal and the fourth CAN communication terminal of the master control board 21 are respectively connected to the first communication terminal CAN0H and the second communication terminal CAN0L of the test host computer.
[0036] Optionally, the implementation methods of the daisy-chain communication and the CAN communication method include network cables or twisted pairs.
[0037] The CAN bus uses differential signal transmission, which has the advantages of strong anti-interference ability and can effectively suppress external electromagnetic interference, but the cost is relatively high. The daisy-chain communication cancels the CAN chips on the master control board and the slave control boards, and replaces them with corresponding conversion chips of each family. The cost of these conversion chips is more advantageous than that of CAN chips, and the wire harness will be significantly reduced. In the embodiment of the present application, by adopting a communication method combining daisy-chain communication and CAN communication in the communication lines of the energy storage device high-voltage box, while simplifying the lines, the reliability of communication is ensured and the cost is reduced. By adopting the daisy-chain communication method, short-distance communication between adjacent slave control boards and between the slave control board and the master control board is realized with fewer lines, the lines are simplified, the convenience of wiring and the working efficiency are improved, and there is no need to add dedicated communication chips on the master control board and the slave control boards, so the cost is reduced. By adopting the CAN communication method in the second communication line and the test line, the master control board communicates independently with each module, improving the robustness and stability of communication.
[0038] Thus, the circuit of the present application is more suitable for small-volume high-voltage boxes in scenarios such as household energy storage devices, meeting the circuit installation requirements in narrow space scenarios.
[0039] The sampling circuit includes a battery pack positive sampling circuit configured to connect the total positive circuit and the main control board 21, a high-voltage box positive sampling circuit configured to connect the high-voltage box positive output terminal 24 and the main control board 21, a high-voltage box negative sampling circuit configured to connect the high-voltage box negative output terminal 25 and the main control board 21, and a current sampling circuit connecting the shunt FL and the main control board 21.
[0040] The battery pack positive sampling circuit is configured to be led out from the rear end of the fuse FU, and after passing through the second resistor R2, it is connected to the first sampling terminal BAT+ of the main control board 21 to realize the voltage sampling of the positive electrode of the battery pack. By leading out the sampling terminal from the rear end of the fuse FU, the fuse FU can provide protection for the main board sampling under high-voltage conditions, improving safety. The high-voltage box positive sampling circuit is configured to be led out from the rear end HV1 of the main positive relay KM1, connected in series with the third resistor R3, and connected to the second sampling terminal H5 of the main control board 21 to realize the voltage sampling of the high-voltage box positive output terminal 24. The functions of the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, and the third resistor R3 are to limit the current, and when the sampling voltage is relatively high, they play a protective role for the main control board 21.
[0041] The high-voltage box negative sampling circuit is configured to be led out from the rear end H1 of the main negative relay KM3 and connected to the third sampling terminal H4 of the main control board 21 to realize the voltage sampling of the high-voltage box negative output terminal 25 (PACK-). The current sampling circuit is configured to be sequentially connected to the fourth sampling terminal SHUNT_R+ of the main control board 21, the first sampling point SRN of the shunt FL, the second sampling point SRP, and the fifth sampling terminal SHUNT_R- of the main control board 21 to realize the current sampling in the power circuit.
[0042] KM1-3 and KM1-4 are two sub-contacts of the main positive relay KM1, respectively connected to the sixth sampling terminal SWG_IN1 of the main control board 21 and the first output terminal 224 of the PCS, and are used to sample the state of the main positive relay KM1. As Figure 2 shown, the female head 46-2 of the sixth connector connected to the main positive relay KM1 is plugged into the male head 46-1 of the control circuit. KM3-3 and KM3-4 are two sub-contacts of the main negative relay KM3, respectively connected to the seventh sampling terminal DIG_IN1 of the main control board 21 and the second output terminal 223 of the PCS, and are used to sample the state of the main negative relay KM3. The female head 45-2 of the fifth connector connected to the main negative relay KM3 is plugged into the male head 45-1 of the control circuit.
[0043] An embodiment of the present application further provides a high-voltage box 2 for an energy storage device, which includes a box body 21 and the high-voltage box circuit of the energy storage device in any of the above aspects provided in the box body.
[0044] An embodiment of the present application further provides an energy storage device 100, which includes a battery pack 1, an energy storage inverter 3, and the above-mentioned high-voltage box 2 of the energy storage device. Optionally, the energy storage device includes a household integrated energy storage unit.
[0045] The relevant content of each unit in this embodiment may refer to the relevant content of the unit with the same reference numeral in any of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be described herein again.
[0046] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.
[0047] The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.
Claims
1. A high-voltage box circuit for energy storage equipment, characterized in that: It includes a power circuit and a control circuit; the high-voltage box is configured to be connected to the battery pack and the energy storage converter respectively; the high-voltage box includes a main control board of the battery management system, a power supply, a main positive relay, a main negative relay, a pre-charge relay, a miniature circuit breaker, a high-voltage box positive output terminal and a high-voltage box negative output terminal; the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells, a total positive output terminal of the battery pack and a total negative output terminal of the battery pack; The power circuit includes a total positive circuit and a total negative circuit; the total positive circuit is configured to connect the main positive relay and the pre-charge relay connected in parallel from the total positive output end of the battery pack through the miniature circuit breaker and the fuse, and finally connect to the positive output end of the high-voltage box; the total negative circuit is configured to connect the total negative output end of the battery pack through the shunt, the main negative relay and the negative output end of the high-voltage box; The control circuit includes a first control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the main positive relay, a second control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the main negative relay, a third control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the pre-charge relay, and a fourth control circuit configured to connect the main control board and the miniature circuit breaker; the first control circuit to the fourth control circuit include pluggable connectors.
2. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control circuit also includes a fifth control circuit, which is configured to be connected from the main control board to the power supply via a switch, and the fifth control circuit is plugged into the switch.
3. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pluggable connectors in the first control circuit to the fourth control circuit have different models.
4. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a communication circuit; the battery cell also includes multiple slave control boards respectively connected to the multiple battery cells; the communication circuit includes a first communication circuit configured to be connected to the main control board after the multiple slave control boards are connected in sequence, a second communication circuit configured to connect the main control board and the energy storage inverter, and a test circuit configured to be led out from the main control board.
5. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first communication line adopts a daisy chain communication mode; the second communication line adopts a CAN communication mode.
6. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes sampling circuits, including a battery pack positive sampling circuit configured to connect the total positive loop and the main control board, a high-voltage box positive sampling circuit configured to connect the high-voltage box positive output terminal and the main control board, a high-voltage box negative sampling circuit configured to connect the high-voltage box negative output terminal and the main control board, and a current sampling circuit connecting the shunt and the main control board.
7. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The positive sampling circuit of the battery pack is configured to be led out from the rear end of the fuse FU, and connected to the first sampling terminal of the main control board after passing through the second resistor; the positive sampling circuit of the high-voltage box is configured to be led out from the rear end of the main positive relay KM1, and connected to the second sampling terminal of the main control board through the third resistor; the negative sampling circuit of the high-voltage box is configured to be led out from the rear end of the main negative relay, and connected to the third sampling terminal of the main control board.
8. The high-voltage box circuit of energy storage equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The current sampling circuit is configured to sequentially connect the fourth sampling terminal of the main control board, the first sampling point of the shunt, the second sampling point and the fifth sampling terminal of the main control board.
9. A high-voltage box for energy storage equipment, characterized in that: A high-voltage box circuit for energy storage equipment comprising any one of claims 1-8.
10. An energy storage device, characterized in that: It comprises a battery pack, an energy storage inverter and the energy storage device high-voltage box as claimed in claim 9.