Obviousness

The following analysis addresses the obviousness of US Patent 9914365 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, building upon the prior art identified previously. The effective filing date for US9914365, based on its priority claim, is December 18, 2009.

Most Relevant Prior Art

As established in the "Prior art" section, US7940026B2 (King et al.) is the most relevant prior art from the cited references that precedes the December 18, 2009 priority date of US9914365. This patent describes a system for charging an electric vehicle and for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) power flow. It discloses a vehicle equipped with an energy storage device, an AC motor, a bi-directional inverter (voltage converter), and a controller. The inverter converts DC power from the energy storage device to AC to drive the motor, and also converts AC power from an external AC power system (grid) to DC to charge the energy storage device. The vehicle's controller manages this power flow and communicates with an external entity (e.g., a utility grid controller) to coordinate operations, including charging rate and V2G energy exchange.

While US7940026B2 teaches fundamental aspects of electric vehicle charging, it does not explicitly disclose the specific architecture for rapid charging involving the combination of a vehicle's onboard charging current with a second charging voltage from a second remote power supply or a remote energy conversion system, coordinated by a second controller, as claimed in US9914365. The primary focus of US7940026B2 is on single-vehicle charging from the grid and V2G functionality.

Obviousness Analysis (35 U.S.C. § 103)

To demonstrate obviousness, one must show that a Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA) would have been motivated to combine prior art references or known concepts to arrive at the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, at the time of the invention (i.e., before December 18, 2009).

Proposed Combination:
US7940026B2 in combination with general knowledge in the field of electric vehicle power systems and electrical engineering principles.

Reasoning for Obviousness:

1. Baseline System (from US7940026B2):

   • US7940026B2 teaches an electric vehicle (40) comprising an energy storage device (42) and a bi-directional inverter (44) (a first voltage converter). This inverter is configured to convert DC power from the energy storage device to AC to drive an electromechanical device (AC motor 46) and to convert AC power from a remote power supply (utility grid) into DC to charge the energy storage device.
   • The vehicle also includes a first controller (48) configured to control the inverter for charging and to communicate with a remote utility grid controller (20). This covers many elements of the independent claims of US9914365 related to the vehicle's onboard system and communication with a remote entity.
   • Crucially, US7940026B2 also teaches that the vehicle's inverter can operate in a V2G mode, meaning it can supply power to an external system (the grid). This demonstrates that the vehicle's onboard power electronics are capable of acting as a power source for an external load.

2. Motivation for Rapid Charging (General Knowledge):

   • At the priority date of December 18, 2009, the slow charging times of electric vehicles were a well-recognized drawback hindering widespread adoption. A PHOSITA in the field would have been acutely aware of the need for "rapid charging" solutions. The primary way to achieve rapid charging is to increase the power (current and/or voltage) delivered to the vehicle's battery.

3. Motivation to Combine Multiple Power Sources (General Electrical Engineering Principles):

   • A PHOSITA would understand the fundamental electrical engineering principle that current delivered to a load can be increased by combining multiple power sources in parallel.
   • Given the limitations of single onboard chargers and the high cost and complexity associated with designing and implementing large, dedicated off-board rapid charging units, a PHOSITA would be motivated to find more cost-effective means to deliver higher charging power.
   • Recognizing the V2G capability of vehicle inverters as taught by US7940026B2 (i.e., their ability to act as power sources), it would be a logical and economical design choice to repurpose the power electronics of other available vehicles (or even a simplified, smaller dedicated external charging unit, as shown in later embodiments of US9914365) as an auxiliary "second remote power supply." This directly addresses the stated problem in US9914365 of reducing dedicated components and increasing available charging current.

4. Coordination of Multiple Sources (Routine Engineering):

   • When combining multiple power sources to feed a single load (such as a vehicle battery), it is routine engineering practice to employ a centralized control system to manage and coordinate their operation. Thus, a PHOSITA would find it obvious to include a "second controller" (e.g., located at a charging station, as depicted in US9914365's FIG. 1) to communicate with the vehicle's "first controller" to regulate the combined "first charging voltage" from the onboard system and the "second charging voltage" from the auxiliary source(s) to ensure safe and efficient "rapid charging" of the target vehicle's energy storage device. The use of a shared DC bus (also described in US9914365) is a common topology for combining multiple DC power sources.

Conclusion:
A PHOSITA, starting with the teachings of US7940026B2 and motivated by the well-known need for rapid and cost-effective electric vehicle charging, would have found it obvious to augment the charging capabilities of a vehicle's onboard system by incorporating a second remote power supply. This remote supply could logically be derived from the underutilized power electronics of other vehicles (given their V2G capabilities in US7940026B2) or a dedicated external unit, all coordinated by a central controller to achieve rapid charging. This combination represents a logical step for a PHOSITA to overcome existing limitations in charging technology. Therefore, the independent claims of US9914365 would likely be rendered obvious by this combination of prior art and general engineering principles.