Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
2. The Amendment filed on 03/09/2026 has been entered. Claims 1 and 3-4 have been amended. Claims 1-4 remain pending in the application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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 of this title, 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.
4. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Li (CN 112287910 A) in view of Kobayashi (US 20100110193 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Li discloses an anomaly detection device comprising: a processor (e.g., Figs. 1-3) configured to:
identify a path region in an image representing surroundings of a vehicle, the path region representing a host vehicle lane on which the vehicle is traveling (Fig. 1; [0020]-[0022] and [0051]; road images),
extract a feature indicating a condition of a road surface regarding the sub-region from the image by inputting the path region into a feature extractor that has been trained to extract the feature (Fig. 1; [0022]-[0028] and [0053]-[0054]; extracting feature data from road image, trained feature extractor and machine learning model), and
detect an abnormal condition in which the vehicle is unable to travel normally on the host vehicle lane, when the feature is outside a normal range that is a tolerable range in which the vehicle is able to travel normally (Fig. 1; [0039]-[0046] and [0057]-[0058]; detecting normal and abnormal road conditions).
Li also discloses identifying an object along the path region ahead of the vehicle (Fig. 1; [0022], [0054] and [0059]), identifying a sub-region of the path region comprising a section from the vehicle to the object (Fig. 1; [0036]-[0044] and [0057]-[0058]). Li also discloses the identified objects may include vehicles, pedestrian, road constructions, traffic lights, etc., ([0022] and [0059]; e.g., another vehicle ahead of the vehicle). As another reference, Kobayashi (Figs. 1-13) discloses an anomaly detection device, comprising: a processor configured to: identify a path region in an image representing surroundings of a vehicle, the path region representing a host vehicle lane on which the vehicle is traveling (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; camera 3 capture a road image of a surrounding area of a vehicle 1, which includes objects existing ahead of the vehicle 1; [0046] and [0050]-[0051]), identify a second vehicle traveling along the path region ahead of the vehicle (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; the objects including a preceding car B ahead of the vehicle 1; [0057]-[0058]), identify a sub-region of the path region comprising a section from the vehicle to the second vehicle (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; a road area from the preceding vehicle B to the vehicle 1; [0057]-[0058]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from Kobayashi to the anomaly detection device of Li or incorporate the anomaly detection device of Li to the vehicle of Kobayashi. The combination/motivation would be to provide an autonomous driving system to improve safety for the vehicle driving.
Regarding claim 2, Li in view of Kobayashi discloses the anomaly detection device according to claim 1, Li (e.g., Figs. 1-3) discloses wherein the processor extracts the feature by inputting an area in the path region below the bottom of a vehicle-ahead region into the feature extractor, the vehicle-ahead region representing a vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle (Fig. 1, steps 101-102; [0020], [0022], and [0028]). Kobayashi (Figs. 3, 7, and 11) discloses the similar features as claimed.
Regarding claim 3, Li discloses an anomaly detection method (e.g., Figs. 1-3) comprising:
identifying a path region in an image representing surroundings of a vehicle, the path region representing a host vehicle lane on which the vehicle is traveling (Fig. 1; [0020]-[0022] and [0051]; road surface images);
extracting a feature indicating a condition of a road surface regarding the path region from the image by inputting the path region into a feature extractor that has been trained to extract the feature (Fig. 1; [0023]-[0030] and [0051]; extracting features of road surface, trained feature extractor); and
detecting an abnormal condition in which the vehicle is unable to travel normally on the host vehicle lane, when the feature is outside a normal range that is a tolerable range in which the vehicle is able to travel normally (Fig. 1; [0039]-[0044] and [0057]-[0058]; detecting normal and abnormal road conditions).
Li also discloses identifying an object along the path region ahead of the vehicle (Fig. 1; [0022], [0054] and [0059]), identifying a sub-region of the path region comprising a section from the vehicle to the object (Fig. 1; [0036]-[0044] and [0057]-[0058]). Li also discloses the identified objects may include vehicles, pedestrian, road constructions, traffic lights, etc., ([0022] and [0059]; e.g., another vehicle ahead of the vehicle). As another reference, Kobayashi (Figs. 1-13) discloses an anomaly detection device and an anomaly detection method, comprising: identifying a path region in an image representing surroundings of a vehicle, the path region representing a host vehicle lane on which the vehicle is traveling (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; camera 3 capture a road image of a surrounding area of a vehicle 1, which includes objects existing ahead of the vehicle 1; [0046] and [0050]-[0051]), identifying a second vehicle traveling along the path region ahead of the vehicle (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; the objects including a preceding car B ahead of the vehicle 1; [0057]-[0058]), identifying a sub-region of the path region comprising a section from the vehicle to the second vehicle (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; a road area from the preceding vehicle B to the vehicle 1; [0057]-[0058]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from Kobayashi to the anomaly detection device of Li or incorporate the anomaly detection device of Li to the vehicle of Kobayashi. The combination/motivation would be to provide an autonomous driving system to improve safety for the vehicle driving.
Regarding claim 4, Li (Figs. 1-3) discloses a non-transitory recording medium that stores a computer program for detecting an anomaly, the computer program causing a processor mounted on a vehicle ([0020] and 0022]) to execute a process comprising:
identifying a path region in an image representing surroundings of the vehicle, the path region representing a host vehicle lane on which the vehicle is traveling (Fig. 1; [0020]-[0022] and [0051]; road surface images);
extracting a feature indicating a condition of a road surface regarding the path region from the image by inputting the path region into a feature extractor that has been trained to extract the feature (Fig. 1; [0023]-[0030] and [0051]; extracting features of road surface, trained feature extractor); and
detecting an abnormal condition in which the vehicle is unable to travel normally on the host vehicle lane, when the feature is outside a normal range that is a tolerable range in which the vehicle is able to travel normally (Fig. 1; [0039]-[0044] and [0057]-[0058]; detecting normal and abnormal road conditions).
Li also discloses identifying an object along the path region ahead of the vehicle (Fig. 1; [0022], [0054] and [0059]), identifying a sub-region of the path region comprising a section from the vehicle to the object (Fig. 1; [0036]-[0044] and [0057]-[0058]). Li also discloses the identified objects may include vehicles, pedestrian, road constructions, traffic lights, etc., ([0022] and [0059]; e.g., another vehicle ahead of the vehicle). As another reference, Kobayashi (Figs. 1-13) discloses an anomaly detection device and an anomaly detection method, comprising: identifying a path region in an image representing surroundings of a vehicle, the path region representing a host vehicle lane on which the vehicle is traveling (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; camera 3 capture a road image of a surrounding area of a vehicle 1, which includes objects existing ahead of the vehicle 1; [0046] and [0050]-[0051]), identifying a second vehicle traveling along the path region ahead of the vehicle (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; the objects including a preceding car B ahead of the vehicle 1; [0057]-[0058]), identifying a sub-region of the path region comprising a section from the vehicle to the second vehicle (Figs. 3, 7, and 11; a road area from the preceding vehicle B to the vehicle 1; [0057]-[0058]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching from Kobayashi to the anomaly detection device of Li or incorporate the anomaly detection device of Li to the vehicle of Kobayashi. The combination/motivation would be to provide an autonomous driving system to improve safety for the vehicle driving.
Response to Arguments
5. Regarding claims 1 and 3-4, applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection. In view of amendments, the reference of Kobayashi (US 20100110193 A1) has been used for new ground rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUZHEN SHEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1407. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00-18:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chanh Nguyen can be reached on 571-272-7772. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YUZHEN SHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623