DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the initial filing filed on November 15, 2023, Claims 1-9 have been examined in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 11/15/2023 and 4/11/2025 have been acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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
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) 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Kitamura (US 2018/0120416 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Kitamura discloses an in-vehicle radar device capable of measuring a first angle azimuth of a target, a distance to the target, and a relative speed by a plurality of reception antennas, the radar device comprising [0008-0009 for onboard radar with antennas 0018-0019 for calculating speed, 0022-0024, figure 1]:
a function fitting processing unit that extracts a feature including a lateral wall parallel to a traveling direction of a vehicle from information of the distance and the relative speed by function fitting [0008-0009 for estimating orientation distance using a straight line, to determine angle error, 0038-0039 for straight line and least (minimum sum) of squares];
a processing unit that calculates a second angle azimuth of the feature from a result of the function fitting [0008-0009 for calculating an approximated straight line (relationship between speed and orientation for raw (first) data) and 0041 for a reflection point that is further towards the advancing direction with speed of zero (second calculation) used to calculate orientation angle (azimuth) in degrees];
and a processing unit that calculates an angle deviation of a mounting axis of the radar device by comparing the first angular azimuth and the second angular azimuth [0009, 0046-0051 for computing error].
Regarding Claim 2, Kitamura discloses a processing unit that corrects the angle deviation of the mounting axis from a calculation result of the angle deviation [0012-0013 and 0042] .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 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.
Claims 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitamura (US 2018/0120416 A1) in view of Ikram et al (US 2020/0158820A1).
Regarding Claim 3, Kitamura fails to explicitly teach a function of issuing an alarm in a case where the angle deviation exceeds a predetermined angle deviation from a calculation result of the angle deviation is provided.
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches a function of issuing an alarm in a case where the angle deviation exceeds a predetermined angle deviation from a calculation result of the angle deviation is provided [0002].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the trigger calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose to alert driver of a dangerous situation (Ikram, 0002).
Regarding Claim 4, Kitamura fails to explicitly teach the function fitting processing unit is configured to calculate a host vehicle speed from information of the distance to the feature and the relative speed at the time of the function fitting.
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches the function fitting processing unit is configured to calculate a host vehicle speed from information of the distance to the feature and the relative speed at the time of the function fitting [0019-0020 for calibrating while driving and calculating geometry].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the geometry angle calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose of calculating radar mount-angle calibration is based on trilateration or triangulation process (Ikram, 0019).
Regarding Claim 5, Kitamura fails to explicitly teach correction function of correcting an error of a speed sensor from a result of the host vehicle speed is provided.
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches correction function of correcting an error of a speed sensor from a result of the host vehicle speed is provided [0017 and 0023].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the geometry angle calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose of calculating radar mount-angle calibration is based on trilateration or triangulation process (Ikram, 0019).
Regarding Claim 6, Kitamura fails to explicitly teach the function fitting processing unit performs the function fitting in a predetermined speed range of a speed detection output from the speed sensor.
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches the function fitting processing unit performs the function fitting in a predetermined speed range of a speed detection output from the speed sensor [0023 for correcting mount angle as vehicle moves (speed)].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the geometry angle calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose of ensuring the correct mount angle is used in the computation (Ikram, 0023).
Regarding Claim 7, Kitamura fails to explicitly teach the function fitting processing unit performs the function fitting in a predetermined steering angle range of a steering angle detection output from a steering angle sensor.
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches the function fitting processing unit performs the function fitting in a predetermined steering angle range of a steering angle detection output from a steering angle sensor [0015 for using range and angle (steering) and 0023 for correcting mount angle as vehicle moves (speed)].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the geometry angle calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose of ensuring the correct mount angle is used in the computation (Ikram, 0023).
Regarding Claim 8, Kitamura fails to explicitly teach the function fitting processing unit performs the function fitting when the steering angle detection output is in the predetermined steering angle range and a speed detection output from the speed sensor is in a predetermined speed range.
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches the function fitting processing unit performs the function fitting when the steering angle detection output is in the predetermined steering angle range and a speed detection output from the speed sensor is in a predetermined speed range [0023, 0026-0031 and figure 3].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the geometry angle calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose to generate an additional occupancy grid map corresponding to this hypothetical mount angle (Ikram, 0029).
Regarding Claim 9, Kitamura teaches a radar device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the radar device is configured to [0008-0009 for onboard radar with antennas 0018-0019 for calculating speed, 0022-0024, figure 1]:
extract a lateral wall parallel to a traveling direction of the vehicle through function fitting from a distance and a relative speed of the vehicle that are a result of performing positioning the radar device [0008-0009 for estimating orientation distance using a straight line, to determine angle error, 0038-0039 for straight line and least (minimum sum) of squares];
calculate an angle azimuth b of each point extracted as the lateral wall based on a host vehicle speed of the vehicle calculated at the time of the function fitting and a distance to the lateral wall [0008-0009 for calculating an approximated straight line (relationship between speed and orientation for raw (first) data) and 0041 for a reflection point that is further towards the advancing direction with speed of zero (second calculation) used to calculate orientation angle (azimuth) in degrees].
Ikram has a device includes one or more processors configured to receive radar data (abstract) and teaches and compare the calculated angle azimuth b with an angle azimuth q that is the positioning result to detect a mounting angle deviation in the radar device and correct the mounting angle deviation [0027-0030 for occupancy grid (point wise) object location and minimizing spatial spread (compare grid cells) of object point, 0040-0044 for per-object spatial consistency used for calibration].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the mount angle techniques, as disclosed by Kitamura, further including the geometry angle calculations as taught by Ikram for the purpose to determine the locations of a detected object with the applied hypothetical mount angle as the vehicle (Ikram, 0041).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kishigama et al (US 2015/0369912 A1) A radar device mounted in a moving object includes a radar transmitter and a radar receiver.
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/SAMARINA MAKHDOOM/
Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/William Kelleher/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648