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
Pending
1-12
35 U.S.C. 103
1-12
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d), regarding Application No. JP 2023-087486, filed on 05/29/2023.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS(s)) submitted on 03/21/2024 and 09/12/2025 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 12 are objected to because of the following informalities. Both claims refer to “other vehicle” without “an” or ”the”. The claims should be amended to fix these grammatical errors. Examiner will interpret the claims as though they recited the limitations as described below.
Claim 1 should be amended to read:
“an information acquisitor that acquires a traveling state of an ego vehicle, road information around the ego vehicle, and information on other vehicles around the ego vehicle;
when an other vehicle exists within a determination range in front of the ego vehicle, the target traveling state setter corrects the target speed according to the travelling speed of the other vehicle.”
Claim 12 should be amended to read:
“an information acquisition step of acquiring a traveling state of an ego vehicle, road information around the ego vehicle, and information on other vehicles around the ego vehicle;
when an other vehicle exists within a determination range in front of the ego vehicle, correcting the target speed according to the travelling speed of the other vehicle.”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2020/0189586 A1, hereinafter “Choi”) and further in view of You (US 2023/0041319 A1, hereinafter “You”).
Regarding claim 1: Choi teaches: A vehicle control apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to implement ([0039] FIG. 1, driver assistance apparatus includes navigation device, detector, memory, vehicle controller, and processor; [0042] storage, processor, map info (road attributes, type of road, lane, total lanes, road curvature, road grade, speed limit, branch point), RAM, ROM):
an information acquisitor that acquires a traveling state of an ego vehicle, road information around the ego vehicle, and information on other vehicle around the ego vehicle ([0039] FIG. 1, driver assistance apparatus includes navigation device, detector, memory, vehicle controller, and processor that are connected with each other via in-vehicle network (IVN); [0041] GPS receiver determines current position of vehicle; [0048] detector apparatus obtain info regarding surroundings of vehicle and state info of vehicle; [0049] - [0053] sensors);
a target travel route setter that sets a target travel route of the ego vehicle ([0040] navigation device searches for guide route (optimal route) from starting point (current position of vehicle) to destination and guides vehicle to destination along found guide route; [0046] processor determines guide route (travel route) to destination, based on map info, real-time traffic conditions, and current position of vehicle);
a deceleration point setter that sets a deceleration point which is a point where a speed at which the ego vehicle should travel is less than a present travelling speed of the ego vehicle, on the target travel route, based on the traveling state, the target travel route, and the road information, and sets a deceleration point speed which is a speed at which the ego vehicle should travel at the deceleration point ([0085] When exit ramp in pocket form is present, determines control target point on exit ramp; determines safety speed according to road curvatures for respective points with reference to lookup table stored in memory, determines required deceleration, control target point, final target speed and required deceleration; [0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; processor determines safety speed Vt at control target point with reference to lookup table that is already stored in memory 130 and in which safety speeds according to road curvatures are defined);
a deceleration start point setter that sets a deceleration start point which is a point where a deceleration of the ego vehicle is started, between a present position of the ego vehicle and the deceleration point, on the target travel route ([0064] determines control target point in exit ramp in view of road curvatures and required decelerations; [0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; processor determines safety speed Vt at control target point with reference to lookup table that is already stored in memory 130 and in which safety speeds according to road curvatures are defined; [0067] target pre-deceleration speed Vp based on final target speed Vt; [0080] normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; when vehicle cannot reach final target speed before reaching control target point, outputs warning to cause driver to directly operate brake pedal; When driver operates brake pedal, processor returns control of vehicle to top-level controller);
a target traveling state setter that sets a target speed ([0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; processor determines safety speed Vt at control target point with reference to lookup table that is already stored in memory 130 and in which safety speeds according to road curvatures are defined); and
a vehicle controller that controls the ego vehicle based on the target speed ([0056] vehicle controller is controller that controls overall operation (steering, deceleration, acceleration) of vehicle),
wherein, when a diversion lane which diverges from a main lane before the deceleration point exists on the target travel route, the deceleration start point setter sets the deceleration start point, after a start point of transition driving from the main lane to the diversion lane ([0063] identifies type of exit road of exit ramp with reference to road info; exit road is classified into discrete exit road for which outermost lane of main road is used and exit road in pocket form that is formed in pocket form next to outermost lane of main road to allow vehicle to leave main road therethrough; [0064] determines control target point in exit ramp in view of road curvatures and required decelerations; [0068] target branch-point passing speed Vr is speed from which vehicle decelerates at preset maximum allowable deceleration of Amax to reach control target point Pt from branch point Pj that is last point through which vehicle can enter exit ramp; exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lowest speed to which vehicle can decelerate while preventing rear-end collision with rearward vehicle on main road without impeding traffic flow; [0098] FIG. 5, reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; Fig. 5: starting speed Vi, slowing to pre-enter control speed before entering the exit lane, entering exit lane and start decelerating to target speed Vt, reach target speed Vt at final deceleration point), and
wherein, when the diversion lane exists before the deceleration point, the target traveling state setter sets the target speed of the ego vehicle based on a speed command value, before the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane ([0068] target branch-point passing speed Vr is speed from which vehicle decelerates at preset maximum allowable deceleration of Amax to reach control target point Pt from branch point Pj that is last point through which vehicle can enter exit ramp; exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lowest speed to which vehicle can decelerate while preventing rear-end collision with rearward vehicle on main road without impeding traffic flow; [0098] FIG. 5, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; Fig. 5: starting speed Vi, slowing to pre-enter control speed before entering the exit lane, entering exit lane and start decelerating to target speed Vt, reach target speed Vt at final deceleration point);
the target traveling state setter sets the target speed based on the speed command value, the present travelling speed of the ego vehicle, a remaining distance from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration point, and the deceleration point speed, after the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane ([0086] When control target point is determined, determines target pre-deceleration speed Vp, based on final target speed at control target point; determines target branch-point passing speed Vr based on final target speed and determines exit ramp entrance speed Vc for entrance to exit ramp; determines target pre-deceleration speed Vp to be exit ramp entrance speed Vc when exit ramp entrance speed Vc is higher than target branch-point passing speed Vr; determines target pre-deceleration speed Vp to be target branch-point passing speed Vr when exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr; [0088] After determining control mode, processor determines required acceleration (required deceleration), based on current vehicle speed, final target speed, and distance from current position of vehicle (vehicle position) to control target point; Fig. 5: starting speed Vi, slowing to pre-enter control speed before entering the exit lane, entering exit lane and start decelerating to target speed Vt, reach target speed Vt at final deceleration point).
However, Choi does not explicitly teach, but You teaches: when other vehicle exists within a determination range in front of the ego vehicle, the target traveling state setter corrects the target speed according to the travelling speed of other vehicle ([0044] FIG. 2B, vehicle 20a to change from current to target lane; 20b leader in same lane and in front; 20c and 20d in target lane, are obstacles for 20a; [0045] 20a chooses proper lane change gap from target lane according to driving speeds of 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d; [0046] If 20a selects L5 as gap for lane change, 20a perform speed planning according to distance between 20c and 20d, safe distance between vehicles, and driving speeds; safe lane change realized by changing speed of 20a; [0058] When leading car exists in current lane for target vehicle, acquire driving speed v2 of leading car, determine first safe braking distance Lb1 corresponding to target vehicle according to v2, determine third limited acceleration a3 corresponding to target vehicle according to Lb1, v1, target following speed vf, and estimated following duration tf; [0059] determining Lb1: acquiring first following time interval th1 between target vehicle and leading car, determining target following distance according to vf and th1; acquiring spacing distance l1 at current time between target vehicle and leading car, determining difference between l1 and target following distance Lb1; [0062] Generate target predicted position info corresponding to target vehicle according to current position info, predicted lane change time duration, and initial predicted lane change acceleration of target vehicle).
Choi and You are analogous art to the claimed invention since they are from the similar field of vehicle controls in various driving scenarios. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Choi with the aspects of You to create, with a reasonable expectation for success, a vehicle control apparatus that, when another vehicle exists within a range in front of the vehicle, the vehicle corrects the target speed according to the traveling speed of the another vehicle. The motivation for modification would have been to improve a lane change success rate of a vehicle when coordinating driving of driverless vehicles (You, [0032]), while improving accuracy of the targeted predicted lane change acceleration (You, [0076]). Unless otherwise specified, the motivation for modification of claim 1 is similarly applied to claims dependent upon claim 1, including claims 2-11.
Regarding claim 2: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deceleration point is a point where the speed at which the ego vehicle should travel switches (Choi: [0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; [0080] normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt), and
wherein the deceleration point setter sets the deceleration point based on at least one of a switching point of a limit speed, a switching point of a road type, and a switching point of a speed due to a change of road curvature (Choi: [0065] when radii of curvature at points A and B are 150 m and 70 m and required decelerations at which vehicle has to decelerate to pass through points A and B at safety speeds of 70 kph and 50 kph are −0.9 m/s2 and −0.5 m/s2, determines point with larger required deceleration to be control target point although radius of curvature at point B is larger than radius of curvature at point A; [0072] Vlimit is speed limit of main road; [0092] While controlling deceleration of vehicle, determines whether exit ramp entrance speed Vc exceeds target branch-point passing speed Vr; compares exit ramp entrance speed Vc and target branch-point passing speed Vr while controlling deceleration of vehicle; may compare exit ramp entrance speed Vc and target branch-point passing speed Vr at same time that target pre-deceleration speed Vp is determined).
Regarding claim 3: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a lane change is required to transit from the main lane to the diversion lane, the target traveling state setter sets a point where an operation of a direction indicator by a driver was detected after reaching at a start point of the diversion lane, as the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane (Choi: [0063] exit road is discrete exit road for which outermost lane of main road is used and exit road in pocket form is next to outermost lane of main road to allow vehicle to leave main road; [0064] determines control target point in exit ramp in view of road curvatures and required decelerations; [0068] target branch-point passing speed Vr is speed from which vehicle decelerates at preset maximum allowable deceleration of Amax to reach control target point Pt from branch point Pj that is last point through which vehicle can enter exit ramp; exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lowest speed to which vehicle can decelerate while preventing rear-end collision with rearward vehicle on main road without impeding traffic flow; [0076] Operating Conditions: 1) whether exit road in pocket form is present in front of vehicle on guide route; 2) whether vehicle travels on outermost lane of main road; 3) whether turn signal lamp oriented in exit direction lights up; [0080] normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt).; and
when the lane change is not required to transit from the main lane to the diversion lane, the target traveling state setter sets the start point of the diversion lane, as the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane (Choi: [0098] FIG. 5, when target branch-point passing speed Vr exceeds exit ramp entrance speed Vc, processor sets target pre-deceleration speed Vp to target branch-point passing speed Vr; when entering pre enter control mode, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp (i.e. now lane change not required); performs pre-deceleration control on vehicle speed at time of entrance to exit ramp to reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt).
Regarding claim 4: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target traveling state setter calculates a prediction traveling time from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point, when assuming that the ego vehicle travels according to the speed command value; and when the prediction traveling time is less than a determination time, the target traveling state setter sets smaller one of the present travelling speed of the ego vehicle and the speed command value, as the target speed from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point (Choi: [0011] determine exit ramp entrance speed with respect to speed limit of main road, target branch-point passing speed based on final target speed and distance between branch point and control target point, and target pre-deceleration speed based on exit ramp entrance speed and target branch-point passing speed (i.e. have distances and rates, d=rt, so also have time); [0098] FIG. 5, when target branch-point passing speed Vr exceeds exit ramp entrance speed Vc, processor sets target pre-deceleration speed Vp to target branch-point passing speed Vr; when entering pre enter control mode, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp; performs pre-deceleration control on vehicle speed at time of entrance to exit ramp to reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; When required deceleration is smaller than maximum allowable deceleration Amax, processor outputs warning signal to lead driver to directly operate brake pedal to adjust amount of braking; see also Figs. 5-8).
Regarding claim 5: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target traveling state setter calculates prediction traveling time from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point, when assuming that the ego vehicle travels according to the speed command value; and when the prediction traveling time is less than a determination time, the target traveling state setter sets the target speed from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point so that the prediction traveling time from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point becomes the determination time (Choi: [0011] determine exit ramp entrance speed with respect to speed limit of main road, target branch-point passing speed based on final target speed and distance between branch point and control target point, and target pre-deceleration speed based on exit ramp entrance speed and target branch-point passing speed (i.e. have distances and rates, d=rt, so also have time); [0098] FIG. 5, when target branch-point passing speed Vr exceeds exit ramp entrance speed Vc, processor sets target pre-deceleration speed Vp to target branch-point passing speed Vr; when entering pre enter control mode, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp; performs pre-deceleration control on vehicle speed at time of entrance to exit ramp to reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; When required deceleration is smaller than maximum allowable deceleration Amax, processor outputs warning signal to lead driver to directly operate brake pedal to adjust amount of braking; see also Figs. 5-8).
Regarding claim 6: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target traveling state setter calculates a prediction traveling time from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point, when assuming that the ego vehicle travels according to the speed command value; and when the prediction traveling time is greater than or equal to a determination time, the target traveling state setter sets the speed command value as the target speed from the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane, to the deceleration start point (Choi: [0011] determine exit ramp entrance speed with respect to speed limit of main road, target branch-point passing speed based on final target speed and distance between branch point and control target point, and target pre-deceleration speed based on exit ramp entrance speed and target branch-point passing speed (i.e. have distances and rates, d=rt, so also have time); [0098] FIG. 5, when target branch-point passing speed Vr exceeds exit ramp entrance speed Vc, processor sets target pre-deceleration speed Vp to target branch-point passing speed Vr; when entering pre enter control mode, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp; performs pre-deceleration control on vehicle speed at time of entrance to exit ramp to reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; When required deceleration is smaller than maximum allowable deceleration Amax, processor outputs warning signal to lead driver to directly operate brake pedal to adjust amount of braking; see also Figs. 5-8).
Regarding claim 7: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the prediction traveling time does not include an acceleration time until reaching the speed command value from the present travelling speed of the ego vehicle (Choi: [0011] determine exit ramp entrance speed with respect to speed limit of main road, target branch-point passing speed based on final target speed and distance between branch point and control target point, and target pre-deceleration speed based on exit ramp entrance speed and target branch-point passing speed (i.e. have distances and rates, d=rt, so also have time); [0098] FIG. 5, when target branch-point passing speed Vr exceeds exit ramp entrance speed Vc, processor sets target pre-deceleration speed Vp to target branch-point passing speed Vr; when entering pre enter control mode, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp; performs pre-deceleration control on vehicle speed at time of entrance to exit ramp to reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; When required deceleration is smaller than maximum allowable deceleration Amax, processor outputs warning signal to lead driver to directly operate brake pedal to adjust amount of braking; see also Figs. 5-8).
Regarding claim 8: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the prediction traveling time includes an acceleration time until reaching the speed command value from the present travelling speed of the ego vehicle (Choi: [0011] determine exit ramp entrance speed with respect to speed limit of main road, target branch-point passing speed based on final target speed and distance between branch point and control target point, and target pre-deceleration speed based on exit ramp entrance speed and target branch-point passing speed (i.e. have distances and rates, d=rt, so also have time); [0098] FIG. 5, when target branch-point passing speed Vr exceeds exit ramp entrance speed Vc, processor sets target pre-deceleration speed Vp to target branch-point passing speed Vr; when entering pre enter control mode, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp; performs pre-deceleration control on vehicle speed at time of entrance to exit ramp to reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; When required deceleration is smaller than maximum allowable deceleration Amax, processor outputs warning signal to lead driver to directly operate brake pedal to adjust amount of braking; see also Figs. 5-8).
Regarding claim 9: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target traveling state setter sets the target speed after the deceleration point, to the smallest one of a limit speed of road after the deceleration point, the speed command value, and a limit speed due to a road curvature after the deceleration point (Choi: [0065] when radii of curvature at points A and B are 150 m and 70 m and required decelerations at which vehicle has to decelerate to pass through points A and B at safety speeds of 70 kph and 50 kph are −0.9 m/s2 and −0.5 m/s2, determines point with larger required deceleration to be control target point although radius of curvature at point B is larger than radius of curvature at point A; [0098] FIG. 5, when reduced-in-advance vehicle speed is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr, reduces vehicle speed Vi (=Vp=Vr) to final target speed Vt when vehicle enters exit ramp; [0092] determines whether exit ramp entrance speed Vc exceeds Vr; compares Vc and Vr while controlling deceleration of vehicle; compare Vc and Vr at same time that target pre-deceleration speed Vp is determined; [0086] Vp based on final target speed at control target point; determines Vr based on final target speed and determines Vc for entrance to exit ramp; Vp = Vc when Vc > Vr; Vp = Vr when Vc ≤ Vr; [0085] When exit ramp in pocket form is present, determines control target point on exit ramp; determines safety speed according to road curvatures for respective points with reference to lookup table stored in memory, determines required deceleration, control target point, final target speed and required deceleration; [0072] Vlimit is speed limit of main road).
Regarding claim 10: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an accelerator pedal operation, a brake pedal operation, or a handle operation by a driver is detected, the vehicle controller changes a control amount which is based on the target speed, or ends a control which is based on the target speed, based on operation information (Choi: [0080] normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; when vehicle cannot reach final target speed before reaching control target point, outputs warning to cause driver to directly operate brake pedal; When driver operates brake pedal, processor returns control of vehicle to top-level controller; [0100] determines required deceleration necessary for reducing vehicle speed to final target speed Vt until vehicle reaches control target point after entrance to exit ramp; switches control mode to normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; When required deceleration is smaller than maximum allowable deceleration Amax, processor outputs warning signal to lead driver to directly operate brake pedal to adjust amount of braking; see Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 11: Choi-You further teach: The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an operation of a direction indicator is turned off until a transition to the diversion lane is completed after the operation of the direction indicator was performed by a driver in order to transit from the main lane to the diversion lane, the target traveling state setter determines whether the transition to the diversion lane and a deceleration are continued or stopped, based on a completion degree of the transition to the diversion lane; and when determines to be stopped, the target traveling state setter stops a setting of the target speed for deceleration (Choi: [0103] when vehicle continues to travel on main road after passing branch point, processor determines that vehicle deviates from guide route, stops outputting warning signal, and returns vehicle speed to set speed Vi of vehicle; performs acceleration control until vehicle speed reduced to exit ramp entrance speed Vc reaches set speed Vi; [0105] When vehicle does not travel on outermost lane of main road although configured to enter exit ramp on guide route, determines vehicle deviates from guide route, does not perform deceleration control; controls vehicle to continue to travel at set speed Vi; see Fig. 7; [0076] Operating Conditions: 1) whether exit road in pocket form is present in front of vehicle on guide route; 2) whether vehicle travels on outermost lane of main road; 3) whether turn signal lamp oriented in exit direction lights up).
Regarding claim 12: Choi teaches: A vehicle control method that makes an arithmetic processor perform each following step, the vehicle control method comprising ([0002] method for operating driver assistance apparatus; [0039] FIG. 1, driver assistance apparatus includes navigation device, detector, memory, vehicle controller, and processor; [0042] storage, processor, map info (road attributes, type of road, lane, total lanes, road curvature, road grade, speed limit, branch point), RAM, ROM):
an information acquisition step of acquiring a traveling state of an ego vehicle, road information around the ego vehicle, and information on other vehicle around the ego vehicle ([0039] FIG. 1, driver assistance apparatus includes navigation device, detector, memory, vehicle controller, and processor that are connected with each other via in-vehicle network (IVN); [0041] GPS receiver determines current position of vehicle; [0048] detector apparatus obtain info regarding surroundings of vehicle and state info of vehicle; [0049] - [0053] sensors);
a target travel route setting step of setting a target travel route of the ego vehicle ([0040] navigation device searches for guide route (optimal route) from starting point (current position of vehicle) to destination and guides vehicle to destination along found guide route; [0046] processor determines guide route (travel route) to destination, based on map info, real-time traffic conditions, and current position of vehicle);
a deceleration point setting step of setting a deceleration point which is a point where a speed at which the ego vehicle should travel is less than a present travelling speed of the ego vehicle, on the target travel route, based on the traveling state, the target travel route, and the road information, and setting a deceleration point speed which is a speed at which the ego vehicle should travel at the deceleration point ([0085] When exit ramp in pocket form is present, determines control target point on exit ramp; determines safety speed according to road curvatures for respective points with reference to lookup table stored in memory, determines required deceleration, control target point, final target speed and required deceleration; [0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; processor determines safety speed Vt at control target point with reference to lookup table that is already stored in memory 130 and in which safety speeds according to road curvatures are defined;
a deceleration start point setting step of setting a deceleration start point which is a point where a deceleration of the ego vehicle is started, between a present position of the ego vehicle and the deceleration point, on the target travel route ([0064] determines control target point in exit ramp in view of road curvatures and required decelerations; [0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; processor determines safety speed Vt at control target point with reference to lookup table that is already stored in memory 130 and in which safety speeds according to road curvatures are defined; [0067] target pre-deceleration speed Vp based on final target speed Vt; [0080] normal control mode when vehicle enters exit ramp, and reduces vehicle speed to final target speed Vt; when vehicle cannot reach final target speed before reaching control target point, outputs warning to cause driver to directly operate brake pedal; When driver operates brake pedal, processor returns control of vehicle to top-level controller);
a target traveling state setting step of setting a target speed ([0066] safety speed at control target point, that is, final target speed Vt required to safely pass through control target point; processor determines safety speed Vt at control target point with reference to lookup table that is already stored in memory 130 and in which safety speeds according to road curvatures are defined); and
a vehicle control step of controlling the ego vehicle based on the target speed ([0056] vehicle controller is controller that controls overall operation (steering, deceleration, acceleration) of vehicle),
wherein, in the deceleration start point setting step, when a diversion lane which diverges from a main lane before the deceleration point exists on the target travel route, setting the deceleration start point after a start point of transition driving from the main lane to the diversion lane ([0063] identifies type of exit road of exit ramp with reference to road info; exit road is classified into discrete exit road for which outermost lane of main road is used and exit road in pocket form that is formed in pocket form next to outermost lane of main road to allow vehicle to leave main road therethrough; [0064] determines control target point in exit ramp in view of road curvatures and required decelerations; [0068] target branch-point passing speed Vr is speed from which vehicle decelerates at preset maximum allowable deceleration of Amax to reach control target point Pt from branch point Pj that is last point through which vehicle can enter exit ramp; exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lowest speed to which vehicle can decelerate while preventing rear-end collision with rearward vehicle on main road without impeding traffic flow; [0098] FIG. 5, reduce vehicle speed to final target speed immediately after vehicle enters exit ramp, thereby enabling vehicle to safely travel on curved section of exit ramp; Fig. 5: starting speed Vi, slowing to pre-enter control speed before entering the exit lane, entering exit lane and start decelerating to target speed Vt, reach target speed Vt at final deceleration point), and
wherein, in the traveling state setting step, when the diversion lane exists before the deceleration point, setting the target speed of the ego vehicle based on a speed command value, before the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane ([0068] target branch-point passing speed Vr is speed from which vehicle decelerates at preset maximum allowable deceleration of Amax to reach control target point Pt from branch point Pj that is last point through which vehicle can enter exit ramp; exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lowest speed to which vehicle can decelerate while preventing rear-end collision with rearward vehicle on main road without impeding traffic flow; [0098] FIG. 5, reduces, in advance, vehicle speed Vi to target pre-deceleration speed Vp (=Vr) before vehicle enters exit ramp; Fig. 5: starting speed Vi, slowing to pre-enter control speed before entering the exit lane, entering exit lane and start decelerating to target speed Vt, reach target speed Vt at final deceleration point);
setting the target speed based on the speed command value, the present travelling speed of the ego vehicle, a remaining distance from the start point of to the diversion lane, to the deceleration point, and the deceleration point speed, after the start point of transition driving to the diversion lane ([0086] When control target point is determined, determines target pre-deceleration speed Vp, based on final target speed at control target point; determines target branch-point passing speed Vr based on final target speed and determines exit ramp entrance speed Vc for entrance to exit ramp; determines target pre-deceleration speed Vp to be exit ramp entrance speed Vc when exit ramp entrance speed Vc is higher than target branch-point passing speed Vr; determines target pre-deceleration speed Vp to be target branch-point passing speed Vr when exit ramp entrance speed Vc is lower than or equal to target branch-point passing speed Vr; [0088] After determining control mode, processor determines required acceleration (required deceleration), based on current vehicle speed, final target speed, and distance from current position of vehicle (vehicle position) to control target point; Fig. 5: starting speed Vi, slowing to pre-enter control speed before entering the exit lane, entering exit lane and start decelerating to target speed Vt, reach target speed Vt at final deceleration point).
However, Choi does not explicitly teach, but You teaches: when other vehicle exists within a determination range in front of the ego vehicle, correcting the target speed according to the travelling speed of other vehicle ([0044] FIG. 2B, vehicle 20a to change from current to target lane; 20b leader in same lane and in front; 20c and 20d in target lane, are obstacles for 20a; [0045] 20a chooses proper lane change gap from target lane according to driving speeds of 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d; [0046] If 20a selects L5 as gap for lane change, 20a perform speed planning according to distance between 20c and 20d, safe distance between vehicles, and driving speeds; safe lane change realized by changing speed of 20a; [0058] When leading car exists in current lane for target vehicle, acquire driving speed v2 of leading car, determine first safe braking distance Lb1 corresponding to target vehicle according to v2, determine third limited acceleration a3 corresponding to target vehicle according to Lb1, v1, target following speed vf, and estimated following duration tf; [0059] determining Lb1: acquiring first following time interval th1 between target vehicle and leading car, determining target following distance according to vf and th1; acquiring spacing distance l1 at current time between target vehicle and leading car, determining difference between l1 and target following distance Lb1; [0062] Generate target predicted position info corresponding to target vehicle according to current position info, predicted lane change time duration, and initial predicted lane change acceleration of target vehicle).
Choi and You are analogous art to the claimed invention since they are from the similar field of vehicle controls in various driving scenarios. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the invention of Choi with the aspects of You to create, with a reasonable expectation for success, a vehicle control apparatus that, when another vehicle exists within a range in front of the vehicle, the vehicle corrects the target speed according to the traveling speed of the another vehicle. The motivation for modification would have been to improve a lane change success rate of a vehicle when coordinating driving of driverless vehicles (You, [0032]), while improving accuracy of the targeted predicted lane change acceleration (You, [0076]).
Conclusion
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/MADISON B EMMETT/Examiner, Art Unit 3658