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
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 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, 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kumano et al. (US 20210081682 A1), which was cited by Applicant.
Regarding claim 1, Kumano discloses: A control device for an autonomous driving vehicle, the control device comprising {Fig. 3, paragraph [0035]: self-position estimation device}: a plurality of behavior detection sensors for detecting parameters relating to behavior of a vehicle {[0037]: As the vehicle state quantity sensor 120, a speed sensor or a gyro sensor may be used}; and a plurality of external detection sensors for detecting objects that are present in surroundings of a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling {[0030]: vehicle-mounted camera capturing an image of a periphery of the vehicle}, the control device being configured to, based on map data stored in advance, a detection result of the behavior detection sensors, and a detection result of the external detection sensors, estimate a current position of the vehicle on the map data {[0030]: a self-position estimation includes: a vehicle-mounted camera; a vehicle state quantity sensor; a satellite positioning acquisition unit; a map data storage; and a position estimation unit estimating a self-position of the vehicle on the map, as an estimation position, based on the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera, the state quantity, the latitude and longitude, and the map data}, compute a target path based on the current position of the vehicle on the map data that is estimated, and cause the vehicle to perform travel by autonomous driving based on the target path {[0034]: the self-position estimation device 100 is equipped to a vehicle which has a navigation system or equipped to a vehicle which has an autonomous driving function. The self-position estimation device 100 estimates the position of the vehicle on the map, that is, the traveling lane of the road based on various data described below during a travelling of the vehicle}, wherein: the control device includes a controller that estimates the current position on the map data and executes travel control of the vehicle based on control input set to cause the vehicle to perform the travel by autonomous driving along the target path {[0034], [0075] discloses a controller. Control input is implied as a function of the controller}; and the controller estimates the current position of the vehicle on the map data, by correcting a position of the vehicle on the map data in accordance with a relative position of the vehicle on the roadway that is found based on the detection result of the external detection sensors {Figs. 5, 6, [0045]: the position estimation unit calculates the estimation position of the vehicle on the map data according to the marking line of the road which is recognized based on the image data obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera], calculates a correction amount of the position of the vehicle on the map data when the current position of the vehicle is estimated, predicts, based on data related to a planned roadway that the vehicle is planned to travel on and that is detected by at least one of the map data and the external detection sensors, the correction amount on the planned roadway, and changes a characteristic of the travel control when executing the travel control based on the control input, so as to change control gain in the control input in accordance with the correction amount and the correction amount that is predicted {Figs. 5, 6, [0045]: The position of the vehicle calculated based on the recognized marking line is also referred to as a marking line recognition estimation position. The position estimation unit 150 calculates the estimation position of the vehicle on the map data according to the state quantity data output. The position estimation unit 150 calculates the estimation position of the vehicle on the map data based on GPS data. The position estimation unit 150 calculates a covariance of the marking line recognition estimation position, the state quantity estimation position, and the GPS estimation position, and estimates the position of the vehicle 10. That is, the position estimation unit 150 specifies the road and the lane on which the vehicle 10 is positioned. [0049]: In response to the lane quantity change determiner 151 determining a road section with no line exists in S110, a gain (weighting) of the position estimation based on the map data (position correction) is decreased in S120. [0050]: In S130, the estimation position based on the map data is corrected}.
Regarding claim 2, which depends from claim 1, Kumano discloses: wherein the controller is configured to change the characteristic of the travel control such that greater the correction amount and the predicted correction amount become, the greater the control gain becomes {[0049]: The weighting (control gain) of the position estimation based on the map data is set to be decreased with an increase of the determination reliability of the existence of the road section with no line}.
Regarding claim 3, which depends from claim 1, Kumano discloses: wherein the controller is configured to calculate the correction amount for each of a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a yaw direction of the vehicle, and cause the vehicle to perform the travel by autonomous driving with the characteristic of the travel control changed such that a magnitude of the control gain is changed, based on the correction amount and the predicted correction amount for each of the longitudinal direction, the lateral direction, and the yaw direction {[0029]: correct the estimation position of the vehicle estimated based on the map data by setting a weighting of the estimation position of the vehicle. [0049]: a gain (weighting) of the position estimation based on the map data. {0025]: the state quantity, the latitude and longitude. [0037]: a yaw rate of the vehicle}.
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.
Claim(s) 4, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kumano in view of Sugawara et al. (US 20240158009 A1).
Regarding claim 4, which depends from claim 1, Kumano does not disclose: wherein the controller is configured to execute the travel control for causing the travel by autonomous driving, using a feedforward value set based on the planned roadway as the control input, and when the characteristic of the travel control is changed, change the feedforward value based on the correction amount and the predicted correction amount.
Sugawara teaches feedforward value as the control input in [0061]: use of this model predictive control makes it possible to prevent a response delay of steering….to achieve natural trajectory control by feedforward control. [0062]: Vehicle motion control apparatus 500 acquires the positional difference (which will be referred to as “transverse deviation” below) in the transverse direction between vehicle 10 (i.e., the actual trajectory of vehicle 10) and a target trajectory, the orientation of vehicle 10 (i.e., the traveling direction of vehicle 10 with respect to the target trajectory), and information related to the curvature of the target trajectory. Examiner notes that when a curvature of a curved road is changed, the characteristic of the travel control is changed, that is correction amount is changed, and the feedforward value is changed accordingly based on the correction amount and the predicted correction amount.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the feedforward value feature of Sugawara with the described invention of Kumano in order to control the vehicle in advance based on predicted change of driving conditions.
Regarding claim 5, which depends from claim 4, Sugawara teaches: wherein the controller sets the feedforward value based on a curvature of the target path on the planned roadway from the current position of the vehicle on the map data, calculates the control input for a steering angle of the vehicle based on the feedforward value, and when correction in estimating the current position of the vehicle on the map data includes correction in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle at a time of changing the characteristic of the travel control, changes the feedforward value to an appropriate value based on the current position that is estimated {[0063]: Vehicle motion control apparatus calculates… the curvature of the target trajectory to decrease the transverse deviation. [0078]: steering control command. Examiner notes that when there is steering operation, longitudinal direction of the vehicle is corrected}.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the steering related feedforward control feature of Sugawara with the described invention of Kumano in order to control the vehicle in advance based on predicted change of driving conditions.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHANMIN PARK whose telephone number is (408)918-7555. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday and alternate Fridays, 7:30-4:30 PT.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ramya P Burgess can be reached at (571)272-6011. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/C.P./Examiner, Art Unit 3661
/RUSSELL FREJD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3661