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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/22/2026 has been entered.
Examiner’s Note
Examiner has cited particular paragraphs/columns and line numbers or figures in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicants’ definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 6/22/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the references argued against in the applicant’s response. The applicant argues against the rejection under Goral, Choi, Beuschel, Tschirhart, and Roy, by arguing the alleged failures of the primary reference Goral to disclose all limitations of the clam, and the alleged failures of the secondary reference to remedy these. All independent claims rely upon different primary references, with Goral used as a secondary reference for one limitation of Claim 19. See updated rejection below.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 8, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Choi (KR 20220026232), herein after referred to as Choi, and Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan.
Regarding Claim 1, Sedaghat discloses:
a processor, (see at least [0005] “a device includes at least one processor”)
and instructions stored in a memory of the vehicle that when executed, cause the processor to (see at least [0005] “and a memory comprising instructions”)
receive a driver-selected seat position (see at least [0019] “In another example, computing system 102 may receive sensor data from one or more seat position sensors indicating a vertical position of the driver's seat, a horizontal position of the driver's seat, and/or a tilt (also referred to as a recline) of the driver's seat.”)
perform a first adjustment of one or more rear view mirrors of the vehicle of a plurality of rear view mirrors based on the received driver-selected seat position (see at least [0083] “Responsive to determining the current driver position, mirror adjustment module 230 determines a preferred orientation for one or more mirrors 140 (510)" [0085] " Mirror adjustment module 230 adjusts the orientation of one or more mirrors 140 in response to determining the current orientation of mirrors 140 is not the preferred orientation for each respective mirror 140 (512).”)
such that each rear view mirror is at a respective default mirror position, the default mirror positions increasing a size of an unobstructed portion of a rear environment of the driver and/or vehicle for an average driver having the received driver-selected seat position (see at least [0083] “ For example, mirror adjustment module 230 may determine preferred orientation based on the identity of the current driver and mirror calibration data 232 associated with the current driver. … For example, mirror adjustment module 230 may determine the preferred orientation for the current driver based on a current driver position, a difference between first and second reference driver position, and a difference between a first and second mirror orientations.”)
and in response to receiving user input from the driver including a selection of an automatic mirror adjustment mode of the vehicle by the driver, activate the automatic mirror adjustment mode (see at least [0086] “the driver of vehicle 101 may perform a gesture (e.g., a tap, swipe, drag, etc.) and mirror adjustment module 230 may receive data indicative of the gesture from the touchscreen. Mirror adjustment module 230 may determine the gesture indicates a command to update the field of view 142A of mirror 140A.”)
Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
and a weight of a driver seated in a driver's seat of the vehicle from sensors of the driver's seat of the vehicle;
and weight
and received weight
to sequentially adjust two or more rear view mirrors of the plurality of rear view mirrors based on visual input of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera,
wherein sequentially adjusting the two or more rear view mirrors comprises receiving from the driver a selection of a selected rear view mirror of the two or more rear view mirrors based on an image of a head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera as the driver looks at the selected rear view mirror
and performing a further adjustment of the selected rear view mirror from its default mirror position to a desired position based on the additional visual input of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera vehicle after the selection of the selected rear view mirror is received.
wherein the automatic mirror adjustment mode is deactivated and mirror adjustment ceases when it is determined the driver is not looking at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors
In the same field of endeavor, Choi discloses:
and a weight of a driver seated in a driver's seat of the vehicle from sensors of the driver's seat of the vehicle; (see at least [0031] “The above sensing unit (100) is installed in the driver's seat where the driver sits, and outputs a sensing value regarding the driver's driving posture. At this time, the sensing unit (100) can output a voltage value corresponding to the weight applied by the driver”)
and weight, (see at least [0031] “At this time, the sensing unit (100) can output a voltage value corresponding to the weight applied by the driver as a sensing value to the driver posture learning unit (300) and the control unit (400)." [0048] "when a driver changes his/her driving posture while driving, the angles of the side mirrors and rearview mirrors can be automatically adjusted accordingly”)
and received weight; (see at least [0031] “At this time, the sensing unit (100) can output a voltage value corresponding to the weight applied by the driver as a sensing value to the driver posture learning unit (300) and the control unit (400)." [0048] "when a driver changes his/her driving posture while driving, the angles of the side mirrors and rearview mirrors can be automatically adjusted accordingly”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to receive a driver’s weight, as taught by Choi to measure a driver’s weight in order to determine a posture for mirror adjustment [0048].
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
to sequentially adjust two or more rear view mirrors of the plurality of rear view mirrors based on visual input of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera, (see at least [P.3,Ln 46-P.4,Ln 5] “In one embodiment, when 46 the driver 21 looks into the left side mirror M2, the eye tracking device 110 can detect the driver's line 47 of sight direction E1. After that, the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down. . 1 Similarly, when the driver 21 looks into the right side mirror M3, the vehicle control system 10 can 2 adjust the mirror angle of the right side mirror M3 according to the direction of the driver's 21 line of 3 sight. Thereby, the left side mirror M2 and the right side mirror M3 can be dynamically adjusted in 4 response to the line of sight of the driver 21.”)
wherein sequentially adjusting the two or more rear view mirrors comprises receiving from the driver a selection of a selected rear view mirror of the two or more rear view mirrors based on an image of a head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera as the driver looks at the selected rear view mirror (see at least [P.3,Ln 11-14] “In one 11 embodiment, the eye tracking device 110 may include a face imaging module for capturing the 12 driver’s face image and eye image, and determining the driver’s sight direction based on the face 13 turning and pupil position" [P.4,Ln23-24] "In step S320, the processor 130 determines the gaze position of the line of sight projected on the 23 rearview mirror (for example, the rearview mirror M2, M3 shown in FIG. 2).”)
and performing a further adjustment of the selected rear view mirror from its default mirror position to a desired position based on the additional visual input of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera vehicle after the selection of the selected rear view mirror is received. (see at least [P.4,Ln 33-40] “Next, in step S330, the processor 130 determines the adjustment angle and the adjustment direction 33 according to the relative position between the gaze position and the reference axis. ... The processor 130 may determine the adjustment 38 angle and the adjustment direction according to the relative distance and the relative direction 39 between the gaze position and the reference axis.”)
wherein the automatic mirror adjustment mode is deactivated and mirror adjustment ceases when it is determined the driver is not looking at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors (see at least [P.6Ln 1-4] “if the line of sight direction does not fall within the angle range determined based 2 on the rearview mirror (No in step S502), it means that the driver is not looking at the rearview mirror. 3 Therefore, in step S512, the processor 130 does not adjust the rearview mirror.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to, when the automatic adjustment mode is active, sequentially adjust the two or more rearview mirrors based on driver visual input- that being the direction of the head and looking of the driver at a mirror and a particular part of a mirror, and stop the adjustment when no longer looking at the mirror, as taught by Pan to adjust a mirror for better driver viewing based on the gaze direction [P.4].
Regarding Claim 2, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 1, and Sedaghat further discloses:
wherein the plurality of rear view mirrors include an inside rear view mirror and a side mirror of the vehicle. (see at least [Fig. 1])
Regarding Claim 3, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 1, and Sedaghat further discloses:
wherein the driver-selected seat position includes one or more of a height of the driver's seat, an inclination of the driver's seat, and a horizontal position of the driver's seat. (see at least [0019] “computing system 102 may receive sensor data from one or more seat position sensors indicating a vertical position of the driver's seat, a horizontal position of the driver's seat, and/or a tilt (also referred to as a recline) of the driver's seat.”)
and wherein the user input to activate the automatic mirror adjustment mode includes user input received via a control on a dashboard of the vehicle and/or via a user interface integrated into the dashboard. (see at least [0030] “For example, the driver of vehicle 101 may adjust the field of view by performing a user input (e.g., a gesture, such as a tap, pinch, drag, etc.) on the GUI to move the field of view.”)
Regarding Claim 5, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 1, but Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
once the selected rear view mirror is selected, only adjust the selected rear view mirror until the driver looks at a different rear view mirror or until the automatic mirror adjustment mode is switched off. (see at least [P.3,Ln 46-P.4,Ln 5] “In one embodiment, when 46 the driver 21 looks into the left side mirror M2, the eye tracking device 110 can detect the driver's line 47 of sight direction E1. After that, the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down. . 1 Similarly, when the driver 21 looks into the right side mirror M3, the vehicle control system 10 can 2 adjust the mirror angle of the right side mirror M3 according to the direction of the driver's 21 line of 3 sight. Thereby, the left side mirror M2 and the right side mirror M3 can be dynamically adjusted in 4 response to the line of sight of the driver 21.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to, once the selected rear view mirror is selected, only adjust the selected rear view mirror until the driver looks at a different rear view mirror or until the automatic mirror adjustment mode is switched off, as taught by Pan to adjust a mirror for better driver viewing based on the gaze direction [P.4].
Regarding Claim 8, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 1, but Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
detect an eye gaze of the driver while the driver is looking at the selected rear view mirror, via the in-cabin camera positioned proximate the selected rear view mirror;
while the eye gaze is detected at the selected rear view mirror: in response to detecting the eye gaze at a top portion of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around a horizontal central axis of the selected rear view mirror in an upward direction by predefined increments;
in response to detecting the eye gaze at a bottom portion of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around the horizontal central axis of the selected rear view mirror in a downward direction by predefined increments;
in response to detecting the eye gaze at a left side of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around a vertical central axis of the selected rear view mirror in a leftward direction by predefined increments;
in response to detecting the eye gaze at a right side of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around the vertical central axis of the selected rear view mirror in a rightward direction by predefined increments;
and in response to not detecting the eye gaze at the selected rear view mirror, stop rotating the selected rear view mirror.
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
detect an eye gaze of the driver while the driver is looking at the selected rear view mirror, via the in-cabin camera positioned proximate the selected rear view mirror; while the eye gaze is detected at the selected rear view mirror: in response to detecting the eye gaze at a top portion of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around a horizontal central axis of the selected rear view mirror in an upward direction by predefined increments; in response to detecting the eye gaze at a bottom portion of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around the horizontal central axis of the selected rear view mirror in a downward direction by predefined increments; in response to detecting the eye gaze at a left side of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around a vertical central axis of the selected rear view mirror in a leftward direction by predefined increments; in response to detecting the eye gaze at a right side of the selected rear view mirror, adjust the selected rear view mirror by rotating the selected rear view mirror around the vertical central axis of the selected rear view mirror in a rightward direction by predefined increments; (see at least [P.3,Ln 48-P.4,Ln 1] “the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left 49 rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down.” [P.4.,Ln 33-34] “Next, in step S330, the processor 130 determines the adjustment angle and the adjustment direction 33 according to the relative position between the gaze position and the reference axis.” [P.6,Ln 16-20] “if the relative distance between the gaze position and the reference axis is greater than 16 the preset threshold (No in step S504), it means that the gaze position falls on the edge area of the 17 rearview mirror, that is, the current mirror angle of the rearview mirror does not match Driver needs. 18 Therefore, in step S505, the processor 130 determines the adjustment angle according to the relative 19 distance.”)
and in response to not detecting the eye gaze at the selected rear view mirror, stop rotating the selected rear view mirror. (see at least [P.6, Ln 2-4] “Returning to FIG. 5, if the line of sight direction does not fall within the angle range determined based 2 on the rearview mirror (No in step S502), it means that the driver is not looking at the rearview mirror. 3 Therefore, in step S512, the processor 130 does not adjust the rearview mirror.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to move the mirror up, down, left, or right, in predefined increments around the horizontal or vertical central axis based on eye gaze at the respective edge of the mirror as taught by Pan to adjust a mirror for better driver viewing based on the gaze direction [P.4].
Regarding Claim 9, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 1, but Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
after the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror is performed, receive from the driver a selection of a subsequent rear view mirror of the two or more rear view mirrors based on a further image of the head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera as the driver looks at the subsequent rear view mirror;
and perform a further adjustment of only the subsequent rear view mirror from its default mirror position to a desired position based on further visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
after the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror is performed, receive from the driver a selection of a subsequent rear view mirror of the two or more rear view mirrors based on a further image of the head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera as the driver looks at the subsequent rear view mirror; and perform a further adjustment of only the subsequent rear view mirror from its default mirror position to a desired position based on further visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera (see at least [P.3,Ln 46-P.4,Ln 5] “In one embodiment, when 46 the driver 21 looks into the left side mirror M2, the eye tracking device 110 can detect the driver's line 47 of sight direction E1. After that, the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down. . 1 Similarly, when the driver 21 looks into the right side mirror M3, the vehicle control system 10 can 2 adjust the mirror angle of the right side mirror M3 according to the direction of the driver's 21 line of 3 sight. Thereby, the left side mirror M2 and the right side mirror M3 can be dynamically adjusted in 4 response to the line of sight of the driver 21.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to receive from the driver a selection of a subsequent rear view mirror of the two or more rear view mirrors based on a further image of the head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera as the driver looks at the subsequent rear view mirror, and perform a further adjustment of only the subsequent rear view mirror from its default mirror position to a desired position based on further visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera, as taught by Pan to adjust a mirror for better driver viewing based on the gaze direction, and adjust more than one if the driver looks at more than one [P.4].
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Choi (KR 20220026232), herein after referred to as Choi, and Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, and Beuschel (DE 102018211835), herein after referred to as Beuschel.
Regarding Claim 4, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 3, and Sedaghat further discloses:
wherein further instructions are stored in the memory (see at least [0005] “and a memory comprising instructions”)
Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
that when executed, cause the processor to input one or more of the height of the driver's seat, the inclination of the driver's seat, the position of the driver's seat, and the weight of the driver into a first AI model, and receive as an output of the first AI model one or more angles to rotate the one of the one or more rear view mirrors around one or more central axes of the one of the one or more rear view mirror to achieve the default mirror position for that rear view mirror.
In the same field of endeavor, Beuschel discloses:
that when executed, cause the processor to input one or more of the height of the driver's seat, the inclination of the driver's seat, the position of the driver's seat, and the weight of the driver into a first AI model, and receive as an output of the first AI model one or more angles to rotate the one of the one or more rear view mirrors around one or more central axes of the one of the one or more rear view mirror to achieve the default mirror position for that rear view mirror. (see at least [0021] “Preferably, the neural network takes into account an adjustment position of the seat when determining the adjustment position of the mirror. This allows the mirror position to be adjusted to the respective seating position. In a particularly preferred embodiment, if the seat adjustment position is corrected by the user, the artificial neural network can correct the adjustment position of the mirror. This means that even if the seat adjustment position is subsequently corrected, the adjustment position of the mirror in the vehicle is optimally adapted to the user.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to input a received driver-selected seat position into an AI model and receive as output a mirror position, as taught by Beuschel to use seat position to set mirror position by an AI model [0021].
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Choi (KR 20220026232), herein after referred to as Choi, and Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, and Goral (US 20250001936), herein after referred to as Goral.
Regarding Claim 6, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 1, and Sedaghat further discloses:
receive a first image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera while the driver is in a driver-preferred driving position; (see at least [0019] “ Computing system 102 may determine the first reference driver position based on data from one or more sensors. For example, computing system 102 may receive image data from one or more cameras within vehicle 101 (e.g., within rear view mirror 140B) and determine the position of the driver (e.g., the position of the driver's head) based on the image data.”)
Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
receive a second image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera when a desired view of selected rear view mirror is obtained by the driver;
calculate the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror based on a difference between the first image and the second image;
and perform the further adjustment of the selected rear view mirror to the desired position using a mirror control system of the vehicle.
In the same field of endeavor, Goral discloses:
receive a second image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera when a desired view of selected rear view mirror is obtained by the driver; (see at least [0047] “and a second mode where a “blind spot peek” feature is activated in response to the DMS system detecting a distinct momentary deviation from the average vantage point towards left or right side of the vehicle, or up or down.”)
calculate the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror based on a difference between the first image and the second image; (see at least [0060] “ For example, the mirror may deflect by a proportional amount to the amount of lean,") (*Examiner interprets the disclosure of a proportional movement of the mirror to the driver's body movement as meaning this proportion was calculated by the system)
and perform the further adjustment of the selected rear view mirror to the desired position using a mirror control system of the vehicle. (see at least [0047] “Such deviation triggers the second mode and (e.g. proportionally) changes the mirror's FOV,”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to receive a second image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera when a desired view of selected rear view mirror is obtained by the driver, calculate the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror based on a difference between the first image and the second image, and perform the further adjustment of the selected rear view mirror to the desired position using a mirror control system of the vehicle, as taught by Goral to allow a user to see a blind spot by adjusting the mirror based on comparing an image of the driver in a preferred driving position to the position at which the intended view is reached [0047].
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, Choi (KR 20220026232), herein after referred to as Choi, Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, Goral (US 20250001936), herein after referred to as Goral, Beuschel (DE 102018211835), herein after referred to as Beuschel, and Ninh (US 20240083358), herein after referred to as Ninh.
Regarding Claim 7, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 6, but Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror is calculated by a second AI model trained to take as input the first image and the second image, and output one or more angles to rotate the selected rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the selected rear view mirror to achieve the desired position.
In the same field of endeavor, Beuschel discloses:
wherein the further adjustment to the selected rear view mirror is calculated by a second AI model (see at least [0020] “second component adjustable in a position is a mirror of the vehicle and the artificial neural network determines both an adjustment position of the seat and an adjustment position of the mirror. In this case, the artificial neural network was”)
and output one or more angles to rotate the selected rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the selected rear view mirror to achieve the desired position. (see at least [0035] “The control device A generates a control signal with which an actuator AK can be operated. The actuator AK can then, for example, set a position of the mirror SP”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to determine an eye gaze of a driver on a certain edge of the mirror and rotate the mirror around an axis in the corresponding direction, as taught by Beuschel to utilize an AI to control a vehicle mirror [0020].
In the same field of endeavor, Ninh discloses:
trained to take as input the first image and the second image, (see at least [0059] “The system 100 further comprises an artificial intelligence (AI) model 103. The AI model 103 is configured to estimate a three dimension (3D) eye location with respect to the 3D coordinate of the primary camera 101 based on the captured facial image obtained by the primary camera 101.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat and Beuschel to use an AI model trained to take as input the first image and the second image, as taught by Ninh to estimate a driver’s eye location in relation to the camera [0059] in order to control a vehicle mirror [0060].
Claims 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan.
Regarding Claim 10, Sedeghat discloses:
adjusting a rear view mirror of a vehicle to a default mirror position for a driver seated in the vehicle, based on sensor data received from a seat of the driver while the driver is seated in the vehicle (see at least [0083] “Responsive to determining the current driver position, mirror adjustment module 230 determines a preferred orientation for one or more mirrors 140 (510)" [0085] " Mirror adjustment module 230 adjusts the orientation of one or more mirrors 140 in response to determining the current orientation of mirrors 140 is not the preferred orientation for each respective mirror 140 (512).”)
the sensor data including one or more of a height of the seat of the driver, an inclination of the seat of the driver, a position of the seat of the driver with respect to a reference position of the seat of the driver, and a weight of the driver; (see at least [0019] “In another example, computing system 102 may receive sensor data from one or more seat position sensors indicating a vertical position of the driver's seat, a horizontal position of the driver's seat, and/or a tilt (also referred to as a recline) of the driver's seat.”)
and in response to receiving a selection of an automatic mirror adjustment mode of the vehicle by the driver, ... adjust the first rear view mirror and a second rear view mirror (see at least [0083] “Responsive to determining the current driver position, mirror adjustment module 230 determines a preferred orientation for one or more mirrors 140 (510)" [0085] " Mirror adjustment module 230 adjusts the orientation of one or more mirrors 140 in response to determining the current orientation of mirrors 140 is not the preferred orientation for each respective mirror 140 (512).”)
Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
sequentially adjust the first rear view mirror and a second rear view mirror
by: receiving a first selection of the first rear view mirror by the driver based on first visual input of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera, and after receiving the first selection, further adjusting the first rear view mirror based on second visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera.
and receiving a second selection of the second rear view mirror by the driver based on third visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera, and after receiving the second selection, adjusting the second rear view mirror based on fourth visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera.
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
sequentially adjust the first rear view mirror and a second rear view mirror (see at least [P.3,Ln 46-P.4,Ln] “In one embodiment, when 46 the driver 21 looks into the left side mirror M2, the eye tracking device 110 can detect the driver's line 47 of sight direction E1. After that, the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down. . 1 Similarly, when the driver 21 looks into the right side mirror M3, the vehicle control system 10 can 2 adjust the mirror angle of the right side mirror M3 according to the direction of the driver's 21 line of 3 sight. Thereby, the left side mirror M2 and the right side mirror M3 can be dynamically adjusted in 4 response to the line of sight of the driver 21.”)
by: receiving a first selection of the first rear view mirror by the driver based on first visual input of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera, (see at least [P.5,Ln 41-44] “if the horizontal viewing angle 41 component of the line of sight direction E1 of the driver 21 falls within the angle range ER1 and the 42 vertical viewing angle component of the line of sight direction E1 falls within the angle range ER3, the 43 processor 130 may determine driving The operator 21 is looking to the left side mirror M2.”)
and after receiving the first selection, further adjusting the first rear view mirror based on second visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera. (see at least [P.3,Ln 46-P.4,Ln 1] “when 46 the driver 21 looks into the left side mirror M2, the eye tracking device 110 can detect the driver's line 47 of sight direction E1. After that, the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left 49 rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down.”)
and receiving a second selection of the second rear view mirror by the driver based on third visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera, (see at least [P.5,Ln 44-48] “Similarly, 44 assuming that the horizontal viewing angle component of the line-of-sight direction E2 of the driver 21 45 falls within the angle range ER2 and the vertical viewing angle component of the line-of sight direction 46 E2 falls within the angle range ER3, the processor 130 may determine that the driver 21 is looking to 47 the right Rearview mirror M3.”)
and after receiving the second selection, adjusting the second rear view mirror based on fourth visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera. (see at least [P.4,Ln 1-4] “when the driver 21 looks into the right side mirror M3, the vehicle control system 10 can 2 adjust the mirror angle of the right side mirror M3 according to the direction of the driver's 21 line of 3 sight.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to sequentially adjust the mirror, and receive a selection from a first image, adjust based on the second image of the driver, receive another mirror selection from a third pic, and determine an adjustment based on another image, as taught by Pan to independently adjust more than one mirror by determining which mirror a driver is looking at, then adjust based on the eye gaze. [P.4]. It would also be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art that a system which identifies visual input of a driver looking at one mirror then adjusts said mirror based on detecting a visual input, and does the same for the other mirror, is taking a third and fourth input for the second mirror, respectively.
Regarding Claim 11, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 10, and Sedaghat further discloses:
wherein the rear view mirror includes an inside rear view mirror, a right side mirror of the vehicle, or a left side mirror of the vehicle. (see at least [Fig. 1])
Claims 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, and Beuschel (DE 102018211835), herein after referred to as Beuschel.
Regarding Claim 12, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 10, however Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
inputting the sensor data into a first AI model, and receiving as an output of the first AI model one or more angles to rotate the rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the rear view mirror to achieve the default position of the mirror
In the same field of endeavor, Beuschel discloses:
inputting the sensor data into a first AI model, and receiving as an output of the first AI model one or more angles to rotate the rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the rear view mirror to achieve the default position of the mirror see at least [0002] “There are many adjustment options, such as seat height, seat inclination," [0021] "if the seat adjustment position is corrected by the user, the artificial neural network can correct the adjustment position of the mirror.") (*Examiner interprets the seat adjustment position as including seat height and inclination as these typical seat adjustments are included as what the reference expressly uses to describe what a seat position may be.)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to input a received driver-selected seat position into an AI model and receive as output a mirror position, as taught by Beuschel to use seat position to set mirror position by an AI model [0021].
Regarding Claim 13, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 12, however Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
the one or more angles and the one or more central axes include a first angle to rotate the rear view mirror around a horizontal central axis of the rear view mirror and a second angle to rotate the rear view mirror around a vertical central axis of the rear view mirror to achieve the default mirror position.
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
the one or more angles and the one or more central axes include a first angle to rotate the rear view mirror around a horizontal central axis of the rear view mirror and a second angle to rotate the rear view mirror around a vertical central axis of the rear view mirror to achieve the default mirror position. (see at least [P.4,Ln 1] “rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to rotate the rear view mirror around a horizontal central axis of the rear view mirror and a second angle to rotate the rear view mirror around a vertical central axis of the rear view mirror to achieve the default mirror position, as taught by Pan to independently adjust more than one mirror by determining which mirror a driver is looking at, then adjust based on the eye gaze. [P.4].
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, and Goral (US 20250001936), herein after referred to as Goral.
Regarding Claim 14, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 10, however Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
selecting the first rear view mirror based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera;
receiving a second image of a head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera while the driver is in a driver-preferred driving position;
receiving, after the driver moves their head to obtain a desired view of a rear environment of the driver and/or vehicle via the first rear view rear view mirror, a third image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera when the desired view of the rear environment is obtained;
calculating an adjustment to the first rear view mirror based on a difference between the second image and the third image;
and performing the adjustment to the selected first rear view mirror using a mirror control system of the vehicle.
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
selecting the first rear view mirror based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera; (see at least [P.3,Ln 46-49] “when 46 the driver 21 looks into the left side mirror M2, the eye tracking device 110 can detect the driver's line 47 of sight direction E1. After that, the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Pan to, select the first rear view mirror based on the direction of the head and looking of the driver at a mirror as captured by an in-vehicle camera, as taught by Pan to adjust a mirror for better driver viewing based on the gaze direction [P.4].
In the same field of endeavor, Goral discloses:
receiving a second image of a head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera while the driver is in a driver-preferred driving position; (see at least [Fig. 1, item 13][0047] “ the mirror/rear view display angular control system of the disclosure may have a first mode, related to regular driving conditions where a driver's head is by and large in a neutral position facing forward,”)
receiving, after the driver moves their head to obtain a desired view of a rear environment of the driver and/or vehicle via the first rear view rear view mirror, a third image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera when the desired view of the rear environment is obtained; (see at least [Fig. 1, item 13] [0047] “and a second mode where a “blind spot peek” feature is activated in response to the DMS system detecting a distinct momentary deviation from the average vantage point towards left or right side of the vehicle, or up or down. ”)
calculating an adjustment to the first rear view mirror based on a difference between the second image and the third image; (see at least [0060] “ the mirror may deflect by a proportional amount to the amount of lean, even if deflection is amplified; or it may be that a slight lean above a threshold is sufficient to indicate an intention to obtain a better vantage point and the mirror may deflect by a maximum or other suitable amount”)
and performing the adjustment to the selected first rear view mirror using a mirror control system of the vehicle. (see at least [0047] “Such deviation triggers the second mode and (e.g. proportionally) changes the mirror's FOV, as if it amplified the normally occurring change in the viewing angle as a result of leaning/extending.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to receive a second image of the head and face of the driver from the in-cabin camera when a desired view of selected rear view mirror is obtained by the driver, calculate the adjustment to the selected rear view mirror based on a difference between the first image and the second image, and perform the adjustment of the selected rear view mirror to the desired position using a mirror control system of the vehicle, as taught by Goral to allow a user to see a blind spot by adjusting the mirror based on comparing an image of the driver in a preferred driving position to the position at which the intended view is reached [0047].
Claims 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, Goral (US 20250001936), herein after referred to as Goral, Beuschel (DE 102018211835), herein after referred to as Beuschel, and Ninh (US 20240083358), herein after referred to as Ninh.
Regarding Claim 15, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 14, however Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
inputting the second image and the third image into a second AI model, and receiving as an output of the second AI model one or more angles to rotate the first rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the first rear view mirror to achieve a target position that increases a size of an unobstructed portion of a view of the rear environment for the driver.
In the same field of endeavor, Beuschel discloses:
and receiving as an output of the second AI model one or more angles to rotate the first rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the first rear view mirror to achieve a target position (see at least [0035] “The control device A generates a control signal with which an actuator AK can be operated. The actuator AK can then, for example, set a position of the mirror SP”)
that increases a size of an unobstructed portion of a view of the rear environment for the driver. (see at least [0038] “the vision system 10 automatically modifies the image presented to the user, thereby maximizing a viewable coverage area of the vision components 16, 16', 16'' without the requirement manual manipulation.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to receive as an output of an AI model one or more angles to rotate the selected mirror around one or more central axes of the selected mirror to achieve a target position the corresponding direction that increases a size of an unobstructed portion of a view of the rear environment for the driver, as taught by Beuschel to utilize an AI to control a vehicle mirror [0020].
In the same field of endeavor, Ninh discloses:
inputting the second image and the third image into a second AI model, (see at least [0059] “The system 100 further comprises an artificial intelligence (AI) model 103. The AI model 103 is configured to estimate a three dimension (3D) eye location with respect to the 3D coordinate of the primary camera 101 based on the captured facial image obtained by the primary camera 101.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat and Beuschel to use an AI model trained to take as input the first image and the second image, as taught by Ninh to estimate a driver’s eye location in relation to the camera [0059] in order to control a vehicle mirror [0060].
Regarding Claim 16, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 15, however Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the second AI model is a machine learning (ML) model trained, using supervised learning, on a plurality of training data pairs, each training data pair including a first training image of a sample driver of a sample vehicle in a first position typical for the sample driver for operating the sample vehicle, and a second training image of the sample driver in a second position at which a desired view of a rear environment of the sample vehicle via a mirror of the sample vehicle is achieved by the sample driver, and a current position of the mirror as input data, and a desired position of the mirror for the sample driver as ground truth data.
In the same field of endeavor, Beuschel discloses:
and a current position of the mirror as input data, and a desired position of the mirror for the sample driver as ground truth data. (see at least [0015] “According to one embodiment of the method, the setting position determined by the artificial neural network can further be corrected by the user and the artificial neural network can be trained taking into account the corrected setting position”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to train an AI model using an AI model a current position of the mirror as input data, and a desired position of the mirror for the sample driver as ground truth data, as taught by Beuschel to utilize an AI to control a vehicle mirror [0020].
In the same field of endeavor, Ninh discloses:
wherein the second AI model is a machine learning (ML) model trained, using supervised learning, (see at least [0053] “the neural network may be trained through supervised learning”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat and Beuschel to use machine learning trained via machine learning, as taught by Ninh to estimate a driver’s eye location in relation to the camera [0059] in order to control a vehicle mirror [0060].
Further, Ninh and Beuschel make the following obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art:
each training data pair including a first training image of a sample driver of a sample vehicle in a first position typical for the sample driver for operating the sample vehicle, and a second training image of the sample driver in a second position at which a desired view of a rear environment of the sample vehicle via a mirror of the sample vehicle is achieved by the sample driver,
As Ninh discloses both a system for training an AI to determine driver eye information in a vehicle control system (see at least [0059] “the AI model 103 has been trained to extract facial information of the driver's face from the captured image and then use such facial information to estimate the 3D eye location.”) and correlate this to a mirror control by the system (see at least [0060] “The system 100 further comprises a mapping module 104 comprising a lookup table for mapping the estimated 3D eye location to an optimal rotation angle comprising a respective set of pitch and yaw of the side mirror 102.”), Beuschel discloses a system which uses an AI to determine and set the mirror angles based on training from driver inputs (see at least [0041] “the artificial neural network NN has determined the setting position, but the user P4 subsequently manually corrects the setting position of the component”), and the secondary reference Goral discloses a first and second image where the driver is at typical location and a position at which a desired view of a rear environment of the sample vehicle via a mirror of the sample vehicle is achieved (see at least [0047] “ the mirror/rear view display angular control system of the disclosure may have a first mode, related to regular driving conditions where a driver's head is by and large in a neutral position facing forward and a second mode where a “blind spot peek” feature is activated in response to the DMS system detecting a distinct momentary deviation from the average vantage point towards left or right side of the vehicle, or up or down. ”) it is obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to arrive at the above limitation. As the AI system of Beuschel discloses the determination of the mirror setting, it would be obvious to modify the system of Ninh to perform the setting determination by the AI as well instead of using the lookup table, as well as modify Beuschel to use the data of Goral as the user input for training. In other words, the claimed limitations which claims a typical machine learning process using certain inputs and outputs is obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art in view of combination of the three references which disclose machine learning as well as the claimed input and output.
Regarding Claim 17, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 15, however Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
further comprising receiving a sequence of images of the driver from the in-cabin camera, the sequence beginning with the second image and ending with the third image, wherein the second AI model takes the sequence of images as input data, and outputs the one or more angles to rotate the selected rear view mirror based on the sequence of images.
In the same field of endeavor, Goral discloses:
further comprising receiving a sequence of images of the driver from the in-cabin camera, the sequence beginning with the second image and ending with the third image, (see at least [0047] “ a first mode, related to regular driving conditions where a driver's head is by and large in a neutral position facing forward, and a second mode where a “blind spot peek” feature is activated in response to the DMS system detecting a distinct momentary deviation from the average vantage point towards left or right side of the vehicle, or up or down. Such deviation triggers the second mode") (Examiner interprets a system capable of monitoring a driver until the driver moves as taking a sequence of images which are analyzed over time, to determine the first and second image)”)
and outputs the one or more angles to rotate the selected rear view mirror based on the sequence of images. (see at least [0046] “upon detection of the behavior, the mirror is temporarily deflected to provide that better view until the movement is detected as ended”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to receive a sequence of images of the driver from the in-cabin camera, the sequence beginning with the second image and ending with the third image and output the one or more angles to rotate the selected rear view mirror based on the sequence of images, as taught by Goral to allow a user to see a blind spot by adjusting the mirror based on comparing an image of the driver in a preferred driving position to the position at which the intended view is reached [0047].
In the same field of endeavor, Ninh discloses:
wherein the second AI model takes the sequence of images as input data, (see at least [0059] “The system 100 further comprises an artificial intelligence (AI) model 103. The AI model 103 is configured to estimate a three dimension (3D) eye location with respect to the 3D coordinate of the primary camera 101 based on the captured facial image obtained by the primary camera 101.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat and Beuschel to use machine learning trained via machine learning, as taught by Ninh to estimate a driver’s eye location in relation to the camera [0059] in order to control a vehicle mirror [0060].
In the same field of endeavor, Beuschel discloses:
and outputs the one or more angles to rotate the selected rear view mirror. (see at least [0035] “The control device A generates a control signal with which an actuator AK can be operated. The actuator AK can then, for example, set a position of the mirror SP”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to output, by an AI, one or more angles to rotate the selected mirror, as taught by Beuschel to utilize an AI to control a vehicle mirror [0020].
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, in view of Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, and Gu (US 20210197724), herein after referred to as Gu.
Regarding Claim 18, modified Sedaghat discloses the limitations of Claim 10, and Sedaghat further discloses:
wherein the in-cabin camera is a first in-cabin camera (see at least [0019] “computing system 102 may receive image data from one or more cameras within vehicle 101 (e.g., within rear view mirror 140B) ”)
Sedaghat does not explicitly disclose:
and wherein further adjusting the first rear view mirror based on the second visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera further comprises: selecting the first rear view mirror from among a plurality of rear view mirrors based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by the first in-cabin camera;
detecting an eye gaze of the driver at the first rear view mirror while the driver is looking at the first rear view mirror, via a second in-cabin camera positioned proximate the first rear view mirror;
in response to detecting the eye gaze at an edge of the first rear view mirror, adjusting the selected mirror by incrementally rotating the first rear view mirror around a central axis of the first rear view mirror towards the edge, until the eye gaze is no longer detected at the edge;
and in response to not detecting the eye gaze at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors for a threshold amount of time, switching off the automatic mirror adjustment mode.
In the same field of endeavor, Pan discloses:
and wherein further adjusting the first rear view mirror based on the second visual input of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera further comprises: selecting the first rear view mirror from among a plurality of rear view mirrors based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by the first in-cabin camera; (see at least [P.3,Ln 11-14] “In one 11 embodiment, the eye tracking device 110 may include a face imaging module for capturing the 12 driver’s face image and eye image, and determining the driver’s sight direction based on the face 13 turning and pupil position" [P.4,Ln23-24] "In step S320, the processor 130 determines the gaze position of the line of sight projected on the 23 rearview mirror (for example, the rearview mirror M2, M3 shown in FIG. 2).”)
detecting an eye gaze of the driver at the first rear view mirror while the driver is looking at the first rear view mirror, (see at least [P.3,Ln 48-P.4,Ln 1] “the processor 130 may adjust the mirror angle of the left rearview 48 mirror M2 according to the line of sight direction E1 and the gaze position projected on the left 49 rearview mirror M2, for example, rotate the left rearview mirror M2 to the left, right, up or down.”)
in response to detecting the eye gaze at an edge of the first rear view mirror, (see at least [] “”)
in response to detecting the eye gaze at an edge of the first rear view mirror, adjusting the selected mirror by incrementally rotating the first rear view mirror around a central axis of the first rear view mirror towards the edge, until the eye gaze is no longer detected at the edge; (see at least [P.6,Ln 16-20] “if the relative distance between the gaze position and the reference axis is greater than 16 the preset threshold (No in step S504), it means that the gaze position falls on the edge area of the 17 rearview mirror, that is, the current mirror angle of the rearview mirror does not match Driver needs. 18 Therefore, in step S505, the processor 130 determines the adjustment angle according to the relative 19 distance.”)
and in response to not detecting the eye gaze at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors …, switching off the automatic mirror adjustment mode. (see at least [P.6, Ln 2-4] “Returning to FIG. 5, if the line of sight direction does not fall within the angle range determined based 2 on the rearview mirror (No in step S502), it means that the driver is not looking at the rearview mirror. 3 Therefore, in step S512, the processor 130 does not adjust the rearview mirror.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to select the first rear view mirror from among a plurality of rear view mirrors based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by the first in-cabin camera, detect an eye gaze of the driver at the first rear view mirror while the driver is looking at the first rear view mirror, adjust the mirror incrementally by rotating around a central axis until the gaze is no longer at the edge, and switch off the automatic mirror adjustment mode in response to not detecting the eye gaze at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors for a threshold amount of time, as taught by Pan to independently adjust more than one mirror by determining which mirror a driver is looking at, then adjust based on the eye gaze. [P.4].
In the same field of endeavor, Gu discloses:
via a second in-cabin camera positioned proximate the first rear view mirror; (see at least [Fig. 1] [0049] “a plurality of image sensors 1 (e.g., digital cameras or video cameras) configured to capture a plurality of images of a user 6's face.”)
and in response to not detecting the eye gaze at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors for a threshold amount of time [acting] (see at least [0079] “a transition from a presence of a gaze position in the rear-view mirror to an absence of the gaze position in the rear-view mirror has occurred in a threshold period of time has occurred”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to use a camera positioned proximal to the mirror and act in response to not detecting the eye gaze at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors for a threshold amount of time, as taught by Gu to determine a driver has not looked at the mirror [0079].
Claims 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan (TW 202112585), herein after referred to as Pan, in view of Sedaghat Amoli (US 20210213879), herein after referred to as Sedaghat, and Goral (US 20250001936), herein after referred to as Goral.
Regarding Claim 19, Pan discloses:
a rear view mirror of the plurality of rear view mirrors, (see at least [P.4,Ln 4-5] “the left side mirror M2 and the right side mirror M3 can be dynamically adjusted in 4 response to the line of sight of the driver 21”)
a position of the rear view mirror adjustable via an electrical rear view mirror (RVM) unit and a physical RVM unit associated with the rear view mirror; (see at least [P.5,Ln 15-17] “The processor 130 controls the mirror 15 rotation mechanism (such as an electric motor, etc.) according to the adjustment angle and the 16 adjustment direction to drive the rearview mirror to rotate upward, downward, leftward, or rightward”)
a processor, (see at least [P.3,Ln 31-32] “The processor 130 is coupled to the eye tracking device 110 and the storage device 120 to control the 31 overall operation of the vehicle control system 10.”)
and instructions stored in a memory of the vehicle that when executed, cause the processor to: (see at least P.3,Ln 28-29 [] “That is, the storage device 120 is further used to record a plurality of instructions that can be 28 executed by the processor 130.”)
send an electrical signal to the electrical RVM, the electrical RVM configured to actuate the physical RVM unit to adjust a position of the rear view mirror in response to the electrical signal, the electrical signal encoding one or more angles to rotate the rear view mirror around one or more central axes of the rear view mirror, (see at least [P.6,Ln 42-44] “the processor 130 can control the rotation drive motor of the rearview mirror according to 42 the adjustment direction (ie, the first steering or the second steering), the adjustment angle, and the 43 mirror steering speed, so as to adjust the mirror angle of the rearview mirror”)
wherein in the automatic mirror adjustment mode, the processor is configured to receive from the driver a selection of the rear view mirror based on an image of a head and face of the driver captured by an in- cabin camera as the driver looks at the rear view mirror, (see at least [P.3,Ln 11-14] “In one 11 embodiment, the eye tracking device 110 may include a face imaging module for capturing the 12 driver’s face image and eye image, and determining the driver’s sight direction based on the face 13 turning and pupil position" [P.4,Ln23-24] "In step S320, the processor 130 determines the gaze position of the line of sight projected on the 23 rearview mirror (for example, the rearview mirror M2, M3 shown in FIG. 2).”)
and the automatic mirror positioning system based on a direction of an eye gaze of the driver detected by an eye gaze detector as the driver is looking at the rear view mirror, (see at least [P.4,Ln 33-40] “Next, in step S330, the processor 130 determines the adjustment angle and the adjustment direction 33 according to the relative position between the gaze position and the reference axis. ... The processor 130 may determine the adjustment 38 angle and the adjustment direction according to the relative distance and the relative direction 39 between the gaze position and the reference axis.”)
and the automatic mirror positioning system based on a direction of an eye gaze of the driver detected by an eye gaze detector as the driver is looking at the rear view mirror, (see at least [P.6,Ln 1-4] “if the line of sight direction does not fall within the angle range determined based 2 on the rearview mirror (No in step S502), it means that the driver is not looking at the rearview mirror. 3 Therefore, in step S512, the processor 130 does not adjust the rearview mirror.”)
wherein the automatic mirror adjustment mode is deactivated and mirror adjustment ceases when it is determined the driver is not looking at any of the plurality of rear view mirrors of the vehicle. (see at least [P.6,Ln 1-4] “if the line of sight direction does not fall within the angle range determined based 2 on the rearview mirror (No in step S502), it means that the driver is not looking at the rearview mirror. 3 Therefore, in step S512, the processor 130 does not adjust the rearview mirror.”)
Pan does not explicitly disclose:
the one or more angles generated during an automatic mirror adjustment mode activated in response to user input received from a driver of the vehicle,
the one or more angles generated by one of: a head tracking model that outputs the one or more angles based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera of the vehicle while the driver is in a driver-preferred driving position, and a second image of the head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera when a desired view of the rear view mirror is obtained by the driver;
In the same field of endeavor, Sedaghat discloses:
the one or more angles generated during an automatic mirror adjustment mode activated in response to user input received from a driver of the vehicle, (see at least [0086] “the driver of vehicle 101 may perform a gesture (e.g., a tap, swipe, drag, etc.) and mirror adjustment module 230 may receive data indicative of the gesture from the touchscreen. Mirror adjustment module 230 may determine the gesture indicates a command to update the field of view 142A of mirror 140A.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Pan to generate the one or more angles during an automatic mirror adjustment mode activated in response to user input received from a driver of the vehicle, as taught by Sedaghat to allow a driver to choose when the mirror adjustment takes place [0086].
In the same field of endeavor, Goral discloses:
the one or more angles generated by one of: a head tracking model that outputs the one or more angles based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera of the vehicle while the driver is in a driver-preferred driving position, and a second image of the head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera when a desired view of the rear view mirror is obtained by the driver; (see at least [0045] “the behavior of leaning to the right triggers a deflection of the mirror (with the edge closest to the driver pivoting toward the driver and the mirror overall rotating clockwise)" [0061] "The system may alternate between modes, such as from a default driving mode, where long-term posture of the driver is monitored to determine whether subtle adjustment is needed to the rear view mirror to compensate for a driver slouching over time, and one or more modes in response to more immediate, voluntary and deliberate movements.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle mirror control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Sedaghat to generate angles by a head tracking model that outputs the one or more angles based on a first image of a head and face of the driver captured by an in-cabin camera of the vehicle while the driver is in a driver-preferred driving position, and a second image of the head and face of the driver captured by the in-cabin camera when a desired view of the rear view mirror is obtained by the driver, as taught by Goral to allow a user to see a blind spot by adjusting the mirror based on comparing an image of the driver in a preferred driving position to the position at which the intended view is reached [0047].
Regarding Claim 20, modified Pan discloses the limitations of Claim 19, and Pan further discloses:
wherein the electrical signal further includes an encoding of a predefined increment at which the rear view mirror is to be rotated. (see at least [P.6,Ln 16-20] “if the relative distance between the gaze position and the reference axis is greater than 16 the preset threshold (No in step S504), it means that the gaze position falls on the edge area of the 17 rearview mirror, that is, the current mirror angle of the rearview mirror does not match Driver needs. 18 Therefore, in step S505, the processor 130 determines the adjustment angle according to the relative 19 distance.”)
Conclusion
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/JACOB DANIEL UNDERBAKKE/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/MAHMOUD S ISMAIL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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