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 .
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “an acquisition unit”, “a crossing area identification unit” and/or “an assistance control unit” in claims 1-8, 10-18 and 20, “a crossing point identification unit” in claim 2, “a storage control unit” in claims 3-4, 6-7 and 14-15 and “a frequent crossing point identification unit” in claims 5 and 11-13. Those elements above could be found in specification paragraphs 29-39 and figure 2. For example, “an acquisition unit” denote as element 250, “a crossing area identification unit” denote as element 210, “an assistance control unit” denote as element 260, “a crossing point identification unit” denote as element 220, “a storage control unit” denote as element 240, and “a frequent crossing point identification unit” denote as element 230. These elements interpret as software embedded in various hardware components mount within the assistant apparatus 60 as show in the figure 2 and mention in paragraphs 74-75 of the instant specification.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s) a mental processes (concepts performed in the human mind, such as evaluation, comparison, and decision making) and abstract. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claims directed to the mental process and abstract. The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because these additional elements are generic functional units, well understood, routine, and conventional in the art. Below is the analysis:
Claim 1 recited “An assistance control apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area identification unit which identifies, based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.”.
Step 2A prong one: Yes, the claim is abstract idea for the following limitation:
. “An assistance control apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area identification unit which identifies, based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road;” is the step of data collection for predicting the user crossing a road which is directed to mental process and abstract.
. “and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.” is the step of determine when the user in the nearby range of the crossing area which is direct to mental process and abstract.
Step 2A prong two: Yes, the claim is abstract idea because the claim do not recite any additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The claims is using generic functional units (an acquisition unit, a crossing area identification unit and an assistance control unit) and they are well understood, routine, and conventional in the art.
Regarding claims 2-18 are further depend on claim 1 and the limitation do not recited any significantly more than the abstract idea as cited above for claim 1, therefore claims 2-18 are also reject for the same reason.
Claim 2 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a crossing point identification unit which identifies a crossing point at which the user previously crossed a road, based on location information history of the user terminal, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user, and the crossing point.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 3 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage control unit which performs control to store the crossing point in association with the destination of the user, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal and the crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 4 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage control unit performs control to store the crossing point in association with the destination of the user and time zone, and the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information the of the user terminal and the crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user and current time zone.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 5 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user, and the frequent crossing point.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 6 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 5 comprising: a storage control unit which performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with a destination of the plurality of users, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 7 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the storage control unit performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users’ destination and time zone, and the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the users’ destination and current time zone.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 8 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the user terminal is located within the predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 9 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mobile object is a vehicle.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 10 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the user terminal is located within the predetermined range including the crossing area and a mobile object approaching the user exists, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to the user.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 11 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, the user’s destination, and the frequent crossing point.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 12 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, the user’s destination, and the frequent crossing point.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 13 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, the user’s destination, and the frequent crossing point.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 14 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 11 comprising: a storage control unit which performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users’ destination, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the user’s destination.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 15 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the storage control unit performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users’ destination and time zone, and the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the users’ destination and current time zone.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 16 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to a mobile object approaching the user.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 17 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to a mobile object approaching the user.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 18 recited “The assistance control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to a mobile object approaching the user.” is directed abstract idea and do not add any technological improvement.
Claim 19 recited “An assistance control method comprising: acquiring location information of a user terminal; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; and performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.”.
Step 2A prong one: Yes, the claim is abstract idea for the following limitation:
. “An assistance control method comprising: acquiring location information of a user terminal; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road;” is the step of data collection for predicting the user crossing a road which is directed to mental process and abstract.
. “and performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.” is the step of determine when the user in the nearby range of the crossing area which is direct to mental process and abstract.
Step 2A prong two: Yes, the claim is abstract idea because the claim do not recite any additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The claims is using generic functional language (acquiring location, identifying, and an performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant) and they are well understood, routine, and conventional in the art.
Claim 20 recited “A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program, wherein the program causes a computer to function as: an acquisition unit which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area identification unit which identifies, based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.”.
Step 2A prong one: Yes, the claim is abstract idea for the following limitation:
. “A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program, wherein the program causes a computer to function as: an acquisition unit which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area identification unit which identifies, based on current location information of the user terminal and a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road;” is the step of data collection for predicting the user crossing a road which is directed to mental process and abstract.
. “and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.” is the step of determine when the user in the nearby range of the crossing area which is direct to mental process and abstract.
Step 2A prong two: Yes, the claim is abstract idea because the claim do not recite any additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. The claims is using generic functional units (an acquisition unit, a crossing area identification unit and an assistance control unit) and they are well understood, routine, and conventional in the art.
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, 5-7 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zheng et al. US 20210263165 in view of Zhang et al. US 20220392337.
Regarding claim 1, Zheng et al. teach An assistance control apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area identification unit which identifies, based on current location information of the user terminal (Zheng et al. US 20210263165 abstract; paragraphs [0057]; [0092]; [0097]-[0104]; figures 1-17;)
A roadside unit, in an embodiment, may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to mobiles within transmission range. The location information requested may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, velocity, ability to stop or otherwise maneuver relative to an intersection or a pedestrian, or other location related information. A roadside unit may also provide positioning information, absolute or relative to the roadside unit, for vehicles and pedestrians with a zone of influence for the roadside unit. For example, a roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians that are located within a zone of influence (such as within a particular radius of the roadside unit or within a particular distance from an intersection or within a particular distance of a crosswalk). This is particularly useful in tracking the movements of pedestrians and vehicles that are not advertising their location. The location of pedestrians and/or vehicles may be determined and/or verified using their broadcast location, if available, and sensor data, such as cameras, RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors and/or other sensor inputs capable of determining the location of objects in the zone of influence. A roadside unit may also be capable of actively querying vehicles and/or pedestrian devices such as smartphones for location information which may include absolute information such as latitude and longitude or relative location information such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information such as phase offset measurements (Zheng et al. par. 98).
Zheng et al. do not explicitly teach a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Zhang et al. teach a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; (Zhang et al. US 20220392337 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0006]; [0026]; [0037]-[0041]; [0088]-[0089]; [0092]-[0102]; [0142]-[0145]; figures 1-11;)
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95).
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute a near-field communication (NFC) device near an intersection for communicating with user equipment (UE) as taught by Zhang et al. reference into the system of Zheng et al. reference and the result would be predictable of determine whether the user heading toward a cross walk to cross a road.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Zheng et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user, and the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Zheng et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 5 comprising: a storage control unit which performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with a destination of the plurality of users, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Zheng et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the storage control unit performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users’ destination and time zone, and the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the users’ destination and current time zone.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road in real time.
Regarding claim 19, Zheng et al. teach An assistance control method comprising: acquiring location information of a user terminal; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal (Zheng et al. US 20210263165 abstract; paragraphs [0057]; [0092]; [0097]-[0104]; figures 1-17;)
A roadside unit, in an embodiment, may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to mobiles within transmission range. The location information requested may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, velocity, ability to stop or otherwise maneuver relative to an intersection or a pedestrian, or other location related information. A roadside unit may also provide positioning information, absolute or relative to the roadside unit, for vehicles and pedestrians with a zone of influence for the roadside unit. For example, a roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians that are located within a zone of influence (such as within a particular radius of the roadside unit or within a particular distance from an intersection or within a particular distance of a crosswalk). This is particularly useful in tracking the movements of pedestrians and vehicles that are not advertising their location. The location of pedestrians and/or vehicles may be determined and/or verified using their broadcast location, if available, and sensor data, such as cameras, RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors and/or other sensor inputs capable of determining the location of objects in the zone of influence. A roadside unit may also be capable of actively querying vehicles and/or pedestrian devices such as smartphones for location information which may include absolute information such as latitude and longitude or relative location information such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information such as phase offset measurements (Zheng et al. par. 98).
Zheng et al. do not explicitly teach a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; and performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
crossing area.
Zhang et al. teach a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; (Zhang et al. US 20220392337 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0006]; [0026]; [0037]-[0041]; [0088]-[0089]; [0092]-[0098]; [0142]-[0145]; figures 1-11;)
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
and performing control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95).
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute a near-field communication (NFC) device near an intersection for communicating with user equipment (UE) as taught by Zhang et al. reference into the method of Zheng et al. reference and the result would be predictable of determine whether the user heading toward a cross walk to cross a road.
Regarding claim 20, Zheng et al. teach A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program, wherein the program causes a computer to function as: an acquisition unit which acquires location information of a user terminal; a crossing area identification unit which identifies, based on current location information of the user terminal (Zheng et al. US 20210263165 abstract; paragraphs [0057]; [0092]; [0097]-[0104]; [0540]-[0551]; figures 1-17;)
A roadside unit, in an embodiment, may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to mobiles within transmission range. The location information requested may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, velocity, ability to stop or otherwise maneuver relative to an intersection or a pedestrian, or other location related information. A roadside unit may also provide positioning information, absolute or relative to the roadside unit, for vehicles and pedestrians with a zone of influence for the roadside unit. For example, a roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians that are located within a zone of influence (such as within a particular radius of the roadside unit or within a particular distance from an intersection or within a particular distance of a crosswalk). This is particularly useful in tracking the movements of pedestrians and vehicles that are not advertising their location. The location of pedestrians and/or vehicles may be determined and/or verified using their broadcast location, if available, and sensor data, such as cameras, RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors and/or other sensor inputs capable of determining the location of objects in the zone of influence. A roadside unit may also be capable of actively querying vehicles and/or pedestrian devices such as smartphones for location information which may include absolute information such as latitude and longitude or relative location information such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information such as phase offset measurements (Zheng et al. par. 98).
Zheng et al. do not explicitly teach a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Zhang et al. teach a destination of a user associated with the user terminal, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road; (Zhang et al. US 20220392337 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0006]; [0026]; [0037]-[0041]; [0088]-[0089]; [0092]-[0098]; [0142]-[0145]; figures 1-11;)
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
and an assistance control unit which performs control related to assistance for a traffic participant, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95).
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute a near-field communication (NFC) device near an intersection for communicating with user equipment (UE) as taught by Zhang et al. reference into the system of Zheng et al. reference and the result would be predictable of determine whether the user heading toward a cross walk to cross a road.
Claims 2-4 and 8-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zheng et al. US 20210263165 in view of Zhang et al. US 20220392337 and further in view of Sharma Banjade et al. US 20220383750.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Zheng et al. and Zhang et al. teach all the limitation in the claim 1.
The combination of Zheng et al. and Zhang et al. do not explicitly teach The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a crossing point identification unit which identifies a crossing point at which the user previously crossed a road, based on location information history of the user terminal, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user, and the crossing point.
Sharma Banjade et al. teach The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a crossing point identification unit which identifies a crossing point at which the user previously crossed a road, based on location information history of the user terminal, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user, and the crossing point. (Sharma Banjade et al. US 20220383750 abstract; [0024]; [0026]-[0029]; [0037]-[0041]; [0050]-[0053]; [0074]-[0079]; [0120]-[0128]; [0192]-[0200]; [0252]-[0254]; [0471]-[0474]; figures 1-19)
The VAM VRU Motion Prediction container carries the past and future motion state information of the VRU. The VRU Motion Prediction Container of type VruMotionPredictionContainer contains information about the past locations of the VRU of type PathHistory, predicted future locations of the VRU (formatted as SequenceOfVruPathPoint), safe distance indication between VRU and other road users/objects of type SequenceOfVruSafeDistanceIndication, VRU's possible trajectory interception with another VRU/object is of type SequenceOfTrajectoryInterceptionIndication, the change in the acceleration of the VRU is of type AccelerationChangeIndication, the heading changes of the VRU is of HeadingChangeIndication, and changes in the stability of the VRU is of type StabilityChangeIndication. The VRU Motion Prediction Container includes the following parameters: pathHistory; pathPrediction; safeDistance; trajectoryInterceptionIndication; accelerationChangeIndication; headingChangeIndication; and stabilityChangeIndication (Sharman Banjade et al. par. 252). A possible way to avoid false positive and false negative results is to base respectively the vehicle and VRU path predictions on deterministic information provided by the vehicle and by the VRU (motion dynamic change indications) and by a better knowledge of the statistical VRU behavior in repetitive contextual situations. A prediction can always be verified a-posteriori when building the path history. Detected errors can then be used to correct future predictions (Sharman Banjade et al. par. 472).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interpret the path history as the past location information for predict a future location.
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute the VAM VRU (vulnerable road user) motion prediction container carries the past and future motion station information of VRU as taught by Sharma Banjade et al. reference into the modify system of Zheng et al. and Zhang et al. reference and the result would be predictable of tracking user location.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage control unit which performs control to store the crossing point in association with the destination of the user, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information of the user terminal and the crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage control unit performs control to store the crossing point in association with the destination of the user and time zone, and the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on the current location information the of the user terminal and the crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user and current time zone.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road in real time.
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the user terminal is located within the predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning.
In an example implementation, RSU 130 is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing V-ITS-Ss 110. The RSU 130 may also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, as well as applications/software to sense and control ongoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The RSU 130 provides various services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, very low latency communications required for high speed events, such as crash avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU 130 may provide other services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, cellular/WLAN communications services. In some implementations, the components of the RSU 130 may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and/or a backhaul network. Further, RSU 130 may include wired or wireless interfaces to communicate with other RSUs 130 (not shown by FIG. 1) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 51). In these cases, the RSE may send/broadcast a warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating a VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving the warning/awareness message from the RSE can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, RSEs may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) 116 near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation (e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 75). In another embodiment, sensors at a V-ITS-S 110 may have detected several VRUs 116, for example, beyond a threshold number (e.g., >10) at the intersection or on the side walk. In this case, the V-ITS-S 110 may send/broadcast warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving a warning/awareness message from the V-ITS-S 110 can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, the V-ITS-S 110 may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 76).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mobile object is a vehicle.
As show in the figure 1 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference the mobile object is a vehicle 110.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the user terminal is located within the predetermined range including the crossing area and a mobile object approaching the user exists, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to the user.
In an example implementation, RSU 130 is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing V-ITS-Ss 110. The RSU 130 may also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, as well as applications/software to sense and control ongoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The RSU 130 provides various services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, very low latency communications required for high speed events, such as crash avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU 130 may provide other services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, cellular/WLAN communications services. In some implementations, the components of the RSU 130 may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and/or a backhaul network. Further, RSU 130 may include wired or wireless interfaces to communicate with other RSUs 130 (not shown by FIG. 1) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 51). In these cases, the RSE may send/broadcast a warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating a VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving the warning/awareness message from the RSE can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, RSEs may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) 116 near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation (e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 75).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, the user’s destination, and the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, the user’s destination, and the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a frequent crossing point identification unit which identifies, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, the user’s destination, and the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 11 comprising: a storage control unit which performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users’ destination, wherein the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the user’s destination.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the storage control unit performs control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users’ destination and time zone, and the crossing area identification unit identifies the crossing area based on current location information of the user terminal, and the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the users’ destination and current time zone.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road in real time.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to a mobile object approaching the user.
In an example implementation, RSU 130 is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing V-ITS-Ss 110. The RSU 130 may also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, as well as applications/software to sense and control ongoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The RSU 130 provides various services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, very low latency communications required for high speed events, such as crash avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU 130 may provide other services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, cellular/WLAN communications services. In some implementations, the components of the RSU 130 may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and/or a backhaul network. Further, RSU 130 may include wired or wireless interfaces to communicate with other RSUs 130 (not shown by FIG. 1) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 51). In these cases, the RSE may send/broadcast a warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating a VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving the warning/awareness message from the RSE can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, RSEs may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) 116 near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation (e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 75). In another embodiment, sensors at a V-ITS-S 110 may have detected several VRUs 116, for example, beyond a threshold number (e.g., >10) at the intersection or on the side walk. In this case, the V-ITS-S 110 may send/broadcast warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving a warning/awareness message from the V-ITS-S 110 can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, the V-ITS-S 110 may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 76).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to a mobile object approaching the user.
In an example implementation, RSU 130 is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing V-ITS-Ss 110. The RSU 130 may also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, as well as applications/software to sense and control ongoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The RSU 130 provides various services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, very low latency communications required for high speed events, such as crash avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU 130 may provide other services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, cellular/WLAN communications services. In some implementations, the components of the RSU 130 may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and/or a backhaul network. Further, RSU 130 may include wired or wireless interfaces to communicate with other RSUs 130 (not shown by FIG. 1) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 51). In these cases, the RSE may send/broadcast a warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating a VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving the warning/awareness message from the RSE can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, RSEs may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) 116 near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation (e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 75). In another embodiment, sensors at a V-ITS-S 110 may have detected several VRUs 116, for example, beyond a threshold number (e.g., >10) at the intersection or on the side walk. In this case, the V-ITS-S 110 may send/broadcast warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving a warning/awareness message from the V-ITS-S 110 can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, the V-ITS-S 110 may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 76).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area, the assistance control unit performs control to cause a warning to be output to a mobile object approaching the user.
In an example implementation, RSU 130 is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing V-ITS-Ss 110. The RSU 130 may also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, as well as applications/software to sense and control ongoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The RSU 130 provides various services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, very low latency communications required for high speed events, such as crash avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU 130 may provide other services/capabilities 180 such as, for example, cellular/WLAN communications services. In some implementations, the components of the RSU 130 may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and/or a backhaul network. Further, RSU 130 may include wired or wireless interfaces to communicate with other RSUs 130 (not shown by FIG. 1) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 51). In these cases, the RSE may send/broadcast a warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating a VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving the warning/awareness message from the RSE can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, RSEs may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) 116 near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation (e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing) (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 75). In another embodiment, sensors at a V-ITS-S 110 may have detected several VRUs 116, for example, beyond a threshold number (e.g., >10) at the intersection or on the side walk. In this case, the V-ITS-S 110 may send/broadcast warning/awareness message to VRUs 116 indicating VRU clustering recommendation. VRUs 116 receiving a warning/awareness message from the V-ITS-S 110 can then initiate VRU Cluster formation. In some embodiments, the V-ITS-S 110 may indicate front most location in the warning message, so that only VRU(s) near the frontmost location initiate VRU cluster formation e.g., in case of intersection crossing or zebra-crossing (Sharma Banjade et al. par. 76).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THANG D TRAN whose telephone number is (408)918-7546. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:30 pm (pacific time).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian A Zimmerman can be reached at 571-272-3059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THANG D TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2686
/BRIAN A ZIMMERMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2686