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 .
Priority
This application filed on 09/06/2024 claims priority to KR10-2024-0053402 filed on 04/22/2024
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/06/2024 was filed. The
submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information
disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: L-Y and L_X. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In Page 21, Line 14, “there are” should read “there is”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3, 9, 11-13, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US20210402846A1) in view of Skoglund (US 10311660 B2), Fusco (US 6454178 B1), Kim (US 20190217855 A1), and Urano (US 20210005032 A1).
Re Claim 1, Yu discloses an apparatus configured to control an air conditioning system of a vehicle… (Fig 1)
based on a count value of the number of the passengers in the vehicle, determine a target control value corresponding to the number of the passengers and output a target correction control value; and control the air conditioning system based on the target correction control value (Paragraph 0041, “In an example implementation, each PDS (representing a corresponding adverse situation type) is associated with an undesirable (including unintended) environmental condition of the vehicle interior, such as an excessively hot temperature, an excessively cold temperature, poor air quality (e.g., poor oxygen level, excessive carbon monoxide level, etc.), or combination thereof.”, Paragraph 0124-0125, “The process 280 also comprises calculating, at 284, a probability of occurrence of an adverse event based upon a determination of vehicle occupancy of the vehicle and the first environmental condition identified from the first sensor output… The process 280 still further comprises performing, at 286, where the calculated probability exceeds a predetermined threshold, a first predetermined action. This corresponds to Phase III. By way of example, the first predetermined action can comprise issuing a command to control at least one of an engine (e.g., by sending a command to an engine controller); a window (e.g., by sending a command to a window controller/motor); and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit (e.g., by sending a command to an HVAC controller).”).
Yu teaches determine whether a passenger counting (occupancy) condition is satisfied based on an operating state of the vehicle, speed of the vehicle because Yu discloses a vehicle interior environment controller that only determines occupancy when the vehicle is on yet is not currently traveling (Fig. 2B, Paragraph 0098-0099, “The process 220 comprises determining a vehicle state. For instance, the process 220 can read one or more sensor(s) at 222 and determine at 224, based upon the sensor reading(s), whether the vehicle is in use. If Yes (the vehicle is actively being used, e.g., traveling), then the process 220 loops back to the beginning, or the process 220 can sleep at 226, e.g., for a predetermined amount of time before re-checking the vehicle state… Example measurable conditions indicative of vehicle non-use include… that the vehicle has been stationary for a predetermined amount of time (regardless of whether the engine is running)…”)
However, Yu does not explicitly disclose all of the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to: determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operating state of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a door state of the vehicle, and an operation mode of the air conditioning system of the vehicle.
However, Skoglund teaches determine whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… a speed of the vehicle, a door state of the vehicle -------a passenger flow determiner that only tracks the number of mobile devices in a vehicle when the vehicle’s speed is less than a threshold speed and when its doors are open (Col. 2, Line 23-33, “As an example, the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the speed of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estima3tion that the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed.”; Col. 2, Line 34-39, “Additionally or alternatively the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the state of a door of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the door is closed.”), and
Fusco teaches an operation mode of the air conditioning system of the vehicle ---an adaptive automotive HVAC system controller that determines the occupancy status of its zones only after their corresponding HVAC controller is turned on (Col 4, Line 46-55, “Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a logic flow diagram of one method of controlling the climate control system of FIG. 1in accordance with the present invention. Logic routine begins at step 100 by determining the on and off status of each occupancy zone climate controller 44, 46, 48 and 50. Preferably, this step is performed upon the HVAC controller 60 receiving an ignition on signal along signal line 78. In step 102, the desired control settings for each zone in the ON state are determined. In step 104, the occupancy status of each zone is determined.”).
Thus, it would obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu's vehicle interior environment controller and occupancy detection during vehicle operation with Skoglund’s passenger flow counting determiner during vehicle operation and Fusco's occupancy tracking while HVAC is operating to adjust climate because of the following.
All three references perform occupancy tracking while the vehicle and/or HVAC system is in operation. Adding Skoglund’s passenger flow would enable accurate tracking of people exiting and entering the vehicle while the vehicle is parked, and the number of passengers in a vehicle would change only when the vehicle is stopped and its doors are open. While Yu's AC system adjusts climate based on occupancy, it doesn't explicitly state that AC operating mode is explicitly considered. Adding Fusco's teaching of the HVAC being on in order to control the AC would allow Yu to continue to control the AC based on occupancy.
Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller determines the occupancy status of the vehicle (Paragraph 0100, “The process determines at 228 whether the vehicle is occupied, e.g., based upon the obtained sensor information at 222, and optionally based upon other information available to the process. If the vehicle is determined to not be occupied (No), then the process loops back to the beginning, e.g., via the sleep/wait state at 224. Vehicle occupancy can be determined using any of the techniques set out herein. For instance, the process 220 can obtain weight data from vehicle weight sensors 114-FIG. 1B, and infer occupancy therefrom. Occupancy can also be detected using motion sensors, cameras and feature extraction, etc.”), but does not explicitly disclose all of based on determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied, determine whether one or more people board the vehicle or alight from the vehicle based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device to thereby count a number of passengers in the vehicle.
However, Kim teaches determine whether one or more people board the vehicle or alight from the vehicle ------a system of counting people entering and exiting a vehicle to determine the number of passengers in the vehicle Paragraph 0024, "According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a safety control method for an autonomous parking system includes the steps of: turning on the autonomous parking system; sensing and counting, by a sensor, a number of passengers who enter or exit a vehicle to collect the number of passengers;"; Paragraph 0083, "As an example, when collecting the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle, the SVM system may collect the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle together with the ultrasonic sensor..."), and
Urano teaches ….based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device -----a system of detecting occupants in a vehicle using LiDAR (Paragraph 0072, “In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect the number of occupants in the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants, such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDAR sensors.”).
Both Urano(lidar) and Kim (ultrasonic) use range sensors to detect objects and people.
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Kim’s vehicle passenger counter using a range sensor (ultrasonic) and Urano’s LiDAR range occupant sensor because of the following:
All three references perform occupancy tracking. Adding Kim’s vehicle passenger counter would allow the system to know the exact number of occupants in a vehicle rather than just the current status of vehicle occupancy which would provide the controller with more precise data as well the ability to determine if anyone has left the vehicle. Kim’s ultrasonic sensor and Urano’s LiDAR sensor use sound waves/laser light to measure the distances of people and objects in respect to a vehicle. Supplementing Kim’s ultrasonic sensor with/ or substituting Urano’s lidar sensor would arrive at the same predictable result of using range sensors to detect people, and therefore could be used interchangeably for Kim’s ultrasonic sensor.
Re Claim 2, Yu teaches wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on (i) the vehicle being in an operation-on state… (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed because Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller that only determines occupancy when the vehicle is on yet is not currently traveling (Fig. 2B, Paragraph 0098-0099, “The process 220 comprises determining a vehicle state. For instance, the process 220 can read one or more sensor(s) at 222 and determine at 224, based upon the sensor reading(s), whether the vehicle is in use. If Yes (the vehicle is actively being used, e.g., traveling), then the process 220 loops back to the beginning, or the process 220 can sleep at 226, e.g., for a predetermined amount of time before re-checking the vehicle state… Example measurable conditions indicative of vehicle non-use include… that the vehicle has been stationary for a predetermined amount of time (regardless of whether the engine is running)…”), but does not explicitly disclose ALL of wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on (i) the vehicle being in an operation-on state, (ii) the air conditioning system being in an automatic mode, (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed, and (iv) a door of the vehicle being in an open state.
However, Skoglund teaches wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed, and (iv) a door of the vehicle being in an open state-----a passenger flow determiner that only tracks the number of mobile devices in a vehicle when the vehicle’s speed is less than a threshold speed and when its doors are open (Col. 2, Line 23-33, “As an example, the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the speed of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation that the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed.”; Col. 2, Line 34-39, “Additionally or alternatively the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the state of a door of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the door is closed.”), and
Fusco teaches wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… (ii) the air conditioning system being in an automatic mode --------an adaptive automotive HVAC system controller that determines the occupancy status of its zones only after their corresponding HVAC controller is turned on (Col 4, Line 46-55, “Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a logic flow diagram of one method of controlling the climate control system of FIG. 1in accordance with the present invention. Logic routine begins at step 100 by determining the on and off status of each occupancy zone climate controller 44, 46, 48 and 50. Preferably, this step is performed upon the HVAC controller 60 receiving an ignition on signal along signal line 78. In step 102, the desired control settings for each zone in the ON state are determined. In step 104, the occupancy status of each zone is determined.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Skoglund’s passenger flow determiner and Fusco’s adaptive automative HVAC system controller because of the following:
All three references perform occupancy tracking while the vehicle and/or HVAC system is in operation. Adding Skoglund’s passenger flow would enable accurate tracking of people exiting and entering the vehicle while the vehicle is parked, and the number of passengers in a vehicle would change only when the vehicle is stopped and its doors are open. While Yu's AC system adjusts climate based on occupancy, it doesn't explicitly state that AC operating mode is explicitly considered. Adding Fusco's teaching of the HVAC being on in order to control the AC would allow Yu to continue to control the AC based on occupancy.
Re Claim 3, Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine, based on the LiDAR information, whether an object entering and exiting a preset range of the vehicle is a human; recognize a boarding of a person onto the vehicle, based on determining that the object is a human, enters the preset range of the vehicle, and moves toward the vehicle, recognize an alighting of a person from the vehicle based on determining that the object is human, exits the preset range of the vehicle, and moves away from the vehicle; increase the number of the passengers based on recognizing the boarding of the person; and decrease the number of the passengers based on recognizing the alighting of the person.
However, Kim teaches wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine, ---------a system of counting people entering and exiting a vehicle to determine the number of passengers in the vehicle (Paragraph 0024, "According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a safety control method for an autonomous parking system includes the steps of: turning on the autonomous parking system; sensing and counting, by a sensor, a number of passengers who enter or exit a vehicle to collect the number of passengers;"; Paragraph 0083, "As an example, when collecting the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle, the SVM system may collect the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle together with the ultrasonic sensor..."), and
Urano teaches …based on the LiDAR information --------a system of detecting occupants in a vehicle using LiDAR (Paragraph 0072, “In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect the number of occupants in the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants, such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDAR sensors.”; Paragraph 0060, “…a sensor configured to detect objects behind the vehicle may be configured to detect the presence of a person in close proximity to the trunk door…”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Kim’s vehicle passenger counter and Urano’s LiDAR occupant sensor because of the following:
All three references perform occupancy tracking. Adding Kim’s vehicle passenger counter would allow the system to know the exact number of occupants in a vehicle rather than just the current status of vehicle occupancy which would provide the controller with more precise data as well the ability to determine if anyone has left the vehicle. Supplementing Kim’s ultrasonic sensor with/ or substituting Urano’s lidar sensor would arrive at the same predictable result of using range sensors to detect people, and therefore could be used interchangeably for Kim’s ultrasonic sensor.
Re Claim 11, Yu discloses a method for controlling an air conditioning system of a vehicle… based on a count value of the number of the passengers in the vehicle, determining a target control value corresponding to the number of the passengers and output a target correction control value; and controlling the air conditioning system based on the target correction control value (Paragraph 0041, “In an example implementation, each PDS (representing a corresponding adverse situation type) is associated with an undesirable (including unintended) environmental condition of the vehicle interior, such as an excessively hot temperature, an excessively cold temperature, poor air quality (e.g., poor oxygen level, excessive carbon monoxide level, etc.), or combination thereof.”; Paragraph 0124-0125, “The process 280 also comprises calculating, at 284, a probability of occurrence of an adverse event based upon a determination of vehicle occupancy of the vehicle and the first environmental condition identified from the first sensor output… The process 280 still further comprises performing, at 286, where the calculated probability exceeds a predetermined threshold, a first predetermined action. This corresponds to Phase III. By way of example, the first predetermined action can comprise issuing a command to control at least one of an engine (e.g., by sending a command to an engine controller); a window (e.g., by sending a command to a window controller/motor); and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit (e.g., by sending a command to an HVAC controller).”)
Yu teaches a vehicle interior environment controller that only determines occupancy when the vehicle is on yet is not currently traveling (Fig. 2B, Paragraph 0098-0099, “The process 220 comprises determining a vehicle state. For instance, the process 220 can read one or more sensor(s) at 222 and determine at 224, based upon the sensor reading(s), whether the vehicle is in use. If Yes (the vehicle is actively being used, e.g., traveling), then the process 220 loops back to the beginning, or the process 220 can sleep at 226, e.g., for a predetermined amount of time before re-checking the vehicle state… Example measurable conditions indicative of vehicle non-use include… that the vehicle has been stationary for a predetermined amount of time (regardless of whether the engine is running)…”).
However, Yu does not explicitly disclose all of method comprising: determining whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on an operating state of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, a door state of the vehicle, and an operation mode of the air conditioning system.
However, Skoglund teaches determining whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… a speed of the vehicle, a door state of the vehicle -------a passenger flow determiner that only tracks the number of mobile devices in a vehicle when the vehicle’s speed is less than a threshold speed and when its doors are open (Col. 2, Line 23-33, “As an example, the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the speed of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation that the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed.”; Col. 2, Line 34-39, “Additionally or alternatively the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the state of a door of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the door is closed.”), and
Fusco teaches determining whether a passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… an operation mode of the air conditioning system -----an adaptive automotive HVAC system controller that determines the occupancy status of its zones only after their corresponding HVAC controller is turned on (Col 4, Line 46-55, “Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a logic flow diagram of one method of controlling the climate control system of FIG. 1in accordance with the present invention. Logic routine begins at step 100 by determining the on and off status of each occupancy zone climate controller 44, 46, 48 and 50. Preferably, this step is performed upon the HVAC controller 60 receiving an ignition on signal along signal line 78. In step 102, the desired control settings for each zone in the ON state are determined. In step 104, the occupancy status of each zone is determined.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu's vehicle interior environment controller and occupancy detection during vehicle operation with Skoglund’s passenger flow counting determiner during vehicle operation and Fusco's occupancy tracking while HVAC is operating to adjust climate because of the following.
All three references perform occupancy tracking while the vehicle and/or HVAC system is in operation. Adding Skoglund’s passenger flow would enable accurate tracking of people exiting and entering the vehicle while the vehicle is parked, and the number of passengers in a vehicle would change only when the vehicle is stopped and its doors are open. While Yu's AC system adjusts climate based on occupancy, it doesn't explicitly state that AC operating mode is explicitly considered. Adding Fusco's teaching of the HVAC being on in order to control the AC would allow Yu to continue to control the AC based on occupancy.
Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller determines the occupancy status of the vehicle (Paragraph 0100, “The process determines at 228 whether the vehicle is occupied, e.g., based upon the obtained sensor information at 222, and optionally based upon other information available to the process. If the vehicle is determined to not be occupied (No), then the process loops back to the beginning, e.g., via the sleep/wait state at 224. Vehicle occupancy can be determined using any of the techniques set out herein. For instance, the process 220 can obtain weight data from vehicle weight sensors 114-FIG. 1B, and infer occupancy therefrom. Occupancy can also be detected using motion sensors, cameras and feature extraction, etc.”), but does not explicitly disclose all of based on determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied, determining whether one or more people board the vehicle or alight from the vehicle based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device to thereby count a number of passengers in the vehicle.
However, Kim teaches determine whether one or more people board the vehicle or alight from the vehicle ------a system of counting people entering and exiting a vehicle to determine the number of passengers in the vehicle Paragraph 0024, "According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a safety control method for an autonomous parking system includes the steps of: turning on the autonomous parking system; sensing and counting, by a sensor, a number of passengers who enter or exit a vehicle to collect the number of passengers;"; Paragraph 0083, "As an example, when collecting the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle, the SVM system may collect the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle together with the ultrasonic sensor..."), and
Urano teaches ….based on LiDAR information received from the LiDAR device -----a system of detecting occupants in a vehicle using LiDAR (Paragraph 0072, “In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect the number of occupants in the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants, such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDAR sensors.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Kim’s vehicle passenger counter using a range sensor (ultrasonic) and Urano’s LiDAR range occupant sensor because of the following:
All three references perform occupancy tracking. Adding Kim’s vehicle passenger counter would allow the system to know the exact number of occupants in a vehicle rather than just the current status of vehicle occupancy which would provide the controller with more precise data as well the ability to determine if anyone has left the vehicle. Supplementing Kim’s ultrasonic sensor with/ or substituting Urano’s lidar sensor would arrive at the same predictable result of using range sensors to detect people, and therefore could be used interchangeably for Kim’s ultrasonic sensor.
Re Claim 12, Yu teaches determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on (i) the vehicle being in an operation-on state… (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed because Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller that only determines occupancy when the vehicle is on yet is not currently traveling (Fig. 2B, Paragraph 0098-0099, “The process 220 comprises determining a vehicle state. For instance, the process 220 can read one or more sensor(s) at 222 and determine at 224, based upon the sensor reading(s), whether the vehicle is in use. If Yes (the vehicle is actively being used, e.g., traveling), then the process 220 loops back to the beginning, or the process 220 can sleep at 226, e.g., for a predetermined amount of time before re-checking the vehicle state… Example measurable conditions indicative of vehicle non-use include… that the vehicle has been stationary for a predetermined amount of time (regardless of whether the engine is running)…”), but does not explicitly disclose ALL of determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on (i) the vehicle being in an operation-on state, (ii) the air conditioning system being in an automatic mode, (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed, and (iv) a door of the vehicle being in an open state.
However, Skoglund teaches determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… (iii) the speed of the vehicle being less than or equal to a reference speed, and (iv) a door of the vehicle being in an open state -----a passenger flow determiner that only tracks the number of mobile devices in a vehicle when the vehicle’s speed is less than a threshold speed and when its doors are open (Col. 2, Line 23-33, “As an example, the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the speed of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation that the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed.”; Col. 2, Line 34-39, “Additionally or alternatively the at least one other data input to the processor may comprise data about the state of a door of the vehicle, and the method may comprise disregarding, or marking to be disregarded, an estimation the number of mobile devices on the vehicle has changed if this occurs when the door is closed.”), and
Fusco teaches determining that the passenger counting condition is satisfied based on… (ii) the air conditioning system being in an automatic mode --------an adaptive automotive HVAC system controller that determines the occupancy status of its zones only after their corresponding HVAC controller is turned on (Col 4, Line 46-55, “Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a logic flow diagram of one method of controlling the climate control system of FIG. 1in accordance with the present invention. Logic routine begins at step 100 by determining the on and off status of each occupancy zone climate controller 44, 46, 48 and 50. Preferably, this step is performed upon the HVAC controller 60 receiving an ignition on signal along signal line 78. In step 102, the desired control settings for each zone in the ON state are determined. In step 104, the occupancy status of each zone is determined.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Skoglund’s passenger flow determiner and Fusco’s adaptive automative HVAC system controller because of the following:
All three references perform occupancy tracking while the vehicle and/or HVAC system is in operation. Adding Skoglund’s passenger flow would enable accurate tracking of people exiting and entering the vehicle while the vehicle is parked, and the number of passengers in a vehicle would change only when the vehicle is stopped and its doors are open. While Yu's AC system adjusts climate based on occupancy, it doesn't explicitly state that AC operating mode is explicitly considered. Adding Fusco's teaching of the HVAC being on in order to control the AC would allow Yu to continue to control the AC based on occupancy.
Re Claim 13, Yu does not explicitly disclose determining, based on the LiDAR information, whether an object entering and exiting a preset range of the vehicle is a human; recognizing a boarding of a person onto the vehicle, based on determining that the object is a human, enters the preset range of the vehicle, and moves toward the vehicle, recognizing an alighting of a person from the vehicle based on determining that the object is human, exits the preset range of the vehicle, and moves away from the vehicle; increasing the number of the passengers based on recognizing the boarding of the person; and decreasing the number of the passengers based on recognizing the alighting of the person.
However, Kim teaches determining, ---------a system of counting people entering and exiting a vehicle to determine the number of passengers in the vehicle (Paragraph 0024, "According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a safety control method for an autonomous parking system includes the steps of: turning on the autonomous parking system; sensing and counting, by a sensor, a number of passengers who enter or exit a vehicle to collect the number of passengers;"; Paragraph 0083, "As an example, when collecting the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle, the SVM system may collect the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle together with the ultrasonic sensor..."), and
Urano teaches …based on the LiDAR information --------a system of detecting occupants in a vehicle using LiDAR (Paragraph 0072, “In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect the number of occupants in the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants, such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDAR sensors.”; Paragraph 0060, “…a sensor configured to detect objects behind the vehicle may be configured to detect the presence of a person in close proximity to the trunk door…”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Kim’s vehicle passenger counter and Urano’s LiDAR occupant sensor because of the following:
All three references perform occupancy tracking. Adding Kim’s vehicle passenger counter would allow the system to know the exact number of occupants in a vehicle rather than just the current status of vehicle occupancy which would provide the controller with more precise data as well the ability to determine if anyone has left the vehicle. Supplementing Kim’s ultrasonic sensor with/ or substituting Urano’s lidar sensor would arrive at the same predictable result of using range sensors to detect people, and therefore could be used interchangeably for Kim’s ultrasonic sensor.
Claim 4-6, 9, 14-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US20210402846A1) in view of Skoglund (US 10311660 B2), Fusco (US 6454178 B1), Kim (US 20190217855 A1), Urano (US 20210005032 A1), and Yoshii (US 20110186644 A1).
Re Claim 4, Modified Yu does not explicitly disclose a control value memory configured to store predetermined target control values, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: calculate a weight of the number of the passengers based on the count value and the predetermined target control values, correct the target control value based on the weight, and output the target correction control value corrected based on the weight.
However, Yoshii teaches an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes a storage device for storing and correcting set temperature values which the system increases/decreases if the number of people and heat generation in a room increases/decreases (Paragraph 0048, “If the control unit 84 is to change the set temperature of the target air conditioner, the set temperature information stored in the storage device of the target air conditioner, that is, a value of the set temperature data is corrected.”; Paragraph 0061, “Also, if the number of people in the section 7 is increased, for example, the heat generation amount is also increased, and the temperature of the section 7 might be increased. If the number of people in the section 7 is increased and the heat generation amount is increased, the computer 21 decrease the set temperature of the air conditioner A7 only for 30 minutes.”; Paragraph 0062, “Also, if the number of people in the section 7 is increased, for example, the heat generation amount is also increased, and the temperature of the section 7 might be increased. If the number of people in the section 7 is increased and the heat generation amount is increased, the computer 21 decrease the set temperature of the air conditioner A7 only for 30 minutes.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it shows a relationship between the increase/decrease of the occupancy of a vehicle and the temperature set by its air conditioner, which makes people more comfortable.
Re Claim 5, Modified Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine an increase of the number of the passengers or a decrease of the number of the passengers; based on determining the increase of the number of the passengers, calculate the target correction control value by applying a positive (+) weight to the target control value; and based on determining the decrease of the number of the passengers, calculate the target correction control value by applying a negative (-) weight to the target control value. However, Yoshii an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes correcting the air amount produced by an air conditioner when the occupancy of a section increases/decreases (Paragraph 71, "Also, the control unit 94 increases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period to (first period) if the number of increase in people in the section is larger than “n” in the time zone other than the lunch break. Also, the control unit 94 decreases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period tb (second time period) if the number of decrease in people in the section is larger than “m”.")
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it shows a relationship between the increase/decrease of the occupancy of a vehicle and the air amount generated by its air conditioner, which makes people more comfortable.
Re Claim 6, Modified Yu teaches wherein the one or more processors are configured to, (Urano, Paragraph 0072, “In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect the number of occupants in the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants, such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDAR sensors.”) on a person entering and exiting the preset range (Kim, Paragraph 0083, “As an example, when collecting the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle, the SVM system may collect the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle together with the ultrasonic sensor in order to prevent the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle from being incorrectly counted in a case that the passenger is carrying a baby or a baggage while getting in and out of the vehicle or the passenger is a child”), but does not explicitly disclose …based on correcting the target control value, reflect, in the weight.
However, Yoshii an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes correcting the air amount produced by an air conditioner when the occupancy of a section increases/decreases (Paragraph 71, "Also, the control unit 94 increases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period to (first period) if the number of increase in people in the section is larger than “n” in the time zone other than the lunch break. Also, the control unit 94 decreases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period tb (second time period) if the number of decrease in people in the section is larger than “m”.")
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it shows a relationship between the increase/decrease of the occupancy of a vehicle and the air amount generated by its air conditioner, which makes people more comfortable.
Re Claim 9, Modified Yu discloses wherein the air conditioning system includes air conditioning devices including preset target air conditioning devices, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: calculate target correction control values for the target air conditioning devices by applying different weights to different target control values for the target air conditioning devices based on an operating state of each of the target air conditioning devices (Yu, Paragraph 0041, “In an example implementation, each PDS (representing a corresponding adverse situation type) is associated with an undesirable (including unintended) environmental condition of the vehicle interior, such as an excessively hot temperature, an excessively cold temperature, poor air quality (e.g., poor oxygen level, excessive carbon monoxide level, etc.), or combination thereof.”; Yu, Paragraph 0124-0125, “The process 280 also comprises calculating, at 284, a probability of occurrence of an adverse event based upon a determination of vehicle occupancy of the vehicle and the first environmental condition identified from the first sensor output… The process 280 still further comprises performing, at 286, where the calculated probability exceeds a predetermined threshold, a first predetermined action. This corresponds to Phase III. By way of example, the first predetermined action can comprise issuing a command to control at least one of an engine (e.g., by sending a command to an engine controller); a window (e.g., by sending a command to a window controller/motor); and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit (e.g., by sending a command to an HVAC controller).”).
Re Claim 14, Modified Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein determining the target control value comprises: calculating a weight corresponding to the number of the passengers based on the count value; correcting the target control value based on the weight; and outputting the target correction control value corrected based on the weight. However, Yoshii teaches an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes correcting set temperature values which the system increases/decreases if the number of people and heat generation in a room increases/decreases (Paragraph 0061, “Also, if the number of people in the section 7 is increased, for example, the heat generation amount is also increased, and the temperature of the section 7 might be increased. If the number of people in the section 7 is increased and the heat generation amount is increased, the computer 21 decrease the set temperature of the air conditioner A7 only for 30 minutes.”; Paragraph 0062, “Also, if the number of people in the section 7 is increased, for example, the heat generation amount is also increased, and the temperature of the section 7 might be increased. If the number of people in the section 7 is increased and the heat generation amount is increased, the computer 21 decrease the set temperature of the air conditioner A7 only for 30 minutes.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it shows a relationship between the increase/decrease of the occupancy of a vehicle and the air amount generated by its air conditioner, which makes people more comfortable.
Re Claim 15, Yu does not explicitly disclose determining an increase of the number of the passengers or a decrease of the number of the passengers; based on determining the increase of the number of the passengers, calculating the target correction control value by applying a positive (+) weight to the target control value; and based on determining the decrease of the number of the passengers, calculating the target correction control value by applying a negative (-) weight to the target control value. However, Yoshii an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes correcting the air amount produced by an air conditioner when the occupancy of a section increases/decreases (Paragraph 71, "Also, the control unit 94 increases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period to (first period) if the number of increase in people in the section is larger than “n” in the time zone other than the lunch break. Also, the control unit 94 decreases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period tb (second time period) if the number of decrease in people in the section is larger than “m”.")
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it shows a relationship between the increase/decrease of the occupancy of a vehicle and the air amount generated by its air conditioner, which makes people more comfortable.
Re Claim 16, Modified Yu teaches wherein determining the target control value comprises: information that is included in the LiDAR information (Urano, Paragraph 0072, “In one or more arrangements, vehicle occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect the number of occupants in the vehicle and/or various characteristics of any vehicle occupants, such as size, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, for example, conventional proximity sensors or LIDAR sensors.”) on a person entering and exiting the preset range (Kim, Paragraph 0083, “As an example, when collecting the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle, the SVM system may collect the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle together with the ultrasonic sensor in order to prevent the number of passengers who enter the vehicle and the number of passengers who exit the vehicle from being incorrectly counted in a case that the passenger is carrying a baby or a baggage while getting in and out of the vehicle or the passenger is a child”), but not explicitly disclose …based on correcting the target control value, reflecting, in the weight.
However, Yoshii an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes correcting the air amount produced by an air conditioner when the occupancy of a section increases/decreases (Paragraph 71, "Also, the control unit 94 increases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period to (first period) if the number of increase in people in the section is larger than “n” in the time zone other than the lunch break. Also, the control unit 94 decreases the air amount of the air conditioner in a section only for a predetermined time period tb (second time period) if the number of decrease in people in the section is larger than “m”.")
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it shows a relationship between the increase/decrease of the occupancy of a vehicle and the air amount generated by its air conditioner, which makes people more comfortable.
Re Claim 19, Modified Yu discloses wherein the air conditioning system includes air conditioning devices including preset target air conditioning devices, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: calculate target correction control values for the target air conditioning devices by applying different weights to different target control values for the target air conditioning devices based on an operating state of each of the target air conditioning devices (Paragraph 0041, “In an example implementation, each PDS (representing a corresponding adverse situation type) is associated with an undesirable (including unintended) environmental condition of the vehicle interior, such as an excessively hot temperature, an excessively cold temperature, poor air quality (e.g., poor oxygen level, excessive carbon monoxide level, etc.), or combination thereof.”; Paragraph 0124-0125, “The process 280 also comprises calculating, at 284, a probability of occurrence of an adverse event based upon a determination of vehicle occupancy of the vehicle and the first environmental condition identified from the first sensor output… The process 280 still further comprises performing, at 286, where the calculated probability exceeds a predetermined threshold, a first predetermined action. This corresponds to Phase III. By way of example, the first predetermined action can comprise issuing a command to control at least one of an engine (e.g., by sending a command to an engine controller); a window (e.g., by sending a command to a window controller/motor); and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit (e.g., by sending a command to an HVAC controller).”).
Re Claim 20, Modified Yu does not explicitly disclose terminating operation of the air conditioning system by initializing a weight that is changed in response to a change of the number of the passengers. However, Yoshii teaches an air-conditioning control apparatus that includes stopping intake and exhaust devices when he set temperature in a section is changed as a result of a change in its occupancy ("As a result, the set temperature in each section in the office 15 is changed as shown in FIG. 14. Moreover, the air outside is sucked only through the inlet of the intake device B13 in the section 13, and the air in the office 15 is exhausted only through the outlet of the exhaust devices C1 in the section 1. That is, the intake devices other than the intake device B13 are stopped, and the exhaust devices other than the exhaust device C1 are stopped.").
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Yoshii’s air-conditioning control apparatus because it would allow the system to respond when a change in occupancy is detected.
Claim 7 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US20210402846A1) in view of Skoglund (US10311660B2), Fusco (US6454178B1), Kim (US20190217855A1), Urano (US 20210005032 A1), Yoshii (US 20110186644 A1), and Kim2 (US 20240367682 A1).
Re Claim 7, Modified Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more processors are configured to, based on an increase of the number of the passengers or a decrease of the number of the passengers, determine an application ratio of the weight according to a preset correction function, and wherein the preset correction function comprises at least one of a linear function or a nonlinear function.
However, Kim2 teaches a system of generating a weight correction factor based off the weight of passengers boarding a vehicle (Paragraph 89-90, “Next, the processor 124 may generate passenger number information including the number of boarding passengers in real time in the vehicle 100 by applying an adjustment factor according to a boarding weight to the estimated number of passengers described above (S240). The above-determined estimated number of passengers may be the data about a maximum number of passengers adopted at step S230 or S235. The adjustment factor may be a weight correction factor that is determined according to a total weight of passengers boarded in the vehicle 100 (i.e., a boarding weight). The boarding weight may be measured by the weight sensor 114 b. The weight correction factor may be a mapping value depending on a standard weight ratio according to a measured boarding weight.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Kim2’s passenger weight system because a weight correction factor would allow the system to estimate how much heat each passenger adds while in the vehicle, preventing under-cooling for heavier passengers generating more heat and over-cooling for lighter passengers generating less heat, and cooling only what is required would lower the system’s energy consumption.
Re Claim 17, Modified Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein determining the target control value comprises, based on an increase of the number of the passengers or a decrease of the number of the passengers, determining an application ratio of the weight according to a preset correction function, and wherein the preset correction function comprises at least one of a linear function or a nonlinear function. However, Kim2 teaches a system of generating a weight correction factor based off the weight of passengers boarding a vehicle (Paragraph 89-90, “Next, the processor 124 may generate passenger number information including the number of boarding passengers in real time in the vehicle 100 by applying an adjustment factor according to a boarding weight to the estimated number of passengers described above (S240). The above-determined estimated number of passengers may be the data about a maximum number of passengers adopted at step S230 or S235. The adjustment factor may be a weight correction factor that is determined according to a total weight of passengers boarded in the vehicle 100 (i.e., a boarding weight). The boarding weight may be measured by the weight sensor 114 b. The weight correction factor may be a mapping value depending on a standard weight ratio according to a measured boarding weight.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Kim2’s passenger weight system because a weight correction factor would allow the system to estimate how much heat each passenger adds while in the vehicle, preventing under-cooling for heavier passengers generating more heat and over-cooling for lighter passengers generating less heat, and cooling only what is required would lower the system’s energy consumption.
Claim 8 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US20210402846A1) in view of Skoglund (US10311660B2), Fusco (US6454178B1), Kim (US20190217855A1), Urano (US 20210005032 A1), Yoshii (US 20110186644 A1), Kim2 (US20240367682A1), and Reich (US6476516B1).
Re Claim 8, Modified Yu teaches a weight correction factor (Kim2, Paragraph 89-90, “Next, the processor 124 may generate passenger number information including the number of boarding passengers in real time in the vehicle 100 by applying an adjustment factor according to a boarding weight to the estimated number of passengers described above (S240). The above-determined estimated number of passengers may be the data about a maximum number of passengers adopted at step S230 or S235. The adjustment factor may be a weight correction factor that is determined according to a total weight of passengers boarded in the vehicle 100 (i.e., a boarding weight). The boarding weight may be measured by the weight sensor 114 b. The weight correction factor may be a mapping value depending on a standard weight ratio according to a measured boarding weight.”), but does not explicitly disclose wherein the one or more processors are configured to: apply the application ratio of the weight according to the preset correction function based on the number of the passengers in the vehicle being less than or equal to a preset upper limit number of passengers; and maintain an upper limit weight corresponding to the upper limit number of passengers based on the number of the passengers in the vehicle being greater than the upper limit number of passengers. However, Reich teaches an apparatus of classifying seat occupant weight that generates a weight class for occupants by comparing an occupant’s estimated weight with the upper and lower thresholds of previous weight class samples, and adjusts future weight classes based on the comparison results (Col. 3, Line 50-55, “Each weight class is assigned a predetermined upper threshold and a predetermined lower threshold. The number and values for the upper and lower thresholds can be varied. Each weight class sample is determined by comparing the occupant's estimated weight against the previous weight class sample's thresholds.”; Col. 4, Line 15-32, “FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the process for determining the current weight class sample. When the process is started, there is a determination of whether the process is in the track or lock mode. If the process is in the track mode than the current estimated weight is compared to the previous class' track lower threshold. If the current estimated weight is less than the previous class' track lower threshold than the next lower weight class is set as the current weight class. If the current estimated weight is not less than the previous class' track lower threshold than the estimated weight is compared to the previous class' track upper threshold. If the current estimated weight is greater than the previous class' track upper threshold than the next higher weight class is set as the current weight class. If the current estimated weight is not greater than the previous class' track upper threshold than the current weight class is the same as the previous weight class. A similar method is used when the process is in the lock mode except the current estimated weight is compared to the previous class' lock upper and lower thresholds.”)
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Reich’s passenger weight classification system because upper limit thresholds would divide passenger weight into discrete classes, which would reduce sensor noise impact and simplify control logic for the air condition system.
Re Claim 18, Modified Yu teaches a weight correction factor (Kim2, Paragraph 89-90, “Next, the processor 124 may generate passenger number information including the number of boarding passengers in real time in the vehicle 100 by applying an adjustment factor according to a boarding weight to the estimated number of passengers described above (S240). The above-determined estimated number of passengers may be the data about a maximum number of passengers adopted at step S230 or S235. The adjustment factor may be a weight correction factor that is determined according to a total weight of passengers boarded in the vehicle 100 (i.e., a boarding weight). The boarding weight may be measured by the weight sensor 114 b. The weight correction factor may be a mapping value depending on a standard weight ratio according to a measured boarding weight.”), but does not explicitly disclose further comprising: applying the application ratio of the weight according to the preset correction function based on the number of the passengers in the vehicle being less than or equal to a preset upper limit number of passengers; and maintaining an upper limit weight corresponding to the upper limit number of passengers based on the number of the passengers in the vehicle being greater than the upper limit number of passengers. However, Reich teaches an apparatus of classifying seat occupant weight that generates a weight class for occupants by comparing an occupant’s estimated weight with the upper and lower thresholds of previous weight class samples, and adjusts future weight classes based on the comparison results (Col. 3, Line 50-55, “Each weight class is assigned a predetermined upper threshold and a predetermined lower threshold. The number and values for the upper and lower thresholds can be varied. Each weight class sample is determined by comparing the occupant's estimated weight against the previous weight class sample's thresholds.”; Col. 4, Line 15-32, “FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the process for determining the current weight class sample. When the process is started, there is a determination of whether the process is in the track or lock mode. If the process is in the track mode than the current estimated weight is compared to the previous class' track lower threshold. If the current estimated weight is less than the previous class' track lower threshold than the next lower weight class is set as the current weight class. If the current estimated weight is not less than the previous class' track lower threshold than the estimated weight is compared to the previous class' track upper threshold. If the current estimated weight is greater than the previous class' track upper threshold than the next higher weight class is set as the current weight class. If the current estimated weight is not greater than the previous class' track upper threshold than the current weight class is the same as the previous weight class. A similar method is used when the process is in the lock mode except the current estimated weight is compared to the previous class' lock upper and lower thresholds.”)
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Reich’s passenger weight classification system because upper limit thresholds would divide passenger weight into discrete classes, which would reduce sensor noise impact and simplify control logic for the air condition system.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US20210402846A1) in view of Skoglund (US10311660B2), Fusco (US6454178B1), Kim (US20190217855A1), Urano (US 20210005032 A1), and Cho (US 20200148026 A1).
Re Claim 10, Modified Yu discloses further comprising an operation mode memory configured to store (i) an automatic mode target correction control value for each detected temperature for the automatic mode of the air conditioning system (Yu, Paragraph 0066, “et further, the controller 104 includes (or is coupled to) program code 150 (e.g., e.g., which embodies the control algorithm that implements the three-phase process described herein), which is stored in memory 152 (e.g., read only memory, random access memory, non-volatile storage media such as a hard drive or solid state drive, combinations thereof, etc.). When the program code is read out and executed, the vehicle carries out the algorithms and approaches described more fully herein. In this regard, the controller 104 can read sensor data, store sensor data in the memory, access event logs 134, cause the vehicle to write event logs 134, store information in the memory 152, access metadata stored in the memory 152, etc., as described more fully herein.”; Paragraph 0137, “The vehicle's sensors may be configured to take readings of the environment both inside the vehicle, and outside the vehicle as described more fully herein. Further, the sensors may take readings continuously, or intermittently (irrespective as to whether the vehicle's engine is active).”), but does not explicitly disclose and (ii) a preset manual mode target control value for a manual mode of the air conditioning system, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, based on the air conditioning system operating in the automatic mode, control the air conditioning system using a detected temperature in the vehicle and the automatic mode target correction control value. However, Cho teaches an automatic vehicle air conditioner control method that has the user manually set a desirable operation mode for the air conditioner before it corrects the indoor temperature using a correction value (Cho, Paragraph 0008-0013, “In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides an automatic cooling/heating control method of an air conditioner for a vehicle, the control method including: selecting an air operation mode desired by a user in the air conditioner; starting an initial operation by the air conditioner after determining whether to cool, heat, or fan by measuring indoor temperature and outdoor temperature via the selected air operation mode; setting the indoor temperature according to the outdoor temperature when the initial operation mode stops; resetting the set indoor temperature by using a correction value according to present indoor temperature; and operating by setting a reset indoor temperature to be a final set temperature by adding compensation temperature determined by each operation mode to the reset indoor temperature.”).
Thus, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing of the application to modify Modified Yu’s vehicle interior environment controller with Cho’s automatic vehicle air conditioner control method because allowing the user to personally set the operation mode of their vehicle’s air conditioner would give them more control then if the system were purely automatic.
Conclusion
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/A.K.P./Examiner, Art Unit 3657 /ABBY LIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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