DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to Applicant Arguments and Remarks Made in an Amendment filed on 05/18/2026.
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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR10-2024-0023294, filed on 02/19/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/02/2026 was received and reviewed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Status of Claims
This office action is in response to application number 18/885,691 filed on 09/15/2024, in which claims 1-3 & 5-15 are presented for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/18/2026 have been fully considered and are addressed as follows:
Regarding the claim(s) rejections under 35 USC §103: Applicant’s arguments, see Pg. 6-7, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-15 under USC §103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Yi et al. US 20160171315 A1. While conducing the interference search on the instant application, the prior art listed above was found and appears to read on the previously allowable subject matter, as well as other claims presented for examination, thus a second non-final was required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yi et al. US 20160171315 A1 (hereinafter Yi).
Claim 11: Yi discloses A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising: (a) generating, by an environment sensor provided in a vehicle, environment detection information on an external environment [[0044]; Examples of the sensor equipped in the autonomous car may include a camera, an infrared sensor, a radio detection and ranging (radar) sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a light detection and ranging (lidar) sensor, and a gyroscope. Among them, a camera may perform important functions as a sensor to detect objects or environmental conditions around a vehicle]; (b) controlling, by a controller, an actuator coupled with the environment sensor using the generated environment detection information [[0022]; In some implementations, the method may include controlling a stereo camera drive unit to drive the stereo camera based on a determination of whether the road segment that is within the view ahead of the vehicle is an uphill road segment or a downhill road segment]; (c) generating, by an inclination sensor, inclination detection information on a slope on which the vehicle is disposed; and (d) controlling, by the controller, the actuator using the generated inclination detection information [[0024] & [0072]; In these implementations, the method may include determining a travelling speed of the vehicle and driving, in proportion to the determined traveling speed of the vehicle and according to the determined tilt of the uphill road segment, the stereo camera to return to the state in which the stereo camera is not tilted. (...) The sensor information may be acquired by at least one of a wheel speed sensor, (…) a vehicle body tilt sensor, (...) or an in-vehicle humidity sensor].
Claim 12: Yi teaches the method of claim 11, accordingly, the rejection of claim 11 above is incorporated.
Yi discloses the method of claim 11, wherein the step (a) includes: (a1) generating, by the environment sensor, the environment detection information on a slope of a road located on a front side thereof; and (a2) transmitting, by the environment sensor, the generated environment detection information to the controller [[0006]; In one aspect, a driver assistance apparatus includes a stereo camera configured to acquire stereo images of a view ahead of a vehicle and a processor configured to generate a depth map based on the acquired stereo images and determine whether a road segment that is within the view ahead of the vehicle is an uphill road segment or a downhill road segment based on the generated depth map].
Claim 13: Yi teaches the method of claim 11, accordingly, the rejection of claim 11 above is incorporated.
Yi discloses the method of claim 11, wherein the step (b) includes: (b1) controlling, by the controller, the actuator to maintain an angle of the environment sensor, when the generated environment detection information means that a road located on a front side is a flat surface [[0222]; In a case in which it is determined that the road ahead of the vehicle is neither the uphill nor the downhill (S910 and S920), the processor 170 maintains the attitude of the stereo camera 195 (S930)]; (b2) controlling, by the controller, the actuator to tilt the environment sensor upward, when the generated environment detection information means that a road located on a front side is a first slope surface [[0010]; In these examples, the processor may be further configured to determine that a distance between the vehicle and an inflection point of the uphill road segment is at least a predetermined distance and, based on a determination that the distance between the vehicle and the inflection point of the uphill road segment is at least the predetermined distance, control the stereo camera to be tilted upward according to the determined tilt of the uphill road segment]; and (b3) controlling, by the controller, the actuator to tilt the environment sensor downward, when the generated environment detection information means that a road located on a front side is a second slope surface [[0012]; In these implementations, the processor may be configured to determine that a distance between the vehicle and an inflection point of the downhill road segment is at least a predetermined distance and, based on a determination that the distance between the vehicle and an inflection point of the downhill road segment is at least a predetermined distance, control the stereo camera to be tilted downward according to the determined tilt of the downhill road segment].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 5, 7, & 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huelsen et al. US 20230123315 A1 (hereinafter Huelsen) in view of Yi.
Claim 1: Huelsen discloses A vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body; an environment sensor configured to generate environment detection information on an external environment [[0063]; FIG. 1 shows a vehicle roof 100 of a vehicle comprising a roof module 1. (…) An environmental sensor 16 (a lidar sensor in the case at hand) is disposed in a front center roof portion of vehicle roof 100, i.e., of roof module 10, in a longitudinal vehicle direction x. Other sensor types, such as (multidirectional) cameras and/or ultrasonic sensors and/or the like, can also be used]; a support member coupled to the vehicle body and the environment sensor, respectively [[0064]; Environmental sensor 16 is disposed directly behind a front transverse beam 102, which defines a front header of the roof of the vehicle. Roof module 10 further comprises a kinematic system 18. Kinematic system 18 allows environmental sensor 16 to be moved from a retracted position into a deployed position, in which environmental sensor 16 at least partially protrudes beyond roof skin 14, and furthermore to fix environmental sensor 16 at least in the deployed position in such a manner that environmental sensor 16 cannot be moved by an external force F]; an actuator coupled to the vehicle body and one part of the support member, respectively, and configured to move the one part of the support member in a direction toward the vehicle body and a direction opposite to the vehicle body; and (…) wherein one side of the support member in a height direction is coupled to the actuator, and the other side of the support member in the height direction is rotatably coupled to the vehicle body, so that when the actuator is operated, the environment sensor rotates clockwise or counterclockwise about the other side of the support member [Fig. 2a-c, [0068] & [0069]; Actuator 26 can be a slide 28, for example, which can be moved along a drive axis 30 by means of drive 24 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). Drive 24 can be connected to slide 28 via a helical cable (not shown), for example, in order to linearly move slide 28 back and forth along drive axis 30 (see FIGS. 2(a), 3 and 4(a)). Slide 28 comprises a guide slot 32, in which a guide pin 34 is disposed in a movable manner. (...) In this configuration example, environmental sensor 16 can be mounted on a frame structure 36 of roof module 10 in the form of a fixed bearing in such a manner that it can rotate about an axis of rotation 38 by means of a projection formed on housing 22 (in the form of a guide lever 40), for example].
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Figure 2a-c; Huelsen
Huelsen does not explicitly disclose (...) a controller electrically connected to the environment sensor and the actuator, respectively, and configured to control the actuator using the generated environment detection information, (...).
Yi teaches (...) a controller electrically connected to the environment sensor and the actuator, respectively, and configured to control the actuator using the generated environment detection information [[0006] & [0009]; In one aspect, a driver assistance apparatus includes a stereo camera configured to acquire stereo images of a view ahead of a vehicle and a processor configured to generate a depth map based on the acquired stereo images and determine whether a road segment that is within the view ahead of the vehicle is an uphill road segment or a downhill road segment based on the generated depth map. (...) In some implementations, the driver assistance apparatus may include a stereo camera drive unit configured to drive the stereo camera and the processor may be configured to control the stereo camera drive unit based on a determination of whether the road segment that is within the view ahead of the vehicle is an uphill road segment or a downhill road segment. In these implementations, the processor may be further configured to determine that the road segment that is within the view ahead of the vehicle is an uphill road segment and, based on a determination that the road segment that is within the view ahead of the vehicle is an uphill road segment, determine a tilt of the uphill road segment and control the stereo camera to be tilted upward according to the determined tilt of the uphill road segment], (...).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Huelsen in view of Yi with a reasonable expectation of success, as both inventions are directed to the same field of endeavor – Movable sensors on a vehicle. The combination would provide diving convenience via utilizing a camera sensor to determine the environment ahead of the vehicle [Yi; [0004] & [0005]; In order to improve convenience of a user who uses the vehicle, a vehicle is typically equipped with various sensors and electronic devices. In particular, various devices to improve driving convenience of the user have been developed. Systems and techniques are disclosed that enable a driver assistance apparatus that determines whether a road ahead of a vehicle, on which the vehicle will travel, is an uphill road or a downhill road based on stereo images captured by a camera in the vehicle].
Claim 5: The combination of Huelsen and Yi teach the apparatus of claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated. Huelsen does not explicitly disclose the limitations of claim 5.
Yi teaches the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller control the actuator to move the support member in a direction toward the vehicle body such that the environment sensor is tilted upward when the generated environment detection information means that a first slope surface is located on a front side [[0010]; In these examples, the processor may be further configured to determine that a distance between the vehicle and an inflection point of the uphill road segment is at least a predetermined distance and, based on a determination that the distance between the vehicle and the inflection point of the uphill road segment is at least the predetermined distance, control the stereo camera to be tilted upward according to the determined tilt of the uphill road segment].
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Huelsen in view of Yi with a reasonable expectation of success, as both inventions are directed to the same field of endeavor – Movable sensors on a vehicle. The combination would provide diving convenience via utilizing a camera sensor to determine the environment ahead of the vehicle [Yi; [0004] & [0005]; In order to improve convenience of a user who uses the vehicle, a vehicle is typically equipped with various sensors and electronic devices. In particular, various devices to improve driving convenience of the user have been developed. Systems and techniques are disclosed that enable a driver assistance apparatus that determines whether a road ahead of a vehicle, on which the vehicle will travel, is an uphill road or a downhill road based on stereo images captured by a camera in the vehicle].
Claim 7: The combination of Huelsen and Yi teach the apparatus of claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated. Huelsen does not explicitly disclose the limitations of claim 7.
Yi teaches the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the actuator to move the support member in a direction opposite to the vehicle body such that the environment sensor is tilted downward when the generated environment detection information means that a second slope surface is located on a front side [[0012]; In these implementations, the processor may be configured to determine that a distance between the vehicle and an inflection point of the downhill road segment is at least a predetermined distance and, based on a determination that the distance between the vehicle and an inflection point of the downhill road segment is at least a predetermined distance, control the stereo camera to be tilted downward according to the determined tilt of the downhill road segment].
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Huelsen in view of Yi with a reasonable expectation of success, as both inventions are directed to the same field of endeavor – Movable sensors on a vehicle. The combination would provide diving convenience via utilizing a camera sensor to determine the environment ahead of the vehicle [Yi; [0004] & [0005]; In order to improve convenience of a user who uses the vehicle, a vehicle is typically equipped with various sensors and electronic devices. In particular, various devices to improve driving convenience of the user have been developed. Systems and techniques are disclosed that enable a driver assistance apparatus that determines whether a road ahead of a vehicle, on which the vehicle will travel, is an uphill road or a downhill road based on stereo images captured by a camera in the vehicle].
Claim 10: The combination of Huelsen and Yi teach the apparatus of claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 above is incorporated.
Huelsen discloses the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the environment sensor includes one or more of a LIDAR sensor, a camera sensor, and a 4D imaging radar sensor [[0082]; Environmental sensor 16 (a lidar sensor in this case) is disposed in a front center roof area of vehicle roof 100 or roof module 10 with respect to a longitudinal vehicle direction x. Other sensor types, such as multi-directional cameras and/or ultrasonic sensors and/or the like, can be employed].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 6, 8-9, & 14-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
Sun et al. (US 20220306157 A1) discloses a vehicle-mounted camera gimbal servo system and a control method. The vehicle-mounted camera gimbal servo system includes a camera tri-axial gimbal and a servo control apparatus. The camera tri-axial gimbal includes a pitch motor, a roll motor, a yaw motor, a roll arm (1), a pitch arm (4), a yaw arm (5), a gimbal top (7), a camera (11), a pitch-axis bearing (12), and a counterweight block (13); the pitch motor includes a pitch motor stator (2) and a pitch motor rotor (3); the yaw motor includes a yaw motor stator (6) and a yaw motor rotor (8); the roll motor includes a roll motor stator (9) and a roll motor rotor (10); the servo control apparatus includes an inertial measurement unit, a three-dimensional modeling control unit, an angular velocity loop control unit, and an angular displacement loop control unit.
Freienstein et al. (US 20150329072 A1) discloses a device for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, includes an environment sensor system which has at least one environment sensor for contactlessly detecting at least one environment region, means for adjusting the environment region to be detected, and a device for determining the environment region to be detected. The device has a position sensor which detects the tilting of the vehicle in respect of a vehicle base, and the means adjust the environment region to be detected depending on the tilt of the vehicle.
Mallano (US 8137008 B1) discloses a remote-controlled, roof-mounted, digital camera mount for a motor vehicle is herein disclosed. The apparatus comprises a mount system with a remote control. The mount system provides for remote control of pan and tilt functions on the mount. The remote control is provided by two (2) or more electric motors in wireless communication with said remote control located by an operator's position enabling the operator to control the positioning of the camera while operating the camera.
Seagraves et al. (US 20170001577 A1) discloses example rotating camera systems and methods are described. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a motor having a camera mounting mechanism and configured to rotate a camera attached to the mounting mechanism. A communication module receives vehicle data from a vehicle. A rotation control module determines a current rotational orientation of the motor and determines a speed and direction to rotate the motor based on the received vehicle data
Van Heyningen (US 6058760 A) discloses an apparatus and method for sensing angular displacement of a rotating object. A reference object is provided that maintains an independent angular reference. An angular displacement of the rotating object may be measured with respect to the reference object. The apparatus may include a turn sensor for measuring directional changes in the heading of the object, an angular compensator, and a servomotor for maintaining the turn sensor in a same angular position. The object may be a vehicle such as a boat, car, train, airplane or any other vehicle. The turn sensor is coupled to the servomotor that may be attached to a platform of the vehicle. As the vehicle rotates, the heading of the vehicle changes. The servomotor rotates the turn sensor housing to keep the sensor at the same angular position. The heading may be determined by measuring an angular difference between the position of the turn sensor in relation to the moving object.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Anthony G Mora whose telephone number is (571)272-2306. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Thursday 8am-5pm PST, Alternating Friday 8am-4pm PST.
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/ANTHONY GABRIEL MORA/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/MICHAEL V KERRIGAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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