DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 1-25 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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 1-6, 8-14, 16-17, 19-23, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waite et al. (Waite – US 9,102,269 B2) in view of Tschirhart (Tschirhart – US 2018/0316868 A1).
As to claim 1, Waite discloses a rearview display arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:
an eye tracking camera (Waite: Abstract, column 1 lines 52-55, and FIG. 1 the tracking device 16) configured to capture images of a face of a driver (Waite: FIG. 1 the driver 14) of the motor vehicle (Waite: Abstract, column 3 lines 29-column 4 lines 31 and FIG. 1-2 the tracking device 16: the tracking device 16 is an apparatus configured to capture the first video image 24 in a predefined area in the vehicle 12 and provide the first video image signal 26 which may be encoded with data of the first video image 24. The predefined area may be the area where the driver 14 sits while driving. The predefined area may be large enough where the first video image 24 may include the head of the driver 14 and additional area around the head of the driver 14 to account for movement of the head of the driver 14);
a rearview camera (Waite: FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18) configured to capture first images of a scene behind the motor vehicle (Waite: column 4 lines 32 – column 5 lines41, FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18: the rear-facing camera 18 is an apparatus configured to capture the second video image 28 in a generally rearward direction. Data of the second video image 28 may be embedded in a second video image signal 30 and sent to the processing device 20 (described in more detail below));
a rearview display (Waite: FIG. 1 the display 22) mounted in a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle (Waite: column 9 lines 44-52 and FIG. 1-2 the rearview mirror 50); and
an electronic processor (Waite: FIG. 1 the processing device 20) communicatively coupled to the eye tracking camera (Waite: Abstract, column 3 lines 29-column 4 lines 31 and FIG. 1-2 the tracking device 16), the rearview camera (Waite: column 4 lines 32 – column 5 lines41, FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18), and the rearview display (Waite: FIG. 1 the display 22), the electronic processor being configured to:
determine locations of eyes of the driver based on the captured images of the face of the driver (Waite: column 5 lines 45-65, column 6 lines 26-39, column 6 lines 62 – column 7 lines 24, column 10 lines 12-27, FIG. 1-2, and FIG. 6: If the driver 14 is present, then in step 106, the processing device 20 may determine the head position of the driver 14. Additionally, the processing device 20 may determine the eye position of the driver 14 in step 106 in an embodiment of the invention. In step 108, the processing device 20 may determine the first field of view 36 of the driver 14 based on the head position and/or eye positions of the driver 14 already determined by the processing device 20 in step 106. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the processing device 20 may identify a desirable second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 and may output position data for the rear-facing camera 18 based on the desirable second field of view 52); and
modify the displayed second images dependent upon the determined locations of the eyes of the driver (Waite: column 5 lines 45-65, column 6 lines 26-39, column 6 lines 62 – column 7 lines 24, column 10 lines 27-64, FIG. 1-2, and FIG. 6: The position data received by the motion component of the rear-facing camera 18 may allow the rear-facing camera 18 to move to a position that substantially matches the second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 with the first field of view 36 of the driver 14. This may be accomplished by aligning the optical axis of the second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 to the optical axis of the first field of view 36 of the driver 14 as close as physically possible based on where the rear-facing camera 18 is mounted… the processing device 20 obtains a third video image 32 based on the second video image 28. In some embodiments where the rear-facing camera 18 is movable, the third video image 32 may be substantially identical to the second video image 28. In other embodiments (even if the rear-facing camera 18 is movable), the processing device 20 may crop and/or stretch the second video image 28 such that the size and the perspective of the third video image 32 substantially matches the driver's 18 field of view that would otherwise be completely and/or partially obstructed).
Waite does not explicitly disclose a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images.
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle design to implement a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images, as suggested by Tschirhart, which discloses a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images (Tschirhart: [0020], [0022]-[0025], [0027], [0030]-[0031], [0034]-[0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 the rearview camera 20: In one embodiment, processor 22 may receive signals transmitted by display orientation sensor 26, change the orientation of rearview camera 20 to correspond to the orientation of display screen 12, and present a mirror image of each of the images captured by rearview camera 20 on display screen 12. A mirror image of the captured image is presented in order to emulate the view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. The orientation of camera 20 as it captures images the mirror images of which are displayed on screen 12 may vary depending upon the three-dimensional orientation of display screen 12, as determined by processor 22. Processor 22 may determine the orientation of display screen 12 based on signals transmitted by orientation sensor 26).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite and Tschirhart, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite to include a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images, as suggested by Tschirhart. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for disposing a rearview camera for monitoring scenes behind a vehicle using a rearview display.
As to claim 2, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 1 wherein the rearview display is mounted at a midpoint of a top edge of a windshield of the motor vehicle (Waite: column 3 lines 43-50, column 6 lines 26 – column 7 lines 52, column 8 lines 11-44, and FIG. 3-4 the rearview mirror 50: Referring to FIG. 3, the driver 14, an optical axis of the first field of view 36 of the driver 14, the rearview mirror 50, and the display 22 are shown in the vehicle 12 in a side schematic view. For illustrative purposes, the rearview mirror 50 is shown with the reflective surface of the mirror parallel to the plane formed by the y-axis and z-axis. The orientation of the head of the driver 14 and the rearview mirror 50 may be used to define a second right angle triangle 62 having a second hypotenuse leg 64, a second adjacent leg 66 having a length of X.sub.2, and a second opposite leg 68 having a length of Z.sub.2 in the x-z plane as seen in FIG. 3 and Tschirhart: [0020], [0022]-[0025], [0027], [0030]-[0031], [0034]-[0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: FIG. 4 illustrates locations of rearview display 12 and rearview camera 20 of rearview display arrangement 10. Rearview display 12 may be disposed approximately at a midpoint of a top edge 44 of a windshield 46 of a motor vehicle 48. Rearview camera 20 may be attached to a rear end 50 of motor vehicle 48, such as on a rear bumper 52 of vehicle 48).
As to claim 3, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 1 wherein the rearview camera is mounted on a rear end of the motor vehicle (Tschirhart: [0020], [0023]-[0025], [0027], [0030], [0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 the rearview camera 20: FIG. 4 illustrates locations of rearview display 12 and rearview camera 20 of rearview display arrangement 10. Rearview display 12 may be disposed approximately at a midpoint of a top edge 44 of a windshield 46 of a motor vehicle 48. Rearview camera 20 may be attached to a rear end 50 of motor vehicle 48, such as on a rear bumper 52 of vehicle 48).
As to claim 4, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 1 wherein the rearview display is substantially planar (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: display screen 12 may have a flat viewable surface, and the driver may change the direction in which the viewable surface faces by manually moving the adjustable mount in three-dimensional space), and the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon an orientation of the rearview display relative to the eyes of the driver (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: In one embodiment, processor 22 may receive signals transmitted by display orientation sensor 26, change the orientation of rearview camera 20 to correspond to the orientation of display screen 12, and present a mirror image of each of the images captured by rearview camera 20 on display screen 12. A mirror image of the captured image is presented in order to emulate the view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror).
As to claim 5, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 4 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 4 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon a viewing angle between a plane defined by the rearview display and a line of sight from an eye of the driver to the rearview display (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: As the driver rotates display screen 12 in a counterclockwise rotational direction, as defined from a downward viewing perspective, processor 22 may shift displayed portion 38 of mirror image 36 of the field of view leftward, as indicated by arrows 40, and by the dashed lines 42 indicating the shifted position of portion 38. The leftward movement of portion 38 in response to the rotation of display screen 12 in the counterclockwise direction emulates the changing view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. Conversely, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 in the clockwise rotational direction, as defined from the downward viewing perspective, portion 38 would shift rightward. Further, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more upwardly, portion 38 would shift upward; and if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more downwardly, portion 38 would shift downward).
As to claim 6, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 1 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that the displayed second images are shifted on the rearview display in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the eyes of the driver have been shifted (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: As the driver rotates display screen 12 in a counterclockwise rotational direction, as defined from a downward viewing perspective, processor 22 may shift displayed portion 38 of mirror image 36 of the field of view leftward, as indicated by arrows 40, and by the dashed lines 42 indicating the shifted position of portion 38. The leftward movement of portion 38 in response to the rotation of display screen 12 in the counterclockwise direction emulates the changing view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. Conversely, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 in the clockwise rotational direction, as defined from the downward viewing perspective, portion 38 would shift rightward. Further, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more upwardly, portion 38 would shift upward; and if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more downwardly, portion 38 would shift downward).
As to claim 8, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 1 wherein the electronic processor is configured to determine the locations of eyes of the driver in three-dimensional space (Waite: column 4 lines 9-16 and FIG. 1-3: the tracking device 16 may comprise a plurality of video cameras. When two or more physically separated video cameras view a scene from different angles, the data from the two images may be compared to obtain 3-D location data of the position of the head and/or eyes of the driver 14 using stereoscopic image techniques as known to those with skill in the art and Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: Rearview display 12 may include an adjustable mount (not shown) which may be manually adjusted by the driver in order to change the orientation of display screen 12 in three-dimensional space. For example, display screen 12 may have a flat viewable surface, and the driver may change the direction in which the viewable surface faces by manually moving the adjustable mount in three-dimensional space. Display orientation sensor 26 may detect the orientation of display screen 12 and transmit to processor 22 signals which are indicative of the three-dimensional orientation of display screen 12).
As to claim 9, Waite discloses a method of operating a rearview display for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
capturing images of a face of a driver of the motor vehicle (Waite: FIG. 1 the driver 14) of the motor vehicle (Waite: Abstract, column 3 lines 29-column 4 lines 31 and FIG. 1-2 the tracking device 16: the tracking device 16 is an apparatus configured to capture the first video image 24 in a predefined area in the vehicle 12 and provide the first video image signal 26 which may be encoded with data of the first video image 24. The predefined area may be the area where the driver 14 sits while driving. The predefined area may be large enough where the first video image 24 may include the head of the driver 14 and additional area around the head of the driver 14 to account for movement of the head of the driver 14);
capturing first images of a scene behind the motor vehicle (Waite: column 4 lines 32 – column 5 lines41, FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18: the rear-facing camera 18 is an apparatus configured to capture the second video image 28 in a generally rearward direction. Data of the second video image 28 may be embedded in a second video image signal 30 and sent to the processing device 20 (described in more detail below));
mounting a rearview display (Waite: FIG. 1 the display 22) in a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle (Waite: column 9 lines 44-52 and FIG. 1-2 the rearview mirror 50);
determining locations of eyes of the driver based on the captured images of the face of the driver (Waite: column 5 lines 45-65, column 6 lines 26-39, column 6 lines 62 – column 7 lines 24, column 10 lines 12-27, FIG. 1-2, and FIG. 6: If the driver 14 is present, then in step 106, the processing device 20 may determine the head position of the driver 14. Additionally, the processing device 20 may determine the eye position of the driver 14 in step 106 in an embodiment of the invention. In step 108, the processing device 20 may determine the first field of view 36 of the driver 14 based on the head position and/or eye positions of the driver 14 already determined by the processing device 20 in step 106. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the processing device 20 may identify a desirable second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 and may output position data for the rear-facing camera 18 based on the desirable second field of view 52); and
modifying the displayed second images dependent upon the determined locations of the eyes of the driver (Waite: column 5 lines 45-65, column 6 lines 26-39, column 6 lines 62 – column 7 lines 24, column 10 lines 27-64, FIG. 1-2, and FIG. 6: The position data received by the motion component of the rear-facing camera 18 may allow the rear-facing camera 18 to move to a position that substantially matches the second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 with the first field of view 36 of the driver 14. This may be accomplished by aligning the optical axis of the second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 to the optical axis of the first field of view 36 of the driver 14 as close as physically possible based on where the rear-facing camera 18 is mounted… the processing device 20 obtains a third video image 32 based on the second video image 28. In some embodiments where the rear-facing camera 18 is movable, the third video image 32 may be substantially identical to the second video image 28. In other embodiments (even if the rear-facing camera 18 is movable), the processing device 20 may crop and/or stretch the second video image 28 such that the size and the perspective of the third video image 32 substantially matches the driver's 18 field of view that would otherwise be completely and/or partially obstructed).
Waite does not explicitly disclose displaying second images on the rearview display, the second images being based on the first images.
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle design to implement displaying second images on the rearview display, the second images being based on the first images, as suggested by Tschirhart, which discloses displaying second images on the rearview display, the second images being based on the first images (Tschirhart: [0020], [0022]-[0025], [0027], [0030]-[0031], [0034]-[0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 the rearview camera 20: In one embodiment, processor 22 may receive signals transmitted by display orientation sensor 26, change the orientation of rearview camera 20 to correspond to the orientation of display screen 12, and present a mirror image of each of the images captured by rearview camera 20 on display screen 12. A mirror image of the captured image is presented in order to emulate the view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. The orientation of camera 20 as it captures images the mirror images of which are displayed on screen 12 may vary depending upon the three-dimensional orientation of display screen 12, as determined by processor 22. Processor 22 may determine the orientation of display screen 12 based on signals transmitted by orientation sensor 26).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite and Tschirhart, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite to include displaying second images on the rearview display, the second images being based on the first images, as suggested by Tschirhart. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for disposing a rearview camera for monitoring scenes behind a vehicle using a rearview display.
As to claim 10, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 9 further comprising the method of claim 9 wherein the rearview display is mounted at a midpoint of a top edge of a windshield of the motor vehicle (Waite: column 3 lines 43-50, column 6 lines 26 – column 7 lines 52, column 8 lines 11-44, and FIG. 3-4 the rearview mirror 50: Referring to FIG. 3, the driver 14, an optical axis of the first field of view 36 of the driver 14, the rearview mirror 50, and the display 22 are shown in the vehicle 12 in a side schematic view. For illustrative purposes, the rearview mirror 50 is shown with the reflective surface of the mirror parallel to the plane formed by the y-axis and z-axis. The orientation of the head of the driver 14 and the rearview mirror 50 may be used to define a second right angle triangle 62 having a second hypotenuse leg 64, a second adjacent leg 66 having a length of X.sub.2, and a second opposite leg 68 having a length of Z.sub.2 in the x-z plane as seen in FIG. 3 and Tschirhart: [0020], [0022]-[0025], [0027], [0030]-[0031], [0034]-[0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: FIG. 4 illustrates locations of rearview display 12 and rearview camera 20 of rearview display arrangement 10. Rearview display 12 may be disposed approximately at a midpoint of a top edge 44 of a windshield 46 of a motor vehicle 48. Rearview camera 20 may be attached to a rear end 50 of motor vehicle 48, such as on a rear bumper 52 of vehicle 48).
As to claim 11, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 9 further comprising the method of claim 9 wherein the first images are captured by a rearview camera mounted on a rear end of the motor vehicle (Tschirhart: [0020], [0023]-[0025], [0027], [0030], [0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 the rearview camera 20: FIG. 4 illustrates locations of rearview display 12 and rearview camera 20 of rearview display arrangement 10. Rearview display 12 may be disposed approximately at a midpoint of a top edge 44 of a windshield 46 of a motor vehicle 48. Rearview camera 20 may be attached to a rear end 50 of motor vehicle 48, such as on a rear bumper 52 of vehicle 48).
As to claim 12, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 9 further comprising the method of claim 9 wherein the rearview display is substantially planar (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: display screen 12 may have a flat viewable surface, and the driver may change the direction in which the viewable surface faces by manually moving the adjustable mount in three-dimensional space), and the displayed second images are modified dependent upon an orientation of the rearview display relative to the eyes of the driver (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: In one embodiment, processor 22 may receive signals transmitted by display orientation sensor 26, change the orientation of rearview camera 20 to correspond to the orientation of display screen 12, and present a mirror image of each of the images captured by rearview camera 20 on display screen 12. A mirror image of the captured image is presented in order to emulate the view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror).
As to claim 13, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 12 further comprising the method of claim 12 wherein the displayed second images are modified dependent upon a viewing angle between a plane defined by the rearview display and a line of sight from an eye of the driver to the rearview display (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: As the driver rotates display screen 12 in a counterclockwise rotational direction, as defined from a downward viewing perspective, processor 22 may shift displayed portion 38 of mirror image 36 of the field of view leftward, as indicated by arrows 40, and by the dashed lines 42 indicating the shifted position of portion 38. The leftward movement of portion 38 in response to the rotation of display screen 12 in the counterclockwise direction emulates the changing view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. Conversely, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 in the clockwise rotational direction, as defined from the downward viewing perspective, portion 38 would shift rightward. Further, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more upwardly, portion 38 would shift upward; and if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more downwardly, portion 38 would shift downward).
As to claim 14, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 9 further comprising the method of claim 9 wherein the displayed second images are modified such that the displayed second images are shifted on the rearview display in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the eyes of the driver have been shifted (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: As the driver rotates display screen 12 in a counterclockwise rotational direction, as defined from a downward viewing perspective, processor 22 may shift displayed portion 38 of mirror image 36 of the field of view leftward, as indicated by arrows 40, and by the dashed lines 42 indicating the shifted position of portion 38. The leftward movement of portion 38 in response to the rotation of display screen 12 in the counterclockwise direction emulates the changing view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. Conversely, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 in the clockwise rotational direction, as defined from the downward viewing perspective, portion 38 would shift rightward. Further, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more upwardly, portion 38 would shift upward; and if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more downwardly, portion 38 would shift downward).
As to claim 16, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 9 further comprising the method of claim 9 wherein the locations of the eyes of the driver in three- dimensional space are determined (Waite: column 4 lines 9-16 and FIG. 1-3: the tracking device 16 may comprise a plurality of video cameras. When two or more physically separated video cameras view a scene from different angles, the data from the two images may be compared to obtain 3-D location data of the position of the head and/or eyes of the driver 14 using stereoscopic image techniques as known to those with skill in the art and Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: Rearview display 12 may include an adjustable mount (not shown) which may be manually adjusted by the driver in order to change the orientation of display screen 12 in three-dimensional space. For example, display screen 12 may have a flat viewable surface, and the driver may change the direction in which the viewable surface faces by manually moving the adjustable mount in three-dimensional space. Display orientation sensor 26 may detect the orientation of display screen 12 and transmit to processor 22 signals which are indicative of the three-dimensional orientation of display screen 12).
As to claim 17, Waite discloses a rearview display arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:
an eye tracking camera (Waite: Abstract, column 1 lines 52-55, and FIG. 1 the tracking device 16) configured to capture images of a face of a driver (Waite: FIG. 1 the driver 14) of the motor vehicle (Waite: Abstract, column 3 lines 29-column 4 lines 31 and FIG. 1-2 the tracking device 16: the tracking device 16 is an apparatus configured to capture the first video image 24 in a predefined area in the vehicle 12 and provide the first video image signal 26 which may be encoded with data of the first video image 24. The predefined area may be the area where the driver 14 sits while driving. The predefined area may be large enough where the first video image 24 may include the head of the driver 14 and additional area around the head of the driver 14 to account for movement of the head of the driver 14);
a rearview camera (Waite: FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18) configured to capture first images of a scene behind the motor vehicle (Waite: column 4 lines 32 – column 5 lines41, FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18: the rear-facing camera 18 is an apparatus configured to capture the second video image 28 in a generally rearward direction. Data of the second video image 28 may be embedded in a second video image signal 30 and sent to the processing device 20 (described in more detail below));
a rearview display (Waite: FIG. 1 the display 22) mounted in a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle (Waite: column 9 lines 44-52 and FIG. 1-2 the rearview mirror 50); and
an electronic processor (Waite: FIG. 1 the processing device 20) communicatively coupled to the eye tracking camera (Waite: Abstract, column 3 lines 29-column 4 lines 31 and FIG. 1-2 the tracking device 16), the rearview camera (Waite: column 4 lines 32 – column 5 lines41, FIG. 1-2 the rear-facing camera 18), and the rearview display (Waite: FIG. 1 the display 22), the electronic processor being configured to:
determine movements of eyes of the driver based on the captured images of the face of the driver (Waite: column 5 lines 45-65, column 6 lines 26-39, column 6 lines 62 – column 7 lines 24, column 8 lines 11-44, column 10 lines 12-27, FIG. 1-2, and FIG. 5-6: The processing device 20 may send a signal to the motion component of the rear-facing camera 18 to move the rear-facing camera 18 to the determined position. As seen in FIG. 5, when the head position of the driver 14 moves (driver 14.sub.1 having a first head position and driver 14.sub.2 having a second head position), the angle .alpha. may change. Accordingly, the first field of view 36.sub.1 for driver 14.sub.1 is different than the first field of view 36.sub.2 for driver 14.sub.2. As a result, the processing device 20 may reposition the rear-facing camera 18 to account for the change in the first field of view 36 of the driver 14); and
modify the displayed second images dependent upon the determined movements of the eyes of the driver such that at least one object in the displayed second images moves in response to the determined movements of the eyes of the driver to match the movements of the object that the driver would see if the rearview display were a rearview mirror (Waite: column 5 lines 45-65, column 6 lines 26-39, column 6 lines 62 – column 7 lines 24, column 8 lines 11-44, column 10 lines 27-64, FIG. 1-2, and FIG. 6: The position data received by the motion component of the rear-facing camera 18 may allow the rear-facing camera 18 to move to a position that substantially matches the second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 with the first field of view 36 of the driver 14. This may be accomplished by aligning the optical axis of the second field of view 52 of the rear-facing camera 18 to the optical axis of the first field of view 36 of the driver 14 as close as physically possible based on where the rear-facing camera 18 is mounted… the processing device 20 obtains a third video image 32 based on the second video image 28. In some embodiments where the rear-facing camera 18 is movable, the third video image 32 may be substantially identical to the second video image 28. In other embodiments (even if the rear-facing camera 18 is movable), the processing device 20 may crop and/or stretch the second video image 28 such that the size and the perspective of the third video image 32 substantially matches the driver's 18 field of view that would otherwise be completely and/or partially obstructed).
Waite does not explicitly disclose a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images..
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle design to implement a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images, as suggested by Tschirhart, which discloses a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images (Tschirhart: [0020], [0022]-[0025], [0027], [0030]-[0031], [0034]-[0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 the rearview camera 20: In one embodiment, processor 22 may receive signals transmitted by display orientation sensor 26, change the orientation of rearview camera 20 to correspond to the orientation of display screen 12, and present a mirror image of each of the images captured by rearview camera 20 on display screen 12. A mirror image of the captured image is presented in order to emulate the view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. The orientation of camera 20 as it captures images the mirror images of which are displayed on screen 12 may vary depending upon the three-dimensional orientation of display screen 12, as determined by processor 22. Processor 22 may determine the orientation of display screen 12 based on signals transmitted by orientation sensor 26).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite and Tschirhart, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite to include a rearview display configured to display second images based on the first images, as suggested by Tschirhart. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for disposing a rearview camera for monitoring scenes behind a vehicle using a rearview display.
As to claim 19, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the rearview display is mounted at a midpoint of a top edge of a windshield of the motor vehicle (Waite: column 3 lines 43-50, column 6 lines 26 – column 7 lines 52, column 8 lines 11-44, and FIG. 3-4 the rearview mirror 50: Referring to FIG. 3, the driver 14, an optical axis of the first field of view 36 of the driver 14, the rearview mirror 50, and the display 22 are shown in the vehicle 12 in a side schematic view. For illustrative purposes, the rearview mirror 50 is shown with the reflective surface of the mirror parallel to the plane formed by the y-axis and z-axis. The orientation of the head of the driver 14 and the rearview mirror 50 may be used to define a second right angle triangle 62 having a second hypotenuse leg 64, a second adjacent leg 66 having a length of X.sub.2, and a second opposite leg 68 having a length of Z.sub.2 in the x-z plane as seen in FIG. 3 and Tschirhart: [0020], [0022]-[0025], [0027], [0030]-[0031], [0034]-[0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: FIG. 4 illustrates locations of rearview display 12 and rearview camera 20 of rearview display arrangement 10. Rearview display 12 may be disposed approximately at a midpoint of a top edge 44 of a windshield 46 of a motor vehicle 48. Rearview camera 20 may be attached to a rear end 50 of motor vehicle 48, such as on a rear bumper 52 of vehicle 48).
As to claim 20, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the rearview camera is mounted on a rear end of the motor vehicle (Tschirhart: [0020], [0023]-[0025], [0027], [0030], [0035], and FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 the rearview camera 20: FIG. 4 illustrates locations of rearview display 12 and rearview camera 20 of rearview display arrangement 10. Rearview display 12 may be disposed approximately at a midpoint of a top edge 44 of a windshield 46 of a motor vehicle 48. Rearview camera 20 may be attached to a rear end 50 of motor vehicle 48, such as on a rear bumper 52 of vehicle 48).
As to claim 21, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the rearview display is substantially planar (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: display screen 12 may have a flat viewable surface, and the driver may change the direction in which the viewable surface faces by manually moving the adjustable mount in three-dimensional space), and the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon an orientation of the rearview display relative to the eyes of the driver (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: In one embodiment, processor 22 may receive signals transmitted by display orientation sensor 26, change the orientation of rearview camera 20 to correspond to the orientation of display screen 12, and present a mirror image of each of the images captured by rearview camera 20 on display screen 12. A mirror image of the captured image is presented in order to emulate the view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror).
As to claim 22, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 21 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon a viewing angle between a plane defined by the rearview display and a line of sight from an eye of the driver to the rearview display (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: As the driver rotates display screen 12 in a counterclockwise rotational direction, as defined from a downward viewing perspective, processor 22 may shift displayed portion 38 of mirror image 36 of the field of view leftward, as indicated by arrows 40, and by the dashed lines 42 indicating the shifted position of portion 38. The leftward movement of portion 38 in response to the rotation of display screen 12 in the counterclockwise direction emulates the changing view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. Conversely, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 in the clockwise rotational direction, as defined from the downward viewing perspective, portion 38 would shift rightward. Further, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more upwardly, portion 38 would shift upward; and if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more downwardly, portion 38 would shift downward).
As to claim 23, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that the displayed second images are shifted on the rearview display in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the eyes of the driver have been shifted (Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: As the driver rotates display screen 12 in a counterclockwise rotational direction, as defined from a downward viewing perspective, processor 22 may shift displayed portion 38 of mirror image 36 of the field of view leftward, as indicated by arrows 40, and by the dashed lines 42 indicating the shifted position of portion 38. The leftward movement of portion 38 in response to the rotation of display screen 12 in the counterclockwise direction emulates the changing view that a driver would see in a conventional mirror. Conversely, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 in the clockwise rotational direction, as defined from the downward viewing perspective, portion 38 would shift rightward. Further, if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more upwardly, portion 38 would shift upward; and if the driver were to rotate display screen 12 to face more downwardly, portion 38 would shift downward).
As to claim 25, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 further comprising the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the electronic processor is configured to determine the locations of eyes of the driver in three-dimensional space (Waite: column 4 lines 9-16 and FIG. 1-3: the tracking device 16 may comprise a plurality of video cameras. When two or more physically separated video cameras view a scene from different angles, the data from the two images may be compared to obtain 3-D location data of the position of the head and/or eyes of the driver 14 using stereoscopic image techniques as known to those with skill in the art and Tschirhart: [0020]-[0023], [0027], [0032]-[0034], and FIG. 1 the rearview display 12, and FIG. 3: Rearview display 12 may include an adjustable mount (not shown) which may be manually adjusted by the driver in order to change the orientation of display screen 12 in three-dimensional space. For example, display screen 12 may have a flat viewable surface, and the driver may change the direction in which the viewable surface faces by manually moving the adjustable mount in three-dimensional space. Display orientation sensor 26 may detect the orientation of display screen 12 and transmit to processor 22 signals which are indicative of the three-dimensional orientation of display screen 12).
Claims 7, 15, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waite et al. (Waite – US 9,102,269 B2) in view of Tschirhart (Tschirhart – US 2018/0316868 A1) and further in view of Fujisaki et al. (Fujisaki – US 2018/0222319 A1).
As to claim 7, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 1 except for the claimed limitations of the rearview display arrangement of claim 1 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver.
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle display to implement wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver, as suggested by Fujisaki, which discloses wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver (Fujisaki: Abstract, [0053], [0057], [0062], [0067]-[0071], and FIG. 3-5: A controller is configured to: determine a magnitude of an image-cutout angle value based on the obtained vehicle-to-vehicle distance, such that a display state of a rear-view display unit is to be switched from a mirror-surface showing state to a display showing state such that a size of the following vehicle in the mirror-surface showing state is identical to a size of the following vehicle to be displayed in the display showing state; control a display to display a display image created from a cutout image that is cut out in the determined image-cutout angle value; and adjust the image-cutout angle value so as to gradually decrease a size of the following vehicle displayed on the display when the obtained vehicle-to-vehicle distance is greater than a set value).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite, Tschirhart, and Fujisaki, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite and Tschirhart to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver, as suggested by Fujisaki. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for displaying information of monitoring scenes behind a vehicle to a driver based on detected distance of an object in the monitoring scenes.
As to claim 15, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 9 except for the claimed limitations of the method of claim 9 wherein the displayed second images are modified such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver.
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle display to implement wherein the displayed second images are modified such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver, as suggested by Fujisaki, which discloses wherein the displayed second images are modified such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver (Fujisaki: Abstract, [0053], [0057], [0062], [0067]-[0071], and FIG. 3-5: A controller is configured to: determine a magnitude of an image-cutout angle value based on the obtained vehicle-to-vehicle distance, such that a display state of a rear-view display unit is to be switched from a mirror-surface showing state to a display showing state such that a size of the following vehicle in the mirror-surface showing state is identical to a size of the following vehicle to be displayed in the display showing state; control a display to display a display image created from a cutout image that is cut out in the determined image-cutout angle value; and adjust the image-cutout angle value so as to gradually decrease a size of the following vehicle displayed on the display when the obtained vehicle-to-vehicle distance is greater than a set value).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite, Tschirhart, and Fujisaki, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite and Tschirhart to include wherein the displayed second images are modified such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver, as suggested by Fujisaki. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for displaying information of monitoring scenes behind a vehicle to a driver based on detected distance of an object in the monitoring scenes.
As to claim 24, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 except for the claimed limitations of the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver.
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle display to implement wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver, as suggested by Fujisaki, which discloses wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver (Fujisaki: Abstract, [0053], [0057], [0062], [0067]-[0071], and FIG. 3-5: A controller is configured to: determine a magnitude of an image-cutout angle value based on the obtained vehicle-to-vehicle distance, such that a display state of a rear-view display unit is to be switched from a mirror-surface showing state to a display showing state such that a size of the following vehicle in the mirror-surface showing state is identical to a size of the following vehicle to be displayed in the display showing state; control a display to display a display image created from a cutout image that is cut out in the determined image-cutout angle value; and adjust the image-cutout angle value so as to gradually decrease a size of the following vehicle displayed on the display when the obtained vehicle-to-vehicle distance is greater than a set value).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite, Tschirhart, and Fujisaki, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite and Tschirhart to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images such that a size of an object in the displayed second images has a positive relationship with a distance between the rearview display and the eyes of the driver, as suggested by Fujisaki. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for displaying information of monitoring scenes behind a vehicle to a driver based on detected distance of an object in the monitoring scenes.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waite et al. (Waite – US 9,102,269 B2) in view of Tschirhart (Tschirhart – US 2018/0316868 A1) and further in view of Meier et al. (Meier – US 11,220,214 B1).
As to claim 18, Waite and Tschirhart disclose the limitations of claim 17 except for the claimed limitations of the rearview display arrangement of claim 17 wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon the determined movements of the eyes of the driver such that a size of at least one object in the displayed second images changes in response to the determined movements of the eyes of the driver to match the change in size of the object that the driver would see if the rearview display were a rearview mirror.
However, it has been known in the art of vehicle display to implement wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon the determined movements of the eyes of the driver such that a size of at least one object in the displayed second images changes in response to the determined movements of the eyes of the driver to match the change in size of the object that the driver would see if the rearview display were a rearview mirror, as suggested by Meier, which discloses wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon the determined movements of the eyes of the driver such that a size of at least one object in the displayed second images changes in response to the determined movements of the eyes of the driver to match the change in size of the object that the driver would see if the rearview display were a rearview mirror (Meier: Abstract, column 5 lines 10-48, column 6 lines 20-29, column 7 lines 7-22, column 10 lines 52-62, FIG. 1, FIG. 3-5, and FIG. 8: Besides changing portions of the field of view provided in the rearview electronic image display 88, the electronic processor 40 can determine movement of the head of a driver toward the rearview electronic image display 88 and increase the size of the image while narrowing the field of view to provide a zoom effect that simulates the operation of a mirror. Such a zoom effect can also be provided for head movement toward the side electronic image displays 84, 94. However, an increased zoom effect decreases the field of view).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Waite, Tschirhart, and Meier, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the vehicle of Waite and Tschirhart to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify the displayed second images dependent upon the determined movements of the eyes of the driver such that a size of at least one object in the displayed second images changes in response to the determined movements of the eyes of the driver to match the change in size of the object that the driver would see if the rearview display were a rearview mirror, as suggested by Meier. The motivation for this is to implement a known alternative method for displaying information of monitoring scenes behind a vehicle to a driver based on detected movements of the driver.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Perry, US 2025/0164783 A1, discloses driver gaze driven head-up display local dimming.
Sweet, US 12,043,180 B2, discloses head up side view mirror.
Festerling, Jr. et al., US 2018/0178729 A1, discloses rear vision system with eye-tracking.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG PHAM whose telephone number is (571)-270-3668. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM.
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/QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685