DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are pending in this application and have been examined under the priority date of 05/11/2024 in accordance with applicant’s claim for foreign priority.
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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 8 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 8 and 19, the claims recite the limitation “and partial line segments, of the one or more line segments, exceeding a threshold angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle” which renders the claims indefinite. The inclusion of the phrase “relative to a longitudinal axis” which is a relative term of degree and fails to distinctly claim the subject matter for the which the inventor regards as the invention. For examination purposes, the examiner is interpreting this limitation as meaning a longitudinal axis which is parallel or adjacent to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The applicant is encouraged to amend to clarify this limitation further.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-7, 12-14, 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) as being anticipated by Piao (US 20200393265 A1).
Regarding claim 1 Piao discloses; A vehicle control apparatus comprising: a camera (Piao, [0076] the vehicle sensors may comprise a camera);
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a memory configured to store map information (Piao, [0240] the system includes a storage unit which includes a main memory, [0054]-[0055] the system generates and stores HD maps);
and a processor configured to (Piao, [0240] the system contains a processor which communicates with the memory):
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obtain, via the camera, an image of an external environment of a vehicle (Piao, [0076] the camera or other sensors may be used to capture one or more images of the vehicles surroundings);
determine one or more line segments associated with a traffic line in the image (Piao, [0128] the lane line module collects images of the lane lines and determines a set of point which are present on the lane and detects multiple lane line segments and may connect the segments, [0131] and figure 10, the lane lines may be broken down into multiple line segments);
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(Piao, [0128])
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filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information, wherein the filtering is based on at least one of an attribute, an angle, or a distance of each of the one or more line segments (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together, [0154 the system filters neighboring points within other lane line segments by distance to determine the closest line segment end point to the line segment being analyzed (Distance filtering) as well as if there is overlap in the line segments (attribute filtering));
compare the map information with candidate line segments, wherein the candidate line segments exclude filtered line segments from the one or more line segments (Piao, [0154] the endpoints of the line segment being analyzed is compared to the distances of the endpoints of neighboring line segments to determine a closest segment (filtering the segments), if the system determines that there is overlap or the end point belongs to a different line segment the point or line segment connection may be removed from the list of line segment connections (candidate line segments));
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and control, based on the comparison, an operation of the vehicle (Piao, [0131] the vehicle’s route may be determined based on the determined lane line segments which make up the continuous lines of the vehicle’s route, where to generate this route mapping the continuous lane line paths are determined using the comparison and filtering of [0152]-[0154]).
Regarding claim 2 Piao discloses; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments), [0154 the system filters neighboring points within other lane line segments by distance to determine the closest line segment end point to the line segment being analyzed (Distance filtering) as well as if there is overlap in the line segments (attribute filtering)):
determining, based on the one or more line segments, a first width of a traffic lane (Piao, [0176] features of the lanes may be analyzed, where the features may include lane boundaries and lane cuts where the lane cuts are [0162] lines or segments which pass through the lane lines cutting them by width, [0168] lane cuts (one or more of the plurality of generated line segments) may be used to determine lane boundaries based on threshold distance of the lane cut ray origin to its intersection with the lane line (line segment which spans the width of the lane, therefore this distance would be the width), [0177]-[0180] the lane cut may have multiple segments at different widths of the same lane, [0188] distances across the lane cuts (line segments) are compared to find a match, indicating a first lane width computation, [0181]-[0187] denotes the different lane cut line segments which correspond to the lane widths, this is also shown in figure 23);
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determining, based on map lines in the map information, a second width of the traffic lane (Piao, [0168] lane cuts (one or more of the plurality of generated line segments) may be used to determine lane boundaries based on threshold distance of the lane cut ray origin to its intersection with the lane line (line segment which spans the width of the lane, therefore this distance would be the width), [0177]-[0180] the lane cut may have multiple segments at different widths of the same lane, [0188] distances across the lane cuts (at least a first and second line segment, with at least a first and second width) are compared to find a match, indicating a first lane width computation and a second width computation, [0181]-[0187] denotes the different lane cut line segments which correspond to the lane widths, this is also shown in figure 23);
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and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on comparing the first width with the second width (Piao, [0168] the lane cut distances from the origin to its intersection with a lane line (line segment which spans the width of the lane, therefore this distance is the width of the lane) are ranked in order of ascending distance, meaning the distances across the lane at multiple cuts must be compared, [0188] distances across the lane cuts (at least a first and second line segment, with at least a first and second width) are compared to find a match, indicating a first lane width computation and a second width computation, [0181]-[0187] denotes the different lane cut line segments which correspond to the lane widths, this is also shown in figure 23).
Regarding claim 3 Piao discloses; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments)) by:
filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on at least one of: a type of each of the one or more line segments, a heading direction of each of the one or more line segments, a distance between the one or more line segments, a line of a widening traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling, or a lane width (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together, [0154] the system filters neighboring points within other lane line segments by distance to determine the closest line segment end point to the line segment being analyzed (Distance filtering) as well as if there is overlap in the line segments (attribute filtering), [0158] lane lines may be categorized by type as well).
Regarding claim 5 Piao discloses; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by (Piao, [0150] polyline points may be filtered to remove those that are noisy outliers to the clustered line segment points in order to verify that the polyline segments remain clustered):
determining, among the one or more line segments, a partial line segment (Piao, [0150] polyline points may be filtered to remove those that are noisy outliers to the clustered line segment points in order to verify that the polyline segments remain clustered, Applicant’s specification paragraphs [0071]-[0070] state that the partial line segments and partial lines are just line segments containing only part of the segment data therefore a disconnected polyline coordinate would be a partial line segment);
determining, based on the map information, a partial map line corresponding to the partial line segment (Piao, [0150] a fit line may be identified in the collected information, and then points which are not falling within a lane line segment may be identified);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on an angle between the partial line segment and the partial map line exceeding a threshold angle (Piao, [0150] the angle between the two points may be used to determine whether or not to filter out the disconnected points if the angle exceeds a threshold).
Regarding claim 6 Piao discloses; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments)):
determining, among the one or more line segments, partial line segments (Piao, [0150] polyline points may be filtered to remove those that are noisy outliers to the clustered line segment points in order to verify that the polyline segments remain clustered, Applicant’s specification paragraphs [0071]-[0070] state that the partial line segments and partial lines are just line segments containing only part of the segment data therefore a disconnected polyline coordinate would be a partial line segment);
determining, based on the map information, partial map lines respectively corresponding to the partial line segments (Piao, [0150] a fit line may be identified in the collected information, and then points which are not falling within a lane line segment may be identified);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on an average value of angles between the partial map lines and the partial line segments exceeding a threshold angle (Piao, [0150] the angle between the two points may be used to determine whether or not to filter out the disconnected points if the angle exceeds a threshold, the method iterates through all the points and assesses multiple angles between the partial lines and line segments, which is functionally equivalent to the averaging of multiple points).
Regarding claim 7 Piao discloses; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments): filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on at least a threshold quantity of the one or more line segments being within a threshold distance from respective partial map lines in the map information (Piao, [0154] the distance between two line segments and the end points of determined lines (partial map lines) is used to filter line segments by whether or not they belong to that lane line).
Regarding claim 12 Piao discloses; A vehicle control method comprising: obtaining, by a processor and via a camera, an image of an external environment of a vehicle (Piao, [0076] the vehicle sensors may comprise a camera to capture images of the vehicle surroundings, [0240] the system contains a processor which communicates with the memory);
determining one or more line segments associated with a traffic line in the image (Piao, [0128] the lane line module collects images of the lane lines and determines a set of point which are present on the lane and detects multiple lane line segments and may connect the segments, [0131] and figure 10, the lane lines may be broken down into multiple line segments);
filtering at least one of the one or more line segments or map information stored in a memory, wherein the filtering is based on at least one of an attribute, an angle, or a distance of each of the one or more line segments (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as over lapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together, [0154 the system filters neighboring points within other lane line segments by distance to determine the closest line segment end point to the line segment being analyzed (Distance filtering) as well as if there is overlap in the line segments (attribute filtering));
comparing the map information with candidate line segments, wherein the candidate line segments exclude filtered line segments from the one or more line segments (Piao, [0154] the endpoints of the line segment being analyzed is compared to the distances of the endpoints of neighboring line segments to determine a closest segment (filtering the segments), if the system determines that there is overlap or the end point belongs to a different line segment the point or line segment connection may be removed from the list of line segment connections (candidate line segments));
and controlling, based on the comparison, an operation of the vehicle (Piao, [0131] the vehicle’s route may be determined based on the determined lane line segments which make up the continuous lines of the vehicle’s route, where to generate this route mapping the continuous lane line paths are determined using the comparison and filtering of [0152]-[0154]).
Regarding claim 13 Piao discloses; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments)):
determining, based on the one or more line segments, a first width of a traffic lane (Piao, [0176] features of the lanes may be analyzed, where the features may include lane boundaries and lane cuts where the lane cuts are [0162] lines or segments which pass through the lane lines cutting them by width, [0168] lane cuts (one or more of the plurality of generated line segments) may be used to determine lane boundaries based on threshold distance of the lane cut ray origin to its intersection with the lane line (line segment which spans the width of the lane, therefore this distance would be the width), [0177]-[0180] the lane cut may have multiple segments at different widths of the same lane, [0188] distances across the lane cuts (line segments) are compared to find a match, indicating a first lane width computation, [0181]-[0187] denotes the different lane cut line segments which correspond to the lane widths, this is also shown in figure 23);
determining, based on map lines in the map information, a second width of the traffic lane (Piao, [0168] lane cuts (one or more of the plurality of generated line segments) may be used to determine lane boundaries based on threshold distance of the lane cut ray origin to its intersection with the lane line (line segment which spans the width of the lane, therefore this distance would be the width), [0177]-[0180] the lane cut may have multiple segments at different widths of the same lane, [0188] distances across the lane cuts (at least a first and second line segment, with at least a first and second width) are compared to find a match, indicating a first lane width computation and a second width computation, [0181]-[0187] denotes the different lane cut line segments which correspond to the lane widths, this is also shown in figure 23);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on comparing the first width with the second width (Piao, [0168] the lane cut distances from the origin to its intersection with a lane line (line segment which spans the width of the lane, therefore this distance is the width of the lane) are ranked in order of ascending distance, meaning the distances across the lane at multiple cuts must be compared, [0188] distances across the lane cuts (at least a first and second line segment, with at least a first and second width) are compared to find a match, indicating a first lane width computation and a second width computation, [0181]-[0187] denotes the different lane cut line segments which correspond to the lane widths, this is also shown in figure 23).
Regarding claim 14 Piao discloses; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments)):
filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on at least one of: a type of each of the one or more line segments, a heading direction of each of the one or more line segments, a distance between the one or more line segments, a line of a widening traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling, or a lane width (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together, [0154] the system filters neighboring points within other lane line segments by distance to determine the closest line segment end point to the line segment being analyzed (Distance filtering) as well as if there is overlap in the line segments (attribute filtering), [0158] lane lines may be categorized by type as well).
Regarding claim 16 Piao discloses; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises (Piao, [0150] polyline points may be filtered to remove those that are noisy outliers to the clustered line segment points in order to verify that the polyline segments remain clustered):
determining, among the one or more line segments, a partial line segment (Piao, [0150] polyline points may be filtered to remove those that are noisy outliers to the clustered line segment points in order to verify that the polyline segments remain clustered, Applicant’s specification paragraphs [0071]-[0070] state that the partial line segments and partial lines are just line segments containing only part of the segment data therefore a disconnected polyline coordinate would be a partial line segment);
determining, based on the map information, a partial map line corresponding to the partial line segment (Piao, [0150] a fit line may be identified in the collected information, and then points which are not falling within a lane line segment may be identified);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on an angle between the partial line segment and the partial map line exceeding a threshold angle (Piao, [0150] the angle between the two points may be used to determine whether or not to filter out the disconnected points if the angle exceeds a threshold).
Regarding claim 17 Piao discloses; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises: determining, among the one or more line segments, partial line segments (Piao, [0150] polyline points may be filtered to remove those that are noisy outliers to the clustered line segment points in order to verify that the polyline segments remain clustered);
determining, based on the map information, partial map lines respectively corresponding to the partial line segments (Piao, [0150] a fit line may be identified in the collected information, and then points which are not falling within a lane line segment may be identified);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on an average value of angles between the partial map lines and the partial line segments exceeding a threshold angle (Piao, [0150] the angle between the two points may be used to determine whether or not to filter out the disconnected points if the angle exceeds a threshold, the method iterates through all the points and assesses multiple angles between the partial lines and line segments, which is functionally equivalent to the averaging of multiple points).
Regarding claim 18 Piao discloses; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments)): filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on at least a threshold quantity of the one or more line segments being within a threshold distance from respective partial map lines in the map information (Piao, [0154] the distance between two line segments and the end points of determined lines (partial map lines) is used to filter line segments by whether or not they belong to that lane line).
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.
3. Claims 4 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Piao (US 20200393265 A1) in view of Sakai (US 2024027392 A1).
Regarding claim 4 Piao fails to teach; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by: filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on a type of each of the one or more line segments being different from a type of a map line in the map information.
However, in the same field of endeavor of lane mapping, Sakai teaches; wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by: filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on a type of each of the one or more line segments being different from a type of a map line in the map information (Sakai, [0057] Line segments are filtered and grouped based on whether they match a collected lane marking model (map information) to determine whether or not line segments are being grouped as correctly belonging to the correct lane marking type, line segments/lane marking candidates are excluded if a match is not met).
The combination of Piao and Sakai would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for adding the line segment filtering method of Sakai lies in that this method allows for more accurate grouping of line segments by lane marking type. (Sakai, [0057])
Regarding claim 15 the combination of Piao and Sakai teaches; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises: filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on a type of each of the one or more line segments being different from a type of a map line in the map information(Sakai, [0057] Line segments are filtered and grouped based on whether they match a collected lane marking model (map information) to determine whether or not line segments are being grouped as correctly belonging to the correct lane marking type, line segments/lane marking candidates are excluded if a match is not met).
The combination of Piao and Sakai would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for adding the line segment filtering method of Sakai lies in that this method allows for more accurate grouping of line segments by lane marking type. (Sakai, [0057])
Claims 8-11 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Piao (US 20200393265 A1) in view of Inoue (US 20240051532 A1).
Regarding claim 8 Piao fails to disclose; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by:
filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on: a lane on which the vehicle is traveling being widening,
a distance between the vehicle and a map line in the map information exceeding a threshold distance,
and partial line segments, of the one or more line segments, exceeding a threshold angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Inoue teaches; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by: filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on: a lane on which the vehicle is traveling being widening (Inoue, [0095] lane partition lines (line segments) are adjusted based on the change in width of the lane (widening)),
a distance between the vehicle and a map line in the map information exceeding a threshold distance (Inoue, [0074] partition lines are determined so long as they within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, indicating lines outside that threshold will be filtered out or not accounted for),
and partial line segments, of the one or more line segments, exceeding a threshold angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle (Inoue, [0100] partition lines (line segments) are verified and included in the map using a comparison of a trajectory lines (longitudinal vehicle axis lines) and the angle they form with the partition lines).
The combination of Piao and Inoue would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the addition of the partition line filtering methods of Inoue is that it would allow for better driving control and more accurate lane line determination. (Inoue, [0100], [0074] and [0095])
Regarding claim 9 the combination of Piao and Inoue teaches; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by: determining, based on a distance between a reference point and the one or more line segments, a sensor-based average lane width, wherein the reference point is a threshold distance away from a left traffic line of the vehicle (Inoue, [0095] the partition lines (line segments) are verified and vehicle map information is adjusted and accounted for based on lateral distances of the vehicle to the lane lines based on the camera position, denoted as D1 in figure 4, which is analogous to a sensor based positional relationship from the left and right lanes, [0098] driving control and lane mapping is dependent on the average distance between the lane lines (average lane width), denoted as Wa in figure 6, which may be determined by the camera, therefore this is a sensor based average lane width which is used along with other distance thresholds to determined which partition lines (line segments) are pertinent to the mapping and vehicle control);
determining, based on a distance between the reference point and map lines in the map information, a map-based average lane width (Inoue, [0107]-[0108] the camera mappings for the partition lines are used to determine a lane width for the partition lines of the map, denoted as (WC1 and WC2) in figure 6, this is determined using the reference point of the camera and vehicle position with the partition lines);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on comparing the sensor-based average lane width with the map-based average lane width (Inoue, [0108] the two distances are compared to verify the recognized lane lines (filtering the line segments)).
The combination of Piao and Inoue would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the addition of the partition line filtering methods of Inoue is that it would allow for better driving control and more accurate lane line determination. (Inoue, [0100], [0107]-[0108], [0074], [0098] and [0095])
Regarding claim 10 the combination of Piao and Inoue teaches; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to filter at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information by: filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on (Piao, [0152] to assure lane lines are not mapped as overlapping, endpoints of lane line segments may have a connectivity score generated to cluster line segment points of interest together (filtering the segments)):
a difference between the sensor-based average lane width and the map-based average lane width exceeding a first threshold ratio by at least a threshold margin (Inoue, [0108] the two distances (WC1 and D1 as noted in figure 4 and 6) are compared to verify the recognized lane lines (filtering the line segments), [0107] the distances are compared to be within a threshold margin of D1 where the comparison of WC1 and D1 would be a first ratio which must be within a threshold range),or the difference between the sensor-based average lane width and the map-based average lane width exceeding a second threshold ratio (Since this limitation provides the option of the difference being compared to a first or a second threshold ratio, the examiner is interpreting this as meaning the previously mapped paragraph of Inoue as satisfying the limitation).
The combination of Piao and Inoue would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the addition of the partition line filtering methods of Inoue is that it would allow for better driving control and more accurate lane line determination. (Inoue, [0100], [0107]-[0108], [0074], [0098] and [0095])
Regarding claim 11 the combination of Piao and Inoue teaches; The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: based on a difference between a sensor-based average lane width and a map-based average lane width exceeding a first threshold ratio by at least a threshold margin or exceeding a second threshold ratio (Inoue, [0108] the two distances (WC1 and D1 as noted in figure 4 and 6) are compared to verify the recognized lane lines (filtering the line segments), [0107] the distances are compared to be within a threshold margin of D1 where the comparison of WC1 and D1 would be a first ratio which must be within a threshold range),
and further based on a traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling being an outermost lane of a road (Inoue, as shown in figure 6 and 7 the vehicle is on the outmost lane of the road, further the methods described in [0107]-[0108] would be applicable where the vehicle is traveling in any lane),
controlling the operation of the vehicle based on the one or more line segments or the map information (Inoue, [0107]-[0108] the partition line mapping method is used to determine and update the vehicle’s traveling trajectory).
The combination of Piao and Inoue would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the addition of the partition line filtering methods of Inoue is that it would allow for better driving control and more accurate lane line determination. (Inoue, [0100], [0107]-[0108], [0074], [0098] and [0095])
Regarding claim 19 the combination of Piao and Inoue teaches; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises:
filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on: a lane on which the vehicle is traveling being widening (Inoue, [0095] lane partition lines (line segments) are adjusted based on the change in width of the lane (widening)),
a distance between the vehicle and a map line in the map information exceeding a threshold distance (Inoue, [0074] partition lines are determined so long as they within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, indicating lines outside that threshold will be filtered out or not accounted for),
and partial line segments, of the one or more line segments, exceeding a threshold angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle (Inoue, [0100] partition lines (line segments) are verified and included in the map using a comparison of a trajectory lines (longitudinal vehicle axis lines) and the angle they form with the partition lines).
The combination of Piao and Inoue would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the addition of the partition line filtering methods of Inoue is that it would allow for better driving control and more accurate lane line determination. (Inoue, [0100], [0074] and [0095])
Regarding claim 20 the combination of Piao and Inoue teaches; The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering of at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information comprises: determining, based on a distance between a reference point and the one or more line segments, a sensor-based average lane width, wherein the reference point is a threshold distance away from a left traffic line of the vehicle (Inoue, [0095] the partition lines (line segments) are verified and vehicle map information is adjusted and accounted for based on lateral distances of the vehicle to the lane lines based on the camera position, denoted as D1 in figure 4, which is analogous to a sensor based positional relationship from the left and right lanes, [0098] driving control and lane mapping is dependent on the average distance between the lane lines (average lane width), denoted as Wa in figure 6, which may be determined by the camera, therefore this is a sensor based average lane width which is used along with other distance thresholds to determined which partition lines (line segments) are pertinent to the mapping and vehicle control);
determining, based on a distance between the reference point and map lines in the map information, a map-based average lane width(Inoue, [0107]-[0108] the camera mappings for the partition lines are used to determine a lane width for the partition lines of the map, denoted as (WC1 and WC2) in figure 6, this is determined using the reference point of the camera and vehicle position with the partition lines);
and filtering the at least one of the one or more line segments or the map information further based on comparing the sensor-based average lane width with the map-based average lane width (Inoue, [0108] the two distances are compared to verify the recognized lane lines (filtering the line segments)).
The combination of Piao and Inoue would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the addition of the partition line filtering methods of Inoue is that it would allow for better driving control and more accurate lane line determination. (Inoue, [0100], [0107]-[0108], [0074], [0098] and [0095])
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A listing of pertinent prior art as determined by the examiner has been provided on the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited form.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JORDAN M ELLIOTT whose telephone number is (703)756-5463. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM ET.
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/J.M.E./Examiner, Art Unit 2666
/EMILY C TERRELL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2666
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