DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to Applicants’ amendment received on June 15, 2026.
Claims 1 and 3-21 are pending in the application. Claim 2 was cancelled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 1 and 3-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tian (CN 111806441 A), hereinafter “Tian”, in view of Carlsson et al. (WO 2017/036491 A1), hereinafter “Carlsson”.
Regarding claim 1, Tian discloses a method, comprising: collecting control-related information; determining, based on the control-related information, a road condition scenario; sending, based on the control-related information, a first information prompt, wherein the first information prompt indicates the road condition scenario; and configuring, based on a preset braking control parameter set corresponding to the road condition scenario, a vehicle (paragraphs 5-12: (“acquiring current state information of a vehicle, road condition information of a road where the vehicle is located and attribute information of the vehicle according to a received braking instruction; the braking instruction is used for instructing the vehicle to execute braking control; determining target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle; and executing braking control on the vehicle according to the target braking time. In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a braking device for a vehicle, the device comprising: the acquisition module is used for acquiring the current state information of a vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle according to the received braking instruction; the braking instruction is used for instructing the vehicle to execute braking control; the determining module is used for determining target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle”)).
Tian fails to disclose that the vehicle pre-stores a plurality of braking control parameter sets in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of road condition scenarios, and wherein the preset braking control parameter set is selected from the plurality of pre-stored braking control parameter sets based on the determined road condition scenario.
However, Carlsson discloses a vehicle that pre-stores a plurality of braking control parameter sets in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of road condition scenarios, and wherein the preset braking control parameter set is selected from the plurality of pre-stored braking control parameter sets based on the determined road condition scenario (Carlsson (The second brake set speed can be selected automatically by the cruise control system, from a stored table or matrix, and/or depending on parameters such as the current road gradient.)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified Tian by incorporating the teachings of Carlsson in order to control the vehicle speed depending on the road condition.
Regarding claim 3, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, wherein after configuring the vehicle, the method further comprises sending a second information prompt, wherein the second information prompt to informs a user that the configuration of the preset braking control parameter set has taken effect (paragraphs 18-32: (“The braking instruction may be an instruction triggered by a driver or other users on the central processing unit, or may be an instruction triggered by a vehicle, and the braking instruction may be triggered in various ways, for example, the driver may press a mechanical button on the central processing unit to trigger the braking instruction, or the driver may input a voice instruction on the central processing unit to trigger the braking instruction, and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment. The current state information of the vehicle includes a current driving speed, a current driving acceleration, a current load capacity, a current driving direction, a current activation state of a signal lamp, etc. of the vehicle, and the current state information can represent the current driving state of the vehicle. The road condition information of the road on which the vehicle is located may include information indicating characteristics of the road on which the vehicle is located, such as a type of the road on which the vehicle is located, a type of a road surface of the road on which the vehicle is located, a gradient of the road on which the vehicle is located, an inclination of the road on which the vehicle is located, and the like. The attribute information of the vehicle may include some information indicating the characteristics of the vehicle such as the age, model, volume, weight, and the like of the vehicle”)).
Regarding claim 4, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the road condition scenario based on the control-related information by: obtaining control-related information of a plurality of channels, wherein each of the channels comprises control-related information corresponding to the channel; and determining, based on the control-related information of the channels, the road condition scenario (paragraphs 18-32: (“Alternatively, the traffic information of the road of the vehicle may be obtained from an image acquired by an image acquisition device mounted on the vehicle. The image acquisition device can be a camera, a camera and other devices with shooting functions. The image acquisition device can be arranged on the inner side of a front windshield of a vehicle and is used for shooting pictures of a road in front of the vehicle so as to obtain road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located. The image acquisition device is arranged on the inner side of the front windshield, so that the phenomenon that a shot picture is not clear due to the fact that a lens is dirty can be avoided. Alternatively, the traffic information of the road where the vehicle is located may also be obtained by receiving the traffic information sent by the traffic information management platform”)).
Regarding claim 5, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the control-related information comprises at least one of: weather information, traffic information, road surface information, vehicle body interior information, vehicle information (paragraphs 18-32: (“Specifically, when the driver drives the vehicle to travel on the road and prepares to control the vehicle to brake, the driver can input a braking instruction on the vehicle, and when the central processing unit on the vehicle receives the braking instruction, the central processing unit on the vehicle can immediately obtain the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle from various data acquisition devices or equipment connected with the central processing unit, so that the central processing unit plans a braking strategy according to the information to control the vehicle to automatically brake”)).
Regarding claim 6, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, wherein configuring the vehicle comprises: detecting a braking operation; and performing, in response to the braking operation and based on the preset braking control parameter set, a configuration, wherein after configuring the vehicle, the method further comprises performing braking control based on the preset braking control parameter set (paragraphs 18-32: (“Specifically, the database on the vehicle stores in advance the correspondence between the state information and the braking time, the correspondence between the road condition information and the braking time, the correspondence between the attribute information and the braking time, and the like. When the central processing unit obtains the current state information of the vehicle based on the previous steps, the braking time corresponding to the state information can be further searched according to the corresponding relation between the state information and the braking time and the current state information of the vehicle; when the central processing unit obtains the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located based on the steps, the braking time corresponding to the road condition information can be further found according to the corresponding relation between the road condition information and the braking time and the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located; when the central processing unit obtains the attribute information of the vehicle based on the foregoing steps, the brake time corresponding to the attribute information can be further found according to the corresponding relationship between the attribute information and the brake time and according to the attribute information of the vehicle. Then, the central processing unit may determine the target braking time according to the braking time corresponding to the searched state information, the braking time corresponding to the road condition information, the braking time corresponding to the attribute information, and the like. Optionally, the central processing unit may also determine the target braking time only according to the braking time corresponding to the searched state information and the braking time corresponding to the road condition information, or determine the target braking time only according to the braking time corresponding to the searched road condition information and the braking time corresponding to the attribute information. Optionally, the central processing unit may further determine the target braking time according to the braking time corresponding to the searched state information, the braking time corresponding to the road condition information, the braking time corresponding to the attribute information, and the braking time corresponding to other information. The other information may include information such as weather, traffic conditions on a road ahead of the vehicle, and the like, for example, if the weather is fog, the target braking time is correspondingly shortened”)).
Regarding claim 7, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, wherein after configuring based on the preset braking control parameter set, the method further comprises: detecting a braking operation; and controlling, in response to the braking operation, braking control based on the configured preset braking control parameter set (paragraphs 18-32: (“In the braking method for a vehicle according to this embodiment, the central processing unit obtains the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road on which the vehicle is located, and the attribute information of the vehicle after receiving the braking instruction, determines the target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road on which the vehicle is located, and the attribute information of the vehicle, and finally performs braking control on the vehicle according to the target braking time. In the braking method, the target braking time is optimized by fully combining the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle, so that the vehicle braking according to the target braking time can safely brake on various types of roads, and the braking effect cannot be influenced by factors such as abnormal road surfaces (such as wet and slippery), uneven roads (such as uphill), or changed attributes of the vehicle (such as aging of braking hardware of the vehicle), and the like, thereby reducing the occurrence of traffic accidents and greatly improving the braking safety of the vehicle”)).
Regarding claim 8, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that travel onto a second road surface from a first road surface is pending; detecting a braking operation; controlling, in response to the braking operation, braking based on a first parameter set, wherein the first parameter set is a preset braking control parameter set configured for travel on a first road surface; determining a second parameter set, wherein the second parameter set is a preset braking control parameter set configured for travel on the second road surface; switching, in response to detecting travel to a joint between the first road surface and the second road surface, from the first parameter set to the second parameter set; and controlling braking based on the second parameter set (paragraphs 22-32).
Regarding claim 9, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: performing, based on the road condition scenario and a preset drive control parameter set corresponding to the road condition scenario, drive control configuration (paragraphs 18-32).
Regarding claim 10, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting a drive operation; and performing, in response to the drive operation and based on the drive control configuration, drive control (paragraphs 20-30).
Regarding claim 11, the modified invention of Tian discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that travel onto a second road surface from a first road surface is pending; detecting a drive operation; performing, in response to the drive operation, drive control based on a first parameter set, wherein the first parameter set is a preset drive control parameter set configured for travel on the first road surface; determining a second parameter set, wherein the second parameter set is a preset drive control parameter set configured for travel on the second road surface; switching, in response to detecting travel to a joint between the first road surface and the second road surface, from the first parameter set to the second parameter set; and performing drive control based on the second parameter set (paragraphs 20-32).
Regarding claim 12, the modified invention of Tian discloses a vehicle control apparatus, comprising: collection apparatus configured to collect control-related information; and determining apparatus configured to: determine, based on the control-related information, a road condition scenario; send, based on the control-related information, a first information prompt, wherein the first information prompt indicates the road condition scenario; and configuration apparatus configured to perform vehicle configuration based on a preset braking control parameter set corresponding to the road condition scenario (paragraphs 5-12: (“acquiring current state information of a vehicle, road condition information of a road where the vehicle is located and attribute information of the vehicle according to a received braking instruction; the braking instruction is used for instructing the vehicle to execute braking control; determining target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle; and executing braking control on the vehicle according to the target braking time. In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a braking device for a vehicle, the device comprising: the acquisition module is used for acquiring the current state information of a vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle according to the received braking instruction; the braking instruction is used for instructing the vehicle to execute braking control; the determining module is used for determining target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle”)), wherein the vehicle control apparatus stores a plurality of braking control parameter sets in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of road condition scenarios, and wherein the configuration apparatus is configured to select the preset braking control parameter set from the plurality of stored braking control parameter sets based on the determined road condition scenario (Carlsson (The second brake set speed can be selected automatically by the cruise control system, from a stored table or matrix, and/or depending on parameters such as the current road gradient.)).
Regarding claim 13, the modified invention of Tian discloses a computer program product comprising instructions that are stored on a non-transitory medium and that, when executed by a processor, cause a vehicle to: collect control-related information; determine, based on the control-related information, a road condition scenario; send, based on the control-related information, a first information prompt, wherein the first information prompt indicates the road condition scenario; and configure, based on a preset braking control parameter set corresponding to the road condition scenario, the vehicle (paragraphs 5-12: (“acquiring current state information of a vehicle, road condition information of a road where the vehicle is located and attribute information of the vehicle according to a received braking instruction; the braking instruction is used for instructing the vehicle to execute braking control; determining target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle; and executing braking control on the vehicle according to the target braking time. In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a braking device for a vehicle, the device comprising: the acquisition module is used for acquiring the current state information of a vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle according to the received braking instruction; the braking instruction is used for instructing the vehicle to execute braking control; the determining module is used for determining target braking time by analyzing the current state information of the vehicle, the road condition information of the road where the vehicle is located and the attribute information of the vehicle”)), wherein the vehicle stores a plurality of braking control parameter sets in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of road condition scenarios, and wherein the preset braking control parameter set is selected from the plurality of stored braking control parameter sets based on the determined road condition scenario (Carlsson (The second brake set speed can be selected automatically by the cruise control system, from a stored table or matrix, and/or depending on parameters such as the current road gradient.)).
Regarding claim 14, the modified invention of Tian discloses the computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the vehicle to: determine that travel onto a second road surface from a first road surface is pending; detect a braking operation; control, in response to the braking operation, braking based on a first parameter set, wherein the first parameter set is a preset braking control parameter set configured for travel on a first road surface; determine a second parameter set, wherein the second parameter set is a preset braking control parameter set configured for travel on the second road surface; switch, in response to detecting travel to a joint between the first road surface and the second road surface, from the first parameter set to the second parameter set; and control braking based on the second parameter set (paragraphs 25-30).
Regarding claim 15, the modified invention of Tian discloses the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the vehicle to perform, based on the road condition scenario and a preset drive control parameter set corresponding to the road condition scenario, drive control configuration (paragraphs 18-31).
Regarding claim 16, the modified invention of Tian discloses the computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the vehicle to: detect a drive operation; and perform, in response to the detected drive operation and based on the drive control configuration, drive control (paragraphs 18-25).
Regarding claim 17, the modified invention of Tian discloses the computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the vehicle to: determine that travel onto a second road surface from a first road surface is pending; detect a drive operation; perform, in response to the drive operation, drive control based on a first parameter set, wherein the first parameter set is a preset drive control parameter set configured for travel on the first road surface; determine a second parameter set, wherein the second parameter set is a preset drive control parameter set configured for travel on the second road surface; switch, in response to detecting travel to a joint between the first road surface and the second road surface, from the first parameter set to the second parameter set; and perform drive control based on the second parameter set (paragraphs 18-32).
Regarding claim 18, the modified invention of Tian discloses the vehicle control apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: determine that travel onto a second road surface from a first road surface is pending; detect a braking operation; control, in response to the braking operation, braking based on a first parameter set, wherein the first parameter set is a preset braking control parameter set configured for travel on a first road surface; determine a second parameter set, wherein the second parameter set is a preset braking control parameter set configured for travel on the second road surface; switch, in response to detecting travel to a joint between the first road surface and the second road surface, from the first parameter set to the second parameter set; and control braking based on the second parameter set (paragraphs 22-32).
Regarding claim 19, the modified invention of Tian discloses the vehicle control apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured to perform, based on the road condition scenario and a preset drive control parameter set corresponding to the road condition scenario, drive control configuration (paragraphs 20-30).
Regarding claim 20, the modified invention of Tian discloses the vehicle control apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: detect a drive operation; and perform, in response to the drive operation and based on the drive control configuration, drive control (paragraphs 20-32).
Regarding claim 21, the modified invention of Tian discloses the vehicle control apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: determine that travel onto a second road surface from a first road surface is pending; detect a drive operation; perform, in response to the drive operation, drive control based on a first parameter set, wherein the first parameter set is a preset drive control parameter set configured for travel on the first road surface; determine a second parameter set, wherein the second parameter set is a preset drive control parameter set configured for travel on the second road surface; switch, in response to detecting travel to a joint between the first road surface and the second road surface, from the first parameter set to the second parameter set; and perform drive control based on the second parameter set (paragraphs 18-30).
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ remarks filed on June 15, 2026 have been fully considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the current rejection.
Applicants’ amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicants are reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Conclusion
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/O.M/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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