DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 17 – 31 remain pending in the application and have been fully considered.
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 18 – 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.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "the dominant time constant" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 19 recites the limitation "the lane guidance" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 19 recites the limitation "the starting value" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 17 – 24, 29 – 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhu (US 2019/0361438).
Regarding Claim 17:
Zhu teaches a method for automatically guiding a vehicle (paragraph 0001, abstract), comprising: determining a manipulated variable with a lateral control as a function of a lateral deviation error which describes a lateral offset of the vehicle relative to a specified target trajectory (paragraph 0053); adjusting a lateral position of the vehicle to the target trajectory as a function of the manipulated variable (paragraph 0051) ;additionally applying a calibration value to the manipulated variable (paragraph 0053); and determining the calibration value by a calibration function at least partly as a function of an integration over time of the lateral deviation error (paragraph 0057).
Regarding Claim 18, as best understood:
Zhu teaches a time constant of the calibration function is larger than the dominant time constant of the lateral control by at least by a factor of 2 (paragraph 0046).
Regarding Claim 19, as best understood:
Zhu teaches determining an integration value of the calibration function by the integration over time of the lateral deviation error, wherein the integration value is retained when the lane guidance is deactivated and is used as the starting value of the integration over time of the lateral deviation error when the lane guidance is reactivated (paragraphs 0051 – 0057).
Regarding Claim 20:
Zhu teaches the lateral control comprises a pre- control, wherein the pre-control determines a pre-control variable as a function of a measured and/or predicted curvature value of a road used by the vehicle, and wherein the manipulated variable includes the pre-control variable as a component (paragraphs 0051 – 0057).
Regarding Claim 21:
Zhu teaches the pre-control is effected as a function of a vehicle model which describes an inherent steering gradient of the vehicle, wherein the inherent steering gradient is adapted during the operation of the vehicle as a function of at least one vehicle parameter, the at least one vehicle parameter including at least one of a vehicle mass (paragraph 0046) and a tire stiffness.
Regarding Claim 22:
Zhu teaches the integration over time of the lateral deviation error is effected with a weighting factor, the weighting factor including a coefficient of integration which depends on a speed of the vehicle and/or increases as the amount of the lateral deviation error rises (via PID, paragraph 0051 - 0057).
Regarding Claim 23:
Zhu teaches stopping the integration over time of the lateral deviation error by the calibration function in response to at least one of: the integration value of the calibration function determined by the integration over time of the lateral deviation error corresponding to a specified limit value (paragraphs 0046); a measured and/or predicted curvature value of a road used by the vehicle exceeding a specified threshold; a curvature value of the target trajectory exceeding a specified threshold; the product of the square of the current vehicle speed and the curvature value of the road exceeding a specified threshold; and the product of the square of the current vehicle speed and the curvature value of the target trajectory exceeding a specified threshold.
Regarding Claim 24:
Zhu teaches the integration over time of the lateral deviation error is stopped and/or the application of the calibration value to the manipulated variable is suspended when a steering torque above a specified threshold is generated (paragraphs 0051 – 0057) and/or a steering torque which enlarges the current lateral deviation error is generated by a steering intervention by a driver of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 29:
Zhu teaches the at least one calibration function is in each case embodied as an I element or as a PT1 element (via PID, paragraph 0051).
Regarding Claim 30:
See rejection of Claim 17 above.
Regarding Claim 31:
See rejection of Claim 17 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 24 – 28 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LONG T TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1899. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:00 - 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Logan Kraft can be reached at 571-270-5065. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LONG T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
