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 .
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Bartscher al. US Publication No. 20250196755-A1.
Re Claim 1, Bartscher discloses a headlamp for vehicles comprising:
a light source unit (1, Fig. 1) containing a plurality of light source (4, Fig. 1) elements for emitting light (P23);
an optical unit (2, Fig. 1) for mapping the light source elements to form a plurality of illumination areas from which a predetermined light distribution is disposed (P22-23; imaging unit 1 is controlled by means of a control signal 5 generated by the control unit 3 in such a way that the light pixels formed by the individual light sources 4 are mapped by the optical unit 2 to form light spots of a city light distribution L.sub.);
a control unit (3, Fig. 1) for generating a control signal, such that the light source elements can be individually controlled depending on an ambient signal (P22-23, P25);
an ambient sensor (6, Fig. 1) unit for generating the ambient signal, such that ambient parameters in an area in front of the vehicle can be determined, wherein the control unit (3) is configured to generate a control signal dependent on the ambient parameter, so that only those light source elements are controlled which are mapped in such a part of the light distribution in which there is a changed illuminance due to light emitted by an external source (P25).
Re Claim 2, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the part of the light distribution comprises a plurality of illumination areas of respectively mapped light source elements which can be controlled in such a way that the part of the light distribution is formed by superimposing the light emitted by the light source elements (4) and the light emitted by the external light source, wherein resulting illumination values between a predetermined maximum threshold value and a predetermined minimum threshold value are set in this part of the light distribution (P9, P43; figs. 2 and 4).
Re Claim 3, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein such light source elements are jointly controllable with the same control signal, the mapped illumination areas of which are located in a common distance zone of the light distribution, wherein the distance zones differ by a different distance from the vehicle, and in that at least two distance zones are provided which can each be switched on and off independently of one another or have dimmable illumination areas which are arranged next to one another in a horizontal direction (P25).
Re Claim 4, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein at least one distance zone is provided, which comprises a middle distance zone, a left distance zone which adjoins on a first side of the middle distance zone, and a right distance zone which adjoins on a second side of the middle distance zone arranged opposite the first side of the middle distance zone (see claim 3, Figs. 2 and 3).
Re Claim 5, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 4, wherein the light distribution is designed as a city light distribution, wherein: the middle distance zone illuminates one lane of the vehicle; the left distance zone illuminates a further lane of a roadway or a side edge of the roadway; the right distance zone illuminates a further lane of the roadway or a side edge of the roadway (P21, P27-30).
Re Claim 6, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the optical unit (2, Fig. 1) is configured such that a brightness gradient at boundary edges between two adjacent distance zones has such a low gradient that the illuminance curve of the adjacent distance zones overlap (P23).
Re Claim 7, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source elements of a right headlamp and a left headlamp of the vehicle can be controlled differently in such a way that a curve of brightness gradients in an area of boundary edges between two adjacent distance zones has a smaller gradient than when the light source elements of the left and right headlamps are controlled in the same way (P30-31).
Re Claim 8, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source elements are arranged on a chip in such a way that they are each mapped by via the optical unit (3) to form illumination areas, such that the shape of the distance zones in the light distribution is set (P23).
Re Claim 9, Bartscher discloses the headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source elements can be controlled in such a way that only at a minimum distance from the vehicle a plurality of distance zones arranged next to one another in the horizontal direction can be formed in different shapes and/or dimensions (P45).
Re Claim 10, Bartscher discloses a method for controlling a headlamp for vehicles, wherein a plurality of light source elements (4, Fig. 1) are individually controlled depending on ambient parameters and are mapped via an optical unit (2, Fig. 1)to form illumination areas of a predetermined light distribution, wherein illuminance values of illumination areas of the light distribution generated in an area in front of the vehicle are determined (P22-23, P25), and in that, when a predetermined deviation of the determined illuminance values from predetermined illuminance values generated by mapping the respective light source elements is exceeded, the corresponding light source elements are dimmed such that the determined illuminance values lie within the predetermined deviation (P23, P25; Fig. 2).
Re Claim 11, Bartscher discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein when a predetermined upper threshold value is exceeded as a deviation or when a lower threshold value is undershot as a deviation by the measured or calculated illuminance values of the light distribution in the area in front of the vehicle, the light source elements mapped in these illumination areas are controlled in such a way that the measured or calculated illuminance values are below the upper threshold value or above the lower threshold value (P23).
Re Claim 12, Bartscher discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein the measured or calculated illuminance values are determined in groups for different distance zones (Fig. 2).
Re Claim 13, Bartscher discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein the illuminance values in the area in front of the vehicle are determined by evaluating image data from a camera (P13, P25) .
Re Claim 14, Bartscher discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein the illuminance values are calculated by detecting location data of external light sources, wherein the illuminance values result as a superposition of a light generated by the respective light source elements and a light emitted by the external light source (P23-25).
Conclusion
The following reference is cited but not relied upon:
Schneider et al. discloses a method for changing at least one light emission parameter of a headlamp system or a vehicle headlamp of a motor vehicle based on changing ambient light conditions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SONJI N JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5266. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-9pm.
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SONJI N. JOHNSON
Examiner
Art Unit 2876
/SONJI N JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876