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
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.
(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.
Claims 1-8 and 10-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Aoki (US 6822681 B1).
Claim 1: Aoki teaches an optical distance sensor with closed-loop exposure control, comprising:
a light source for generating an illumination light beam and for guiding the illumination light beam to a measured object (Fig. 2, light emitting device 14),
a detector for detecting a measuring light beam that has been caused by reflection of the illumination light beam at the measured object (Fig. 2, imaging device 28),
a measurement controller for controlling the detector when the measuring light beam is detected and when measurement values are read out (Col 4, lines 20-34),
an evaluation unit configured, in a phase of a measurement operation, to evaluate measurement values of the detector for determining a distance between the optical distance sensor and the measured object (Col 4, line 58 to Col 5 line 24 - describing evaluation of received signal),
and a closed-loop controller which drives the light source, the detector or the measurement controller such that a received amount of light, which is detected during a shutter time by the detector, is situated in a target range or approaches said target range (Col 8, lines 14-36 - controlling number of light pulses based on received light),
wherein the optical distance sensor is designed, both in phases of the measurement operation and in measurement pauses formed between the phases of the measurement operation, to emit an illumination light beam, and to detect a measuring light beam (Fig. 7, showing all signals S2-S6 between sync signals S1),
and to evaluate the latter by means of the closed-loop controller (Col 8, lines 14-36 - controlling number of light pulses based on received light - closed loop).
Claim 2: Aoki teaches the optical distance sensor according to claim 1, wherein the measurement controller is configured to prompt a readout of measurement values of the detector at a constant time interval (Fig. 7, reflected light beam and signal charge at constant timings and Col 5, line 49 - Col 6, line 3 - electronic shuttering).
Claim 3: Aoki teaches the optical distance sensor according to claim 1, wherein the measurement controller is configured to define an exposure start at which a detection of the measuring light beam commences, depending on a shutter time of the detector (Col 5, line 49 - Col 6, line 3 - electronic shuttering).
Claim 4: Aoki teaches the optical distance sensor according to claim 1, wherein the closed-loop controller, for a closed-loop control of the received amount of light, is configured to influence an intensity of the illumination light beam, a pulse duration of the illumination light beam, an exposure start of the detector, and/or a shutter time of the detector (Col 8, lines 14-36 - controlling number of light pulses based on received light).
Claim 5: Aoki teaches the optical distance sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a readout memory configured to store read-out measurement values of the detector (Col 4, lines 30-34 and Col 11, lines 52-63 - reading out memory),
wherein an analog-to-digital converter can be arranged between the detector and the readout memory (Col 4, lines 5-10 and A/D converter 32).
Claim 6: Aoki teaches the optical distance sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a plurality of detector elements (Fig. 5 and Col 5, lines 25-34),
and wherein a detector element is configured to form a portion of the received amount of light (Col 5, lines 17-24).
Claim 7: Claim 7 is a method claim corresponding to Claim 1. Thus, see rejection above.
Claim 8: Aoki teaches the method according to claim 7, wherein at least one intermediate measurement is carried out between two successive phases of the measurement operation (Col 8, lines 7-13, calculated level assessment value before adjusting light source then measuring distance),
wherein the illumination light beam is generated during an intermediate measurement and the measuring light beam is detected without a distance value being determined (Col 8, lines 7-36 - adjusting light emitter between two measurements).
Claim 10: Aoki teaches the method according to claim 7, wherein an intermediate measurement is performed in a timing window immediately before a phase of the measurement operation in order to correct possible deviations of the received amount of light from the target range (Col 8, lines 7-13, calculated level assessment value before adjusting light source then measuring distance).
Claim 11: Aoki teaches the method according to claim 7, wherein information for an improvement of measurement values is detected between two successive phases of the measurement operation (Col 8, lines 7-36 - adjusting light emitter between two measurements).
Claim 12: Aoki teaches the method according to claim 11, wherein the measurement value improvement comprises a background masking for correcting an influence of background light, and wherein the detector is exposed to background light to acquire information for the background masking (Col 7, lines 17-28 - correcting for background light).
Claim 13: Aoki teaches the method according to claim 12, wherein the detector is exposed to the background light to acquire information for the background masking without the illumination light beam (Col 9, lines 43-64).
Claim 14: Aoki teaches the optical distance sensor according to claim 6, wherein the detector elements are arranged in a line or area (Fig. 5 and Col 5, lines 25-34).
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, 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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aoki (US 6822681 B1) in view of Kong (US 20070052839 A1).
Claim 9: Aoki teaches the method according to Claim 8 Aoki does not teach, but Kong does teach wherein, in a case of a plurality of intermediate measurements, before performing a possible intermediate measurement, the method comprises checking whether a closed-loop control difference determined by the closed-loop controller is above a first threshold value and a further intermediate measurement is thus required, or whether a-the closed-loop control difference determined by the closed-loop controller is below a second threshold value and a further intermediate measurement is thus unnecessary ([0048] – iterating until brightness is within a control margin. Note [0043] of application specification states first and second thresholds may be equal, so here both thresholds are the control margin).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the iterative control, as taught by Aoki, in the method as taught by Kong, because, as Aoki teaches, this eliminates the need for complex algorithms for calibration, and, unlike other such methods which only provide global exposure control, Aoki’s method allows for more customized control ([0003]).
Conclusion
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/CLARA G CHILTON/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/HELAL A ALGAHAIM/SPE , Art Unit 3645