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)(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) 1-3, 6, 8-9, 13, 15, 18-19, 23, and 26, 28-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Buss DE102015118670A.
Re claim 1. Buss teaches A cleaning system for cleaning a sensor window (21) of an optical sensing device (20) of a motor vehicle (see Abstract), the system comprising a housing module for cooperating with the sensing device (camera device 10 [0038]), comprising a window opening, that defines a sensor window plane, for receiving therein the sensor window of the optical sensing device; a wiper module (30) including a wiper (32) for wiping the sensor window; a drive module (13), having a rotary output organ; and a kinematic transformer module (11) interconnected between the drive module and the wiper module and configured for transforming a rotation of the rotary output organ (13) of the drive module so as to drive the wiper in a cyclic wiper trajectory ([ 0038, 0039, 0041, 0007, 0009, Figs 1-6].
Re claim 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cyclic wiper trajectory comprises a wiping section in which the wiper is driven substantially in the sensor window plane so as to wipe the sensor window, and a non-wiping section in which the wiper is driven at a distance away from the sensor window plane without wiping the sensor window. ([0009], [0010]: The cleaning unit can move into contact with the lens for cleaning (wiping section) and away from the lens (non-wiping section), e.g., “the guide element can assume a first position and at least a second position, wherein in the first position the cleaning unit is located in the region of the camera unit… and in the second position the guide element and thus the cleaning unit is spaced apart from the camera unit or the lens.”)
Re claim 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is arranged to move the wiper along a first section of the wiper trajectory having a directional component parallel to the sensor window plane, and wherein the system is arranged to move the wiper along a second section of the wiper trajectory having a directional component transverse to the sensor window plane. (The guide element can be moved translationally along a guide track, so that e.g. a telescopic movement of the cleaning unit can be achieved… In the case of a rotational movement, the guide element and thus the cleaning unit can rotate at least partially about its own axis… the guide element also moves during the cleaning process, so that substantially a large part of the lens… can be cleaned, in particular mechanically, [0009])4-5. (canceled)
Re claim 6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the wiper trajectory includes an initial point in which the wiper assumes an initial position at or near an edge of the window opening, and wherein the system is arranged to drive the wiper from the initial position, along the wiper trajectory, firstly through the non-wiping section and secondly through the wiping section. ([0007]): “In the case of a movable camera unit, the camera unit moves in the direction of the cleaning unit… during the movement of the camera unit from an active position into a passive position or vice versa and in, for example, a cleaning position, wherein the camera unit can be positioned on the cleaning unit in such a way that the lens… is located at least temporarily in front of the cleaning unit. It is preferred that a mechanical cleaning… can be carried out by the cleaning unit, wherein the cleaning unit makes contact at least in sections with the camera unit and in particular with the lens…”)7. (canceled)
Re claim 8. The system according to claim 1, comprising a moistening device arranged for selectively releasing a cleaning medium. ([0015], [0035], [0041]): “The cleaning unit… can have at least one opening, in particular at least one nozzle, as a result of which at least one fluid… can be conducted in the direction of the lens. By introducing the fluid into the cleaning process, the purely mechanical cleaning… can be improved…”
Re claim 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the moistening device comprises one or more nozzles which are movably arranged relative to the housing module, and wherein the system is arranged for moving the one or more nozzles over the sensor window so as to deposit the cleaning medium onto the sensor window. ([0015], [0035], [0041]): Nozzles can be arranged on the support element, which is itself movable over the lens; thus, the nozzles move with the cleaning element across the window.10-12. (canceled)
Re claim 13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the system is arranged to release, in use with the moistening device, the cleaning medium when the wiper is driven along the non-wiping section of the wiper trajectory. ([0015], [0041]): “By introducing the fluid into the cleaning process, the purely mechanical cleaning… can be improved, wherein, for example, a part of the dirt itself is removed or at least softened by the at least one fluid… so that subsequent mechanical cleaning by the cleaning element is facilitated.”
Re claim 15. The system according to claim 1, comprising a shielding cover for at least partly shielding the window opening, wherein the system is arranged to move the shielding cover relative to the housing module between a closed state in which the shielding cover at least partly covers the window opening, and an open state, in which the shielding has uncovered the window opening. ([0014], [0038]): “Guide element can have at least one protective element… in the closed position… the lens… is located inaccessible from the outside behind the protective element, and in the open position… the lens… is released by the protective element for image acquisition and the cleaning unit is arranged on the protective element…”
17. (canceled)
Re claim 18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the system is arranged to at least partly cover the sensor window, with the shielding cover when, in use, the cleaning medium is deposited onto the sensor window. ([0014]: “at least in the closed position an in particular mechanical cleaning of the lens can be carried out”; [0015]: fluid can be supplied during cleaning).
Re claim 19. The system according to claim 1, the wiper module comprising a wiper frame, wherein the wiper frame includes a first guide member arranged for cooperating with the housing module for guiding a movement of the wiper frame in a direction substantially parallel to the sensor window plane, and a second guide member arranged for cooperating with the wiper for guiding a movement of the wiper relative to the wiper frame in a direction transverse to the sensor window plane. ([0009], [0033]): “The guide element can be moved translationally along a guide track… In the case of a rotational movement, the guide element… can rotate at least partially about its own axis… the guide element also moves during the cleaning process…”20-22. (canceled)
Re claim 23. The system according to claim 1, the wiper comprising a wiper blade and a wiper blade holder for holding the wiper blade, wherein the wiper blade is spring-loadedly movable relative to the wiper blade holder in a direction transverse to the sensor window plane. ([0017], [0021]): “The support element, the cleaning element, the guide element and/or the protective element can be spring-mounted… This ensures that, due to too high a pressure of the cleaning element on the lens, the latter is damaged or ensures that the cleaning element can adapt to the shape of the lens…”24-25. (canceled)
Re claim 26. The system according to claim 1, comprising a control unit arranged for controlling a rotary motion of the rotary output organ of the drive module. ([0018], [0041]): “The camera device can have an electronics unit, wherein the electronics unit is at least in signal connection with the cleaning unit, as a result of which a cleaning process can be controlled and/or regulated.”)
Re claim 28. The system according to claim 26 wherein the control unit is arranged for controlling the moistening device. ([0018], [0041]): Electronics unit controls both the mechanical and fluid cleaning processes.)
Re claim 29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which the cleaning medium is released, by the moistening device, while the wiper is in the non-wiping section of the wiper trajectory, and/or in which the moistening device refrains from releasing the cleaning medium while the wiper is in the wiping section of the wiper trajectory. ( [0041] “The electronics unit… can control different cleaning modes, wherein e.g. a rotational movement of the support element and/or of the cleaning element first for a defined time in a first direction… and then into another…”)
Re claim 30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which a motion of the wiper is intermitted for a predetermined soaking time, after release of the cleaning medium.
Re claim 31. The system according to claim 28, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which the cleaning medium is released from the one or more nozzles of the moistening device, while the nozzles face a scraping unit of the cleaning system.
Re claim 32. The system according to claim 28, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which the moistening device refrains from releasing a cleaning medium during at least an entire cycle of the wiper trajectory.33-62. (canceled)
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(s) 14, 16, 27, and 30-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Buss DE102015118670A.
Re claim 14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the system is arranged to release, in use with the moistening device, 2-20 mL of liquid cleaning medium in a single wiper trajectory cycle. Buss teaches [0015]: “The at least one fluid can be water and/or a chemical or biological cleaning liquid, wherein for example the cleaning liquid or the fluid of the window and/or headlight cleaning system can be used. In addition, the camera device can have its own fluid container, wherein the fluid container contains at least one fluid which is used for cleaning the camera unit and/or lens.” And [0041]: “The electronics unit can control a cleaning process periodically, for example, so that it is ensured that the lens is cleaned at a regular distance. The electronics unit can likewise be designed in such a way that manual actuation of the cleaning unit by the user is carried out. … In addition, it is conceivable for the electronics unit to regulate and/or control the intensity of the cleaning process, so that, for example, the duration and/or the force applied to the lens or the pressure of the cleaning element on the lens is regulated and/or controlled.”. Thus Buss discloses a system that is capable of controlling the amount of cleaning fluid delivered per cleaning cycle, as the electronics unit can regulate the “intensity” (duration, pressure, and thus volume) of fluid delivery. It would have been obvious to optimize the amount of cleaning fluid delivered per cycle to a small, effective range (such as 2–20 mL) in order to conserve fluid, avoid excess mess, and ensure proper cleaning, especially since Buss explicitly teaches regulation of fluid delivery ([0041]) and the use of small, targeted cleaning fluid supplies ([0015]).
Re claim 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the shielding cover is slidably receivable in a cavity of the housing module, the system being arranged to move the shielding cover relative to the housing module between the closed state, in which the shielding cover extends substantially parallel to the sensor window plane so as to cover the sensor window, and the open state, in which the shielding cover is slidably received in the cavity and extends substantially transverse to the sensor window plane. Buss teaches “Within the scope of the invention, the guide element can have at least one protective element, wherein the guide element can be moved via the first drive unit from at least one closed position into at least one open position, wherein in the closed position of the guide element at least the lens of the camera unit is located inaccessible from the outside behind the protective element, and in the open position at least the lens of the camera unit is released by the protective element for image acquisition and the cleaning unit is arranged on the protective element, so that at least in the closed position an in particular mechanical cleaning of the lens can be carried out.” [0014]; [0038], [0039] and Figs. 1–2: Show the protective element (12) and guide element (11) moving between open and closed positions, covering and uncovering the lens. Buss explicitly teaches a movable protective (shielding) cover (protective element 12) that moves between a closed position (covering the lens, parallel to the window plane) and an open position (retracted to allow image acquisition). While Buss describes the movement as being along a guide element, and Figs. 1–2 suggest a rotational or translational movement, it does not explicitly state that the cover is “slidably receivable in a cavity” and “extends substantially transverse to the sensor window plane” in the open state. However, It would have been obvious to a POSITA to implement the shielding cover as slidably receivable in a cavity (i.e., sliding into a slot beneath or beside the window) as an alternative to a hinged or purely rotational cover. Such sliding covers are well-known in the art for compactness, protection, and minimizing protrusion (see, e.g., sliding sunroofs, glove box covers, or camera covers in vehicles).
Re claim 27. The system according to claim 26, comprising a position sensor for sensing a position of the wiper in the wiper trajectory, wherein the control unit is operatively connected to the position sensor. Buss explicitly discloses the use of sensors (such as force sensors and dirt sensors) connected to the electronics/control unit to monitor and regulate aspects of the cleaning process ([0018], [0041], [0020]). While Buss does not explicitly mention a “position sensor” for the wiper, it repeatedly describes the electronics unit being in signal connection with the cleaning unit and being capable of controlling the movement, intensity, and timing of the cleaning cycle ([0018], [0041]). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) to include a position sensor for the wiper in such a system, so that the control unit can accurately regulate the start, stop, speed, and timing of the cleaning cycle, as well as coordinate fluid application or other cleaning actions.
Re claim 30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which a motion of the wiper is intermitted for a predetermined soaking time, after release of the cleaning medium. Buss teaches that the cleaning process can include the introduction of fluid to soften dirt before mechanical cleaning ([0015]) and that the electronics unit can control the timing and duration of each step ([0041]). It would be obvious to a POSITA to program the controller to pause (intermit) the wiper’s movement after fluid application to allow for a “soaking” period, as this is a standard practice for improving cleaning efficiency (allowing fluid to loosen debris before wiping).
Re claim 31. The system according to claim 28, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which the cleaning medium is released from the one or more nozzles of the moistening device, while the nozzles face a scraping unit of the cleaning system. Buss describes the use of multiple cleaning modes and the ability to control when and where fluid is applied ([0041]). While Buss does not explicitly state that fluid is released while the nozzles face a scraping unit (for cleaning the wiper or nozzles themselves), it is a routine maintenance feature in cleaning systems to include a self-cleaning mode for the cleaning elements/nozzles. It would have been obvious to a POSITA to include a mode in which the cleaning medium is released while the nozzles are directed at a scraping or cleaning station to flush debris from the nozzles or wiper, as this prevents clogging and maintains system performance.
Re claim 32. The system according to claim 28, wherein the control unit is programmed to include a control mode in which the moistening device refrains from releasing a cleaning medium during at least an entire cycle of the wiper trajectory. Buss teaches that the electronics unit can control when fluid is applied and can execute different cleaning modes, including those where mechanical cleaning is performed without fluid, for example, if the lens is already wet or only slightly contaminated [0041, 0015]. It would have been obvious to a POSITA to include a mode where the wiper operates without releasing cleaning fluid, such as when the sensor window is already wet (e.g., due to rain), to conserve fluid and avoid unnecessary use.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US20200108797A1 Discloses a sensor cleaning device for LiDAR, with a wiper, movement unit (linkage system), drive unit (motor, rack, gear), washer fluid spray, and controller (see P237 Written Opinion).
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/ISAM A ALSOMIRI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645