Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after 16 Mar 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Applicant presents Claims 1-14 for examination. The Office rejects Claims 1-14 as detailed below.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The claim recites in error “wherein the radiation control unit increases the time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave when one of the reflected wave [<< waves] that is the first electromagnetic wave….”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
+_+_+ Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pan et al. - U.S. Pub. 20200200910 [ids entry] +_+_+
As for Claim 1, Pan teaches a radiation system configured to radiate an electromagnetic wave toward a space in which a target is present; a first detection unit configured to detect a reflected wave that is the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiation system and reflected by the target; a calculation unit configured to calculate a distance to the target based on detection information that is obtained by the first detection unit and that relates to the reflected wave (¶2|1: “Light detection and ranging (Lidar) technology can be used to obtain three-dimensional information of an environment by measuring distances to objects. A Lidar system may include at least a light source configured to emit a pulse of light and a detector configured to receive returned pulse of light. The returned pulse of light or light beam may be referred to as echo light beam. Based on the lapse time between the emission of the pulse of light and detection of returned pulse of light (i.e., time of flight), a distance can be obtained. The pulse of light can be generated by a laser emitter then focused through a lens or lens group. The returned pulse of light may be received by a detector located near the laser emitter. The returned pulse of light may be scattered light from the surface of an object.”); and a radiation control unit configured to cause the radiation system to radiate the electromagnetic wave, wherein the radiation control unit causes a first electromagnetic wave to be radiated and then causes a second electromagnetic wave with a greater output than the first electromagnetic wave to be radiated, and wherein the calculation unit calculates the distance to the target based on the reflected wave of the first electromagnetic wave when the first detection unit becomes saturated with the reflected wave of the second electromagnetic wave (¶47|4: “In some embodiments of the present application, a multi-pulse sequence comprising a plurality of light pulses of various amplitudes may be utilized for removing a measurement blind zone. In some cases, the multi-pulse sequence may comprise a first laser pulse with a low peak power emitted at a first time point, and a second laser pulse with a high peak power emitted at a second time point. The multi-pulse sequence may be emitted along substantially the same direction or into a spot in a 3D space. Since the peak power of the first laser pulse is small, a stray light may not cause voltage saturation of a detection circuit, and a first laser pulse echo signal reflected by a near-field obstacle may be detected. Using light pulses of different amplitudes may effectively solving the problem of the measurement blind zone for the near-field obstacle caused by the stray light inside a Lidar while preserving the detection of a far-field obstacle using the second laser pulse which has a higher peak power.”)
As for Claim 2, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches wherein the radiation control unit causes the second electromagnetic wave to be radiated before the reflected wave of the first electromagnetic wave is incident on the first detection unit (¶47|4: “In some embodiments of the present application, a multi-pulse sequence comprising a plurality of light pulses of various amplitudes may be utilized for removing a measurement blind zone. In some cases, the multi-pulse sequence may comprise a first laser pulse with a low peak power emitted at a first time point, and a second laser pulse with a high peak power emitted at a second time point.”)
As for Claim 3, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches wherein the radiation control unit causes the first electromagnetic wave to be radiated and then causes the second electromagnetic wave to be radiated before the first detection unit becomes able to detect the reflected wave of the first electromagnetic wave (¶47|4: “In some embodiments of the present application, a multi-pulse sequence comprising a plurality of light pulses of various amplitudes may be utilized for removing a measurement blind zone. In some cases, the multi-pulse sequence may comprise a first laser pulse with a low peak power emitted at a first time point, and a second laser pulse with a high peak power emitted at a second time point.”)
As for Claim 4, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches wherein the radiation control unit adjusts a time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave based on a detection result relating to the reflected wave of the first electromagnetic wave and a detection result relating to the reflected wave of the second electromagnetic wave, the detection results being obtained by the first detection unit (¶49|13: “In some cases, a time interval between the second time point and the first time point is greater than T, and the T is a time length from a time point at which a laser pulse is emitted to a time point at which a laser pulse echo signal reflected by a near-field obstacle is received.)”)
As for Claim 5, which depends on Claim 4, Pan teaches wherein the radiation control unit increases the time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave when one of the reflected wave [<< waves] that is the first electromagnetic wave reflected by the target and the reflected wave that is the second electromagnetic wave reflected by the target is detected by the first detection unit (¶49|13: “In some cases, a time interval between the second time point and the first time point is greater than T, and the T is a time length from a time point at which a laser pulse is emitted to a time point at which a laser pulse echo signal reflected by a near-field obstacle is received.)”)
As for Claim 6, which depends on Claim 4, Pan teaches wherein, if the radiation control unit causes the radiation system to perform radiation of the electromagnetic wave multiple times including radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave, and a number of times the first detection unit detects the reflected wave is smaller than a number of times the radiation system performs radiation of the electromagnetic wave, the radiation control unit increases the time interval between the radiations of the electromagnetic waves performed by the radiation system (¶83|1: “In some cases, the subset of returned pulses may be selected based on one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may determine an amplitude or intensity of a sensor output signal. The one or more parameters may be generated by a computing unit such as a controller of the Lidar system. In some cases, one or more parameters may be generated based on the temporal profile of the multi-pulse sequence and one or more real-time conditions. As described above, the temporal profile of a sequence may be defined by the number of pulses, time intervals ( e.g., Ti1 ), duration of the sequence (e.g., Ti2), amplitude of the pulses, or a combination thereof in a sequence. ”)
As for Claim 7, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches further comprising: a second detection unit (¶94|1: “The receiving module 1330 may comprise one or more detectors configured to receive the echo beams or return signals.”) configured to detect light from the space and output image information of the space, wherein the radiation control unit adjusts a time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave based on the image information (¶83|1: “In some cases, the subset of returned pulses may be selected based on one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may determine an amplitude or intensity of a sensor output signal. The one or more parameters may be generated by a computing unit such as a controller of the Lidar system. In some cases, one or more parameters may be generated based on the temporal profile of the multi-pulse sequence and one or more real-time conditions. As described above, the temporal profile of a sequence may be defined by the number of pulses, time intervals ( e.g., Ti1 ), duration of the sequence (e.g., Ti2), amplitude of the pulses, or a combination thereof in a sequence. ”)
As for Claim 8, which depends on Claim 7, Pan teaches wherein, when an object among one or more targets that is inclined with respect to an optical axis is irradiated with the electromagnetic wave, the radiation control unit increases the time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave based on the image information (¶83|1: “In some cases, the subset of returned pulses may be selected based on one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may determine an amplitude or intensity of a sensor output signal. The one or more parameters may be generated by a computing unit such as a controller of the Lidar system. In some cases, one or more parameters may be generated based on the temporal profile of the multi-pulse sequence and one or more real-time conditions. As described above, the temporal profile of a sequence may be defined by the number of pulses, time intervals ( e.g., Ti1 ), duration of the sequence (e.g., Ti2), amplitude of the pulses, or a combination thereof in a sequence. ”)
As for Claim 9, which depends on Claim 7, Pan teaches wherein the radiation control unit increases a difference of magnitude of output between the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave based on a luminance of the target included in the image information (¶83|1: “In some cases, the subset of returned pulses may be selected based on one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may determine an amplitude or intensity of a sensor output signal. The one or more parameters may be generated by a computing unit such as a controller of the Lidar system. In some cases, one or more parameters may be generated based on the temporal profile of the multi-pulse sequence and one or more real-time conditions. …For example, greater number of pulses may be accumulated for measurement of a long distance object (e.g., object located in far field) since the echo signals reflected from a far field tend to be weak whereas smaller number of pulses may be accumulated for measurement in a short distance ( e.g., object located in near field) or higher reflection scenario since echo signals from a near field or high-reflection surface tend to be strong. This may beneficially improve SNR of the sensor output signal regardless of the measurement distance range.”)
As for Claim 10, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches wherein, when a difference between a distance to a position of one of multiple objects present in the space and a distance to a position of another one of the multiple objects is large, the radiation control unit increases a difference of magnitude of output between the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave (¶83|1: “In some cases, the subset of returned pulses may be selected based on one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may determine an amplitude or intensity of a sensor output signal. The one or more parameters may be generated by a computing unit such as a controller of the Lidar system. In some cases, one or more parameters may be generated based on the temporal profile of the multi-pulse sequence and one or more real-time conditions. As described above, the temporal profile of a sequence may be defined by the number of pulses, time intervals ( e.g., Ti1 ), duration of the sequence (e.g., Ti2), amplitude of the pulses, or a combination thereof in a sequence. The one or more real-time conditions may comprise an estimated measurement range, an object detected in the near field and the like. In some cases, the number of pulses or selection of pulses accumulated for forming a signal may be determined based on the detection range. For example, greater number of pulses may be accumulated for measurement of a long-distance object (e.g., object located in far field) since the echo signals reflected from a far field tend to be weak whereas smaller number of pulses may be accumulated for measurement in a short distance ( e.g., object located in near field) or higher reflection scenario since echo signals from a near field or high-reflection surface tend to be strong. This may beneficially improve SNR of the sensor output signal regardless of the measurement distance range.”)
As for Claim 11, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches when a number of the reflected waves detected by the first detection unit is one, and the single reflected wave has a pulse width smaller than a predetermined width, the calculation unit calculates the distance to the target while considering the reflected wave as the reflected wave of the second electromagnetic wave (¶50|1: “In the conventional Lidar systems, since the emitted laser pulses are directly absorbed by the APD, the detection circuit is saturated, thereby submerging the laser pulse echo signals reflected by the near-field obstacle, and forming a measurement blind zone. The provided method of emitting dual pulses, i.e., emitting a weak first laser pulse at a first time point for near-field obstacle measurement, and emitting a strong second laser pulse at a second time point for far-field obstacle measurement may effectively avoid the measurement blind zone.”)
As for Claim 12, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches wherein the electromagnetic-wave detection apparatus is configured to be mounted on a vehicle (¶39|3: “Lidar has been widely applied in the fields of intelligent robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous driving or self-driving [i.e., passenger vehicles].”), and wherein, when the space includes a first region and a second region located below the first region, and the electromagnetic wave is radiated toward the second region, the radiation control unit increases a time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave to be larger than the time interval between radiation of the first electromagnetic wave and radiation of the second electromagnetic wave when the electromagnetic wave is radiated toward the first region (¶83|1: “In some cases, the subset of returned pulses may be selected based on one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may determine an amplitude or intensity of a sensor output signal. The one or more parameters may be generated by a computing unit such as a controller of the Lidar system. In some cases, one or more parameters may be generated based on the temporal profile of the multi-pulse sequence and one or more real-time conditions. As described above, the temporal profile of a sequence may be defined by the number of pulses, time intervals ( e.g., Ti1 ), duration of the sequence (e.g., Ti2), amplitude of the pulses, or a combination thereof in a sequence. The one or more real-time conditions may comprise an estimated measurement range, an object detected in the near field and the like. In some cases, the number of pulses or selection of pulses accumulated for forming a signal may be determined based on the detection range. For example, greater number of pulses may be accumulated for measurement of a long-distance object (e.g., object located in far field) since the echo signals reflected from a far field tend to be weak whereas smaller number of pulses may be accumulated for measurement in a short distance ( e.g., object located in near field) or higher reflection scenario since echo signals from a near field or high-reflection surface tend to be strong. This may beneficially improve SNR of the sensor output signal regardless of the measurement distance range.”)
As for Claim 13, which depends on Claim 1, Pan teaches wherein the radiation system includes a light-source driving device to which a first control signal for causing the radiation system to radiate the first electromagnetic wave and a second control signal for causing the radiation system to radiate the second electromagnetic wave are input from the radiation control unit, and wherein the light-source driving device includes a laser diode configured to emit pulsed light (¶93|1: “The light source may include a laser diode [which are powered by capacitors that are controlled with signals to release a charge]. The light source may include any suitable type of lasers, such as for example, a Fabry-Perot laser diode, a quantum well laser, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser, a distributed feedback (DFB) laser, a fiber-laser module or a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).”), a capacitor connected to the laser diode in such a manner as to be capable of supplying a current to the laser diode, a first transistor configured to cause, upon receiving the first control signal, part of electric charge accumulated in the capacitor to be discharged and cause the laser diode to emit light such that the first electromagnetic wave is radiated, and a second transistor configured to cause, upon receiving the second control signal, a remaining part of the electric charge of the capacitor to be discharged and cause the laser diode to emit light such that the second electromagnetic wave with an intensity greater than an intensity of the first electromagnetic wave is radiated (¶47|4: “In some embodiments of the present application, a multi-pulse sequence comprising a plurality of light pulses of various amplitudes may be utilized for removing a measurement blind zone. In some cases, the multi-pulse sequence may comprise a first laser pulse () with a low peak power emitted at a first time point, and a second laser pulse () with a high peak power emitted at a second time point. The multi-pulse sequence may be emitted along substantially the same direction or into a spot in a 3D space. Since the peak power of the first laser pulse is small, a stray light may not cause voltage saturation of a detection circuit, and a first laser pulse echo signal reflected by a near-field obstacle may be detected. Using light pulses of different amplitudes may effectively solving the problem of the measurement blind zone for the near-field obstacle caused by the stray light inside a Lidar while preserving the detection of a far-field obstacle using the second laser pulse which has a higher peak power.”)
As for Claim 14, which depends on Claim 13, Pan teaches wherein the second control signal is input to the light-source driving device 3 ns to 10 ns after the first control signal has been input to the light-source driving device (¶81|1: “In FIG. 11, the time interval Ti1 between every two consecutive pulses within a multi-pulse sequence may or may not be constant. The time interval can be, for example, no more than 1 ns, 5 ns, 10 ns, 20 ns, 30 ns, 40 ns, 50 ns, 60 ns, 70 ns, 80 ns, 90 ns, 100 ns, 200 ns, or more. The time interval Ti1 within a multi-pulse sequence may vary according to the temporal profile. For instance, the time interval between the first pulse and second pulse may be different from the time interval between the second pulse and the third pulse.”)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLINT THATCHER whose telephone number is (571)270-3588. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm ET and generally keeps a daily 2:30pm timeslot open for interviews.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuqing Xiao, can be reached at (571) 270-3603.
Though not relied on, the Office considers the additional prior art listed in the Notice of Reference Cited form (PTO-892) pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
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/Clint Thatcher/
Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/YUQING XIAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645