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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I in the reply filed on 4/30/2026 is acknowledged.
The traversal is on the ground(s) that the species are not independent or distinct, there would not be a serious search or examination burden.
This is not found persuasive because: The number of laser generators/emitters, one vs two, the associated structure involved with signal pathways, signal junctions, and coupling with detection apparatus are different. This difference requiring different search strategies and different search areas as well as consideration and consultation primary examiners in those areas.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim 36-40 withdrawn by Applicant from further consideration.
Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 4/30/2026.
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 11, 25, 26 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Asghari et al (US 20200158830) in view of LaChapelle (US 20220043149)
In regards to claim 11, Asghari discloses a method for detecting a speed of an aircraft, the method comprising:
emitting a first laser beam having a first wavelength into an atmosphere (Fig. 1 ref. 10 light source, [0044] discloses wavelength of outgoing lidar signal);
emitting a second laser beam having a second wavelength into the atmosphere from the aircraft ([0044] “the laser cavity can be configured to output an outgoing LIDAR signal (and accordingly a LIDAR output signal) with a wavelength of 1550 nm. During the first period, the electronics 62 can increase the frequency of the outgoing LIDAR signal (and accordingly a LIDAR output signal) such that the wavelength decreases from 1550 nm to 1459.98 nm followed by decreasing the frequency of the outgoing LIDAR signal such that the wavelength increases from 1459.98 nm to 1550 nm.”);
receiving a first backscatter light generated in response to emitting the first laser beam into the atmosphere ([0024] “The LIDAR core cards can use this change in direction to scan the LIDAR output signals to multiple different sample regions in a field of view”);
measuring a first beat frequency for a first interfered light generated from interfering the first backscatter light with a first reference light derived from the first laser beam ([0093] “the first composite signal is beating between the first portion of the comparative signal and the first portion of the reference signal);
receiving a second backscatter light generated in response to emitting the second laser beam into the atmosphere (Asghari [0024], Fig. 3 discloses first and second laser beam emitted into atmosphere);
measuring a second beat frequency for a second interfered light generated from interfering the second backscatter light with a second reference light derived from the second laser beam (AAsghari [0091] “the second composite signal is beating between the second portion of the comparative signal and the second portion of the reference signal”); and
Asghari does not expressly disclose: emitting the first and second laser beam into the atmosphere from the aircraft, determining the speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency.
LaChapellel teaches lidar which may be used in an aircraft ([0072] “one or more lidar systems 100 may be integrated into a vehicle…” vehicle may include aircraft”, thus scanning into the atmosphere from the aircraft) and determining speed through a first beat frequency and the second beat frequency ([0294] “a processor or controller 150 may determine a speed of a target 130 based on the two beat frequencies ΔF.sub.1 and ΔF.sub.2”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify, with the reasonable expectation of success, Asghari with LaChapelle by providing the means for equipping the device with an aircraft such that the laser beams are emitted into the atmosphere from the aircraft and determining the speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency in order to provide greater accuracy in the speed measurement in order to provide greater accuracy for speed measurements.
In regards to claim 25, Asghari discloses an aircraft speed detection system for an aircraft, the aircraft speed detection system comprising:
a laser beam generator configured to emit a first laser beam having a first wavelength (Fig. 1 ref. 10 light source, [0044] discloses wavelength of outgoing lidar signal) and emit a second laser beam having a second wavelength ([0044] “the laser cavity can be configured to output an outgoing LIDAR signal (and accordingly a LIDAR output signal) with a wavelength of 1550 nm. During the first period, the electronics 62 can increase the frequency of the outgoing LIDAR signal (and accordingly a LIDAR output signal) such that the wavelength decreases from 1550 nm to 1459.98 nm followed by decreasing the frequency of the outgoing LIDAR signal such that the wavelength increases from 1459.98 nm to 1550 nm.”),
wherein the first wavelength is shorter than the second wavelength ([0070] details “The wavelengths of the channels can be periodically spaced in that the wavelength increase from one channel to the next channel is constant or substantially constant”); and
a detection system configured to:
measure a first beat frequency for a first interfered light generated from interfering a first backscatter light detected in response to emitting the first laser beam and a first reference light derived from the first laser beam ([0091] “the second composite signal is beating between the second portion of the comparative signal and the second portion of the reference signal”);
measure a second beat frequency for a second interfered light generated from interfering a second backscatter light detected in response to emitting the second laser beam and a second reference light derived from the second laser beam ([0093] “the first composite signal is beating between the first portion of the comparative signal and the first portion of the reference signal); and
Asghari discloses using the beat frequencies to determine velocity ([0024] “the LIDAR core cards can include electronics that employ light from the LIDAR output signals to generate LIDAR data (radial velocity and/or distance between a reflecting object and the LIDAR system) for each of the sample regions”) and using the device in an aircraft), Asghari does not expressly disclose: a speed analyzer configured to determine a speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency.
LaChapelle teaches lidar which may be used in an aircraft ([0072] “one or more lidar systems 100 may be integrated into a vehicle…vehicle may include aircraft”, thus scanning into the atmosphere from the aircraft) and determining speed through a first beat frequency and the second beat frequency ([0294] “a processor or controller 150 may determine a speed of a target 130 based on the two beat frequencies ΔF.sub.1 and ΔF.sub.2”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify, with the reasonable expectation of success, Asghari with LaChapelle by providing the means for a speed analyzer configured to determine a speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency in order to provide greater accuracy in the speed measurement in order to provide greater accuracy for speed measurements.
In regards to claim 26, Asghari as combined discloses the aircraft speed detection system of claim 25 further comprising: an interference system configured to: interfere the first backscatter light with the first reference light to form the first interfered light having the first beat frequency in response to receiving the first backscatter light (Asghari [0045]); and interfere the second backscatter light with the second reference light to form the second interfered light having the second beat frequency in response to receiving the second backscatter light (Asghari [0045]).
Claim 15, 30 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Asghari, LaChapelle as applied to claim 11, 25 above, and further in view of Nakamura (US 20210402314).
In regards to claim 15, Asghari as combined discloses the method of claim 11, but does not expressly disclose: wherein determining the speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency comprises: determining a first speed using the first beat frequency; determining a second speed using the second beat frequency;
However, Nakamura does teach using beat frequencies to determine the speed (Nakamura at Figs. 4-6; [0162] discloses "FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a signal processing result of the signal processing unit 15. The horizontal axis represents the beat frequency, and the vertical axis represents the power density. As shown in FIG. 6, the signal processing unit 15 (see FIG. 1) uses the fact that the frequency of the first beat signal (Sbeata) amplified and digitally converted changes depending on the distance, and performs distance measurement by heterodyne detection, for example. That is, the signal processing unit 15 performs Fourier transform or the like on the digitally converted second beat signal (Sbeatb) to generate distance values 22, 66, 110, 154, 198 meters or the like to the measurement target Tg. Furthermore, the signal processing unit 15 can also generate the Z-direction velocity of the measurement target Tg using the fact that the difference between the two beat frequencies F is a frequency shifted by the Doppler effect." [0155])
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify, with the reasonable expectation of success, Asghari with Nakamura by providing the means for determining the speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency determining a second speed using the second beat frequency in order to allow for independent measurements from individual lidar units.
Asghari does not expressly disclose: determining the speed of the aircraft as an average of the first speed and the second speed. However, it would have been an obvious substitution of functional equivalents to one of ordinary skill in the art before the claimed invention was effectively filed to substitute to determining the speed of the aircraft using the first and second beat signals in place of an average of the first speed and the second speed, since a simple substitution of one known element for another would obtain predictable results. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 127 S. Ct. 1727, 1739, 1740, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395, 1396 (2007).
In regards to claim 30, Asghari as combined discloses the aircraft speed detection system of claim 25, but does not expressly disclose: wherein in determining the speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency, the speed analyzer is configured to: determine a first speed using the first beat frequency; determine a second speed using the second beat frequency;
Nakamura does teach using beat frequencies to determine speed (Nakamura at Figs. 4-6; [0162], detailed in rejection above).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify, with the reasonable expectation of success, Asghari with Nakamura by providing the means for determining the speed of the aircraft using the first beat frequency and the second beat frequency by providing the speed analyzer determines a first speed using the first beat frequency and determines a second speed using the second beat frequency beat frequency in order to allow for independent measurements from individual lidar units.
Asghari does not expressly disclose: determining the speed of the aircraft as an average of the first speed and the second speed. However, it would have been an obvious substitution of functional equivalents to one of ordinary skill in the art before the claimed invention was effectively filed to substitute to determining the speed of the aircraft using the first and second beat signals in place of an average of the first speed and the second speed, since a simple substitution of one known element for another would obtain predictable results. KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 127 S. Ct. 1727, 1739, 1740, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395, 1396 (2007).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1-10, 16-24, 35 allowed.
Claim 12-14, 27-29 and 31-34 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.
Reasons for Allowance
The claims detail allowable subject matter involving the first and second beat frequencies used to determine the speed of an aircraft, with the first beat frequency in response to a power of backscatter light greater than a threshold, and the second beat frequency used to determine a speed of an aircraft in response to the backscatter light not being greater than a threshold. The claims also detail determining the speed of an aircraft through a second beat frequency as a result of the first path of the first beat frequency being out of tolerance.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure cited on PTO 892. The cited references display Lidar devices for use in determining speed distance and also for use in vehicles.
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/V.R./Examiner, Art Unit 3642 /JOSHUA D HUSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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