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
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.
Claim(s) 1 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D1 US 20210357552 A1 .
Regarding claim 1 D1 teaches
A LiDAR test system (Fig. SA) for testing a LiDAR device under test (para. [0014], [0097]), comprising an optical module (802) and a target simulator module (804, 810, 812, 814, 816, 818, 820),
wherein the LiDAR device under test has a predetermined field of view (para. [0054]),
wherein the optical module (802) is configured to redirect (Path 2, see Fig. SA) a LiDAR signal emitted by the LiDAR device under test from a predetermined portion of the field of view (para. [0097], [0115]) to the target simulator module,
wherein the predetermined portion is adaptable (para. [0054]: since the LiDAR device is a scanning LiDAR device, it is implicit that the predetermined portion of the field of view changes during the scanning),
wherein the target simulator module (804, 810, 812, 814, 816, 818, 820) comprises a receiver unit (804), wherein the receiver unit is configured to receive the LiDAR signal redirected by the optical module (see Fig. SA),
wherein the target simulator module (804, 810, 812, 814, 816, 818, 820) comprises a manipulation unit (810, 812, 814, 816, 818, 820), wherein the manipulation unit is configured to manipulate the received LiDAR signal, thereby generating a manipulated LiDAR signal (para. [0100], [0116]; Step 1404 in Fig. 14), and
wherein the target simulator module (804, 810, 812, 814, 816, 818, 820) further comprises an emitter unit (36), wherein the emitter unit is configured to emit the manipulated LiDAR signal (para. [0120]; Step 1406
in Fig. 14).
2. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module is configured to scan the field of view, such that LiDAR signals from different portions of the field of view are redirected to the target simulator module consecutively .[0054](with fig. 4B)
3. The LiDAR test system according to claim 2, wherein a scanning pattern of the optical module is synchronized with a scanning pattern of the LiDAR device under test.[0195](with fig. 4B)
4. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module is configured to redirect the manipulated LiDAR signal to the LiDAR device under test.(Fig. 8A,B)
5. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module comprises a scanning mirror.(fig. 8A MEMS mirror)
8. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module comprises at least one optical component (852)being configured to reflect and/or refract the LiDAR signal.(fig. 8b)
9. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined portion of the field of view is smaller than the field of view.[0054,0115]
10. The LiDAR test system according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined portion of the field of view is equal to or smaller than 50% of the field of view, smaller than or equal to 25% of the field of view, or smaller than or equal to 10% of the field of view.[0054](raster scan for example with one by one point)
11. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the LiDAR test system comprises a control module, wherein the control module is configured to control the optical module, the target simulator module, and/or the LiDAR device under test.[0095]
12. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver unit comprises an optical-to-electrical converter.(photo detector is optical to electrical converter)
13. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter unit comprises an electrical-to-optical converter.(laser is electrical to optical converter)
14. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter unit comprises a laser diode, [0086]wherein the laser diode is configured to emit the manipulated LiDAR signal.[0054]
15. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module is configured to redirect at least two LiDAR signals emitted by the LiDAR device under test from the predetermined portion of the field of view to the target simulator module simultaneously,
wherein the target simulator module is configured to manipulate the at least two received LiDAR signals, thereby generating at least two manipulated LiDAR signals, and
wherein the target simulator module is configured to emit the at least two manipulated LiDAR signals.
(para. [0071], [0015] and Fig. 4B: the LiDAR under test can be a multi-beam flash LiDAR transmitting more than one beam simultaneously);
16. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the LiDAR test system comprises a sensor array, wherein the optical module is configured to partially redirect the LiDAR signal emitted by the LiDAR device under test to the sensory array. (Splitter 802 and Path 1 in para. [0098] and
Fig. 8A);
17. The LiDAR test system of claim 16, wherein the sensor array is configured to determine a scanning pattern of the LiDAR device under test, a beam shape of the LiDAR signal emitted by LiDAR device under test, and/or a pulse shape of the LiDAR signal emitted by the LiDAR device under test. (Path 1 in para. [0098] and Fig. 8A);
18. The LiDAR test system of claim 16, wherein the optical module is configured to redirect the LiDAR signal to the sensor array from the whole field of view of the LiDAR device under test, from the field of view of the LiDAR device under test outside of the predetermined portion of the field of view, or from the predetermined portion of the field of view. (Path 1 in para. [0098] and Fig. 8A);
19. The LiDAR test system according to claim 16, wherein the optical module comprises an optical splitter unit, wherein the optical splitter unit is configured to split the LiDAR signal into a first LiDAR signal and a second LiDAR signal, wherein the first LiDAR signal is redirected to the target simulator module, and wherein the second LiDAR signal is redirected to the sensor array. (Splitter 802 and Path 1 in para. [0098] and Fig. 8A);
20. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module and/or the target simulator module are stationary. [0073]
Claim(s) 1, 7, 9 claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by D2 EP 3936890 A1.
Regarding claim 1, 7 D2 teaches subject matter of claim 1 (para. [0011], [0099]-[0100], [0103]-[0113], [0128][0131] and Fig. 1: LiDAR device under test 12, optical module 20, target simulator module 18)
7. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the optical module comprises a screen(20) being configured to reflect the LiDAR signal.
9. The LiDAR test system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined portion of the field of view is smaller than the field of view.[0121]
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) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D4 US 20190086550 A1.
Regarding claim 6 D1 does not teach but D4 teaches as an alternative to mems using
6. The LIDAR test system of claim 5, wherein the scanning mirror is a 2D galvanometer scanner or a digital micromirror device.[0053]
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time of filing to modify teachings by D1 with teaching by D4 in order to use other well known devices for light redirection in LIDAR system in case MEMS device is not available.
Conclusion
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/HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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