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)(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, 8-13 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mao et al. (Patent Pub. No. CN 110780284 A).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Mao et al. shows in Figs. 1-3 a detection apparatus (10) and a detection method, comprising: a receiving lens (11, i.e., receiving lens), configured to receive and converge an echo (radar echo) of a detection laser beam reflected by a target object ([0046]); a detector array (13, i.e., detector array), configured to receive the echo and output an electrical signal, the detector array comprising at least one macro-pixel, each macro-pixel comprising an array of a plurality of detectors (13-1 … 13-n, i.e., n photodetectors) ([0046]); a diaphragm array (12, i.e., liquid crystal shutter array), disposed between the receiving lens and the detector array and located on or near a focal plane of the receiving lens, the diaphragm array comprising at least one sub-diaphragm, each sub-diaphragm comprising a plurality of optical switch pixels (12-1 … 12-m, i.e., m independently controllable liquid crystal shutters) having an on state and an off state that are independently controllable, each sub-diaphragm being configured to enable one or more of the optical switch pixels to be turned on to form a light-passing area to allow the echo from the receiving lens to pass through and irradiate a corresponding macro-pixel of the detector array ([0046] – [0052]); a processor (14), configured to perform calculation and processing according to the electrical signal ([0068] – [0069]); and a controller (14), coupled to the diaphragm array and the processor, and configured to control each sub-diaphragm in the diaphragm array, and control, for the at least one sub-diaphragm, an on/off state of the optical switch pixels of the at least one sub-diaphragm according to a light spot distribution of the echo on a first macro-pixel corresponding to the at least one sub-diaphragm ([0049] – [0052]).
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Mao et al. shows in Figs. 1-3 the detection apparatus according to claim 1 and the detection method according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to control, for the at least one sub-diaphragm, the on/off state of the optical switch pixels of the at least one sub-diaphragm according to the light spot distribution of the echo on the first macro-pixel, so that the light spot distribution of the echo on the at least one sub-diaphragm is substantially consistent with the light-passing area of the at least one sub-diaphragm ([0052]).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Mao et al. shows in Figs. 1-3 the detection apparatus according to claim 2 and the detection method according to claim 12, wherein the processor (14) is configured to determine, for the at least one sub-diaphragm, the light spot distribution of the echo on the first macro-pixel according to the electrical signal outputted by the first macro-pixel, the plurality of detectors (13-1 … 13-n) included in each macro-pixel being independently addressable ([0047]).
Regarding claim 8, Mao et al. shows in Figs. 1-3 the detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the detectors comprises a single-photon detector (SPAD), and the diaphragm array comprises a liquid crystal diaphragm or an electric control filter ([0041] and see claim 2).
Regarding claims 9 and 18, Mao et al. shows in Figs. 1-3 the detection apparatus according to claim 1 and the detection method according to claim 11, wherein the diaphragm array is configured as an attenuator with an adjustable transmittance, and the controller is configured to initialize the diaphragm array according to a configuration file ([0047]).
Regarding claims 10 and 19, Mao et al. shows in Figs. 1-3 the detection apparatus according to claim 9 and the detection method according to claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to set the diaphragm array as the attenuator when the configuration file is missing, and update the configuration file according to a size, a position, and a shape of a light spot of the echo on the detector array and a correspondence between the light spot and the diaphragm array ([0047]).
Regarding claim 20, Mao et al. discloses a lidar, comprising: an emitting unit (emitting system), comprising at least one emitter (laser) and configured to emit a detection laser beam to detect a target object; a receiving unit, comprising the detection apparatus according to claim 1 ([0055]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 and 14-17 are 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Seitz (Patent Pub. No. US 2018/0180470 A1) discloses a light receiver having a plurality of avalanche photodiode elements and to a method for detecting light.
Droz et al. (Patent Pub. No. US 2018/0156659 A1) discloses an array of light detectors configured to intercept and detect light propagating out of the third side of the waveguide.
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/SEUNG C SOHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878