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 .
Response to Amendment
The following addresses applicant’s remarks/amendments dated 5/25/2026
The amendment is sufficient to overcome the objection to the drawings
The amendment is sufficient to overcome the objection to the claims
Claims 1, 10, and 12 were amended. Claims 4-5 were cancelled. Therefore, claims 1-3, and 6-12 are currently pending in the current application and are addressed below
Response to Arguments
Applicant argues that a certified copy of the priority document should not be required, as the access code for the Chinese priority application was provided via the Application Data Sheet (ADS) at the time of filing. The examiner agrees. The coversheet of the current Office action is corrected.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 1-2 of the remarks, filed 5/13/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-12 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of Zhang et al. (WO 2018068363 A1, “Zhang”).
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.
Claims 1-3, 7 and 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Donovan (US 20210231779 A1, “Donovan”) in view of Zhang et al. (WO 2018068363 A1, “Zhang”).
Regarding claim 1, Donovan teaches a LiDAR, comprising: a laser beam emission module and a beam adjustment module, wherein the laser beam emission module comprises at least two emitters arranged at intervals, each of the at least two emitters is configured to emit a laser beam, and the beam adjustment module is configured to adjust at least one of the laser beams (Para [0037], Fig 2, where the Lidar system 100 as disclosed in Para [0022] includes an illuminator 200 with laser array 204 with at least 4 beams 208 spaced apart at intervals. The beam adjustment module would consist of the "OPTICAL SYSTEM" as labelled in Fig. 2),
wherein a diameter of a light spot formed by the laser beams within a first preset distance is greater than a first preset value (Para [0037], Fig. 2, where "OPTICAL SYSTEM" in the figure collimates the sets of beams 1-4 such that they have a fixed minimum diameter light spot. Resultingly, after exiting the optical system the beams are separated at a distance larger than a fixed smaller preset value, at a power allowed by a Maximum Permissible Exposure as disclosed in Para [0036]); [[and]]
wherein an angle interval between emission channels of two adjacent emitters that simultaneously emit laser beams is greater than a preset angle (Para [0037], Fig. 2, where the discrete lasers 208 are spaced further apart than a distance of 7mm, and thus are separated at an angle such that the lasers are more than 7mm apart) [[.]]: and
wherein the beam adjustment module comprises:
a light spot adjustment assembly for making the diameter of the light spot formed by the laser beams within the first preset distance to a value greater than the first preset value (Para [0037] Fig. 2, where the "OPTICAL SYSTEM" adjusts the beams from laser array 1-4 by collimating them into outgoing beams 1-4, setting the diameter of the beams to a diameter larger than a fixed smaller diameter): and
a divergence angle narrowing assembly configured to narrow a divergence angle of the laser beam (Donovan, Para [0037] Fig. 2, where the "OPTICAL SYSTEM" reduces the divergence of light beam 206 emitted by 208 by collimating the light)
However, Donovan does not teach
wherein the first preset distance refers to a near-field range of the emitter, the second preset distance refers to a far-field range of the emitter.
On the other hand, Zhang teaches a collimating lens group 140 adjusted by an adjustment unit to determine a far field of view, where the far field of view expands a further range than a near field of view (Zhang, Para [0062], Fig 3-4, where collimating lens group 140 can determine a far field of view and therefore a divergence angle, dependent on spacing between adjacent lasers and the focal length, relative to a near field of view).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Lidar of Donovan in view of Zhang by using a collimating lens assembly to adjust light to a far field of view to meet far field resolution requirements (Zhang Para [0062]).
Regarding claim 2, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim 1, wherein an emission time interval between laser beams emitted during two adjacent emissions is longer than a preset duration (Para [0036], Fig. 2, such that to avoid exceeding the MPE, beams can not operate simultaneously and overlap. One solution used to avoid this is to fire overlapping optical beams at separate times).
Regarding claim 3, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim 1, wherein the beam adjustment module comprises an emission lens assembly, and a focal length of the emission lens assembly is greater than a second preset value, wherein the diameter of the light spot formed by the laser beams within the first preset distance is greater than the first preset value (Para [0037], Fig. 2, where "OPTICAL SYSTEM" is a lens, and the focal length of the lens is such that the outgoing beam sets 1-4 are collimated giving a spot light diameter. This focal length is greater than any fixed smaller focal length).
Regarding claim 7, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim 1, wherein an emission time interval between laser beams emitted during two adjacent emissions within a region of interest is first duration, an emission time interval between the laser beams emitted during two adjacent emissions outside the region of interest is second duration, and the first duration is shorter than the second duration (Para [0037], Fig 2, where if the lasers 208 are meant to emit within a certain range for a specified region of interest, it is implied that if beams were shot outside the region of interest, the time it would take for the beams to return for scanning would be longer comparatively).
Regarding claim 12, Donovan teaches a LiDAR, comprising: a laser beam emission module and a beam adjustment module, wherein the laser beam emission module comprises at least two emitters arranged at intervals, each of the at least two emitters is configured to emit a laser beam, and the beam adjustment module is configured to adjust at least one of the laser beams (Para [0037], Fig 2, where the Lidar system 100 as disclosed in Para [0022] includes an illuminator 200 with laser array 204 with at least 4 beams 208 spaced apart at intervals. The beam adjustment module would consist of the "OPTICAL SYSTEM" as labelled in Fig. 2),
wherein an emission time interval between laser beams emitted during two adjacent emissions is longer than a preset duration (Para [0036], Fig. 2, such that to avoid exceeding the MPE, beams can not operate simultaneously and overlap. One solution used to avoid this is to fire overlapping optical beams at separate times) [[.]]; and
wherein the beam adjustment module comprises:
a light spot adjustment assembly for making the diameter of the light spot formed by the laser beams within the first preset distance to a value greater than the first preset value (Para [0037] Fig. 2, where the "OPTICAL SYSTEM" adjusts the beams from laser array 1-4 by collimating them into outgoing beams 1-4, setting the diameter of the beams to a diameter larger than a fixed smaller diameter): and
a divergence angle narrowing assembly configured to narrow a divergence angle of the laser beam (Donovan, Para [0037] Fig. 2, where the "OPTICAL SYSTEM" reduces the divergence of light beam 206 emitted by 208 by collimating the light)
However, Donovan does not teach
wherein the first preset distance refers to a near-field range of the emitter, the second preset distance refers to a far-field range of the emitter.
On the other hand, Zhang teaches a collimating lens group 140 adjusted by an adjustment unit to determine a far field of view, where the far field of view expands a further range than a near field of view (Zhang, Para [0062], Fig 3-4, where collimating lens group 140 can determine a far field of view and therefore a divergence angle, dependent on spacing between adjacent lasers and the focal length, relative to a near field of view).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Lidar of Donovan in view of Zhang by using a collimating lens assembly to adjust light to a far field of view to meet far field resolution requirements (Zhang Para [0062]).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Donovan in view of Roger et al. (DE 102017127582 A1, "Roger").
Regarding claim 6, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim 1.
However, Donovan in view of Zhang does not teach wherein the at least two emitters emit laser beams at the same moment, and the at least two emitters continuously emit laser beams at a first time interval to scan detection space; and
during a tth scan, a horizontal angle interval between first light spots formed by laser beams emitted during two adjacent emissions is a first preset angle, and during a (t+1)th scan, a horizontal angle interval between second light spots formed by laser beams emitted during two adjacent emissions is the first preset angle, wherein a horizontal angle interval between adjacent first light spot and second light spot is a second preset angle, and the second preset angle is less than the first preset angle.
On the other hand, Roger teaches the simultaneous emission of a first set of rays with an angle between them and a second set of rays with another angle between them (Roger, Para [0069], Fig 1, Fig 6, where the first rays Fig. 6 650, 660, 670, and 680 are separated from second rays Fig. 6 610, 620, 630, 640 such that when emitted simultaneously, through lens Fig. 1 110 while it rotates around axis of rotation 120, a wider field of view is obtained), and the spacing of both sets together along a special axis such that the angle between induvial rays in different sets is smaller than when apart (Roger, Para [0070], Fig 6, where first rays 650, 660, 670, and 680 are separated along a spatial axis x at one angle, and second rays 610, 620, 630, 640 at another, but the angle between first and second rays when placed together would be a second angle smaller than the first).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Lidar of Donovan in view of Zhang and Roger, by applying the strategy of Roger to acquire a larger field of view while still avoiding too high exposure for eyes by separating the separating simultaneously emitted beams along a spatial axis. See MPEP 2141.III KSR Rationale D.
Claims 8-11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Donovan in view of Zhang and Russell et al. (US 20190107606 A1, "Russell").
Regarding claim 8, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim 1.
However, Donovan in view of Zhang does not teach wherein the beam adjustment module further comprises a scanning apparatus, an emission direction of a laser beam is changed after reflection via the scanning apparatus, laser beams continuously emitted by the same emitter form a scanning surface within the first preset distance, the scanning apparatus scans in a first scanning direction based on a preset step size, and the step size depends on a density requirement for a scanning line in the first scanning direction in the scanning surface.
On the other hand, Russell teaches a scan pattern that is determined based on the density of points in a region of interest, changing the angle of the scan to maintain this pattern (Russell, Para [0071], Fig. 5, where scan pattern 200 is determined based on scanning density, where to maintain the density the scan angle is changed from a previous part in the scan. Using Donovan's Fig 2 laser array 204 to emit lasers for scanning a multitude of sample pixels would allow for continuous emission).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Lidar of Donovan in view of Zhang and Russell, by applying the scanner and scan technique of Russell to obtain data points from the reflection of emitted lasers based on the density of where the Lidar is scanning. See MPEP 2141.III KSR Rationale D.
Regarding claim 9, Donovan in view of Zhang and Russell teaches the LiDAR according to claim 8, wherein change time of the step size depends on a scanning angle of the scanning apparatus in a previous scanning period in a second scanning direction, a detection angle of view in the second scanning direction, and a scanning speed of the scanning apparatus in the second scanning direction (Russell, Para [0090], Fig. 8, where lidar system 100 includes a scanner 120 as indicated in Fig. 3, where the scanner has multiple adjacent beam paths with an angular separation and a scanning density described in Para [0071]. This scan can be in multiple directions with different angles shown with pulses illustrated in Para [0092] and Fig 10, where the pulses are emitted at different times), and
wherein an angle between the second scanning direction and the first scanning direction is less than or equal to 180 degrees (Russell, Para [0090], where the angle between consecutive pixels scanned is less than 180 degrees).
Regarding claim 10, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim [[5]]1.
However, Donovan in view of Zhang does not teach wherein the preset angle is 3 times the divergence angle of the laser beam.
On the other hand, Russell teaches a laser beam with a divergence angle value that is smaller than a larger preset angle (Russell, Para [0066], Fig 4, where the divergence angle ΘL is a value ranging from 0.1-50 mrad which is multiple times than a smaller emission preset angle, except for the preset angle being 3 times the divergence angle of the laser beam).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Lidar of Donovan in view of Zhang and Russell, by applying a divergence angle multiple times smaller than a larger initial preset angle, since it has been held that the general conditions of claim 10 are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 11, Donovan in view of Zhang teaches the LiDAR according to claim 1.
However, Donovan in view of Zhang does not teach wherein the LiDAR further comprises a laser beam receiving apparatus, and a diameter range of the laser beam receiving apparatus is 20 mm to 25 mm.
On the other hand, Russell teaches a receiver with a specified range for receiving laser beams (Russell, Para [0052], Fig 3, where the prior art discloses a receiver with a diameter for receiving laser beams, except for the diameter being from 20 mm to 25 mm (140 has an active range of detection with diameter up to 5 mm)).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious of one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the Lidar of Donovan in view of Zhang and Russell, by applying a receiver of a specified diameter to receive laser beams, since it has been held that the general conditions of claim 11 are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ZAKI KEHINDE HAWKINS/ Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/YUQING XIAO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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