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 § 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) 1, 11 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 US 2021405164 in view of D2 US 4968967 A.
Regarding claims bellow D1 teaches
1, 11. An optical sensing device, comprising:
an optical transmitter(110), coupled to transmit outgoing modulator radiation from a coherent radiation source at a predefined wavelength toward a target;(fig. 1)
a splitter coupled to split off a fraction of the outgoing radiation;(fig. 1)
an optical element(130) disposed in a path of the outgoing radiation following the splitter;(fig. 1)
a mixer(135) which is coupled to mix the fraction of the outgoing modulated radiation with incoming radiation,(fig. 1) including the modulated radiation that has been reflected from the target via the optical element;(fig. 1)
an optical delay line(160), configured to convey the fraction of the outgoing modulated radiation from the splitter to the mixer(fig. 1); and
a photodetector(140) coupled to receive the mixed radiation from the mixer.
But does not explicitly teach
Modulated radiation prior to the splitter
an optical delay line configured to convey the fraction of the outgoing modulated radiation from the splitter to the mixer over a first optical length that is within one wave, at the predefined wavelength, of a second optical length from the splitter to the mixer of a portion of the modulated radiation that is scattered from the optical element into the mixer
D2 teaches
Minimizing the leakage from optical element (14) by using an optical delay line(21+22)
configured to convey the fraction of the outgoing radiation from the splitter(20) to the mixer(24)(col 4 line 45-61)
Although D2 does not explicitly say first optical length that is within one wave, at the predefined wavelength, of a second optical length from the splitter to the mixer of a portion of the modulated radiation that is scattered from the optical element into the mixer on of ordinary skills in the art would recognize that minimization condition will happen if signals are out of phase which mean lambda/2 wavelength shift.
Although D1 does not teach modulator prior to the splitter it is just obvious matter of the placement of the modulator which according to D2 will insure that the leakage and splitted waveforms are the same as required in D2.
2, 12 The device according to claim 1, wherein the first optical length differs from the second optical length by one half wave at the predefined wavelength.(D2 obvious leakage cancellation condition following from D2)
3, 13 The device according to claim 1, wherein the first optical length is equal to the second optical length at the predefined wavelength.(D2 implicit both waves should be the same in order to perform optimal minimization)
7, 17 The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical delay line is tunable so as to adjust the first optical length relative to the second optical length. (col 4 line 45-61)
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 D2 in order to minimize and cancel leakage detection.
Although D1 Does not explicitly say
4, 14 The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical transmitter comprises a transmit waveguide coupled between the splitter and the optical element, and wherein the device comprises a receive waveguide, which is coupled to convey the incoming radiation from the optical element to the mixer, and wherein the optical delay line comprises a local waveguide coupled between the splitter and the mixer.
It is clear that the waves are propagating from transmitter to splitter and towards optical element and from optical element to mixer , similarly from splitter to mixer through the delay line. D1 teaches using for example optical fiber as delay line and hence if one considers optical fiber as a waveguide and air for example as waveguide then according to BRI D1 teaches the limitation above.
Although D1 does not explicitly teach
5, 15 The device according to claim 4, and comprising a planar substrate, wherein the transmit waveguide, the receive waveguide, and the local waveguide are disposed on the planar substrate in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC).(obvious design choice to select from one of well known types of the photonic integrated circuits)
6, 16The device according to claim 5, wherein the local waveguide comprises a semiconductor core and a cladding, having respective dimensions chosen so as to set the first optical length. (obvious design choice to select from one of well known types of the photonic integrated circuits)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time of filing to modify teachings by D1 to use photonic integrated circuit withs specified waveguides in order provide well known design of the optical propagator which controls all the beam propagation from element to element.
Claim(s) 8-10, 18-20 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 US 2021405164 in view of D2 US 4968967 A further in view of D3 US 20190064358 A1.
Regarding claim s bellow D1 does not teach but D3 teaches
8, 18 The device according to claim 1, wherein the photodetector is configured to output a beat signal responsively to an instantaneous frequency difference between the outgoing modulated radiation and the incoming radiation received via the optical element.[0028-0028]
9, 19 The device according to claim 8, wherein the photodetector comprises a balanced pair of photodiodes.[0032]
10,20 The device according to claim 8, and comprising processing circuitry, which is configured to find a range and velocity of the target responsively to the beat signal.[0005]
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 D3 in order to provide miniature, and inexpensive optical distance measurement system capable of great accuracy, rapid measurements, and large dynamic measurement range, that does not trade-off measurement range, range resolution, and measurement time[0007].
Conclusion
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/HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645