DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Claims 1, 3-5, 12, and 18-20 are amended.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pochiraju (US 2013/0054187) in view of Islam (US 2020/0394810).
Regarding Claims 1 and 18, Pochiraju teach a distance measurement system [0007; 0013] comprising: multiple distance measurers [0052], including a LiDAR sensor and at least one other distance measurer [0013; 0052]; and a storage storing three-dimensional point cloud data based on distance measurement data acquired by each of the multiple distance measurers [0052; 0062], the LiDAR sensor comprising: a light emitter that can change an emission direction of a light beam [0007; 0013; 0061-62]; a light receiver that detects reflected light from the light beam and outputs a signal indicating a detection result [Fig 1-4; 0007; 0013]; and a processing circuit that controls the light emitter and the light receiver to generate the distance measurement data on a basis of the signal outputted from the light receiver [0061-62], … measures distance in the at least one empty area by causing the light emitter to emit the light beam toward the at least one empty area [0061-62; 0094-96]. Pochiraju does not explicitly teach – but Islam teaches references the point cloud to determine at least one empty area in the point cloud data [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36]; the at least one empty area corresponding to a region in which distance measurement data acquired by the at least one other distance measurer is insufficient [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36]. Islam additionally teaches multiple distance measurers [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36] and measures distance in the at least one empty area by causing the light emitter to emit the light beam toward the at least one empty area [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]. It would have been obvious to modify the system of Pochiraju to include multiple distance measurers, designating empty areas, and adjusting emission of light sources towards or away from empty areas to generate a higher resolution depth map based on the time-of-flight information.
Regarding Claims 19 and 20, Pochiraju teaches a method and non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored [0052; 0062] thereon, for controlling a LiDAR sensor used in a distance measurement system [0007; 0013; 0057] comprising multiple distance measurers [0052], including the LiDAR sensor and at least one other distance measurer [0013; 0052] and a storage storing three-dimensional point cloud data based on distance measurement data acquired by each of the multiple distance measurers [0013; 0052; 0061-62; 0094-96], the method comprising: referencing the point cloud data … [0013; 0052; 0061-62; 0094-96]; and causing the LiDAR sensor to execute distance measurement in the at least one empty area by causing a light beam to be emitted toward the at least one empty area [0061-62; 0094-96]. Pochiraju does not explicitly teach – but Islam teaches references the point cloud to determine at least one empty area in the point cloud data [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36]; the at least one empty area corresponding to a region in which distance measurement data acquired by the at least one other distance measurer is insufficient [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36]. Islam additionally teaches multiple distance measurers [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36] and measures distance in the at least one empty area by causing the light emitter to emit the light beam toward the at least one empty area [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]. It would have been obvious to modify the system of Pochiraju to include multiple distance measurers, designating empty areas, and adjusting emission of light sources towards or away from empty areas to generate a higher resolution depth map based on the time-of-flight information.
Regarding Claim 2, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the processing circuit determines multiple empty areas in the point cloud data and sets an order of priority for the multiple empty areas and measures distance in the multiple empty areas sequentially according to the set order of priority by causing the light emitter to emit the light beam in a direction of each of the empty areas [0061-62; 0094-96]. Islam additionally teaches these limitations in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 3, Pochiraju also teaches to have a higher priority than another empty area [0060-63; 0093-96]. Pochiraju does not explicitly teach – but Islam does teach a camera configured to acquire an image… corresponding to the multiple empty areas [ Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]; an image recognition circuit configured to recognize … whether a specific type of object exists in each of… [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]; wherein the processing circuit sets… an empty area in which the specific type of object is recognized… to have a higher priority than another empty area … [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]. It would have been obvious to modify the system of Pochiraju to include multiple distance measurers, designating empty areas, and adjusting emission of light sources towards or away from empty areas to generate a higher resolution depth map based on the time-of-flight information.
Regarding Claim 4, Pochiraju also teaches at least one other distance measurer includes a stereo camera, including a first camera and a second camera [0052]; and the camera is one of the first camera or second camera [0052]. Islam additionally teaches these limitations in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 5, Pochiraju to have a higher priority than another empty area [0060-63; 0093-96]. Pochiraju does not explicitly teach but Islam does teach the image recognition circuit recognizes at least one closed curve… [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]; and… sets… an empty area corresponding to an inside of the at least one closed curve to have a higher priority than another empty area [Abstract; 0003; 0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]. It would have been obvious to modify the system of Pochiraju to include multiple distance measurers, designating empty areas, and adjusting emission of light sources towards or away from empty areas to generate a higher resolution depth map based on the time-of-flight information.
Regarding Claim 6, Pochiraju also teaches at least one other distance measurer includes a stereo camera provided with two cameras [0052]. Pochiraju does not explicitly teach but Islam does teach the processing circuit causes a relative priority of an empty area corresponding to a feature… identified from a first image… which a corresponding point is not detected in a second image… to be higher than the relative priority of another empty area [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47]. It would have been obvious to modify the system of Pochiraju to include multiple distance measurers, designating empty areas, and adjusting emission of light sources towards or away from empty areas to generate a higher resolution depth map based on the time-of-flight information.
Regarding Claim 7, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the processing circuit acquires map data including structure location information and matches the map data to the point cloud data to thereby extract at least one empty area corresponding to a location of a specific structure from the multiple empty areas, and causes a relative priority of the extracted empty area to be higher than a relative priority of another empty area [0061-62; 0094-96].
Regarding Claim 8, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the processing circuit sets a higher relative priority with respect to a larger empty area among the multiple empty areas [0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 9, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the processing circuit sets a representative point inside the empty area and causes the light emitter to emit the light beam toward the representative point [0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 10, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the representative point is a center of the empty area [0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 11, Pochiraju also teaches wherein if the empty area is larger than a predetermined size, the processing circuit divides the empty area into multiple partial areas and causes the light emitter to sequentially emit the light beam in a direction of each of the divided partial areas [0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 12, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the LiDAR sensor measures distance asynchronously with a timing at which the at least one other distance measurer acquires the measurement data [0052; 0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 13, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the processing circuit executes the determination of the empty area and the distance measurement in the empty area if the point cloud data in the storage is updated [0057-58; 0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 13, Pochiraju also teaches wherein if the point cloud data is updated while the determination of the empty area and/or the distance measurement in the empty area is in operation, the processing circuit re-executes the determination of the empty area and/or the distance measurement in the empty area [0057-58; 0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 15, Pochiraju also teaches wherein the storage updates the point cloud data when new distance measurement data is acquired from the at least one other distance measurer or if a location and/or an orientation of the distance measurement system changes [0052; 0057-58; 0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 16, Pochiraju also teaches wherein if a location and/or an orientation of the distance measurement system changes, the storage updates the point cloud data by performing a coordinate conversion [0068-72], and when the storage updates the point cloud data by performing the coordinate conversion, the processing circuit re-sets a relative priority of the multiple empty areas [0057-58; 0060-63; 0093-96]. Islam additionally teaches this limitation in [0026-31, 0033-36; 0045-47].
Regarding Claim 17, Pochiraju also teaches moving body comprising the distance measurement system according to claim 1 [0055; 0062; Claim 1].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 8-9, filed 13 July 2026, with respect to indefiniteness have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112 rejections of Claims 1-20 have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s remaining arguments with respect to Claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the specific combination of the references being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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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JAMES R. HULKA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3645
/JAMES R HULKA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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