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.
Claims 1-7, 10-16, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Honkanen (US 20200344459 A1).
Claim 1: Honkanen teaches a method of controlling a lidar device, the method comprising:
determining a horizontal scan period PH for a lidar device (Fig. 3, horizontal sweep 320 and [0055] - cycles per vertical sweep);
determining a vertical swipe duration Ds for the lidar device based on (i) the horizontal scan period PH and (ii) a target frame duration Df for the lidar device (Fig. 3, vertical sweep 310 and [0056]);
determining a dead time Dd for the lidar device based on the vertical swipe duration Ds, the horizontal scan period PH, and the target frame duration DA (Fig. 3, flyback and [0054]);
and controlling the lidar device to scan an environment according to the vertical swipe duration Ds and the dead time Dd ([0056]).
Claim 2: Honkanen teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the target frame duration Df corresponds to a frame rate of a sensor system associated with the lidar device ([0055] - frame rate).
Claim 3: Honkanen teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the lidar device is configured to scan the surrounding environment by emitting optical signals, wherein each optical signal is emitted toward a location comprising a horizontal component and a vertical component, and wherein the horizontal component and the vertical component oscillate over successive optical signals ([0056]).
Claim 4: Honkanen teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the vertical swipe duration Ds is less than the target frame duration Dr (Fig. 3, vertical swipe + dead time).
Claim 5: Honkanen teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the vertical swipe duration Ds is equal to Ds = N1(PH/2) where N1 is an integer greater than zero (Fig 3 - vertical scan shown as a multiple of horizontal swipe).
Claim 6: Honkanen teaches the method of claim 1, wherein determining the vertical swipe duration Ds comprises: obtaining a first value by rounding Df / (PH / 2) down to a nearest integer; obtaining a second value by subtracting N2 from the first value, where N2 is an integer greater than or equal to zero; and determining the vertical swipe duration Ds by multiplying the second value by (PH/2) (Fig. 3 and 6, vertical sweep and fly back both multiple of horizontal swipe).
Claim 7: Honkanen teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the dead time Dd is equal to Dd =N3(PH/2), where N3 is an integer greater than zero (Fig. 6 -flyback shown as multiple of PH).
Claims 10-16: Claims 10-16 are product claims corresponding to Claims 1-7. Thus, see rejections above.
Claims 19 and 20: Claims 19 and 20 are computer program claims corresponding to Claims 1 and 2. Thus, see rejections above.
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 8, 9, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honkanen (US 20200344459 A1) in view of Yaser (US 11054635 B1).
Claim 8: Honkanen teaches the method of Claim 1, but not wherein controlling the lidar device comprises adjusting the dead time Dd over successive lidar scans.
Yaser teaches a scanner in which the motion of a MEMs mirror is synchronized with a frame rate by adjusting a flyback time (Col 5, lines 44-46).
It would have been prima facie obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the adjustment, as taught by Yaser, in the system as taught by Honkanen because this allows for the frame rate to be adjusted while still preserving the scan geometry.
Claim 9: Honkanen, as modified, teaches the wherein a scan duration for the lidar device is equal to the vertical swipe duration Ds plus the dead time Dd, and wherein the dead time Ddis adjusted to make the scan duration consistent with the target frame duration Df, on average, over successive lidar scans (Yaser Col 5, lines 44-46, adjusting flyback time based on frame rate).
Claims 17 and 18: Claims 17 and 18 are product claims corresponding to Claims 8 and 9. Thus, see rejections above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLARA CHILTON whose telephone number is (703)756-1080. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6-2 MT.
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/CLARA G CHILTON/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/HELAL A ALGAHAIM/SPE , Art Unit 3645
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