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 .
Priority
Applicant is advised of possible benefits under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) and (f), wherein an application for patent filed in the United States may be entitled to claim priority to an application filed in a foreign country.
Should applicant desire to obtain the benefit of foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) prior to declaration of an interference, a certified English translation of the foreign application must be submitted in reply to this action. 37 CFR 41.154(b) and 41.202(e).
Failure to provide a certified translation may result in no benefit being accorded for the non-English application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 21, 2023 was filed after the mailing date of the non-final rejection on May 28, 2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dal Mutto (WO 2019/213666) in view of Rafii (US 2017/0272728 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Dal Mutto teaches a ranging system comprising a light projector to project projection light (#106 of Fig. 2B; [0020]), multiple light-receiving elements to receive light including reflected light of the projection light reflected from an object (#100a-e of Fig. 1A; [0020]), each of the multiple light-receiving elements having a light incident range including an overlapping region (#101 a-e of Fig. 1A; [0020]), the overlapping region overlapping the light incident range of another one of the multiple light-receiving elements (#101 a-e of Fig. 1A; [0020]), the multiple light-receiving elements including three or more light-receiving elements and having at least two overlapping regions (#101 a-e of Fig. 1A; [0020]), and circuitry configured to output distance information based on outputs from the multiple light-receiving elements [0021]. Dal Mutto does not explicitly teach the circuitry additionally configured to correct the distance information using outputs from light-receiving areas of the multiple light-receiving elements corresponding to the at least two overlapping regions. However, Rafii teaches circuitry [0070] designed to perform an Iterative Closest Point technique [0103], where multiple depth cameras capture common feature points (i.e., the cameras have light incident ranges which overlap in regions which include these feature points) and use the detections at to estimate the relative camera pose [0103, 105] for calibration (i.e., a correction of the distance information measured by the cameras). Rafii also clarifies that when the depth cameras’ fields-of-view overlap, the signal to noise ratio is increased and the system’s geometric resolution is increased [0094]. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person who is skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system circuitry of Dal Mutto to correct distance information using outputs from the overlapping regions in order to increase the resolution of the overall system.
Regarding Claim 2, Dal Mutto also teaches the multiple light-receiving elements include a first light receiving element, a second light-receiving element, and a third light-receiving element (#100a-c of Fig. 1A; [0020]), wherein the at least two overlapping regions include a first overlapping region formed by the first light-receiving element and the second light-receiving element (#101 a, b of Fig. 1A; [0020]) and a second overlapping region formed by the second light-receiving element and the third light-receiving element (#101 b, c of Fig. 1A; [0020]) and wherein the distance information is based on outputs from the first light-receiving element, the second light-receiving element, and the third light-receiving element [0050]. Dal Mutto does not explicitly teach the circuitry configured to correct the distance information using a first output from a light-receiving area corresponding to the first overlapping region of the first light-receiving element, a second output from a light-receiving area corresponding to the first overlapping region of the second light-receiving element, a third output from a light-receiving area corresponding to the second overlapping region of the second light-receiving element, and a fourth output from a light-receiving area corresponding to the second overlapping region of the third light-receiving element. However, Rafii teaches [0084-0085] the use of n overlapping cameras for aligning and combining depth maps via a central processing unit, therefore implying circuitry correcting the camera distance information using outputs from overlapping regions of the light-receiving depth cameras. Considering Dal Mutto teaches the overlapping cameras structure (including the second overlapping region of the third light-receiving element (#101 a, c of Fig. 1A), it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the overlapping regions via circuitry to correct the distance information as described in Rafii in order to increase the resolution of the overall system, as mentioned for Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 3, Dal Mutto additionally teaches the multiple light-receiving elements having an angle of view of 360 degrees [0052], the number of the overlapping regions equal to or greater than the number of the multiple light-receiving elements (#100a-e, #101a-e of Fig. 1A; [0050]), as well as six or greater light-receiving areas each corresponding to the overlapping regions of the multiple light-receiving elements (Over six overlapping regions are depicted between #100a-e of Fig. 1A). Dal Mutto does not explicitly teach circuitry configured to correct the distance information using outputs from the six or greater light receiving areas. However, considering Rafii’s teaching of circuitry configured to correct the distance information using outputs from any number n overlapping depth cameras [0084-0085], it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the six overlapping light receiving areas to correct distance information via circuitry in order to increase the resolution of the system as described for Claims 1 and 2.
Regarding Claim 8, Dal Mutto as modified above by Rafii teaches the ranging system according to Claim 1, but does not explicitly teach circuitry configured to correct the distance information using the output from the light-receiving area corresponding to the overlapping region. However, Rafii further describes circuitry connected to a system of cameras where at least one camera covers each part of the observed object [0084]. Processing information for the part of an object captured by only one camera as described would entail correcting distance information using an output from a light-receiving area corresponding to a central region of the light incident range closer to a center of the light incident range than the overlapping region. Rafii further teaches that distance information from different cameras can be merged into a common reference frame [0110]. It would thus have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use both overlapping and central region outputs to correct distance information in order to remove background noise (Rafii, [0110]).
Regarding Claim 9, Dal Mutto as modified above teaches the ranging system according to Claim 1, but does not explicitly teach circuitry further configured to perform notification in a case that an object to be measured is not present in the overlapping region. Rafii teaches the circuitry as a controller which can be triggered to detect when an object has left the overlapping cameras’ fields of view [0062]. Said controller optionally includes circuitry which execute other functions, including further processing of depth information from light receivers [0069]. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the circuitry of Raffi to also accomplish the functionality of the circuitry set forth in Dal Mutto in order to trigger the system to begin collecting distance measurements [0022].
Regarding Claim 10, Dal Mutto discloses a non-transitory recording medium storing a plurality of program codes [0007, 0017, 0064] which are executed by one or more processors [0007, 0064], causing the processor to receive outputs from three or more light-receiving elements receiving light reflected from an object [0007, 0064], each of the three or more light-receiving elements having a light incident range including an overlapping region (#101 a-e of Fig. 1A; 0007, 0020]), the overlapping region overlapping the light incident range of another one of the multiple light-receiving elements [0020], the three or more light-receiving elements having at least two overlapping regions [0020]; outputting distance information based on outputs from the three or more light-receiving elements [0007, 0021]. Dal Mutto does not explicitly teach correcting the distance information using outputs from light-receiving areas of the three or more light-receiving elements corresponding to the at least two overlapping regions. However, Rafii teaches circuitry [0070] designed to perform an Iterative Closest Point technique [0103], where multiple depth cameras capture common feature points (i.e., the cameras have light incident ranges which overlap in regions which include these feature points) and use the detections at to estimate the relative camera pose [0103, 105] for calibration (i.e., a correction of the distance information measured by the cameras). Rafii also clarifies that when the depth cameras’ fields-of-view overlap, the signal to noise ratio is increased and the system’s geometric resolution is increased [0094]. Thus, it would have been obvious to a person who is skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the program codes of Dal Mutto to correct distance information using outputs from the overlapping regions in order increase the resolution of the overall system.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dal Mutto (WO 2019/213666) and Rafii (US 2017/0272728 A1), in further view of Sun (WO 2021/164058).
Regarding Claim 4, Dal Mutto as modified above teaches the ranging system according to Claim 1, but does not explicitly teach a temperature sensor. Sun teaches a Tof camera system with a temperature sensor to output temperature information indicating the temperature of one light receiving element [0023]. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a temperature sensor to the ranging system of Claim 1 as anticipated by Dal Mutto and Rafii to help calibrate a light receiving element for more accurate measurements (Sun [0008]).
Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 2020/0242792 A1) in view of Sun (WO 2021/164058).
Regarding Claim 5, Liu teaches a ranging system comprising a light projector to project projection light [0003]; multiple light-receiving elements to receive light including reflected light of the projection light reflected from an object, each of the multiple light-receiving elements having a light incident range including an overlapping region, the overlapping region overlapping the light incident range of another one of the multiple light-receiving elements [0048, 0075]; and circuitry configured to output distance information based on outputs from the multiple light-receiving elements [0072-0073]. Additionally, Liu teaches circuitry to correct outputs using a light source overlapping region output with an error calculation modeling temperature shift in the optical elements [0048-0049, 0072]. While Liu teaches correcting distance information using a mathematical model of the expected temperature error from the optical elements, it does not explicitly teach a temperature sensor to measure temperature of at least one of the multiple light-receiving elements and output temperature information indicating the temperature of at least one of the multiple light-receiving elements and circuitry which correct[s] the distance information using the temperature information and outputs from light-receiving areas of the multiple light-receiving elements corresponding to the overlapping region. Sun teaches a temperature sensor, as well as circuitry correcting the distance information using outputs from the temperature sensor and light-receiving elements in the form of a processing module [0014,0023]. Thus, it would thus have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention use a temperature sensor and circuitry as described in Sun with the ranging system and circuitry set forth in Liu to ensure more accurate temperature drift calibrations of multiple ToF cameras (Sun, [0003, 0015]).
Regarding Claim 6, Liu as modified above teaches the ranging system according to Claim 5, and additionally teaches the multiple light-receiving elements including a first light-receiving element and a second light-receiving element, and the overlapping region including a first overlapping region formed by the first light-receiving element and the second light-receiving element [0048, 0075], as well as circuitry configured to correct the distance information using a first output from the light-receiving area of the first light-receiving element corresponding to the first overlapping region, and a second output from the light-receiving area of the second light-receiving element corresponding to the first overlapping region [0008-0009]. Liu also teaches circuitry configured to correct the distance information using a modeled temperature error [0007], however, Liu does not teach a temperature sensor. Sun teaches the temperature sensor as described above for Claim 5, (Sun, [0014,0023]) including the temperature sensor measuring temperature of a first light-receiving element [0023], and circuitry configured to correct the distance information using the temperature information of the first light-receiving element. It would thus have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention use a temperature sensor and circuitry as described in Sun with the ranging system and circuitry set forth in Liu to ensure more accurate temperature drift calibrations of multiple ToF cameras (Sun, [0003, 0015]).
Regarding Claim 7, Liu as modified above teaches the ranging system according to Claim 5, but does not explicitly teach circuitry to correct for errors above a detected temperature. Sun teaches circuitry further configured to perform distance measuring for correcting the distance information in a case that the temperature information indicates a temperature equal to or higher than a threshold temperature [0028, 0031]. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add this functionality to the circuitry anticipated by Sun and Liu in order to maintain measurement accuracy (Sun, [0029,0031]).
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Korkalo (WO 2017/187014 A1) teaches circuitry receiving outputs from multiple LIDAR cameras with overlapping fields of view to calibrate and map data for determining 3D structure, as well as a non-transitory memory storing program codes to execute methods correcting distance information using outputs from multiple cameras (pg. 1 ln. 2-5, pg. 9 ln.6-27, pg. 11 ln.17-31).
Dong (US 2021/0333369 A1) teaches a ranging system containing at least three light receiving cameras with at least two overlapping regions and having a 360-degree angle of view [Fig 8].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DORIAN E BALDWIN-BOTT whose telephone number is (571)270-0450. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:30 am-6:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helal Algahaim can be reached at 5712705227. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DORIAN E BALDWIN-BOTT/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/HELAL A ALGAHAIM/SPE , Art Unit 3645
Prosecution Insights