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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 07/27/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the amendments to Claim 1 render the claim no longer a generic claim. This is not found persuasive because Jin (Cited in restriction to teach generic claim 1) also teaches distance measurement (See title – LiDAR and [0004]). Thus, this claim is still generic.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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, 3-9, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jin (US 20230027271 A1).
Claim 1: Jin teaches a sensor device comprising:
an irradiation unit that emits laser light to an object ([0048] - laser and Fig. 1, laser module 101, beam collimator module 4);
a light receiving unit that receives reflected light from the object (Fig. 1, silicon photonic chip);
and a waveguide that guides the laser light generated from a light source to the irradiation units ([0051] - beam collimator is coupled to transmitting and grating unit 211 and [0050] - detection and Fig. 1, signal processing module 6)
and a distance measurement processing unit that calculates a distance to the object, on a basis of a result of light reception performed by the light receiving unit ([0050]-[0051], obtaining distance),
wherein the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are located on an optical axis of an external lens optical system ([0047]).
Claim 3: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising a lens optical system that condenses the laser light emitted from the irradiation unit, transmits the condensed laser light to the object, condenses reflected light from the object, and transmits the condensed reflected light to the light receiving unit (Fig. 1, beam collimator module 4).
Claim 4: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the waveguide includes a branching portion that branches into a first branch waveguide and a second branch waveguide ([0042]), and one of the first branch waveguide or the second branch waveguide includes a modulation unit that modulates the laser light to be guided to the irradiation unit ([0042] - grating).
Claim 5: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the distance measurement processing unit is further configured to measure a velocity of the object from a beat signal that is included in the reflected light to be received by the light receiving unit from the object and is generated by multiplexing the laser light to be guided to the irradiation unit and the light modulated by the modulation unit ([0040] - beat frequency and [0050]-[0051] - obtaining velocity).
Claim 6: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 4, further comprising:
a light receiving diffraction unit that receives the reflected light from the object ([0042] and grating unit 211),
and a multiplexing unit that multiplexes the reflected light to be received by the light receiving diffraction unit from the object and the light modulated by the modulation unit ([0042], Fig. 1, optical switch 210),
wherein the light receiving unit receives the light multiplexed by the multiplexing unit ([0042], Fig. 1, optical switch 210, leading to detectors 204 and 212),
and extracts the beat signal from a result of the light reception ([0040] - beat signal).
Claim 7: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 6, wherein the distance measurement processing unit is further configured to measure a velocity of the object from the beat signal ([0040] - beat frequency and [0050]-[0051] - obtaining velocity).
Claim 8: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 1,
wherein the irradiation unit includes a light receiving diffraction unit that receives the reflected light from the object ([0042] and grating unit 211),
the sensor device further comprises: a modulation unit that modulates the laser light to be guided to the irradiation unit ([0047 - FMCW laser);
a multiplexing unit that multiplexes the reflected light to be received by the light receiving diffraction unit from the object and one of the light modulated by the modulation unit or light before modulation by the modulation unit ([0042], Fig. 1, optical switch 210),
and a lead-out unit that leads the laser light generated from the light source to the irradiation unit (Fig. 1, optical loop module 4 and [0039], [0050]- optical circulator),
and leads reflected light from the light receiving diffraction unit to the multiplexing unit, and the light receiving unit receives the light multiplexed by the multiplexing unit ([0042], Fig. 1, optical switch 210, leading to detectors 204 and 212),
and extracts a beat signal from a result of the light reception ([0040] - beat signal).
Claim 9: Jin teaches the sensor device according to claim 8, wherein the distance measurement processing unit is further configured to a velocity of the object from the beat signal ([0040] - beat frequency and [0050]-[0051] - obtaining velocity).
Claim 19: Jin teaches an electronic apparatus comprising a sensor device that includes:
an irradiation unit that emits laser light to an object ([0048] - laser and Fig. 1, laser module 101, beam collimator module 4);
a light receiving unit that receives reflected light from the object (Fig. 1, silicon photonic chip);
a waveguide that guides the laser light generated from a light source to the irradiation unit ([0051] - beam collimator is coupled to transmitting and grating unit 211 and [0050] - detection and Fig. 1, signal processing module 6)
and a distance measurement processing unit that calculates a distance to the object, on a basis of a result of light reception performed by the light receiving unit ([0050]-[0051], obtaining distance),
wherein the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are located on an optical axis of an external lens optical system ([0047]).
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin in view of Droz (US 20200096634 A1).
Claim 10: Jin teaches the sensor device according to Claim 1. Jin does not teach, but Droz does teach, wherein the laser light generated from the light source is pulsed light ([0061]).
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 pulsed light, as taught by Droz, in the system as taught by Jin (specifically instead of continuous light), because pulsed light is well known in the art to yield predictable results, such as allowing for easier differentiation between different timings of return light to lower interference.
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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