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 .
Status of Claims
The following is a non-final, first office action in response to the communication filed 04/25/2024. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/10/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ferreira et al. (US-20200284883-A1; hereinafter Ferreira).
Regarding claim 1, Ferreira discloses A method of operating a distance sensor, the method comprising: emitting pulses of light from an emitter on the distance sensor at one or more designated wavelengths in a non-visible spectrum; (see at least [0409]; "A LIDAR (light detection and ranging) Sensor System is to be understood in particular as meaning a system which, in addition to one or more emitters for emitting light beams, for example in pulsed form, and a detector for detecting any reflected beam components, may have further devices, for example optical elements such as lenses and/or a MEMS mirror." and see at least [0410]; "Objects can be detected, for example, at a distance of up to 60 m, up to 300 m or up to 600 m using the LIDAR system." and see at least [0405]; "The LIDAR method is usefully working with light pulses which, for example, using semiconductor laser diodes having a wavelength between about 850 nm to about 1600 nm, which have a FWHM pulse width of 1 ns to 100 ns (FWHM=Full Width at Half Maximum). Also conceivable in general are wavelengths up to, in particular approximately, 8100 nm.") receiving a set of reflected pulses of light with a receiver on the distance sensor that correspond to the pulses of light reflected off a surface of an object within a line-of-sight of the receiver; (see at least [2063]; "Pulsed laser sources may have various applications. An important field of application for pulsed laser sources may be time-of-flight LIDAR sensors or LIDAR systems. In a time-of-flight LIDAR system, a laser pulse may be emitted, the laser pulse may be reflected by a target object, and the reflected pulse may be received again by the LIDAR system. A distance to the object may be calculated by measuring the time that has elapsed between sending out the laser pulse and receiving the reflected pulse.") generating a point cloud of an area including the surface of the object based on the set of reflected pulses of light; (see at least [0440]; "As explained above, the LIDAR Sensor System 10 is configured to emit electro-magnetic or other radiation in order to probe the environment 100 for other objects, like cars, pedestrians, road signs, and road obstacles. The LIDAR Sensor System 10 is further configured to receive and measure electromagnetic or other types of object-reflected or object-emitted radiation 130, but also other wanted or unwanted electromagnetic radiation 140, in order to generate signals 110 that can be used for the environmental mapping process, usually generating a point cloud that is representative of the detected objects.") identifying a pattern on a surface of the object based on at least one of an area of increased or decreased reflectivity for the one or more designated wavelengths in the non-visible spectrum identified in the point cloud; and (see at least [0449]; "A LIDAR Sensor System can for example emit a first infrared test beam in order to measure object distance, object type, object reflectivity for visible, UV or IR radiation and so on, and then regulate laser power according to (pre-)defined or recognized scenarios and operational or environmental settings." and see at least [2518]; "The vehicle may be equipped (or retrofitted) with a variety of (similar or different) infrared emitter (and sensors) that are configured to emit (coded) infrared radiation to the outside in order to be recognized by other traffic participants or traffic relevant objects (e.g. elements of road infrastructure) and/or to carry informational data to them. The light emitting surfaces to can be addressed in various ways (no specific coding at all, pre-set coding, adjustable coding, dynamically addressable surfaces, pattern building etc.). Further signal coding (wavelength, pulses, signal time, etc.) helps identify the vehicle, driver, etc." and see at least [2292]; "Another aspect is the use of a multi-spectral approach where a LIDAR Sensor System emits and measures laser pulses that have different wavelengths and are emitted and measured simultaneously or time sequentially. This allows for better object recognition because the object reflectivity may be a function of the laser wavelength thus allowing better object recognition.") decoding embedded data from the pattern on the surface of the object. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [0886]; "Moreover, it is to be noted that the light (laser) emission (e.g. provided by a plurality of light (laser) sources, which may be operated in a group-wise manner) may be adapted in its light intensity pattern to the pixel is distribution or arrangement of the sensor 52, e.g. it may be adapted such that larger pixels may be charged with light having a higher intensity than smaller pixels. This may be provided in an analog manner with respect to photo diodes having a higher and lower sensitivity, respectively.").
Regarding claim 2, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the distance sensor includes a LIDAR. (see at least [0409]; "A LIDAR (light detection and ranging) Sensor System is to be understood in particular as meaning a system which, in addition to one or more emitters for emitting light beams, for example in pulsed form, and a detector for detecting any reflected beam components, may have further devices, for example optical elements such as lenses and/or a MEMS mirror." and see at least [0410]; "Objects can be detected, for example, at a distance of up to 60 m, up to 300 m or up to 600 m using the LIDAR system." and see at least [0405]; "The LIDAR method is usefully working with light pulses which, for example, using semiconductor laser diodes having a wavelength between about 850 nm to about 1600 nm, which have a FWHM pulse width of 1 ns to 100 ns (FWHM=Full Width at Half Maximum). Also conceivable in general are wavelengths up to, in particular approximately, 8100 nm.").
Regarding claim 3, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the distance sensor includes a SWIR camera. (see at least [0444]; "Vehicle headlights employing MEMS or DMD/DLP light processing mirror devices can be used for projection of visible road light (road illumination, like low beam, high beam) but also for projection of information and images onto the surface of a road or an object and/or for the projection of infrared radiation for LIDAR Sensor System purposes. It is advantageous to use a light processing mirror device for some or all of the before mentioned purposes. In order to do so, the (usually white) road illuminating light and/or the (usually colored) light for information projection and/or the infrared LIDAR laser light are optically combined by a beam combiner, for example a dichroic mirror or an X-cube dichroic mirror, that is placed upstream of the mirror device. The visible and the infrared light sources are then operatively multiplexed so that their radiation falls on the mirror device in a sequential manner thus allowing individually controlled projection according to their allotted multiplex times. Input for the sequential projection can be internal and external sensor data, like Camera, Ultrasound, Street Signs and the like." and see at least [0456]; "LIDAR laser emitter (Light Source) need to be operated so that they can emit infrared radiation with short pulses (ns), short rise times until full power, high power, for example higher than 40 A, and low inductivity." and see at least [0049]; "The light source 110 may include, for example, a laser which emits light having a particular operating wavelength in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. As an example, light source 110 may include a laser with one or more operating wavelengths between approximately 900 nanometers (nm) and 2000 nm. The light source 110 emits an output beam of light 125 which may be continuous wave (CW), pulsed, or modulated in any suitable manner for a given application.").
Regarding claim 4, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the set of reflected pulses of light include a plurality of sets of reflected pulses of light that are accumulated and aligned to generate a temporal-spatial point cloud fusion. (see at least [4111]; "The adjustment (illustratively, the adaptation) may be performed according to the danger identification and/or to the confidence levels. One or more portions or zones within the field of view may be temporally resolved with a higher performance than in standard operation. By way of example, the resolution and/or framerate within portions or zones of the received point cloud may be dynamically adjusted in real-time." and see at least [0007]; "It turns out that there is not a single “one fits all” sensing system that can meet all the required features relevant for semi-autonomous or fully autonomous vehicles. Instead, future mobility requires different sensing technologies and concepts with different advantages and disadvantages. Differences between sensing systems may be related to perception range, vertical and horizontal field of view (FOV), spatial and temporal resolution, speed of data acquisition, etc. Therefore, sensor fusion and data interpretation, possibly assisted by Deep Neuronal Learning (DNL) methods and other Neural Processor Units (NFU) methods for more complex tasks, like judgment of a traffic situation and generation of derived vehicle control functions, may be necessary to cope with such complexities.").
Regarding claim 5, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, including correlating the embedded data, or portions thereof, using information identified in a cloud storage location accessible via a network. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [0074]; "The LIDAR Sensor System therefore may have a data interface to receive the measured values and/or data. The data interface may be provided for wire-bound transmission or wireless transmission. In particular, it is possible that the measured values or the data are received from an intermediate storage, such as a cloud-based, web-based, network-based or local type storage unit." and see at least [0263]; "FIG. 133E shows the evaluation of an auto-correlation and/or cross-correlation between two signals in a schematic representation in accordance with various embodiments.").
Regarding claim 6, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 5, including conveying information from the cloud storage location to a driver using one or more of a display screen, a heads-up display, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a speaker using acoustic data. (see at least [2664]; "In various embodiments, a vehicle without its own sensor system can also record and process data via a CU, and thus, for example, give a driver a warning (Head-up-Display HUD, signal display, etc.)." and see at least [0083]; "In some embodiments, the LIDAR Sensor System and/or the Controlled LIDAR Sensor System may be installed inside the driver cabin in order to perform driver monitoring functionalities, such as occupancy-detection, eye-tracking, face recognition, drowsiness detection, access authorization, gesture control, etc.) and/or to communicate with a Head-up-Display HUD)." and see at least [0077]; "The software user interface (UI) may further comprise a data communication and means for data communication for an output device, such as an augmented and/or virtual reality display.").
Regarding claim 7, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded data further comprises error detection and correction code (EDC). (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [4983]; "The frame 13900 may include a preamble frame portion 13902. The preamble frame portion 13902 may include acquisition signals and/or ranging signals and/or synchronization signals. The frame 13900 may include a header frame portion 13904. The header frame portion 13904 may include control data. The frame 13900 may include a payload frame portion 13906. The payload frame portion 13906 may include identification signals and/or control signals. The frame 13900 may include a footer frame portion 13908. The footer frame portion 13908 may include error detection and/or error correction information. The footer frame portion 13908 may include a frame consistency check code, as illustrated in FIG. 139C.").
Regarding claim 8, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded data corresponds to at least one of a road infrastructure or a building. a sign, a building, a vest, a bridge, or another infrastructure. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [0009]; "For an accurate and reliable perception of a vehicle's surrounding, not only vehicle-internal sensing systems and measurement data may be considered but also data and information from vehicle-external sources. Such vehicle-external sources may include sensing systems connected to other traffic participants, such as preceding and oncoming vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, but also sensing systems mounted on road infrastructure elements like traffic lights, traffic signals, bridges, elements of road construction sites and central traffic surveillance structures. Furthermore, data and information may come from far-away sources such as traffic teleoperators and satellites of global positioning systems (e.g. GPS)." and see at least [2518]; "The vehicle may be equipped (or retrofitted) with a variety of (similar or different) infrared emitter (and sensors) that are configured to emit (coded) infrared radiation to the outside in order to be recognized by other traffic participants or traffic relevant objects (e.g. elements of road infrastructure) and/or to carry informational data to them.").
Regarding claim 9, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded data corresponds to at least one of a vehicle type or a vest. (see at least [0869]; "In principle, however, the patterning of the sensor pixels (type, size, and sensitivity) may be configured for specific driving scenarios and vehicle types (bus, car, truck, construction vehicles, drones, and the like). This means that, for example, the sensor pixels 3802 of the edge regions 4204 may have a high sensitivity. It should also be stated that, if a vehicle uses a variety of LIDAR/Camera sensor systems, these may be configured differently, even when illuminating and detecting the same Field-of-View.").
Regarding claim 10, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, including correlating the embedded data, or portions thereof, using information identified in a look-up table stored on a vehicle in real-time. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [4650]; "The memory and/or the database may include or store each possible symbol block mapped onto a corresponding pulse sequence block. Illustratively, the memory and/or the database may include or store a codebook (e.g. a lookup table)." and see at least [0011]; "From the above description, it becomes clear also that future mobility has to be able to handle vast amounts of data, as several tens of gigabytes may be generated per driving hour. This means that autonomous driving systems have to acquire, collect and store data at very high speed, usually complying with real-time conditions.").
Regarding claim 11, Ferreira discloses The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern is generated by at least one of a chemical treatment or a retroreflector on the surface of the object. (see at least [0886]; "Moreover, it is to be noted that the light (laser) emission (e.g. provided by a plurality of light (laser) sources, which may be operated in a group-wise manner) may be adapted in its light intensity pattern to the pixel is distribution or arrangement of the sensor 52, e.g. it may be adapted such that larger pixels may be charged with light having a higher intensity than smaller pixels. This may be provided in an analog manner with respect to photo diodes having a higher and lower sensitivity, respectively." and see at least [2573]; "Such objects may include other road users (e.g. vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, etc.), elements of road infrastructure (e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights, roadway markings, guardrails, traffic islands, sidewalks, bridge piers, etc.) and generally all kinds of objects which may be found on a roadway or in the vicinity of a roadway, either intentionally or unintentionally. The information derived via such a LIDAR Sensor System may include the distance, the velocity, the acceleration, the direction of movement, the trajectory, the pose and/or other physical or chemical properties of these objects." and see at least [1188]; "It is to be noted that standard color value components and luminance factors for retroreflective traffic signs are specified in accordance with DIN EN 12899-1 and DIN 6171-1. The color coordinates of vehicle headlamps (dipped and high beam, daytime running lights) are defined by the ECE white field (CIE-Diagram) of the automotive industry. The same applies to signal colors, whose color coordinates are defined, for example, by ECE color boundaries. See also CIE No. 2.2 (TC-1.6) 1975, or also BGBI. II—Issued on 12 Aug. 2005—No. 248). Other national or regional specification standards may apply as well. All these components may be implemented in various embodiments.").
Regarding claim 12, Ferreira discloses A system comprising: a distance sensor having an emitter and a receiver; (see at least [0370]; "FIG. 174C shows a top view of an emitter side and a receiver side of a LIDAR system in a schematic representation in accordance with various embodiments." and see at least [0410]; "The receiver unit or sensor may comprise a photodiode, e.g. an avalanche photo diode (APD) or a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a PIN diode or a photomultiplier. Objects can be detected, for example, at a distance of up to 60 m, up to 300 m or up to 600 m using the LIDAR system.") a controller in communication with the distance sensor, the controller configured to: direct the emitter to emit pulses of light at one or more designated wavelengths in a non-visible spectrum; (see at least [0409]; "A LIDAR (light detection and ranging) Sensor System is to be understood in particular as meaning a system which, in addition to one or more emitters for emitting light beams, for example in pulsed form, and a detector for detecting any reflected beam components, may have further devices, for example optical elements such as lenses and/or a MEMS mirror." and see at least [0410]; "Objects can be detected, for example, at a distance of up to 60 m, up to 300 m or up to 600 m using the LIDAR system." and see at least [0405]; "The LIDAR method is usefully working with light pulses which, for example, using semiconductor laser diodes having a wavelength between about 850 nm to about 1600 nm, which have a FWHM pulse width of 1 ns to 100 ns (FWHM=Full Width at Half Maximum). Also conceivable in general are wavelengths up to, in particular approximately, 8100 nm.") direct the receiver to receive a set of reflected pulses of light that correspond to the pulses of light reflected off a surface of an object within a line-of-sight of the receiver; (see at least [2063]; "Pulsed laser sources may have various applications. An important field of application for pulsed laser sources may be time-of-flight LIDAR sensors or LIDAR systems. In a time-of-flight LIDAR system, a laser pulse may be emitted, the laser pulse may be reflected by a target object, and the reflected pulse may be received again by the LIDAR system. A distance to the object may be calculated by measuring the time that has elapsed between sending out the laser pulse and receiving the reflected pulse.") generate a point cloud of an area including the surface of the object based on the set of reflected pulses of light; and (see at least [0440]; "As explained above, the LIDAR Sensor System 10 is configured to emit electro-magnetic or other radiation in order to probe the environment 100 for other objects, like cars, pedestrians, road signs, and road obstacles. The LIDAR Sensor System 10 is further configured to receive and measure electromagnetic or other types of object-reflected or object-emitted radiation 130, but also other wanted or unwanted electromagnetic radiation 140, in order to generate signals 110 that can be used for the environmental mapping process, usually generating a point cloud that is representative of the detected objects.") identify a pattern on a surface of the object based on at least one of an area of increased or decreased reflectivity for the one or more designated wavelengths in the non-visible spectrum identified in the point cloud. (see at least [0449]; "A LIDAR Sensor System can for example emit a first infrared test beam in order to measure object distance, object type, object reflectivity for visible, UV or IR radiation and so on, and then regulate laser power according to (pre-)defined or recognized scenarios and operational or environmental settings." and see at least [2518]; "The vehicle may be equipped (or retrofitted) with a variety of (similar or different) infrared emitter (and sensors) that are configured to emit (coded) infrared radiation to the outside in order to be recognized by other traffic participants or traffic relevant objects (e.g. elements of road infrastructure) and/or to carry informational data to them. The light emitting surfaces to can be addressed in various ways (no specific coding at all, pre-set coding, adjustable coding, dynamically addressable surfaces, pattern building etc.). Further signal coding (wavelength, pulses, signal time, etc.) helps identify the vehicle, driver, etc." and see at least [2292]; "Another aspect is the use of a multi-spectral approach where a LIDAR Sensor System emits and measures laser pulses that have different wavelengths and are emitted and measured simultaneously or time sequentially. This allows for better object recognition because the object reflectivity may be a function of the laser wavelength thus allowing better object recognition.").
Regarding claim 13, Ferreira discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to decode embedded data from the pattern on the surface of the object based on information from at least one of a look-up table or a cloud storage location accessible via a network. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [0886]; "Moreover, it is to be noted that the light (laser) emission (e.g. provided by a plurality of light (laser) sources, which may be operated in a group-wise manner) may be adapted in its light intensity pattern to the pixel is distribution or arrangement of the sensor 52, e.g. it may be adapted such that larger pixels may be charged with light having a higher intensity than smaller pixels. This may be provided in an analog manner with respect to photo diodes having a higher and lower sensitivity, respectively." and see at least [0440]; "As explained above, the LIDAR Sensor System 10 is configured to emit electro-magnetic or other radiation in order to probe the environment 100 for other objects, like cars, pedestrians, road signs, and road obstacles. The LIDAR Sensor System 10 is further configured to receive and measure electromagnetic or other types of object-reflected or object-emitted radiation 130, but also other wanted or unwanted electromagnetic radiation 140, in order to generate signals 110 that can be used for the environmental mapping process, usually generating a point cloud that is representative of the detected objects." and see at least [0074]; "The LIDAR Sensor System therefore may have a data interface to receive the measured values and/or data. The data interface may be provided for wire-bound transmission or wireless transmission. In particular, it is possible that the measured values or the data are received from an intermediate storage, such as a cloud-based, web-based, network-based or local type storage unit." and see at least [4650]; "The memory and/or the database may include or store each possible symbol block mapped onto a corresponding pulse sequence block. Illustratively, the memory and/or the database may include or store a codebook (e.g. a lookup table).").
Regarding claim 14, Ferreira discloses The system of claim 13, wherein the information includes at least one of a color or text on the object. (see at least [3065]; "As already described, the Retrofit LIDAR sensor device measures distance, and possibly also velocity and acceleration, of a preceding car. In one embodiment, the Retrofit LIDAR sensor device only provides information about the measured distance values, for example, displayed on the display of a connected smartphone, for example as color and/or text and/or symbol.").
Regarding claim 15, Ferreira discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the set of reflected pulses of light include a plurality of sets of reflected pulses of light and the controller is configured to accumulate and align the plurality of sets of reflected pulses of light to generate a temporal-spatial point cloud fusion. (see at least [4111]; "The adjustment (illustratively, the adaptation) may be performed according to the danger identification and/or to the confidence levels. One or more portions or zones within the field of view may be temporally resolved with a higher performance than in standard operation. By way of example, the resolution and/or framerate within portions or zones of the received point cloud may be dynamically adjusted in real-time." and see at least [0007]; "It turns out that there is not a single “one fits all” sensing system that can meet all the required features relevant for semi-autonomous or fully autonomous vehicles. Instead, future mobility requires different sensing technologies and concepts with different advantages and disadvantages. Differences between sensing systems may be related to perception range, vertical and horizontal field of view (FOV), spatial and temporal resolution, speed of data acquisition, etc. Therefore, sensor fusion and data interpretation, possibly assisted by Deep Neuronal Learning (DNL) methods and other Neural Processor Units (NFU) methods for more complex tasks, like judgment of a traffic situation and generation of derived vehicle control functions, may be necessary to cope with such complexities.").
Regarding claim 16, Ferreira discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the pattern corresponds to at least one of a road infrastructure or a building. a sign, a building, a vest, a bridge, or another infrastructure. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [0009]; "For an accurate and reliable perception of a vehicle's surrounding, not only vehicle-internal sensing systems and measurement data may be considered but also data and information from vehicle-external sources. Such vehicle-external sources may include sensing systems connected to other traffic participants, such as preceding and oncoming vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, but also sensing systems mounted on road infrastructure elements like traffic lights, traffic signals, bridges, elements of road construction sites and central traffic surveillance structures. Furthermore, data and information may come from far-away sources such as traffic teleoperators and satellites of global positioning systems (e.g. GPS)." and see at least [2518]; "The vehicle may be equipped (or retrofitted) with a variety of (similar or different) infrared emitter (and sensors) that are configured to emit (coded) infrared radiation to the outside in order to be recognized by other traffic participants or traffic relevant objects (e.g. elements of road infrastructure) and/or to carry informational data to them.").
Regarding claim 17, Ferreira discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the pattern corresponds to at least one of a vehicle type or a vest. (see at least [0869]; "In principle, however, the patterning of the sensor pixels (type, size, and sensitivity) may be configured for specific driving scenarios and vehicle types (bus, car, truck, construction vehicles, drones, and the like). This means that, for example, the sensor pixels 3802 of the edge regions 4204 may have a high sensitivity. It should also be stated that, if a vehicle uses a variety of LIDAR/Camera sensor systems, these may be configured differently, even when illuminating and detecting the same Field-of-View.").
Regarding claim 18, Ferreira discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the pattern is generated by at least one a chemical treatment or a retroreflector on the surface of the object. (see at least [0886]; "Moreover, it is to be noted that the light (laser) emission (e.g. provided by a plurality of light (laser) sources, which may be operated in a group-wise manner) may be adapted in its light intensity pattern to the pixel is distribution or arrangement of the sensor 52, e.g. it may be adapted such that larger pixels may be charged with light having a higher intensity than smaller pixels. This may be provided in an analog manner with respect to photo diodes having a higher and lower sensitivity, respectively." and see at least [2573]; "Such objects may include other road users (e.g. vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, etc.), elements of road infrastructure (e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights, roadway markings, guardrails, traffic islands, sidewalks, bridge piers, etc.) and generally all kinds of objects which may be found on a roadway or in the vicinity of a roadway, either intentionally or unintentionally. The information derived via such a LIDAR Sensor System may include the distance, the velocity, the acceleration, the direction of movement, the trajectory, the pose and/or other physical or chemical properties of these objects." and see at least [1188]; "It is to be noted that standard color value components and luminance factors for retroreflective traffic signs are specified in accordance with DIN EN 12899-1 and DIN 6171-1. The color coordinates of vehicle headlamps (dipped and high beam, daytime running lights) are defined by the ECE white field (CIE-Diagram) of the automotive industry. The same applies to signal colors, whose color coordinates are defined, for example, by ECE color boundaries. See also CIE No. 2.2 (TC-1.6) 1975, or also BGBI. II—Issued on 12 Aug. 2005—No. 248). Other national or regional specification standards may apply as well. All these components may be implemented in various embodiments.").
Regarding claim 19, Ferreira discloses A vehicle, comprising: a body defining a passenger compartment and supported by a plurality of wheels; (see at least [0407]; "The use of LIDAR sensors is now increasingly used in the automotive sector. Correspondingly, LIDAR sensors are increasingly installed in motor vehicles." and see at least [2493]; "A vehicle cabin may be equipped with infrared lights sources. These light sources can be positioned at various places inside a vehicle, for example remotely behind the front window or in the vicinity of side and rear windows, or somewhere inside the passenger compartment or attached to a transparent roof. The light sources may as well be placed at the edge of a windowpane or be partially integrated into a glass pane thus illuminating its interior. A suited electrical connection is provided between a respective light source and one or more processors (which may act as light source controllers), at least when a windowpane is closed, but it is also possible for a partially open car window by using side contacts on the frame, or embedded conductive coatings (like ITO-stripes), and the like." and see at least [2523]; "The vehicle 8100 may include a vehicle body 8102 and wheels 8104. Furthermore, the vehicle 8100 may include a plurality of e.g. two or four side windows 8106, a front window 8202 and a rear window 8204.") a distance sensor having an emitter and a receiver; (see at least [0370]; "FIG. 174C shows a top view of an emitter side and a receiver side of a LIDAR system in a schematic representation in accordance with various embodiments." and see at least [0410]; "The receiver unit or sensor may comprise a photodiode, e.g. an avalanche photo diode (APD) or a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a PIN diode or a photomultiplier. Objects can be detected, for example, at a distance of up to 60 m, up to 300 m or up to 600 m using the LIDAR system.") a controller in communication with the distance sensor, the controller configured to: direct the emitter to emit pulses of light at one or more wavelengths in a non-visible spectrum; (see at least [0409]; "A LIDAR (light detection and ranging) Sensor System is to be understood in particular as meaning a system which, in addition to one or more emitters for emitting light beams, for example in pulsed form, and a detector for detecting any reflected beam components, may have further devices, for example optical elements such as lenses and/or a MEMS mirror." and see at least [0410]; "Objects can be detected, for example, at a distance of up to 60 m, up to 300 m or up to 600 m using the LIDAR system." and see at least [0405]; "The LIDAR method is usefully working with light pulses which, for example, using semiconductor laser diodes having a wavelength between about 850 nm to about 1600 nm, which have a FWHM pulse width of 1 ns to 100 ns (FWHM=Full Width at Half Maximum). Also conceivable in general are wavelengths up to, in particular approximately, 8100 nm.") direct the receiver to receive a set of reflected pulses of light that correspond to the pulses of light reflected off a surface of an object within a line-of-sight of the receiver; (see at least [2063]; "Pulsed laser sources may have various applications. An important field of application for pulsed laser sources may be time-of-flight LIDAR sensors or LIDAR systems. In a time-of-flight LIDAR system, a laser pulse may be emitted, the laser pulse may be reflected by a target object, and the reflected pulse may be received again by the LIDAR system. A distance to the object may be calculated by measuring the time that has elapsed between sending out the laser pulse and receiving the reflected pulse.") generate a point cloud of an area including the surface of the object based on the set of reflected pulses of light; and (see at least [0440]; "As explained above, the LIDAR Sensor System 10 is configured to emit electro-magnetic or other radiation in order to probe the environment 100 for other objects, like cars, pedestrians, road signs, and road obstacles. The LIDAR Sensor System 10 is further configured to receive and measure electromagnetic or other types of object-reflected or object-emitted radiation 130, but also other wanted or unwanted electromagnetic radiation 140, in order to generate signals 110 that can be used for the environmental mapping process, usually generating a point cloud that is representative of the detected objects.") identify a pattern on a surface of the object based on at least one of an area of increased or decreased reflectivity for the one or more wavelengths in the non-visible spectrum identified in the point cloud. (see at least [0449]; "A LIDAR Sensor System can for example emit a first infrared test beam in order to measure object distance, object type, object reflectivity for visible, UV or IR radiation and so on, and then regulate laser power according to (pre-)defined or recognized scenarios and operational or environmental settings." and see at least [2518]; "The vehicle may be equipped (or retrofitted) with a variety of (similar or different) infrared emitter (and sensors) that are configured to emit (coded) infrared radiation to the outside in order to be recognized by other traffic participants or traffic relevant objects (e.g. elements of road infrastructure) and/or to carry informational data to them. The light emitting surfaces to can be addressed in various ways (no specific coding at all, pre-set coding, adjustable coding, dynamically addressable surfaces, pattern building etc.). Further signal coding (wavelength, pulses, signal time, etc.) helps identify the vehicle, driver, etc." and see at least [2292]; "Another aspect is the use of a multi-spectral approach where a LIDAR Sensor System emits and measures laser pulses that have different wavelengths and are emitted and measured simultaneously or time sequentially. This allows for better object recognition because the object reflectivity may be a function of the laser wavelength thus allowing better object recognition.").
Regarding claim 20, Ferreira discloses The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to decode embedded data from the pattern on the surface of the object. (see at least [3398]; "The one or more processors may be configured to process the received plurality of light signals (e.g., to decode or demodulate the received plurality of light signals). By way of example, the one or more processors may be configured as the one or more processors 13324 described in relation to FIG. 131A to FIG. 137." and see at least [0886]; "Moreover, it is to be noted that the light (laser) emission (e.g. provided by a plurality of light (laser) sources, which may be operated in a group-wise manner) may be adapted in its light intensity pattern to the pixel is distribution or arrangement of the sensor 52, e.g. it may be adapted such that larger pixels may be charged with light having a higher intensity than smaller pixels. This may be provided in an analog manner with respect to photo diodes having a higher and lower sensitivity, respectively.").
Conclusion
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/MARK ANTHONY FLORES/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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