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 § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stephan (WO 2020043633 A1) [cited from pdf] in view of Belot (EP 3734749A1) [cited from pdf] in view of Izadian (US 20160047907 A1).
Regarding claim 1 Stephan discloses
A radar system for a motor vehicle (Paragraph 0001, "motor vehicles, equipped with a directional antenna to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave in a desired direction"; Paragraph 0003, "We also know of vehicles equipped with radar-type devices") comprising: an electronic unit configured to transmit and receive an electromagnetic wave in a predetermined frequency range (Claim 9, “the transceiver (50) is capable of emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic waves at various frequencies, in particular 77 GHz”); a first directional antenna arranged on a first body part of the motor vehicle (Paragraph 0014, “The invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a motor vehicle body part comprising at least one directional antenna, capable of emitting and/or receiving an electromagnetic wave in a given direction from a large area (related to the size of the body part itself)”) and comprising a first reflective cavity reflecting electromagnetic waves wherein a first metasurface is positioned (Figure 2 elements 80, 70, 60; Paragraph 0028, "The wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver 50 is almost totally reflected by the adaptable surface 60, and therefore almost all of the energy can be controlled to be concentrated into a single beam, i.e. a main lobe. The antenna is therefore more efficient. In addition, all the paths between the transceiver 50 and the adaptable surface 60 are contained within the volume of the electromagnetic cavity 80, i.e. inside the wall 20, and the antenna efficiency will be better, thus enhancing the antenna's effectiveness"; Paragraph 0041, "According to a particular embodiment, the housing 90 includes a reflective element 70, capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves into the cavity 80"; Paragraph 0017, "Furthermore, it is possible to control an adaptable surface (called a meta-surface) with conventional electronics (electrical signals) which will "shape" the wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver and transform it into an imaging radar"), wherein said first directional antenna is configured to be connected to the electronic unit via a first waveguide, and wherein the first directional antenna is configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave, transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the first waveguide in a first predetermined direction and/or to propagate the electromagnetic wave received from the first predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the first waveguide (Paragraph 0052, "The transmitter-receiver 50 allows to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave 300 in the thickness of the wall 20, mainly directly towards the adaptable surface 60, by orientation of the transmitter-receiver 50 in the wall 20. This element 50 can be chosen from a list including a monopole, a dipole, a waveguide, a radiating waveguide, and a planar antenna"); and a second directional antenna arranged on a second body part that has a second cavity reflecting the electromagnetic waves wherein a second metasurface is positioned (Figure 4 elements 80a, 80b two chambers of similar construction and function; Paragraph 0033, "According to another embodiment, illustrated in figure 4, the wall 20 has two cavities 80a and 80b: one cavity 80a is dedicated to the transmission of the electromagnetic wave, and another cavity 80b is dedicated to the reception of an electromagnetic wave. To achieve this, the electromagnetic cavity 80 is separated by a reflective wall 85 capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. Such a reflective wall 85 can for example be overmolded into the wall 20. Each cavity 80a, 80b then includes at least one opening lOOa, lOOb."; Paragraph 0030, "Such a box 90 forms a radar detection system suitable for imaging objects in a space located at the periphery of the vehicle 200. Bodywork part 10 can therefore include several antennas."; Paragraph 0017, "Furthermore, it is possible to control an adaptable surface (called a meta-surface) with conventional electronics (electrical signals) which will "shape" the wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver and transform it into an imaging radar"). Stephan does not specifically disclose wherein said second directional antenna is configured for connection to the electronic unit via a second waveguide and for transmitting the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the second waveguide in a second predetermined direction and/or for propagating the received electromagnetic wave from the second predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the second waveguide.
Belot discloses
Wherein said second directional antenna is configured for connection to the electronic unit via a second waveguide and for transmitting the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the second waveguide and/or for propagating the received electromagnetic wave from the second predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the second waveguide (Figure 1 elements 103 and T path and R path; Paragraph 0033, " a first dielectric waveguide 107T connects a transmission terminal T of circuit 103 to antenna 105T, and a second dielectric waveguide 107R connects a reception terminal R of circuit 103 to antenna 105R").
Stephan discloses a transceiver with a waveguide, like a radiation waveguide and it discloses two cavities, one for transmitting and one for reception. It does not specify that the second chamber has a second connection. It would be advantageous for the implementation of this invention for the first and second cavity to have a waveguide for the transmitting and receiving of signal. Additionally, it would be advantageous for the transmitting and receiving cavities to have their own waveguide to mitigate interference as the transmit/receive signals travel down the waveguide. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Belot to facilitate implementing a two cavity embodiment of the invention and to mitigate interference from a transmit and receive signal sharing the same waveguide.
Izadian discloses
A second predetermined direction (Paragraph 0020, “So that for example, four such radars located on four corners of a car would provide a full 360 coverage around the car. For example, a system such as this may aid in autonomous driving of a vehicle”).
Stephan discloses a radar but does not specifically disclose that multiple radar can point in multiple directions. It would be advantageous to have the radar pointing in multiple directions to, as Izadian states, Paragraph 0020, “provide a full 360 coverage around the car. For example, a system such as this may aid in autonomous driving of a vehicle.” As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Izadian to add in multiple fields of view to aid in the operation of the ADAS.
Regarding claim 2 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1, wherein the first directional antenna is a transmitting antenna and is configured to transmit the electro-magnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the first wave- guide in the first predetermined direction (Paragraph 0001, "motor vehicles, equipped with a directional antenna to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave in a desired direction"; Paragraph 0052, "The transmitter-receiver 50 allows to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave 300 in the thickness of the wall 20, mainly directly towards the adaptable surface 60, by orientation of the transmitter-receiver 50 in the wall 20. This element 50 can be chosen from a list including a monopole, a dipole, a waveguide, a radiating waveguide, and a planar antenna") and the second directional antenna is a receiving antenna and is configured to receive the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the transmitting antenna and reflected by an obstacle and to propagate the received electromagnetic wave to the electronic unit (Figure 4 elements 80a, 80b; Paragraph 0033, "According to another embodiment, illustrated in figure 4, the wall 20 has two cavities 80a and 80b: one cavity 80a is dedicated to the transmission of the electromagnetic wave, and another cavity 80b is dedicated to the reception of an electromagnetic wave. To achieve this, the electromagnetic cavity 80 is separated by a reflective wall 85 capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. Such a reflective wall 85 can for example be overmolded into the wall 20. Each cavity 80a, 80b then includes at least one opening lOOa, lOOb."; Paragraph 0030, "Such a box 90 forms a radar detection system suitable for imaging objects in a space located at the periphery of the vehicle 200. Bodywork part 10 can therefore include several antennas"). Stephan does not disclose a second waveguide
Belot discloses
A second waveguide (Figure 1 elements 103 and T path and R path; Paragraph 0033, " a first dielectric waveguide 107T connects a transmission terminal T of circuit 103 to antenna 105T, and a second dielectric waveguide 107R connects a reception terminal R of circuit 103 to antenna 105R").
Stephan discloses a transceiver with a waveguide, like a radiation waveguide and it discloses two cavities, one for transmitting and one for reception. It does not specify that the second chamber has a second connection. It would be advantageous for the implementation of this invention for the first and second cavity to have a waveguide for the transmitting and receiving of signal. Additionally, it would be advantageous for the transmitting and receiving cavities to have their own waveguide to mitigate interference as the transmit/receive signals travel down the waveguide. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Belot to facilitate implementing a two cavity embodiment of the invention and to mitigate interference from a transmit and receive signal sharing the same waveguide.
Regarding claim 3 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan further discloses wherein the first directional antenna is configured to be arranged behind a plastic wall of the first body part (Paragraph 0028, "The wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver 50 is almost totally reflected by the adaptable surface 60, and therefore almost all of the energy can be controlled to be concentrated into a single beam, i.e. a main lobe. The antenna is therefore more efficient. In addition, all the paths between the transceiver 50 and the adaptable surface 60 are contained within the volume of the electromagnetic cavity 80, i.e. inside the wall 20, and the antenna efficiency will be better, thus enhancing the antenna's effectiveness"; Paragraph 0020, “a plastic material identical to the plastic material forming the rest of the wall”) and the second directional antenna is configured to be arranged behind a plastic wall of the second body part (Figure 4 elements 80a, 80b; Paragraph 0033, "According to another embodiment, illustrated in figure 4, the wall 20 has two cavities 80a and 80b: one cavity 80a is dedicated to the transmission of the electromagnetic wave, and another cavity 80b is dedicated to the reception of an electromagnetic wave. To achieve this, the electromagnetic cavity 80 is separated by a reflective wall 85 capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. Such a reflective wall 85 can for example be overmolded into the wall 20. Each cavity 80a, 80b then includes at least one opening lOOa, lOOb."; Paragraph 0030, "Such a box 90 forms a radar detection system suitable for imaging objects in a space located at the periphery of the vehicle 200. Bodywork part 10 can therefore include several antennas" where the second chamber would have an antenna).
Regarding claim 4 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 3. Stephan further discloses wherein the first directional antenna and the second directional antenna are configured to be arranged facing a uniform wall of a plastic material (Figure 1 elements 20; Figure 4 elements 80a and 80b; Paragraph 0028, "The wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver 50 is almost totally reflected by the adaptable surface 60, and therefore almost all of the energy can be controlled to be concentrated into a single beam, i.e. a main lobe. The antenna is therefore more efficient. In addition, all the paths between the transceiver 50 and the adaptable surface 60 are contained within the volume of the electromagnetic cavity 80, i.e. inside the wall 20, and the antenna efficiency will be better, thus enhancing the antenna's effectiveness"; Paragraph 0015, “To this end, the invention relates to a body part for a motor vehicle comprising at least one wall made of plastic” where the two chambers are similar in composition and construction).
Regarding claim 5 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 3. Stephan further discloses wherein the first directional antenna and the second directional antenna are configured to be placed facing the plastic wall whose radius of curvature is greater than 500 mm (Figure 4 elements 80a and 80b; Paragraph 0028, "The wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver 50 is almost totally reflected by the adaptable surface 60, and therefore almost all of the energy can be controlled to be concentrated into a single beam, i.e. a main lobe. The antenna is therefore more efficient. In addition, all the paths between the transceiver 50 and the adaptable surface 60 are contained within the volume of the electromagnetic cavity 80, i.e. inside the wall 20, and the antenna efficiency will be better, thus enhancing the antenna's effectiveness" where the radius of curvature of a flat wall is infinity).
Regarding claim 6 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan further discloses wherein the first body part and the second body part are adjacent body parts (Figure 4 element 80a, 80b).
Regarding claim 7 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan does not disclose wherein the first body part is arranged on a first side of the vehicle and the second body part is arranged on a second side of the vehicle opposite to the first side of the vehicle.
Izadian discloses
Wherein the first body part is arranged on a first side of the vehicle and the second body part is arranged on a second side of the vehicle opposite to the first side of the vehicle (Paragraph 0022, “Paragraph 0022, "the radar units may be mounted in order to have one pointing forward, one pointing backward”).
Stephan discloses having a radar device and having two radar devices adjacent to each other but it does not specifically state that it has multiple radar devices pointing in different directions. It would be advantageous to have a radar device pointing not only towards the front but also the back to improve the situational awareness of the ADAS system. By having a radar in the back, it can facilitate avoiding backend collisions or backing up on an object that cannot be seen by the driver. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Izadian to add a radar at the back as well as the front of the car to improve the operation of the ADAS in avoid collisions of differing scenarios.
Regarding claim 9 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan further discloses wherein the pre- determined frequency range is greater than 60 GHz (Claim 9, “the transceiver (50) is capable of emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic waves at various frequencies, in particular 77 GHz”).
Regarding claim 10 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan does not disclose wherein the electronic unit is configured to be positioned remotely from the first body part and the second body part.
Belot discloses
Wherein the electronic unit is configured to be positioned remotely from the first body part and the second body part (Paragraph 0032, "The antennas 105T, 105R may be remote from the central processing unit 101 and from the circuit 103. As an example, antennas 105T and 105R are located at a distance greater than 0.5 meter from the central processing unit and from circuit 103").
Stephan discloses a radar device but does not disclose that the cavity is separated from the electronic unit. The electronic unit being remote would be advantageous for centralizing the control of several antenna in different locations without having to add more hardware than necessary, such as multiple processing units. Additionally, centralized processing of several antennas helps to mitigate timing issues as the central processor can ensure a shared timing reference. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Belot to add in a centralized electronic unit to allow for a central processing of the several antennas to reduce unnecessary hardware and reduce timing issues between several independent units.
Regarding claim 11 Stephan discloses
An assembly, comprising at least a first body part and a second body part, wherein the assembly further comprises a radar system, wherein the radar system further comprises: an electronic unit configured to transmit and receive an electromagnetic wave in a predetermined frequency range (Figure 4 elements 80a and 80b; Paragraph 0003, "We also know of vehicles equipped with radar-type devices"; Claim 9, “the transceiver (50) is capable of emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic waves at various frequencies, in particular 77 GHz”); a first directional antenna arranged on a first body part of the motor vehicle (Paragraph 0014, “The invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a motor vehicle body part comprising at least one directional antenna, capable of emitting and/or receiving an electromagnetic wave in a given direction from a large area (related to the size of the body part itself)”) and comprising a first reflective cavity reflecting electromagnetic waves wherein a first metasurface is positioned (Figure 2 elements 80, 70, 60; Paragraph 0028, "The wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver 50 is almost totally reflected by the adaptable surface 60, and therefore almost all of the energy can be controlled to be concentrated into a single beam, i.e. a main lobe. The antenna is therefore more efficient. In addition, all the paths between the transceiver 50 and the adaptable surface 60 are contained within the volume of the electromagnetic cavity 80, i.e. inside the wall 20, and the antenna efficiency will be better, thus enhancing the antenna's effectiveness"; Paragraph 0041, "According to a particular embodiment, the housing 90 includes a reflective element 70, capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves into the cavity 80"; Paragraph 0017, "Furthermore, it is possible to control an adaptable surface (called a meta-surface) with conventional electronics (electrical signals) which will "shape" the wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver and transform it into an imaging radar."), wherein said first directional antenna is configured to be connected to the electronic unit via a first waveguide, and wherein the first directional antenna is configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave, transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the first waveguide in a first predetermined direction and/or to propagate the electromagnetic wave received from the first predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the first waveguide (Paragraph 0052, "The transmitter-receiver 50 allows to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave 300 in the thickness of the wall 20, mainly directly towards the adaptable surface 60, by orientation of the transmitter-receiver 50 in the wall 20. This element 50 can be chosen from a list including a monopole, a dipole, a waveguide, a radiating waveguide, and a planar antenna"); and a second directional antenna arranged on a second body part that has a second cavity reflecting the electromagnetic waves wherein a second metasurface is positioned (Figure 4 elements 80a, 80b two chambers of similar construction and function; Paragraph 0033, "According to another embodiment, illustrated in figure 4, the wall 20 has two cavities 80a and 80b: one cavity 80a is dedicated to the transmission of the electromagnetic wave, and another cavity 80b is dedicated to the reception of an electromagnetic wave. To achieve this, the electromagnetic cavity 80 is separated by a reflective wall 85 capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. Such a reflective wall 85 can for example be overmolded into the wall 20. Each cavity 80a, 80b then includes at least one opening lOOa, lOOb."; Paragraph 0030, "Such a box 90 forms a radar detection system suitable for imaging objects in a space located at the periphery of the vehicle 200. Bodywork part 10 can therefore include several antennas."; Paragraph 0017, "Furthermore, it is possible to control an adaptable surface (called a meta-surface) with conventional electronics (electrical signals) which will "shape" the wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver and transform it into an imaging radar"). Stephan does not specifically disclose wherein said second directional antenna is configured for connection to the electronic unit via a second waveguide and for transmitting the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the second waveguide in a second predetermined direction and/or for propagating the received electromagnetic wave from the second predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the second waveguide.
Belot discloses
Wherein said second directional antenna is configured for connection to the electronic unit via a second waveguide and for transmitting the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the second waveguide and/or for propagating the received electromagnetic wave from the second predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the second waveguide (Figure 1 elements 103 and T path and R path; Paragraph 0033, " a first dielectric waveguide 107T connects a transmission terminal T of circuit 103 to antenna 105T, and a second dielectric waveguide 107R connects a reception terminal R of circuit 103 to antenna 105R").
Stephan discloses a transceiver with a waveguide, like a radiation waveguide and it discloses two cavities, one for transmitting and one for reception. It does not specify that the second chamber has a second connection. It would be advantageous for the implementation of this invention for the first and second cavity to have a waveguide for the transmitting and receiving of signal. Additionally, it would be advantageous for the transmitting and receiving cavities to have their own waveguide to mitigate interference as the transmit/receive signals travel down the waveguide. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Belot to facilitate implementing a two cavity embodiment of the invention and to mitigate interference from a transmit and receive signal sharing the same waveguide.
Izadian discloses
A second predetermined direction (Paragraph 0020, “So that for example, four such radars located on four corners of a car would provide a full 360 coverage around the car. For example, a system such as this may aid in autonomous driving of a vehicle”).
Stephan discloses a radar but does not specifically disclose that multiple radar can point in multiple directions. It would be advantageous to have the radar pointing in multiple directions to, as Izadian states, Paragraph 0020, “provide a full 360 coverage around the car. For example, a system such as this may aid in autonomous driving of a vehicle.” As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Izadian to add in multiple fields of view to aid in the operation of the ADAS.
Regarding claim 12 Stephan discloses
A motor vehicle, comprising a first body part, a second body part, and a radar system, wherein the radar system (Figure 4 elements 80a and 80b; Paragraph 0001, "motor vehicles, equipped with a directional antenna to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave in a desired direction"; Paragraph 0003, "We also know of vehicles equipped with radar-type devices") further comprises: an electronic unit configured to transmit and receive an electromagnetic wave in a predetermined frequency range (Claim 9, “the transceiver (50) is capable of emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic waves at various frequencies, in particular 77 GHz”); a first directional antenna arranged on a first body part of the motor vehicle (Paragraph 0014, “The invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a motor vehicle body part comprising at least one directional antenna, capable of emitting and/or receiving an electromagnetic wave in a given direction from a large area (related to the size of the body part itself)”) and comprising a first reflective cavity reflecting electromagnetic waves wherein a first metasurface is positioned (Figure 2 elements 80, 70, 60; Paragraph 0028, "The wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver 50 is almost totally reflected by the adaptable surface 60, and therefore almost all of the energy can be controlled to be concentrated into a single beam, i.e. a main lobe. The antenna is therefore more efficient. In addition, all the paths between the transceiver 50 and the adaptable surface 60 are contained within the volume of the electromagnetic cavity 80, i.e. inside the wall 20, and the antenna efficiency will be better, thus enhancing the antenna's effectiveness"; Paragraph 0041, "According to a particular embodiment, the housing 90 includes a reflective element 70, capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves into the cavity 80"; Paragraph 0017, "Furthermore, it is possible to control an adaptable surface (called a meta-surface) with conventional electronics (electrical signals) which will "shape" the wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver and transform it into an imaging radar."), wherein said first directional antenna is configured to be connected to the electronic unit via a first waveguide, and wherein the first directional antenna is configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave, transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the first waveguide in a first predetermined direction and/or to propagate the electromagnetic wave received from the first predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the first waveguide (Paragraph 0052, "The transmitter-receiver 50 allows to emit and/or receive an electromagnetic wave 300 in the thickness of the wall 20, mainly directly towards the adaptable surface 60, by orientation of the transmitter-receiver 50 in the wall 20. This element 50 can be chosen from a list including a monopole, a dipole, a waveguide, a radiating waveguide, and a planar antenna"); and a second directional antenna arranged on a second body part that has a second cavity reflecting the electromagnetic waves wherein a second metasurface is positioned (Figure 4 elements 80a, 80b two chambers of similar construction and function; Paragraph 0033, "According to another embodiment, illustrated in figure 4, the wall 20 has two cavities 80a and 80b: one cavity 80a is dedicated to the transmission of the electromagnetic wave, and another cavity 80b is dedicated to the reception of an electromagnetic wave. To achieve this, the electromagnetic cavity 80 is separated by a reflective wall 85 capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. Such a reflective wall 85 can for example be overmolded into the wall 20. Each cavity 80a, 80b then includes at least one opening lOOa, lOOb."; Paragraph 0030, "Such a box 90 forms a radar detection system suitable for imaging objects in a space located at the periphery of the vehicle 200. Bodywork part 10 can therefore include several antennas."; Paragraph 0017, "Furthermore, it is possible to control an adaptable surface (called a meta-surface) with conventional electronics (electrical signals) which will "shape" the wave emitted by the transmitter-receiver and transform it into an imaging radar"). Stephan does not specifically disclose wherein said second directional antenna is configured for connection to the electronic unit via a second waveguide and for transmitting the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the second waveguide in a second predetermined direction and/or for propagating the received electromagnetic wave from the second predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the second waveguide.
Belot discloses
Wherein said second directional antenna is configured for connection to the electronic unit via a second waveguide and for transmitting the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the electronic unit and propagated via the second waveguide and/or for propagating the received electromagnetic wave from the second predetermined direction to the electronic unit via the second waveguide (Figure 1 elements 103 and T path and R path; Paragraph 0033, " a first dielectric waveguide 107T connects a transmission terminal T of circuit 103 to antenna 105T, and a second dielectric waveguide 107R connects a reception terminal R of circuit 103 to antenna 105R").
Stephan discloses a transceiver with a waveguide, like a radiation waveguide and it discloses two cavities, one for transmitting and one for reception. It does not specify that the second chamber has a second connection. It would be advantageous for the implementation of this invention for the first and second cavity to have a waveguide for the transmitting and receiving of signal. Additionally, it would be advantageous for the transmitting and receiving cavities to have their own waveguide to mitigate interference as the transmit/receive signals travel down the waveguide. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Belot to facilitate implementing a two cavity embodiment of the invention and to mitigate interference from a transmit and receive signal sharing the same waveguide.
Izadian discloses
A second predetermined direction (Paragraph 0020, “So that for example, four such radars located on four corners of a car would provide a full 360 coverage around the car. For example, a system such as this may aid in autonomous driving of a vehicle”).
Stephan discloses a radar but does not specifically disclose that multiple radar can point in multiple directions. It would be advantageous to have the radar pointing in multiple directions to, as Izadian states, Paragraph 0020, “provide a full 360 coverage around the car. For example, a system such as this may aid in autonomous driving of a vehicle.” As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Izadian to add in multiple fields of view to aid in the operation of the ADAS.
Regarding claim 13 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan further discloses wherein the predetermined frequency range is between 75 and 80 GHz (Claim 9, “the transceiver (50) is capable of emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic waves at various frequencies, in particular 77 GHz”).
Regarding claim 14 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1. Stephan further discloses wherein the predetermined frequency range is 77 GHz (Claim 9, “the transceiver (50) is capable of emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic waves at various frequencies, in particular 77 GHz”).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stephan (WO 2020043633 A1) in view of Belot (EP 3734749A1) [cited from pdf] in view of Izadian (US 20160047907 A1) further in view of Edward (US 20050253770 A1).
Regarding claim 8 the combination of Stephan, Belot, and Izadian discloses
The radar system according to claim 1 including a first and second body part. Stephan does not disclose wherein at least one of: the first body part and the second body part is a body part movably mounted on the motor vehicle.
Edwards discloses
Wherein at least one of: the first body part and the second body part is a body part movably mounted on the motor vehicle (Abstract, "A line-replaceable unit for a phased array antenna including a thermally conductive housing having a front face and an opposed rear face, at least one open-ended waveguide extending through the housing from the front face to the rear face, at least one first radiating element including the waveguide").
Stephan discloses a radar unit and states that it can be placed in various spots, but it does not disclose that the radar is movable. A movable radar unit would be advantageous in that if it is damaged it can be quickly replaced with minimal difficulty, which an also simultaneously reduce the cost of repair/switching a unit out. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stephan with Edward to add in a movable radar unit so that they can be easily replaced when damaged and reduce the cost of said replacement.
Conclusion
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/PETER DAVON DOZE/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/VLADIMIR MAGLOIRE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648