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 .
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1, 14, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Yamada et al. (U.S. PGPUB 2024/0169572).
Regarding claim 1, Yamada et al. disclose (Figs.) a detection method of a LiDAR, the detection method comprises: sampling (reading out) a signal outputted from each of a plurality of detector groups (pixels) in each of a plurality of detector units (11-1, 11-2) of the LiDAR, to determine a sampling result corresponding to the respective detector group; and determining a point cloud map (combined/stitched point cloud; [0042]) based on sampling results corresponding to the plurality of detector groups.
Regarding claim 14, Yamada et al. disclose (Figs. 11) a LiDAR, comprising: an emitter module comprising a plurality of emitter units (52-1, 52-2); a detector module comprising a plurality of detector units (11-1, 11-2), wherein the plurality of detector units and the plurality of emitter units have a one-to-one correspondence, and the detector unit comprises a plurality of detector groups (pixels); and a processor (51) configured to sample a signal outputted from each of the plurality of detector groups, to determine a sampling result (outputs) corresponding to the respective detector group; and determine a point cloud map (combined/stitched point cloud; [0042]) based on sampling results corresponding to the plurality of detector groups.
Regarding claim 15, Yamada et al. disclose (Figs. 11) a LiDAR, wherein an emitter module of the LiDAR comprises a plurality of emitter units (52-1, 52-2), a detector module of the LiDAR comprises a plurality of detector units (11-1, 11-2), there is one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of detector units and the plurality of emitter units, the detector unit comprises a plurality of detector groups (pixels); and the LiDAR further comprises: a sampler (51; output circuit) configure to sample a signal outputted from each of a plurality of detector groups in each of a plurality of detector units of the LiDAR, to determine a sampling result corresponding to the respective detector group; and a mapper (13, 14) configure to determine a point cloud map (combined/stitched point cloud; [0042]) based on sampling results corresponding to the plurality of detector groups.
Claim(s) 1, 14, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Phillips et al. (U.S/ Patent 11,275,155).
Regarding claim 1, Phillips et al. disclose (Figs. 7-10) a detection method of a LiDAR, the detection method comprises: sampling (reading out) a signal outputted from each of a plurality of detector groups (1002) in each of a plurality of detector units (1000A, 1000B) of the LiDAR, to determine a sampling result corresponding to the respective detector group; and determining a point cloud map (col. 3, lines 41-42) based on sampling results corresponding to the plurality of detector groups.
Regarding claim 14, Phillips et al. disclose (Figs. 1, 7-10) a LiDAR, comprising: an emitter module comprising a plurality of emitter units (700A, 700B); a detector module comprising a plurality of detector units (1000A, 1000B), wherein the plurality of detector units and the plurality of emitter units have a one-to-one correspondence, and the detector unit comprises a plurality of detector groups (1002); and a processor (108) configured to sample a signal outputted from each of the plurality of detector groups, to determine a sampling result (outputs) corresponding to the respective detector group; and determine a point cloud map (col. 3, lines 41-42) based on sampling results corresponding to the plurality of detector groups.
Regarding claim 15, Phillips et al. disclose (Figs. 1, 7-10) a LiDAR, wherein an emitter module of the LiDAR comprises a plurality of emitter units (700A, 700B), a detector module of the LiDAR comprises a plurality of detector units (1000A, 1000B), there is one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of detector units and the plurality of emitter units, the detector unit comprises a plurality of detector groups (1002); and the LiDAR further comprises: a sampler (108) configure to sample a signal outputted from each of a plurality of detector groups in each of a plurality of detector units of the LiDAR, to determine a sampling result corresponding to the respective detector group; and a mapper (108) configure to determine a point cloud map (col. 3, lines 41-42) based on sampling results corresponding to the plurality of detector groups.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8, 10-13, 16-21 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/THANH LUU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878