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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 7/29/2024 and 8/22/2024 have been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed 7/29/2024 are approved by the examiner.
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 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et l (United States Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0270966) in view of Liang et al (United States Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0192338).
With respect to claim 3, Inoue et al disclose: An object detection apparatus configured to detect an object by reflected light from the object [ taught by figure 1 ], the object detection apparatus comprising: a light emitting unit configured to emit emission light toward a predetermined emission range [ taught by laser beam generating unit (11) ]; a light receiving unit configured to receive reflected light corresponding to the emission light [ taught by light receiving unit (13) ]; a distance calculation unit configured to calculate a distance to the object that reflects the emission light, using a time from emission of the emission light to reception of the reflected light [ taught by distance calculation unit (16); paragraph [ 0009 ] states, “…a distance calculating unit that calculates a distance to the detection target object based on a time required from an emission of the search wave until a reception of the reflected wave…” ]; a saturation determination unit configured to determine whether a light reception signal corresponding to the reflected light output from the light receiving unit is saturated [ taught by the wave height calculation unit (17) operating in accordance with paragraphs [ 0056 ] to [ 0058 ] ]; a pulse detection unit configured to detect at least one of a pulse width of the light reception signal at a predetermined threshold or a falling slope of the light reception signal [ figure 16b shows a detect pulse with slope and width ]; a falling slope detection unit configured to detect the falling slope of the light reception signal [ taught by figure 15 in light of paragraph [ 0070 ]; and a reflection characteristic acquisition unit configured to acquire a reflection characteristic including at least one of a reflection intensity or a reflectance of the object [ paragraph [ 0055 ] teaches measuring intensity based on the magnitude of received voltage ], wherein the reflection characteristic acquisition unit is configured to, after averaging the intensity of the light reception signal, acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of the pulse width or the falling slope, when the light reception signal is saturated, and acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of the intensity or the pulse width of the light reception signal, when the light reception signal is not saturated.
Inoue et al does not explicitly disclose wherein the reflection characteristic acquisition unit is configured to, after averaging the intensity of the light reception signal, acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of the pulse width or the falling slope, when the light reception signal is saturated, and acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of the intensity or the pulse width of the light reception signal, when the light reception signal is not saturated.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 of Liang et al teach it was known before the effective filing date of the present application to have used pulse slope and width to have determined reflection characteristics such as peak intensity [ paragraph [ 0087 ] ].
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to have had a reasonable expectation of success in modifying the device of Inoue et al to have included the teaching of Liang et al, when seeking a more accurate determination of peak intensity of saturated vs unsaturated detected pulses.
Claim 4 is taught by figure 1 and the abstract of Inoue et al.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 13 is 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.
With respect to claim 1, Inoue et al disclose: An object detection apparatus configured to detect an object by reflected light from the object [ taught by figure 1 ], the object detection apparatus comprising: a light emitting unit configured to emit emission light toward a predetermined emission range [ taught by laser beam generating unit (11) ]; a light receiving unit configured to receive reflected light corresponding to the emission light [ taught by light receiving unit (13) ]; a distance calculation unit configured to calculate a distance to the object that reflects the emission light, using a time from emission of the emission light to reception of the reflected light [ taught by distance calculation unit (16); paragraph [ 0009 ] states, “…a distance calculating unit that calculates a distance to the detection target object based on a time required from an emission of the search wave until a reception of the reflected wave…” ]; a saturation determination unit configured to determine whether a light reception signal corresponding to the reflected light output from the light receiving unit is saturated [ taught by the wave height calculation unit (17) operating in accordance with paragraphs [ 0056 ] to [ 0058 ] ]; a pulse detection unit configured to detect at least one of a pulse width of the light reception signal at a predetermined threshold or a falling slope of the light reception signal [ figure 16b shows a detect pulse with slope and width ]; a falling slope detection unit configured to detect the falling slope of the light reception signal [ taught by figure 15 in light of paragraph [ 0070 ]; and a reflection characteristic acquisition unit configured to acquire a reflection characteristic including at least one of a reflection intensity or a reflectance of the object [ paragraph [ 0055 ] teaches measuring intensity based on the magnitude of received voltage ], wherein the reflection characteristic acquisition unit is configured to acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of the pulse width or the falling slope, when the light reception signal is saturated, acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of an intensity or the pulse width of the light reception signal, when the light reception signal is not saturated, and switch, in a region where the light reception signal transitions between a non-saturated state and a saturated state, the reflection characteristic with a gradual change between the reflection characteristic in the non-saturated state and the reflection characteristic in the saturated state.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 of Liang et al teach it was known before the effective filing date of the present application to have used pulse slope and width to have determined reflection characteristics, thus suggesting the limitation reciting “…wherein the reflection characteristic acquisition unit is configured to acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of the pulse width or the falling slope…”.
However, claim 1 is allowable over the cited prior art for further reciting “…when the light reception signal is saturated, acquire the reflection characteristic using at least one of an intensity or the pulse width of the light reception signal, when the light reception signal is not saturated, and switch, in a region where the light reception signal transitions between a non-saturated state and a saturated state, the reflection characteristic with a gradual change between the reflection characteristic in the non-saturated state and the reflection characteristic in the saturated state…”.
Claims 2, 7-9, 10, 12, 14-18 and 22-24 are allowable for at least being dependent on claim 1.
Claim 5 differs from the subject matter of Inoue et al and Liang et al, as applied to either claim 1 or claim 3, by reciting “…a reflection surface angle acquisition unit configured to acquire, as a reflection surface angle, an angle formed by a direction of the object and a normal of a reflection surface of the object…”.
Therefore, claim 5 is allowable for at least reciting this element in the entire context.
Claims 6, 11 and 19-21 are allowable for at least being dependent on claim 5.
Claim 25 differs from the subject matter of Inoue et al and Liang et al, as applied to either claim 1 or claim 3, by reciting “…a correction unit configured to correct, when the light reception signal is not saturated and when the analyzed reflection surface angle is larger than a
predetermined angle threshold, at least one of the reflection intensity or the reflectance of the object in the reflection characteristic acquisition unit to a value larger than that when the reflection surface angle is equal to or less than the angle threshold…”.
Therefore, claim 25 is allowable for at least reciting this element in the entire context.
Claim 26 is allowable for at least being dependent on claim 25.
Claim 27 differs from the subject matter of Inoue et al and Liang et al, as applied to either claim 1 or claim 3, by reciting “…a reduction unit configured to reduce, when the saturation determination unit determines that the light reception signal corresponding to the distance to the object that reflects the emission light is saturated, at least one of an intensity of the reflected light or a detection sensitivity of the light reception signal corresponding to the reflected light to mitigate a saturation level of the light reception signal…”.
Therefore, claim 27 is allowable for at least reciting this element in the entire context.
Claim 28 is allowable for at least being dependent on claim 27.
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to MARK HELLNER at telephone number (571)272-6981.
Examiner interviews are available via a variety of formats. See MPEP § 713.01. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
/MARK HELLNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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