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 § 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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20230161045 to Chen et al. (Chen) in view of US 12105222 to Dunn et al. (Dunn)
With respect to claim 1, Chen discloses a vehicle comprising:
a LiDAR apparatus including (FIG. 1 vehicle 102, LIDAR 101 and corresponding descriptions; FIG. 8A-8B and corresponding descriptions; ¶ 127):
a light source configured to emit light for detecting a detection object transmitted to a first detection range, and
(claim 17 “optical axis of an emitting laser beam of the LiDAR”; claim 24 “emitting device is configured to emit emergent laser to a detection area; the receiving device is configured to receive echo laser reflected by an object in the detection area”; ¶¶ 14, 75 when the emitting laser beam of the LiDAR irradiates a surface of the object and is reflected back by the object to be received by a receiver, received laser signals are recorded in a form of points, so as to form 3D point cloud data. The 3D point cloud data can include geometric position information and reflection intensity information)
a light reception element configured to output, in a case where return light as reflected light of the light for detecting the detection object reflected by the detection object enters the light reception element, an electric signal corresponding to intensity of the return light; and
(¶ 75 when the emitting laser beam of the LiDAR irradiates a surface of the object and is reflected back by the object to be received by a receiver, received laser signals are recorded in a form of points, so as to form 3D point cloud data. The 3D point cloud data can include geometric position information and reflection intensity information. The reflection intensity information is an intensity of echo collected by the receiving device of the LiDAR, and the intensity information is related to a surface material, a roughness, a direction of an incident angle of an object, emission energy of an instrument, and a laser wavelength)
a light control mechanism configured to control a transmission range of the light for detecting the detection object, based on a road condition around a vehicle.
(¶¶ 11 parameter adjusting strategy of the LiDAR based on the scenario type and the drivable area, and adjusting the current operating parameters of the LiDAR based on the parameter adjusting strategy specifically include: according to the scenario type, determining scenario parameter adjusting strategies of one or more of a horizontal angle of field of view of the LiDAR, a vertical angle of field of view of the LiDAR, a direction of an optical axis of an emitting laser beam of the LiDAR, a scanning density of the LiDAR, a scanning frequency of the LiDAR, and a pulse emitting power of the LiDAR; adjusting the scenario parameter adjusting strategy according to the drivable area; determining the adjusted scenario parameter adjusting strategy as the parameter adjusting strategy of the LiDAR, and adjusting the current operating parameters of the LiDAR based on the parameter adjusting strategy”; 14, 109-110, 123)
However, Chen fails to disclose the Lidar apparatus is packaged within vehicle lamps mounted on a left and right side of the vehicle.
Dunn is from the same field of endeavor as Chen because Dunn also discloses using multiple Lidar that are adjustable based on a road condition around the vehicle (i.e., FIG. 3, 302-310; FIG. 4, 402-408; FIG. 4B-6C and corresponding description) wherein Dunn teaches a Lidar apparatus is packaged within vehicle lamps mounted on a left and right side of the vehicle (col. 5, l. 27- col. 6, l. 8 “each of the one or more sensor systems 120-125 may include one or more LIDAR deflection units (also referred to as scanning units) . . . any number of LIDAR systems may be arranged in any manner . . . housed include but not limited to a bumper, a grille, a fender, a side panel, a spoiler, a roof, a headlight assembly, a taillight assembly, a rear-view mirror assembly, a hood, a trunk or any other suitable part of vehicle 100 . . . a second and third LIDAR systems housed within headlights on either side of the grille)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing date for the lidar units to be packaged into headlight units in view of the combined teachings of Dunn and Chen because Chen suggests Lidar can be mounted to any location on the vehicle (¶ 71) and can include various number of lidar units (¶¶ 64-65; FIG. 8A-8B; ¶ 127 “The LiDAR system 103 includes a plurality of LiDARs. The plurality of LiDARs can be arranged on the same plane or on different planes. When the vehicle 102 is a car, the LiDAR can be mounted at one or more places in the front, the rear, and the roof of the vehicle”). In addition, packaging adaptive lidar into a vehicle lamp improves lateral coverage mechanics, i.e., the frequency of light returns increases with additional lateral lidar units. Furthermore, integration of lidar units within the vehicle improves aesthetics and wind resistance related energy consumption.
With respect to claim 2, Chen in view of Dunn discloses wherein the light control mechanism includes:
a first reflection surface designed to reflect and transmit the light for detecting the detection object emitted from the light source, to a second detection range wider than the first detection range,
(Chen, control of transmission/ detection range cited above, i.e., ¶¶ 11, 109-110)
a second reflection surface, and a first actuator configured to move the second reflection surface to a first position out of an optical path of the light for detecting the detection object reflected by the first reflection surface or a second position on the optical path of the light for detecting the detection object reflected by the first reflection surface, based on the road condition around the vehicle.
(Dunn, FIG. 2 212, 222 and corresponding description; col. 12, l. 57 – col. 13, l. 31; FIG. 5-6 and corresponding description, i.e., col. 27, l. 16 – col. 33, l. 67)
With respect to claim 3, Chen in view of Dunn discloses wherein the light control mechanism includes a first reflection surface designed to reflect and transmit the light for detecting the detection object emitted from the light source, to a second detection range wider than the first detection range, and a second actuator configured to change an inclination of the first reflection surface based on the road condition around the vehicle.
(Chen, control of transmission/ detection range cited above, i.e., ¶¶ 11, 109-110)
(Dunn, col. 9, ll. 60-65 Scanning characteristics of deflector 214 may include a scanning angular range (also referred to herein as a scanning field of view or simply field of view), a scanning frequency, and an angular resolution; col. 19, l. 62 – col. 20, l. 29; claims 1, 9-10 and 17-18; FIG. 2 212, 222 and corresponding description; col. 12, l. 57 – col. 13, l. 31; FIG. 5-6 and corresponding description, i.e., col. 27, l. 16 – col. 33, l. 67)
With respect to claim 4, Chen in view of Dunn discloses wherein the light control mechanism includes a first reflection surface designed to reflect and transmit the light for detecting the detection object emitted from the light source, to a second detection range wider than the first detection range, and a third actuator configured to change an inclination of the LiDAR apparatus based on the road condition around the vehicle.
(Chen, control of transmission/ detection range cited above, i.e., ¶¶ 11, 109-110)
(Dunn, col. 9, ll. 60-65 Scanning characteristics of deflector 214 may include a scanning angular range (also referred to herein as a scanning field of view or simply field of view), a scanning frequency, and an angular resolution; col. 19, l. 62 – col. 20, l. 29; claims 1, 9-10 and 17-18; FIG. 2 212, 222 and corresponding description; col. 12, l. 57 – col. 13, l. 31; FIG. 5-6 and corresponding description, i.e., col. 27, l. 16 – col. 33, l. 67)
With respect to claim 5, Chen in view of Dunn discloses the light control mechanism includes a first reflection surface designed to reflect and transmit the light for detecting the detection object emitted from the light source, to a second detection range wider than the first detection range, and an optical element disposed on an optical path of the light for detecting the detection object reflected by the first reflection surface and configured to be switched to: a first state of allowing the light for detecting the detection object reflected by the first reflection surface to pass therethrough; or a second state of reflecting the light for detecting the detection object reflected by the first reflection surface, based on the road condition around the vehicle.
(Chen, control of transmission/ detection range cited above, i.e., ¶¶ 11, 109-110)
(Dunn, col. 9, ll. 60-65 Scanning characteristics of deflector 214 may include a scanning angular range (also referred to herein as a scanning field of view or simply field of view), a scanning frequency, and an angular resolution; col. 19, l. 62 – col. 20, l. 29; claims 1, 9-10 and 17-19; FIG. 2 212, 222 and corresponding description; col. 12, l. 57 – col. 13, l. 31; FIG. 5-6 and corresponding description, i.e., col. 27, l. 16 – col. 33, l. 67)
Conclusion
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/KENNETH J MALKOWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3667
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