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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) received on 06/26/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Element number 2718 in Figure 27 is missing from the specification. For the purposes of examination, it is assumed that this element refers to the same concept as element 2618 in Figure 26, which is also labeled “Kerr region”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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) 1-3, 5-6, 7, 9-15, and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamimura et al. (US 20230138631 A1), hereinafter Kamimura, in view of Kronfeld et al. (US 20240072455 A1), hereinafter Kronfeld.
Regarding claim 1, Kamimura discloses a device comprising [Note: what it not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
a receive antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive RF antennas (Kamimura [0017] “The antenna unit 16 includes a receiving array 16a and a transmitting array 16b. The receiving array 16a includes receiving antennas 1.sub.1 to 1.sub.8.”), the first plurality of receive RF antennas comprising:
a first receive RF antenna configured to receive a first receive RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 11 Kamimura [0017] “The antenna unit 16 includes a receiving array 16a and a transmitting array 16b. The receiving array 16a includes receiving antennas 1.sub.1 to 1.sub.8.”, further, Kamimura Fig. 6 “Receiving Ch.1” shows a first received RF signal); and
a second receive RF antenna configured to receive a second receive RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 13, further Kamimura Fig. 6 “Receiving Ch. 3” shows a second received RF signal); and
receive circuitry comprising a first plurality of receive channels, the first plurality of receive channels comprising:
a first receive channel coupled to the first receive RF antenna and configured to process the first receive RF signal to obtain a first processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1 shows 8 receiving channels configured to process 8 signals, Elements 16a and 11 “Receiving Ch. 1”, further, Kamimura [0021] “The high frequency circuit 17 also includes power amplifiers (PAs) 6.sub.1 and 6.sub.2, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 3.sub.1 to 3.sub.8, mixers (MIXs) 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.8, and intermediate frequency amplifiers (IFAs) 5.sub.1 to 5.sub.8.”, further, Kamimura [0027] “The high frequency circuit 17 has a function of receiving a reflected wave of the transmitted radar wave from a target via the receiving array 16a of the antenna unit 16, and transmitting the received signal to the baseband circuit 18 situated in the subsequent stage. ”); and
a second receive channel coupled to the second receive RF antenna and configured to process the second receive RF signal to obtain a second processed RF signal (Kamimura Element 16a 13 “Receiving Ch. 3”. Further, Kamimura Fig. 6 shows channels 1 and 3 receiving a first and second signal, where the second signal is processed. Further, Kamimura [0028] “In order to implement the above-mentioned function, the LNA 3 amplifies the received signal. The MIX 4 down-converts the signal outputted from the LNA 3 using a local signal outputted from the local unit 17a.”, where Kamimura Fig. 1 elements 33, 43, and 53 obtain a second processed RF signal from the received second RF signal.); and
interface circuitry mounted on the substrate, the interface circuitry comprising:
time-division multiplexing circuitry coupled to the receive circuitry, the time-division multiplexing circuitry comprising a first time-division multiplexer coupled to the first receive channel and to the second receive channel and configured to combine the first processed RF signal and the second processed RF signal into a first single time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura Fig. 1. Instance 201 mixes Ch. 1, a first signal, and Ch. 3, a second signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing.); and
analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuitry comprising a first ADC circuit coupled to the first time-division multiplexer and configured to digitize the first single time-division multiplexed signal into a first single digitized time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura [0031] “The ADC 13 converts the analog signal outputted from the MUX 20 into a digital value.”) .
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
a substrate (Kronfeld [0031] “The present disclosure describes a low-cost, low-power, compact RF transceiver arrangement with increased silicon integration while avoiding or overcoming the various technical limitations associated with integrating co-located transceiver chains and integrating co-locating RF circuitry and antenna circuitry. For example, in some examples, a System-in-Packages (SIP) approach is used where two or more different dies are placed into a common package either side-by-side or stacked on top of each other.”);
a receiver mounted on the substrate (Kronfeld Fig. 4 Element 25, further, Kronfeld [0055] “For example, the RF circuit 29 may be formed on one silicon die or circuit board and the antenna circuit 25 may be formed on another silicon die or circuit board.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura integrate the antenna and RF processing elements into a substrate or semiconducting die as taught by Kronfeld. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for fast and repeatable manufacturing, or to physically separate the various elements of the system, thus providing improved performance such as decreased thermal density (See Kronfeld [0046-0050]).
Regarding claim 2, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teach the device of claim 1. Kamimura further discloses: [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]
the receive antenna array further comprises
a third receive RF antenna configured to receive a third receive RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Element 12); and
a fourth receive RF antenna configured to receive a fourth receive RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 14);
the receive circuitry further comprises a second plurality of receive channels, the second plurality of receive channels comprising:
a third receive channel coupled to the third receive RF antenna and configured to process the third receive RF signal to obtain a third processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 12, 42, and 52); and
a fourth receive channel coupled to the fourth receive RF antenna and configured to process the fourth receive RF signal to obtain a fourth processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 14, 44, and 54);
the time-division multiplexing circuitry further comprises a second time-division multiplexer coupled to the third receive channel and to the fourth receive channel and configured to combine the third processed RF signal and the fourth processed RF signal into a second single time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura Fig. 1. element 202 mixes Ch. 2, a third signal, and Ch. 4, a fourth signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ) ; and
the ADC circuitry further comprises a second ADC circuit coupled to the second time-division multiplexer and configured to digitize the second single time-division multiplexed signal into a second single digitized time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 132).
Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 1. Kamimura fails to teach the limitation below. Kronfeld teaches:
a second plurality of receive RF antennas, the second plurality of receive RF antennas comprising (Kronfeld Fig. 6, further, Kronfeld [0039] “A second transceiver chain 10b may include a second digital RF unit (e.g. a second digital RF circuit) 30c coupled to distributed radiohead circuitry 20c via digital interface 40c.”):
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to use a second antenna group as taught by Kronfeld. This is nearly already done in the art of Kamimura, as each multiplexor receives an input from exclusively even or exclusively odd indexed RF channels, thus forming two groups of antennas. However, this is more explicit in Kronfeld, where the arrays are physically separated. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for a distributed antenna across a device (such as a vehicle), thus improving antenna coverage (See Kronfeld [0040-0042], [0182]).
Regarding claim 3, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 2. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
wherein the receiver comprises a first receive (Kronfeld [0032] “That is, the radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be formed on separate silicon dies/boards that are positioned near each other. The radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common module or system package.”) having integrated thereon:
the first plurality of receive RF antennas (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 11 and 13);
the second plurality of receive RF antennas (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 12 and 14);
the first plurality of receive channels; and (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 12 and 14);
the second plurality of receive channels (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 11-4, 31-4, 41-4 and 51-4).
Kamimura fails to disclose the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
wherein the receiver comprises a first receive semiconductor die (Kronfeld [0032] “That is, the radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be formed on separate silicon dies/boards that are positioned near each other. The radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common module or system package.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura to utilize a silicon die as taught by Kronfeld. This would be done by disposing the antenna and circuit elements described in the art of Kamimura onto a silicon die, as is commonly done for integrated circuits. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate integrated circuits that are highly reproducible and module, allowing for both economical manufacturing and distributed sensor designs (See Kronfeld [0054-0055], [0062-0064], [0066]).
Regarding claim 5, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 2. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly taught is strike-through]:
wherein the receiver comprises:
the first plurality of receive RF antennas (Kamimura [0017] “The receiving array 16a includes receiving antennas 1.sub.1 to 1.sub.8.” Here the first plurality of antennas is considered to be antennas 1 and 3.); and the first plurality of receive channels (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 11 and 13); and
the second plurality of receive RF antennas (Kamimura [0017] “The receiving array 16a includes receiving antennas 1.sub.1 to 1.sub.8.” Here the first plurality of antennas is considered to be antennas 2 and 4.); and
the second plurality of receive channels (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 12 and 14).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
a first receive semiconductor die having integrated thereon (Kronfeld [0054], “Referring to FIG. 2, the RF circuit 29 and antenna circuit 25 may be connected via an RF electrical signal interface 27 at a silicon die or circuit board level.”)
a second receive semiconductor die having integrated thereon (Kronfeld [0055], “Further, the RF electrical signal interfaces 27 as described herein also facilities a modular antenna circuit design. For example, the RF circuit 29 may be formed on one silicon die or circuit board and the antenna circuit 25 may be formed on another silicon die or circuit board. As the RF electrical interface 27 may be predefined, a custom antenna circuit or an antenna circuit from another vendor may be easily incorporated or interchanged into the distributed radiohead circuitry 20.”):
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to use a second antenna group integrated into a second silicon die as taught by Kronfeld. This would be performed by manufacturing the device of Kamimura such that the even-indexed antennas lie on one silicon die, the odd on another die, and the respective processing components also being separate. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, where the use of separate dies reduces cross-talk between antenna groups (See Kronfeld [0047]).
Regarding claim 6, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 5. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
wherein the interface circuitry comprises:
(Kronfeld [0024] “The RF module 6 may include an RF integrated circuit (IC) 2 including one or more RF transceivers (TRX) and a common RF front end (FE) 4.”, further Kronfeld [0063] ”The RF FE circuitry 23 may include a passive element 233 such as for example multiplexer or matching network for adjusting the line impedance of each respective antenna feed signal transmitted and/or received.) having integrated therein:
the first time-division multiplexer (Kamimura Fig. 1. Element 201 mixes Ch. 1, a first signal, and Ch. 3, a second signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ) ; and
the first ADC circuit; and
a second interface integrated circuit having integrated therein:
the second time-division multiplexer; and the second ADC circuit (Kamimura Fig. 1. Element 202 mixes Ch. 2, a third signal, and Ch. 4, a fourth signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
a first interface integrated circuit (Kronfeld [0024] “The RF module 6 may include an RF integrated circuit (IC) 2 including one or more RF transceivers (TRX) and a common RF front end (FE) 4.”, further Kronfeld [0063] ”The RF FE circuitry 23 may include a passive element 233 such as for example multiplexer or matching network for adjusting the line impedance of each respective antenna feed signal transmitted and/or received.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to package the interfacing circuits as an integrated circuit as taught by Kronfeld. This is common in the art, and not explicitly stated in Kamimura, but nonetheless would be considered an obvious packaging of RF circuitry as motivated by Kronfeld. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to form a compact package in which the antennas and processing components of the device can be integrated, allowing for a simple distributed radio system (See Kronfeld [0033], 0042-0043], [0056-0057]).
Regarding claim 7, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 5. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
further comprising processing circuitry object that generated the first receive RF signal and the second receive RF signal based on the first single digitized time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 19, further, Kamimura [0059] “Arithmetic processing for obtaining radar information such as a distance to a target, a relative speed of the target, and an azimuth of the target is performed by the FFT 15.”).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
further comprising processing circuitry mounted on the substrate (Kronfeld [0024] “The RF module 6 may include an RF integrated circuit (IC) 2 including one or more RF transceivers (TRX) and a common RF front end (FE) 4.”, further Kronfeld [0063] ”The RF FE circuitry 23 may include a passive element 233 such as for example multiplexer or matching network for adjusting the line impedance of each respective antenna feed signal transmitted and/or received.),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to mount processing circuitry on the device’s substrate as taught by Kronfeld. The device would then be a single integrated circuit, as is common of devices in the art, and as the circuitry must be mounted somewhere this is a natural solution. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to manufacture the device as an integrated circuit, which makes the device economical and flexible in the context of distributed radar systems (See Kronfeld [0042]).
Regarding claim 9, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 7. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
further comprising a transmitter (Kronfeld [0032] “That is, the radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be formed on separate silicon dies/boards that are positioned near each other. The radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common module or system package.”), the transmitter comprising:
a transmit antenna array comprising a plurality of transmit RF antennas configured to transmit first RF signals (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 21 and 22); and
transmit circuitry configured to drive the plurality of transmit RF antennas to transmit the
first RF signals (Kamimura Fig. 1, Element 17a, further Kamimura [0020] “The high frequency circuit 17 includes a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 7, a loop filter (LF) 8, a phase locked loop (PLL) 9, and a chirp signal generator 10 that is a device configured to generate a chirp signal.” ) ,
wherein the first receive RF signal and the second receive RF signal are generated, at least in part, by reflection of the first RF signals by the target object (Kamimura [0006] “an antenna unit to emit a radar wave into space; a high frequency circuit to receive a reflected wave of the radar wave from a target via the antenna unit;”).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitation below. Kronfeld teaches:
further comprising a transmitter mounted on the substrate (Kronfeld [0032] “That is, the radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be formed on separate silicon dies/boards that are positioned near each other. The radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common module or system package.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura integrate the antenna and RF processing elements into a substrate or semiconducting die as taught by Kronfeld. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the device of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for fast and repeatable manufacturing, or to physically separate the various elements of the system, thus providing improved performance such as decreased thermal density (See Kronfeld [0046-0050]).
Regarding claim 10, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 1. Kamimura further teaches:
The device of claim 1, wherein the interface circuitry further comprises amplification circuitry comprising:
a first amplifier coupled between the first receive channel and the first time-division multiplexer (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 111, further, Kamimura [0030] “In order to implement the above-mentioned function, the BBA 11 amplifies the received signal outputted from the high frequency circuit 17.”) ; and
a second amplifier coupled between the second receive channel and the first time-division multiplexer (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 113).
Regarding claim 14, Kamimura teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
A method for use with a device (Kronfeld [0031] “The present disclosure describes a low-cost, low-power, compact RF transceiver arrangement with increased silicon integration while avoiding or overcoming the various technical limitations associated with integrating co-located transceiver chains and integrating co-locating RF circuitry and antenna circuitry. For example, in some examples, a System-in-Packages (SIP) approach is used where two or more different dies are placed into a common package either side-by-side or stacked on top of each other.”),
the receiver comprising a receive antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive antennas comprising a first receive RF antenna and a second receive RF antenna (Kamimura [0017] “The antenna unit 16 includes a receiving array 16a and a transmitting array 16b. The receiving array 16a includes receiving antennas 1.sub.1 to 1.sub.8.”),
the receiver further comprising receive circuitry comprising a first plurality of receive channels comprising a first receive channel coupled to the first receive RF antenna and a second receive channel coupled to the second receive RF antenna (Kamimura Fig. 1 shows 8 receiving channels configured to process 8 signals, Element 16a 13 “Receiving Ch. 3”),
the interface circuitry comprising time-division multiplexing circuitry coupled to the receive circuitry and comprising a first time-division multiplexer coupled to the first receive channel and the second receive channel (Kamimura Fig. 1. Element 201 mixes Ch. 1, a first signal, and Ch. 3, a second signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ),
and the interface circuitry further comprising analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuitry comprising a first ADC circuit coupled to the first time-division multiplexer (Kamimura [0031] “The ADC 13 converts the analog signal outputted from the MUX 20 into a digital value.”),
the method comprising:
receiving, using the first receive RF antenna, a first receive RF signal (Kamimura [0027] “The high frequency circuit 17 has a function of receiving a reflected wave of the transmitted radar wave from a target via the receiving array 16a of the antenna unit 16”);
receiving, using the second receive RF antenna, a second receive RF signal (Kamimura Figs. 6 and 7, further, Kamimura [0055] “FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate data in the receiving ch. 1 and the receiving ch. 3 as an example.”) ;
processing, using the first receive channel, the first receive RF signal to obtain a first processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1 shows 8 receiving channels configured to process 8 signals, Elements 16a and 11 “Receiving Ch. 1”, further, Kamimura [0021] “The high frequency circuit 17 also includes power amplifiers (PAs) 6.sub.1 and 6.sub.2, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 3.sub.1 to 3.sub.8, mixers (MIXs) 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.8, and intermediate frequency amplifiers (IFAs) 5.sub.1 to 5.sub.8.”, Examiner notes that intermediate components of element 17 constitute “processing” in a broadest reasonable interpretation.);
processing, using the second receive channel, the second receive RF signal to obtain a second processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1 shows 8 receiving channels configured to process 8 signals, Element 16a 13 “Receiving Ch. 3”);
combining, using the first time-division multiplexer, the first processed RF signal and the second processed RF signal into a first single time-division multiplexed signal; and (Kamimura Fig. 1. Element 201 mixes Ch. 1, a first signal, and Ch. 3, a second signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing.)
digitizing, using the first ADC circuit, the first single time-division multiplexed signal into a first single digitized time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura [0031] “The ADC 13 converts the analog signal outputted from the MUX 20 into a digital value.”).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
A method for use with a device comprising a substrate having a receiver and interface circuitry mounted thereon (Kronfeld [0031] “The present disclosure describes a low-cost, low-power, compact RF transceiver arrangement with increased silicon integration while avoiding or overcoming the various technical limitations associated with integrating co-located transceiver chains and integrating co-locating RF circuitry and antenna circuitry. For example, in some examples, a System-in-Packages (SIP) approach is used where two or more different dies are placed into a common package either side-by-side or stacked on top of each other.”),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura integrate the receiver and circuitry of the device into a substrate taught by Kronfeld. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the device of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for fast and repeatable manufacturing, or to physically separate the various elements of the system, thus providing improved performance such as decreased thermal density (See Kronfeld [0046-0050]).
Regarding claim 15, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the method of claim 14. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
The method of claim 14, wherein:
(Kronfeld Fig. 6, further, Kronfeld [0050] “In some examples, a distributed radiohead circuitry may provide a highly flexible and/or scalable solution. In some examples, device 100 may support using a same distributed radiohead circuitry for or as part of different configurations, e.g. 1×1, 2×2, 3×3 configurations, and the like. A distributed radiohead circuitry may correspond to an antenna element of a group or array of antenna elements configured to facilitate beamforming in accordance with a particular phase and amplitude taper (or other distribution).”):
comprising a third receive RF antenna and a fourth receive RF antenna (Kamimura Fig.1, Elements 12 and 14) ;
the receive circuitry further comprises a second plurality of receive channels comprising a
third receive channel coupled to the third receive RF antenna (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 12, 42, and 52) and a fourth receive channel coupled to the fourth receive RF antenna signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 14, 44, and 54);
the time-division multiplexing circuitry further comprises a second time-division multiplexer coupled to the third receive channel and to the fourth receive channel signal (Kamimura Fig. 1. element 202 mixes Ch. 2, a third signal, and Ch. 4, a fourth signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ) ;
the ADC circuitry further comprises a second ADC circuit coupled to the second time-
division multiplexer (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 132); and
the method further comprises:
receiving, using the third receive RF antenna, a third receive RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Element 12);
receiving, using the fourth receive RF antenna, a fourth receive RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 14);
processing, using the third receive channel, the third receive RF signal to obtain a third processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 12, 42, and 52);
processing, using the fourth receive channel, the fourth receive RF signal to obtain a fourth processed RF signal (Kamimura Fig. 1, Elements 14, 44, and 54);
combining, using the second time-division multiplexer, the third processed RF signal and the fourth processed RF signal into a second single time-division multiplexed signal; and digitizing, using the second ADC circuit, the second single time-division multiplexed signal into a second single digitized time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura Fig. 1. element 202 mixes Ch. 2, a third signal, and Ch. 4, a fourth signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitation below. Kronfeld teaches:
the receive antenna array further comprises a second plurality of receive RF antennas (Kronfeld Fig. 6, further, Kronfeld [0050] “In some examples, a distributed radiohead circuitry may provide a highly flexible and/or scalable solution. In some examples, device 100 may support using a same distributed radiohead circuitry for or as part of different configurations, e.g. 1×1, 2×2, 3×3 configurations, and the like. A distributed radiohead circuitry may correspond to an antenna element of a group or array of antenna elements configured to facilitate beamforming in accordance with a particular phase and amplitude taper (or other distribution).”):
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to use a second antenna group as taught by Kronfeld. This is nearly already done in the art of Kamimura, as each multiplexor receives an input from exclusively even or exclusively odd indexed RF channels, thus forming two groups of antennas. However, this is more explicit in Kronfeld, where the arrays are physically separated. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for a distributed antenna across a device (such as a vehicle), thus improving antenna coverage (See Kronfeld [0040-0042], [0182]).
Regarding claim 17, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the method of claim 14. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
the method further comprises determining, using the processing circuitry, a distance between the device and a target object that generated the first receive RF signal and the second receive RF signal based on the first single digitized time-division multiplexed signal (Kamimura [0059] “Arithmetic processing for obtaining radar information such as a distance to a target, a relative speed of the target, and an azimuth of the target is performed by the FFT 15.”).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
the device further comprises processing circuitry mounted on the substrate (Kronfeld [0054], “Referring to FIG. 2, the RF circuit 29 and antenna circuit 25 may be connected via an RF electrical signal interface 27 at a silicon die or circuit board level.”);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura integrate the antenna and RF processing elements into a substrate or semiconducting die as taught by Kronfeld. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for fast and repeatable manufacturing, or to physically separate the various elements of the system, thus providing improved performance such as decreased thermal density (See Kronfeld [0046-0050]).
Regarding claim 18, Kamimura teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
A device, comprising:
a first receive antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive RF antennas configured to receive first receive RF signals; and (Kamimura [0017] “The antenna unit 16 includes a receiving array 16a and a transmitting array 16b. The receiving array 16a includes receiving antennas 1.sub.1 to 1.sub.8.”)
first receive circuitry comprising a first plurality of receive channels coupled to the first plurality of receive RF antennas and configured to process the first receive RF signals to obtain first processed RF signals (Kamimura Fig. 1 shows 8 receiving channels configured to process 8 signals, Elements 16a and 11 “Receiving Ch. 1”, further, Kamimura [0021] “The high frequency circuit 17 also includes power amplifiers (PAs) 6.sub.1 and 6.sub.2, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 3.sub.1 to 3.sub.8, mixers (MIXs) 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.8, and intermediate frequency amplifiers (IFAs) 5.sub.1 to 5.sub.8.”, Examiner notes that intermediate components of element 17 constitute “processing” in a broadest reasonable interpretation.);
and interface circuitry mounted on the substrate, the interface circuitry comprising:
first time-division multiplexing circuitry coupled to the first receive circuitry, the first time-division multiplexing circuitry comprising a first plurality of time-division multiplexers configured to combine the first processed RF signals into first time-division multiplexed signals; and (Kamimura Fig. 1. Instance 201 mixes Ch. 1, a first signal, and Ch. 3, a second signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing.)
first analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuitry coupled to the first time-division multiplexing circuitry and comprising a first plurality of ADC circuits configured to digitize the first time-division multiplexed signals into first digitized time-division multiplexed signals. (Kamimura [0031] “The ADC 13 converts the analog signal outputted from the MUX 20 into a digital value.”)
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
a substrate (Kronfeld [0031] “For example, in some examples, a System-in-Packages (SIP) approach is used where two or more different dies are placed into a common package either side-by-side or stacked on top of each other.”);
a receiver mounted on the substrate (Kronfeld Fig. 4 Element 25), the receiver comprising:
a first receive semiconductor die (Kronfeld [0032] “That is, the radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be formed on separate silicon dies/boards that are positioned near each other. The radiohead RF circuitry and antenna circuitry may be coupled to each other within a common module or system package.”) having integrated thereon:
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to use a second antenna group integrated into a second silicon die as taught by Kronfeld. This would be performed by manufacturing the device of Kamimura such that the even-indexed antennas lie on one silicon die, the odd on another die, and the respective processing components also being separate. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, where the use of separate dies reduces cross-talk between antenna groups (See Kronfeld [0047]).
Regarding claim 19, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 18. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
processing circuitry (Kronfeld [0062] “An RF circuit 29 may be implemented on a single silicon die or circuit board or on a plurality of silicon dies or circuit boards. Referring again to FIG. 4, an RF circuit 29 may be provided on two silicon dies or circuit boards, where a portion of RF transceiver chain 210 is provided in RF IC circuitry 21 and another portion of RF transceiver chain 210 is provided in RF FE circuitry 23. For example, RF IC circuitry 21 may include DAC 213, ADC 214, mixers 215, 216, and LO 219 and RF FE circuitry 23 may include amplifiers PA 231, LNA 232. Alternatively, RF transceiver chain 210 may be included only in RF IC circuitry 21.”),
wherein:
the interface circuitry further comprises:
second time-division multiplexing circuitry coupled to the second receive circuitry, the second time-division multiplexing circuitry comprising a second plurality of time-division multiplexers configured to combine the second processed RF signals into second time-division multiplexed signals (Kamimura Fig. 1. element 202 mixes Ch. 2, a third signal, and Ch. 4, a fourth signal, further, Kamimura [0037] “The MUX 20 has a function of sequentially switching and multiplexing two signals having passed through the BPFs 12 and outputting a signal obtained by the multiplexing to the ADC 13.” Examiner notes that the phrase “sequentially switching” implies the use of time-division multiplexing. ); and
second analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuitry coupled to the second time-division multiplexing circuitry and comprising a second plurality of ADC circuits configured to digitize the second time-division multiplexed signals into second digitized time-division multiplexed signals; and the processing circuitry is configured to combine the first digitized time-division multiplexed signals with the second digitized time-division multiplexed signals (Kamimura Fig. 1, element 132).
Kamimura fails to teach the limitations below. Kronfeld teaches:
the receiver further comprises a second receive semiconductor die having integrated thereon: a second receive antenna array comprising a second plurality of receive RF antennas configured to receive second receive RF signals (Kronfeld Fig. 6, further, Kronfeld [0031] “For example, in some examples, a System-in-Packages (SIP) approach is used where two or more different dies are placed into a common package either side-by-side or stacked on top of each other.”)
second receive circuitry comprising a second plurality of receive channels coupled to the second plurality of receive RF antennas configured to process the second receive RF signals to obtain second processed RF signals (Kronfeld Fig. 6, further, Kronfeld [0050] “In some examples, a distributed radiohead circuitry may provide a highly flexible and/or scalable solution. In some examples, device 100 may support using a same distributed radiohead circuitry for or as part of different configurations, e.g. 1×1, 2×2, 3×3 configurations, and the like. A distributed radiohead circuitry may correspond to an antenna element of a group or array of antenna elements configured to facilitate beamforming in accordance with a particular phase and amplitude taper (or other distribution).”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Kronfeld into the invention of Kamimura. Both Kamimura and Kronfeld are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to use a second antenna group as taught by Kronfeld. This is nearly already done in the art of Kamimura, as each multiplexor receives an input from exclusively even or exclusively odd indexed RF channels, thus forming two groups of antennas. However, this is more explicit in Kronfeld, where the arrays are physically separated. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to facilitate a modular antenna design, allowing for a distributed antenna across a device (such as a vehicle), thus improving antenna coverage (See Kronfeld [0040-0042], [0182]).
Regarding claim 20, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 19. Kamimura further teaches:
The device of claim 19, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a distance between the device and a target object that generated the first receive RF signals and the second receive RF signals based on the first digitized time-division multiplexed signals and the second digitized time-division multiplexed signals (Kamimura [0032] “The MCU 19 performs arithmetic processing for obtaining radar information such as a distance to the target, a relative speed of the target, and an azimuth of the target, with use of the baseband signal outputted from the baseband circuit 18.”).
Claim(s) 4 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamimura et al. (US 20230138631 A1), hereinafter Kamimura, in view of Kronfeld et al. (US 20240072455 A1), hereinafter Kronfeld, and further in view of Jeannin et al. (US 20240385287 A1 ), hereinafter Jeannin.
Regarding claim 4, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 2. Kamimura in view of Kronfeld further teaches [Note: what is not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
The device of claim 2, wherein the interface circuitry further comprises:
Kamimura fails to teach the limitation below. Kronfeld teaches:
a serial interface driver configured to transmit the single digital serial signal from the
interface circuitry via the substrate (Kronfeld [0072] “The STEP circuit 604 may include a serial interface that is communicatively coupled to additional electronic devices (e.g., a SOC) (not illustrated in FIG. 6).”).
Kamimura in view of Kronfeld fails to teach the limitations below. Jeannin teaches:
a digital serializer configured to combine the first single digitized time-division multiplexed signal and the second single digitized time-division multiplexed signal into a single digital serial signal (Jeannin Fig. 6, Element 660, further Jeannin [0034] “The respective coded radar data from each respective coding circuit 650 are provided to the summation circuit 660, which combines the coded radar data to generate compressed radar data.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Jeannin into the invention of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld. The set of Kamimura, Kronfeld, and Jeannin are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they all disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels.
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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura to utilize a digital serial interface to transmit the multiplexed digital signal to an external target as taught by Kronfeld. The exporting of the data for post-processing is an obvious feature, and a serial interface is a common method in the art by which to do this for digitized data. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to couple the radar device to external electronic devices (See Kronfeld [0072] and [0173-0174]).
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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura in view of Kronfeld to utilize a digital serializer to combine the digitized signal into a digital serial signal as taught by Jeannin. The exporting of the data for post-processing is an obvious feature, and a serial interface is a common method in the art by which to do this for digitized data. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the device of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld in order to compress the total multiplexed radar signal into a single data stream in an orthogonal manner, thereby reducing the number of components and overall hardware complexity (See Jeannin [0020-0022] and [0024-0025]).
Regarding claim 16,
The method of claim 15, wherein:
the interface circuitry further comprises a digital serializer and a serial interface driver; and the method further comprises:
Kamimura fails to teach the limitation below. Kronfeld teaches:
transmitting, using the serial interface driver, the single digital serial signal from the interface circuitry via the substrate (Kronfeld [0072] “The STEP circuit 604 may include a serial interface that is communicatively coupled to additional electronic devices (e.g., a SOC) (not illustrated in FIG. 6).”).
Kamimura in view of Kronfeld fails to teach the limitations below. Jeannin teaches:
combining, using the digital serializer, the first single digitized time-division multiplexed signal and the second single digitized time-division multiplexed signal into a single digital serial signal; and (Jeannin Fig. 6, Element 660, further Jeannin [0034] “The respective coded radar data from each respective coding circuit 650 are provided to the summation circuit 660, which combines the coded radar data to generate compressed radar data.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Jeannin into the invention of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld. The set of Kamimura, Kronfeld, and Jeannin are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they all disclose radar systems where multiplexing is utilized to combine the signals of a plurality of antennas and signal channels.
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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura to utilize a digital serial interface to transmit the multiplexed digital signal to an external target as taught by Kronfeld. The exporting of the data for post-processing is an obvious feature, and a serial interface is a common method in the art by which to do this for digitized data. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in order to couple the radar device to external electronic devices (See Kronfeld [0072] and [0173-0174]).
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 the method as disclosed by Kamimura in view of Kronfeld to utilize a digital serializer to combine the digitized signal into a digital serial signal as taught by Jeannin. The exporting of the data for post-processing is an obvious feature, and a serial interface is a common method in the art by which to do this for digitized data. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the method of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld in order to compress the total multiplexed radar signal into a single data stream in an orthogonal manner, thereby reducing the number of components and overall hardware complexity (See Jeannin [0020-0022] and [0024-0025]).
Claim(s) 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamimura et al. (US 20230138631 A1), hereinafter Kamimura, in view of Kronfeld et al. (US 20240072455 A1), hereinafter Kronfeld, and further in view of Gunzelmann et al. (US 20240250746 A1), hereinafter Gunzelmann.
Regarding claim 11, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 1. Kamimura in view of Kronfeld fails to teach the limitations below. Gunzelmann teaches:
wherein the first receive RF signal and the second receive RF signal have an RF center frequency between 150 GHz and 1.5 THz (Gunzelmann [0044] “As shown in FIG. 1, wireless circuitry 24 may transmit wireless signals 46 to BS 34 and/or may receive wireless signals 46 from BS 34. Wireless signals 46 may be tremendously high frequency (THF) signals (e.g., sub-THz or THz signals) at frequencies greater than around 100 GHz (e.g., … between 200 GHz and 1.5 THz”)” )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Gunzelmann into the invention of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld. The set of Kamimura, Kronfeld, and Gunzelmann are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they all disclose the operation of at least two radar antenna arrays where multiplexing is utilized to combine received signals. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura in view of Kronfeld to utilize RF frequencies between 150 and 1.5 THz as taught by Gunzelmann. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the apparatus of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld in order to operate the radar device in the THF radar frequency band, which support high data rate transfer to external devices and spatial ranging operations (See Gunzelmann [0044-0045]).
Regarding claim 12, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 1. Kamimura in view of Kronfeld fails to teach the limitations below. Gunzelmann teaches:
wherein the first receive RF signal and the second receive RF signal have an RF center frequency between 300 GHz and 320 GHz (Gunzelmann [0044] “Wireless signals 46 may be tremendously high frequency (THF) signals (e.g., sub-THz or THz signals) at frequencies greater than around 100 GHz (e.g., … between 200 GHz and 1.5 THz”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Gunzelmann into the invention of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld. The set of Kamimura, Kronfeld, and Gunzelmann are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they all disclose the operation of at least two radar antenna arrays where multiplexing is utilized to combine received signals. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura in view of Kronfeld to utilize RF frequencies between 300 and 320 THz as taught by Gunzelmann. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the apparatus of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld in order to operate the radar device in the THF radar frequency band, which support high data rate transfer to external devices and spatial ranging operations (See Gunzelmann [0044-0045]).
Regarding claim 13, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the device of claim 1. Kamimura in view of Kronfeld fails to teach the limitations below. Gunzelmann teaches:
The device of claim 1, wherein the first receive RF signal and the second receive RF signal have a bandwidth of at least 3GHz or at least 6 GHz (Gunzelmann [0120] “ … only a certain bandwidth is allowed such that there is no significant beam squint (e.g., where 16 antenna elements at a frequency of 300 GHz would allow for 2% or 6 GHz bandwidth)”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Gunzelmann into the invention of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld. The set of Kamimura, Kronfeld, and Gunzelmann are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they all disclose the operation of at least two radar antenna arrays where multiplexing is utilized to combine received signals. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura in view of Kronfeld to have an allowed bandwidth of 6 GHz as taught by Gunzelmann. As most modern THz radar systems utilize pulsed radar techniques such as FMCW, the system must have a bandwidth, where Gunzelmann simply provides one example. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify the apparatus of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld in order to limit the negative effects of large beamwidths such as beam squint and poor angular resolution (See Gunzelmann [0120-0121]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamimura et al. (US 20230138631 A1), hereinafter Kamimura, in view of Kronfeld et al. (US 20240072455 A1), hereinafter Kronfeld, and further in view of Cattle et al. (US 20200158861 A1), hereinafter Cattle.
Regarding claim 8, Kamimura in view of Kronfeld teaches the devices of claim 7. Kamimura further teaches [Note: what it not clearly disclosed is strike-through]:
the first receive channel comprises a first mixer (Kamimura Fig. Element 41) configured to mix the first receive RF signal with a reference signal (Kamimura [0020] “The high frequency circuit 17 includes a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 7, a loop filter (LF) 8, a phase locked loop (PLL) 9, and a chirp signal generator 10 that is a device configured to generate a chirp signal.”) to obtain the first processed RF signal, the first processed RF signal having a first center frequency (Kamimura [0028] “In order to implement the above-mentioned function, the LNA 3 amplifies the received signal. The MIX 4 down-converts the signal outputted from the LNA 3 using a local signal outputted from the local unit 17a. The IFA 5 amplifies the down-converted signal to have a desired signal strength. Note that in the FCM radar, the local signal is linearly modulated. As a result, the signal outputted from the MIX 4 is generally a sine wave signal.”);
the second receive channel comprises a second mixer configured to mix the second receive
RF signal with the reference signal to obtain the second processed RF signal, the second processed RF signal having a second center frequency (Kamimura Fig. Element 41); and
Kamimura in view of Kronfeld fails to teach the limitation below. Cattle teaches:
the first center frequency and the second center frequency are indicative of the distance between the device and the target object (Cattle [0064] “Because of the modulation of the carrier wave and the time delay to the remote target, recombining these signals produces a beat frequency. This beat frequency can be proportional to the distance to the target. By measuring the beat frequency, the distance to the target can be determined. Further, since it is possible to measure frequency very precisely, this allows the distance to the target to be estimated with a high accuracy.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Cattle into the invention of Kamimura in view of Kronfeld. The set of Kamimura, Kronfeld and Cattle are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they all disclose systems for combining signals of several radar antennas. 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 the device as disclosed by Kamimura in view of Kronfeld utilize the center frequencies of the mixed signals to determine the distance between the device and the target as taught by Cattle. It is well-known within the art that this mixing technique is used in FMCW radars, where the resulting beat signal frequency is used to unambiguously determine target distances from each antenna, thereby enabling angle-of-arrival measurements. One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to use the first and second frequencies in order to determine a distance to the target distance in order to utilize FMCW methods such as chirps and sawtooth waveforms which are common in the art (See Cattle Fig. 2A, [0063-0065]).
Conclusion
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/T.J.H./Examiner, Art Unit 3648
/RESHA DESAI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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