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 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang-Bo (CN 210686399 U) in view of Steiner (US 20190086528 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yang-Bo teaches [NOTE: limitations not taught by Yang-Bo are lined through] a(abstract “microwave radar ... system”), comprising:
a(1, Figs. 1 and 6-7 in view of page 7 lines 11-12 “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed” and abstract “a human body can be identified”, where object position, object speed, and the human body comprise environmental data);
an interactive device (abstract “load” and “fan”, where fan is shown in Figs. 6-7 and “load” appears to refer to the motor drive module 32 described at page 11 lines 8-10 and comprising first and second motor drive modules 321 and 322; page 13 lines 28-29 describe first and second motors 54 and 55 as driving fan blade rotation and head swinging, and page 14 lines 26-28 describe the motor drive modules 321 and 322 corresponding to motors 54 and 55; any of these elements can be considered an “interactive device”); and
a control unit (3, Fig. 1), coupled to the (1, Fig. 1, showing coupling to 3) and the interactive device (fan and its motors as discussed above), and configured to process the environmental data, and operate the interactive device according to the environmental data (abstract “a human body can be identified ... the fan can be automatically started and move along with the human body”).
As indicated by the lined through language above, Yang-Bo does not teach a mmWave radar sensor configured to detect environmental data. Yang-Bo does not provide any information regarding frequencies of the radar signals.
Steiner (US 20190086528 A1), in analogous art (abstract “control device for a ceiling fan” and “control circuit configured to adjust the rotational speed of a motor of the ceiling fan”), teaches an mmWave radar sensor (RADAR sensing circuit 252, Fig. 2B, operating at 24 or 60 GHz as per para. [0052], which are mmWave frequencies as per Applicant’s specification para. [0012] “Typical mmWave sensors utilize the 24 GHz, 60 GHz, and 77 GHz bands”), configured to detect environmental data including human bodies (para. [0003] “transmitting and receiving RADAR signals to detect occupancy in the space”; para. [0051] “may use RADAR signals to determine whether an object in a space is moving (i.e., determine occupancy in a space)”; Occupancy Detection Routine 232, Fig. 2B).
Yang-Bo therefore broadly teaches detecting human bodies using radar, and Steiner teaches that such detection can be performed with mmWave frequencies.
It would have been obvious to modify Yang-Bo by implementing the radar sensor as a mmWave radar sensor as taught by Steiner because Yang-Bo’s radar sensor must use some frequency range to detect the human bodies, and mmWave is known to be used for this purpose. This is a matter of applying a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results, an exemplary rationale that supports a conclusion of obviousness, see KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.
Regarding claim 2, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the environmental data comprises heart rate, respiratory rate, gesture, posture, position and/or velocity of a living being (abstract “human body”; page 7 lines 11-12 “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed”).
Regarding claim 3, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the environmental data comprises position and/or velocity of a non-living object (page 7 lines 11-12 “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed”; page 10 lines 33-34 describe use of infrared sensor to detect living object based on body temperature, implying that object may be determined as either living or non-living).
Regarding claim 4, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the interactive device comprises a rotary motor (page 13 lines 28-29 “a second motor 55 is driven to realize the head swinging action” and “fan blade 532 is driven to rotate by the first motor 54”, where either of the motors can be considered “rotary”).
Regarding claim 5, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the control unit adjusts the rotary motor according to the environmental data (page 5 lines 21-22 “realize the automatic start of the fan and follow the movement of the human body”, where the movement of the human body is inferred based on environmental data as per page 7 lines 11-12 “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed” and abstract “a human body can be identified”, where object position, object speed, and the human body comprise environmental data).
Regarding claim 6, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the rotary motor is adjusted to change an orientation of the interactive device according to the environmental data (page 5 lines 21-22 “follow the movement of the human body” implies orientation change; page 13 lines 28-29 “a second motor 55 is driven to realize the head swinging action” also implies orientation change).
Regarding claim 7, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the environmental data comprises heart rate, respiratory rate, gesture, posture, position and/or velocity of a living being (page 7 lines 11-12 “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed”; abstract “human body”).
Regarding claim 8, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the environmental data comprises position and/or velocity of a non-living object (page 5 lines 6-7 “movement of a foreign object (non-human body)”; also page 10 lines 33-34 describe use of infrared sensor to detect living object based on body temperature, implying that object may be determined as either living or non-living).
Regarding claim 9, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the control unit turns on or off the interactive device according to the environmental data (page 15 lines 4-5 “That is, if a static human body appears in the scanning range and meets the starting conditions, the second motor drive module 322 drives the fan blade 532 to rotate to achieve blowing” implies at least turning on the interactive device).
Regarding claim 10, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the environmental data comprises heart rate, respiratory rate, gesture, posture, position and/or velocity of a living being (page 7 lines 11-12 “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed”; abstract “human body”).
Regarding claim 11, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the environmental data comprises position and/or velocity of a non-living object (page 5 lines 6-7 “movement of a foreign object (non-human body)”; also page 10 lines 33-34 describe use of infrared sensor to detect living object based on body temperature, implying that object may be determined as either living or non-living).
Regarding claim 12, Yang-Bo teaches wherein the interactive device is a smart fan (abstract “intelligent fan”), a smart television, a spatial audio, an air conditioner, smart lighting, security surveillance system, or an electric door.
Regarding claim 13, Yang-Bo does not teach wherein the control unit processes the environmental data, and operates the interactive device according to the environmental data based on a machine learning model.
Steiner teaches operating an interactive device (fan 100, Fig. 1) according to environmental data (para. [0003] “transmitting and receiving RADAR signals to detect occupancy in the space”; para. [0051] “may use RADAR signals to determine whether an object in a space is moving (i.e., determine occupancy in a space)”; Occupancy Detection Routine 232, Fig. 2B) based on a machine learning model (para. [0049] “learning routine... for learning a preferred rotational speed for the motor... based on use of the ceiling fan (e.g., frequent and/or repeated commands received via the communication circuit 226) and other information, such as, the present time of day or year. Here again present temperature in the space may also be used”).
Examiner notes that Yang-Bo, like Steiner para. [0049] cited above, teaches a user providing commands to the interactive device (page 13 lines 8-24 “voice information input by the user”, “specific commands”, etc.)
It would have been obvious to further modify Yang-Bo in view of Steiner by operating the interactive device according to the environmental data based on a machine learning model in order to optimize the fan operation based on learned user preferences. This is a matter of using a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way, an exemplary rationale that supports a conclusion of obviousness, see KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.
Claims 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang-Bo (CN 210686399 U) in view of Steiner (US 20190086528 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Gupta (US 20200319296 A1).
Regarding claims 14 and 15, Yang-Bo does not teach wherein the mmWave radar sensor transmits a plurality of frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signals, receives a plurality of reflected FMCW signals, and wherein the control unit generates range, velocity, and angular position of an object according to the reflected FMCW signals. Yang-Bo merely broadly teaches a “frequency signal” (page 17 line 21), and that “microwave radar sensor 1 is used to detect objects Position and moving speed” (page 7 lines 11-12).
However it is well-known to use FMCW signals to detect objects as claimed. For example, Gupta teaches transmitting FMCW signals and generating range, velocity, and angular position of an object according to the reflected FMCW signals (para. [0020] “FMCW radar systems may transmit a frame containing a series of frequency ramps referred to as chirps. These chirps may be reflected by an object back to the FMCW radar system...the FMCW radar system may ...process the received signal to determine characteristics of the object. These characteristics can include range, velocity, angle of arrival, etc., of the object”).
It would have been obvious to further modify Yang-Bo by transmitting a FMCW signal as taught by Gupta because Yang-Bo’s position and speed must be determined somehow and FMCW signals are a known method that could be used with predictable results. This is a matter of applying a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results is an exemplary rationale that supports a conclusion of obviousness, see KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc. Examiner notes that Gupta’s range and angle of arrival would provide Yang Bo’s position information, and Gupta’s velocity would provide Yang Bo’s speed information as well as the advantage of direction information.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Tran (US 8249731 B2) teaches an occupancy sensor detecting motion and opening air vents in response to the motion (claim 1), where the occupancy sensor comprises a radar (29:6-8) that detects heart beat (14:22-25).
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/CASSI J GALT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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