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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the instant application and independent claim is directed to “a wide-wavelength range demodulation method for cascaded fiber Bragging gratings (FBGs) of a six-axis multidimensional strain sensor based on a tunable dual-peak resonance long-period fiber grating (LPFG)”, however, claim 1 recites a combination of structural limitations of the demodulation system (see lines 3-13 of claim 1) and limitations directed to the demodulation method (see lines 14-24). Further, the demodulation method in claim 1 is described in narrative form, failing to explicitly recite active steps, and so it is not clear what the sequence of steps are for performing the method (see lines 14-24; for the purpose of this examination, an interpretation of the demodulation method steps is presented below). Dependent claim 2 further limits the six-axis multidimensional strain sensor (10), reciting the structural configuration comprising six strain-sensing units (10-4) along six spatial directions X, Y, Z, XY, XZ and YZ, a temperature sensing unit (10-9), and a support body (10-1 and 10-10) of the multidimensional strain sensor (Fig. 4 of the instant application). Claim 2 does not appear to disclose any steps relating to the demodulation method of claim 1, only to the apparatus for its practice. Similarly, claim 3 recites the orientation of hollow cylindrical tubes (10-3) and the directional path connecting the cascaded fiber Bragg grating (FBGs) in series (Fig. 4 of the instant application). Claim 3 does not appear to disclose any steps relating to the demodulation method of claim 1, only to the arrangement of seven FBGs in the multidimensional strain sensor. Claims 4 and 5 recite elements of the multidimensional strain sensor along with the functions of those elements in a narrative form which does not clearly distinguish the demodulation method from the apparatus for its practice. Therefore, whether considering independent claim 1 or claims 1-5 altogether, it is not clear if the instant application is intended to be directed to a method or to an apparatus. For the purpose of this examination, the application will be interpreted as directed towards a demodulation method, where each limitation in the method, as recited, will be interpreted as an independent method step performed in sequence. For the reasoning outlined above, claim 1 is rejected under 35 USC 112(b) and claims 2-5 are further rejected due to their dependence on claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin et al. (US 2005/0173623 A1) in view of Li et al. (CN 107490561 A) in view of Rao et al. (CN 1479457 A) in view of N/A (JP 2024503456 A) further in view of Hu et al. (CN 114923507 A).
Regarding claim 1, Shin discloses a demodulation method for interrogating an optical fiber grating sensor where transmitted light emitted by a broadband light source (1) is filtered by the LPFG (5 – long period fiber grating) to form a transmittance spectrum (using a known edge filtering method) (Fig. 8-11; Abstract; [0031], last 8 lines; [0032]; [0043]-[0044]); a piezoelectric actuator (13) is controlled by a signal processing system (feedback circuitry, photodiode circuitry) to move, so that the LPFG fixed on the piezoelectric actuator bends and deforms, to change a spectrum filtered by the LPFG (Fig. 4, 8-11; [0043]-[0044]); and light passing through the LPFG is incident to the FBGs (4) of the strain sensor; and reflected light of the FBGs enters the photoelectric detector (6), and the photoelectric converter is configured to: convert intensities of reflected light of the FBGs into a voltage value (Fig. 8-11; [0031], last 8 lines; [0032]), and input the voltage value into the signal processing system ([0043]). Shin discloses detecting the intensity of reflected light from fiber Bragg gratings subject to changes in a physical quantity by the detector (Fig. 4, 8-11; Abstract; [0032]) where the range in the physical quantity measured is limited by the available relative shift in FBG and LPFG spectra which can be controlled by the piezoelectric actuator in the feedback circuit (Fig. 8-11; Abstract; [0031], last 8 lines; [0032]; [0034]; [0043] – implying that the signal processing system is connected to the piezoelectric actuator).
Shin does not disclose
wherein the demodulation method is implemented by using a demodulation system for the cascaded FBGs based on the tunable dual-peak resonance LPFG, where laser light emitted by the broadband light source is filtered by the dual-peak resonance LPFG to form a transmittance spectrum with four linear sidebands;
wherein the demodulation system for the cascaded FBGs comprises:
a six-axis multidimensional strain sensor, a piezoelectric ceramic, a dual-peak resonance LPFG; where laser light emitted by the broadband light source is filtered by the dual-peak resonance LPFG to form a transmittance spectrum with four linear sidebands;
an optical isolator, a circulator, an attenuator, a signal processing system, and a computer,
wherein the broadband light source is sequentially connected to the dual-peak resonance LPFG, the optical isolator, the circulator, the attenuator, and the photoelectric detector through an optical fiber, and
wherein the dual-peak resonance LPFG is fixed on the piezoelectric ceramic, and a six-axis strain sensor is connected to the circulator; and
the photoelectric detector, the signal processing system, and the computer are connected through an electric wire, and
laser passing through the dual-peak resonance LPFG enters the circulator through the optical isolator and then is incident to the cascaded FBGs of the six-axis strain sensor; and reflected light of the cascaded FBGs enters the photoelectric detector through the circulator and the attenuator, and the photoelectric converter is configured to: convert a sum of intensities of reflected light of the cascaded FBGs into a voltage value, and input the voltage value into the signal processing system.
However, Li, in the same field of endeavor of distributed sensing systems and methods, discloses a demodulation method implemented using a demodulation system for cascaded FBGs based on a tunable dual-peak resonance LPFG; where light emitted by the broadband light source is filtered by the dual-peak resonance LPFG to form a transmittance spectrum with four linear sidebands. (Abstract; Pg. 5, lines 16-17; Pg. 2, lines 7-15 – the transmittance of four linear sidebands appears to be inherent to systems using dual-peak resonance LPFGs).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Shin with a tunable dual-peak resonance LPFG, improving the sensitivity of the measurement system (Li: Pg. 2, lines 7-15)
Shin in view of Li does not disclose wherein the demodulation system for the cascaded FBGs comprises:
a six-axis multidimensional strain sensor, a piezoelectric ceramic, an optical isolator, a circulator, an attenuator, a signal processing system, and a computer,
wherein the broadband light source is sequentially connected to the dual-peak resonance LPFG, the optical isolator, the circulator, the attenuator, and the photoelectric detector through an optical fiber, and
wherein the dual-peak resonance LPFG is fixed on the piezoelectric ceramic, and a six-axis strain sensor is connected to the circulator; and
the photoelectric detector, the signal processing system, and the computer are connected through an electric wire, and
laser passing through the dual-peak resonance LPFG enters the circulator through the optical isolator and then is incident to the cascaded FBGs of the six-axis strain sensor; and reflected light of the cascaded FBGs enters the photoelectric detector through the circulator and the attenuator, and the photoelectric converter is configured to: convert a sum of intensities of reflected light of the cascaded FBGs into a voltage value, and input the voltage value into the signal processing system.
However, Rao, in the same field of endeavor of optical communication systems and methods using LPFGs, discloses an optical communication system comprising a piezoelectric ceramic (8-8); wherein an LPFG is fixed on the piezoelectric ceramic (Pg. 3, lines 10-17 and 34-44).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to control the LPFG using a known actuating device like a piezoelectric ceramic to provide an effective and efficient means of controlling the properties of the LPFG (Pg. 4, lines 8-15).
Shin in view of Li and Rao does not disclose wherein the demodulation system for the cascaded FBGs comprises:
a six-axis multidimensional strain sensor;
an optical isolator, a circulator, an attenuator, a signal processing system, and a computer,
wherein the broadband light source is sequentially connected to the dual-peak resonance LPFG, the optical isolator, the circulator, the attenuator, and the photoelectric detector through an optical fiber, and
a six-axis strain sensor is connected to the circulator; and
the photoelectric detector, the signal processing system, and the computer are connected through an electric wire,
laser passing through the dual-peak resonance LPFG enters the circulator through the optical isolator and then is incident to the cascaded FBGs of the six-axis strain sensor; and reflected light of the cascaded FBGs enters the photoelectric detector through the circulator and the attenuator, and the photoelectric converter is configured to: convert a sum of intensities of reflected light of the cascaded FBGs into a voltage value, and input the voltage value into the signal processing system.
However, N/A (JP 2024503456 A), in the same field of endeavor of distributed sensing systems and methods, discloses a sensing system using a six-axis multidimensional strain sensor (Fig 1; Abstract).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Shin in view of Li and Rao with a multidimensional strain sensor providing a temperature compensated synchronous measurement of strain in multiple directions with high accuracy (Abstract).
Shin in view of Li, Rao, and N/A (JP 2024503456 A) does not
disclose wherein the demodulation system for the cascaded FBGs comprises:
an optical isolator, a circulator, an attenuator, a signal processing system, and a computer,
wherein the broadband light source is sequentially connected to the dual-peak resonance LPFG, the optical isolator, the circulator, the attenuator, and the photoelectric detector through an optical fiber; and
a six-axis strain sensor is connected to the circulator; and
the photoelectric detector, the signal processing system, and the computer are connected through an electric wire,
laser passing through the dual-peak resonance LPFG enters the circulator through the optical isolator and then is incident to the cascaded FBGs of the six-axis strain sensor; and reflected light of the cascaded FBGs enters the photoelectric detector through the circulator and the attenuator, and the photoelectric converter is configured to: convert a sum of intensities of reflected light of the cascaded FBGs into a voltage value, and input the voltage value into the signal processing system.
However, Hu, in the same field of endeavor of distributed sensing systems and methods, discloses a demodulation system comprising an optical isolator (2), a circulator (3), an attenuator (5 – see Pg. 4, lines 30-37), a signal processing system (8), and a computer (8 – where the Examiner is interpreting the signal processing system and computer as functionally equivalent) (see annotated Fig. 1 below; Abstract; Pg. 2, lines 30-39; Pg. 3, lines 28-32),
wherein the broadband light source (1) is sequentially connected to the dual-peak resonance LPFG (5 – where the AWGs are interpreted as the LPFGs), the optical isolator (4), the circulator (5), the attenuator (6), and the photoelectric detector (7) through an optical fiber (see annotated Fig. 1 below; Abstract; Pg. 2, lines 30-39; Pg. 3, lines 28-32); and
a six-axis strain sensor (4 – where the FBG array is interpreted as the six-axis strain sensor) is connected to the circulator (see annotated Fig. 1 below; Abstract; Pg. 2, lines 30-39; Pg. 3, lines 28-32); and
the photoelectric detector (6), the signal processing system, and the computer are connected through an electric wire (where connections between electronic devices imply connections using electric wire), and
laser passing through the dual-peak resonance LPFG enters the circulator through the optical isolator and then is incident to the cascaded FBGs of the six-axis strain sensor; and reflected light of the cascaded FBGs enters the photoelectric detector through the circulator and the attenuator, and the photoelectric converter (7) is configured to: convert a sum of intensities of reflected light of the cascaded FBGs into a voltage value, and input the voltage value into the signal processing system (see annotated Fig. 1 below; Abstract; Pg. 2, lines 30-39; Pg. 3, lines 28-32).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Shin in view of Li, Rao, and N/A (JP 2024503456 A) with Hu’s measurement system, providing a high-resolution spectrum demodulation system which is able to measure changes in physical quantities with high precision (Hu: Pg. 5, lines 21-27).
Conclusion
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/MAHER YAZBACK/Examiner, Art Unit 2877 /MICHELLE M IACOLETTI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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