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.
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.
Claims 1, 9, and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (CN 113960566 A) in view of Yang (CN 107918118 A).
Regarding Claim 1, Wang discloses a 3D laser radar ([n0001]), comprising a vertical scanning unit ([n0004]; the sensor can be adjusted in the vertical direction), wherein the vertical scanning unit comprises a mounting base ([n0011]) and a protective cover fixed on the mounting base ([n0016]);
a laser transmitting port, a convex lens, and a rotatable reflecting mirror are horizontally provided between the mounting base and the protective cover in sequence ([n0011], examiner identifies the laser transmitting port of the instant application with the laser emitter), a rotation axis of the reflecting mirror coincides with a main optical axis of the convex lens, and the laser transmitting port is provided on the main optical axis of the convex lens ([n0011]);
a laser signal horizontally transmitted from the laser transmitting port achieves surrounding environment scanning in a vertical plane through reflection and rotation by the reflecting mirror ([n0011]);
Wang does not teach and Yang does teach a light shielding chamber is provided between a reflecting mirror and a protective cover ([0034]), the light shielding chamber extends along a laser signal reflection direction and is provided on the rotation axis of the reflecting mirror ([0034]: “a shielding cover 107 is provided between the collimating unit, the reflecting unit”), and an arc-shaped part close to a rotation trajectory of an end portion of the light shielding chamber is provided on the protective cover, such that a distance between the end portion and the arc-shaped part remains unchanged during rotation of the light shielding chamber ([0012], [0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.” This requires that the filter 112 (protective cover) and the end of the shielding cover maintain a constant distance.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Yang to use a shielding cover matched to the dimensions of the protective cover into the device of Wang. Yang notes in [0020] that because a shield is provided, that “the lidar of the present invention can avoid the adverse effects of filter echo on the lidar, accurately determine the information of the target object, and thus improve the safety level of external equipment.”
Regarding Claim 11, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Wang further discloses A robot using the 3D laser radar according to Claim 1 to achieve real-time scanning of surrounding environment information, wherein the robot is a legged robot or a cleaning robot ([n0060]).
Regarding Claim 9, Wang discloses a laser radar with high scanning performance, comprising a laser transmitter used for transmitting a laser signal, a rotatable reflector used for reflecting a laser signal ([n0011], examiner identifies the laser transmitting port of the instant application with the laser emitter), and a protective housing of an arc-shaped structure, wherein the protective housing covers the reflector ([n0041]; Figure 2);
Wang does not teach and Yang does teach a light shielding chamber is provided between the reflector and the protective housing ([0034]: “a shielding cover 107 is provided between the collimating unit, the reflecting unit”);
the light shielding chamber is a cylindrical member (Given Figure 1 and the fact that the shielding chamber is designed to work with axially symmetric optics, the preponderance of evidence is that the shielding chamber of Yang is cylindrical) which extends in a direction from an end face of the reflector to a wall of the protective housing ([0012], [0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.” This requires that the filter 112 (protective cover) and the end of the shielding cover maintain a constant distance.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Yang to use a shielding cover matched to the dimensions of the protective cover into the device of Wang. Yang notes in [0020] that because a shield is provided, that “the lidar of the present invention can avoid the adverse effects of filter echo on the lidar, accurately determine the information of the target object, and thus improve the safety level of external equipment.
Regarding Claim 12, which depends from rejected Claim 9, Wang further discloses a robot comprising the laser radar with high scanning performance according to Claim 9, wherein the robot is a legged robot or a cleaning robot ([n0060]).
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Yang as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Wu (US 2020/0292671 A1).
Regarding Claim 2, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Wang does not teach and Yang does teach wherein a transverse light shielding member is provided between the laser transmitting port and the reflecting mirror, the transverse light shielding member comprises a first light shielding member fixed on the main optical axis of the convex lens ([0043]) and a second light shielding member directly fixed on and rotating with the reflecting mirror ([0041]: “and the shielding cover 107 is fixed on the reflecting unit and rotates together with the reflecting unit.”)
the transverse light shielding member is in communication with the light shielding chamber ([0044]: “the bottom port of the first shielding section and the upper port of the collimating lens 105 are connected by a bearing 111,”),
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Wang does not teach and Yang does teach a light shielding pad is provided at a portion of the second light shielding member and the light shielding chamber that is in contact with the reflecting mirror (Yang Figure 1 is reproduced at left. The green arrow points at the unreferenced component at the junction of the light shielding chamber and the reflecting mirror, which the examiner identifies with the light shielding pad of the instant application.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Yang to use a pad between the light shielding chamber and the reflector. Such a component can protect the mirror surface in a high-vibration, high-motion environment, thereby prolonging instrument lifetime and lengthening the time intervals between maintenance downtime.
Wang in view of Yang does not teach and Wu does teach that the second light shielding member is sleeved with the first light shielding member ([0049]; Figure 2);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wu to use sleeved light-shielding members into the device of Wang in view of Yang. Wu notes in [0024] that the use of a first and second light shield together “can both absorb ambient light more adequately to increase a signal-to-noise ratio” which results in better and more robust distance retrievals for a LiDAR system.
Regarding Claim 3, which depends from rejected Claim 2, Wang further discloses wherein the vertical scanning unit comprises a laser receiver provided at a focus position of the convex lens ([n0011], [n0037]), a first motor driving the reflecting mirror to rotate, and a first encoder ([n0043] discloses a motor that rotates the reflector and a ‘code disk’ that obtains rotation information of the reflector);
the first encoder is concentrically fixed and connected to the reflecting mirror, to acquire rotation information of the reflecting mirror through the first encoder ([n0043]);
the laser transmitting port transmits a laser signal, and the reflecting mirror is driven to rotate through the first motor, to achieve the surrounding environment scanning in the vertical plane ([n0011], [n0043] discloses the motor).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Yang as applied to Claim 9 above, and further in view of Wu.
Regarding Claim 10, which depends from rejected Claim 9, wherein the laser transmitter is arranged transversely and is provided with a laser transmitting port ([n0011], examiner identifies the laser transmitting port of the instant application with the laser emitter);
the reflector is provided with a reflecting face arranged obliquely ([n0011]; Figure 2);
an extension line where the laser transmitting port is located intersects the reflecting face ([n0037]: “the laser emitter 4 is located on the principal optical axis of the convex lens 3, and the reflector 5 is rotatably disposed on the mounting base 1, with the rotation center of the reflector 5 coinciding with the principal optical axis of the convex lens 3.”);
and a laser receiver is provided at a focus position of the convex lens ([n0037]: “The laser receiver 2 is located at the focal point of the convex lens 3”);
an arc-shaped part used for covering the light shielding chamber is provided on the protective housing ([n0041]);
the rotation axis of the reflector coincides with a main optical axis of the convex lens, and the laser transmitting port is provided on the main optical axis of the convex lens ([n0037]: “the laser emitter 4 is located on the principal optical axis of the convex lens 3, and the reflector 5 is rotatably disposed on the mounting base 1, with the rotation center of the reflector 5 coinciding with the principal optical axis of the convex lens 3.”);
a laser signal horizontally transmitted from the laser transmitting port achieves surrounding environment scanning in a vertical plane through reflection and rotation by the reflector ([n0012]; [n0061]);
Wang does not teach and Yang does teach the cylindrical member is an L-shaped structure with a vertical segment used for receiving a laser signal reflected from the reflector and a transverse segment used for receiving a laser signal transmitted from a convex lens ([0043]);
the vertical segment extends towards a wall of the protective housing and is adjacent to the wall of the protective housing ([0012], [0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.” This requires that the filter 112 (protective cover) and the end of the shielding cover maintain a constant distance.).
a first light shielding member is provided on the convex lens ([0044]: “the inner ring of the bearing 111 is tightly fitted with the upper end port of the collimating lens 105,”; Figure 1 shows that the lens 105 is housed in a tube which is identified with the first light shielding member.)
the cylindrical member is provided on a rotation axis of the reflector ([0034]: “a shielding cover 107 is provided between the collimating unit, the reflecting unit”), and an outer end thereof has an arc rotation trajectory and is capable of rotating with the reflector ([0011]: “the shielding cover is fixed to the reflecting unit and rotates together with the reflecting unit.”);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Yang to use a shielding cover matched to the dimensions of the protective cover into the device of Wang. Yang notes in [0020] that because a shield is provided, that “the lidar of the present invention can avoid the adverse effects of filter echo on the lidar, accurately determine the information of the target object, and thus improve the safety level of external equipment.”
a portion or all of a sectional shape of the arc-shaped part and the rotation trajectory of the outer end portion are concentric arcs to form a structure with an invariant gap, so that a distance between the end portion and the arc-shaped part remains unchanged during rotation of the light shielding chamber ([0012], [0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.” This requires that the filter 112 (protective cover) and the end of the shielding cover maintain a constant distance. Figure 3 shows that the filter 112 is circular in cross section and forms an outer concentric arc around the rotation trajectory of the outer end portion.);
a transverse light shielding member is provided between the laser transmitter and the reflector, the transverse light shielding member comprises the first light shielding member fixed on the main optical axis of the convex lens and a second light shielding member directly fixed on and rotating with the reflector ([0043]; ([0041]: “and the shielding cover 107 is fixed on the reflecting unit and rotates together with the reflecting unit.”)
the transverse light shielding member is in communication with the light shielding chamber, and a light shielding pad is provided at a portion of the second light shielding member and the light shielding chamber that is in contact with the reflector (Yang Figure 1 is reproduced above. The green arrow points at the unreferenced component at the junction of the light shielding chamber and the reflecting mirror, which the examiner identifies with the light shielding pad of the instant application.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Yang to use a pad between the light shielding chamber and the reflector. Such a component can protect the mirror surface in a high-vibration, high-motion environment, thereby prolonging instrument lifetime and lengthening the time intervals between maintenance downtime.
Wang in view of Yang does not teach and Wu does teach wherein the second light shielding member is sleeved with the first light shielding member ([0049]; Figure 2);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wu to use sleeved light-shielding members into the device of Wang in view of Yang. Wu notes in [0024] that the use of a first and second light shield together “can both absorb ambient light more adequately to increase a signal-to-noise ratio” which results in better and more robust distance retrievals for a LiDAR system.;
Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Yang and Wu as applied to Claim 3 above, and further in view of Hearse (US 2021/0109522 A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Wang further discloses a horizontal rotating device driving the vertical scanning unit to rotate horizontally, wherein the horizontal rotating device comprises an upper casing rotor, a lower casing, and a motor stator fixed in the lower casing, the mounting base and the protective cover are fixed on and rotate with the upper casing rotor ([n0017]).
Wang and Yang and Wu do not teach and Hearse does teach a mobile sealing structure is provided between the upper casing rotor and the lower casing ([0074] discloses a shaft seal between elements with a relative rotation).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Hearse to incorporate a seal between elements with relative rotation into the device of Wang in view of Yang and Wu. A seal can help to keep debris and water out of areas with sensitive components. This can prolong device life and maximize the amount of time between servicings.
Regarding Claim 5, which depends from rejected Claim 4, Wang further discloses wherein a hollow wireless power transmission module is concentrically provided between the upper casing rotor and the lower casing, and the wireless power transmission module supplies power to the vertical scanning unit ([n0056]);
or/and through holes are uniformly provided along the same circle on a circumference of the upper casing rotor, and the through holes form a photoelectric code disk to acquire rotation information of the upper casing rotor, thereby acquiring horizontal rotation information of the vertical scanning unit ([n0018]);
or/and a magnetic steel sheet is fixedly provided in the upper casing rotor, an axial width of the magnetic steel sheet is greater than an axial width of the motor stator, and an upper edge of the magnetic steel sheet is higher than an upper edge of the motor stator ([n0053]).
Regarding Claim 6, which depends from rejected Claim 5, Wang further discloses wherein a base circuit board is fixedly provided on the lower casing, a wireless signal transmission component is concentrically provided between the upper casing rotor and the lower casing, and achieves wireless communication through optical communication ([n0058]);
the vertical scanning unit achieves wireless communication with the base circuit board through the wireless signal transmission component ([n0058]: “The laser emitter 4 and the laser receiver 2 achieve wireless communication with the base circuit board 13 through the wireless signal transmission component 17.” These are the major components of the vertical scanning unit of Wang.).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang in view of Wang.
Regarding Claim 7, Yang discloses A 3D laser radar (Abstract), comprising a rotatable reflecting mirror used for reflecting a laser signal ([0041]) and a protective cover ([0043]: identified with the filter 112 of Figure 1), wherein a light shielding chamber is provided between the protective cover and the reflecting mirror ([0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.”) ;
wherein the light shielding chamber is a cylindrical structure (Given Figure 1 and the fact that the shielding chamber is designed to work with axially symmetric optics, the preponderance of evidence is that the shielding chamber of Yang is cylindrical) having an outer end portion with an arc rotation trajectory and being capable of rotating with the reflecting mirror ([0011]: “the shielding cover is fixed to the reflecting unit and rotates together with the reflecting unit.”);
a portion or all of a sectional shape of the arc-shaped part and the rotation trajectory of the outer end portion are concentric arcs to form a structure with an invariant gap, so that a distance between the end portion and the arc-shaped part remains unchanged during rotation of the light shielding chamber ([0012], [0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.” This requires that the filter 112 (protective cover) and the end of the shielding cover maintain a constant distance. Figure 3 shows that the filter 112 is circular in cross section and forms an outer concentric arc around the rotation trajectory of the outer end portion.).
Yang does not teach and Wang does teach wherein the protective cover has an arc-shaped structure and an arc-shaped part used for covering the light shielding chamber is provided on the protective cover ([n0041]);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wang to use an arc-shaped protective cover into the device of Yang. The arc shape naturally does not contain any edges, which could cause ambiguity about the pointing of emitter laser light. Thus the arc shape results in better characterized spot patterns in the target scene and more reliable retrievals.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang in view of Wang as applied to Claim 7, and further in view of Wu.
Regarding Claim 8, which depends from rejected Claim 7, Yang further discloses wherein the cylindrical structure is an L-shaped structure ([0043]) with a vertical segment used for receiving a laser signal reflected from the reflecting mirror and a transverse segment used for receiving a laser signal transmitted from a convex lens ([0043]: “the shield 107 is L-shaped and includes a first shield section and a second shield section that are connected to each other. The port of the first shield section is coaxial with the emission port of the collimation unit and can rotate relative to the collimation unit. The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.”);
the vertical segment extends towards a wall of the protective cover and is adjacent to the wall of the protective cover ([0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.”);
a first light shielding member is provided on the convex lens ([0043]: “The port of the second shield section can rotate along the inner surface of the filter 112.”);
the transverse segment of the L-shaped structure ([0043])
Yang and Wang do not teach and Wu does teach wherein the structure is sleeved with the first light shielding member on the outer side thereof ([0049]; Figure 2);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wu to use sleeved light-shielding members into the device of Wang in view of Yang. Wu notes in [0024] that the use of a first and second light shield together “can both absorb ambient light more adequately to increase a signal-to-noise ratio” which results in better and more robust distance retrievals for a LiDAR system.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ge (CN 112361292 A) discloses a light-shielding gasket which is disposed between a receiving lens and a lens hood.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN WADE CLOUSER whose telephone number is (571)272-0378. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 - 5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ISAM ALSOMIRI can be reached at (571) 272-6970. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/B.W.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/ISAM A ALSOMIRI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645
