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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/4/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In page 9, paragraph 2 of the remarks, applicant asserts that the laser pulse control signal generated by the receiver of Shen is distinct from the trigger signal generated by a light emission waveform. The examiner notes that no structure is claimed specifically for generating the trigger signal and that it is only measured by a measurement circuit. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim, the examiner identifies the term ‘trigger signal’ as a reference signal for controlling the optical output timing of a laser diode.
Paragraph [0034] of Shen states that ‘the selected feedback signal can be an electrical proxy or representation of the optical output signal.’ Paragraph [0035] of Shen states that ‘In some example configurations, the feedback signal 318 can be an electrical signal from a node of the laser switch, such as the drain of the laser switch MN1 (node 1) or the gate of the laser switch MN1 (node 2), as shown in FIG. 5. Either of these two signals can be a proxy for the optical output signal from the laser diode LD.’ The feedback signal taken from the drain of the laser switch is identified as the drive signal under the broadest reasonable interpretation of the term, as it is a direct electrical measurement of the operating state of the laser diode. The examiner notes that taking the feedback signal from the gate would yield similar information. Taken together with the statement in [0036] that “the rising edge, for example, of the signal from node 1 or node 2 (or from the output voltage VOUT) can be aligned with the rising edge of the reference input signal applied to the phase detector circuit 312. In this manner, both the rising and falling edges of the feedback signal 318 can be aligned with rising and falling edges of the reference input signal, respectively,” the examiner holds that the limitation that “the measurement circuit is configured to start counting time from rise timing of the trigger signal, end counting time at output timing of the drive signal to the light emitting element, and set a time count value between the start counting time and the end counting time as the delay time” is fully described in Shen, since calculating the delay time between the reference signal and the optical output necessarily requires an electrical measurement of the drive signal as outlined above.
In page 9, paragraph 3 of the remarks, applicant states that Shen does not disclose measuring a delay time that starts with a trigger signal for light emission and ends with a drive signal that is output by a drive circuit. In light of the above, the examiner reiterates here that the laser control pulse is identified with the trigger signal, and starts counting a delay at the beginning of that signal as per Figure 2 of Shen. The feedback signal of Shen is an electrical proxy for the optical output, rendering the delay time measured by Shen equivalent to the delay time of the instant application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shen (US 2020/0363506 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Shen discloses a ranging ([0003]: “This disclosure is directed to, among other things, a time-of-flight (ToF) transmitter”) system comprising:
a drive circuit that causes a light emitting element to emit light and outputs a drive signal for irradiating a target with light (Figure 1, element 108; [0021]: “The ToF transmitter can include a laser diode 106 and a laser driver 108, among other things.”);
a sensor that detects reflected light from the target (Figure 1, element 104; [0021]: “The ToF sensor 100 can include a transmitter circuit 102 and a receiver circuit 104.”; [0022]);
a measurement circuit that measures a delay time (e.g., Figure 5, element 312, “phase detect”; [0034]: “As seen in FIG. 5, a negative feedback loop 316 can be included to apply a selected feedback signal 318 to the phase detector 312, which can align the selected feedback signal with a reference input signal.”) that is included in a time from timing at which a trigger signal for causing the light emitting element to emit light is output to timing at which the light emitting element actually emits light (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112; The disclosure in [0023] that the delay time is used in further calculations of the depth necessarily implies that the value is measured by the device), wherein the measurement circuit is configured to start counting time from rise timing of the trigger signal, end counting time at output timing of the drive signal to the light emitting element, and set a time count value as the delay time (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112; [0023]: “The relative phase stability between both the rising edges and the falling edges of the laser pulse input and optical output can determine a depth accuracy in a ToF system. The fixed delay Δd can be removed by calibration when performing depth calculation for the ToF system.”); and
a processor configured to calculate a distance to the target on a basis of output timing of the trigger signal, light receiving timing of the reflected light obtained by the sensor ([0022]: “The receiver 104 can include, among other things, a sensor array and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuits to receive and convert a light signal reflected back from an object.”), and the delay time ([0023]: “The fixed delay Δd can be removed by calibration when performing depth calculation for the ToF system.”).
Regarding Claim 3, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen further discloses that the ranging system comprises a light emission waveform generating circuit that generates a light emission pattern signal for causing the light emitting element to emit light ([0022]: “The receiver 104 can output a laser pulse control signal 110 that can be received by the transmitter 108. In this manner, the receiver 104 can act as a master in controlling the optical output timing of the transmitter 102.”).
Regarding Claim 4, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen further discloses wherein the ranging system comprises a replica drive circuit that simulates the drive circuit ([0042]: “FIG. 8 is an example of a core laser driver that includes a replica path that can be used to implement various techniques of this disclosure.”), wherein the measurement circuit ends counting time at output timing of a signal by the replica drive circuit ([0044]: “The node 3 signal, e.g., drain voltage of MN2, of the feedback path can serve as a feedback signal for the DLL, where the second switch MN2 is switching in sync with the first switch MN1.”).
Regarding Claim 5, which depends from rejected Claim 4, Shen further discloses wherein the ranging system comprises a delay amount adjusting circuit that adjusts a delay time of the signal passing through the replica drive circuit (The discussion in [0035]-[0044] makes clear that the delay locked loop of Shen can be used to adjust the delay time, e.g., [0036], and by extension adjusts the delay time of the signal passing through the replica drive circuit since it is electrically connected to the input signal 502).
Regarding Claim 7, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen further discloses wherein the measurement circuit starts counting time from the rise timing of the trigger signal, ends counting time at output timing of a signal on an input side of the drive circuit, and sets the time count value as the delay time (Figure 8 is an example of a core laser driver that includes a replica path that can be used to implement various techniques of this disclosure.; [0042]: “Either the node 1 signal, e.g., drain voltage of MN1, or the node 2 signal, e.g., gate voltage of MN1, can serve as a feedback signal for the DLL.” The gate voltage is on the input side of the drive circuit.).
Regarding Claim 11, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen further discloses wherein the ranging system comprises a memory ([0065]) that stores data corresponding to the delay time (The delay time must be at least temporarily stored, since it is ultimately combined with the reflected pulse time, which is necessarily measured later), wherein the processor is configured to calculate the distance to the target using the data stored in the memory ([0023]: “The fixed delay Δd can be removed by calibration when performing depth calculation for the ToF system.”).
Regarding Claim 12, which depends from rejected Claim 11, Shen further discloses that the ranging system comprises: a signal processing circuit including the processor ([0022]: “The receiver 104 can include, among other things, a sensor array and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuits to receive and convert a light signal reflected back from an object.”; This describes a signal processing circuit.); and a driver including the drive circuit (Figure 1, element 108; [0021]: “The ToF transmitter can include a laser diode 106 and a laser driver 108, among other things.”), wherein the memory is provided in at least one of the driver and the signal processing circuit (Since the stored delay times will be used almost immediately to calculate the range to the target, they will necessarily be stored in RAM aboard the signal processing circuit).
Regarding Claim 14, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen further discloses wherein the ranging system comprises: a signal processing circuit including the processor ([0022]: “The receiver 104 can include, among other things, a sensor array and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuits to receive and convert a light signal reflected back from an object.”; This describes a signal processing circuit.); and a driver including the drive circuit (Figure 1, element 108; [0021]: “The ToF transmitter can include a laser diode 106 and a laser driver 108, among other things.”), wherein the measurement circuit is provided in the signal processing circuit, and the measurement circuit bifurcates a transmission path of the trigger signal in the signal processing circuit (Figure 5 shows that the laser pulse control signal splits just before the Phase Detect 312), starts counting time from rise timing of a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal ([0037] describes aligning pulse edges, and is therefore necessarily counting a time between them), bifurcates the transmission path of the trigger signal on an input side of the drive circuit ([0035]: “In some example configurations, the feedback signal 318 can be an electrical signal from a node of the laser switch, such as the drain of the laser switch MNl (node 1) or the gate of the laser switch MNl (node 2)”; node 2 is located on the input side of the drive circuit), ends counting time at rise timing of a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal, and sets the time count value as the delay time (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112).
Regarding Claim 15, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen further discloses wherein the ranging system comprises: a signal processing circuit including the processor ([0022]: “The receiver 104 can include, among other things, a sensor array and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuits to receive and convert a light signal reflected back from an object.”; This describes a signal processing circuit.); and a driver including the drive circuit (Figure 1, element 108; [0021]: “The ToF transmitter can include a laser diode 106 and a laser driver 108, among other things.”), wherein the measurement circuit is provided in the signal processing circuit, and the measurement circuit bifurcates a transmission path of the trigger signal in the signal processing circuit (Figure 5 shows that the laser pulse control signal splits just before the Phase Detect 312), starts counting time from rise timing of a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal ([0037] describes aligning pulse edges, and is therefore necessarily counting a time between them), bifurcates the transmission path of the trigger signal on an output side of the drive circuit ([0035]: “In some example configurations, the feedback signal 318 can be an electrical signal from a node of the laser switch, such as the drain of the laser switch MN1 (node 1) or the gate of the laser switch MN1 (node 2)”; node 1 is located on the output side of the drive circuit), ends counting time at rise timing of a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal, and sets the time count value as the delay time (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112).
Regarding Claim 17, which depends from rejected Claim 14, Shen further discloses that the ranging system comprises a dummy load (Figure 8 shows the replica path which contains a dummy load Z) that receives, as input, a signal branched from the transmission path of the trigger signal on the input side of the drive circuit (The input signal 502 splits just prior to MN1 and connects from there to MN2), wherein the dummy load has a time constant corresponding to a time required for a current to flow through the light emitting element to actually emit light ([0044]: “Because the replica path may not suffer from ringing, using the node 3 signal of the replica path can improve the feedback signal integrity.”; Thus the time constant of Z is chosen to provide an accurate replica of the time required for current to flow through the laser diode), and a signal which has passed through the dummy load is output from the driver to the signal processing circuit as a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal ([0044]: “The node 3 signal, e.g., drain voltage of MN2, of the feedback path can serve as a feedback signal for the DLL, where the second switch MN2 is switching in sync with the first switch MN1.”).
Regarding Claim 21, Shen discloses a driver of a light emitting element (Figure 1, element 108; [0021]: “The ToF transmitter can include a laser diode 106 and a laser driver 108, among other things.”), comprising:
a drive circuit that causes the light emitting element to emit light and outputs a drive signal for irradiating a target with light (Figure 1, element 112, Optical Output); and
a measurement circuit that measures a delay time that is included in a time from timing at which a trigger signal for causing the light emitting element to emit light is input to timing at which the light emitting element actually emits light (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112), wherein the measurement circuit is configured to start counting time from rise timing of the trigger signal, end counting time at output timing of the drive signal to the light emitting element, and set a time count value between the start counting time and the end counting time as the delay time (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112; [0023]: “The relative phase stability between both the rising edges and the falling edges of the laser pulse input and optical output can determine a depth accuracy in a ToF system. The fixed delay Δd can be removed by calibration when performing depth calculation for the ToF system.”), wherein the driver outputs data corresponding to the delay time measured by the measurement circuit ([0023]: “The fixed delay Δd can be removed by calibration when performing depth calculation for the ToF system.”; The data is therefore output to other components of the ranging system for calculation).
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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen.
Regarding Claim 13, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen teaches wherein the processor is configured to start counting time after a time corresponding to the delay time from the output timing of the trigger signal, ends counting time at the light receiving timing of the reflected light, and calculates the distance to the target on a basis of the time count result ([0023]: “The fixed delay Δd can be removed by calibration when performing depth calculation for the ToF system.”).
It would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to configure the ranging system to start counting time at the end of the delay time instead of removing the delay time via calibration.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen in view of Zhuo (CN 109884652 A).
Regarding Claim 6, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen does not teach and Zhuo does teach wherein the ranging system further comprises a temperature sensor that detects a temperature, wherein a delay amount of the delay amount adjusting circuit is adjusted on a basis of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor ([0019]: “The invention provides a pulse laser driver and a delay calibration method, which are helpful to overcome the influence of factors such as temperature and power supply voltage on the delay of the pulse laser driver.” A delay calibration based on temperature necessarily implies the presence of a temperature sensor.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen with the teaching of Zhuo to adjust the delay amount based on a detected temperature. Zhuo notes in [0006] that the delay may change with factors such as temperature and power supply voltage, and that the delay can cause errors in the LiDAR ranging results. Providing a calibration method for the temperature variations can therefore yield better ranging results.
Claims 8 – 10 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen in view of Moore (US 2020/0386888 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen teaches wherein the measurement circuit starts counting time from the rise timing of the trigger signal, ends counting time at output timing of one of the drive signals of the plurality of the drive circuits, and sets the time count value as the delay time (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112; The disclosure in [0023] that the delay time is used in further calculations of the depth necessarily implies that the value is measured by the device).
Shen does not teach and Moore does teach wherein the light emitting element is one of a plurality of light emitting elements and the drive circuit is one of a plurality of drive circuits corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements (Figure 1A show N LiDAR circuits, each of which contains a laser driver LASDRV and a laser diode LASD; [0035]: “Each LIDAR IC 20, 30, 40, ... , n includes a respective data interface 21, 31, 41, ... , nl, control circuitry or controller 22, 32, 42, ... , n2, laser driver 23, 33, 43, .. . , n3, and laser receiver 24, 34, 44, ... , n4. Respective one or more laser diodes LASDl, LASD2, LASD3, ... , LASDn are activatable by their associated laser drivers 23, 33, 43, ... , n3 to provide ranging laser light”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen to incorporate the teaching of Moore to have a multiplicity of drive circuits and light emitting elements. Moore notes in [0066] that increasing the number of LiDAR units in the system has “The primary advantage of the LIDAR system 10 over prior art LIDAR systems is that the LIDAR system 10 increases the reflected photons received by a factor equal to the square of the total number of LIDAR ICs 20, 30, 40, ... , n, while merely increasing the emitted photons by a factor equal to the total number of LIDAR ICs 20, 30, 40, ... , n.” This can result in a better retrievals of the LiDAR system at longer ranges.
Regarding Claim 9, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen does teach wherein the measurement circuit ends counting time at output timing of the drive signal and sets the time count value as the delay time (See the arguments pertaining to Claim 1 above).
Shen does not teach and Moore does teach wherein the ranging system further comprises a selector that selects one of the drive signals output from a plurality of the drive circuits (e.g., multiplexer 32a receives the VCSEL_ON1 signal from LIDAR CHIP 1 and selects between that signal and master trigger signal).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen with the teaching of Moore to select a particular drive signal from the drive circuits. A worker having ordinary skill in the art would be aware of selective multiplexers and their ability to select between a plurality of inputs and/or outputs, and would have found the results of including such a device in this ranging system predictable.
Regarding Claim 10, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen does not teach and Moore does teach wherein the ranging system comprises a measurement circuit which is one of a plurality of measurement circuits corresponding to a plurality of the drive circuits (Each LiDAR integrated circuit shown in Figure 1A contains a photodiode PHOTD and a drive unit LASDRV; [0035]: “Respective one or more laser diodes LASDl, LASD2, LASD3, ... , LASDn are activatable by their associated laser drivers 23, 33, 43, ... , n3 to provide ranging laser light while respective one or more photodetectors PHOTDl, PHOTD2, PHOTD3, ... , PHOTDn to detect returned photons of the ranging laser light that has reflected off a target and returned.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen to incorporate the teaching of Moore to have a multiplicity of drive circuits and light emitting elements. Moore notes in [0066] that increasing the number of LiDAR units in the system has “The primary advantage of the LIDAR system 10 over prior art LIDAR systems is that the LIDAR system 10 increases the reflected photons received by a factor equal to the square of the total number of LIDAR ICs 20, 30, 40, ... , n, while merely increasing the emitted photons by a factor equal to the total number of LIDAR ICs 20, 30, 40, ... , n.” This can result in a better retrievals of the LiDAR system at longer ranges.
Regarding Claim 18, which depends from rejected Claim 1, Shen teaches wherein the measurement circuit bifurcates the transmission path of the trigger signal on the output side of the drive circuit ([0035]: “In some example configurations, the feedback signal 318 can be an electrical signal from a node of the laser switch, such as the drain of the laser switch MN1 (node 1) or the gate of the laser switch MN1 (node 2)”; node 1 is located on the output side of the drive circuit), ends counting time at rise timing of a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal, and sets the time count value as the delay time (Figure 2 shows the delay time Δd calculated between the Laser Pulse Control 110 (equivalent to the trigger signal above) and the Optical Output 112).
Shen does not teach and Moore does teach wherein the ranging system comprises wherein the light emitting element is one of a plurality of light emitting elements, the drive circuit is one of a plurality of drive circuits corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements, and the measurement circuit is one of a plurality of measurement circuits corresponding to the plurality of drive circuits, ([0035]: “Each LIDAR IC 20, 30, 40, ... , n includes a respective data interface 21, 31, 41, ... , nl, control circuitry or controller 22, 32, 42, ... , n2, laser driver 23, 33, 43, ... , n3, and laser receiver 24, 34, 44, ... , n4. Respective one or more laser diodes LASDl, LASD2, LASD3, ... , LASDn are activatable by their associated laser drivers 23, 33, 43, ... , n3 to provide ranging laser light”; Note that the control circuitry here performs the work of the measurement circuit of the instant application in that it determines a delay time ([0047])).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen to incorporate the teaching of Moore to have a multiplicity of drive circuits, light emitting elements, and measurement circuits. Moore notes in [0066] that increasing the number of LiDAR units in the system has “The primary advantage of the LIDAR system 10 over prior art LIDAR systems is that the LIDAR system 10 increases the reflected photons received by a factor equal to the square of the total number of LIDAR ICs 20, 30, 40, ... , n, while merely increasing the emitted photons by a factor equal to the total number of LIDAR ICs 20, 30, 40, ... , n.” This can result in a better retrievals of the LiDAR system at longer ranges.
Regarding Claim 19, which depends from rejected Claim 18, Shen teaches wherein a first multiplexer that selects and outputs one of output signals of the plurality of drive circuits (Figure 5, element 322 is a multiplexer which can be used to select one of the drive circuit output signals; [0038]: “In the example configuration shown in FIG. 5, a multiplexer circuit 322 can receive both feedback signals and a control signal SEL can select which of the two feedback signals to use.”).
Shen does not teach and Moore does teach a second multiplexer that inputs the output of the first multiplexer to a selected one of the plurality of the measurement circuits (e.g., multiplexer 32a receives the VCSEL_ON1 signal from the multiplexer 22a on LIDAR CHIP 1 and selects between that signal and master trigger signal, which is then output to the delay block 32c).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen with the teaching of Moore to select a particular drive signal from the drive circuits. A worker having ordinary skill in the art would be aware of selective multiplexers and their ability to select between a plurality of inputs and/or outputs, and would have found the results of including such a device in this ranging system predictable.
Regarding Claim 20, which depends from rejected Claim 19, Shen does not teach and Moore does teach wherein the plurality of the light emitting elements includes a first light emitting element and a second light emitting element, and the delay time for a light emitting element provided between the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element is obtained by interpolation between the delay time of the first light emitting element and the delay time of the second light emitting element ([0023]: “The delay of activation of the first laser driver may be equal to a sum of one half the elapsed time determined by the first control circuit and one half the elapsed time determined by the second control circuit.” Averaging is commonly known to be a type of linear interpolation between two values).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen in view of Moore with the further teaching of Moore to interpolate between the delay times of two lasers. A worker having ordinary skill in the art would be familiar with various methods of interpolation between two or more values, and using the average between two points would yield predictable results.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen in view of Matsuzaki (US 2020/0145599 A1).
Regarding Claim 16, which depends from rejected Claim 15, Shen does not teach an attenuator that bifurcates on the output side of the drive circuit and attenuates a signal level of a signal obtained by returning the trigger signal; and a buffer that receives a signal attenuated by the attenuator as input and outputs the signal to the signal processing circuit.
Matsuzaki teaches reading control signals into a processor after they have been passed through a level shifter and buffer (Figure 18, element 267; [0223]: “The LS and buffer circuit 267 has a function of level-shift the control signal and of holding the level-shifted control signal.”; Here the level shifter satisfies the limitation that the circuit contains an attenuator, as the component can change the voltage level of a signal based on the needs of the device into which the signal will be input.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ranging system of Shen with the teaching of Matsuzaki to sample the drive signal via a level shifter (attenuator) and a buffer. Signal conditioning of signals which are to be sampled is extremely common in electronics, and a skilled worker would have been aware of using level shifters and buffers to sample signals, and would have found the effects of their incorporation into the ranging system predictable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Koyama (US 2020/0271783 A1) discloses a distance measuring device which includes a multiplexer which selects a drive voltage for a laser diode unit.
Moore (US 2020/0388987 A1) discloses an electronic device including laser emitters, and a laser driver generating a laser drive signal which is forwarded to the emitters through a switched array controlling the activation of the emitters.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/B.W.C./ Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/ISAM A ALSOMIRI/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645