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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Azuma JP 2018179732 A.
Regarding claim 1, Azuma teaches a light receiving apparatus comprising:
a first light receiving circuit configured such that a recharge method for a light receiving element (detection element 2 in Fig. 2, [0015]) is switched (transistors 41, 44, Fig. 2; [0017-28]; see also Fig. 4, [0030-44]); and
a control circuit configured so as to control the recharge method for the first light receiving circuit on a basis of a signal outputted by the first light receiving circuit in a reaction with a photon (transistors 41 and 44 switched depending on pulse Po in Fig. 2; [0017-28]; see also Fig. 4, [0030-44, 55-58]).
Regarding claim 2, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recharge method includes at least one of passive recharge, active recharge, or a combination of passive recharge and active recharge (transistor 41 with the constant-resistance circuit CR and transistor 44 with the variable-resistance circuit VR act as the passive and active recharging circuits in Fig. 2, [0017-24]; see also Fig. 4, [0030-44]).
Regarding claim 3, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recharge method includes at least one of a recharge current for a time of passive recharge operation, or a time delay at which a reset pulse is generated at a time of active recharge operation (Figs. 2-3, [0017-28]; see also Figs. 4-5, [0030-44].
Regarding claim 15, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving element is an avalanche photodiode (SPAD, [0001-2]).
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 4, 12-13, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azuma JP 2018179732 A.
Regarding claim 4, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 1,
Azuma does not explicitly teach further comprising: a plurality of the first light receiving circuits, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for at least one of the first light receiving circuits on a basis of the signal outputted by the plurality of the first light receiving circuits.
However, Azuma does teach use of a SPAD array (SPAD array, [0002]; one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that each SPAD in the SPAD array would require recharge circuitry).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma to include a plurality of the first light receiving circuits, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for at least one of the first light receiving circuits on a basis of the signal outputted by the plurality of the first light receiving circuits with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of allowing multiple simultaneous detections of portions of a field of view.
Regarding claim 12, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for the plurality of the first light receiving circuits on a basis of the signal outputted by the first light receiving circuit that corresponds to a partial region of a captured image (transistors 41 and 44 switched depending on pulse Po in Fig. 2; [0017-28]; see also Fig. 4, [0030-44, 55-58]; signal Po inherently corresponds to at least a partial region of a capture image).
Regarding claim 13, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a plurality of second light receiving circuits configured to perform passive recharge of the light receiving element (transistor 41 with the constant-resistance circuit CR and transistor 44 with the variable-resistance circuit VR act as the passive and active recharging circuits in Fig. 2, [0017-24]; see also Fig. 4, [0030-44]; used in a SPAD array for each SPAD, [0002]).
Regarding claim 16, Azuma teaches a distance measurement apparatus comprising:
a light emitting element (laser radar device, [0013]);
a light receiving circuit configured such that a recharge method for a light receiving element is switched; and
a control circuit configured to, in a time period in which the light emitting element is not emitting light, control the recharge method for at least one of the light receiving circuits on a basis of a signal outputted by the light receiving circuits in reaction to a photon.
Azuma does not explicitly teach a plurality of light receiving circuits.
However, Azuma does teach use of a SPAD array (SPAD array, [0002]; one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that each SPAD in the SPAD array would require recharge circuitry such that there would be a plurality of light receiving circuits for the plurality of SPADs in the array).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma to include a plurality of light receiving circuits with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of allowing multiple simultaneous detections of portions of a field of view.
Claims 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azuma JP 2018179732 A in view of Lisart US 20190385957 A1
Regarding claim 5, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 4,
Azuma does not explicitly teach further comprising: a measurement circuit configured to count the number of reactions in the plurality of the first light receiving circuits, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for at least one first light receiving circuit on a basis of the number of reactions.
Lisart teaches counting the photons with circuit 120 and circuit 120 recharging the SPAD after each photon detection (which would be after each 1 reaction, [0046]).
Additionally, Azuma does teach counting the number of pulse signals
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma to include a measurement circuit configured to count the number of reactions in the plurality of the first light receiving circuits, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for at least one first light receiving circuit on a basis of the number of reactions similar to Lisart with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of ensuring the SPADs are ready to function after counting.
Claims 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azuma JP 2018179732 A in view of Tachino US 20210018624 A1.
Regarding claim 8, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 4,
Azuma does not explicitly teach but Tachino teaches further comprising: an error correction circuit configured to perform an error determination on a basis of the waveform of the signal outputted by the first light receiving circuit, and correct the waveform of the signal for which the error determination is performed ([0072-109]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma to include an error correction circuit configured to perform an error determination on a basis of the waveform of the signal outputted by the first light receiving circuit, and correct the waveform of the signal for which the error determination is performed similar to Tachino with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of allowing adjustment of the signal based on pulse width to maintain a relationship even when characteristics of the laser diode or receiving diode change due to temperature (Tachino: [0085]).
Claims 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azuma JP 2018179732 A in view of Tachino US 20210018624 A1 and further in view of Sakai US 20190115992 A1.
Regarding claim 9, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 8,
Azuma does not explicitly teach but Sakai teaches wherein the error correction circuit is configured to perform an error determination for at least one of the signal having a pulse width in excess of a first threshold, or the signal having an interval between pulses of less than a second threshold ([0026, 39]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma such that the error correction circuit is configured to perform an error determination for at least one of the signal having a pulse width in excess of a first threshold, or the signal having an interval between pulses of less than a second threshold similar to Sakai with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of allowing determination of if a pulsed light has been detected and is then able to measure time differences of all pulsed lights (Sakai: [0039])
Claims 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azuma JP 2018179732 A in view of Mandai US 20180209846 A1
Regarding claim 11, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 4,
Azuma does not explicitly teach wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for the first light receiving circuit for each region of a captured image.
Mandai teaches separate control circuits for each pixel (Figs. 6, 9, 21-22; [0076-79, 97-100]) and pixels with different fields of view (Fig. 6, [0076-79])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma such that the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for the first light receiving circuit for each region of a captured image similar to Mandai with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of controlling each pixel independently so pixels aren’t recharged unnecessarily.
Claims 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Azuma JP 2018179732 A in view of Kawai JP 2016183922 A
Regarding claim 14, Azuma teaches the light receiving apparatus according to claim 13,
Azuma does not explicitly teach wherein each first light receiving circuit is connected to a first pixel, and each second light receiving circuit is connected to a second pixel having a smaller light receiving surface or an opening surface than a light receiving surface or an opening surface of the first pixel.
Kawai teaches detection elements with different opening surface areas (Fig. 6, [0026, 32-38]; one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that Azuma’s passive and active circuitry could be used for all elements)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Azuma such that each first light receiving circuit is connected to a first pixel, and each second light receiving circuit is connected to a second pixel having a smaller light receiving surface or an opening surface than a light receiving surface or an opening surface of the first pixel similar to Kawai with a reasonable expectation of success. This would have the predictable result of allowing sensitivity adjustments in both short and long distance ranging (Kawai: [0036-37]).
Regarding claim 17, Azuma teaches a light receiving circuit comprising:
a light receiving element;
a load element connected to a reference potential;
a first switch connected between the load element and the light receiving element;
an inverter connected to a first signal line between the first switch and the light receiving element via a second signal line;
a first transistor connected to the reference potential;
a second switch connected between the first transistor and the second signal line; and
a pulse generator connected to a third signal line that is a subsequent stage for the inverter, and a first control electrode of the first transistor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record does not explicitly teach or render obvious:
The light receiving apparatus of claim 6, specifically including: an error detector configured to perform an error determination on a basis of a waveform of the signal outputted by the first light receiving circuit, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for at least one of the first light receiving circuits on a basis of the number of error determinations for the signal outputted by the plurality of the first light receiving circuits
The light receiving apparatus of claim 10, specifically including: the control circuit is configured to control the recharge method for at least one of the first light receiving circuits on a basis of the number of error determinations for the signal outputted by the plurality of the first light receiving circuits
The light receiving apparatus of claim 17, specifically including: a first switch connected between the load element and the light receiving element; an inverter connected to a first signal line between the first switch and the light receiving element via a second signal line; a first transistor connected to the reference potential; a second switch connected between the first transistor and the second signal line; and a pulse generator connected to a third signal line that is a subsequent stage for the inverter, and a first control electrode of the first transistor
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH C FRITCHMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5533. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/J.C.F./Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/ISAM A ALSOMIRI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645