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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Priority
The priority has been considered by the examiner. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Drawings
The drawing submitted on November 09, 2022, has been considered and accepted by the examiner.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) submitted on November 09, 2022. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered and accepted by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1, 6, 9 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shen et al. (US 2020/0381891).
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Regarding claim 1, Shen disclose a drive apparatus (see Figure 2) configured to drive an optical device (see Figure 2, character 10), the drive apparatus comprising:
a preprocessing circuit (see Figure 2, character 108) configured to generate a first reference signal (see Figure 2, top input to SW) by performing preprocessing on an input signal (see Figure 2, Input);
a drive circuit (see Figure 2, characters MA, ME, MB and MF) configured to generate a driving current (see Figure 2, Idrive) for driving the optical device (see Figure 2, chrater 10), and generate a replica current (see Figure 2, Isense) based on the driving current (see paragraph [0020]); and
a calibration circuit (see Figure 2, characters Vsen, 101P, 101C and SW) configured to generate a replica voltage signal (see Figure 2, Vsen) based on the replica current (see Figure 2, Isense), generate a driving signal (see Figure 2, output of SW) by changing a phase of the first reference signal (see Figure 2, as SW is an AND gate, the lower input would change the phase of the upper input alone by switching the output from off/on) based on the replica voltage signal (see Figure 2, via Vsen input to 101p and Vcm to 101c), and provide the driving signal to the drive circuit (see Figure 2, output of SW applied to MA of drive circuit).
Regarding claim 6, Shen disclose the drive circuit (see Figure 2, characters MA, ME, MB and MF) comprises a bias circuit (see Figure 2, characters MA, ME) configured to generate a bias current (see Figure 2, character Idrive) and provide the bias current to the optical device (see Figure 2, characters 10, Abstract and paragraph [0021]).
Regarding claim 9, Shen disclose the optical device comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) (see paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claim 17, Shen disclose method of operating a drive apparatus (see Figure 2) configured to drive an optical device (see Figure 2, character 10), the method comprising:
generating a first reference signal (see Figure 2, top input to SW) by performing preprocessing (see Figure 2, character 108) on an input signal (see Figure 2, Input);
generating a replica current (see Figure 2, Isense) based on a driving current (see Figure 2, Idrive) driving the optical device(see Figure 2, character 10);
generating a replica voltage signal (see Figure 2, Vsen) based on the replica current (see Figure 2, Isense);
generating a phase difference signal (see Figure 2, as SW is an AND gate, the lower input would change the phase of the upper input alone by switching the output from off/on) by detecting a phase difference between the replica voltage signal (see Figure 2, Vsen) and a driving signal (see Figure 2, output of SW);
generating a calibrated driving signal (see Figure 2, output of SW) by shifting a phase of the first reference signal (see Figure 2, top input to SW) based on the phase difference signal (see Figure 2, as SW is an AND gate, the lower input would change the phase of the upper input alone by switching the output from off/on); and
generating the driving current (see Figure 2, Idrive) based on the calibrated driving signal (see Figure 2, output of SW).
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen et al. (US 2020/0381891).
Regarding claim 10, Shen disclose a distance measurement sensor comprising:
an optical device; (see Figure 2, character 10)
a controller configured to generate at least one drive apparatus control signal (Shen do not explicitly discloses a controller configured to generate at least one drive apparatus control signal. However, it was shown above that Shen in Figure 2, MODE and paragraphs [0027] teach that the mode signal MODE is configured to control the control circuit 101C to operate in a selected mode (e.g., detection mode, calibration mode or any other modes). These features are implicitly taught a controller configured to generate at least one drive apparatus control signal as is claimed.); and
a drive apparatus (see Figure 2) configured to generate a first driving current (see Figure 2, Idrive) based on the at least one drive apparatus control signal and provide the first driving current (see Figure 2, Idrive) to the optical device (see Figure 2, character 10),
wherein the drive apparatus (see Figure 2, characters MA, ME, MB and MF)
comprises:
a drive circuit (see Figure 2, characters MA, ME, MB and MF) configured to generate a replica current based (see Figure 2, Isense) on the first driving current (see Figure 2, Idrive);
and
a calibration circuit (see Figure 2, characters Vsen, 101P, 101C and SW) configured to generate a replica voltage signal (see Figure 2, via Vsen input to 101p and Vcm to 101c) based on the replica current (see Figure 2, Isense), generate a driving signal (see Figure 2, output of SW) by changing a phase of the at least one drive apparatus control signal (see Figure 2, as SW is an AND gate, the lower input would change the phase of the upper input alone by switching the output from off/on) based on the replica voltage signal (see Figure 2, via Vsen input to 101p and Vcm to 101c), and provide the driving signal to the drive circuit (see Figure 2, output of SW applied to MA of drive circuit),
wherein the drive circuit (see Figure 2, characters MA, ME, MB and MF) is further configured to generate a second driving current (see Figure 2, the current from the MA to laser) based on the driving signal (see Figure 2, output of SW), and provide the second driving current (see Figure 2, the current from the MA to laser) to the optical device (see Figure 2, character 10), and
Shen discloses the claimed invention except for a slew rate of the second driving current is greater than a slew rate of the first driving current. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply and/or modify the a slew rate of the second driving current is greater than a slew rate of the first driving current to the device of Shen, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
In addition, the selection of slew rate of the driving currents, it’s obvious because it is a matter of determining optimum process conditions by routine experimentation with a limited number of species of result effective variables. These claims are prima facie obvious without showing that the claimed ranges achieve unexpected results relative to the prior art range. In re Woodruff, 16 USPQ2d 1935, 1937 (Fed. Cir. 1990). See also In re Huang, 40 USPQ2d 1685, 1688 (Fed. Cir. 1996) (claimed ranges or a result effective variable, which do not overlap the prior art ranges, are unpatentable unless they produce a new and unexpected result which is different in kind and not merely in degree from the results of the prior art). See also In re Boesch, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA) (discovery of optimum value of result effective variable in known process is ordinarily within skill or art) and In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1995) (selection of optimum ranges within prior art general conditions is obvious).
Note that the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed [a slew rate of the second driving current is greater than a slew rate of the first driving current] or any unexpected results arising therefrom. Where patentability is said to be based upon particular chosen [a slew rate of the second driving current is greater than a slew rate of the first driving current] or upon another variable recited in a claim, the Applicant must show that the chosen [a slew rate of the second driving current is greater than a slew rate of the first driving current] are critical. In re Woodruf, 919 F.2d 1575, 1578, 16 USPQ2d 1934, 1936 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Claims 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen et al. (US 2020/0381891) in view of Neil et al. (2021/0239838).
Regarding claim 12, Shen discloses the claimed invention except for the optical device is configured to generate an optical output signal based on the second driving current, and output the optical output signal to an object, and wherein the distance measurement sensor further comprises an image sensor configured to receive a reflection signal of the optical output signal reflected by the object. Neil teaches an object, a light source and an image sensor. However, it is well known in the art to apply the object and image sensor as discloses by Neil in (see paragraph [0002]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was to apply the object and image sensor as suggested to the device of Shen, could be used an image sensor to image light reflected by the subject, an image sensor driver to control the operation of the image sensor, optics to shape the light emitted from the light source and to focus light reflected by the object onto the image sensor, and a computation unit configured to determine the distance to the object by determining the amount of time between an emission of light from the light source and a corresponding reflection from the object.
Regarding claim 13, Shen and Neil, Neil disclose the distance measurement sensor is configured to measure a distance to the object based on a time when the optical output signal is output and a time when the reflection signal is received (see paragraph [0002] and claim 12 rejection).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 5, 7 – 8, 11, 14 – 16 and 18 – 20 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. Claim 2 recites a driver apparatus structure including the specific structure limitation of the drive circuit comprises: at least one pre-emphasis circuit configured to generate an emphasis signal based on the driving signal rising or falling; and at least one unit drive circuit configured to generate a replica current based on the emphasis signal and the driving current, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 5 recites a driver apparatus structure including the specific structure limitation of the input signal comprises a first input signal and a second input signal having a phase opposite to a phase of the first input signal, wherein the preprocessing circuit is further configured to generate a second reference signal based on the first input signal and the second input signal, and wherein the drive circuit is further configured to control the driving current based on the second reference signal and the driving signal, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 7 recites a driver apparatus structure including the specific structure limitation of the calibration circuit comprises: a current-voltage conversion circuit configured to convert the replica current to generate the replica voltage signal; and a delayed locked loop (DLL) circuit configured to generate the driving signal based on the first reference signal and the replica voltage signal, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 11 recites a driver apparatus structure including the specific structure limitation of at least one drive apparatus control signal comprises an enable signal, and wherein the controller is further configured to control a level of the second driving current by adjusting the enable signal, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 14 recites a distance measurement sensor structure including the specific structure limitation of the drive circuit further comprises at least one pre-emphasis circuit configured to generate an emphasis signal based on the driving signal rising or falling, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 15 recites a distance measurement sensor structure including the specific structure limitation of the calibration circuit comprises: a current-voltage conversion circuit configured to generate the replica voltage signal based on the replica current; and a delayed locked loop (DLL) circuit configured to generate the driving signal by changing the phase of the at least one drive apparatus control signal based on the replica voltage signal, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 18 recites a method of operating a driver apparatus including the specific step limitation of generating an emphasis signal based on the calibrated driving signal rising or falling, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claim 20 recites a method of operating a driver apparatus including the specific step limitation of generating a second reference signal by performing preprocessing on the input signal, wherein the generating the driving current comprises generating the driving current based further on the second reference signal, which is neither anticipated or neither disclosed nor suggested in any piece of available prior art, which is neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Delma R. Forde whose telephone number is (571)272-1940. The examiner can normally be reached M - TH 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
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/Delma R Forde/Examiner, Art Unit 2828
/TOD T VAN ROY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2828
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