DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pacala et al. US 2020/0341144nhereinafter referred to as Pacala.
In regards to claim 1, Pacala teaches:
“A ranging device comprising: an avalanche photodiode (APD); a first histogram generating section that generates a first histogram that is a histogram of time from a timing at which a light source emits light to a timing at which the APD receives the light”
Pacala teaches independent per-pixel integration registers for lidar measurements. The Examiner interprets Lidar is a ranging device. Pacala teaches in Figure 8, inter alia, a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array in Figure 8. Pacala Figures 6 and 8, inter alia, teaches a histogram for a pixel over a single measurement. Pacala paragraph [0086] teaches The horizontal axis corresponds to time bins as measured relative to start time 615. As described above, start time 615 can correspond to a start time for the pulse train. Any offsets between rising edges of the first pulse of a pulse train and the start time for either or both of a pulse train and a detection time interval can be accounted for wherein determining the received time to be used for the time-of-flight measurement.
“an element operating section that enables operation of the APD on a basis of an enable signal; a second histogram generating section that generates a second histogram that is a histogram of time from a timing at which the enable signal is switched to a timing at which the APD is brought into a valid state”
Pacala paragraph [0115] teaches the integration register 1004 can accumulate photon counts from the photosensor 802 during one or more intervals that are defined by the integrate signal 1008. In this sense, the integrate signal 1008 may also be referred to as an “enable” signal in that it enables the integration register 1004 to accumulate photon counts. In some embodiments, each enablement of the integrate signal 1008 may reset the integration register 1004 such that the accumulation of the photon counts starts over. In other embodiments, each enablement of the integrate signal 1008 may restart the integration register 1004 such that it continues accumulating photon counts where it left off. This allows the integration register 1004 to accumulate photon counts over one or more time intervals that can be defined by the integrate (i.e., enable) signal 1008. The examiner interprets that when the restart signal is generated, the APD is in a valid state.
“and a calculating section that calculates a distance to an object to be measured on a basis of at least one of the first histogram or the second histogram”
Pacala paragraph [0139] teaches In some implementations, an integrated circuit may include the integration and/or histogram data paths described above. This integrated circuit may be used to identify pulse locations before passing that information off the integrated circuit to a processor for distance calculations, data visualization, and so forth.
In regards to claim 10, Pacala teaches:
“A ranging system comprising: a light source section that emits emission light; and a light receiving section that receives reflected light of the emission light, wherein the light receiving section includes an avalanche photodiode (APD)”
Pacala Figure 2 teaches a light transmission module 240, a light sensing module 230. Pacala Figure 3 and paragraph [0060] teaches The optical receiver system detects background light 330 initially and after some time detects the laser pulse reflection 320. Pacala paragraph [0063] teaches The photosensors can be pixelated light sensors that employ, for each pixel, a set of discrete photodetectors such as single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) and the like. However, various embodiments can deploy any type of photon sensors.
“a first histogram generating section that generates a first histogram that is a histogram of time from a timing at which a light source emits light to a timing at which the APD receives the light”
Pacala Figures 6 and 8, inter alia, teaches a histogram for a pixel over a single measurement. Pacala paragraph [0086] teaches The horizontal axis corresponds to time bins as measured relative to start time 615. As described above, start time 615 can correspond to a start time for the pulse train. Any offsets between rising edges of the first pulse of a pulse train and the start time for either or both of a pulse train and a detection time interval can be accounted for wherein determining the received time to be used for the time-of-flight measurement.
“an element operating section that enables operation of the APD on a basis of an enable signal; a second histogram generating section that generates a second histogram that is a histogram of time from a timing at which the enable signal is switched to a timing at which the APD is brought into a valid state”
Pacala paragraph [0115] teaches the integration register 1004 can accumulate photon counts from the photosensor 802 during one or more intervals that are defined by the integrate signal 1008. In this sense, the integrate signal 1008 may also be referred to as an “enable” signal in that it enables the integration register 1004 to accumulate photon counts. In some embodiments, each enablement of the integrate signal 1008 may reset the integration register 1004 such that the accumulation of the photon counts starts over. In other embodiments, each enablement of the integrate signal 1008 may restart the integration register 1004 such that it continues accumulating photon counts where it left off. This allows the integration register 1004 to accumulate photon counts over one or more time intervals that can be defined by the integrate (i.e., enable) signal 1008. The examiner interprets that when the restart signal is generated, the APD is in a valid state.
“and a calculating section that calculates a distance to an object to be measured on a basis of at least one of the first histogram or the second histogram”
Pacala paragraph [0139] teaches In some implementations, an integrated circuit may include the integration and/or histogram data paths described above. This integrated circuit may be used to identify pulse locations before passing that information off the integrated circuit to a processor for distance calculations, data visualization, and so forth.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL E TEITELBAUM, Ph.D. whose telephone number is (571)270-5996. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-5:00PM EST.
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/MICHAEL E TEITELBAUM, Ph.D./ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2422