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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 13 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Limitation “extended voltage output” is not term of the art and therefore creates clarity issues. Examiner is unclear what does Applicant mean by that term and specification does not clarify it. Sensible search of prior art due to the clarity issue is not possible.
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(s) 1 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 US 20200185875 A1.
Regarding claim 1 D1 teaches
1. (Original) A detection system integrating a power management module, including:
an emitting end(500 fig. 5), where the emitting end includes a driver integrated circuit(112); [0040]
an integrated array-type receiving end(502), which includes at least some subsequent circuits, is used to receive the retuned light signals and then convert the light signals into electrical signals, [0006](impicit)
where the retuned light is the emitting light from the emitting end and reflected by the detected object in the field of view; and (fig. 5)
a power management module(102), which outputs at least the driving voltage required by the emitting end [0025]
the power management module and the driving integrated circuit or the array-type receiving end are integrated to form a modular structure. (fig. 1 modular structure 101)
but does not teach
and the working voltage of the receiving array unit;
Although D1 does not explicitly teach a power management module outputs working voltage of the receiving array unit;
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 to use the same substrate for placing the receiver on it as it is just an obvious matter of placement of different elements and can be considered simple design choice in order to make compact device.
2. (Original) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 1, wherein the power management module and the driver integrated circuit are integrated to form the modular structure, and the power management module and the driver integrated circuit are packaged into an integral modular structure. (fig. 1 packaged on Substrate 101 [0043])
Although D1 does not explicitly teach
3. (Original) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 1, wherein the power management module and the array-type receiving end are integrated to form the modular structure, and the power management module and the array- type receiving end are packaged into an integral modular structure.
D1 teaches placing different components on single substrate(fig. 1 )
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 to use the same substrate for placing the receiver on it as it is just an obvious matter of placement of different elements and can be considered simple design choice in order to make compact device.
Although D1 does not explicitly teach
4. (Original) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 3, wherein the receiving array unit is a single photon avalanche diode, and the working voltage of the receiving end output by the power management module is greater than the threshold voltage of the single photon avalanche diode.
Using SPADS for lidar purposes is well known in the art in order to detect low intensity lights for depth measurements (see as an evidence D0 US 20180189977 A1)and choosing the working volage greater than the threshold voltage of the single photon avalanche diode is just a matter of choosing optimal operational parameters.
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 to use spad art in order to detect low intensity lights for depth measurements.
Although D1 does not explicitly teach working voltage of the receiving end output by the power management module is greater than the threshold voltage of the single photon avalanche diode
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art, at the time of invention to modify apparatus by D1, since it has been held that 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.
Claim(s) 5 -7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D2 WO 2020223561 A1.
Although D1 does not teach D2 teaches
5. (Original) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 2, wherein the driving voltage output by the power management module is adjustable. [0045]
6. (Original) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 3, wherein the working voltage of the receiving array unit output by the power management module is adjustable.
Although regarding claim 6 D1 and D2 do not teach adjustment of the voltages on receive end, it is straight forward modification similar to adjusting power of the transmitter and it can be used to increase sensitivity of the sensor
7. (Previously Presented) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 1, wherein the power management module further includes a common communication interface unit, and the communication interface unit is further configured to provide a communication connection for the driving integrated circuit or the array-type receiving end. [0047-0048]
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 with teachings by D2 in order to for example decrease the intensity if it does not satisfy eye safety standard or increase intensity in order to increase the range of the system and further modify to use adjustable working voltage of the receiver in order to modify the sensitivity of the sensor.
Claim(s) 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D3 US 20180189977 A1.
Although D1 does not teach
8. (Previously Presented) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 1, wherein the power management module further outputs at least a third output voltage with a third voltage value.
D3 teaches
Light steering device 114 with voltage controller[0021]
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 with teachings by D3 in order to also provide voltage control of the light steering device which can be used to illuminate different FOVs.
Claim(s) 9, 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D4 US 20160165570 A1
With respect to claims 9, 12 D1 does not explicitly teach
9. (Previously Presented) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 1, wherein the power management module includes a linear power supply unit.
12. (New) The detection system integrating a power management module according to claim 1, wherein the power management module includes a switching power supply unit.
D4 teaches powering different components of the device using a linear power supply unit, switching power supply[00327]
It will be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art to modify teachings taught by D1 with teachings by D4 in order to power different components of the device according different requirements of the different components.
Conclusion
Claim 13 has clarity issues and have not been search in completeness. Examiner searched for the term but was not able to find art which uses exactly that term within relevant art.
The other art presented in 892 relates to placing multiple elements on same substrate.
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/HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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