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 Amendment
This Office Action is in response to the Amendment filed on 10/08/2025.
Status of the Claims:
Claim(s) 8-9 and 16 has/have been amended.
Claim(s) 1-19 is/are pending in this Office Action.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-11, filed 10/08/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-19 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Arishima.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Amendment to claims 8 and 9 are hereby acknowledge and overcome the previous rejection.
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) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2018/0316881 to Arishima et al. (hereinafter Arishima).
Regarding independent claim 1, Arishima teaches a photoelectric conversion device comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged to form a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the plurality of pixels including a photoelectric conversion unit (pixel region 10 comprising a plurality of pixel units 12 arrange in to form a plurality of rows and columns, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]);
a plurality of output lines, at least two of the plurality of output lines being arranged in each of the plurality of columns, each of the plurality of output lines being connected to a pixel of a corresponding column (output line 161 and 162, see Fig. 17);
a scanning circuit configured to sequentially select plural rows that are a part of the plurality of rows (the gates of the select transistors M51 and M52 are connected to the select signal lines SEL1 and SEL2, respectively. The sources of the select transistors M51 and M52 are connected to the vertical output lines 161 and 162, respectively. With such a configuration, signals on two different unit pixel rows can be output to the vertical output lines 161 and 162, respectively, and two unit pixel rows can be read out in parallel, see par. [0140]); and
a selection circuit that includes an input unit to which a control signal different from a control signal input to the scanning circuit is input and is configured to select a row that is the other part of the plurality of rows (and the external PSEL signal to generate the control signal ɸSEL1[m] supplied to the select signal line SEL1, see Fig. 18 and par. [0141]).
Regarding claim 2, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1 further comprising a control circuit configured to control the scanning circuit and the selection circuit (control circuit 60, see Fig. 18),
wherein the control circuit controls, in a period of outputting a signal of a first pixel of a first row among the plural rows of the part to a first output line among the plurality of output lines by selecting the first row by the scanning circuit, the selection circuit to select a second row of the other part to output a signal of a second pixel of the second row to a second output line arranged in a same column as the first output line (the gates of the select transistors M51 and M52 are connected to the select signal lines SEL1 and SEL2, respectively. The sources of the select transistors M51 and M52 are connected to the vertical output lines 161 and 162, respectively. With such a configuration, signals on two different unit pixel rows can be output to the vertical output lines 161 and 162, respectively, and two unit pixel rows can be read out in parallel, see par. [0140]).
Regarding claim 3, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the first output line and the second output line are adjacent to each other (output lines 161 and 162 are adjacent, see Figs. 17).
Regarding claim 4, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 2, wherein pixels arranged in the row of the other part are pixels that do not include the photoelectric conversion unit (dummy pixels can be arranged in the pixel region 10, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 5, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 3, wherein pixels arranged in the row of the other part are pixels that do not include the photoelectric conversion unit (dummy pixels can be arranged in the pixel region 10, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 6, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 2, wherein pixels arranged in the row of the other part are light-shielded pixels in which the photoelectric conversion unit is shielded from light (optical black pixels that are shielded from light can be arranged in the pixel region 10, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 7, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 3, wherein pixels arranged in the row of the other part are light-shielded pixels in which the photoelectric conversion unit is shielded from light (optical black pixels that are shielded from light can be arranged in the pixel region 10, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 8, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 4, wherein the signal output to the second output line is a noise signal output from the second pixel of the second row (optical black pixels that are shielded from light can be arranged in the pixel region 10 and their purpose is to provide the noise signal of the sensor area, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 9, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 5, wherein the signal output to the second output line is a noise signal output from the second pixel of the second row (optical black pixels that are shielded from light can be arranged in the pixel region 10 and their purpose is to provide the noise signal of the sensor area, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 10, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 2, wherein a use of the signal output to the first output line is different from a use of the signal output to the second output line (optical black pixels that are shielded from light can be arranged in the pixel region 10 and there purpose is to provide the noise signal of the sensor area which is different from the actual signal output from the regular pixels output, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 11, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 3, wherein a use of the signal output to the first output line is different from a use of the signal output to the second output line (optical black pixels that are shielded from light can be arranged in the pixel region 10 and there purpose is to provide the noise signal of the sensor area which is different from the actual signal output from the regular pixels output, see Fig. 1 and par. [0041]).
Regarding claim 12, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1,
wherein the control signal input to the selection circuit includes information on an output line from which a signal of a pixel of the plural rows of the part is not output among output lines arranged in a same column as an output line from which a signal from a pixel of the plural rows of the part is output (the gates of the select transistors M51 and M52 are connected to the select signal lines SEL1 and SEL2, respectively. The sources of the select transistors M51 and M52 are connected to the vertical output lines 161 and 162, respectively. With such a configuration, signals on two different unit pixel rows can be output to the vertical output lines 161 and 162, respectively, and two unit pixel rows can be read out in parallel (see par. [0141]). Arishima place imaging rows and special function pixels in other specified rows, see Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 13, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1,
wherein the selection circuit is provided outside the scanning circuit (the scanning circuit is considered the vertical scanning circuit 20 and the external PSEL signal from the external control circuit 60 is considered the selection circuit, see par. [0066]).
Regarding claim 14, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1,
wherein the selection circuit is provided in the scanning circuit (the scanning circuit is considered to be the vertical scanning circuit 20 and the control circuit 60, the control circuit 60 cooperate to select a plurality of rows, see pars. [0140-0141]).
Regarding claim 15, Arishima teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1,
wherein each of the pixels arranged in the plural rows of the part includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion units (pixel unit 12 include photoelectric converters, see par. [0045]).
Regarding independent claim(s) 16, claim(s) is/are drawn to the method used by the corresponding apparatus in claim(s) 1-2 and is/are rejected for the same reasons used above.
Regarding claim 17, Arishima teaches an imaging system comprising:
the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1; and
a signal processing device configured to process a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device (signal processing unit outside the solid-state imagng device 100, see par. [0044]).
Regarding claim 18, Arishima teaches a movable object comprising:
the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1; and
a distance information acquisition unit configured to acquire distance information to an object from a parallax image based on a signal from the photoelectric conversion device (The imaging system 300 includes an image processing unit 312 that performs image processing on a plurality of image data acquired by the imaging device 310 and a parallax calculation unit 314 that calculates a parallax (a phase difference of parallax images) from the plurality of image data acquired by the imaging system 300. See par. [0210] and Fig. 31B); and
a control unit configured to control the movable object based on the distance information (control ECU 330 controls the movable object, see Fig. 31B).
Regarding independent claim 19, Arishima teaches equipment comprising:
the photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, and
at least one of
an optical device corresponding to the photoelectric conversion device (aperture 204 and lens 202, see Fig. 30),
a control device configured to control the photoelectric conversion device (general control/operation unit 218, see Fig. 30),
a processing device configured to process a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device (signal processing unit 208, see Fig. 30),
a mechanical device that is controlled based on information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device (an alert device 340 alerts a user by sounding an alert such as a sound, displaying alert information on a display of a car navigation system or the like, providing vibration to a seat belt or a steering wheel, or the like, see par. [0211]),
a display device configured to display information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device (display on a car navigation system, see par. 0211]), and
a storage device configured to store information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device (storage medium 214, see Fig. 30 and par. [0205]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGEL L GARCES-RIVERA whose telephone number is (571)270-7268. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sinh Tran can be reached at 571-727-7564. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ANGEL L GARCES-RIVERA/Examiner, Art Unit 2637
/SINH TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2637