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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/27/202025 and 04/03/2025 were compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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) 1-2, 4-14 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Seo et al. (US 2020/0410272 A1) hereinafter Seo.
Regarding Claim 1, Seo teaches an event vision sensor (fig.1; Vision Sensor 100), comprising: an array of event vision pixels arranged in rows and columns (fig.3; Pixel array Px); and an event signal processor configured to identify a defective event vision pixel of the array based at least in part on a noise event occurrence firing rate corresponding to the defective event vision pixel (fig.3; Para.0075-0076; detection circuit 120 identify defect or noise from pixels of the vision sensor 100), wherein the noise event occurrence firing rate is based at least in part on measurements of a probability of the defective event vision pixel detecting a noise event over time (fig.3; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for determining noise..).
Regarding Claim 2, Seo teaches the event vision sensor of claim 1, wherein the measurements of the probability include indications of whether or not the defective event vision pixel detected noise events during one or more time intervals having one or more durations that each begin from reset of the defective event vision pixel (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect in a time period).
Regarding Claim 6, Seo teaches the event vision sensor of claim 1, wherein, to identify the defective event vision pixel, the event signal processor is configured to directly solve for the noise event occurrence firing rate corresponding to the defective event vision pixel using an exponential equation that models the measurements of the probability (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect for measurements).
Regarding Claim 7, Seo teaches the event vision sensor of claim 1, wherein the defective event vision pixel includes a programmable memory component usable to mask an output of the event vision pixel such that events detected by the defective event vision pixel are not output from the defective event vision pixel to the event signal processor (fig.3-4; Para.106; rate controller 130 and memory 1300 detect the defective pixels may increase a threshold voltage to output de noise threshold).
Regarding Claim 10, Seo teaches the event vision sensor of claim 1, wherein, to identify the defective event vision pixel, the event signal processor is configured to compare the noise event occurrence firing rate to a threshold (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect to compare the noise).
Regarding Claim 11, Seo teaches the event vision sensor of claim 10, wherein the threshold represents an average noise event occurrence firing rate corresponding to one or more event vision pixels of the array that neighbor the defective event vision pixel (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect in a time period).
Regarding Claim 12, Seo teaches same reason as Claim 1
Regarding Claim 13, Seo teaches the method of claim 12, further comprising capturing the measurements of the probability, wherein capturing the measurements of the probability includes recording whether or not the event vision pixel detects a noise event during one or more time intervals following reset of the event vision pixel (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect in a time period).
Regarding Claim 14, Seo teaches the method of claim 13, wherein capturing the measurements of the probability further includes: exposing the event vision pixel to constant illumination for entire durations of the one or more time intervals; and observing whether or not the event vision pixel detects the noise event (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may use constant threshold voltage for detecting a defect noise).
Regarding Claim 18, Seo teaches the method of claim 12, further comprising directly solving for the noise event occurrence firing rate based on an exponential equation that model the measurements of the probability (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect for measurements).
Regarding Claim 19, Seo teaches the method of claim 12, wherein identifying the event vision pixel as defective includes (a) comparing the noise event occurrence firing rate to a preset threshold and (b) determining that the noise event occurrence firing rate exceeds the preset threshold (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076; rate controller 130 may increase a threshold voltage for detecting a defect for measurements whether exceeds or not).
Regarding Claim 19, Seo teaches the method of claim 12, wherein identifying the event vision pixel as defective includes (a) determining an average noise event occurrence firing rate based at least in part on noise event occurrence firing rates associated with one or more event vision pixels neighboring the event vision pixel in an array of the event vision sensor (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076 and 0106), (b) comparing the noise event occurrence firing rate to the average noise event occurrence firing rate (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076 and 0106; rate controller 130 to compare threshold voltage for detecting a defect), and (c) determining that the noise event occurrence firing rate exceeds the average noise event occurrence firing rate by greater than a threshold amount (fig.3-4; Para.0073-0076 and 0106; rate controller 130 may compare a threshold voltage for detecting a defect for measurements).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5, 15-17 and 21 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FAYEZ A BHUIYAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1562. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:00 - 6:00 M-F.
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/FAYEZ BHUIYAN/
Examiner, Art Unit 2639
/LIN YE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2638