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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “130-2 on Fig. 8” has been used to designate both second magnet and third magnet. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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, 10 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. US 2017/0289457 in view of Park et al. US 2019/0094565.
Regarding claim 1, Hu teaches a camera device (see at least Fig. 1) comprising: a fixed unit (Fig. 1: frame 20 and holder 30, i.e., U2) comprising
a first magnet unit and a second magnet unit facing each other in a first horizontal direction (see at least in Figs. 1, 2 and 4: four magnets M on each corner, see also annotated figure below i.e., first and second magnets are facing in X-axis direction i.e., X-axis is first direction),
a third magnet unit facing the second magnet unit in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (see annotated figure second and third magnets are facing in Y-axis, Y-axis is second direction), and
a fourth magnet unit facing the first magnet unit in the second horizontal direction (see annotated figure fourth and first magnets are facing in Y-axis, Y-axis is second direction);
a moving unit (see para 0041: U1 is movable unit) spaced apart from the fixed unit (U2), the moving unit comprising an image sensor (see para 0041 and Fig. 1: image sensor IM is part of the moving unit U1);
a coil disposed at the moving unit to move the moving unit through interaction with the first to fourth magnet units (see para 0046 and Fig. 4: “It should be understood that the first driving coils C3 disposed on the four sides of the circuit board F respectively correspond to the four magnetic elements M disposed on the four sides of the frame 20. Thus, driving signals can be independently applied to the respective first driving coils C3 by an external power source, and a magnetic force can be provided by the interaction between the first driving coils C3 and the magnetic elements M, so that the plate 10 and the image sensor IM can be forced to move linearly relative to the frame 20 and the holder 30”).
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Hu fails to teach: a position sensor disposed at the moving unit, the position sensor comprising first to fourth sensor units, wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second sensor units overlaps the first magnet unit in an optical-axis direction, the third sensor unit overlaps the second magnet unit in the optical-axis direction, and the fourth sensor unit overlaps the third magnet unit in the optical-axis direction.
Park teaches in particular para 00295 that the centers of a magnet, a coil and a positional sensor aligned with one another and overlapped in the optical axis direction, thereby explicitly teaching an optical axis overlapping arrangement between a position sensor and a corresponding magnet. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the camera device of Hu to incorporate the optical axis-overlapping sensor-magnet arrangement taught by Park in order to improve the accuracy and stability of position detection for optical image stabilization control.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 1, and Hu further teaches wherein the coil comprises first to fourth coil units corresponding to the first to fourth magnet units, and wherein the moving unit is rolled with respect to an optical axis by interaction between the first to fourth magnet units and the first to fourth coil units (see para 0046: “It should be understood that the first driving coils C3 disposed on the four sides of the circuit board F respectively correspond to the four magnetic elements M disposed on the four sides of the frame 20. Thus, driving signals can be independently applied to the respective first driving coils C3 by an external power source, and a magnetic force can be provided by the interaction between the first driving coils C3 and the magnetic elements M, so that the plate 10 and the image sensor IM can be forced to move linearly relative to the frame 20 and the holder 30”).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Hu and Park teaches the camera device according to claim 1, and Park further teaches wherein each of the first to fourth sensor units is a Hall sensor (see para 0092).
Claim(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu and Park as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Topliss et al. US 2015/0350507.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 1, except for comprising a controller configured to control movement of the moving unit in the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction and rolling of the moving unit using at least one of a first output voltage from the first sensor unit, a second output voltage from the second sensor unit, a third output voltage from the third sensor unit, and a fourth output voltage from the fourth sensor unit.
Topliss teaches: a controller (see para 0034: IOS controller), configured to control movement of the moving unit in the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction (see para 0025: the moving body may be moved in multiple direction in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis for optical image stabilization i.e., multiple directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis corresponds directly to first horizontal direction and second horizontal direction) and rolling of the moving unit using at least one of a first output voltage from the first sensor unit, a second output voltage from the second sensor unit, a third output voltage from the third sensor unit, and a fourth output voltage from the fourth sensor unit (see para 0032-0037: position sensor monitor the position of the moving body, and feed this information back to the actuator controller). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the controller and feedback control teaching of Topliss into the camera device of Hu and Park in order to control movement of the moving unit in first and second horizontal directions and rolling of the moving unit based on output voltages from one or more position sensor units, thereby providing closed-loop control of optical image stabilization.
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 11, and Topliss further teaches wherein the controller is configured to control rolling of the moving unit using the first output voltage and the second output voltage (para 0024 teaches: the moving body mab be moved in multiple directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and para 0032-0037: teaches position sensors monitor the position of the moving body and fed this information back to the actuator controller, i.e., hall sensors/position sensor provide output voltage).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 12, and Topliss further teaches wherein the controller is configured to control movement of the moving unit in the first horizontal direction or the second horizontal direction using at least one of the first to fourth output voltages (para 0024 teaches: the moving body mab be moved in multiple directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and para 0032-0037: teaches position sensors monitor the position of the moving body and fed this information back to the actuator controller, i.e., hall sensors/position sensor provide output voltage).
Claim(s) 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. US 2017/0289457 in view of Park et al. US 2019/0094565 and Topliss et al. US 2015/0350507.
Regarding claim 15, Hu teaches a camera device (see at least Fig. 1) comprising:
a fixed unit (Fig. 1: frame 20 and holder 30, i.e., U2) comprising
a first magnet unit and a second magnet unit facing each other in a first horizontal direction (see at least in Figs. 1, 2 and 4: four magnets M on each corner, see also annotated figure below i.e., first and second magnets are facing in X-axis direction i.e., X-axis is first direction),
a third magnet unit facing the second magnet unit in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (see annotated figure second and third magnets are facing in Y-axis, Y-axis is second direction), and
a fourth magnet unit facing the first magnet unit in the second horizontal direction (see annotated figure fourth and first magnets are facing in Y-axis, Y-axis is second direction);
a moving unit (see para 0041: U1 is movable unit) spaced apart from the fixed unit (U2), the moving unit comprising an image sensor (see para 0041 and Fig. 1: image sensor IM is part of the moving unit U1);
a coil disposed at the moving unit to move the moving unit through interaction with the first to fourth magnet units (see para 0046 and Fig. 4: “It should be understood that the first driving coils C3 disposed on the four sides of the circuit board F respectively correspond to the four magnetic elements M disposed on the four sides of the frame 20. Thus, driving signals can be independently applied to the respective first driving coils C3 by an external power source, and a magnetic force can be provided by the interaction between the first driving coils C3 and the magnetic elements M, so that the plate 10 and the image sensor IM can be forced to move linearly relative to the frame 20 and the holder 30”).
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Hu fails to teach: a position sensor disposed in the moving unit and comprising first and second sensor units corresponding to the first magnet unit, a third sensor unit corresponding to the second magnet unit, and a fourth sensor unit corresponding to the third magnet unit; and
a controller configured to control rolling of the moving unit using at least one of a first output voltage from the first sensor unit, a second output voltage from the second sensor unit, a third output voltage from the third sensor unit, and a fourth output voltage from the fourth sensor unit.
Park teaches in particular para 00295 that the centers of a magnet, a coil and a positional sensor aligned with one another and overlapped in the optical axis direction, thereby explicitly teaching an optical axis overlapping arrangement between a position sensor and a corresponding magnet. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the camera device of Hu to incorporate the optical axis-overlapping sensor-magnet arrangement taught by Park in order to improve the accuracy and stability of position detection for optical image stabilization control.
The combination of Hu and Park fails to teach: a controller configured to control rolling of the moving unit using at least one of a first output voltage from the first sensor unit, a second output voltage from the second sensor unit, a third output voltage from the third sensor unit, and a fourth output voltage from the fourth sensor unit.
Topliss teaches: a controller (see para 0034: IOS controller), configured to control movement of the moving unit in the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction (see para 0025: the moving body may be moved in multiple direction in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis for optical image stabilization i.e., multiple directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis corresponds directly to first horizontal direction and second horizontal direction) and rolling of the moving unit using at least one of a first output voltage from the first sensor unit, a second output voltage from the second sensor unit, a third output voltage from the third sensor unit, and a fourth output voltage from the fourth sensor unit (see para 0032-0037: position sensor monitor the position of the moving body, and feed this information back to the actuator controller). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the controller and feedback control teaching of Topliss into the camera device of Hu and Park in order to control movement of the moving unit in first and second horizontal directions and rolling of the moving unit based on output voltages from one or more position sensor units, thereby providing closed-loop control of optical image stabilization.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 15, and Topliss further teaches wherein the controller is configured to control rolling of the moving unit using the first output voltage and the second output voltage (para 0024 teaches: the moving body mab be moved in multiple directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and para 0032-0037: teaches position sensors monitor the position of the moving body and fed this information back to the actuator controller, i.e., hall sensors/position sensor provide output voltage).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 15, and Topliss further teaches wherein the controller is configured to generate a first data value corresponding to the first output voltage, a second data value corresponding to the second output voltage, a third data value corresponding to the third output voltage, and a fourth data value corresponding to the fourth output voltage, wherein the controller is configured to generate a rotation correction value for amount of rotation in order to perform hand-tremor compensation during movement of the camera device, and convert the rotation correction value using at least one of the first to fourth data values (para 0024 teaches: the moving body mab be moved in multiple directions in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and para 0032-0037: teaches position sensors monitor the position of the moving body and fed this information back to the actuator controller, i.e., hall sensors/position sensor provide output voltage).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 17, and Topliss further teaches wherein the rotation correction value is converted using the first data value and the second data value (see para 0034-0035: “An OIS controller which takes continual information from the handshake sensor and determines a time varying desired position of a moving body to most optimally compensate for the handshake. An Actuator controller which as input takes the desired position of the Moving Body as determined by the OIS controller and outputs time varying commands to the at least one Actuator driver to move the Moving Body.”).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Hu teaches the camera device according to claim 1, and Topliss further teaches wherein the controller is configured to control a driving signal to be supplied to the coil using the first output voltage and the second output voltage (para 0026-0028, 0031 and 0034: teaches controller that receives output signals from Hall position sensors and controls drive signal supplied to voice coil motor actuator base on those sensor outputs.).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. US 2017/0289457 in view of Topliss et al. US 2015/0350507.
Regarding claim 20, Hu teaches an optical instrument (see para 0040: camera module disposed in an electronic device such as camera, a tablet computer or a cell phone) comprising:
a camera device (see at least Fig. 1) comprising
a fixed unit (Fig. 1: frame 20 and holder 30, i.e., U2),
a moving unit (see para 0041: U1 is movable unit) spaced apart from the fixed unit (U2), the moving unit comprising an image sensor (see para 0041 and Fig. 1: image sensor IM is part of the moving unit U1).
Hu fails to teach: a position sensor configured to detect rolling of the moving unit; and a controller configured to generate a correction value for correction of amount of rotation of the camera device due to hand shaking and to control movement of the moving unit using the correction value when the correction value is equal to or less than a predetermined angle.
Topliss teaches a controller (see para 0034: OIS controller determines a time-varying desired position of a moving body to compensate for the handshake), configured to generate a correction value for correction of amount of rotation of the camera device due to hand shaking and to control movement of the moving unit using the correction value when the correction value is equal to or less than a predetermined angle (para 0034-0035: the OIS controller determines a time varying desired position of a moving body…, “desire position” is a computed correction value generated by the controller). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to recognized that the desired position determined by the OIS controller represents as target correction amount, and that applying such correction only when the correction amount falls within a predefined angular range is a known control practice to ensure stable operation and avoid actuator saturation or instability in electromagnetic OIS actuators. Configuration the controller to conditionally apply the correction based on the magnitude of the correction amount merely introduces a control constraint on the already-computed desired position, without changing the underlying correction algorithm or hardware configuration taught by Topliss.
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.
Regarding claim 2, the camera device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and third magnet units comprises an N pole and an S pole facing each other in the first horizontal direction, and each of the second and fourth magnet units comprises an N pole and an S pole facing each other in the second horizontal direction.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EPHREM ZERU MEBRAHTU whose telephone number is (571)272-8386. The examiner can normally be reached 10 am -6 pm (M-F).
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/EPHREM Z MEBRAHTU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872