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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 .
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All references considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(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 11 is 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.
Claim 11 recites “the first row” (Lim 1) and “the second row” (Lim 2). These lack antecedent basis, and there is no antecedent basis for an ordering of rows which would make such labeling obvious. For examination, since the third exposure control signal is input to… the first row and the third exposure control signal that is delayed is input to… the second row, the first row and the second row are any two rows wherein the first row receives the third exposure control signal before the second row.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sawamoto (US 2022/0179088) in view of Tadmor (US 2019/0181171).
Regarding Claim 1, Sawamoto teaches A photoelectric conversion device [0156-0162, Fig. 8] comprising:
a light receiving unit including a plurality of pixels each configured to detect incident light and generate a signal based on the incident light [0159, pixel circuits 321]; and
a plurality of pixel control units each configured to control an exposure period during which a signal based on the incident light is generated in a corresponding pixel among the plurality of pixels [0157, timing adjustment circuits 326C with driver circuits 326D],
wherein the plurality of pixel control units includes a first pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j with 326D-j] and a second pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j-1 with 326D-j-1],
wherein the first pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j with 326D-j] controls a first exposure period in a first pixel among the plurality of pixels [pixels 321 in column j] based on a first exposure control signal [0159, clock signal Ck1 provides storage drive signal TX1 to Q to 326C-j to 326D-j to pixels 321 in column j], generates a second exposure control signal by delaying the first exposure control signal [0158-160, timing adjustor 326C-j delays the clock signal Ck1], and outputs the second exposure control signal to the second pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j and 326C-j-1 connected in series in Fig. 8],
wherein the second pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j-1 with 326D-j-1] controls a second exposure period in a second pixel among the plurality of pixels [pixels 321 in column j-1] based on the second exposure control signal [0158-0160, delayed signal from 326C-j], and
wherein the second pixel control unit controls the second exposure period based on the second exposure control signal such that the start time of the second exposure period is later than the start time of the first exposure period [0159-0160, pixels in column j delayed by Tcd, pixels in column j-1 delayed by 2×Tcd].
Sawamoto does not teach – but Tadmor does teach
wherein the second pixel control unit [0085, Fig. 2A, pixel array 200 includes at least a first pixel and a second pixel 212; 0104, Fig. 11, each pixel 212 is a pixel circuit 1110, which includes a pixel control unit] includes a selection circuit [0104, first transfer gate 1112 in Fig. 11] configured to enable either the first exposure control signal [0150, Fig. 25, global shuttering GS] or the second exposure control signal [0151, Fig. 26, rolling shuttering RS] based on a selection signal [0104, 0150-0151, TX1 in Figs. 11 and 25-26],
wherein in a case where the first exposure control signal [0150, GS] is enabled, the second pixel control unit [0085, 0104, as above] controls the second exposure period based on the first exposure control signal such that a start time of the second exposure period coincides with a start time of the first exposure period [0150, start/stop times coincide in Fig. 25].
Tadmor also teaches wherein in a case where the second exposure control signal [0150, RS] is enabled, the second pixel control unit [0085, 0104, as above] controls the second exposure period based on the second exposure control signal such that a start time of the second exposure period is later than the start time of the first exposure period [0151, start/stop times determined by TX2 in Fig. 26, so first and second pixel control units are any pixel control units wherein TX2 signals the first pixel control unit before the second pixel control unit]. Thus, Tadmor can have start times for first and second exposure periods coincide or be sequential as in the claimed invention.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of ToF cameras prior to the effective filing date to combine the pixel control units of Sawamoto and Tadmor to enable GS-only modulation to achieve fast time-of-flight gating and improve shutter efficiency [Tadmor: 0127-0128]. Hereinafter, “S-T” refers to this embodiment.
Regarding Claim 2, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pixel control units includes the selection circuit [Tadmor: 0085, 0104, as above], and wherein the selection signal of a common level is input to the selection circuit of each of the plurality of pixel control units [Tadmor: 0104, TX1 provided to all first transfer gates 1112 in Fig. 11]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of ToF cameras prior to the effective filing date to combine the pixel control units of Sawamoto and Tadmor to enable GS-only modulation to achieve fast time-of-flight gating and improve shutter efficiency [Tadmor: 0127-0128].
Regarding Claim 3, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1 further comprising: a light emitting unit [0044, light source 2 in Fig. 1]; and a control unit configured to control timing of light emission in the light emitting unit and the first pixel control unit [0053, timing controller 41 in Fig. 1].
Regarding Claim 4, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit [0053, 41 in Fig. 1] outputs the first exposure control signal [0089, any of TX1-TX3 in Fig. 4] to the first pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j with 326D-j] so that the first exposure period starts at the same time as the timing of light emission in the light emitting unit [0089, TX2 and PO overlap in Fig. 4] or after a predetermined time has elapsed from the timing of light emission in the light emitting unit [0089, TX3 after PO in Fig. 4].
Regarding Claim 5, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1 further comprising a frequency distribution holding unit configured to hold a frequency distribution based on a frequency of a signal based on the incident light in the first exposure period and a frequency of a signal based on the incident light in the second exposure period [0062, C1-C3 of Fig. 3 store (i.e. hold) electric charge corresponding to a quantity (i.e. frequency) of the received reflected light; C1-C3 correspond to TX1-TX3, respectively].
Regarding Claim 6, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of pixel control units controls exposure periods of two or more pixels to be the same [0159, driver circuit 326D-j outputs TX1-TX3 to pixel circuits 321 of Column J in Fig. 8], and wherein the frequency distribution holding unit sets frequencies of signals output from the two or more pixels as a common class in the frequency distribution [0089, TX1-TX3 correspond to different times (i.e. classes) in Fig. 4].
Regarding Claim 7, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged to form a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are arranged in different columns of the same row [0159, Fig. 8, first pixels 321 of Columns J and J-1].
Regarding Claim 8, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 7, wherein the first pixel control unit [0157, 326C-j with 326D-j] is arranged to supply the first exposure control signal to two or more pixels in a first column including the first pixel [0159, 326D-j supplies TX1 to Column J], and wherein the second pixel control unit [0160, 326C-j-1 with 326D-j-1] is arranged to supply the second exposure control signal [0158-0160, delayed output from 326C-j] to two or more pixels in a second column including the second pixel [0160, 326D-j-1 supplies delayed TX1 to Column J-1].
Regarding Claim 9, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 8 further comprising an AND circuit arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of pixels [0068, SL1 with G1 in Fig. 3], wherein a third exposure control signal [0060, 0087, #323 in Fig. 2 outputs SEL1 to SL1 in Fig. 3] and the first exposure control signal [0059, 0076, #326 in Fig. 2 outputs TX1 to G1 in Fig. 3] are input to the AND circuit of the first column [0068, SL1 with G1 in Fig. 3], and wherein the third exposure control signal and the second exposure control signal are input to the AND circuit of the second column [0067-0068, each pixel circuit 321 has a corresponding G1 and SL1].
Regarding Claim 10, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 9, wherein the third exposure control signal is input to a plurality of AND circuits of one row in common [0067-0068, each pixel circuit 321 has a corresponding G1 and SL1].
Regarding Claim 11, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 10, wherein the third exposure control signal is input to the AND circuits of the first row among the plurality of rows in common [0067-0068, each pixel circuit 321 has a corresponding G1 and SL1], and wherein the third exposure control signal that is delayed is input to the AND circuits of the second row among the plurality of rows [0069, G2 and SL2 equivalent to G1 and SL1 above; 0085, timing chart of Fig. 4 indicates SEL2 comes after SEL1; thus, a second row of pixels receives the same-but-delayed signal as a first row].
Regarding Claim 12, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the start time of the first exposure period and the start time of the second exposure period is equal to a length of the first exposure period [0089, TX1-TX3 in Fig. 4].
Regarding Claim 13, S-T teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the first exposure period and a length of the second exposure period are equal to each other [0089, TX1-TX3 in Fig. 4].
Claim(s) 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sawamoto (US 2022/0179088) in view of Tadmor (US 2019/0181171) as applied to Claim 1 above, and further in view of Keilaf (US 2018/0143324).
Regarding Claims 14-15 and 17, S-T teaches all elements of The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 1. S-T also teaches varying detection timing with emission timing [see rejection of Claim 4].
Neither Sawamoto nor Tadmor teaches – but Keilaf (in the closely related art of LiDAR) does teach
(Claim 14) wherein the plurality of pixels include a pixel sensitive to light of a first wavelength and a pixel sensitive to light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength [0513, light sources 2806 and 2808 may have different wavelengths in Fig. 28].
(Claim 15) wherein the plurality of pixels generate a signal for ranging in a first distance range based on light of the first wavelength, and generate a signal for ranging in a second distance range different from the first distance range based on light of the second wavelength [Keilaf: 506, detection of objects may vary with wavelength, so distance range may thereby vary with wavelength; 0494, differing distances may be associated with different parts of the field of view].
(Claim 17) wherein the first wavelength and the second wavelength are both in an infrared region [Keilaf: 0114, light source wavelength ranges 650-1150nm, 800-1000nm, 850-950, and 1300-1600nm all include infrared, and would necessitate pixels sensitive to these ranges].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of ToF cameras prior to the effective filing date to further modify the photoelectric conversion device of S-T to include pixels sensitive to differing wavelengths as in Keilaf to allow for the detection of objects with one wavelength that were not visible (or at least not as visible) with another wavelength [Keilaf: 506]. Hereinafter, “S-T-K” refers to this embodiment.
Regarding Claim 16, S-T-K teaches The photoelectric conversion device according to claim 15. Neither S-T-K nor Keilaf explicitly teach wherein a cycle in which the signal for ranging in the first distance range is generated and a cycle in which the signal for ranging in the second distance range is generated are different from each other. However,
Sawamoto teaches detection timing based on emission timing [0089, TX1-TX3 relative to PO in Fig. 4], and
Keilaf teaches that timing may vary across the plurality of light sources [0394, 0482], even operating in different duty cycles [514], and that detection circuitry enabling timing may vary [0201].
Furthermore, the first and second pixels may be sensitive to both the first and second wavelengths, meaning emitting light of multiple wavelengths into the same region could cause interference. Thus, it would have been obvious to further modify S-T-K to generate the signals for ranging in the first and second distance ranges in different cycles to avoid interference when detecting light from multiple light sources emitted into an overlapping region [Keilaf: 0201].
Regarding Claim 18, S-T teaches the photoelectric conversion device according to Claim 1.
S-T does not teach – but Keilaf does teach A movable body [0121, vehicle 110 in Fig. 1A] comprising: a sensing unit [0121, #106 in Fig. 1A]; and a movable body control unit configured to control the movable body based on distance information acquired by the sensing unit [0122, vehicle 110 in Fig. 1A may be autonomous or semi-autonomous].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the ToF camera art prior to the effective filing date to use the photoelectric conversion device of S-T as the sensor in the vehicle of Keilaf to improve autonomous driving [Keilaf: 0122].
Relevant Prior Art
In addition to the above prior art rejection, Examiner notes that Tadmor teaches most of the claimed elements, including the frequency holding distribution [depth profiles, 0097-0100, Figs. 8-9] and the AND circuitry [TX1, TX2, and SEL in series in Fig. 11].
In addition to applicant-provided prior art and the prior art used above, Examiner identified the following relevant prior art:
Jovanovski (US 2011/0309150) discloses a 2D solid state image sensor that may operate in global or rolling shutter modes and may be color or monochrome [0029].
Kawahito (US 2016/0353045) shows a vertically cascading drive signal (e.g. Fig. 6) similar to the horizontally cascading drive signal of Sawamoto.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL ALEX DECARIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 6:45 a.m. - 5:15 p.m..
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/MAD/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/JAMES R HULKA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645
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