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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 16 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/02/26.
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) 1-3, 5-8, 12-14, 19, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kimura (US 2016/0219229, hereinafter Kimura).
Re claim 1, Kimura discloses, a method for driving a photoelectric conversion apparatus (par [0002]) including at least one pixel (110) configured to generate a pixel signal by photoelectric conversion (par [0065]), a gain setting circuit (140) configured to process the pixel signal output from the at least one pixel with a plurality of gains (par [0075]), and a comparator configured to compare a signal output from the gain setting circuit and a ramp signal (par [0082]), the method comprising: setting a gain of the plurality of gains to a first gain or a second gain different from the first gain based on a first result of comparison made between a signal voltage value of a signal processed with the first gain and a first voltage value by the comparator (pars [0125]-[0130], “pre-scan” or “coarse” phase); and then setting a gradient of the ramp signal based on a second result of comparison made between a signal voltage value of the signal processed with the set first or second gain and a second voltage value by the comparator (pars [0148]-[0151], slope switching).
Re claim 2, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including wherein the gradient of the ramp signal is set to a first gradient or a second gradient different from the first gradient (par [0151]).
Re claim 3, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including further comprising, after the setting of the gradient, converting the signal processed with the first or second gain into a digital signal based on a third result of comparison made between the signal processed with the first or second gain and the ramp signal having the first or second gradient, the signal processed with the first or second gain being an analog signal (par [0155]).
Re claim 5, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including wherein the first gain is higher than the second gain (par [0130]).
Re claim 6, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including wherein the first gain is maintained and set based on the first result (par [0132]).
Re claim 7, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including wherein an operation for transferring a charge from a photoelectric conversion unit of the at least one pixel is performed at a plurality of timings, and wherein the setting of the gain and the setting of the gradient are both performed between two consecutive ones of the plurality of timings (pars [0090] and [0145]).
Re claim 8, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 3 including wherein an operation for transferring a charge from a photoelectric conversion unit of the at least one pixel is performed at a plurality of timings, and wherein the setting of the gain, the setting of gradient, and the converting into the digital signal are performed between two consecutive ones of the plurality of timings (pars [0090] and [0145]).
Re claim 12, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including wherein the photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a ramp signal output circuit configured to output the ramp signal, and wherein the ramp signal output circuit is configured to output the first voltage value and the second voltage value (pars [0085] and [0148]).
Re claim 13, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 1 including wherein the at least one pixel comprises a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels is arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and wherein each of column circuits disposed for a corresponding column of the columns includes a memory configured to store a result of comparison by the comparator, a gain switch circuit configured to switch the plurality of gains for the gain setting circuit, a ramp signal switch circuit configured to switch the gradient of the ramp signal, and at least one selection circuit configured to control the gain switch circuit and the ramp signal switch circuit (fig. 5, pars [0110]-[0120]).
Re claim 14, Kimura discloses the limitations of claim 13 including wherein the at least one pixel comprises a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels is arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and wherein each of column circuits disposed for a corresponding column of the columns includes a memory configured to store a result of comparison by the comparator, a gain switch circuit configured to switch the plurality of gains for the gain setting circuit, a ramp signal switch circuit configured to switch the gradient of the ramp signal, and at least one selection circuit configured to control the gain switch circuit and the ramp signal switch circuit (fig. 5, pars [0110]-[0120]).
Claims 19 and 20 is rejected for the reasons stated in claim 1. The apparatus and device as claimed would have been anticipated by the method of Kimura.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 9-11, 15, 17, and 18 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Re claim 4, Kimura fails to disclose, “before the setting of the gain, converting the signal processed with the first gain into a digital signal based on a fourth result of comparison made between the signal processed with the first gain and the ramp signal having the first or second gradient, the signal processed with the first gain being an analog signal”.
Re claim 9, Kimura fails to disclose, “wherein the first voltage value is greater than the second voltage value”.
Re claim 10, Kimura fails to disclose, “wherein the first voltage value is set based on a maximum input range of analog-to-digital (AD) conversion performed by the comparator, and the second voltage value is set based on the first and second gradients”.
Re claim 11, Kimura fails to disclose, “wherein the digital signal is corrected using a ratio of the first and second gains and a ratio of the first and second gradients”.
Re claim 15, Kimura fails to disclose, “wherein the at least one pixel includes the gain setting circuit”.
Re claim 17, Kimura fails to disclose, “wherein the at least one pixel includes a microlens, a first photoelectric conversion unit, and a second photoelectric conversion unit, and wherein the setting of the gain and the setting of the gradient are performed using a pixel signal output from the first photoelectric conversion unit, and the setting of the gradient is performed using a pixel signal output from the second photoelectric conversion unit, to detect a phase difference”.
Re claim 18, Kimura fails to disclose, “wherein the setting of the gain and the setting of the gradient are performed using the pixel signal output from the first photoelectric conversion unit, and the setting of the gradient is performed using the pixel signals output from the first and second photoelectric conversion units, between two consecutive ones of the plurality of timings”.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOEL W FOSSELMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3728. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 - 5:00 M-F.
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/JOEL W FOSSELMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639
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