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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species III in the reply filed on October 17, 2025 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 – 3, 6 – 7, 10 – 12, 14 – 16, 19 – 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Numata (US 2023/0247307).
Regarding claim 1, Numata discloses, in at least figures 4 – 5, a photoelectric conversion device comprising: an avalanche photodiode (201) (¶62); a first signal processing circuit (103) including a first input node (node A) connected to one node of the avalanche photodiode and a second input node (RES) to which a periodic first control signal is input (213) (¶64-69); and a recharge circuit (202) connected to the one node of the avalanche photodiode and configured to control a recharge operation of the avalanche photodiode in accordance with a periodic second control signal (CLK) (¶65-66), wherein the first signal processing circuit is configured to switch, in accordance with the first control signal, between a first mode in which an output value is changed in accordance with a signal to the first input node and a second mode in which a fixed value is output regardless of a signal input to the first input node (¶67: if the voltage input to the node nodeA becomes a voltage greater than or equal to a determination threshold, the voltage output from the node nodeB switches to a low level. Then, if the voltage input to the node nodeA becomes a voltage lower than the determination threshold, the voltage output from the node nodeB switches to a high level), and wherein the first signal processing circuit is configured to output once a first value in the first mode when avalanche multiplication occurs in the avalanche photodiode two or more times during one cycle of the second control signal (¶63-65, 76-78: photons are incident on the APD 201 between the time t3 and a time t4, but the switch 202 is in the off state, and the voltage applied to the APD 201 is not the difference in voltage that enables avalanche multiplication, thus the output at nodeB remains the same).
Regarding claim 2, Numata discloses, in at least figures 4 – 5, a photoelectric conversion device comprising: an avalanche photodiode (201) (¶62); a first signal processing circuit (103) including a first input node (node A) connected to one node of the avalanche photodiode and a second input node (RES) to which a periodic first control signal is input (213) (¶64-69); and a recharge circuit (202) connected to the one node of the avalanche photodiode and configured to control a recharge operation of the avalanche photodiode in accordance with a periodic second control signal (CLK) (¶65-66), wherein the first signal processing circuit is configured to be controlled, in accordance with the first control signal, to a first mode (quench) in which an output value is changed in accordance with a signal to the first input node and a second mode (recharge) in which a fixed value is output regardless of a signal input to the first input node (¶65-67: if the voltage input to the node nodeA becomes a voltage greater than or equal to a determination threshold, the voltage output from the node nodeB switches to a low level. Then, if the voltage input to the node nodeA becomes a voltage lower than the determination threshold, the voltage output from the node nodeB switches to a high level), and wherein the first signal processing circuit is configured to output once a first value in the first mode when avalanche multiplication occurs in the avalanche photodiode two or more times during one cycle of the second control signal (¶63-65, 76-78: photons are incident on the APD 201 between the time t3 and a time t4, but the switch 202 is in the off state, and the voltage applied to the APD 201 is not the difference in voltage that enables avalanche multiplication, thus the output at nodeB remains the same); wherein the recharge circuit is configured to be controlled, in accordance with the second control signal, to a recharge operation mode in which a recharge operation in the avalanche photodiode is permitted and a quench operation mode in which a quench operation in the avalanche photodiode is permitted (¶65-67: switch 202 serves to function as a load circuit (a quench circuit) when a signal is multiplied by avalanche multiplication, and reduce a voltage supplied to the APD 201, thereby preventing the avalanche multiplication (a quench operation). The switch 202 also serves to apply a current corresponding to the voltage dropped by the quench operation, thereby returning the voltage supplied to the APD 201 to the driving voltage VH (a recharge operation)), and wherein a period in which the recharge circuit is controlled to the recharge operation mode overlaps a period in which the first signal processing circuit is controlled to the second mode and does not overlap a period in which the first signal processing circuit is controlled to the first mode (fig. 5; ¶65-67: recharge period and quench period do not overlap).
Regarding claim 3, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata also teaches wherein the first signal processing circuit outputs once a first value in the first mode when avalanche multiplication occurs in the avalanche photodiode two or more times during one cycle of the second control signal (fig. 5; ¶63-65, 76-78: photons are incident on the APD 201 between the time t3 and a time t4, but the switch 202 is in the off state, and the voltage applied to the APD 201 is not the difference in voltage that enables avalanche multiplication, thus the output at nodeB remains the same).
Regarding claim 6, Numata discloses, in at least figures 4 – 5, a photoelectric conversion device comprising: an avalanche photodiode (201) (¶62); a first signal processing circuit (103) including a first input node (node A) connected to one node of the avalanche photodiode and a second input node (RES) to which a periodic first control signal is input (213) (¶64-69); and a recharge circuit (202) connected to the one node of the avalanche photodiode and controlled by a periodic second control signal (CLK) (¶65-66), wherein the recharge circuit is configured to be controlled, in accordance with the second control signal, to a recharge operation mode in which a recharge operation in the avalanche photodiode is permitted and a quench operation mode in which a quench operation in the avalanche photodiode is permitted (¶65-67: switch 202 serves to function as a load circuit (a quench circuit) when a signal is multiplied by avalanche multiplication, and reduce a voltage supplied to the APD 201, thereby preventing the avalanche multiplication (a quench operation). The switch 202 also serves to apply a current corresponding to the voltage dropped by the quench operation, thereby returning the voltage supplied to the APD 201 to the driving voltage VH (a recharge operation)), and wherein the first signal processing circuit is configured to output a second value when the first control signal is at a first level, output a first value when the first control signal is at a second level different from the first level and the avalanche photodiode is in a discharge state in which avalanche multiplication does not occur, and hold an output value when the first control signal is at the second level and the avalanche photodiode is in a standby state in which avalanche multiplication is possible (fig. 5; ¶67: if the voltage input to the node nodeA becomes a voltage greater than or equal to a determination threshold, the voltage output from the node nodeB switches to a low level. Then, if the voltage input to the node nodeA becomes a voltage lower than the determination threshold, the voltage output from the node nodeB switches to a high level…photons are incident on the APD 201 between the time t3 and a time t4, but the switch 202 is in the off state, and the voltage applied to the APD 201 is not the difference in voltage that enables avalanche multiplication, thus the output at nodeB remains the same).
Regarding claim 7, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 6. Numata also teaches wherein the first signal processing circuit outputs once a first value when avalanche multiplication occurs in the avalanche photodiode two or more times during one cycle of the second control signal (fig. 5; ¶63-65, 76-78: photons are incident on the APD 201 between the time t3 and a time t4, but the switch 202 is in the off state, and the voltage applied to the APD 201 is not the difference in voltage that enables avalanche multiplication, thus the output at nodeB remains the same).
Regarding claim 10, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata also teaches wherein the first signal processing circuit outputs a second value when avalanche multiplication does not occur during one cycle of the second control signal (fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata also teaches further comprising a second signal processing circuit (211) connected to the first signal processing circuit (fig. 4; ¶56: signal processing circuit 103 includes a counter circuit 211).
Regarding claim 12, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 11. Numata also teaches wherein the second signal processing circuit is a counter circuit (fig. 4; ¶56: signal processing circuit 103 includes a counter circuit 211).
Regarding claim 14, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata also teaches wherein the first value is 1 (fig. 5; ¶65-68, 76: high = 1).
Regarding claim 15, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 10. Numata also teaches wherein the second value is 0 (fig. 5; ¶65-68, 76: low = 0).
Regarding claim 16, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata also teaches a signal processing device (52) configured to process a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device (fig. 1A).
Regarding claim 19, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata also teaches, in at least figure 1, at least one of an optical device (51) corresponding to the photoelectric conversion device, a control device (53) configured to control the photoelectric conversion device, a processing device (52) configured to process a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device, a mechanical device (diaphragm) that is controlled based on information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device (¶144), a display device configured to display information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device (¶120), and a storage device (54) configured to store information obtained by the photoelectric conversion device.
Claim 20 is rejected as applied to claim 2 above. The method steps as claimed would have been implied by the apparatus of Numata.
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) 8 – 9, 17 – 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Numata in view of Maehashi (US 2021/0075989).
Regarding claim 8, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 6. Numata fails to explicitly disclose wherein the first signal processing circuit includes an SR latch.
In a similar field of endeavor, Maihashi teaches a photoelectric conversion device with APD including a NAND SR latch circuit in the pixel 12 (fig. 12; ¶91-93). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Numata with the teachings of Maehashi. Numata discloses a buffer in the signal processing circuit. Maehashi teaches a NAND SR latch. One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of using a NAND SR latch, as taught by Maehashi, with the invention of Numata would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system.
Regarding claim 9, Numata in view of Maehashi discloses the limitations of claim 8. Maehashi also teaches wherein the SR latch is a NAND SR latch (fig. 12).
Regarding claim 17, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 16. Numata fails to explicitly disclose wherein the signal processing device generates a distance image representing distance information to an object based on the signal.
In a similar field of endeavor, Maehashi teaches an imaging system related to an on-vehicle camera include an image processing unit 312, a parallax acquisition unit 314 that calculates a parallax (a phase difference of parallax images) from the plurality of image data, and a distance acquisition unit 316 that calculates a distance to the object based on the calculated parallax and a collision determination unit 318 that determines whether or not there is a collision possibility based on the calculated distance, and when the collision probability is high as the determination result of the collision determination unit 318, the control ECU 330 performs vehicle control to avoid a collision or reduce damage by applying a brake, pushing back an accelerator, suppressing engine power, or the like (fig. 15; ¶110-112). In light of the teaching of Maehashi, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use Maehashi’s teaching in Numata' s system because an artisan of ordinarily skill would recognize that this would result in avoiding vehicle collisions and automatic driving control for vehicles, which enhances driver safety.
Regarding claim 18, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 2. Numata fails to explicitly disclose a distance information acquisition unit configured to acquire distance information to an object from a parallax image based on a signal output from the photoelectric conversion device; and a control unit configured to control the movable object based on the distance information.
In a similar field of endeavor, Maehashi teaches an imaging system related to an on-vehicle camera include an image processing unit 312, a parallax acquisition unit 314 that calculates a parallax (a phase difference of parallax images) from the plurality of image data, and a distance acquisition unit 316 that calculates a distance to the object based on the calculated parallax and a collision determination unit 318 that determines whether or not there is a collision possibility based on the calculated distance, and when the collision probability is high as the determination result of the collision determination unit 318, the control ECU 330 performs vehicle control to avoid a collision or reduce damage by applying a brake, pushing back an accelerator, suppressing engine power, or the like (fig. 15; ¶110-112). In light of the teaching of Maehashi, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use Maehashi’s teaching in Numata' s system because an artisan of ordinarily skill would recognize that this would result in avoiding vehicle collisions and automatic driving control for vehicles, which enhances driver safety.
Claim(s) 13 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Numata in view of Koizumi (US 2020/0045251).
Regarding claim 13, Numata discloses the limitations of claim 12. Numata fails to explicitly disclose wherein the second signal processing circuit further includes a counter saturation detection circuit.
In a similar field of endeavor, Koizumi teaches an imaging system related to photoelectric conversion apparatus that includes first and second photoelectric conversion elements, first and second counters, first and second reset units, an adder, and a detection unit. The first counter is configured to perform a counting operation to change a count value based on a signal input from the first photoelectric conversion element and a detection unit to detect saturation of the count of the counter circuit 204. (fig. 4; ¶60, 90). In light of the teaching of Koizumi, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use Koizumi’s teaching in Numata' s system because an artisan of ordinarily skill would recognize that this would result in the linearity of the input/output characteristic is prevented from degrading.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Contact
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/ANTOINETTE T SPINKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639