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 .
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.
Claims 1-4, 9-11 and 12-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Mochizuki (JP2021093610) in view of Hanzawa (US2019/0239731).
Regarding claim 1, Mochizuki discloses a sensor device comprising a pixel array, wherein the pixel array includes:
a dummy pixel that does not receive incident light (Fig. 17-19b: See dummy pixel regions 402-405 having pixels 415);
a gradation pixel including a sub-gradation pixel that receives incident light to acquire gradation information (Fig. 6-8; 17-19b: pixel blocks/regions 410 having gradation pixel 412; [0089]); and
an event detection pixel including the sub- gradation pixel and a sub-event detection pixel that detects a change in the gradation information acquired by receiving incident light (Fig. 6-8; 17-19b: pixel blocks/regions 410 having event/ DVS pixel 411; [0039-0042; 0045-0047; 0089]),
the dummy pixel (Fig. 17-19b: see pixel 415), the gradation pixel (412 in pixel region 410), and the event detection pixel (DVS pixel 411 in pixel region 410) being arranged in an array in a line direction and a column direction (See dummy pixels 415 in regions 402-405, gradation pixels 412 and DVS pixels 411 of pixel region 410 that are arranged in row and column directions of Fig. 17-19b), and
However, Mochizuki fails to disclose “a signal is acquired by accessing simultaneously the sub-gradation pixel and the dummy pixel belonging to a line different from a line to which the sub-gradation pixel belongs”.
In an analogous of art, Hanzawa teaches AD readout lines that simultaneously accessing normal pixel block and light shielding pixel other than another normal pixel block and light shielding pixel line in order to reduce readout time and reduce power consumption ([0088-0091]: Fig. 7: See line connection between one of an A/D converter that connect with normal pixel block 230 and light shielding pixel 240 other the other connection of other AD). In light of the teaching from Hanzawa, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the line connection to simultaneously access a normal pixel block and other light shielding pixel. The modification thus provide a means for reducing readout time and power consumption (Hanzawa: [0088-0091]).
Regarding claim 2, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel array includes: a first dummy region in which the dummy pixel is arranged (Fig. 17-19b: See dummy pixel regions 402-405 having a plurality of dummy pixel 415); and a light receiving region in which the gradation pixel and the event detection pixel are arranged (Fig. 6-8; 17-19b: See light receiving regions 410 having light receiving pixels 412-414 and DVS pixels 411).
Regarding claim 3, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the dummy pixel includes a light shielding pixel corresponding to the gradation pixel having a light receiving surface shielded from light or the event detection pixel having a light receiving surface shielded from light ([0090: gradation pixel 412 is shield from light]).
Regarding claim 4, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the first dummy region is provided on an edge of the pixel array at least along the line direction (See arrangement of dummy pixel regions 402-405 in Fig. 17-19b).
Regarding claim 9, Mochizuki in view of Hanzawa discloses the sensor device according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of column signal lines through which a signal output from a pixel belonging to one of the columns propagates, wherein one of the plurality of column signal lines is connected exclusively to the dummy pixel (Hanzawa: Fig. 7 shows a plurality of signal lines 239-0 to 239-2 wherein one of the 239-0 signal line is connected exclusively to light shielding pixel 240).
Regarding claim 10, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 3, further comprising, in a unit pixel group (Fig. 15-24: See pixel groups or region 410) including two pixels arranged contiguous in the line direction and a plurality of pixels arranged contiguous in the column direction (Fig. 14-15: each pixel regions 410 include a plurality of pixels arrangements DVS 411 and 412), a plurality of column signal lines through which a signal output from the unit pixel group belonging to the column direction propagates (Fig. 20, 22, 23-25: See column signal output from pixel regions/groups 410 that are connected to a plurality of photodiodes 221-224), wherein pixels that belong to the same line and are identical in position in the unit pixel group are connected to the column signal lines provided at a same relative position among the plurality of column signal lines (Fig. 20, 22, 23-25: See same output signal line of a plurality of photodiodes of one pixel group 410).
Regarding claim 11, Mochizuki in view of Hanzawa discloses the sensor device according to claim 3, further in combination with: ”further comprising, in a unit pixel group including two pixels arranged contiguous in the line direction (Mochizuki: Fig. 14-15: pixel groups 410 having plurality of contiguous pixels 411-412; Hanzawa: See pixel block 230) and a plurality of pixels arranged contiguous in the column direction (Mochizuki: Fig. 20, 22-25: See pixels within pixel regions 410 that are connected to an output column; Hanzawa: Fig. 7: See pixel blocks 230 that are connected to column connections 239-0 to 239-2), a plurality of column signal lines through which a signal output from the unit pixel group belonging to the column direction propagates direction (Mochizuki: Fig. 14-15 teach a plurality of contiguous pixels 411-412 or one pixel group 410 that are belong to one prorogated column direction; Hanzawa: See pixel blocks 230 that belong to a propagated column direction), wherein pixels that belong to the same line and are identical in position in the unit pixel group are connected to the column signal lines provided at different relative positions among the plurality of column signal lines (Hanzawa: Fig. 7 shows that two bottom pixel blocks 230 are belong to the same line 239-0 and are identical in column position of a group while the upper two pixel block 230 are connected to other signal line 239-1 provided at different relative position to other signal line).
Regarding claim 12, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 10, wherein the unit pixel group includes eight pixels, the eight pixels including: two pixels arranged contiguous in the line direction (Fig. 15: See two 412 pixels arranged in line direction on the upper right of pixel 410 group); and four pixels arranged contiguous in the column direction (Fig. 15: See four column of pixels from right to left or left to right direction of pixel 410 group).
Regarding claim 13, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 4, further comprising, in the line (Fig. 17-19b: See lines of pixel regions 403-405) different from the first dummy region (402) on the edge of the pixel array (401), a second dummy region including the dummy pixel corresponding to a pixel that is identical in configuration to a line in the light receiving region and is shielded from light (Fig. 17-19b: 403-405: [0090] ), wherein a reference value used to correct a signal value output from a pixel belonging to the light receiving region is calculated from a signal value output from the dummy pixel belonging to the second dummy region ([0091-0094]; See also plurality of dummy pixel regions 402-405 in Fig. 17-19b).
Regarding claim 14, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 13, wherein a signal value output from the first dummy region is compared with the reference value, and a correction region corresponding to a pixel region for which a signal value output from the light receiving region is corrected is acquired ([0091-0094]; See also other dummy pixel regions 402-405 in Fig. 17-19b).
Regarding claim 15, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 14, wherein gradation information in the correction region is corrected on a basis of the signal value output from the first dummy region ([0091-0094]; See also other dummy pixel regions 402-405 in Fig. 17-19b).
Regarding claim 16, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 4, further comprising a third dummy region in which the dummy pixel is provided on the edge of the pixel array along the column direction so as not to overlap the first dummy region (Fig. 17-19 shows that one of the dummy pixel regions 403-405 does not overlap the dummy region 402), wherein a reference value used to correct a signal value output from a pixel belonging to the light receiving region is calculated from a signal value output from the dummy pixel belonging to the third dummy region ([0091-0094]; See also other dummy pixel regions 402-405 in Fig. 17-19b).
Regarding claim 17, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 16, wherein a signal value output from the first dummy region is compared with the reference value (Fig. 17-19b: See pixel dummy region 402; [0091-0094]), and a correction region corresponding to a pixel region for which a signal value output from the light receiving region is corrected is acquired ([0091-0094]).
Regarding claim 18, Mochizuki discloses the sensor device according to claim 17, wherein gradation information in the correction region is corrected on a basis of the signal value output from the first dummy region (Fig. 17-19b: See pixel dummy region 402; [0091-0094]).
Regarding claim 19, Mochizuki in view of Hanzawa discloses the sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the dummy pixel includes an analog dummy pixel that outputs a predetermined analog voltage (Mochizuki: [0033; 0071-0072]; Fig. 4 and 13: Mochizuki teaches column or line ADC 240-241 to convert pixel signals from the pixel array. Therefore, the output signals from light receiving pixels or light shielded pixels are analog voltage and outputted to the ADC 240-241; Hanzawa: Fig. 7: See connection of light shielding pixel 240 to AD converter 261).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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:
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of Mochizuki discloses an image sensor having light receiving regions with EVS pixels and light receiving pixels and a dummy pixel regions with light shielding pixels. The prior art of Hanzawa discloses method for readout one group of light receiving pixel blocks with dummy pixel together while skipping other group of light receiving pixel blocks. The prior art of Herrington (US2021/0373643) discloses an image sensor that capture even data and image data. The prior art of Watanabe (US2018/0167575) discloses a solid state imaging device configured to address even signal and converted incident light signal. The prior art of Itano (US2020/0128198) discloses a switch unit that performs switching between a first mode for motion detection to input a first signal generated by adding signals of two pixels to the signal processing circuit and a second mode to input respective signals of two pixels to the signal processing circuit individually as second signals. However, none of the prior art, alone or in combination provide a motivation to teach or fairly suggest the sensor device according to claim 4, further in combination with: “wherein the dummy pixel arranged in the first dummy region and the event detection sub-pixel belonging to the light receiving region perform output for each column through a same signal line”.
Regarding claim 6-8, the claims are objected as being depending upon the objected claims 5.
Conclusion
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/HUNG H LAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2639 03/31/26