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 .
Amendment
The Preliminary Amendment, filed on November 5, 2024, has been received and made of record. The amendment amends the specification to incorporated co-pending applications.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (lDS) submitted on November 18, 2025, is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and are being considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1, 9-11, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2025/0240538 to Liu et al. (hereinafter “Liu”).
Regarding claim 1, Liu teaches a method of operating an imaging system including a hybrid image sensor (e.g. fig. 5), the method comprising adjusting a first resolution associated with CMOS image sensor (CIS) pixel data (e.g., fig. 5, element 501; [0082], [0093]) captured using a plurality of CIS pixels of the hybrid image sensor, wherein adjusting the first resolution includes adjusting the first resolution to reduce a mismatch between the first resolution and a second resolution associated with event vision sensor (EVS) pixel data (e.g., fig. 5, element 502; [0083], [0093]) captured using one or more EVS pixels of the hybrid image sensor, and wherein the one or more EVS pixels correspond to the plurality of CIS pixels, or adjusting the second resolution (e.g., [0007], [0101-104]), wherein adjusting the second resolution includes adjusting the second resolution to reduce the mismatch between the first resolution and the second resolution ( e.g., [0101-104]).
Regarding claim 9, Liu teaches all of the limitations of claim 9 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the one or more EVS pixels are arranged in a plurality of EVS pixel rows (e.g., fig. 1, frame format), the method comprises adjusting the second resolution (e.g., [0101-104]), and adjusting the second resolution includes interpolating, using EVS pixel data captured by EVS pixels of at least two EVS pixels rows of the plurality of pixel rows, additional EVS pixel data corresponding to at least one additional EVS pixel row (e.g., interpolation process, [0115-120]).
Regarding claim 10, Liu teaches all of the limitations of claim 10 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 1, supra) including teaching wherein the one or more EVS pixels are arranged in a plurality of EVS pixel rows and a plurality of EVS pixel columns (e.g., fig. 1, frame format), the method comprises adjusting the second resolution (e.g., [0101-104]), and adjusting the second resolution includes interpolating, using EVS pixel data captured by EVS pixels of one or more EVS pixels rows of the plurality of pixel rows, additional EVS pixel data corresponding to at least one additional EVS pixel column (e.g., interpolation process, [0115-120]).
Regarding claim 11, Liu teaches an imaging system, comprising a hybrid image sensor (e.g., fig. 5) including an event driven sensing array including one or more event vision sensor (EVS) pixels arranged in one or more EVS pixel rows, wherein each EVS pixel of the one or more EVS pixels is configured to capture EVS data corresponding to contrast information of light incident on that EVS pixel (e.g., fig. 5, element 502; [0083], [0093]), and wherein EVS data captured using the one or more EVS pixels of the event driven sensing array has an EVS resolution (e.g., [0101-104]), and a pixel array including a plurality of CMOS image sensor (CIS) pixels arranged in one or more CIS pixel rows, wherein each CIS pixel of the plurality of CIS pixels is configured to capture CIS data corresponding to intensity of light incident on the CIS pixel (e.g., fig. 5, element 501; [0082], [0093]), and wherein CIS data captured using the plurality of CIS pixels of the pixel array has a CIS resolution (e.g., [0104]), and control circuitry (e.g., [0056-60], [0211], [0221-223], []0232-234) configured to adjust the CIS resolution of the CIS data and/or the EVS resolution of the EVS data such that a mismatch between the CIS resolution and the EVS resolution is reduced ( e.g., [0101-104]).
Regarding claim 19, Liu teaches all of the limitations of claim 19 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 11, supra) including teaching wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the EVS resolution of the EVS data (e.g., [0101-104]), and to adjust the EVS resolution (e.g., [0101-104]), the control circuitry is configured to interpolate additional EVS data corresponding to at least one additional EVS pixel row using EVS data captured via EVS pixels of two or more EVS pixel rows of the one or more EVS pixel rows (e.g., interpolation process, [0115-120]).
Regarding claim 20, Liu teaches all of the limitations of claim 20 (see the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claim 11, supra) including teaching wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the EVS resolution of the EVS data (e.g., [0101-104]), and to adjust the EVS resolution (e.g., [0101-104]), the control circuitry is configured to interpolate additional EVS data corresponding to at least one additional EVS pixel column using EVS data captured via EVS pixels of at least one EVS pixel row of the one or more EVS pixel rows (e.g., interpolation process, [0115-120]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 12-18 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 11,785,200 to Smits et al. teaches a similar method and system employing an event sensor and an image sensor.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0174092 to Zhao et al. teaches a similar method and system employing an event sensor and an image sensor that maps images.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0254579 to Perrone et al. teaches a similar method and system employing an event sensor and an image sensor that time-bins events.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0230212 to Garcia Capel et al. teaches a similar method and system employing an event sensor and an image sensor that ties images via temporal resolution.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GARY C VIEAUX whose telephone number is (571)272-7318. The examiner can normally be reached Increased Flex.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached at 571-272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARY C VIEAUX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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