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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/05/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/05/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is 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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by
Bonne et al. (Pub. No.: WO 2021108735), here after Bonne.
Regarding claim 1, Bonne teaches a circuit arrangement for an LED motor vehicle headlight (FIG. 1 & 3, Micro-LED Assembly 155 and paragraph [0006], “vehicle headlamp system that includes a micro-LED assembly”), comprising:
an input for connection to a supply network (FIG. 3, connections from Power Supply 150).
an adjustable voltage source (FIG.3. Power Supply 150), the adjustable voltage source having
an input (FIG. 3, input Voltage Signal 385), an output (FIG. 3, output VLED 160), and a control connection (FIG. 3, connection from Power Control 380 to Power Supply 150), and the input of the adjustable voltage source being connected to the input of the circuit arrangement (FIG. 3);
a matrix of light-emitting diodes (FIG. 3, a pixel array 360) connected to the output of the voltage source (FIG. 3); and
a control unit (FIG. 3, power controller 380) to which the control connection of the adjustable voltage source is connected (FIG. 3);
wherein the circuit arrangement includes a plurality of series circuits, wherein each of the plurality of series circuits includes one of the light-emitting diodes and an adjustable current source through which a current through the corresponding series circuit can be adjusted (paragraph [0019], “Each LED pixel includes at least one LED coupled to a supply voltage, a current source to drive the at least one LED at an operating current having a current amplitude, and a PWM switch for alternately driving the at least one LED with the operating current”);
wherein each of the plurality of series circuits are connected in parallel with each other to form the matrix of light-emitting diodes (FIG. 4 and paragraph [0019], “an LED array includes a plurality of LED pixels arranged in a matrix”); and
wherein the voltage source is configured to adjust its output voltage to a setpoint voltage value provided by the control unit at the control connection (paragraph [0057], “he power controller 380 processes the operating data 375 and the process data 345 to determine a setting for VLED 160”); wherein the control unit has an input (FIG. 3, Operating data 375): for reading in status information about a temperature in or at the matrix of light emitting diodes (FIG. 3, 370a and 370b), wherein the temperatures is assigned to individual ones of the light-emitting diodes of the matrix of light emitting diodes (paragraph [0056] “operating data 375 includes temperature measurements sensed by the temperature sensors 370”),
for reading in measurement values of a temperatures of individual ones of the light-emitting diodes of the matrix of light emitting diodes, for reading in measurement values of a voltages across the adjustable current source of each of the plurality of series circuit,
for reading in measurement values of a voltage across the matrix or across the light-emitting diode of each series circuit, or for reading in measurement values of a current through each of the plurality of series circuits (paragraph [0070], “the power controller 280 receives temperature data from one or more temperature sensors 270 and current data describing the current amplitude driving the LED pixels assemblies 265” and paragraph [0071], “the power controller 280 retrieves data describing forward voltage through the LEDs and other elements under one or more conditions, e.g., under a set of baseline operating conditions”); and wherein the control unit is configured to:
determine a setpoint voltage from the read-in status information, from the read-in measurement values of a temperatures, from the read-in measurement values of a voltage, or from the measurement values of a current, which are provided at the control connection, so that the adjustable voltage source adjusts to the setpoint voltage (FIG. 6, 630, and paragraph [0072], “he power controller 280 determines 630 a supply voltage VLED for the pixel array based on the operating conditions and the process data. For example, the process data provides a baseline voltage setting for the LED array obtained based on production testing, and the power controller 280 adjusts the supply voltage VLED from a baseline voltage setting based on the operating conditions, e.g., lowering the supply voltage if the operating temperature is higher than the test temperature, or raising the supply voltage of the current amplitude is higher than the test amplitude”, or
determine target amplitudes (FIG. 3, 335) of the currents through the plurality of series circuits from the read-in status information, from the read-in measurement values of a temperatures, from the read-in measurement values of a voltage, or from the measurement values of a current, so that each adjustable current source adjusts to at least one of the target amplitudes determined by the control unit (FIG. 5 and paragraph [0066], “if the operating temperature is 25°C, corresponding to line 510, and the forward current specified by the current signal 235 is set at 4mA, the power controller 280 selects a VLED 160 that allows for a 3.4V forward voltage across the LEDs 410.The supply voltage VLED 160 may be, for example, 3.4V + 0.6V = 4.0V, if the voltage across the other components in each pixel assembly”).
Regarding claim 2, Bonne further teaches the circuit arrangement includes a plurality of temperature sensors, voltage sensors, or current sensors (FIG. 3 temperature sensors 370a, 370b).
Regarding claim 3, Bonne further teaches current-voltage characteristic curves (FIG. 5) of each adjustable current source or current-voltage characteristic curves of the plurality of light emitting diodes are stored in the control unit, and wherein the setpoint voltage is determined as a function of a read-in measurement value and at least one of the current-voltage characteristics curves (FIG. 4, and paragraph [0060], “each pixel assembly 265 includes multiple LEDs 410 connected in series and/or in parallel. The LED 410 is arranged to receive the LED supply voltage VLED 160 that is provided by the power supply 150 and adjusted by the power controller 280. When an LED current, e.g., I1 in pixel assembly 1 265a, passes through the LED 410a, the LED 410a emits light, as indicated by the arrows”).
Regarding claim 4, Bonne further teaches the current-voltage characteristic curves of each adjustable current source or the current-voltage characteristic curves of the plurality of light emitting diodes are stored in the control unit (FIG. 4 & 5, and paragraph [0060], “each pixel assembly 265 includes multiple LEDs 410 connected in series and/or in parallel. The LED 410 is arranged to receive the LED supply voltage VLED 160 that is provided by the power supply 150 and adjusted by the power controller 280. When an LED current, e.g., I1 in pixel assembly 1 265a, passes through the LED 410a, the LED 410a emits light, as indicated by the arrows”)as a look-up table (paragraph [0046], “The memory 240 stores process data 245”).
Regarding claim 5, Bonne further teaches a current through each of the plurality of series circuits is determined by the control unit using the setpoint voltage; a voltage across each adjustable current source (FIG. 4, current source transistors 430a, 430b) is determined by the control unit using a current-voltage characteristic curve for each adjustable current source; a forward voltage across each of the plurality of series circuits is determined by the control unit using a current-voltage adjustable curve for the light-emitting diodes; for each of the plurality of series circuits, a sum of the determined voltage and the forward voltage is determined; and wherein the largest one of the determined sums is used as the setpoint voltage (paragraph [0046], “The memory 240 stores process data 245, which is retrieved by the power controller 280. The process data 245 describes the supply voltage needed to turn on the pixel assemblies 265 under one or more operating conditions. The process data 245 may vary from one pixel array 260 to another pixel array based on manufacturing variation. In particular, the minimum supply voltage varies from array to array based on the process spread of the forward voltage of the micro-LEDs and process spread in the voltage drops across other circuit elements in the pixel assemblies 265, e.g., the voltage across the current source in each pixel assembly 265”).
Regarding claim 6, Bonne further teaches the control unit is configured such that, if all measurement values of the voltages across the current sources are above a first predetermined value, the setpoint voltage is reduced by a first predetermined amount, and if at least one measurement value of the voltages across the current sources is below the first predetermined value, the setpoint value is increased by a second predetermined amount, and that these steps are repeated until all measurement values of the voltages across the current sources are not below the first predetermined value (FIG. 4 and paragraph [0062], “The current source transistor 430 generates the LED current (e.g., II or 12) for driving the LED 410. The current source transistor 430 is an n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistor having a gate coupled to the current signal 235, a source connected to ground, and a drain coupled to the LED 410. The amplitude of the LED current generated by the current source transistor 430 varies based on the voltage of the current signal 235. While in this example, the PWM switch 420 sits between the drain of the current source transistor 430 and the LED 410, in other embodiments, the PWM switch 420 sits between the gate of the current source transistor 430 and the current signal 235. the PWM switch 442 is opened and closed according to a PWM signal”).
Regarding claim 7, Bonne further teaches the circuit arrangement has an integrated circuit connected FIG. 3, Operating data 375) between the control unit and the plurality of temperature sensors, voltage sensors, or current sensors (paragraph [0056], “the operating data 375 includes temperature measurements sensed by the temperature sensors 370 and the current amplitude for the pixel assemblies 365. The micro- LED control 310 stores the operating data 375 in the RAM 350”).
Regarding claim 8, Bonne further teaches the control unit or the integrated circuit is adapted to determine a duty cycle for each adjustable current source of the plurality of series circuits in order to dim the light-emitting diodes of the plurality of series circuits (FIG. 4 and paragraphs [0061]-[0062]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYED M KAISER whose telephone number is (571)272-9612. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m.-6 p.m..
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/SYED M KAISER/ Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831