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
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 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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 8, 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Hayashi teaches A robotic system, comprising: ([0045] the computer 30 performs learning for reducing the vibration of the robot R)
memory storing a definition of a robot defining a plurality of components of the robot and storing an input for the robot; ([0024] the computer 30 includes: a storage unit 33 that has a non-volatile storage, a ROM, a RAM, etc.; [0026] The storage unit 33 stores: a vibration acquisition program (vibration acquisition means) 33 c for acquiring a vibration state of the distal end section of the robot R; and a vibration trajectory drawing program (vibration trajectory drawing means) 33 d for drawing the vibration state of the distal end section of the robot R, which is acquired by means of the vibration acquisition program 33 c, along the distal end section of the robot R. Furthermore, the storage unit 33 also stores a learning program (learning means) 33 e. [0035] When the robot R is moved in the simulation, the computer 30 acquires a trajectory and a vibration state of the distal end section of the robot R. The vibration state to be acquired is, in one example, vibration data indicating vibration of the distal end section. The vibration data can be data of the acceleration of the distal end section, which changes over time, or data of the amplitude of the distal end section, which changes over time.)
a processor communicatively linked to the memory; ([0024] As shown in FIG. 5, the computer 30 includes: a processor 31, such as a CPU; a storage unit 33 that has a non-volatile storage, a ROM, a RAM, etc.;)
a simulator provided by the processor running software ([0033] The computer 30 moves the robot R in the simulation in accordance with the operation program 33 b), wherein the simulator performs a dynamic simulation of the robot performing the input ([0028] The robot R shown in FIG. 4 has a plurality of servomotors (drive motors) 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a (FIG. 6) that drive arm members 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 about a plurality of movable axes J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, and J6, respectively. [0034] The model of the robot R in the simulation has information regarding the weight and rigidity of each of the arm members 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, the weight and rigidity of each of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a, and the weight and rigidity of each of the reducers.)
an optimizer provided by the processor running software, wherein the optimizer generates from the input and based on algorithmic calculations to reduce vibration a retargeted motion for the components wherein the retargeted motion retargets motion of the input onto the robot. ([0046] the computer 30 searches for an optimal operation of the robot R while changing the operating speed, e.g., the operating speed of each of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a, little by little. Then, an improved operation program that is improved on the basis of the learning program 33 e is stored in the storage unit 33. [0048] When displaying the trajectory L of the distal end section of the robot R on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, the computer 30 displays the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement, on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, on the basis of the vibration trajectory drawing program 33 d. It is preferred that the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement be displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state after the improvement is made different from the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state before the improvement. In FIG. 4, the vibration state before the improvement is shown with a dashed line. The vibration state after the improvement is also displayed in any of the above-described display manners for the vibration state before the improvement. [0058] the robot controller 20 acquires, through calculation, a trajectory and a vibration state of the distal end section of the robot R on the basis of detection results (operation information) from the operating position detecting devices 17 of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a obtained when the above operation is performed.)
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses A system for providing dynamic balancing in a robotic system ([0005] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a multi-legged robot load balancing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure) to provide dynamic balancing of the robot while performing the retargeted motion. ([0016] By calculating a position and velocity of the load using the force sensor installed on the torso, a dynamics model of the position and velocity of the load and the posture of the torso is created to design a feedback control law, thereby controlling the position and velocity of the load by adjusting the posture of the torso. [0079] S140: transmitting the calculated joint torques to the corresponding real joints so that the torso is moved to reach the desired posture by rotating the corresponding real joints.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Liu discloses including modeling a first set of the components as flexible components and a second set of the components as rigid components, wherein each of the flexible components is coupled at opposite ends to one of the rigid components; and (Fig. 1 Arms and joints Abstract: The kinematics simulations of rigid robot model and rigid-flexible coupling robot model are carried out. B. Establishment of Rigid-Flexible Coupling Model: For the robot model, only low-rigidity components are considered flexible, including Arm7, Arm76, Arm54, Arm32, and Arm21, and the others are still treated as rigid bodies. constraints and external connection points are set; A. Import Model: The robot model established in SolidWorksTM is imported into ADAMSTM. The material of each component is set to aluminum. The density is 2740kg/m3 , the Young's modulus is 7.2×104 MPa and the Poisson's ratio is 0.33. The coordinate system of the robot end is created to facilitate viewing of the end trajectory. The simulation environment is further set finally E. Virtual Prototype Simulation: The simulation time and step are set to 9.425s and 500, respectively. Firstly, the rigid robot model is simulated and the results are saved. Then, the generated MNFs are imported to replace its corresponding rigid components for rigid-flexible coupling simulation. After the simulation, by applying ADAMS/Postprocessor in ADAMSTM software, the variation of end trajectory, angular velocity, angular acceleration and torque of every joints with time can be obtained easily. And the curve data can be edited and analyzed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Liu with a reasonable expectation of success by focusing on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot as taught by Liu (abstract).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.) and wherein the input animation for the robot comprises a received animation of a sequence of animation frames ([0030] FIG. 8A illustrates a robot-object manipulation scenario including a sequence of steps in an exemplary application of an embodiment.) defining a desired motion of the components of the robot over a time period([0084] A set of constraints exists for each step within the sequence of postures. The set of constraints may include, e.g., contact locations and desired motion directions of the at least one object [0106] the object tracking device of the simulation system 1 may determine a location of the object 3 or locations of objects as initial object pose within the environment (task environment) of the robot 2.[0107] step S2, the robotic system 1 may determine the task objective from an instruction provided externally, for example by a user via an interface to the simulation system 1. [0108] One example of a generic task may include the instruction to sort objects 3 and arrange the objects 3 in stacks. The task objective may include grasping a particular object 3 and put the grasped object 3 in a specific object orientation on top of a specific stack of objects 3. The specific stack is characterized by including objects 3 of a similar size.) wherein each subsequent animation frame of the animation frames depicts a change in state of the robot at a subsequent point in time; ([0212] FIG. 9 shows the three steps, step 1, step 2, and step 3, of an exemplary sequence of postures. The upper portion depicts the robot postures before an optimization is performed. [0214] The lower portion of FIG. 9 illustrates the resulting trajectories after performing a constraint relaxation according to step S5.1 and subsequent optimization of step S5.2. )
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Regarding claim 2, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion, in part, by transforming forces and torques acting on the robot to a local contact frame rigidly moving with the robot. ([0019] the six-dimensional force sensor can be used to measure three-dimensional (3D) force and three-dimensional torque. [0082] the torso of the multi-legged robot is provided with the force sensor, and the state of the torso is represented through motions of the plurality of virtual joints constructed between the torso and the origin of the world coordinate system.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Regarding claim 8, Hayashi does not expressly disclose, but Liu discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the ends of the flexible components are coupled to the rigid components using constraint-based, two-way coupling. (Fig. 1 Arms and joints Abstract: The kinematics simulations of rigid robot model and rigid-flexible coupling robot model are carried out. B. Establishment of Rigid-Flexible Coupling Model: constraints and external connection points are set; A. Import Model: The robot model established in SolidWorksTM is imported into ADAMSTM. The material of each component is set to aluminum. The density is 2740kg/m3 , the Young's modulus is 7.2×104 MPa and the Poisson's ratio is 0.33. The coordinate system of the robot end is created to facilitate viewing of the end trajectory. The simulation environment is further set finally E. Virtual Prototype Simulation: The simulation time and step are set to 9.425s and 500, respectively. Firstly, the rigid robot model is simulated and the results are saved. Then, the generated MNFs are imported to replace its corresponding rigid components for rigid-flexible coupling simulation. After the simulation, by applying ADAMS/Postprocessor in ADAMSTM software, the variation of end trajectory, angular velocity, angular acceleration and torque of every joints with time can be obtained easily. And the curve data can be edited and analyzed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Liu with a reasonable expectation of success by focusing on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot as taught by Liu (abstract).
Regarding claim 22, Hayashi teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion for the components to provide dynamic balancing of the robot while performing the retargeted motion by:
generating a dynamic balancing simulation representation based on the dynamic simulation of the robot performing the input animation, wherein the dynamic balancing simulation representation comprises a dynamic representation of a weight distribution of the robot; and ([0034] The model of the robot R in the simulation has information regarding the weight and rigidity of each of the arm members 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, the weight and rigidity of each of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a, and the weight and rigidity of each of the reducers. In short, the model of the robot R has information regarding the weight and rigidity of the actual robot R. Furthermore, the model of the robot R also has information regarding the performance of each of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a. Thus, the simulated robot R performs an operation that is similar or identical to the actual robot R. Furthermore, the simulated robot R is disposed at the same position as the real robot R with respect to the reference coordinate system. Thus, an operation of the simulated robot R based on the operation program 33 b is the same as an operation of the real robot R based on the operation program 33 b.)
generating the retargeted motion based on the dynamic balancing simulation representation to provide dynamic balancing and vibration reduction of the robot while performing the retargeted motion. ([0046] the computer 30 searches for an optimal operation of the robot R while changing the operating speed, e.g., the operating speed of each of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a, little by little. Then, an improved operation program that is improved on the basis of the learning program 33 e is stored in the storage unit 33. [0048] When displaying the trajectory L of the distal end section of the robot R on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, the computer 30 displays the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement, on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, on the basis of the vibration trajectory drawing program 33 d. It is preferred that the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement be displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state after the improvement is made different from the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state before the improvement. In FIG. 4, the vibration state before the improvement is shown with a dashed line. The vibration state after the improvement is also displayed in any of the above-described display manners for the vibration state before the improvement.)
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects. as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Claims 3-6, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Shirokura (US 20110264264 A1)
Regarding claim 3, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion such that a zero-moment point of the robot lies in a support area of one or more feet or other effector components of the robot contacting an environmental surface. ([0150] The ZMP (Zero Moment Point) will mean a point on a floor surface at which the horizontal component of a moment acting about the point (the moment component about the horizontal axis) due to the resultant force of an inertial force generated by a moment of the robot 1 and the gravitational force acting on the robot 1 is zero. In a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition, the ZMP and the floor reaction force central point agree with each other. For this reason, in the present embodiment, a desired floor reaction force central point will be frequently referred to as a desired ZMP.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Regarding claim 4, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses The system of claim 3, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion such that a normal force on the one or more feet or other effector components is non-negative. ([0167] Further, an external force other than a floor reaction force acting on the robot 1 and the point of action thereof may be measured by an appropriate force sensor or the like installed in the body 24, and the moment acting on the actual robot 1 about a desired ZMP due to the external force may be calculated on the basis of the measured values of the external force and the point of action. Then, the floor reaction force moment obtained by multiplying a floor reaction force moment that balances with (in the opposite direction from) the calculated moment by a positive gain that is 1 or less may be added to the right side of expression 50, thereby calculating the compensating total floor reaction force moment Mdmd.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Regarding claim 5, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses The system of claim 3, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion such that forces applied to the robot from the environmental surface lie in a friction cone. ([0009] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of analyzing a friction cone constraint of a sole force in the multi-legged robot load balancing method of FIG. 1)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Regarding claim 6, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses The system of claim 3, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion such that a moment about a vertical axis of the one or more feet or other effector components is bounded from above and below. ([0153] a desired foot position/posture trajectory, a desired floor reaction force central point trajectory (a desired ZMP trajectory), and a desired floor reaction force trajectory (more specifically, a desired translational floor reaction force vertical component trajectory, a desired translational floor reaction force horizontal component trajectory, and the trajectory of a desired floor reaction force moment about a desired total floor reaction force central point) are input to a composite-compliance operation determiner 104 and a desired floor reaction force distributor 106)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Regarding claim 11, Hayashi teaches The system of claim 1, further comprising a robot controller including the processor wherein the robot controller generates a set of control signals for a physical implementation of the robot based on the retargeted motion generated by the optimizer. ([0034] the simulated robot R is disposed at the same position as the real robot R with respect to the reference coordinate system. Thus, an operation of the simulated robot R based on the operation program 33 b is the same as an operation of the real robot R based on the operation program 33 b.)
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Wang (US 20220193896 A1)
Regarding claim 7, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Wang discloses The system of claim 3, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion by generating a barrier function based on a boundary of the support area, wherein the barrier function defines a region of the support area, and wherein the region of the support area is bounded at a threshold distance from the boundary of the support area; and ([0017] In the first step, the body of the robot is moved to close to the expected support leg while the zero moment point (ZMP) of the entire robot is continuously detected. In the second step, if the ZMP of the entire robot is detected to stably fall within a supporting area of the expected support leg, the expected suspending leg will be lift so as to achieve the switch from biped support to monoped support. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the process of switching the biped robot from biped support to monoped support according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, he black solid circle is the above-mentioned ZMP. )
generating an objective based on the barrier function configured to retain the zero- moment point at one or more positions within the region of the support area. ([0018] When the robot R is supported with one leg L, the ZMP may be controlled to fall within the supporting area to maintain the stability of the robot R.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Wang with a reasonable expectation of success by controlling a posture of the foot of the support leg based on the flywheel model to maintain the balance of the robot as taught by Wang ([0023]).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Konyo (US 20220198891 A1)
Regarding claim 9, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Konyo discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion by adjusting the defined desired motion to suppress a portion of the vibrations, and wherein the portion of the vibrations that is suppressed comprises low-frequency, large- amplitude vibrations of one or more of the components of the robot. ([0077] As shown in FIG. 6, the amplitude threshold is different with frequencies, and even a relatively small amplitude can be perceived by a human in the range of about 102 to 103 Hz, but only a relatively large amplitude can be perceived by a human outside the above range. [0161] This facilitates the emphasis or suppression of a vibration corresponding to a particular signal source.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Konyo with a reasonable expectation of success by controlling a vibration generated by a vibration apparatus as taught by Konyo (abstract).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Shirokura (US 20110264264 A1)
Regarding claim 10, Hayashi teaches The system of claim 1, wherein the components include tracked marker points and (Claim 9 wherein the learning unit performs the learning about vibration of the distal end section only in the selected region arbitrarily selected by a user)
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses wherein the optimizer generates the retargeted motion retaining orientations of the tracked marker points as defined in the specified motion of the input animation and retaining positions of tracked marker points or a tracked set of the rigid components in global coordinates relative to the input animation. ([0145] The position and the velocity of the body 24 will mean the position and its moving speed of a predetermined representative point of the body 24 (e.g., the central point between the right and left hip joints). Similarly, the position and the speed of each foot 22 will mean the position and its moving velocity of a predetermined representative point of each foot 22. In the present embodiment, the representative point of each foot 22 is set at a point on the bottom surface of each foot 22, such as a point at which a perpendicular line from the center of the ankle joint of each of the legs 2 to the bottom surface of each foot 22 intersects with the bottom surface [0151] the desired total floor reaction force of a desired gait will be described in terms of a supporting leg coordinate system as a global coordinate system fixed to a floor in an operating environment (outside world) of the robot 1)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects. as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1)
Regarding claim 12, Hayashi teaches A system for controlling a robotic system, comprising: ([0045] the computer 30 performs learning for reducing the vibration of the robot R)
memory configured to store parameters of a target robotic system and an input animation for the target robotic system ([0024] the computer 30 includes: a storage unit 33 that has a non-volatile storage, a ROM, a RAM, etc.; [0025] The storage unit 33 stores a system program 33 a, and the system program 33 a serves basic functions of the computer 30. The storage unit 33 stores an operation program 33 b for the robot R [0026] The storage unit 33 stores: a vibration acquisition program (vibration acquisition means) 33 c for acquiring a vibration state of the distal end section of the robot R; and a vibration trajectory drawing program (vibration trajectory drawing means) 33 d for drawing the vibration state of the distal end section of the robot R, which is acquired by means of the vibration acquisition program 33 c, along the distal end section of the robot R. Furthermore, the storage unit 33 also stores a learning program (learning means) 33 e.), wherein the input animation is defined by a set of motor trajectories defining movement of components of the robotic system; and (Fig. 4 element L trajectory)
an optimizer configured to modify the set of motor trajectories during operations to perform a retargeted motion based on the input animation. ([0048] When displaying the trajectory L of the distal end section of the robot R on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, the computer 30 displays the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement, on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, on the basis of the vibration trajectory drawing program 33 d. It is preferred that the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement be displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state after the improvement is made different from the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state before the improvement. In FIG. 4, the vibration state before the improvement is shown with a dashed line. The vibration state after the improvement is also displayed in any of the above-described display manners for the vibration state before the improvement)
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses A system for controlling a robotic system with dynamic balancing ([0005] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a multi-legged robot load balancing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure) to provide dynamic balancing of the robotic system ([0016] By calculating a position and velocity of the load using the force sensor installed on the torso, a dynamics model of the position and velocity of the load and the posture of the torso is created to design a feedback control law, thereby controlling the position and velocity of the load by adjusting the posture of the torso. [0079] S140: transmitting the calculated joint torques to the corresponding real joints so that the torso is moved to reach the desired posture by rotating the corresponding real joints.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.) and wherein the input animation for the target robotic system comprises a received animation of a sequence of animation frames ([0030] FIG. 8A illustrates a robot-object manipulation scenario including a sequence of steps in an exemplary application of an embodiment.) defining a desired motion of the target robotic system over a time period([0084] A set of constraints exists for each step within the sequence of postures. The set of constraints may include, e.g., contact locations and desired motion directions of the at least one object [0106] the object tracking device of the simulation system 1 may determine a location of the object 3 or locations of objects as initial object pose within the environment (task environment) of the robot 2.[0107] step S2, the robotic system 1 may determine the task objective from an instruction provided externally, for example by a user via an interface to the simulation system 1. [0108] One example of a generic task may include the instruction to sort objects 3 and arrange the objects 3 in stacks. The task objective may include grasping a particular object 3 and put the grasped object 3 in a specific object orientation on top of a specific stack of objects 3. The specific stack is characterized by including objects 3 of a similar size.) wherein each subsequent animation frame of the animation frames depicts a motor trajectory of the set of motor trajectories at a subsequent point in time; ([0212] FIG. 9 shows the three steps, step 1, step 2, and step 3, of an exemplary sequence of postures. The upper portion depicts the robot postures before an optimization is performed. [0214] The lower portion of FIG. 9 illustrates the resulting trajectories after performing a constraint relaxation according to step S5.1 and subsequent optimization of step S5.2. )
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Regarding claim 13, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the optimizer is configured to modify the set of motor trajectories by transforming forces and torques acting on the robotic system to a local contact frame rigidly moving with the robotic system. ([0019] the six-dimensional force sensor can be used to measure three-dimensional (3D) force and three-dimensional torque. [0082] the torso of the multi-legged robot is provided with the force sensor, and the state of the torso is represented through motions of the plurality of virtual joints constructed between the torso and the origin of the world coordinate system.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Regarding claim 14, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses The system of claim 13, wherein the optimizer is configured to modify the set of motor trajectories by generating the retargeted motion such that the transformed forces lie in a friction cone. ([0009] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of analyzing a friction cone constraint of a sole force in the multi-legged robot load balancing method of FIG. 1)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Claims 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Wang (US 20220193896 A1)
Regarding claim 15, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Wang discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the optimizer is configured to modify the set of motor trajectories by generating the retargeted motion and generating the retargeted motion comprises: generating a barrier function based on a boundary of a support area of one or more feet or other effector components of the target robotic system, wherein the barrier function defines a region of the support area, and wherein the region of the support area is bounded at a threshold distance from the boundary of the support area; and ([0017] In the first step, the body of the robot is moved to close to the expected support leg while the zero moment point (ZMP) of the entire robot is continuously detected. In the second step, if the ZMP of the entire robot is detected to stably fall within a supporting area of the expected support leg, the expected suspending leg will be lift so as to achieve the switch from biped support to monoped support. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the process of switching the biped robot from biped support to monoped support according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, he black solid circle is the above-mentioned ZMP. )
generating an objective based on the barrier function configured to retain a zero-moment point of the target robotic system at one or more positions within the region of the support area.. ([0018] When the robot R is supported with one leg L, the ZMP may be controlled to fall within the supporting area to maintain the stability of the robot R.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Wang with a reasonable expectation of success by controlling a posture of the foot of the support leg based on the flywheel model to maintain the balance of the robot as taught by Wang ([0023]).
Claims 16, 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Shirokura (US 20110264264 A1) in further view of Wang (US 20220193896 A1)
Regarding claim 16, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses The system of claim 15, wherein the optimizer is configured to modify the set of motor trajectories by generating the retargeted motion such that a normal force on the one or more feet or other effector components is non- negative ([0167] Further, an external force other than a floor reaction force acting on the robot 1 and the point of action thereof may be measured by an appropriate force sensor or the like installed in the body 24, and the moment acting on the actual robot 1 about a desired ZMP due to the external force may be calculated on the basis of the measured values of the external force and the point of action. Then, the floor reaction force moment obtained by multiplying a floor reaction force moment that balances with (in the opposite direction from) the calculated moment by a positive gain that is 1 or less may be added to the right side of expression 50, thereby calculating the compensating total floor reaction force moment Mdmd.) and a moment about a vertical axis of the one or more feet or other effector components is bounded from above and below. ([0153] a desired foot position/posture trajectory, a desired floor reaction force central point trajectory (a desired ZMP trajectory), and a desired floor reaction force trajectory (more specifically, a desired translational floor reaction force vertical component trajectory, a desired translational floor reaction force horizontal component trajectory, and the trajectory of a desired floor reaction force moment about a desired total floor reaction force central point) are input to a composite-compliance operation determiner 104 and a desired floor reaction force distributor 106)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Wang discloses a zero-moment point of the robotic system lies in a support area of one or more feet or other effector components of the robotic system contacting an environmental surface([0018] When the robot R is supported with one leg L, the ZMP may be controlled to fall within the supporting area to maintain the stability of the robot R.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Wang with a reasonable expectation of success by controlling a posture of the foot of the support leg based on the flywheel model to maintain the balance of the robot as taught by Wang ([0023]).
Regarding claim 23, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses The system of claim 12, wherein modifying the set of motor trajectories to provide dynamic balancing of the robotic system comprises: generating an algorithmic formula comprising a representation of a dynamic balancing objective and modifying the set of motor trajectories based on a calculation of the algorithmic formula. ([0016] a multi-legged robot load balancing method is provided. By calculating a position and velocity of the load using the force sensor installed on the torso, a dynamics model of the position and velocity of the load and the posture of the torso is created to design a feedback control law, thereby controlling the position and velocity of the load by adjusting the posture of the torso. In addition, in order to achieve high-performance torso posture control, it is also realized by combining the full dynamics control principle of multi-legged robot, which can achieve a better control effect of the posture of the torso in comparison with the simplified model (for example, single rigid body, spring inverted pendulum, linear inverted pendulum, inverted pendulum, and the like) of the robot since the influence of the movement of the legs of the robot on the posture of the torso can be taken into account. Especially during the fast walking of the robot, although the fast movement of the legs will affect the torso much, the load balancing method as a kind of full dynamics control method can solve the above-mentioned problem to eventually achieve the object of load balancing. [0045] S130: determining an expected position of each of the virtual joints according to the desired posture of the torso, and calculating, using a full dynamics control algorithm of the robot, a joint torque for each of the real joints of the robot according to the expected position of the virtual joint.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses and a representation of a zero-moment point of the robotic system; ([0142] Further, the desired trajectory related to an external force is composed of a desired total floor reaction force central point (a desired ZMP) trajectory and a desired total floor reaction force trajectory. If the robot 1 has, in addition to the legs 2 and the arms, any other portions that are movable relative to the body 24, then the desired position/posture trajectories of the movable portions are added to the aforesaid desired motion trajectory.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Claims 17-20, 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Shirokura (US 20110264264 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Wang (US 20220193896 A1)
Regarding claim 17, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Liu discloses The system of claim 12, further comprising a differential dynamics simulator configured to generate a simulation of the input animation by modeling the target robotic system by representing flexible parts of the components with deformable bodies and rigid parts of the components with rigid bodies and by enforcing two-way coupling constraints between ends of the deformable bodies coupled to the rigid bodies. (Fig. 1 Arms and joints Abstract: The kinematics simulations of rigid robot model and rigid-flexible coupling robot model are carried out. B. Establishment of Rigid-Flexible Coupling Model: constraints and external connection points are set; A. Import Model: The robot model established in SolidWorksTM is imported into ADAMSTM. The material of each component is set to aluminum. The density is 2740kg/m3 , the Young's modulus is 7.2×104 MPa and the Poisson's ratio is 0.33. The coordinate system of the robot end is created to facilitate viewing of the end trajectory. The simulation environment is further set finally E. Virtual Prototype Simulation: The simulation time and step are set to 9.425s and 500, respectively. Firstly, the rigid robot model is simulated and the results are saved. Then, the generated MNFs are imported to replace its corresponding rigid components for rigid-flexible coupling simulation. After the simulation, by applying ADAMS/Postprocessor in ADAMSTM software, the variation of end trajectory, angular velocity, angular acceleration and torque of every joints with time can be obtained easily. And the curve data can be edited and analyzed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Liu with a reasonable expectation of success by focusing on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot as taught by Liu (abstract).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects. as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Regarding claim 18, Hayashi does not expressly disclose, but Liu discloses The system of claim 17, wherein the simulation includes enforcing mechanical constraints between coupled pairs of the rigid bodies using a unified constrained dynamics model. (Fig. 1 Arms and joints Abstract: the paper focused on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot. The kinematics simulations of rigid robot model and rigid-flexible coupling robot model are carried out. B. Establishment of Rigid-Flexible Coupling Model: only low-rigidity components are considered flexible, including Arm7, Arm76, Arm54, Arm32, and Arm21, and the others are still treated as rigid bodies; constraints and external connection points are set; I Introduction: The deformation and vibration of the robot occurs easily and the effect of vibration on the motion accuracy of the robot end is large. Therefore, in the dynamic analysis process, low-stiffness parts of model components should be treated as flexible bodies to obtain the end working tracks and vibrations A. Import Model: The robot model established in SolidWorksTM is imported into ADAMSTM. The material of each component is set to aluminum. The density is 2740kg/m3 , the Young's modulus is 7.2×104 MPa and the Poisson's ratio is 0.33. The coordinate system of the robot end is created to facilitate viewing of the end trajectory. The simulation environment is further set finally E. Virtual Prototype Simulation: The simulation time and step are set to 9.425s and 500, respectively. Firstly, the rigid robot model is simulated and the results are saved. Then, the generated MNFs are imported to replace its corresponding rigid components for rigid-flexible coupling simulation. After the simulation, by applying ADAMS/Postprocessor in ADAMSTM software, the variation of end trajectory, angular velocity, angular acceleration and torque of every joints with time can be obtained easily. And the curve data can be edited and analyzed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Liu with a reasonable expectation of success by focusing on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot as taught by Liu (abstract).
Regarding claim 19, Hayashi teaches A method of suppressing vibration in a robotic system, comprising: ([0045] the computer 30 performs learning for reducing the vibration of the robot R)
receiving an input animation for a robot; ([0025] The storage unit 33 stores an operation program 33 b for the robot R.)
simulating the robot operating based on the input animation by representing, during replaying of the input animation, ([0033] The computer 30 moves the robot R in the simulation in accordance with the operation program 33 b)
optimizing the input animation to generate a retargeted motion for the flexible components and rigid components of the robot ([0046] the computer 30 searches for an optimal operation of the robot R while changing the operating speed, e.g., the operating speed of each of the servomotors 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a, little by little. Then, an improved operation program that is improved on the basis of the learning program 33 e is stored in the storage unit 33. [0048] When displaying the trajectory L of the distal end section of the robot R on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, the computer 30 displays the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement, on the display unit 32 and the display device 36, on the basis of the vibration trajectory drawing program 33 d. It is preferred that the vibration state before the improvement and the vibration state after the improvement be displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state after the improvement is made different from the color or the display manner of the trajectory L that indicates the vibration state before the improvement. In FIG. 4, the vibration state before the improvement is shown with a dashed line. The vibration state after the improvement is also displayed in any of the above-described display manners for the vibration state before the improvement.)
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses that provides dynamic balancing of the robot, ([0016] By calculating a position and velocity of the load using the force sensor installed on the torso, a dynamics model of the position and velocity of the load and the posture of the torso is created to design a feedback control law, thereby controlling the position and velocity of the load by adjusting the posture of the torso. [0079] S140: transmitting the calculated joint torques to the corresponding real joints so that the torso is moved to reach the desired posture by rotating the corresponding real joints.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses wherein the optimizing comprises computing the retargeted motion to provide a zero-moment point of the robot that lies in a support area of one or more feet or other effector components of the robot during the simulating ([0150] The ZMP (Zero Moment Point) will mean a point on a floor surface at which the horizontal component of a moment acting about the point (the moment component about the horizontal axis) due to the resultant force of an inertial force generated by a moment of the robot 1 and the gravitational force acting on the robot 1 is zero. In a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition, the ZMP and the floor reaction force central point agree with each other. For this reason, in the present embodiment, a desired floor reaction force central point will be frequently referred to as a desired ZMP.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose, but Liu discloses flexible components of the robot as deformable bodies and rigid components of the robot as rigid bodies and by enforcing two-way coupling constraints between ends of the deformable bodies and the rigid bodies; (Fig. 1 Arms and joints Abstract: the paper focused on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot. The kinematics simulations of rigid robot model and rigid-flexible coupling robot model are carried out. I. INTRODUCTION: The deformation and vibration of the robot occurs easily and the effect of vibration on the motion accuracy of the robot end is large. Therefore, in the dynamic analysis process, low-stiffness parts of model components should be treated as flexible bodies to obtain the end working tracks and vibrations B. Establishment of Rigid-Flexible Coupling Model: only low-rigidity components are considered flexible, including Arm7, Arm76, Arm54, Arm32, and Arm21, and the others are still treated as rigid bodies; constraints and external connection points are set; A. Import Model: The robot model established in SolidWorksTM is imported into ADAMSTM. The material of each component is set to aluminum. The density is 2740kg/m3 , the Young's modulus is 7.2×104 MPa and the Poisson's ratio is 0.33. The coordinate system of the robot end is created to facilitate viewing of the end trajectory. The simulation environment is further set finally E. Virtual Prototype Simulation: The simulation time and step are set to 9.425s and 500, respectively. Firstly, the rigid robot model is simulated and the results are saved. Then, the generated MNFs are imported to replace its corresponding rigid components for rigid-flexible coupling simulation. After the simulation, by applying ADAMS/Postprocessor in ADAMSTM software, the variation of end trajectory, angular velocity, angular acceleration and torque of every joints with time can be obtained easily. And the curve data can be edited and analyzed.) and
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Liu with a reasonable expectation of success by focusing on the kinematics simulation analysis of the rigid-flexible coupling robot as taught by Liu (abstract).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.) and wherein the input animation for the robot comprises an animation of a sequence of animation frames defining a desired motion of the robot over a time period; ([0084] A set of constraints exists for each step within the sequence of postures. The set of constraints may include, e.g., contact locations and desired motion directions of the at least one object [0106] the object tracking device of the simulation system 1 may determine a location of the object 3 or locations of objects as initial object pose within the environment (task environment) of the robot 2.[0107] step S2, the robotic system 1 may determine the task objective from an instruction provided externally, for example by a user via an interface to the simulation system 1. [0108] One example of a generic task may include the instruction to sort objects 3 and arrange the objects 3 in stacks. The task objective may include grasping a particular object 3 and put the grasped object 3 in a specific object orientation on top of a specific stack of objects 3. The specific stack is characterized by including objects 3 of a similar size.) wherein each subsequent animation frame of the animation frames depicts a change in state of the robot at a subsequent point in time; ([0212] FIG. 9 shows the three steps, step 1, step 2, and step 3, of an exemplary sequence of postures. The upper portion depicts the robot postures before an optimization is performed. [0214] The lower portion of FIG. 9 illustrates the resulting trajectories after performing a constraint relaxation according to step S5.1 and subsequent optimization of step S5.2. )
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects. as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Wang discloses generating a barrier function based on a boundary of a support area of one or more feet or other effector components of the robot, wherein the barrier function defines a region of the support area, and wherein the region of the support area is bounded at a threshold distance from the boundary of the support area; and ([0017] In the first step, the body of the robot is moved to close to the expected support leg while the zero moment point (ZMP) of the entire robot is continuously detected. In the second step, if the ZMP of the entire robot is detected to stably fall within a supporting area of the expected support leg, the expected suspending leg will be lift so as to achieve the switch from biped support to monoped support. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the process of switching the biped robot from biped support to monoped support according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, he black solid circle is the above-mentioned ZMP. )
generating an objective based on the barrier function configured to retain a zero- moment point of the robot at one or more positions within the region of the support area. ([0018] When the robot R is supported with one leg L, the ZMP may be controlled to fall within the supporting area to maintain the stability of the robot R.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Wang with a reasonable expectation of success by controlling a posture of the foot of the support leg based on the flywheel model to maintain the balance of the robot as taught by Wang ([0023]).
Regarding claim 20, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses The method of claim 19, wherein the optimizing comprises computing the retargeted motion by transforming forces and torques acting on the robot to a local contact frame rigidly moving with the robot, ([0019] the six-dimensional force sensor can be used to measure three-dimensional (3D) force and three-dimensional torque. [0082] the torso of the multi-legged robot is provided with the force sensor, and the state of the torso is represented through motions of the plurality of virtual joints constructed between the torso and the origin of the world coordinate system.) and wherein the optimizing further comprises at least one of requiring that the transformed forces lie in a friction cone ([0009] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of analyzing a friction cone constraint of a sole force in the multi-legged robot load balancing method of FIG. 1),
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses requiring that a normal force on the one or more feet or other effector components is non- negative([0167] Further, an external force other than a floor reaction force acting on the robot 1 and the point of action thereof may be measured by an appropriate force sensor or the like installed in the body 24, and the moment acting on the actual robot 1 about a desired ZMP due to the external force may be calculated on the basis of the measured values of the external force and the point of action. Then, the floor reaction force moment obtained by multiplying a floor reaction force moment that balances with (in the opposite direction from) the calculated moment by a positive gain that is 1 or less may be added to the right side of expression 50, thereby calculating the compensating total floor reaction force moment Mdmd.), requiring that a moment about a vertical axis of the one or more feet or other effector components is bounded from above and below. ([0153] a desired foot position/posture trajectory, a desired floor reaction force central point trajectory (a desired ZMP trajectory), and a desired floor reaction force trajectory (more specifically, a desired translational floor reaction force vertical component trajectory, a desired translational floor reaction force horizontal component trajectory, and the trajectory of a desired floor reaction force moment about a desired total floor reaction force central point) are input to a composite-compliance operation determiner 104 and a desired floor reaction force distributor 106)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Regarding claim 24, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses The method of claim 19, wherein computing the retargeted motion to provide the zero-moment point of the robot that lies in the support area of one or more feet or other effector components of the robot during the simulating comprises: and a representation of the zero-moment point of the robotic system ([0142] Further, the desired trajectory related to an external force is composed of a desired total floor reaction force central point (a desired ZMP) trajectory and a desired total floor reaction force trajectory. If the robot 1 has, in addition to the legs 2 and the arms, any other portions that are movable relative to the body 24, then the desired position/posture trajectories of the movable portions are added to the aforesaid desired motion trajectory.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Xu discloses generating an algorithmic formula comprising a representation of a dynamic balancing objective; and computing the retargeted motion based on a calculation of the algorithmic formula. ([0016] a multi-legged robot load balancing method is provided. By calculating a position and velocity of the load using the force sensor installed on the torso, a dynamics model of the position and velocity of the load and the posture of the torso is created to design a feedback control law, thereby controlling the position and velocity of the load by adjusting the posture of the torso. In addition, in order to achieve high-performance torso posture control, it is also realized by combining the full dynamics control principle of multi-legged robot, which can achieve a better control effect of the posture of the torso in comparison with the simplified model (for example, single rigid body, spring inverted pendulum, linear inverted pendulum, inverted pendulum, and the like) of the robot since the influence of the movement of the legs of the robot on the posture of the torso can be taken into account. Especially during the fast walking of the robot, although the fast movement of the legs will affect the torso much, the load balancing method as a kind of full dynamics control method can solve the above-mentioned problem to eventually achieve the object of load balancing. [0045] S130: determining an expected position of each of the virtual joints according to the desired posture of the torso, and calculating, using a full dynamics control algorithm of the robot, a joint torque for each of the real joints of the robot according to the expected position of the virtual joint.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Xu with a reasonable expectation of success by achieving load balancing during fast walking of the robot as taught by Xu ([0016]).
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hayashi (US 20200338724 A1) in view of Xu (US 20230294281 A1) in further view of Gienger (US 20220314437 A1) in further view of Shirokura (US 20110264264 A1) in further view of Liu (“Rigid-Flexible Coupling Simulation and Vibration Analysis of Flexible Robot”) in further view of Konyo (US 20220198891 A1)
Regarding claim 21, Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Konyo discloses The method of claim 19, wherein the optimizing comprises optimizing the input animation to generate the retargeted motion for the components of the robot that suppresses the low-frequency vibrations ([0077] As shown in FIG. 6, the amplitude threshold is different with frequencies, and even a relatively small amplitude can be perceived by a human in the range of about 102 to 103 Hz, but only a relatively large amplitude can be perceived by a human outside the above range. [0161] This facilitates the emphasis or suppression of a vibration corresponding to a particular signal source.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Konyo with a reasonable expectation of success by controlling a vibration generated by a vibration apparatus as taught by Konyo (abstract).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose but Shirokura discloses comparing differences between trajectories for a set of user-selected points on the rigid components during the replaying of the set of input animation and target trajectories for the set of user-selected points defined by the set of input animation, and optimizing, based on the comparing, motion profiles of motors of the robot to reduce visible vibrations in the robot. ([0142] the desired motion trajectory is composed of a desired body position/posture trajectory (the trajectories of the desired position and the desired posture of the body 24), a desired foot position/posture trajectory (the trajectories of the desired position and the desired posture of each foot 22), and a desired arm posture trajectory (the trajectory of the desired posture of each arm). Further, the desired trajectory related to an external force is composed of a desired total floor reaction force central point (a desired ZMP) trajectory and a desired total floor reaction force trajectory. If the robot 1 has, in addition to the legs 2 and the arms, any other portions that are movable relative to the body 24, then the desired position/posture trajectories of the movable portions are added to the aforesaid desired motion trajectory.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Shirokura with a reasonable expectation of success by having a gait that satisfies a dynamic balance condition as taught by Shirokura ([0150]).
Hayashi does not expressly disclose animation but Gienger discloses animation ([0001] method and system for motion simulation for robot control and realistic character animation are proposed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Hayashi with the teachings of Gienger with a reasonable expectation of success by performing realistic computer animation and simulation of kinematic movement of virtual characters and structural objects. as taught by Gienger ([0228]).
Response to Arguments
Applicants arguments filed 3/18/2026 have been fully considered as follows:
Applicant argues that the 35 USC 103 rejections to the claims should not be maintained in view of “Gienger does not disclose that the input may be a received animation of a sequence of animation frames defining a desired motion of the components of the robot over a time period, wherein each subsequent animation frame of the animation frames depicts a change in state of the robot at a subsequent point in time. As such, Gienger does not disclose receiving or processing animation sequences from traditional animation software or sources as input. For at least the above reasons, claim 1 is patentably distinguishable over Gienger.” However, Gienger teaches a sequence of postures of a robot manipulation in Fig. 8A and Fig. 9. Therefore in view of the amendment a new ground of rejection is above.
Applicant argues “The Office Action notes on page 12 regarding claim 7 that Shirokura discloses a desired physical distance of a center-of-gravity point. However, the center-of-gravity point and zero-moment point are patentably distinct concepts. For example, a zero-moment point represents a ground-level point where horizontal moments are zero, whereas a center-of-gravity point represents a center of the mass of the robot. As such, it is inappropriate to rely on features related to a center-of-gravity point to disclose features related to a zero-moment point. For at least the above reasons, claim 19 is patentably distinguishable over Shirokura.” However, in view of the amendment a new ground of rejection is above.
Applicant argues “Han does not disclose suppressing the actual low-frequency vibration itself but only discloses filtering out low-frequency portions of the collected signal. In fact, Han effectively teaches away from the recited feature as filtering out low-frequency portions of the collected vibration signal prior to analysis of the vibration signal would prevent analysis and suppression of low-frequency vibrations. For at least the above reasons, claim 9 is patentably distinguishable over Han.” However, in view of the amendment a new ground of rejection is above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/S.A.T./Examiner, Art Unit 3656
/KHOI H TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3656
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