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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/14/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendments, see Page 12, Section II. Objections to Specification, filed 01/14/2026, with respect to specification have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the objection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of objection is made below.
Applicant’s amendments, see Pages 12-14, Section III. Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103, filed 01/14/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-12 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of newly found prior art reference US-2014/0319351-A1.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In [0062], the only sentence therein will be read as “As described above, according to this embodiment, there can be provided [[
In [0065], the only sentence therein will be read as “Therefore, according to this modification, there can be provided [[
In [0071], the only sentence therein will be read as “Therefore, according to this modification, there can be provided [[
In [0075], the first sentence will be read as “The optical inspection system 10 according to this embodiment further includes a conveying device 16, that conveys an object S, in addition to the optical inspection apparatus 12 and the processing device 14.”
In [0115], the only sentence therein will be read as “As described above, according to this embodiment, there can be provided [[non-transitory storage medium storing an optical inspection program, which can acquire information of the surface of the object S including a curved surface and the like.”
In [0126], the only sentence therein will be read as “Accordingly, according to this embodiment, there can be provided [[
In [0127], the only sentence therein will be read as “According to at least one of the embodiments described above, there can be provided [[
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 12, 15 and 17-18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In Claim 12, the preamble will be read as “The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11”
In Claim 15, line 1 will be read with a colon (“:”) at the end, as “The method according to claim 9, wherein:”
In Claim 17, line 1 will be read as “The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein:”
In Claim 18, line 1 will be read as “The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein:”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In Claim 7, lines 2-3 recite “a conveying device including a conveyor configured to convey one of the object and the optical inspection apparatus,”. While it is clear that a conveyor moves an object, it is unclear how or why a conveyor moves the optical inspection apparatus. The optical inspection apparatus appears to be stationary, and is part of the optical inspection system being claimed.
In para [0075] of the instant specification, the first sentence recites “The optical inspection system 10 according to this embodiment further includes a conveying device 16 that conveys an object S in addition to the optical inspection apparatus 12 and the processing device 14.” When read exactly as written, said sentence appears to suggest that conveying device 16 conveys (i) object S, (ii) inspection apparatus 12, and (iii) processing device 14. However, this is misleading because it is clear from instant Figures 6-7, 9, 11 and 16 that conveying device 16 only conveys object S. Examiner respectfully notes that said sentence has been objected to.
For examination purposes, lines 2-3 will be read as “a conveying device including a conveyor configured to convey [[
Claim 8 is dependent thereupon, and also rejected.
In Claim 8, lines 4-7 recite “the image sensor of the imaging portion is configured to image the surface of the object while the conveying device conveys the one of the object and the optical inspection apparatus for each illumination visual field width determined by a width of the aperture.” While it is clear that the conveying device moves the object, it is unclear how or why the conveying device moves the optical inspection apparatus. The optical inspection apparatus appears to be stationary, and is part of the optical inspection system being claimed.
In para [0075] of the instant specification, the first sentence recites “The optical inspection system 10 according to this embodiment further includes a conveying device 16 that conveys an object S in addition to the optical inspection apparatus 12 and the processing device 14.” When read exactly as written, said sentence appears to suggest that conveying device 16 conveys (i) object S, (ii) inspection apparatus 12, and (iii) processing device 14. However, this is misleading because it is clear from instant Figures 6-7, 9, 11 and 16 that conveying device 16 only conveys object S. Examiner respectfully notes that said sentence has been objected to.
For examination purposes, lines 4-7 will be read as “the image sensor of the imaging portion is configured to image the surface of the object while the conveying device conveys [[
References
Reference is made to the following documents; the numbering will be adhered to in the rest of the Office Action.
D1: Ohno et al. (US 2021/0131961 A1, hereinafter “D1”)
D2: Lee et al. (US 2014/0219542 A1, hereinafter “D2”)
D3: Yamada et al. (US 2014/0319351 A1, hereinafter "D3")
D4: Ohno et al. (US 2022/0086326 A1, hereinafter “D4”)
D5: Tin et al. (US 2016/0371568 A1, hereinafter “D5”)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D2 and D3.
Regarding independent Claim 1, D1 discloses an optical inspection apparatus (Figure 4: element 10 is an optical inspection apparatus; [0074]) comprising:
an illumination portion (Figure 4; [0024] “first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14” are interpreted to be illumination portions) including a light source (Figure 4; [0024] “light sources of the first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14 are not limited to LEDs, but may be halogen lamps, xenon lamps, laser light sources, X-ray light sources, or infrared light sources, or any other kind of light sources which emit electromagnetic waves”), the illumination portion being configured to:
irradiate a first object point of a surface of an object with first illumination light (Figure 4; [0089] “first light beam L10 is substantially a collimated beam, and is made incident, …, on the surface of the object (inspection object) S”, wherein “first light beam L10” irradiates a first object point “on the surface of the object”) from the light source (Figure 4; [0024] “light sources of the first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14 are not limited to LEDs, but may be halogen lamps, xenon lamps, laser light sources, X-ray light sources, or infrared light sources, or any other kind of light sources which emit electromagnetic waves”), and
irradiate a second object point of the surface of the object (Figure 4; [0089] “second light beam L20 is substantially a collimated beam, and is directly incident on the surface of the object S”, wherein “second light beam L20” irradiates a second object point “on the surface of the object”), which is different from the first object point (Figure 4: object points irradiated with second light beam L20 are different from object points irradiated with first light beam L10), with second illumination light (Figure 4; [0025] “(illumination light) L20”) from the light source (Figure 4; [0024] “light sources of the first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14 are not limited to LEDs, but may be halogen lamps, xenon lamps, laser light sources, X-ray light sources, or infrared light sources, or any other kind of light sources which emit electromagnetic waves”), the second illumination light having a direction (Figure 4: second light beam L20 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis) different from a direction of the first illumination light (Figure 4: first light beam L10 is incident along the Z-axis); and
a wavelength selection portion (Figure 4: element 26 is a scattering light selector; [0076]) including at least two wavelength selection regions ([0082] “scattering light selector 26 is divided into a plurality of wavelength selection regions”) that selectively transmit light having different wavelength spectra ([0010] “FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating a scattering light selector … of the optical inspection apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4”; Figure 7; [0083] “The first region 28 a passes the first wavelength of the first light beam L12, … The second region 28 b passes the second wavelength of the second light beam L22, … The third region 28 c passes the third wavelength of the first light beam L12”),
wherein
the first illumination liqht (Figure 4; [0025] “first light lay [sic] (illumination light) L10”) and the second illumination liqht (Figure 4; [0025] “second light lay [sic] (illumination light) L20”) are part of a group of illuminations (Figure 4; [0024] “first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14” are interpreted to provide a group of illuminations) comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light (Figure 4; [0089] “first light beam L10 is substantially a collimated beam”; [0089] “second light beam L20 is substantially a collimated beam”) traveling in a plurality of directions (Figure 4: first light beam L10 is incident along the Z-axis, while second light beam L20 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis), but does not specifically teach:
an imaging portion including an imaging optical element and an image sensor which is arranged at an image plane of the imaging optical element,
the image sensor being configured to:
image light from the first object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order, when a normal direction at the first object point and the direction of the first illumination light have an opposing relationship, and
image light from the second object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order, when a normal direction at the second object point, which is different from the normal direction at the first object point, and the direction of the second illumination light have an opposing relationship,
wherein
the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object,
the wavelength selection portion is arranged between the imaging optical element of the imaging portion and the surface of the object, and
the wavelength selection portion and the imaging portion are disposed in a direction opposite to the direction of the first illumination light, and in a direction opposite to the direction of the second illumination light.
However, D2, in the same field of inspection apparatuses, teaches an imaging portion (Figure 1: element 200 is an image capturing part; [0041]) including an imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]) and an image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]) which is arranged at an image plane of the imaging optical element (Figure 1; [0044] “The imaging lens 220 is disposed under the camera to make an image with the reflected light from the measurement object in the camera 210”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D2, for an imaging portion including an imaging optical element and an image sensor which is arranged at an image plane of the imaging optical element, because “it is possible to obtain exact height information with high resolution and high inspection speed which are benefits of multiple camera usage by obtaining final height information from combined grid image or combined height information.” (D2, para 23)
D1 is also silent with respect to the image sensor being configured to:
image light from the first object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order, when a normal direction at the first object point and the direction of the first illumination light have an opposing relationship, and
image light from the second object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order, when a normal direction at the second object point, which is different from the normal direction at the first object point, and the direction of the second illumination light have an opposing relationship,
wherein
the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object,
the wavelength selection portion is arranged between the imaging optical element of the imaging portion and the surface of the object, and
the wavelength selection portion and the imaging portion are disposed in a direction opposite to the direction of the first illumination light, and in a direction opposite to the direction of the second illumination light.
However, D2, in the same field of inspection apparatuses, teaches the image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]) being configured to:
image light from the first object point (Figure 1; [0044] “The camera captures planar image of the measurement object 10 by receiving the light that is reflected from the measurement object 10”, wherein “planar image” will comprise a plurality of object points) through the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]) and through the imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]) in order, when a normal direction at the first object point (a normal is directed away from an object point, as known in the art) and the direction of the first illumination light (Figure 1; [0045] “first lighting unit 310 generates light” directed towards measurement object element 10) have an opposing relationship (directed away is opposite to directed towards), and
image light from the second object point (Figure 1; [0044] “The camera captures planar image of the measurement object 10 by receiving the light that is reflected from the measurement object 10”, wherein “planar image” will comprise a plurality of object points) through the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]) and through the imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]) in order, when a normal direction at the second object point, which is different from the normal direction at the first object point (Figure 1: measurement object element 10 is uneven, implying that a normal directed away from a second object point will be different from a normal directed away from a first object point), and the direction of the second illumination light (Figure 1; [0046] “a second lighting unit 410” generates light directed towards measurement object element 10) have an opposing relationship (directed away is opposite to directed towards).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D2, with the image sensor being configured to: image light from the first object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order, when a normal direction at the first object point and the direction of the first illumination light have an opposing relationship, and image light from the second object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order, when a normal direction at the second object point, which is different from the normal direction at the first object point, and the direction of the second illumination light have an opposing relationship, because multispectral imaging offers significant advantages for inspecting surfaces by capturing data from specific, targeted wavelengths beyond the visible light spectrum, as this reveals details about material composition and subsurface features that are invisible to the human eye or standard cameras.
D1 is also silent with respect to: the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object,
the wavelength selection portion is arranged between the imaging optical element of the imaging portion and the surface of the object, and
the wavelength selection portion and the imaging portion are disposed in a direction opposite to the direction of the first illumination light, and in a direction opposite to the direction of the second illumination light.
However, D2, in the same field of inspection apparatuses, teaches that the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]) is arranged between the imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]) of the imaging portion (Figure 1: element 200 is an image capturing part; [0041]) and the surface of the object (Figure 1: element 10 is a measurement object; [0042]), and
the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]) and the imaging portion (Figure 1: element 200 is an image capturing part; [0041]) are disposed in a direction (directed away from measurement object element 10) opposite to the direction of the first illumination light (Figure 1; [0047] “first lighting device 300 irradiates the measurement object 10 with a first grid patterned light” directed towards measurement object element 10), and in a direction opposite to the direction of the second illumination light (Figure 1; [0047] “second lighting device 400 irradiates the measurement object 10 with a second grid patterned light” directed towards measurement object element 10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D2, wherein the wavelength selection portion is arranged between the imaging optical element of the imaging portion and the surface of the object, and the wavelength selection portion and the imaging portion are disposed in a direction opposite to the direction of the first illumination light, and in a direction opposite to the direction of the second illumination light, because multispectral reflectance imaging captures a surface's unique light reflection patterns across multiple discrete bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible and invisible wavelengths; this technique creates "image cubes" where each band provides information at a specific wavelength, allowing for detailed analysis of materials, conditions, and characteristics not visible with the human eye or standard optical cameras.
D1 is also silent with respect to: the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object.
However, D3, in the same field of inspection, teaches that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object (Figure 1; [0024] “The illuminating section 12 irradiates the near-infrared light emitted from the end side of the optical fiber 13 to the irradiation domain A1 on which the inspection objects 3 are placed. A cylindrical lens is suitably used in the illuminating section 12”, wherein the “cylindrical lens” can diverge or spread light along the curved axis, as known in the art).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D3, such that the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object, because “the classification of inspection objects is done using the spectral data of a plurality of target pixels which have imaged the same inspection object, and it enables detecting articles of different kind or defective quality with higher accuracy, reducing the possibility of incorrect judgment due to a noise contained in a specific pixel.” (D3, para 71)
Regarding Claim 13, modified D1 discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the plurality of beams are separate from each other when they reach the surface of the object (Figure 4: first light beam L10 is incident along the Z-axis, while second light beam L20 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis).
Regarding Claim 14, modified D1 discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the plurality of beams form a continuous irradiation field on the surface of the object (Figure 4: first light beam L10 and second light beam L20 irradiate multiple points on the surface of the object S).
Claim(s) 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 and D2 and D3 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of D4.
Regarding Claim 3, modified D1 discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the imaging optical element (Figure 4: element 22 is an image-forming optical system; [0076] “although the image-forming optical system 22 is schematically depicted as a single lens, the image-forming optical system 22 may be a combination of lenses”) has an optical axis (Figure 4; [0082] “It is assumed that the Z axis extends along the optical axis of the image-forming optical system 22”), but does not specifically teach that the wavelength selection portion is anisotropic with respect to the optical axis.
However, D4, in the same field of optical inspection, teaches that the wavelength selection portion (Figure 10: element 10 is a wavelength selecting unit; [0109]) is anisotropic (Figure 10; [0110] “The plurality of wavelength selection regions 12 are lined up in a row”, wherein “lined up in a row” is anisotropic, i.e., not concentric) with respect to the optical axis (Figure 10: element 9 is an imaging optical element with an optical axis; [0038] “optical axis Ax2 of the imaging optical element 9”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D4, such that the wavelength selection portion is anisotropic with respect to the optical axis, to isolate extremely narrow bands of light, allowing for precise analysis of specific wavelengths within a spectrum.
Regarding Claim 4, modified D1 discloses the apparatus according to claim 1, but does not specifically teach that the wavelength selection portion includes at least two other wavelength selection regions having the same wavelength spectrum characteristic as the at least two wavelength selection regions.
However, D4, in the same field of optical inspection, teaches that the wavelength selection portion (Figure 10: element 10 is a wavelength selecting unit; [0109]) includes at least two other wavelength selection regions (Figure 10; [0109] “the second wavelength selection region 12 b, and the third wavelength selection region 12 c”) having the same wavelength spectrum characteristic as the at least two wavelength selection regions (Figure 10; [0109] “a state where the wavelength selection regions 12 are rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the rotation axis is identical to the original state”, because second wavelength selection region 12 b and third wavelength selection region 12 c are symmetrical about first wavelength selection region 12 a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D4, such that the wavelength selection portion includes at least two other wavelength selection regions having the same wavelength spectrum characteristic as the at least two wavelength selection regions, to isolate extremely narrow bands of light, allowing for precise analysis of specific wavelengths within a spectrum.
Regarding Claim 5, modified D1 discloses the apparatus according to claim 1 and the illumination portion (see claim 1 rejection), but does not specifically teach that the illumination portion includes a lens uniform in one direction, and
the light source includes a surface emission light source provided on a focal plane of the lens.
However, D4, in the same field of optical inspection, teaches a lens (Figure 13: element 8 is an imaging optical element; [0117]) uniform in one direction ([0033] “imaging optical element 8 representatively includes a lens, a GRIN lens, a concave mirror, or the like”, wherein “a lens, …, or the like” may include a cylindrical lens, which is uniform in one direction), and
that the light source includes a surface emission light source (Figure 13; [0030] “Light generated by the light source 5 is emitted from the ray emitting surface 6”) provided on a focal plane of the lens (Figure 13: element 8 is an imaging optical element; [0117]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the apparatus of D1 with the teachings of D4, such that the illumination portion includes a lens uniform in one direction, and the light source includes a surface emission light source provided on a focal plane of the lens, because cylindrical lenses offer the advantage of manipulating light along a single axis, making them ideal for applications where a focused line of light is needed, such as laser beam shaping, correcting astigmatism in imaging systems, and adjusting image height, while also being cost-effective and easily incorporated into existing optical systems; they can improve image quality by precisely controlling light distribution in one dimension only.
Regarding Claim 6, modified D1 discloses an optical inspection system comprising:
the optical inspection apparatus according to claim 1 (see claim 1 rejection); but does not specifically teach:
a processing apparatus including a processor, the processing apparatus being connected to the optical inspection apparatus,
wherein the processor is configured to
acquire a color count received by color channels of pixels of the image sensor of the imaging portion and
inspect a state of the surface of the object based on the color count.
However, D4, in the same field of optical inspection, teaches a processing apparatus (Figure 1; [0042] “control device 4 is also referred to as an arithmetic unit or an information processing unit”) including a processor (Figure 1; [0043] “control device 4 includes at least a processing module 4 a”), the processing apparatus (Figure 1; [0042] “control device 4 is also referred to as an arithmetic unit or an information processing unit”) being connected to the optical inspection apparatus (Figure 1: element 1 is an optical apparatus; [0027]),
wherein the processor (Figure 1; [0043] “control device 4 includes at least a processing module 4 a”) is configured to
acquire a color count received by color channels of pixels of the image sensor (Figure 1; [0044] “processing module 4 a receives color phase pixel values from the sensor 11”) of the imaging portion (Figure 1: element 3 is an imaging unit; [0027]) and
inspect a state of the surface of the object based on the color count (Figure 1; [0062] “When calculating the ray directions from the color phase pixel values, arithmetic processing of removing influence of color distribution, reflectance distribution, etc. of the surface 501 of the object 500 to reduce noise may be performed”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of D1 with the teachings of D4, for a processing apparatus including a processor, the processing apparatus being connected to the optical inspection apparatus, wherein the processor is configured to acquire a color count received by color channels of pixels of the image sensor of the imaging portion and inspect a state of the surface of the object based on the color count, because “an effect of reducing background noise is obtained.” (D4, para 63)
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 and D2 and D3 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of D5.
Regarding Claim 7, modified D1 discloses an optical inspection system comprising:
the optical inspection apparatus according to claim 1 (see claim 1 rejection); but does not specifically teach a conveying device including a conveyor configured to convey the object,
wherein the image sensor is configured to image Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches a conveying device including a conveyor (Figure 1: element 12 is a conveyor mechanism; [0026]) configured to convey the object (Figure 1: elements 11 a, 11 b, 11 c are objects; [0026]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of D1 with the teachings of D5, for a conveying device including a conveyor configured to convey the object, “in order to facilitate rapid classification of materials, such as real-time classification of materials”. (D5, para 37)
D1 is also silent with respect to: wherein the image sensor is configured to image Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches that the image sensor is configured to image Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) (Figure 2; [0038] “cameras 24, 25 and 26 capture images of light reflected from the object at their respective viewing angles. The captured images are collected …, and are analyzed thereby, such as by deriving one slice of the so-called bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF)”) at at least two different incident angles to the object (Figure 2; [0035] “camera 24 is directed at a viewing angle of 0 degrees from the vertical, camera 25 is directed at a viewing angle of +30 degrees from the vertical, and camera 26 is directed at a viewing angle of −30 degrees from the vertical, relative to an object”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of D1 with the teachings of D5, wherein the image sensor is configured to image Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object, because “multiple light sources and cameras provide for additional image data and improved accuracy of the material classification system.” (D5, para 37)
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 and D2 and D3 and D5 as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of D4.
Regarding Claim 8, modified D1 discloses the system according to claim 7, but does not specifically teach that the illumination portion includes an aperture near an exit through which the illumination light from the illumination portion exits, and
the image sensor of the imaging portion is configured to image the surface of the object while the conveying device conveys the object for each illumination visual field width determined by a width of the aperture.
However, D4, in the same field of optical inspection, teaches that the illumination portion (Figure 7: element 2 is a lighting unit; [0078]) includes an aperture (Figure 7; [0079] “the opening 21 of the board member 20”, wherein “opening 21” is an aperture) near an exit ([0073] “board member 20 is an example of a light output part”) through which the illumination light from the illumination portion exits (Figure 7; [0073] “illumination rays are emitted from the opening 21 of the board member 20”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of D1 with the teachings of D4, such that the illumination portion includes an aperture near an exit through which the illumination light from the illumination portion exits, because “The parallelism of parallel illumination can be adjusted by adjusting the size of the opening 21. There are the effects of improving the resolution accuracy of the inclination of the surface 501 of the object 500 by reducing the size of the opening 21 to increase parallelism.” (D4, para 74)
D1 is also silent with respect to: the image sensor of the imaging portion is configured to image the surface of the object while the conveying device conveys the object for each illumination visual field width determined by a width of the aperture.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches that the image sensor (Figure 1: elements 24, 25, 26 are image capture devices; [0027]) of the imaging portion (see claim 1 rejection) is configured to image the surface of the object ([0027] “for capturing images of objects”) while the conveying device (Figure 1: element 12 is a conveyor mechanism; [0026]) conveys the object (Figure 1: elements 11 a, 11 b, 11 c are objects; [0026]) for each illumination visual field width (Figure 1: light source elements 21, 22, 23 provide illumination, [0027]) determined by a width of the aperture (taught by D4 above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of D1 with the teachings of D5, such that the image sensor of the imaging portion is configured to image the surface of the object while the conveying device conveys the object for each illumination visual field width determined by a width of the aperture, “in order to facilitate rapid classification of materials, such as real-time classification of materials”. (D5, para 37)
Claim(s) 9 and 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 in view of D3.
Regarding independent Claim 9, D1 discloses an optical inspection method comprising:
irradiating, by an illumination portion (Figure 3; [0063] “first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14” are interpreted to be an illumination portion), a first object point of a surface of an object (Figure 3; [0064] “first light beam L11 is substantially a collimated beam (parallel beam), and is made incident, …, on the surface of the object (inspection object) S”, wherein “first light beam L11” irradiates a first object point “on the surface of the object”) with first illumination light (Figure 3; [0064] “first light beam L11”) from a light source (Figure 3; [0024] “light sources … are not limited to LEDs, but may be halogen lamps, xenon lamps, laser light sources, X-ray light sources, or infrared light sources, or any other kind of light sources which emit electromagnetic waves”), wherein a wavelength selection portion (Figure 3: element 26 is a scattering light selector; [0059]), the imaging optical element (Figure 3: element 22b is a second lens; [0059]), and an image sensor (Figure 3: element 24 is an imaging element; [0067]) are disposed in a direction (Figure 3: vertically up along the z-axis) opposite to a direction of the first illumination light (Figure 3; [0064] “first light beam L11 is substantially a collimated beam (parallel beam), and is made incident, …, on the surface of the object (inspection object) S along the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction)”, vertically down);
irradiating, by the illumination portion (Figure 3; [0063] “first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14” are interpreted to be an illumination portion), a second object point of the surface of the object (Figure 3; [0064] “second light beam L21 is substantially a collimated beam (parallel beam), and is directly incident on the surface of the object S”, wherein “second light beam L21” irradiates a second object point “on the surface of the object”), which is different from the first object point (Figure 3: object points irradiated with second light beam L21 are different from object points irradiated with first light beam L11), with second illumination light (Figure 3; [0064] “second light beam L21”) from the light source (Figure 3; [0024] “light sources … are not limited to LEDs, but may be halogen lamps, xenon lamps, laser light sources, X-ray light sources, or infrared light sources, or any other kind of light sources which emit electromagnetic waves”), the second illumination light having a direction (Figure 3: second light beam L21 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis) different from the direction of the first illumination light (Figure 3: first light beam L11 is incident along the Z-axis; [0064]), wherein the wavelength selection portion (Figure 3: element 26 is a scattering light selector; [0059]), the imaging optical element (Figure 3: element 22b is a second lens; [0059]), and the image sensor (Figure 3: element 24 is an imaging element; [0067]) are disposed in a direction (Figure 3: vertically up along the z-axis) opposite to a direction of the second illumination light (Figure 3: second light beam L21 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis);
imaging, with the image sensor, light from the first object point through the wavelength selection portion having at least two wavelength selection regions and through the imaging optical element in order (Figure 3; [0065] “first light beam L12 reflected from the object S passes through the center aperture 26 a of the scattering light selector 26 …, and emanates as the third light beam L3”, wherein “first light beam L12” reflects from the first object point on the surface of “object S”; [0082] “the aperture (color aperture) 26 a of the scattering light selector 26 are divided into three regions”; [0067] “third light beam L3 and fourth light beam L4 pass through the second lens 22 b, and form an image on the imaging element 24”), when a normal direction at the first object point (Figure 3: normal direction is vertically up, along Z-axis) and the direction of the first illumination light (Figure 3; [0064] “first light beam L11 is substantially a collimated beam (parallel beam), and is made incident, …, on the surface of the object (inspection object) S along the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction)”, vertically down) have an opposing relationship (vertically up is opposite to vertically down), the image sensor being arranged at an image plane of the imaging optical element (Figure 3; [0067] “third light beam L3 and fourth light beam L4 pass through the second lens 22 b, and form an image on the imaging element 24”, which is interpreted as “imaging element 24” being arranged at an image plane of “second lens 22 b”); and
imaging, with the image sensor, light from the second object point through the wavelength selection portion and through the imaging optical element in order (Figure 3; [0066] “of the light beams L22 reflected from the surface (inspection object) of the object S, the light beam L22, …, passes through the scattering light selector 26, and emanates as the fourth light beam L4”, wherein “light beam L22” reflects from the second object point on “the surface (inspection object) of the object S”; [0067] “third light beam L3 and fourth light beam L4 pass through the second lens 22 b, and form an image on the imaging element 24”) at the same timing as imaging of the light from the first object point ([0073] “there is provided the optical inspection apparatus 10 which can simultaneously acquire scattering light beams with various angles”), when a normal direction at the second object point (a normal is directed away from an object point, as known in the art), which is different from the normal direction at the first object point (Figure 3; [0026] “The surface of an object S may be a planar surface, a curved surface, or an irregular surface”, wherein “a curved surface, or an irregular surface” implies that a normal directed away from a second object point will be different from a normal directed away from a first object point), and the direction of the second illumination light (Figure 3: second light beam L21 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis) have an opposing relationship (directed away is opposite to directed towards),
wherein the first illumination liqht (Figure 3; [0064] “first light beam L11”) and the second illumination liqht (Figure 3; [0064] “second light beam L21”) are part of a group of illuminations (Figure 3; [0063] “first illuminator 12 and second illuminator 14” are interpreted to provide a group of illuminations) comprising a plurality of beams of parallel liqht (Figure 3; [0064] “first light beam L11 is substantially a collimated beam (parallel beam)”; [0064] “second light beam L21 is substantially a collimated beam (parallel beam)”) traveling in a plurality of directions (Figure 3: first light beam L11 is incident along the Z-axis, while second light beam L21 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis), but does not specifically teach:
wherein the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel liqht travelinq in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object.
However, D3, in the same field of inspection, teaches that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object (Figure 1; [0024] “The illuminating section 12 irradiates the near-infrared light emitted from the end side of the optical fiber 13 to the irradiation domain A1 on which the inspection objects 3 are placed. A cylindrical lens is suitably used in the illuminating section 12”, wherein the “cylindrical lens” can diverge or spread light along the curved axis, as known in the art).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of D1 with the teachings of D3, such that the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object, because “the classification of inspection objects is done using the spectral data of a plurality of target pixels which have imaged the same inspection object, and it enables detecting articles of different kind or defective quality with higher accuracy, reducing the possibility of incorrect judgment due to a noise contained in a specific pixel.” (D3, para 71)
Regarding Claim 15, modified D1 discloses the method according to claim 9, wherein:
the plurality of beams are separate from each other when they reach the surface of the object (Figure 3: first light beam L11 is incident along the Z-axis, while second light beam L21 is incident at an angle relative to the Z-axis).
Regarding Claim 16, modified D1 discloses the method according to claim 9, wherein:
the plurality of beams form a continuous irradiation field on the surface of the object (Figure 3: first light beam L11 and second light beam L21 irradiate multiple points on the surface of the object S).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 and D3 as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of D5.
Regarding Claim 10, modified D1 discloses the method according to claim 9, but does not specifically teach that the imaging includes imaging the object while relatively conveying the object in a predetermined conveying direction, and
the imaging includes imaging Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches that the imaging (Figure 1: elements 24, 25, 26 are image capture devices; [0027]) includes imaging the object ([0027] “capturing images of objects”) while relatively conveying the object (Figure 1; [0026] “objects 11 a, 11 b, etc. are conveyed on a conveyor mechanism 12”) in a predetermined conveying direction (Figure 1: arrows on conveyor mechanism element 12 show a conveying direction).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of D1 with the teachings of D5, such that the imaging includes imaging the object while relatively conveying the object in a predetermined conveying direction, “in order to facilitate rapid classification of materials, such as real-time classification of materials”. (D5, para 37)
D1 is also silent with respect to: the imaging includes imaging Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches that the imaging includes imaging Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) (Figure 2; [0038] “cameras 24, 25 and 26 capture images of light reflected from the object at their respective viewing angles. The captured images are collected …, and are analyzed thereby, such as by deriving one slice of the so-called bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF)”) at at least two different incident angles to the object (Figure 2; [0035] “camera 24 is directed at a viewing angle of 0 degrees from the vertical, camera 25 is directed at a viewing angle of +30 degrees from the vertical, and camera 26 is directed at a viewing angle of −30 degrees from the vertical, relative to an object”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the method of D1 with the teachings of D5, wherein the imaging includes imaginq Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object, because “multiple light sources and cameras provide for additional image data and improved accuracy of the material classification system.” (D5, para 37)
Claim(s) 11 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D2 in view of D3.
Regarding independent Claim 11, D2 discloses a non-transitory storage medium storing an optical inspection program for causing a processor (Figure 1: element 700 is a central processing part; [0041]) to execute:
irradiating, by an illumination portion (Figure 1; [0043] “light irradiated from the first and second lighting devices 300 and 400”, wherein “first and second lighting devices 300 and 400” respectively are interpreted to be an illumination portion), a first object point of a surface (Figure 1; [0047] “first lighting device 300 irradiates the measurement object 10 with a first grid patterned light”, whereby it is understood that multiple object points on the surface of “measurement object 10” will be irradiated) of an object (Figure 1: element 10 is a measurement object; [0042]) with first illumination light from a light source (Figure 1; [0045] “first lighting unit 310 generates light” directed towards measurement object element 10), wherein a wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]), an imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]), and an image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]) are disposed in a direction (directed away from measurement object element 10) opposite to a direction of the first illumination light (Figure 1; [0045] “first lighting unit 310 generates light” directed towards measurement object element 10);
irradiating, by the illumination portion (Figure 1; [0043] “light irradiated from the first and second lighting devices 300 and 400”, wherein “first and second lighting devices 300 and 400” respectively are interpreted to be an illumination portion), a second object point of the surface (Figure 1; [0047] “second lighting device 400 irradiates the measurement object 10 with a second grid patterned light”, whereby it is understood that multiple object points on the surface of “measurement object 10” will be irradiated) of the object (Figure 1: element 10 is a measurement object; [0042]), which is different from the first object point (implicit when there are multiple object points), with second illumination light from the light source (Figure 1; [0046] “second lighting unit 410” generates light directed towards measurement object element 10), the second illumination light having a direction (Figure 1; [0046] “second lighting unit 410” generates light originating from the left) different from the direction of the first illumination light (Figure 1; [0045] “first lighting unit 310 generates light” originating from the right), wherein the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]), the imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]), and the image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]) are disposed in a direction (directed away from measurement object element 10) opposite to a direction of the second illumination light (Figure 1; [0046] “second lighting unit 410” generates light directed towards measurement object element 10);
imaging, with the image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]), light from the first object point (Figure 1; [0044] “The camera captures planar image of the measurement object 10 by receiving the light that is reflected from the measurement object 10”, wherein “planar image” will comprise a plurality of object points) through the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]) having at least two wavelength selection regions ([0044] “may be one of frequency filter, color filter and light intensity adjustment filter”, wherein a “color filter”, e.g., RGB color filter, will have three wavelength selection regions, as known in the art) and through the imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]) in order, when a normal direction at the first object point (a normal is directed away from an object point, as known in the art) and the direction of the first illumination light (Figure 1; [0045] “first lighting unit 310 generates light” directed towards measurement object element 10) have an opposing relationship (directed away is opposite to directed towards), the image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]) being arranged at an image plane of the imaging optical element (Figure 1; [0044] “The imaging lens 220 is disposed under the camera to make an image with the reflected light from the measurement object in the camera 210”); and
imaging, with the image sensor (Figure 1: element 210 is a camera; [0044]), light from the second object point (Figure 1; [0044] “The camera captures planar image of the measurement object 10 by receiving the light that is reflected from the measurement object 10”, wherein “planar image” will comprise a plurality of object points) through the wavelength selection portion (Figure 1: element 230 is a filter; [0044]) and through the imaging optical element (Figure 1: element 220 is an imaging lens; [0044]) in order at the same timing as imaging of the light from the first object point (Figure 1; [0043] “the image capturing part 200 receives light irradiated from the first and second lighting devices 300 and 400 and reflected light from the measurement object 10 to capture planar image of the measurement object 10”, wherein “light irradiated from the first and second lighting devices 300 and 400 and reflected light from the measurement object 10” is light from the first object point and light from the second object point), when a normal direction at the second object point (a normal is directed away from an object point, as known in the art), which is different from the normal direction at the first object point (implicit that a normal directed away from a second object point will be different from a normal directed away from a first object point if the object is not perfectly flat and smooth), and the direction of the second illumination light (Figure 1; [0046] “second lighting unit 410” generates light directed towards measurement object element 10) have an opposing relationship (directed away is opposite to directed towards),
wherein the first illumination liqht ([0047] “a first grid patterned light”) and the second illumination liqht ([0047] “a second grid patterned light”) are part of a group of illuminations (Figure 1; [0043] “light irradiated from the first and second lighting devices 300 and 400” is interpreted to provide a group of illuminations) comprising a plurality of beams of parallel liqht (Figure 1: first condensing lens element 340 and second condensing lens element 440 are interpreted to produce a plurality of beams of parallel light) travelinq in a plurality of directions (Figure 1; [0045] “first lighting unit 310 generates light” originating from the right; [0046] “second lighting unit 410” generates light originating from the left), but does not specifically teach:
wherein the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel liqht travelinq in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object.
However, D3, in the same field of inspection, teaches that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object (Figure 1; [0024] “The illuminating section 12 irradiates the near-infrared light emitted from the end side of the optical fiber 13 to the irradiation domain A1 on which the inspection objects 3 are placed. A cylindrical lens is suitably used in the illuminating section 12”, wherein the “cylindrical lens” can diverge or spread light along the curved axis, as known in the art).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the medium of D2 with the teachings of D3, such that the first illumination liqht and the second illumination liqht are part of a group of illuminations comprising a plurality of beams of parallel light traveling in a plurality of directions, such that the plurality of beams spread out in a fan shape as they approach the surface of the object, because “the classification of inspection objects is done using the spectral data of a plurality of target pixels which have imaged the same inspection object, and it enables detecting articles of different kind or defective quality with higher accuracy, reducing the possibility of incorrect judgment due to a noise contained in a specific pixel.” (D3, para 71)
Regarding Claim 17, modified D2 discloses the non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein:
the plurality of beams are separate from each other when they reach the surface of the object (Figure 1; [0048] “grid patterned lights may be emitted in various directions toward the measurement object 10”).
Regarding Claim 18, modified D2 discloses the non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein:
the plurality of beams form a continuous irradiation field on the surface of the object (Figure 1; [0048] “grid patterned lights may be emitted in various directions toward the measurement object 10”, wherein “grid patterned lights” are interpreted to form a continuous irradiation field on “object 10”).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D2 and D3 as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of D5.
Regarding Claim 12, modified D2 discloses the non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, but does not specifically teach that the imaging includes imaging the object while relatively conveying the object in a predetermined conveying direction, and
the imaging includes imaginq Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches that the imaging (Figure 1: elements 24, 25, 26 are image capture devices; [0027]) includes imaging the object ([0027] “capturing images of objects”) while relatively conveying the object (Figure 1; [0026] “objects 11 a, 11 b, etc. are conveyed on a conveyor mechanism 12”) in a predetermined conveying direction (Figure 1: arrows on conveyor mechanism element 12 show a conveying direction).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the medium of D2 with the teachings of D5, such that the imaging includes imaging the object while relatively conveying the object in a predetermined conveying direction, “in order to facilitate rapid classification of materials, such as real-time classification of materials”. (D5, para 37)
D2 is also silent with respect to: the imaging includes imaginq Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object.
However, D5, in the same field of measuring the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, teaches that the imaging includes imaginq Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) (Figure 2; [0038] “cameras 24, 25 and 26 capture images of light reflected from the object at their respective viewing angles. The captured images are collected …, and are analyzed thereby, such as by deriving one slice of the so-called bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF)”) at at least two different incident angles to the object (Figure 2; [0035] “camera 24 is directed at a viewing angle of 0 degrees from the vertical, camera 25 is directed at a viewing angle of +30 degrees from the vertical, and camera 26 is directed at a viewing angle of −30 degrees from the vertical, relative to an object”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the medium of D2 with the teachings of D5, wherein the imaging includes imaginq Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs) at at least two different incident angles to the object, because “multiple light sources and cameras provide for additional image data and improved accuracy of the material classification system.” (D5, para 37)
Conclusion
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/AKBAR H. RIZVI/
Examiner, Art Unit 2877
/TARIFUR R CHOWDHURY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2877