DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final Office Action on the merits in response to communications filed by Applicant on December 4th, 2025. Claims 1, 3-13, 16 are currently pending and examined below.
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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendments to the Claims filed on December 4th, 2025 have been entered. Claims 1, 3-7, 10-11, and 15 are currently amended and pending, claims 8-9 and 12-13 are as previously presented and pending, claim 16 is new and pending, and claims 2 and 14 have been canceled.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2007190655 A ("Hida") in view of JP 2011255426 A ("Sakashita") in further view of CN 111361659 A ("Chen") in further view of JP 2005046950 A ("Kobayashi").
Regarding claim 1, Hida teaches a moving apparatus comprising (Hida: Figure 1 leg-wheel robot 100, ¶0018, “As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg-wheel type robot 100 includes a base body 10 and four leg portions 12 coupled to the base body 10.”):
a central processing unit (CPU) configured to: generate control information to drive a leg wheel robot, wherein the leg wheel robot includes a plurality of legs, and leg of the plurality of legs includes a wheel at a leg tip of the each leg (Hida: Figure 1 leg-wheel robot 100 , ¶0019, “A driving wheel 20 is rotatably provided at the tip of each leg 12 with the same axial direction as the rotary joints 16 and 18.”, ¶0029, “The CPU 60 outputs motor command signals to the drivers 44 and 54 via the motor command output I / F 61 and inputs output signals of the encoders 42 and 52 via the angle fetch I / F 62. In addition, sensor signals are input from the front leg tip sensor 22, the lower leg tip sensor 24, the obstacle sensor 34, and the triaxial posture sensor 70 via the sensor input I / F 63, respectively. Further, signals are input / output to / from the hub 76 via the communication I / F 64, and an audio signal is output to the speaker 78 via the sound output I / F 65.”);
acquire travel surface information of the leg wheel robot (Hida: ¶0022, “As shown in FIG. 3A, the obstacle sensors 34 and 36 can be configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic ranging sensors having low directivity in an array. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of infrared ranging sensors having high directivity can be arranged in an array. It is not limited to the configuration arranged in an array, and may be configured as a single unit. Moreover, you may comprise with the area sensor which arranged the ultrasonic ranging sensor or the infrared ranging sensor on the several plane. Thereby, the object which exists on the movement path | route of the leg wheel type robot 100 can be detected roughly.”, ¶0029, “In addition, sensor signals are input from the front leg tip sensor 22, the lower leg tip sensor 24, the obstacle sensor 34, and the triaxial posture sensor 70 via the sensor input I / F 63, respectively.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, various sensor are used to gather information on the robot’s surroundings and detect if an object is in its movement path.);
generate track information of the each leg of the plurality of legs to direct the leg wheel robot to travel with the each leg of the plurality of legs grounded in the movement range (Hida: ¶0039, “Further, through steps S112 to S116, sensor signals are input from the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, respectively, and the distance to the kick plate and the positional relationship between the leg tip and the tread plate are calculated. Then, through steps S118 and S120, a motor command signal is generated based on the determined landing position and the calculated both distances, and the generated motor command signal is output to the drivers 44 and 54. As a result, the driving wheel 20 rotates and the rotary joints 14 to 18 are driven, and the leg-wheel type robot 100 gets over the stairs while keeping its posture properly. Depending on the situation, the stairs are avoided and stopped.”, ¶0041, “Moreover, on a flat ground, it can move by wheel drive. Therefore, the mobility on a flat ground is high like the wheel type.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the robot is configured to travel with all four legs with wheels on the ground until such a time a set of stairs is detected by the robot.).
Hida does not teach the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface,
and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period;
calculate, based on the travel surface information, a movement range corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface, wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period;
generate drive information, corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs to move the each leg of the plurality of legs, based on the track information;
and control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs.
Sakashita, in the same field of endeavor, teaches the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface (Sakashita: ¶0060-0062, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm. Land on and stop. By the operation at the time point t0 to t3, at the time point t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is moved in the state in which the knee joints of the first leg and the second leg are refracted away from the obstacle. In the rear, the second wheel mechanism 16 is stopped in front of the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle. Next, during the period from time t3 to t5, as shown in FIG. 16, the horizontal position in the direction of the resultant force vector applied to the center of gravity (the center of the heel part 10) is the same as the moving speed from time t0 to time t3, etc. It is moved at a speed from the ground point of the first wheel mechanism 15 to the ground point of the second wheel mechanism 16. At this time, the thigh drive mechanisms 21 and 22 and the leg drive mechanisms 23 and 24 are controlled so that the center of gravity is not moved in the vertical direction, that is, the heel part 10 is maintained at a predetermined vertical position. Thereafter, as shown after time t5 in FIG. 15, the vehicle shifts to the monopod support traveling by the second wheel mechanism 16 in front of the obstacle (back side), and the first remaining behind the obstacle (front side). The wheel mechanism 15 and the first leg 13 rotate across the knee joint so as not to touch an obstacle by rotating the knee joint so as to kick the first wheel mechanism 15 backward. When the second wheel mechanism 16 moves until the first leg crosses the obstacle, the knee joint of the first leg is rotated so as to protrude forward.”. The cited passages clearly describe the robot alternating its legs between grounding periods and free leg periods to step over an obstacle.),
calculate, based on the travel surface information, a movement range corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface, wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period (Sakashita: ¶0059, “First, as shown in FIG. 15, at time t0, as a straddling approach posture, the first and second leg knee joints are reverse knees in a monopod support in which the first wheel mechanism 15 is grounded. Is controlled to the first position. The operation from the time point t0 to the time point t3 starts from the state where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed in the first position by the monopod support, and then the second wheel mechanism 16, the second leg portion 14, and the second thigh portion 12 are operated. The second leg composed of is controlled to be lifted forward. Then, while controlling the second wheel mechanism 16 so as not to touch the obstacle after straddling the obstacle, gradually move the knee joint portion so that the second leg shifts from the reverse knee to the normal knee posture. Rotate.”, ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the robot is configured to move with its legs on the ground until it comes within 1 cm of the detected object. This process of stopping the robot approximately 1 cm from the detected object defines the movement range of the robot. Additionally, one of ordinary skill in the art would see that the movement range is calculated while the legs are in a grounding period.),
generate drive information, corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs to move the each leg of the plurality of legs, based on the track information (Sakashita: ¶0060-0062, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm. Land on and stop. By the operation at the time point t0 to t3, at the time point t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is moved in the state in which the knee joints of the first leg and the second leg are refracted away from the obstacle. In the rear, the second wheel mechanism 16 is stopped in front of the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle. Next, during the period from time t3 to t5, as shown in FIG. 16, the horizontal position in the direction of the resultant force vector applied to the center of gravity (the center of the heel part 10) is the same as the moving speed from time t0 to time t3, etc. It is moved at a speed from the ground point of the first wheel mechanism 15 to the ground point of the second wheel mechanism 16. At this time, the thigh drive mechanisms 21 and 22 and the leg drive mechanisms 23 and 24 are controlled so that the center of gravity is not moved in the vertical direction, that is, the heel part 10 is maintained at a predetermined vertical position. Thereafter, as shown after time t5 in FIG. 15, the vehicle shifts to the monopod support traveling by the second wheel mechanism 16 in front of the obstacle (back side), and the first remaining behind the obstacle (front side). The wheel mechanism 15 and the first leg 13 rotate across the knee joint so as not to touch an obstacle by rotating the knee joint so as to kick the first wheel mechanism 15 backward. When the second wheel mechanism 16 moves until the first leg crosses the obstacle, the knee joint of the first leg is rotated so as to protrude forward.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the robot generates a trajectory for each leg and controls the legs such that they follow the trajectory in order to step over an obstacle.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the mobile apparatus taught in Hida with the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface, calculate, based on the travel surface information, a movement range corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface, wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period; generate drive information, corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs to move the each leg of the plurality of legs, based on the track information taught in Sakashita with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because calculating the movement distance of the robot based on information regarding the environment it is travelling in is a necessary step in allowing the robot to continuously move in a complex environment (Sakashita: ¶0002, “There are various issues regarding symbiosis with human beings, but one of the major technical issues is that technology that can move freely in the living environment where humans live is not achieved. Can be mentioned. From the viewpoint of symbiosis in the same living environment, it is important that the robot should be able to move as long as it can move as long as the floor can be moved by a normal person. In other words, it is necessary to have not only a flat surface but also a function to move, straddle, or move up and down steps, slopes, obstacles, or stairs that can move an average person as much as a person. is there”).
Hida in view of Sakashita does not teach and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period;
and control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs.
Chen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs (Chen: ¶ 0037, “As shown in FIG1 , a wheel-leg type obstacle crossing mechanism includes a chassis 2 , an upper push rod 3 , a lower push rod 4 , a shock absorber 5 and a rocker arm 6 , and a wheel 1 is provided on the lower part of the chassis 2 .”, ¶ 0040 “As an embodiment of the present invention, when the wheel-leg obstacle-crossing mechanism moves to the right and encounters an obstacle 10, and the height of the obstacle 10 is greater than the radius of the wheel 1, the wheel 1 encounters a leftward resistance that prevents the wheel 1 from moving forward. When the wheel-leg obstacle-crossing mechanism starts to cross the obstacle, the wheel 1 is subjected to resistance, and the resistance is decomposed into two components, and the directions of the two components are the same as those of the shock absorber 5 and the rocker arm 6 respectively. Since the fixed end of the rocker arm 6 is fixedly connected to the wheel 1, and the lower end of the shock absorber 5 is hinged to the middle of the rocker arm 6, the force of the wheel 1 in the direction of the shock absorber 5 causes the lower end of the shock absorber 5 to lift upward, thereby driving the rocker arm 6 to lift, which not only achieves the effect of lifting the wheel 1, but also reduces the chance of damage to the chassis 2 through the hinge.”, ¶ 0046, “When overcoming obstacles, first make the wheel 1 close to the vertical obstacle 10, and then control the upper push rod 3 and the lower push rod 4 to perform the following steps in conjunction: the first step, as shown in Figure 4, lift the wheel 1 on one side so that the height of the wheel 1 exceeds the height of the vertical obstacle 10; the second step, as shown in Figure 5, drive the wheel-leg type obstacle overcoming mechanism forward, that is, continue to apply force to the wheel 1 to make it move forward, translate the lifted wheel 1 and press it on the top of the vertical obstacle 10, so that the wheel 1 on one side has completed the obstacle overcoming; the third step, as shown in Figure 6, lift the wheel 1 on the other side so that the height of the wheel 1 on the other side exceeds the height of the vertical obstacle 10; the fourth step, as shown in Figure 7, continue to drive the wheel-leg type obstacle overcoming mechanism, translate the lifted wheel 1 on the other side and press it on the top of the vertical obstacle 10, so that the wheel 1 on the other side has completed the obstacle overcoming.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the wheel-leg type robot disclosed is configured to overcome an obstacle by continuously driving the wheels into the obstacle and use the resistive force to raise the wheels up and over the obstacle. This clearly shows that the wheels on each leg is continuously driven without stopping.).
Hida in view of Sakashita teaches a moving apparatus comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) configured to: generate control information to drive a leg wheel robot, wherein the leg wheel robot includes a plurality of legs, and leg of the plurality of legs includes a wheel at a leg tip of the each leg, the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface, acquire travel surface information of the leg wheel robot; calculate, based on the travel surface information, a movement range corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to a travel surface; generate track information of each leg of the plurality of legs to direct the leg wheel robot to travel with each leg of the plurality of legs grounded in the movement range; generate drive information, corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs to move each leg of the plurality of legs, based on the track information. Hida in view of Sakashita does not teach control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs. Chen teaches control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita with control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs taught in Chen. Furthermore, the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita is already configured with wheels at the tip of each leg that are driven by motors, so modifying these wheels to be continuously driven without stopping as taught in Chen would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of a moving apparatus comprising: control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita with control, based on the drive information, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs taught in Chen with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen does not teach and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period.
Kobayashi, in the same field of endeavor, teaches and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period (Kobayashi: ¶ 0017, “FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a four-legged mobile robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the four-legged mobile robot of FIG. 1 going up and down stairs. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numerals 1a and 1b denote hip joints connected in a straight line by a drive unit 2a, and extendable inner legs 3a and 3b are attached to the hip joints 1a and 1b, respectively. The inner legs 3a and 3b have telescopic legs 5 connected to fixed parts 4 so as to be capable of being extended and retracted, and the fixed parts 4 are fixed to the hip joints 1a and 1b.”, ¶ 0021, “3 and 4 show examples of the configuration of the lower ends of the legs 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d. Left and right ankle shafts 49 are provided on brackets 48 fixed to the legs 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d, and the feet 38 are rotatably attached to the ankle shafts 49. Furthermore, a running device 39 is provided on the front and rear sides of the foot 38 in the direction of rotation, and has two wheels 39a and 39b attached via wheel axles 40. The traveling device 39 may be a crawler. A drive shaft 50 is provided on each of the left and right ankle shafts 49, passing through the axial center of the ankle shaft 49 and rotatably supported, and the drive shaft 50 and the wheel shaft 40 are connected by a power transmission member 51 such as a belt or chain. Furthermore, one actuator 52 is provided for each of the legs 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , and 3 d , and a driven bevel gear 55 that meshes with a driving bevel gear 54 provided on a rotary shaft 53 of the actuator 52 is provided on the driving shaft 50 .”, ¶ 0022, “Furthermore, the foot 38 is provided with wheel restraining means 56 for restraining the rotation of the wheels 39a, 39b. The wheel restraining means 56 in FIG. 1 is a brake device 57 that restrains the rotation of the drive shaft 50 relative to the foot 38 . The wheel restraining means 56 may be a motor in addition to the brake device 57 .”, ¶ 0024, “As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the four legs 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d can walk on four legs by rotating independently around the hip joints 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d that are aligned in a straight line, driven by drive units 2a, 2b, 2c. Also, the robot can walk on two legs by rotating the inner legs 3a, 3b simultaneously and the outer legs 3c, 3d simultaneously.”, ¶ 0027, “In the two-legged walking mode of FIGS. 2 and 7, as shown in steps S1 to S3, the center of gravity is shifted as in walking with crutches to overcome steps or go up and down stairs, which may cause instability when the center of gravity is shifted. However, by providing the feet 38 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and by providing wheel restraining means 56 to restrain the rotation of the wheels 39a, 39b, stability provided by the feet 38 can be improved.”. The cited passages clearly teach a leg-wheel type robot that is configured to go up and down steps. The cited passages show that the robot is capable of using a braking mechanism to restrain the rotation of the wheels. As is clearly shown in ¶ 0027, the robot is configured to restrain the rotation of the wheels when climbing a set of stairs. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that when the rotations of the wheels are restrained when climbing the stairs, the wheels would also be restrained in a free leg period of the robot. Therefore, the cited passages clearly teach stopping the rotation of the wheels during a free leg period.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combined the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen with the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period taught in Kobayashi with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because by preventing travel by rotation of the wheel during a free period of the legs the stability of the robot can be improved (Kobayashi: ¶ 0027, “In the two-legged walking mode of FIGS. 2 and 7, as shown in steps S1 to S3, the center of gravity is shifted as in walking with crutches to overcome steps or go up and down stairs, which may cause instability when the center of gravity is shifted. However, by providing the feet 38 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and by providing wheel restraining means 56 to restrain the rotation of the wheels 39a, 39b, stability provided by the feet 38 can be improved.”).
Regrading claim 3, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to calculate the movement range, for control of the travel of the leg wheel robot, based on a specific target speed (Sakashita: ¶0058, “Next, characteristic operations of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The two-legged type moving apparatus of the present embodiment is characterized by an operation over a convex obstacle existing on the floor surface. FIG. 15 is a side view showing continuously the operation of straddling an obstacle having a square cross section at a constant speed in the biped type moving apparatus according to the present invention.”. The cited passage clearly teaches that the robot is configured to step over the obstacle with a constant speed.).
Regarding claim 15, Hida teaches a moving apparatus control method, comprising (Hida: Figure 1 leg-wheel robot 100 and Figure 8, ¶0018, “As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg-wheel type robot 100 includes a base body 10 and four leg portions 12 coupled to the base body 10.”, ¶0030, “The CPU 60 activates a control program stored in a predetermined area such as a ROM, and executes the elevation control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 according to the control program.”):
generating, by a central processing unit (CPU), control information to drive a leg wheel robot, wherein the leg wheel robot includes a plurality of legs, and leg of the plurality of legs includes a wheel at a leg tip of the each leg (Hida: Figure 1 leg-wheel robot 100 , ¶0019, “A driving wheel 20 is rotatably provided at the tip of each leg 12 with the same axial direction as the rotary joints 16 and 18.”, ¶0029, “The CPU 60 outputs motor command signals to the drivers 44 and 54 via the motor command output I / F 61 and inputs output signals of the encoders 42 and 52 via the angle fetch I / F 62. In addition, sensor signals are input from the front leg tip sensor 22, the lower leg tip sensor 24, the obstacle sensor 34, and the triaxial posture sensor 70 via the sensor input I / F 63, respectively. Further, signals are input / output to / from the hub 76 via the communication I / F 64, and an audio signal is output to the speaker 78 via the sound output I / F 65.”);
acquiring, by the CPU, travel surface information of the leg wheel robot (Hida: ¶0022, “As shown in FIG. 3A, the obstacle sensors 34 and 36 can be configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic ranging sensors having low directivity in an array. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of infrared ranging sensors having high directivity can be arranged in an array. It is not limited to the configuration arranged in an array, and may be configured as a single unit. Moreover, you may comprise with the area sensor which arranged the ultrasonic ranging sensor or the infrared ranging sensor on the several plane. Thereby, the object which exists on the movement path | route of the leg wheel type robot 100 can be detected roughly.”, ¶0029, “In addition, sensor signals are input from the front leg tip sensor 22, the lower leg tip sensor 24, the obstacle sensor 34, and the triaxial posture sensor 70 via the sensor input I / F 63, respectively.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, various sensor are used to gather information on the robot’s surroundings and detect if an object is in its movement path.),
generating, by the CPU, track information of the each leg of the plurality of legs for to direct the leg wheel robot to travel with the each leg of the plurality of legs grounded in the movement range (Hida: ¶0039, “Further, through steps S112 to S116, sensor signals are input from the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, respectively, and the distance to the kick plate and the positional relationship between the leg tip and the tread plate are calculated. Then, through steps S118 and S120, a motor command signal is generated based on the determined landing position and the calculated both distances, and the generated motor command signal is output to the drivers 44 and 54. As a result, the driving wheel 20 rotates and the rotary joints 14 to 18 are driven, and the leg-wheel type robot 100 gets over the stairs while keeping its posture properly. Depending on the situation, the stairs are avoided and stopped.”, ¶0041, “Moreover, on a flat ground, it can move by wheel drive. Therefore, the mobility on a flat ground is high like the wheel type.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the robot is configured to travel with all four legs with wheels on the ground until such a time a set of stairs is detected by the robot.).
Hida does not teach the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface,
and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period;
calculating, by the CPU, a movement range, corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface, based on the travel surface information, wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period;
generating, by the CPU, drive information corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs to move the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the generation of the drive information is based on the track information;
and controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information.
Sakashita, in the same field of endeavor, teaches the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface (Sakashita: ¶0060-0062, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm. Land on and stop. By the operation at the time point t0 to t3, at the time point t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is moved in the state in which the knee joints of the first leg and the second leg are refracted away from the obstacle. In the rear, the second wheel mechanism 16 is stopped in front of the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle. Next, during the period from time t3 to t5, as shown in FIG. 16, the horizontal position in the direction of the resultant force vector applied to the center of gravity (the center of the heel part 10) is the same as the moving speed from time t0 to time t3, etc. It is moved at a speed from the ground point of the first wheel mechanism 15 to the ground point of the second wheel mechanism 16. At this time, the thigh drive mechanisms 21 and 22 and the leg drive mechanisms 23 and 24 are controlled so that the center of gravity is not moved in the vertical direction, that is, the heel part 10 is maintained at a predetermined vertical position. Thereafter, as shown after time t5 in FIG. 15, the vehicle shifts to the monopod support traveling by the second wheel mechanism 16 in front of the obstacle (back side), and the first remaining behind the obstacle (front side). The wheel mechanism 15 and the first leg 13 rotate across the knee joint so as not to touch an obstacle by rotating the knee joint so as to kick the first wheel mechanism 15 backward. When the second wheel mechanism 16 moves until the first leg crosses the obstacle, the knee joint of the first leg is rotated so as to protrude forward.”. The cited passages clearly describe the robot alternating its legs between grounding periods and free leg periods to step over an obstacle.),
calculating, by the CPU, a movement range, corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface, based on the travel surface information, wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period (Sakashita: ¶0059, “First, as shown in FIG. 15, at time t0, as a straddling approach posture, the first and second leg knee joints are reverse knees in a monopod support in which the first wheel mechanism 15 is grounded. Is controlled to the first position. The operation from the time point t0 to the time point t3 starts from the state where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed in the first position by the monopod support, and then the second wheel mechanism 16, the second leg portion 14, and the second thigh portion 12 are operated. The second leg composed of is controlled to be lifted forward. Then, while controlling the second wheel mechanism 16 so as not to touch the obstacle after straddling the obstacle, gradually move the knee joint portion so that the second leg shifts from the reverse knee to the normal knee posture. Rotate.”, ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the robot is configured to move with its legs on the ground until it comes within 1 cm of the detected object. This process of stopping the robot approximately 1 cm from the detected object defines the movement range of the robot. Additionally, one of ordinary skill in the art would see that the movement range is calculated while the legs are in a grounding period.),
generating, by the CPU, drive information corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs to move the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the generation of the drive information is based on the track information (Sakashita: ¶0060-0062, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm. Land on and stop. By the operation at the time point t0 to t3, at the time point t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is moved in the state in which the knee joints of the first leg and the second leg are refracted away from the obstacle. In the rear, the second wheel mechanism 16 is stopped in front of the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle. Next, during the period from time t3 to t5, as shown in FIG. 16, the horizontal position in the direction of the resultant force vector applied to the center of gravity (the center of the heel part 10) is the same as the moving speed from time t0 to time t3, etc. It is moved at a speed from the ground point of the first wheel mechanism 15 to the ground point of the second wheel mechanism 16. At this time, the thigh drive mechanisms 21 and 22 and the leg drive mechanisms 23 and 24 are controlled so that the center of gravity is not moved in the vertical direction, that is, the heel part 10 is maintained at a predetermined vertical position. Thereafter, as shown after time t5 in FIG. 15, the vehicle shifts to the monopod support traveling by the second wheel mechanism 16 in front of the obstacle (back side), and the first remaining behind the obstacle (front side). The wheel mechanism 15 and the first leg 13 rotate across the knee joint so as not to touch an obstacle by rotating the knee joint so as to kick the first wheel mechanism 15 backward. When the second wheel mechanism 16 moves until the first leg crosses the obstacle, the knee joint of the first leg is rotated so as to protrude forward.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the robot generates a trajectory for each leg and controls the legs such that they follow the trajectory in order to step over an obstacle.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the mobile apparatus control method taught in Hida with the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface, calculating, by the CPU, a movement range, corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface, based on the travel surface information wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period; and generating, by the CPU, drive information corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs to move the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the generation of the drive information is based on the track information taught in Sakashita with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because calculating the movement distance of the robot based on information regarding the environment it is travelling in is a necessary step in allowing the robot to continuously move in a complex environment (Sakashita: ¶0002, “There are various issues regarding symbiosis with human beings, but one of the major technical issues is that technology that can move freely in the living environment where humans live is not achieved. Can be mentioned. From the viewpoint of symbiosis in the same living environment, it is important that the robot should be able to move as long as it can move as long as the floor can be moved by a normal person. In other words, it is necessary to have not only a flat surface but also a function to move, straddle, or move up and down steps, slopes, obstacles, or stairs that can move an average person as much as a person. is there”).
Hida in view of Sakashita does not teach and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period;
and controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information.
Chen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information (Chen: ¶ 0037, “As shown in FIG1 , a wheel-leg type obstacle crossing mechanism includes a chassis 2 , an upper push rod 3 , a lower push rod 4 , a shock absorber 5 and a rocker arm 6 , and a wheel 1 is provided on the lower part of the chassis 2 .”, ¶ 0040 “As an embodiment of the present invention, when the wheel-leg obstacle-crossing mechanism moves to the right and encounters an obstacle 10, and the height of the obstacle 10 is greater than the radius of the wheel 1, the wheel 1 encounters a leftward resistance that prevents the wheel 1 from moving forward. When the wheel-leg obstacle-crossing mechanism starts to cross the obstacle, the wheel 1 is subjected to resistance, and the resistance is decomposed into two components, and the directions of the two components are the same as those of the shock absorber 5 and the rocker arm 6 respectively. Since the fixed end of the rocker arm 6 is fixedly connected to the wheel 1, and the lower end of the shock absorber 5 is hinged to the middle of the rocker arm 6, the force of the wheel 1 in the direction of the shock absorber 5 causes the lower end of the shock absorber 5 to lift upward, thereby driving the rocker arm 6 to lift, which not only achieves the effect of lifting the wheel 1, but also reduces the chance of damage to the chassis 2 through the hinge.”, ¶ 0046, “When overcoming obstacles, first make the wheel 1 close to the vertical obstacle 10, and then control the upper push rod 3 and the lower push rod 4 to perform the following steps in conjunction: the first step, as shown in Figure 4, lift the wheel 1 on one side so that the height of the wheel 1 exceeds the height of the vertical obstacle 10; the second step, as shown in Figure 5, drive the wheel-leg type obstacle overcoming mechanism forward, that is, continue to apply force to the wheel 1 to make it move forward, translate the lifted wheel 1 and press it on the top of the vertical obstacle 10, so that the wheel 1 on one side has completed the obstacle overcoming; the third step, as shown in Figure 6, lift the wheel 1 on the other side so that the height of the wheel 1 on the other side exceeds the height of the vertical obstacle 10; the fourth step, as shown in Figure 7, continue to drive the wheel-leg type obstacle overcoming mechanism, translate the lifted wheel 1 on the other side and press it on the top of the vertical obstacle 10, so that the wheel 1 on the other side has completed the obstacle overcoming.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the wheel-leg type robot disclosed is configured to overcome an obstacle by continuously driving the wheels into the obstacle and use the resistive force to raise the wheels up and over the obstacle. This clearly shows that the wheels on each leg is continuously driven without stopping.).
Hida in view of Sakashita teaches a moving apparatus control method, comprising: generating, by a central processing unit (CPU), control information to drive a leg wheel robot, wherein the leg wheel robot includes a plurality of legs, and leg of the plurality of legs includes a wheel at a leg tip; acquiring, by the CPU, travel surface information of the leg wheel robot; the leg wheel robot is configured to travel based on execution of alternate switch operation between a grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to a travel surface and a free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface, calculating, by the CPU, a movement range, corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to a travel surface, based on the travel surface information, wherein the movement range is calculated in the grounding period; generating, by the CPU, track information of each leg of the plurality of legs for to direct the leg wheel robot to travel with each leg of the plurality of legs grounded in the movement range; generating, by the CPU, drive information corresponding to each leg of the plurality of legs to move each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the generation of the drive information is based on the track information. Hida in view of Sakashita does not teach controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information. Chen teaches controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the moving apparatus control method taught in Hida in view of Sakashita with controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information taught in Chen. Furthermore, the moving apparatus control method taught in Hida in view of Sakashita is already configured with wheels at the tip of each leg that are driven by motors, so modifying these wheels to be continuously driven without stopping as taught in Chen would not change or introduce new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable result of a moving apparatus control method comprising: controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the moving apparatus control method taught in Hida in view of Sakashita with controlling, by the CPU, the drive of the leg wheel robot without a stop operation on the wheel of the each leg of the plurality of legs, wherein the controlling of the drive is based on the drive information taught in Chen with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen does not teach and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period.
Kobayashi, in the same field of endeavor, teaches and the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period (Kobayashi: ¶ 0017, “FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a four-legged mobile robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the four-legged mobile robot of FIG. 1 going up and down stairs. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numerals 1a and 1b denote hip joints connected in a straight line by a drive unit 2a, and extendable inner legs 3a and 3b are attached to the hip joints 1a and 1b, respectively. The inner legs 3a and 3b have telescopic legs 5 connected to fixed parts 4 so as to be capable of being extended and retracted, and the fixed parts 4 are fixed to the hip joints 1a and 1b.”, ¶ 0021, “3 and 4 show examples of the configuration of the lower ends of the legs 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d. Left and right ankle shafts 49 are provided on brackets 48 fixed to the legs 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d, and the feet 38 are rotatably attached to the ankle shafts 49. Furthermore, a running device 39 is provided on the front and rear sides of the foot 38 in the direction of rotation, and has two wheels 39a and 39b attached via wheel axles 40. The traveling device 39 may be a crawler. A drive shaft 50 is provided on each of the left and right ankle shafts 49, passing through the axial center of the ankle shaft 49 and rotatably supported, and the drive shaft 50 and the wheel shaft 40 are connected by a power transmission member 51 such as a belt or chain. Furthermore, one actuator 52 is provided for each of the legs 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , and 3 d , and a driven bevel gear 55 that meshes with a driving bevel gear 54 provided on a rotary shaft 53 of the actuator 52 is provided on the driving shaft 50 .”, ¶ 0022, “Furthermore, the foot 38 is provided with wheel restraining means 56 for restraining the rotation of the wheels 39a, 39b. The wheel restraining means 56 in FIG. 1 is a brake device 57 that restrains the rotation of the drive shaft 50 relative to the foot 38 . The wheel restraining means 56 may be a motor in addition to the brake device 57 .”, ¶ 0024, “As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the four legs 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d can walk on four legs by rotating independently around the hip joints 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d that are aligned in a straight line, driven by drive units 2a, 2b, 2c. Also, the robot can walk on two legs by rotating the inner legs 3a, 3b simultaneously and the outer legs 3c, 3d simultaneously.”, ¶ 0027, “In the two-legged walking mode of FIGS. 2 and 7, as shown in steps S1 to S3, the center of gravity is shifted as in walking with crutches to overcome steps or go up and down stairs, which may cause instability when the center of gravity is shifted. However, by providing the feet 38 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and by providing wheel restraining means 56 to restrain the rotation of the wheels 39a, 39b, stability provided by the feet 38 can be improved.”. The cited passages clearly teach a leg-wheel type robot that is configured to go up and down steps. The cited passages show that the robot is capable of using a braking mechanism to restrain the rotation of the wheels. As is clearly shown in ¶ 0027, the robot is configured to restrain the rotation of the wheels when climbing a set of stairs. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that when the rotations of the wheels are restrained when climbing the stairs, the wheels would also be restrained in a free leg period of the robot. Therefore, the cited passages clearly teach stopping the rotation of the wheels during a free leg period.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combined the moving apparatus control method taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen with the travel by rotation of the wheel is disabled in the free leg period taught in Kobayashi with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because by preventing travel by rotation of the wheel during a free period of the legs the stability of the robot can be improved (Kobayashi: ¶ 0027, “In the two-legged walking mode of FIGS. 2 and 7, as shown in steps S1 to S3, the center of gravity is shifted as in walking with crutches to overcome steps or go up and down stairs, which may cause instability when the center of gravity is shifted. However, by providing the feet 38 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and by providing wheel restraining means 56 to restrain the rotation of the wheels 39a, 39b, stability provided by the feet 38 can be improved.”).
Claim(s) 4-7 and 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2007190655 A ("Hida") in view of JP 2011255426 A ("Sakashita") in further view of CN 111361659 A ("Chen") in further view of JP 2005046950 A ("Kobayashi") in further view of US 11465281 B2 ("Whitman").
Regarding claim 4, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi does not teach wherein the CPU is further configured to calculate the movement range, for control of the travel of the leg wheel robot, based on a gait parameter.
Whitman, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to calculate the movement range, for control of the travel of the leg wheel robot based, on a gait parameter (Whitman: Column 17 line 61 – Column 18 line 2, “In some examples, there are constraints 240 on the timing and/or the position of liftoff/touchdown. Although the user 10 may specify that the solver 230 is able to adjust the timing of a touchdown/liftoff and/or a location of a touchdown/liftoff, these adjustments may include constraints 240 that identify a range or extent for these adjustments. For instance, a constraint 240 for the touchdown location is represented as a polygonal region where the polygonal region represents a legal touchdown area.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that the constraints defining the touchdown and liftoff timing would be a gait parameter. The time between a touchdown and liftoff would define the grounding period and the time between a liftoff and touch down would define a free leg period. Changing these constraints would then change the gait.).
The only difference between the prior art and the claimed invention is that the prior art does not combine the moving apparatus and the gait parameter into a single combine apparatus. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities to have combine the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi with the gait parameter taught in Whitman. Furthermore, the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi is already configured with the ability to walk using a plurality of legs, so incorporating a gait parameter would not change or incorporate new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The resulting combine apparatus would still yield the same predictable results.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi with the gait parameter taught in Whitman with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Regarding claim 5, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in view of Whitman does not teach wherein the gait parameter defines each of the grounding period in which the wheel at the leg tip is grounded to the travel surface to travel and the free leg period in which the wheel at the leg tip is separated from the travel surface, for the each of the legs of the leg wheel robot (Whitman: Column 17 line 61 – Column 18 line 2, “In some examples, there are constraints 240 on the timing and/or the position of liftoff/touchdown. Although the user 10 may specify that the solver 230 is able to adjust the timing of a touchdown/liftoff and/or a location of a touchdown/liftoff, these adjustments may include constraints 240 that identify a range or extent for these adjustments. For instance, a constraint 240 for the touchdown location is represented as a polygonal region where the polygonal region represents a legal touchdown area.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that the constraints defining the touchdown and liftoff timing would be a gait parameter. The time between a touchdown and liftoff would define the grounding period and the time between a liftoff and touch down would define a free leg period.).
Regarding claim 6, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to: calculate a target movement range corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs, for control of the travel of the leg wheel robot based on a specific target speed; correct the target movement range (Sakamoto: ¶0058, “Next, characteristic operations of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The two-legged type moving apparatus of the present embodiment is characterized by an operation over a convex obstacle existing on the floor surface. FIG. 15 is a side view showing continuously the operation of straddling an obstacle having a square cross section at a constant speed in the biped type moving apparatus according to the present invention.”, ¶0059, “First, as shown in FIG. 15, at time t0, as a straddling approach posture, the first and second leg knee joints are reverse knees in a monopod support in which the first wheel mechanism 15 is grounded. Is controlled to the first position. The operation from the time point t0 to the time point t3 starts from the state where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed in the first position by the monopod support, and then the second wheel mechanism 16, the second leg portion 14, and the second thigh portion 12 are operated. The second leg composed of is controlled to be lifted forward. Then, while controlling the second wheel mechanism 16 so as not to touch the obstacle after straddling the obstacle, gradually move the knee joint portion so that the second leg shifts from the reverse knee to the normal knee posture. Rotate.”, ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the robot is configured to move with its legs on the ground until it comes within 1 cm of the detected object. This process of stopping the robot approximately 1 cm from the detected object defines the movement range of the robot.),
determine, based on the travel surface information, that the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface in the target movement range; (Sakashita: ¶0058-0060. The cited paragraphs recite the process by which the robot is configured to step over an obstacle when it is detected in its travel path. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that this process involves using information on the travel surface (i.e. detecting if there is an object in the robot’s path) and a determination regarding if the robot can travel with its legs grounded (i.e. whether or not to step over the detected object).),
correct the target movement range in a case where the target movement range is not the movement range in which the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface (Sakashita: ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”. As can be seen from the cited passage, the controller is configured to stop the robot approximately 1 cm from an object when an object is detected in the robot’s travel path sand the robot is configured to travel grounded.).
Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi does not teach a specific gait parameter
Whitman, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a specific gait parameter (Whitman: Column 17 line 61 – Column 18 line 2, “In some examples, there are constraints 240 on the timing and/or the position of liftoff/touchdown. Although the user 10 may specify that the solver 230 is able to adjust the timing of a touchdown/liftoff and/or a location of a touchdown/liftoff, these adjustments may include constraints 240 that identify a range or extent for these adjustments. For instance, a constraint 240 for the touchdown location is represented as a polygonal region where the polygonal region represents a legal touchdown area.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that the constraints defining the touchdown and liftoff timing would be a gait parameter. The time between a touchdown and liftoff would define the grounding period and the time between a liftoff and touch down would define a free leg period. Changing these constraints would then change the gait.).
The only difference between the prior art and the claimed invention is that the prior art does not combine the moving apparatus and the gait parameter into a single combine apparatus. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities to have combine the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi with the gait parameter taught in Whitman. Furthermore, the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi is already configured with the ability to walk using a plurality of legs, so incorporating a gait parameter would not change or incorporate new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The resulting combine apparatus would still yield the same predictable results.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi with the gait parameter taught in Whitman with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Regarding claim 7, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in view of Whitman teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to; determine that the target movement range is not the movement range in the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs being grounded to the travel surface in a case where the target movement range is the travel surface which includes a plurality of stair surfaces having different heights; and correct the target movement range to the movement range in one stair surface of the plurality of stair surfaces (Hida: ¶0048, “Then, through steps S104 to S110, the width of the staircase and the actual coordinates of the nose portion are calculated based on the extracted feature points, and the landing position of the leg tip is calculated based on the calculated width of the staircase and the actual coordinates of the nose portion. Is determined.”, ¶0039, “Further, through steps S112 to S116, sensor signals are input from the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, respectively, and the distance to the kick plate and the positional relationship between the leg tip and the tread plate are calculated. Then, through steps S118 and S120, a motor command signal is generated based on the determined landing position and the calculated both distances, and the generated motor command signal is output to the drivers 44 and 54. As a result, the driving wheel 20 rotates and the rotary joints 14 to 18 are driven, and the leg-wheel type robot 100 gets over the stairs while keeping its posture properly.” Sakashita: ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”).
Hida teaches the robot configured to climb a set of stairs that is in its travel path. One of ordinary skill in the art would see that to accomplish this, the movement range would need to be restricted to each stair surface. Furthermore, Sakashita the robot configured to determine a travelling distance, which is the distance the robot can travel before stopping about 1 cm from the detected obstacle. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities to have combine the method of climbing stairs taught in Hida with the determination of a travel distance taught in Sakashita. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination of the two methods would not change the functionality of either or introduce new functionality. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, that the combination of element taught by Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches all of the limitations of claim 7.
Regarding claim 9, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches wherein the CPU is configured to: input a robot state based on first detection information of a state sensor, wherein the state sensor detects an internal state of the leg wheel robot; input external environment information based on second detection information of an environment sensor that detects environment information outside the leg wheel robot (Hida: ¶0022, “As shown in FIG. 3A, the obstacle sensors 34 and 36 can be configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic ranging sensors having low directivity in an array. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of infrared ranging sensors having high directivity can be arranged in an array. It is not limited to the configuration arranged in an array, and may be configured as a single unit. Moreover, you may comprise with the area sensor which arranged the ultrasonic ranging sensor or the infrared ranging sensor on the several plane. Thereby, the object which exists on the movement path | route of the leg wheel type robot 100 can be detected roughly.”, ¶0023, “Each leg 12 is provided with a posture sensor 84 that detects the posture of the front leg tip sensor 22 and a controller 86 that controls the motor 82 based on the detection result of the posture sensor 84.”, ¶0025, “The posture sensor 84 includes a gyroscope, an acceleration sensor, or both, and detects the inclination of the front leg tip sensor 22 with respect to the ground axis as the posture angle γ.”);
Determine, based on the robot state and the external environment information, that the leg wheel robot travels with the plurality of legs grounded to the travel surface in the target movement range (Hida: ¶0038, “If there are stairs on the moving path of the leg-wheel type robot 100, the horizontal plane laser light emitted from the horizontal laser 26 and the vertical plane laser lights emitted from the vertical lasers 28 and 30 are reflected by the stairs, and are reflected by the camera 32. Then, an image including the reflected light is taken. Next, through steps S100 and S102, an image captured by the camera 32 is captured, and feature points of stairs are extracted from the captured image. Then, through steps S104 to S110, the width of the staircase and the actual coordinates of the nose portion are calculated based on the extracted feature points, and the landing position of the leg tip is calculated based on the calculated width of the staircase and the actual coordinates of the nose portion. Is determined.”. As can be seen from the cited passage, the robot is configured to detect if there are stairs in its travel path, which would be a case where the legs cannot remain grounded during travel.).
Regarding claim 10, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to generate a track corresponding to the each leg of the plurality of legs of the leg wheel robot based on the movement range (Sakashita: ¶0059, “First, as shown in FIG. 15, at time t0, as a straddling approach posture, the first and second leg knee joints are reverse knees in a monopod support in which the first wheel mechanism 15 is grounded. Is controlled to the first position. The operation from the time point t0 to the time point t3 starts from the state where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed in the first position by the monopod support, and then the second wheel mechanism 16, the second leg portion 14, and the second thigh portion 12 are operated. The second leg composed of is controlled to be lifted forward. Then, while controlling the second wheel mechanism 16 so as not to touch the obstacle after straddling the obstacle, gradually move the knee joint portion so that the second leg shifts from the reverse knee to the normal knee posture. Rotate.”, ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, the robot is configured to move with its legs on the ground until it comes within 1 cm of the detected object. This distance is clearly based on the detection of an obstacle in the robot’s path of travel and the robot stopping about 1 cm from said object. This process of stopping the robot approximately 1 cm from the detected object defines the movement range of the robot and it clearly performed for all legs.).
Regarding claim 11, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to: refer to the movement range of the leg wheel robot; and generate the track of the each leg of the plurality of legs based on satisfaction of a condition that the wheel at the leg tip of the each leg of the plurality of legs is set in the movement range, and the wheel enables the movement based on the specific target speed (Sakashita: ¶0058, “Next, characteristic operations of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The two-legged type moving apparatus of the present embodiment is characterized by an operation over a convex obstacle existing on the floor surface. FIG. 15 is a side view showing continuously the operation of straddling an obstacle having a square cross section at a constant speed in the biped type moving apparatus according to the present invention.”, ¶0059, “First, as shown in FIG. 15, at time t0, as a straddling approach posture, the first and second leg knee joints are reverse knees in a monopod support in which the first wheel mechanism 15 is grounded. Is controlled to the first position. The operation from the time point t0 to the time point t3 starts from the state where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed in the first position by the monopod support, and then the second wheel mechanism 16, the second leg portion 14, and the second thigh portion 12 are operated. The second leg composed of is controlled to be lifted forward. Then, while controlling the second wheel mechanism 16 so as not to touch the obstacle after straddling the obstacle, gradually move the knee joint portion so that the second leg shifts from the reverse knee to the normal knee posture. Rotate.”, ¶0060, “At the time t3, the first wheel mechanism 15 is stopped approximately 1 cm before the obstacle so as not to touch the obstacle, and at the same time, the second wheel mechanism 16 is separated from the back of the obstacle by about 1 cm.”. The cited passages clearly show that the robot is configured to place each leg approximately 1 cm from both sides of the object and to move the legs with a set speed.).
Regarding claim 12, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to execute optimization processing of the track based on the application of nonlinear programming (Whitman: Column 19 lines 43-67, “FIG. 3 is an example arrangement of operations for a method 300 of dynamically planning at least one maneuver 210. At operation 302, the method 300 receives a maneuver 210 for the robot 100 and a current state 202 of the robot 100 where the maneuver 210 includes one or more movement events 212 for the robot 100 to perform. At operation 304, the method 300 transforms the maneuver 210 and the current state 202 of the robot 100 into a nonlinear optimization problem 222 where the nonlinear optimization problem 222 is configured to optimize an unknown force and an unknown position vector.”. The cited passage teaches optimizing the trajectory of a robot using a nonlinear optimizer.).
Regarding claim 13, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to execute optimization processing of the track by based on application of quadratic programming (QP), wherein the QP is a representative method of the optimization processing of the track based on nonlinear programming (Whitman: Column 13 lines 36-48, “Here if the solver 230 was trying to determine one of these terms (e.g., either the force or the position vector), the solver 230 would be able to utilize a quadratic program (QP) where the solution process would be linear.”, Column 16 lines 12-44, “In some implementations, the QP of the solver 230 is a cost function and some number of linear constraints. The solver 230 attempts to satisfy these cost constraints in order to achieve optimization for the problem 222. These cost constraints may be user specified at the maneuver 210, universal to the solver 230, and/or other settings controllable by an entity (e.g., the user 10).”. As can be seen from the cited passage quadratic programming can be used to optimize the trajectory of the robot in addition to using linear constraints.).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2007190655 A ("Hida") in view of JP 2011255426 A ("Sakashita") in further view of CN 111361659 A ("Chen") in further view of JP 2005046950 A ("Kobayashi") in further view of US 11465281 B2 ("Whitman") in further view of US 11774982 B2 ("Choi").
Regarding claim 8, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman teaches target movement ranges belongs to one stair surface (Hida: ¶0039, “Further, through steps S112 to S116, sensor signals are input from the leg tip sensors 22 and 24, respectively, and the distance to the kick plate and the positional relationship between the leg tip and the tread plate are calculated. Then, through steps S118 and S120, a motor command signal is generated based on the determined landing position and the calculated both distances, and the generated motor command signal is output to the drivers 44 and 54. As a result, the driving wheel 20 rotates and the rotary joints 14 to 18 are driven, and the leg-wheel type robot 100 gets over the stairs while keeping its posture properly. Depending on the situation, the stairs are avoided and stopped.”).
Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman does not teach wherein the CPU is further configured to correct a plurality of separated target movement ranges to the movement range based on a connection of the plurality of separated target movement ranges.
Choi, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the CPU is further configured to correct a plurality of separated target movement ranges to the movement range based on a connection of the plurality of separated target movement ranges (Choi: Column 26 lines 32-35, “At this time, if a plurality of open movement directions including the current travel direction exist, the moving robot 100 branches to operation S805, and may generate a node for the current position of the moving robot 100.”, Column 26 lines 41-44, “Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 8A again, if an open movement direction does not exist, the moving robot 100 may generate a node and add the generated node to the node group, in operation S809”, Column 27 lines 30-33, “As described above, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a node can be generated in real time while the moving robot 100 is moving, and a connection relationship between nodes can be accurately set.”. As can be seen from the cited passages, position nodes where the robot tis configured to move to are established on a map and then a connection relationship between the nodes is established.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi in further view of Whitman with wherein the CPU is further configured to correct a plurality of separated target movement ranges to the movement range based on a connection of the plurality of separated target movement ranges taught in Choi with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it allows for accurate information regarding the travel area and the trajectory between locations to be determined (Choi: Column 1 lines 39-42, “The moving robot is capable of moving by itself to move freely, and a plurality of sensors are provided to avoid obstacles, and the like while traveling, so that the moving robot can travel while avoiding obstacles.”, Column 1 lines 43-47, “In order to perform a set operation such as cleaning, it is necessary to accurately generate a map of traveling area, and accurately determine the current position of the moving robot on the map to move to a certain position in the traveling area.”).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2007190655 A ("Hida") in view of JP 2011255426 A ("Sakashita") in further view of CN 111361659 A ("Chen") in further view of JP 2005046950 A ("Kobayashi") in further view of US 20210331754 A1 ("Whitman '754").
Regarding claim 16, Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi teaches wherein the each leg of the plurality of legs includes a rotary joint and a linear motion joint (Kobayashi: ¶ 0017, “FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a four-legged mobile robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the four-legged mobile robot of FIG. 1 going up and down stairs. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numerals 1a and 1b denote hip joints connected in a straight line by a drive unit 2a, and extendable inner legs 3a and 3b are attached to the hip joints 1a and 1b, respectively. The inner legs 3a and 3b have telescopic legs 5 connected to fixed parts 4 so as to be capable of being extended and retracted, and the fixed parts 4 are fixed to the hip joints 1a and 1b.”, ¶ 0018, “A hip joint 1c is connected in a straight line to the hip joint 1a via a drive unit 2b, and an extendable outer leg 3c is attached to the end of the hip joint 1c. A hip joint 1d is connected in a straight line to the hip joint 1b via a drive unit 2c, and an extendable outer leg 3d is attached to the end of the hip joint 1d. The two outer legs 3c, 3d have fixed parts 6 fixed to the hip joints 1c, 1d, and extendable legs 7 connected to the fixed parts 6 so as to be extendable and retractable.” Chen: ¶ 0042, “The wheel-leg type obstacle crossing mechanism also includes a guide rod 7 and a linear bearing 8. The guide rod 7 is arranged on one side of the lower push rod 4. One end of the guide rod 7 is also connected to the hinged end of the rocker arm 6. The guide rod 7 is sleeved with a linear bearing 8. The guide rod 7 and the linear bearing 8 form a sliding pair for keeping the wheel 1 moving forward.”. Kobayashi teaches that the legs 5 and 7 are extendable and retractable, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that said legs would require a linear actuator. Chen teaches a linear actuator used to extend the legs.),
the rotary joint is above the linear motion joint in the each leg of the plurality of legs (Kobayashi: Figure 1, ¶ 0017, “FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a four-legged mobile robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the four-legged mobile robot of FIG. 1 going up and down stairs. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numerals 1a and 1b denote hip joints connected in a straight line by a drive unit 2a, and extendable inner legs 3a and 3b are attached to the hip joints 1a and 1b, respectively. The inner legs 3a and 3b have telescopic legs 5 connected to fixed parts 4 so as to be capable of being extended and retracted, and the fixed parts 4 are fixed to the hip joints 1a and 1b.”, ¶ 0018, “A hip joint 1c is connected in a straight line to the hip joint 1a via a drive unit 2b, and an extendable outer leg 3c is attached to the end of the hip joint 1c. A hip joint 1d is connected in a straight line to the hip joint 1b via a drive unit 2c, and an extendable outer leg 3d is attached to the end of the hip joint 1d. The two outer legs 3c, 3d have fixed parts 6 fixed to the hip joints 1c, 1d, and extendable legs 7 connected to the fixed parts 6 so as to be extendable and retractable.”. The cited passages clearly show that the rotary joints 1a-1d is above the extendable legs 7 and telescopic legs 5.),
the linear motion joint is configured to control a length of the each leg by extending and contracting a respective leg in a leg length direction based on the control information (Kobayashi: ¶ 0017, “FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a four-legged mobile robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the four-legged mobile robot of FIG. 1 going up and down stairs. In Figures 1 and 2, reference numerals 1a and 1b denote hip joints connected in a straight line by a drive unit 2a, and extendable inner legs 3a and 3b are attached to the hip joints 1a and 1b, respectively. The inner legs 3a and 3b have telescopic legs 5 connected to fixed parts 4 so as to be capable of being extended and retracted, and the fixed parts 4 are fixed to the hip joints 1a and 1b.”, ¶ 0018, “A hip joint 1c is connected in a straight line to the hip joint 1a via a drive unit 2b, and an extendable outer leg 3c is attached to the end of the hip joint 1c. A hip joint 1d is connected in a straight line to the hip joint 1b via a drive unit 2c, and an extendable outer leg 3d is attached to the end of the hip joint 1d. The two outer legs 3c, 3d have fixed parts 6 fixed to the hip joints 1c, 1d, and extendable legs 7 connected to the fixed parts 6 so as to be extendable and retractable.” Chen: ¶ 0042, “The wheel-leg type obstacle crossing mechanism also includes a guide rod 7 and a linear bearing 8. The guide rod 7 is arranged on one side of the lower push rod 4. One end of the guide rod 7 is also connected to the hinged end of the rocker arm 6. The guide rod 7 is sleeved with a linear bearing 8. The guide rod 7 and the linear bearing 8 form a sliding pair for keeping the wheel 1 moving forward.”).
Kobayashi teaches that the legs are extendable and retractable, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that said legs would require an actuator to extended and retract. Chen teaches a linear actuator used to extend the legs. As such, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to modify the legs of Kobayashi to use the linear actuator taught in Chen. Such a combination would have required the simple substitution for a known actuator for another according to known methods. Additionally, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the knowledge to implement a linear actuator in order to cause the extension and retraction of a portion of the robot. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the combination of Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi teaches the limitation wherein the each leg of the plurality of legs includes a rotary joint and a linear motion joint’.
Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi does not teach the rotary joint is a joint part configured to rotate in a front direction and a rear direction of the leg wheel robot, a horizontal direction of the leg wheel robot, and a right direction and a left direction of the leg wheel robot based on the control information.
Whitman ‘754, in the same field of endeavor, teaches the rotary joint is a joint part configured to rotate in a front direction and a rear direction of the leg wheel robot, a horizontal direction of the leg wheel robot, and a right direction and a left direction of the leg wheel robot based on the control information (Whitman ‘754: ¶ 0033, “Referring to FIG. 1A, the robot 100 includes a body 110 with locomotion based structures such as legs 120a-d coupled to the body 110 that enable the robot 100 to move about the environment 10. In some examples, each leg 120 is an articulable structure such that one or more joints J permit members 122 of the leg 120 to move. For instance, each leg 120 includes a hip joint J.sub.H coupling an upper member 122, 122u of the leg 120 to the body 110 and a knee joint J.sub.K coupling the upper member 122u of the leg 120 to a lower member 122.sub.L of the leg 120. For impact detection, the hip joint J.sub.H may be further broken down into abduction-adduction rotation of the hip joint J.sub.H designated as “J.sub.Hx” for occurring in a frontal plane of the robot 100 (i.e., a X-Z plane extending in directions of a x-direction axis A.sub.x and the z-direction axis A.sub.Z) and a flexion-extension rotation of the hip joint JH designated as “J.sub.Hy” for occurring in a sagittal plane of the robot 100 (i.e., a Y-Z plane extending in directions of a y-direction axis A.sub.Y and the z-direction axis A.sub.Z). Although FIG. 1A depicts a quadruped robot with four legs 120a-d, the robot 100 may include any number of legs or locomotive based structures (e.g., a biped or humanoid robot with two legs) that provide a means to traverse the terrain within the environment 10.”. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the hip joint taught in the cited passages allows for a rotation in the forward-backward direction (termed flexion-extension rotation) and in a left-right direction (termed abduction-adduction rotation)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine the moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi with the rotary joint is a joint part configured to rotate in a front direction and a rear direction of the leg wheel robot, a horizontal direction of the leg wheel robot, and a right direction and a left direction of the leg wheel robot based on the control information taught in Whitman ‘754 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because it would have required the simple substitution of one known rotary joint for another. The moving apparatus taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi already teaches a rotary joint that is placed above a linear actuator in each of the plurality of legs. Whitman ‘754 teaches that the rotary joint is rotatable in the forward-backward and left-right direction. As such, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to substitute the rotary joint taught in Hida in view of Sakashita in further view of Chen in further view of Kobayashi with the rotary joint taught in Whitman ‘754 according to known methods. Such a modification would not have changed or introduced new functionality to either. No inventive effort would have been required.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Noah W Stiebritz whose telephone number is (571)272-3414. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 7-5 EST.
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/N.W.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/TRUC M DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658