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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the amendments filed on 02/26/2026. Claims 1,13 and 16 are amended. Claims 1-20 are presently pending and examined.
Response to Arguments
Specification
Applicant’s amendments and accompanying arguments, see remarks, filed 02/26/2026, with respect to objections have been accepted. The objection to Specification has been withdrawn.
Prior Art Rejection
Applicant’s amendments and accompanying arguments, see remarks, filed 02/26/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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 De-Chang Cai CN117548370 (“Cai”).
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.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over David V Rotole et. al. US20180325031 (“Rotole”) in view of Timothy J. Kraus US20220226871 (“Kraus”) and De-Chang Cai CN117548370 (“Cai”).
As per Claim 1, and 16
Rotole discloses,
A system for automatically adjusting a crop crimping implement, comprising: (see at least [0030] systems and methods for controlling configurable (e.g., moveable) arrangements of a work vehicle (e.g., a windrower, a swather, a forest harvester, a hay-and-forage vehicle, and/or a mower conditioner)).
a crop crimping implement that crimps a target crop; (see at least [0050] crop material 136 may pass between the first and second conditioner rollers 148, 150 and the projections 147 may crimp, crush, or otherwise condition the crop material 136 (e.g., the stems of the crop material 136) as it passes between the rollers 148, 150).
Rotole does not disclose,
a first image sensor that collects image data indicative of a condition of the target crop that is crimped by the crop crimping implement in real-time;
a control module that receives the image data and generates crimp quality data indicative of a quality of a crimp applied to the target crop, the control module comprising:
a computer processor; and
memory that stores instructions configured to, when processed by the computer processor:
generate the crimp quality data for the target crop by classifying the image data based at least upon a shape, size, and color of the crimped target crop; and
determine adjustment data indicative of an adjustment to the crop crimping implement based at least upon the crimp quality data and a predetermined crimp quality threshold; and
one or more actuators that adjust the crop crimping implement based at least upon the adjustment data.
Kraus teaches,
a first image sensor that collects image data indicative of a condition of the target crop that is crimped by the crop crimping implement in real-time; (see at least [0034] the roller conditioner system 10 includes at least two cameras: (i) a first camera 56 having a field of view (FOV) 64 positioned to capture pre-conditioned crop imagery, and (ii) a second camera 58 having an FOV 66 positioned to capture post-conditioned crop imagery)
a control module that receives the image data and generates crimp quality data indicative of a quality of a crimp applied to the target crop, the control module comprising: (see at least [0023] In such implementations, the processor architecture may initially evaluate the post-conditioned crop images to determine whether the forage crop is presently conditioned in a non-optimal manner after processing by the roller conditioner system; e.g., due to an inadequate prevalence of longitudinal cracks or other ruptures in stems of the processed crop plants, due to an excessive occurrence of leaf separation or other damage within the post-conditioned crop images, or due to other visual indicia of crop under-conditioning or over-conditioning).
a computer processor; and memory that stores instructions configured to, when processed by the computer processor: (see at least [0026] the processor architecture 24 may iteratively adjust the width of the roll gap 16 when executing a roll gap auto-adjust process pursuant to computer-readable instructions or programming contained in a memory 28 accessible to the processor architecture 24, as described below in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4).
generate the crimp quality data for the target crop by classifying the image data based at least upon a shape, size, and color of the crimped target crop; [0023] In such implementations, the processor architecture may initially evaluate the post-conditioned crop images to determine whether the forage crop is presently conditioned in a non-optimal manner after processing by the roller conditioner system; e.g., due to an inadequate prevalence of longitudinal cracks or other ruptures in stems of the processed crop plants, due to an excessive occurrence of leaf separation or other damage within the post-conditioned crop images, or due to other visual indicia of crop under-conditioning or over-conditioning).
determine adjustment data indicative of an adjustment to the crop crimping implement based at least upon the crimp quality data and a predetermined crimp quality threshold; (see at least [0021] The pre-conditioned crop images are captured at a visually-sampled field location utilizing at least one camera, with the crop images suitably captured as frames of a live video feed or as still images (individual pictures), and [0023] If determining the forage crop is conditioned in a non-optimal manner, the processor architecture may then modify the roll gap width target to reduce the non-optimal conditioning of the forage crop).
one or more actuators that adjust the crop crimping implement based at least upon the adjustment data. (see at least Fig. 3, step 92 and [0042] the controller architecture 24 may transmit appropriate commands to the gap adjustment actuator 22 (FIG. 1) to adjust the vertical position of the upper conditioner roll 12, as appropriate, to bring the width of the roll gap 16 into alignment or harmony with the roll gap width target, and [0042] the controller architecture 24 may command the gap adjustment actuator 22 to adjust the roll gap width to be substantially equivalent to the roll gap width target within a permissible margin of error avoid repeated, excessively minor adjustments or flutter of the roll gap 16).according to the input specific area).
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle, Kraus teaches image based roll gap optimization for roller conditioner systems.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the image recognition based optimization as taught by Kraus, to aid in determining optimal roll gap width settings for a roller conditioner system and, in at least some instances, which automatically implement roll gap adjustments in accordance with determined optimal width settings (see at least [0020]).
Cai teaches,
generate the crimp quality data for the target crop by classifying the image data based at least upon a shape, size, and color of the crimped target crop; (see at least [Abstract] a quick processing method of agricultural waste, comprising a shape analysis sub-system for analyzing the shape of the crop; a quality analysis sub-system for analyzing the quality of the crops; a three-dimensional image reconstruction sub-system for carrying out three-dimensional modelling for the front and back images of the collected crops, and converting the two-dimensional plane image information into the three-dimensional image for electronic filing;… a sample marking sub-system for marking the picture of the crop and detecting the data set of the algorithm. The system combines multiple sub-systems to obtain the shape, quality and three-dimensional image of the crop
the three-dimensional image reconstruction subsystem comprises: an RPN network unit for inputting the two-dimensional image with the marking information to the neural network unit for training; the two-dimensional image with the marking information is the marked positive and negative colour image of the crop
a crop shape and posture prediction sub-unit for predicting the shape parameter and posture parameter of the grain in the three-dimensional space according to the input specific area).
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle, Kraus teaches image based roll gap optimization for roller conditioner systems and Cai teaches a comprehensive crop detection system comprising subsystems to analyze shape, size and color of the crop.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions taught by Kraus with the use of multiple subsystems to detect the shape, quality and size of the agricultural waste as taught by Cai, to obtain the shape, quality and three-dimensional image of crops, and combine with each subsystem to complete the comprehensive detection of crops([Abstract]).
As per Claim 2,
Rotole discloses,
the one or more actuators adjusting a distance between crimping rollers in a roller assembly of the crop-crimping implement (see at least [0054] The second conditioner roller 150 may be supported to move away from this neutral position (to a displaced position) to thereby increase the gap 152, [0054] the conditioning arrangement 146 may further include at least one biasing member 154 (shown schematically). The biasing member 154 may be of any suitable type, such as a mechanical spring, a hydraulic biasing member, etc., [0062] there may be at least one gap-adjustment actuator 175 that is configured for changing the gap 152 between the first and second conditioner rollers 148, 150.)
As per Claim 3,
Rotole discloses,
The one or more actuators further configured to adjust one or more of:
a speed of one or more of the crimping rollers in the roller assembly; (see at least [0076] the first sensors 186 may include a sensor that detects the angular speed or other related condition of the first and second conditioner rollers 148, 150).
a pressure exerted by the rollers on the target crop (see at least [0050] the conditioning arrangement 146 may comprise a conditioner roller and a member that opposes the conditioner roller, and crop material that passes between the roller and the opposing member are crimped, crushed, or otherwise conditioned by the pressure of the roller on the opposing member. In some embodiments represented in the Figures, the conditioning arrangement 146 includes a first conditioner roller 148 and a second conditioner roller 150.)
As per Claim 4,
Rotole discloses,
the one or more actuators further configured to adjust a speed of the crop-crimping implement. (see at least [0079] the sensor system 184 may include at least one fourth sensor 192. In some embodiments, the fourth sensor 192 may be operably coupled to the cutting arrangement 140 for detecting the cutting speed of the blades 142. In additional embodiments, the fourth sensor 192 may be operably coupled to the conveyor arrangement 144 for detecting the angular speed of the conveyor arrangement 144.
As per Claim 5,
Rotole discloses,
the first image sensor comprising a camera configured to generate the image data of the target crop after crimping by the roller crop crimping implement. ([0081] the sixth sensor 196 may detect conditions relating to the uncut crop material 136 (e.g., the type of crop being harvested, the density of the crop material 136, areas within the field that are particularly wet, areas that include weeds, areas that include obstacles, or other conditions).
As per Claim 6,
Rotole discloses,
the one or more actuators adjusting an amount of downward pressure applied to the target crop (see at least [0063] The bias-adjustment actuator 177 may be operably coupled to the biasing member 154, and may be configured for selectively varying the biasing force that the biasing member 154 provides (e.g. the biasing force provided to the second conditioner roller 150) at the neutral position).
As per Claim 7,
Rotole does not disclose,
the one or more actuators adjusting a shape of a crimping roller in the crop crimping implement.
Kraus teaches,
the one or more actuators adjusting a shape of a crimping roller in the crop crimping implement (see at least [0023] Other data inputs can also be considered in fine-tuning the roll gap width target in embodiments including, for example, the physical characteristics of the roller conditioner system (e.g., conditioner roll type)).
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches fine tuning the physical characteristics of the roller conditioner systems.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the change in shape as taught by Kraus, to aid in determining optimal roll gap width settings for a roller conditioner system and, in at least some instances, which automatically implement roll gap adjustments in accordance with determined optimal width settings (see at least [0020]).
As per Claim 8,
Rotole does not disclose,
the actuators adjusting a shape comprising extending or retracting a crimping edge of the crimping implement.
Kraus teaches,
the actuators adjusting a shape comprising extending or retracting a crimping edge of the crimping implement (see at least [0023] Other data inputs can also be considered in fine-tuning the roll gap width target in embodiments including, for example, the physical characteristics of the roller conditioner system (e.g., conditioner roll type), and [0024] the processor architecture may further enable automatic adjustment of the roll gap width to match the roll gap width target pending approval by an operator; or, instead, the processor architecture may display the roll gap width target to the operator, with the operator then manually or remotely adjusting the roll gap width of the roller conditioner system to match the roll gap width target as desired.
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches fine tuning the physical characteristics of the roller conditioner systems.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the change in shape as taught by Kraus, to aid in determining optimal roll gap width settings for a roller conditioner system and, in at least some instances, which automatically implement roll gap adjustments in accordance with determined optimal width settings (see at least [0020]).
As per Claim 9,
Rotole discloses,
system of claim 1, comprising a geolocation sensor that provides geolocation data (see at least [0080] the sensor system 184 may include a fifth sensor 194. The fifth sensor 194 may be configured to detect the actual (current) location of the windrower 100 within a field of crop material 136. In some embodiments, the fifth sensor 194 may also detect the travel direction of the windrower 100 as it moves through the field. For example, the sensor system 184 may automatically detect the geolocation of the windrower 100, for example, by communicating with a global positioning system (GPS) of a known type)
the control module using the geolocation data to determine a position of an escape (see at least [0030] The system may detect and record the position of the components, and this data may be associated with other data (e.g., location of the work vehicle within the field, geolocation, crop type, time of season, weather conditions, etc.) to thereby generate an informative record of the crop material processing operation.)
Rotole does not disclose,
the escape indicative of a portion of the target crop that did not meet the predetermined crimp quality threshold.
Kraus teaches,
the escape indicative of a portion of the target crop that did not meet the predetermined crimp quality threshold (see at least [0023] the processor architecture may initially evaluate the post-conditioned crop images to determine whether the forage crop is presently conditioned in a non-optimal manner after processing by the roller conditioner system, and [0023] If determining the forage crop is conditioned in a non-optimal manner, the processor architecture may then modify the roll gap width target to reduce the non-optimal conditioning of the forage crop)
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches measuring quality of the conditioning.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the evaluation of images to determine quality as taught by Kraus, to aid in determining optimal roll gap width settings for a roller conditioner system and, in at least some instances, which automatically implement roll gap adjustments in accordance with determined optimal width settings (see at least [0020]).
As per Claim 10,
Rotole discloses,
The system of claim 1, comprising a user interface (UI) that displays one or more of (see at least [0082] The user interface 360 may be disposed substantially within the operator compartment 108 (FIG. 1) of the tractor 102. Generally, the user interface 360 may include at least one input device 364 with which the user may input a user command. The user interface 360 may also include an output device, such as a display 362, which outputs feedback and other information to the user, and [0104] The initially-selected preset may be referred to as a “baseline preset.” The operator may subsequently re-position the implement “manually” using the user interface 360 (e.g., because of the current conditions of the crop material). The system may detect this adjustment and, in some embodiments, the user interface 360 may query the operator whether to update the baseline preset)
Rotole does not disclose,
escape quality report;
escape distribution; and
a prescription for remediating the escapes.
Kraus teaches,
escape quality report;
escape distribution; and
a prescription for remediating the escapes. (see at least Fig. 5, and [0024] In other instances, the processor architecture may convey the newly-calculated roll gap width target to the operator in some manner, such as by visual presentation (e.g., as a numerical readout) on a display device located in the cabin of the agricultural vehicle (e.g., a tractor or windrower) utilized to propel the roller conditioner system)
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches image based roll gap optimization for roller conditioner systems.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the image recognition based optimization as taught by Kraus, to aid in determining optimal roll gap width settings for a roller conditioner system and, in at least some instances, which automatically implement roll gap adjustments in accordance with determined optimal width settings (see at least [0020]).
As per Claim 11,
Rotole discloses,
comprising a second image sensor that generates image data of a pre-crimped target crop indicative of the target crop prior to crimping (see at least [0081] the sixth sensor 196 may detect conditions relating to the uncut crop material 136 (e.g., the type of crop being harvested, the density of the crop material 136, areas within the field that are particularly wet, areas that include weeds, areas that include obstacles, or other conditions)
the control module using the image data of the pre-crimped target crop to generate the crimp quality data and determine the adjustment data (see at least [0096] The sensor system 184 may continuously provide feedback as to the current position of the implements. The method 400 may loop back to decision block 404 until the target position of the implements is approximately equal to the current position of the implements, and [0096] In some embodiments, at 404, the processor 202 may compare the detected position of the implements to the target position commanded at 402. If the target position is not substantially equal to the current position, then the processor 202 may generate a positioning control signal to the actuator system 174 for actuating the implement(s).
As per Claim 12,
Rotole discloses,
system of claim 11, the image data of a pre-crimped target crop indicative of one or more of:
target crop condition, and target crop type (see at least [0081] the sixth sensor 196 may detect conditions relating to the uncut crop material 136 (e.g., the type of crop being harvested, the density of the crop material 136, areas within the field that are particularly wet, areas that include weeds, areas that include obstacles, or other conditions).
As per Claim 13,
Rotole does not disclose,
The system of claim 11, the image data from the first image sensor data compared with the image data of the second image sensor to identify an amount of crimping applied by the crimping implement.
Kraus teaches,
the image data from the first image sensor data compared with the image data of the second image sensor to identify an amount of crimping applied by the crimping implement (see at least [0021] The pre-conditioned crop images are captured at a visually-sampled field location utilizing at least one camera, with the crop images suitably captured as frames of a live video feed or as still images (individual pictures), [0023] the processor architecture may further receive post-conditioned crop images (that is, imagery of crop plants after passage through the roller conditioner system) and visually analyze the post-conditioned crop images to evaluate the performance of the roller conditioner system and perform fine-tuning of the roll gap width target. In such implementations, the processor architecture may initially evaluate the post-conditioned crop images to determine whether the forage crop is presently conditioned in a non-optimal manner after processing by the roller conditioner system; e.g., due to an inadequate prevalence of longitudinal cracks or other ruptures in stems of the processed crop plants, due to an excessive occurrence of leaf separation or other damage within the post-conditioned crop images, or due to other visual indicia of crop under-conditioning or over-conditioning, and [0023] If determining the forage crop is conditioned in a non-optimal manner, the processor architecture may then modify the roll gap width target to reduce the non-optimal conditioning of the forage crop.
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches visual isolation techniques for recognizing patterns, landmarks, and the outlines of objects within images.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the image recognition based modification of the roll gap as taught by Kraus, to determine the roll gap width target based, at least in principal part, on a proportional relationship between the roll gap width target and the average stem thickness or mean diameter of the crop plants established via visual analysis of the pre-conditioned crop images [0040].
As per Claim 14,
Rotole discloses,
system of claim 1, comprising a user interface (UI) that displays one or more of: (see at least [0035] the system may provide a user interface. Using the interface, the user may input a command to move a component to a predetermined position, and [0082] The user interface 360 may also include an output device, such as a display 362, which outputs feedback and other information to the user).
crimping performance;
state of crimping implement; (see at least [0035] In some embodiments, the system may detect the current settings of the conditioning arrangement and/or the windrowing arrangement. Then, with the user interface, the system may query the operator whether to reconfigure the arrangement(s) according to preset (predetermined) settings).
changes to the crimping implement (see at least [0082] The user interface 360 may be disposed substantially within the operator compartment 108 (FIG. 1) of the tractor 102. Generally, the user interface 360 may include at least one input device 364 with which the user may input a user command. The user interface 360 may also include an output device, such as a display 362, which outputs feedback and other information to the user, and [0104] The initially-selected preset may be referred to as a “baseline preset.” The operator may subsequently re-position the implement “manually” using the user interface 360 (e.g., because of the current conditions of the crop material). The system may detect this adjustment and, in some embodiments, the user interface 360 may query the operator whether to update the baseline preset).
As per Claim 15,
Rotole does not disclose,
system of claim 1, the stored instructions further configured to perform a multi-layered image classification of images generated by the image sensor based at least on deep convolutional neural network training of a classifier
Kraus teaches,
system of claim 1, the stored instructions further configured to perform a multi-layered image classification of images generated by the image sensor based at least on deep convolutional neural network training of a classifier (see at least [0022] two dimensional images can be utilized to reliably measure the crop step thicknesses or diameters, providing that such crop stems are adequately visible within the captured images. In embodiments, the processor architecture may also transmit the crop images to a network-connected server, which then analyzes the pre-conditioned crop images (e.g., utilizing a neural network), and [0040] visual isolation techniques are known in various contexts for recognizing patterns, landmarks, and the outlines of objects within images; and can be applied utilizing a neural network in embodiments. The processor architecture 24 may then visually measure and average diameters of the isolated stems to calculate the average stem diameter)
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches visual isolation techniques for recognizing patterns, landmarks, and the outlines of objects within images.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the image recognition based optimization as taught by Kraus, to determine the roll gap width target based, at least in principal part, on a proportional relationship between the roll gap width target and the average stem thickness or mean diameter of the crop plants established via visual analysis of the pre-conditioned crop images [0040].
As per Claim 17,
Rotole discloses,
using the one or more actuators to adjust the crop crimping implement comprising one or more of:
adjusting a distance between crimping rollers in a roller assembly of the crop-crimping implement (see at least [0007] the method includes changing, with an actuator, a variable parameter of the conditioning roller according to the conditioning control signal, and [0009] the second harvesting operation includes changing, with a first actuator, the dimension of the gap at the neutral position according to the stored conditioning setting).
adjusting an amount of downward pressure applied to the target crop; (see at least [0009] Also, the second harvesting operation includes changing, with a second actuator, the amount of biasing force according to the stored conditioning setting, and [0063] The bias-adjustment actuator 177 may be operably coupled to the biasing member 154, and may be configured for selectively varying the biasing force that the biasing member 154 provides (e.g., the biasing force provided to the second conditioner roller 150) at the neutral position).
adjusting a shape of a crimping roller in the crop crimping implement.
As per Claim 18
Rotole discloses,
comprising using a geolocation sensor to provide geolocation data, wherein the control module uses the geolocation data to determine a position of an escape, wherein the escape is indicative of a portion of the target crop that did not meet the predetermined crimp quality threshold (see at least [0009] the first harvesting operation includes detecting, with a location sensor, a location within the field at which the conditioning arrangement is set at the actual gap setting and the actual bias setting, and [0030] The system may detect and record the position of the components, and this data may be associated with other data (e.g., location of the work vehicle within the field, geolocation, crop type, time of season, weather conditions, etc.) to thereby generate an informative record of the crop material processing operation).
As per Claim 19,
Rotole discloses,
comprising using a user interface (UI) to display one or more of: (see at least [0082] The user interface 360 may be disposed substantially within the operator compartment 108 (FIG. 1) of the tractor 102. Generally, the user interface 360 may include at least one input device 364 with which the user may input a user command. The user interface 360 may also include an output device, such as a display 362, which outputs feedback and other information to the user, and [0104] The initially-selected preset may be referred to as a “baseline preset.” The operator may subsequently re-position the implement “manually” using the user interface 360 (e.g., because of the current conditions of the crop material). The system may detect this adjustment and, in some embodiments, the user interface 360 may query the operator whether to update the baseline preset.
Rotole does not disclose,
to display one or more of: escape quality report;
escape distribution; and
a prescription for remediating the escapes.
Kraus teaches,
to display one or more of: escape quality report; (see at least [0023] the processor architecture may further receive post-conditioned crop images (that is, imagery of crop plants after passage through the roller conditioner system) and visually analyze the post-conditioned crop images to evaluate the performance of the roller conditioner system and perform fine-tuning of the roll gap width target).
escape distribution; and
a prescription for remediating the escapes (see at least [0022] the processor architecture may also transmit the crop images to a network-connected server, which then analyzes the pre-conditioned crop images (e.g., utilizing a neural network) and returns (via transmission of a reply message over the network) an optimal roll gap width setting, and [0023] If determining the forage crop is conditioned in a non-optimal manner, the processor architecture may then modify the roll gap width target to reduce the non-optimal conditioning of the forage crop. Specifically, the processor architecture may decrease the roll gap width target if determining that the roller conditioner system is presently under-conditioning the processed crop plants; or, conversely, increase the roll gap width target if determining that the roller conditioner system is presently over-conditioning the processed crop plants).
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches visually analyzing the post-conditioned crop image.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the performance evaluation taught by Kraus, to deliver an optimal roll gap width setting, as discussed below in connection with FIG. 5 [0022].
Claims 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over “Rotole” in view of “Kraus”.
As per Claim 20,
Rotole discloses,
system for automatically adjusting a crop crimping implement, comprising:
a crop crimping implement configured to merely crimp a target crop to termination (see at least [0030] systems and methods for controlling configurable (e.g., moveable) arrangements of a work vehicle (e.g., a windrower, a swather, a forest harvester, a hay-and-forage vehicle, and/or a mower conditioner), and [0050] crop material 136 may pass between the first and second conditioner rollers 148, 150 and the projections 147 may crimp, crush, or otherwise condition the crop material 136 (e.g., the stems of the crop material 136) as it passes between the rollers 148, 150.)
a second image sensor that collects pre-crimp image data indicative of a pre-crimp condition of the target crop prior to crop crimping; (see at least [0081] the sixth sensor 196 may detect conditions relating to the uncut crop material 136 (e.g., the type of crop being harvested, the density of the crop material 136, areas within the field that are particularly wet, areas that include weeds, areas that include obstacles, or other conditions)
and an amount of downward pressure applied to the crimping implement (see at least [0009] Also, the second harvesting operation includes changing, with a second actuator, the amount of biasing force according to the stored conditioning setting, and [0063] The bias-adjustment actuator 177 may be operably coupled to the biasing member 154, and may be configured for selectively varying the biasing force that the biasing member 154 provides (e.g., the biasing force provided to the second conditioner roller 150) at the neutral position)
Rotole does not disclose,
a first image sensor that collects post-crimp image data indicative of a crimp condition of a target crop crimped by the crop crimping implement in real-time;
a control module that receives the post-crimp and pre-crimp image data and generates crimp quality data indicative of a quality of the crimp applied to the target crop,
the control module comprising: a computer processor; and memory that stores instructions configured to, when processed by the computer processor generate the crimp quality data for the target crop by classifying the image data based at least upon one or more of shape, size, and color; and
determine adjustment data indicative of an adjustment to the crop crimping implement based at least upon the crimp quality data and a predetermined crimp quality threshold, the predetermined crimp quality threshold between a cut crop and a standing crop; and
one or more actuators that adjust the crop crimping implement based at least upon the adjustment data, the one or more actuators adjusting one or more of a crimping implement shape,
Kraus teaches,
a first image sensor that collects post-crimp image data indicative of a crimp condition of a target crop crimped by the crop crimping implement in real-time (see at least [0034] the roller conditioner system 10 includes at least two cameras: (i) a first camera 56 having a field of view (FOV) 64 positioned to capture pre-conditioned crop imagery, and (ii) a second camera 58 having an FOV 66 positioned to capture post-conditioned crop imagery)
a control module that receives the post-crimp and pre-crimp image data and generates crimp quality data indicative of a quality of the crimp applied to the target crop (see at least [0021] The pre-conditioned crop images are captured at a visually-sampled field location utilizing at least one camera, with the crop images suitably captured as frames of a live video feed or as still images (individual pictures), and [0023] the processor architecture may further receive post-conditioned crop images (that is, imagery of crop plants after passage through the roller conditioner system) and visually analyze the post-conditioned crop images to evaluate the performance of the roller conditioner system and perform fine-tuning of the roll gap width target.)
the control module comprising: a computer processor; (see at least memory that stores instructions configured to, when processed by the computer processor: generate the crimp quality data for the target crop by classifying the image data based at least upon one or more of shape, size, and color; (see at least [0023] the processor architecture may initially evaluate the post-conditioned crop images to determine whether the forage crop is presently conditioned in a non-optimal manner after processing by the roller conditioner system; e.g., due to an inadequate prevalence of longitudinal cracks or other ruptures in stems of the processed crop plants, due to an excessive occurrence of leaf separation or other damage within the post-conditioned crop images, or due to other visual indicia of crop under-conditioning or over-conditioning.)
determine adjustment data indicative of an adjustment to the crop crimping implement based at least upon the crimp quality data and a predetermined crimp quality threshold, the predetermined crimp quality threshold between a cut crop and a standing crop; (see at least [0023] If determining the forage crop is conditioned in a non-optimal manner, the processor architecture may then modify the roll gap width target to reduce the non-optimal conditioning of the forage crop).
one or more actuators that adjust the crop crimping implement based at least upon the adjustment data, the one or more actuators adjusting one or more of a crimping implement shape (see at least [0023] Other data inputs can also be considered in fine-tuning the roll gap width target in embodiments including, for example, the physical characteristics of the roller conditioner system (e.g., conditioner roll type)).
Thus, Rotole discloses a control system for adjusting conditioning rollers of work vehicle and Kraus teaches image based roll gap optimization for roller conditioner systems.
As a result, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the inventions as disclosed by Rotole with the image recognition based optimization as taught by Kraus, to aid in determining optimal roll gap width settings for a roller conditioner system and, in at least some instances, which automatically implement roll gap adjustments in accordance with determined optimal width settings (see at least [0020].
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.
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/A.P./Examiner, Art Unit 3668
/Fadey S. Jabr/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3668
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