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 .
This is a Non-Final rejection on the merits of this application. Claims 1-9 are pending and addressed below.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
1. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/08/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant’s amendments/arguments filed 05/08/2025 with respect to 35 USC 103,
have been fully considered but moot because the arguments do not apply to the combination of references and/or rationale being used in the current rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
4. Claims 1-4 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuwahara et al. (US 20190143514, hereinafter Kuwahara) in view of Izawa et al. (US 20070145027, hereinafter Izawa) and in view of Shimodaira et al. (US 20180250823, hereinafter Shimodaira) and further in view of Takeda (US 20200070281, hereinafter Takeda).
Regarding claim 1, Kuwahara teaches an offline teaching device (see at least Fig. 1) comprising: a memory; and a processor (see at least [0055]: “The computer includes circuitry (central processing unit, CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), and input-output ports.”) configured to:
receive an operator operation (see at least [0066]: “The generation part 11d generates the first teaching information 12b, which specifies motions of the examination robot 20C, based on the motion path TR2 (see FIG. 2C) determined by the determination part 11c. Then, the generation part 11d causes the storage 12 to store the generated first teaching information 12b. In response to, for example, an input operation performed by a worker, the outputting part 11e outputs the first teaching information 12b stored in the storage 12 to the robot controller 30 connected to the examination robot 20C.”);
acquire three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece produced by welding, an operation trajectory of the welding (see at least [0024]: “A teaching method according to this embodiment will be outlined by referring to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 outlines the teaching method according to this embodiment. In the following description, welding work is performed as an example of work performed on a workpiece W, and a welding trace (bead trace) left as a result of welding work is examined. Another possible example of the work performed on the workpiece W is to change roughness of the surface of the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to form a groove on the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to draw a picture on the workpiece W.”; [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0036]: “First, a case where second teaching information is used as result information will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the second teaching information obtained by the teaching apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1) is information corresponding to the motion path, TR1, of the work robot 20W. The motion path (work path) TR1 is a path taken by a representative point set on the work robot 20W (an example representative point is the leading end of the work robot 20W).”), and a scanning range of a sensor configured to scan an appearance shape of the workpiece (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”);
generate at least one three-dimensional region of an inspection area based on the acquired scanning range and a scanning section, which is an area to be scanned by the sensor, the at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor (see at least [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; Fig. 2C and [0043]: “As seen from FIG. 2C, the examination sections and the sections ON1 to ON4 do not overlap. This is because the examination device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the work tool 200 are different from each other in shape. Based on the difference in shape, the teaching apparatus 10 generates examination-use paths such that the work regions WR1 to WR4 are included in the examinable range 101 (see FIG. 1).”); and
dispose at least one of the three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece based on the operator operation, and create and output, to a robot, a teaching program for scanning the at least one three-dimensional region based on the at least one three-dimensional region and the operation trajectory of the welding (see at least Fig. 1 and [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0028]: “In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W are the same type of robots 20, and the same type of robot controllers 30 are used to control motions of the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W. This configuration, however, is not intended in a limiting sense. Another possible embodiment is that the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W are different types of robots, and the robot controllers 30 are different types of robot controllers.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”),
wherein the processor determines a portion of the at least one three-dimensional region is scannable based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the scanning range (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach outputting, to a welding robot that performs the welding, a program for scanning the three-dimensional region.
However, Izawa teaches a system and method for using a working robot to do a welding operation that comprises outputting, to a welding robot that performs a welding, a program for scanning a three-dimensional region (see at least Fig. 1 and [0045]: “The laser sensor head 17 detects the shape of a region including the welding point on the work W, by means of laser. The laser sensor head 17 is attached to an outer surface of the welding torch 16. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 is attached on a side of the welding torch 16 along a direction of welding (Direction X). The laser sensor head 17 applies a laser beam to the work W, receives a reflected beam, and thereby detects the shape of the work W as two-dimensional information. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 scans in Direction Y, as the welding torch 16 moves in the Direction X in FIG. 2, at a predetermined timing (at a predetermined pitch in Direction X), whereby the laser sensor head 17 detects an outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane, at each of the scanning point. For example, at a scanning point X1, the sensor head outputs a square pulse signal representing the outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane. The work W shape information detected by the laser sensor head 17 is fed to the sensor controller 20.”; [0047]: “The personal computer 30 generates instruction-point data, based on the coordinate information about the welding points of the welding torch 16 sent from the sensor controller 20, and gives the generated data to the robot controller 40. The "instruction-point data" is coordinate information which defines a path for the welding torch 16 to move on, with a plurality of three-dimensional points and an attitude of the welding torch 16 at each of the points.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Izawa and provide a means to output, to a welding robot that performs a welding, a program for scanning a three-dimensional region, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to utilize a same robot to scan and weld to simplify a set up and minimize cost of having multiple robots.
The combination of Kuwahara and Izawa fails to explicitly teach displaying on a screen the at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece, wherein the at least one three-dimensional region that is displayed is movable or rotatable on the screen based on the operator operation.
However, Shimodaira teaches an apparatus and method for controlling a robot that display on a screen at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by a sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece, wherein the at least one three-dimensional region that is displayed is movable or rotatable on the screen based on the operator operation (see at least Figs. 1-2 and [0229]: “The three-dimensional shape data may be generated on the sensor unit side. In this case, an image processing IC or the like realizing a function of generating three-dimensional shape data is provided on the sensor unit side. Alternatively, there may be a configuration in which three-dimensional shape data is not generated by the robot setting apparatus side, and the robot setting apparatus performs image processing on an image captured by the sensor unit side so as to generate three-dimensional shape data such as a three-dimensional image.”; [0233]: “The display unit 3 is a member for displaying a three-dimensional shape of a workpiece acquired in the robot setting apparatus 100 or checking various settings or an operation state, and may employ a liquid crystal monitor, an organic EL display, or a CRT.”; [0253]: “The positioning portion 8c is a member for adjusting a position and an attitude of a workpiece model displayed on the display unit 3 in a virtual three-dimensional space.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara and Izawa to incorporate the teachings of Shimodaira and provide a means to display on a screen at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by a sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece, wherein the at least one three-dimensional region that is displayed is movable or rotatable on the screen based on the operator operation, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a visualization to the user of the workpiece and region.
The combination of Kuwahara, Izawa, and Shimodaira fails to explicitly teach determining whether a portion of the at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the scanning range, and displays a result of the determination on the screen.
However, Takeda teaches an apparatus and method for a laser machining which performs teaching for a laser machining system that determines whether a portion of at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on an operation trajectory of a welding and a scanning range (see at least [0073]: “However, if the welding point is outside of the operation range of the scanner 50 during operation, as described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B, and the laser machining system 100 performs an emergency stop, the operation program cannot be executed until the end, whereby the deviation amount of the execution time cannot be acquired. In this case, a provisional deviation amount of the execution time is assumed, and the operation programs of the robot 10 and the scanner 50 are produced so as to correct this deviation amount. However, if the assumed deviation amount is not appropriate, it will become necessary to repeat the operation on the actual machine while correcting the deviation amount many times.”), and displays a result of the determination on the screen (see at least Figs. 18-19 and [0079]: “The GUI 300 displays information related to the results of the operation program generation process and enables an operator to designate various conditions of the operation program generation process.”; [0083]: “The portions displayed in the first color 322c in the color bar 322 represent the welding periods during which welding is performed, and the portions displayed in the second color 322d in the color bar 322 represent the non-welding periods during which welding is not performed.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara, Izawa, and Shimodaira to incorporate the teachings of Takeda and provide a means to determine whether a portion of at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on an operation trajectory of a welding and a scanning range, and displays a result of the determination on the screen, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow the system to recognize when a region is outside the operation range of the scanner and make necessary corrections.
Regarding claim 2, modified Kuwahara teaches the limitations of claim 1. Kuwahara further teaches wherein the processor creates the teaching program based on the at least one three-dimensional region, the operation trajectory of the welding, and operation information of the welding robot that performs the welding, which is associated with the three-dimensional shape data (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”).
Regarding claim 3, modified Kuwahara teaches the limitations of claim 2. Kuwahara further teaches wherein the processor generates, based on the operation information, various operations of the welding robot for the workpiece and a scanning operation for each of the at least one three-dimensional region executed by the robot, and generates the teaching program by associating the various operations with the scanning operation corresponding to each of the at least one generated three-dimensional region (see at least Fig. 2A and [0038]: “In FIG. 2A, suffixes 1 to 4 are added to the end of “WR” of the work region WR on the workpiece W. The suffixes indicate the order in which the welding work proceeds. Similarly, suffixes 1 to 4 are added to the end of “ON” of the sections ON so that sections ON1 to ON4 respectively correspond to the work regions WR1 to WR4. Suffixes 1 to 3 are added to the end of “OFF” of the sections OFF (sections OFF1 to OFF3), the suffixes indicating the order in which the sections OFF are passed. Each of the work regions WR includes a three-dimensional shape such as a bead trace.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach a scanning operation executed by the welding robot
However, Izawa teaches a system and method for using a working robot to do a welding operation that comprises a scanning operation executed by a welding robot (see at least Fig. 1 and [0045]: “The laser sensor head 17 detects the shape of a region including the welding point on the work W, by means of laser. The laser sensor head 17 is attached to an outer surface of the welding torch 16. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 is attached on a side of the welding torch 16 along a direction of welding (Direction X). The laser sensor head 17 applies a laser beam to the work W, receives a reflected beam, and thereby detects the shape of the work W as two-dimensional information. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 scans in Direction Y, as the welding torch 16 moves in the Direction X in FIG. 2, at a predetermined timing (at a predetermined pitch in Direction X), whereby the laser sensor head 17 detects an outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane, at each of the scanning point. For example, at a scanning point X1, the sensor head outputs a square pulse signal representing the outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane. The work W shape information detected by the laser sensor head 17 is fed to the sensor controller 20.”; [0047]: “The personal computer 30 generates instruction-point data, based on the coordinate information about the welding points of the welding torch 16 sent from the sensor controller 20, and gives the generated data to the robot controller 40. The "instruction-point data" is coordinate information which defines a path for the welding torch 16 to move on, with a plurality of three-dimensional points and an attitude of the welding torch 16 at each of the points.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Izawa and provide a means to scan operation executed by a welding robot, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to utilize a same robot to scan and weld to simplify a set up and minimize cost of having multiple robots.
Regarding claim 4, Kuwahara teaches the limitations of claim 1. Kuwahara further teaches wherein the processor extracts a welding line of the welding associated with the three-dimensional shape data, and creates and outputs the teaching program in which the welding line included in the at least one three-dimensional region is set as a scanning portion of the sensor (see at least [0024]: “A teaching method according to this embodiment will be outlined by referring to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 outlines the teaching method according to this embodiment. In the following description, welding work is performed as an example of work performed on a workpiece W, and a welding trace (bead trace) left as a result of welding work is examined. Another possible example of the work performed on the workpiece W is to change roughness of the surface of the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to form a groove on the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to draw a picture on the workpiece W.”; [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”).
Regarding claim 7, modified Kuwahara teaches the limitations of claim 1. Kuwahara further teaches wherein the at least one three-dimensional region is a plurality of three-dimensional regions (see at least [0043]: “As seen from FIG. 2C, the examination sections and the sections ON1 to ON4 do not overlap. This is because the examination device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the work tool 200 are different from each other in shape. Based on the difference in shape, the teaching apparatus 10 generates examination-use paths such that the work regions WR1 to WR4 are included in the examinable range 101 (see FIG. 1).”),
the processor disposes a plurality of divided three-dimensional regions (see at least [0034]: “Specifically, in the case where second teaching information is used as result information, the work region WR is obtained indirectly from the motion path of the work robot 20W. In the case where shape information indicating a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W including the work regions WR on the workpiece W is directly obtainable, the shape information may be used as result information.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”), and
the processor creates the teaching program for scanning the at least one three-dimensional region based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the at least one three-dimensional region among all the three-dimensional regions (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach dividing the region based on the operator operation.
However, Takeda teaches an apparatus and method for a laser machining which performs teaching for a laser machining system that divides a region based on an operation (see at least Fig. 4 and [0044]: “FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the welding point group determination process performed in step S2. Below, grouping is performed on a welding point group G0 as shown on the left side of FIG. 6 as an example. First, in step S21, the welding point group G0 is grouped into provisional welding point groups. A single group defines a plurality of welding points on which welding is performed while the robot 10 is operated by a single operation command. In the single group, the robot 10 is operated by the single operation command, and while the scanner 50 performs a scanning operation, each welding point belonging to the group is welded. In the single operation command, the robot 10 operates linearly at a constant speed. The welding point group G0 is provisionally divided into three welding point groups G1 to G3, as shown on the right side of FIG. 6 as an example.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Takeda and provide a means to divide a region based on an operation, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow for dividing and manipulating of regions for higher flexibility.
Regarding claim 8, Kuwahara teaches an offline teaching method performed by an offline teaching device including one or more computers (see at least [0055]: “The teaching apparatus 10 includes a computer and various circuitry.”), the offline teaching method (see at least Fig. 1 and [0066]: “The generation part 11d generates the first teaching information 12b, which specifies motions of the examination robot 20C, based on the motion path TR2 (see FIG. 2C) determined by the determination part 11c. Then, the generation part 11d causes the storage 12 to store the generated first teaching information 12b. In response to, for example, an input operation performed by a worker, the outputting part 11e outputs the first teaching information 12b stored in the storage 12 to the robot controller 30 connected to the examination robot 20C.”) comprising:
acquiring three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece produced by welding, an operation trajectory of the welding (see at least [0024]: “A teaching method according to this embodiment will be outlined by referring to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 outlines the teaching method according to this embodiment. In the following description, welding work is performed as an example of work performed on a workpiece W, and a welding trace (bead trace) left as a result of welding work is examined. Another possible example of the work performed on the workpiece W is to change roughness of the surface of the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to form a groove on the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to draw a picture on the workpiece W.”; [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0036]: “First, a case where second teaching information is used as result information will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the second teaching information obtained by the teaching apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1) is information corresponding to the motion path, TR1, of the work robot 20W. The motion path (work path) TR1 is a path taken by a representative point set on the work robot 20W (an example representative point is the leading end of the work robot 20W).”), and a scanning range of a sensor configured to scan an appearance shape of the workpiece (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”);
generating at least one three-dimensional region of an inspection area based the acquired scanning range and a scanning section, which is an area to be scanned by the sensor, the at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor (see at least [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; Fig. 2C and [0043]: “As seen from FIG. 2C, the examination sections and the sections ON1 to ON4 do not overlap. This is because the examination device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the work tool 200 are different from each other in shape. Based on the difference in shape, the teaching apparatus 10 generates examination-use paths such that the work regions WR1 to WR4 are included in the examinable range 101 (see FIG. 1).”);
disposing the at least one of the three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece based on an operator operation (see at least Fig. 1 and [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”); and
creating and outputting, to a robot, a teaching program for scanning the at least one three-dimensional region based on the at least one three- dimensional region and the operation trajectory of the welding (see at least Fig. 1 and [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0028]: “In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W are the same type of robots 20, and the same type of robot controllers 30 are used to control motions of the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W. This configuration, however, is not intended in a limiting sense. Another possible embodiment is that the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W are different types of robots, and the robot controllers 30 are different types of robot controllers.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”);
determining a portion of the at least one three-dimensional region is scannable based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the scanning range (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach outputting, to a welding robot that performs the welding, a program for scanning the three-dimensional region.
However, Izawa teaches a system and method for using a working robot to do a welding operation that comprises outputting, to a welding robot that performs a welding, a program for scanning a three-dimensional region (see at least Fig. 1 and [0045]: “The laser sensor head 17 detects the shape of a region including the welding point on the work W, by means of laser. The laser sensor head 17 is attached to an outer surface of the welding torch 16. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 is attached on a side of the welding torch 16 along a direction of welding (Direction X). The laser sensor head 17 applies a laser beam to the work W, receives a reflected beam, and thereby detects the shape of the work W as two-dimensional information. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 scans in Direction Y, as the welding torch 16 moves in the Direction X in FIG. 2, at a predetermined timing (at a predetermined pitch in Direction X), whereby the laser sensor head 17 detects an outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane, at each of the scanning point. For example, at a scanning point X1, the sensor head outputs a square pulse signal representing the outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane. The work W shape information detected by the laser sensor head 17 is fed to the sensor controller 20.”; [0047]: “The personal computer 30 generates instruction-point data, based on the coordinate information about the welding points of the welding torch 16 sent from the sensor controller 20, and gives the generated data to the robot controller 40. The "instruction-point data" is coordinate information which defines a path for the welding torch 16 to move on, with a plurality of three-dimensional points and an attitude of the welding torch 16 at each of the points.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Izawa and provide a means to output, to a welding robot that performs a welding, a program for scanning a three-dimensional region, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to utilize a same robot to scan and weld to simplify a set up and minimize cost of having multiple robots.
The combination of Kuwahara and Izawa fails to explicitly teach displaying on a screen the at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece and moving or rotating the at least one three-dimensional region that is displayed on the screen based on the operator operation.
However, Shimodaira teaches an apparatus and method for controlling a robot that displays on a screen at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by a sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece and moving or rotating the at least one three-dimensional region that is displayed on the screen based on the operator operation (see at least Figs. 1-2 and [0229]: “The three-dimensional shape data may be generated on the sensor unit side. In this case, an image processing IC or the like realizing a function of generating three-dimensional shape data is provided on the sensor unit side. Alternatively, there may be a configuration in which three-dimensional shape data is not generated by the robot setting apparatus side, and the robot setting apparatus performs image processing on an image captured by the sensor unit side so as to generate three-dimensional shape data such as a three-dimensional image.”; [0233]: “The display unit 3 is a member for displaying a three-dimensional shape of a workpiece acquired in the robot setting apparatus 100 or checking various settings or an operation state, and may employ a liquid crystal monitor, an organic EL display, or a CRT.”; [0253]: “The positioning portion 8c is a member for adjusting a position and an attitude of a workpiece model displayed on the display unit 3 in a virtual three-dimensional space.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara and Izawa to incorporate the teachings of Shimodaira and provide a means to display on a screen at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by a sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece and move or rotate the at least one three-dimensional region that is displayed on the screen based on an operator operation, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a visualization to the user of the workpiece and region.
The combination of Kuwahara, Izawa, and Shimodaira fails to explicitly teach determining whether a portion of the at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the scanning range, and displays a result of the determination on the screen.
However, Takeda teaches an apparatus and method for a laser machining which performs teaching for a laser machining system that determines whether a portion of at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on an operation trajectory of a welding and a scanning range (see at least [0073]: “However, if the welding point is outside of the operation range of the scanner 50 during operation, as described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B, and the laser machining system 100 performs an emergency stop, the operation program cannot be executed until the end, whereby the deviation amount of the execution time cannot be acquired. In this case, a provisional deviation amount of the execution time is assumed, and the operation programs of the robot 10 and the scanner 50 are produced so as to correct this deviation amount. However, if the assumed deviation amount is not appropriate, it will become necessary to repeat the operation on the actual machine while correcting the deviation amount many times.”), and displays a result of the determination on the screen (see at least Figs. 18-19 and [0079]: “The GUI 300 displays information related to the results of the operation program generation process and enables an operator to designate various conditions of the operation program generation process.”; [0083]: “The portions displayed in the first color 322c in the color bar 322 represent the welding periods during which welding is performed, and the portions displayed in the second color 322d in the color bar 322 represent the non-welding periods during which welding is not performed.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara, Izawa, and Shimodaira to incorporate the teachings of Takeda and provide a means to determine whether a portion of at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on an operation trajectory of a welding and a scanning range, and displays a result of the determination on the screen, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow the system to recognize when a region is outside the operation range of the scanner and make necessary corrections.
Regarding claim 9, Kuwahara teaches an offline teaching method performed using an offline teaching device including one or more computers (see at least [0055]: “The teaching apparatus 10 includes a computer and various circuitry.”), the offline teaching method (see at least Fig. 1 and [0066]: “The generation part 11d generates the first teaching information 12b, which specifies motions of the examination robot 20C, based on the motion path TR2 (see FIG. 2C) determined by the determination part 11c. Then, the generation part 11d causes the storage 12 to store the generated first teaching information 12b. In response to, for example, an input operation performed by a worker, the outputting part 11e outputs the first teaching information 12b stored in the storage 12 to the robot controller 30 connected to the examination robot 20C.”) comprising:
inputting three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece produced by welding to the computer (see at least [0024]: “A teaching method according to this embodiment will be outlined by referring to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 outlines the teaching method according to this embodiment. In the following description, welding work is performed as an example of work performed on a workpiece W, and a welding trace (bead trace) left as a result of welding work is examined. Another possible example of the work performed on the workpiece W is to change roughness of the surface of the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to form a groove on the workpiece W. Still another possible example of the work is to draw a picture on the workpiece W.”; [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0036]: “First, a case where second teaching information is used as result information will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the second teaching information obtained by the teaching apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1) is information corresponding to the motion path, TR1, of the work robot 20W. The motion path (work path) TR1 is a path taken by a representative point set on the work robot 20W (an example representative point is the leading end of the work robot 20W).”);
inputting, to the computer, a scanning section, which is an area to be scanned by a sensor, in which an appearance shape of the workpiece is to be scanned (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”); and
disposing a three-dimensional region of an inspection area based on a scanning portion corresponding to the scanning section to be scanned by the sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece (see at least Fig. 1 and [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”);
creating a teaching program for causing a robot to scan the three-dimensional region of the inspection area based on the scanning portion corresponding to the scanning section in the three-dimensional shape data (see at least Fig. 1 and [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0028]: “In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W are the same type of robots 20, and the same type of robot controllers 30 are used to control motions of the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W. This configuration, however, is not intended in a limiting sense. Another possible embodiment is that the examination robot 20C and the work robot 20W are different types of robots, and the robot controllers 30 are different types of robot controllers.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”);
determining a portion of the three-dimensional region can be scanned based on an operation trajectory of the welding and a scanning range of the sensor (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach causing a welding robot that performs the welding to scan a three-dimensional region.
However, Izawa teaches a system and method for using a working robot to do a welding operation that causes a welding robot that performs a welding to scan a three-dimensional region (see at least Fig. 1 and [0045]: “The laser sensor head 17 detects the shape of a region including the welding point on the work W, by means of laser. The laser sensor head 17 is attached to an outer surface of the welding torch 16. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 is attached on a side of the welding torch 16 along a direction of welding (Direction X). The laser sensor head 17 applies a laser beam to the work W, receives a reflected beam, and thereby detects the shape of the work W as two-dimensional information. More specifically, the laser sensor head 17 scans in Direction Y, as the welding torch 16 moves in the Direction X in FIG. 2, at a predetermined timing (at a predetermined pitch in Direction X), whereby the laser sensor head 17 detects an outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane, at each of the scanning point. For example, at a scanning point X1, the sensor head outputs a square pulse signal representing the outer shape of the work W in the ZY plane. The work W shape information detected by the laser sensor head 17 is fed to the sensor controller 20.”; [0047]: “The personal computer 30 generates instruction-point data, based on the coordinate information about the welding points of the welding torch 16 sent from the sensor controller 20, and gives the generated data to the robot controller 40. The "instruction-point data" is coordinate information which defines a path for the welding torch 16 to move on, with a plurality of three-dimensional points and an attitude of the welding torch 16 at each of the points.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Izawa and provide a means causes a welding robot that performs a welding to scan a three-dimensional region, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to utilize a same robot to scan and weld to simplify a set up and minimize cost of having multiple robots.
The combination of Kuwahara and Izawa fails to explicitly teach displaying on a screen the at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by the sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece and moving or rotating the three-dimensional region that is displayed on the screen based on an operator operation.
However, Shimodaira teaches an apparatus and method for controlling a robot that displays on a screen at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by a sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece and moving or rotating the three-dimensional region that is displayed on the screen based on an operator operation (see at least Figs. 1-2 and [0229]: “The three-dimensional shape data may be generated on the sensor unit side. In this case, an image processing IC or the like realizing a function of generating three-dimensional shape data is provided on the sensor unit side. Alternatively, there may be a configuration in which three-dimensional shape data is not generated by the robot setting apparatus side, and the robot setting apparatus performs image processing on an image captured by the sensor unit side so as to generate three-dimensional shape data such as a three-dimensional image.”; [0233]: “The display unit 3 is a member for displaying a three-dimensional shape of a workpiece acquired in the robot setting apparatus 100 or checking various settings or an operation state, and may employ a liquid crystal monitor, an organic EL display, or a CRT.”; [0253]: “The positioning portion 8c is a member for adjusting a position and an attitude of a workpiece model displayed on the display unit 3 in a virtual three-dimensional space.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara and Izawa to incorporate the teachings of Shimodaira and provide a means to display on a screen at least one three-dimensional region to be scanned by a sensor on the three-dimensional shape data of a workpiece and move or rotate the three-dimensional region that is displayed on the screen based on an operator operation, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a visualization to the user of the workpiece and region.
The combination of Kuwahara, Izawa, and Shimodaira fails to explicitly teach determining whether a portion of the at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the scanning range, and displays a result of the determination on the screen.
However, Takeda teaches an apparatus and method for a laser machining which performs teaching for a laser machining system that determines whether a portion of at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on an operation trajectory of a welding and a scanning range (see at least [0073]: “However, if the welding point is outside of the operation range of the scanner 50 during operation, as described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B, and the laser machining system 100 performs an emergency stop, the operation program cannot be executed until the end, whereby the deviation amount of the execution time cannot be acquired. In this case, a provisional deviation amount of the execution time is assumed, and the operation programs of the robot 10 and the scanner 50 are produced so as to correct this deviation amount. However, if the assumed deviation amount is not appropriate, it will become necessary to repeat the operation on the actual machine while correcting the deviation amount many times.”), and displays a result of the determination on the screen (see at least Figs. 18-19 and [0079]: “The GUI 300 displays information related to the results of the operation program generation process and enables an operator to designate various conditions of the operation program generation process.”; [0083]: “The portions displayed in the first color 322c in the color bar 322 represent the welding periods during which welding is performed, and the portions displayed in the second color 322d in the color bar 322 represent the non-welding periods during which welding is not performed.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara, Izawa, and Shimodaira to incorporate the teachings of Takeda and provide a means to determine whether a portion of at least one three-dimensional region after being moved or rotated is scannable based on an operation trajectory of a welding and a scanning range, and displays a result of the determination on the screen, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow the system to recognize when a region is outside the operation range of the scanner and make necessary corrections.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. Claim 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuwahara et al. (US 20190143514, hereinafter Kuwahara) and Izawa et al. (US 20070145027, hereinafter Izawa) and Shimodaira et al. (US 20180250823, hereinafter Shimodaira) and Takeda (US 20200070281, hereinafter Takeda) in further view of Clever et al. (US 20210162600, hereinafter Clever).
Regarding claim 5, modified Kuwahara teaches the limitations of claim 1. Kuwahara further teaches wherein the processor disposes at least one three-dimensional region based on the operator operation such that there is a plurality of three-dimensional regions (see at least [0034]: “Specifically, in the case where second teaching information is used as result information, the work region WR is obtained indirectly from the motion path of the work robot 20W. In the case where shape information indicating a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W including the work regions WR on the workpiece W is directly obtainable, the shape information may be used as result information.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”), and
the processor creates the teaching program for scanning the at least one three-dimensional region based on at least one three-dimensional region among all the three-dimensional regions including the at least one three-dimensional region and the operation trajectory of the welding (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach displaying the at least one three-dimensional region.
However, Shimodaira teaches an apparatus and method for controlling a robot that displays at least one three-dimensional region (see at least Figs. 1-2 and [0229]: “The three-dimensional shape data may be generated on the sensor unit side. In this case, an image processing IC or the like realizing a function of generating three-dimensional shape data is provided on the sensor unit side. Alternatively, there may be a configuration in which three-dimensional shape data is not generated by the robot setting apparatus side, and the robot setting apparatus performs image processing on an image captured by the sensor unit side so as to generate three-dimensional shape data such as a three-dimensional image.”; [0233]: “The display unit 3 is a member for displaying a three-dimensional shape of a workpiece acquired in the robot setting apparatus 100 or checking various settings or an operation state, and may employ a liquid crystal monitor, an organic EL display, or a CRT.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Shimodaira and provide a means to displays at least one three-dimensional region, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide a visualization to the user of the workpiece and region.
The combination of Kuwahara and Shimodaira fails to explicitly teach duplicating the region based on the operation.
However, Clever teaches a method and system for programming an industrial robot that duplicate a region based on an operation (see at least [0049]: “After marking the image portion representing the workpiece 8 displayed on the display 18 with the rectangular frame 17, the image area inside the rectangular frame 17 is copied and joined to the rectangular frame 17 so that the copied image area is moved together with the frame 17 when moving the frame in the captured image in further programming steps. In order to allow a precise positioning of the marked object 17 the copied image area is preferably displayed on the captured image 12 as a transparent image area, so that the operator can recognize other objects which are located in the workspace and displayed in the digital image 12 on the screen 18, in order to exactly move the frame to a desired position.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara and Shimodaira to incorporate the teachings of Kim and provide a means to duplicate a region based on an operation, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow for copying and manipulating of regions for higher flexibility.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. Claim 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuwahara et al. (US 20190143514, hereinafter Kuwahara) and Izawa et al. (US 20070145027, hereinafter Izawa) and Shimodaira et al. (US 20180250823, hereinafter Shimodaira) and Takeda (US 20200070281, hereinafter Takeda) in further view of Einecke et al. (US 20200233413, hereinafter Einecke).
Regarding claim 6, modified Kuwahara teaches the limitations of claim 1. Kuwahara further teaches wherein the at least one three-dimensional region is a plurality of three-dimensional regions (see at least [0043]: “As seen from FIG. 2C, the examination sections and the sections ON1 to ON4 do not overlap. This is because the examination device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the work tool 200 are different from each other in shape. Based on the difference in shape, the teaching apparatus 10 generates examination-use paths such that the work regions WR1 to WR4 are included in the examinable range 101 (see FIG. 1).”),
the processor disposes one of the plurality of three-dimensional regions based on the operator operation (see at least [0034]: “Specifically, in the case where second teaching information is used as result information, the work region WR is obtained indirectly from the motion path of the work robot 20W. In the case where shape information indicating a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W including the work regions WR on the workpiece W is directly obtainable, the shape information may be used as result information.”; [0040]: “A case where shape information of the workpiece W is used as result information will be described by referring to FIG. 2B. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the shape information obtained by the teaching apparatus 16 (see FIG. 1) is information including a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W and the shape and position of the work region WR on the workpiece W. A specific example of the shape information is three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data of the workpiece W including information indicating the shape and position of the work region WR. In FIG. 2B. the work regions WR have three-dimensional shapes, similarly to the work regions WR illustrated in FIG. 2A. The work regions WR, however, may be flat work regions WR having, for example, circular shapes or rectangular shapes. This will be described later by referring to FIG. 8.”), and
the processor creates the teaching program for scanning the at least one three- dimensional region based on the operation trajectory of the welding and the at least one three-dimensional region among all the three-dimensional regions (see at least [0026]: “The examination device 100 of fhe examination robot 20C obtains a three-dimensional shape of the work region WR by, for example, radiating light to the work region WR and moving the light while picking up an image of the light. Then, the examination device 100 determines whether the three-dimensional shape indicates a normal work result. For reference purposes, an examinable range 101 is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1. The examinable range 101 is a range in which the examination device 100 is able to examine the work region WR.”; [0027]: “The examinable range 101 corresponds to the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100. Alternatively, the examinable range 101 may include the range of vision conceivable by the examination device 100 and the range of depth conceivable by the examination device 100. The examination robot 20C makes a motion such that the work region WR on the workpiece W is included in the examinable range 101.”; [0029]: “As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the teaching method according to this embodiment, a teaching apparatus 10 obtains “second teaching information” (for example, work-use teaching information) from the robot controller 30 that controls motions of the work robot 20W. The second teaching information is teaching information that specifies motions of the work robot 20W.”).
Kuwahara fails to explicitly teach deleting one of the plurality of three-dimensional regions based on the operator operation.
However, Einecke teaches a method and system for generating a representation based on which an autonomous device operates that deletes one of a plurality of three-dimensional regions based on an operation (see at least [0009]: “Examples for such autonomous devices are service robots, e.g. lawnmowers as mentioned above, or vacuum cleaners; industrial robots, e.g. transportation systems or welding robots; or autonomous vehicles, e.g. autonomous cars or drones.”; [0083]: “Once the map is segmented and thus the areas are defined and additional information in form of labels is associated with the respective areas, a representation of the work environment is generated in step S4. It is to be noted that this representation may be the representation that is transferred to the autonomous device 3 in step S7. Alternatively, this representation may be an intermediate representation which is visualized by the input/output device 12 in step S5, for using an augmented reality device so that a human may delete, adapt or add areas and/or information to the intermediate representation. In step S6, an input is received from the human that modifies the generated and visualized intermediate representation. The method then proceeds with steps S2, S3 and S4.”; [0086]: “It is to be noted that generating, deleting or amending areas may also refer to generating, deleting or amending subareas. Such subareas can be included in an area so that a plurality of subareas together form the entire or at least a portion of a larger area. A label associated with the larger area is valid also for the subareas, but the subareas may be additionally labelled with further additional information. For example, an entire work area of an autonomous lawnmower may comprise as separate subareas a front yard zone and a backyard zone. These subareas may be differently labelled in order to cause a behavior of the autonomous lawnmower to be different in the subareas. Such different labels may be used by the autonomous device 3 to define different timings of the operation of the autonomous device in the different subareas.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kuwahara to incorporate the teachings of Einecke and provide a means to delete one of a plurality of three-dimensional regions based on an operation, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to allow for removing and manipulating of regions for higher flexibility.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIEN MINH LE whose telephone number is (571)272-3903. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday (8:30am-5:30pm eastern time).
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/T.M.L./Examiner, Art Unit 3656
/KHOI H TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3656
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