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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/13/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Claim interpretation under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) is withdrawn upon further review. Applicant's arguments filed on 01/16/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive or moot in view of new ground of rejection provided below which was necessitated based on Applicant’s amendments to the claims. The new ground of rejection is based on Tooru in view of Shiratsuchi, and further in view of Ban.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-5, and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tooru et al. (JPH01222311A) (Hereinafter Tooru) in view of Shiratsuchi (US 2015/0148952 A1), and further in view of Ban (JPH0720915A).
Regarding Claim 1, Tooru teaches a robot system comprising:
a master comprising:
a handle supported and movable by a support and capable of being operated by a user
(See at least “The two-dimensional input means can-for example be constituted by a joystick.”, discloses Page 1 Para 1 Line 37 joystick which is supported and movable by a support, Page 1 Para 1 Lines 49-50 “the operator moves the work tool following the curved surface of the work surface only by manually operating the two-dimensional input means.”, discloses work tool is operated by the operator through manually operating the two-dimensional input means which is considered as the master operated by a user, Page 2 Para 1 Lines 22-23 “The two-dimensional input device 5 can use a joystick or the like.”);
…
a slave comprising:
an effector that acts on an object and a mover that moves the effector (See at least Page 2 Lines 13-18 “The curved surface copying control device of the multi-degree-of-freedom work Il machine 1 generates one type of signal, generates a force setting device f4 for setting the magnitude of a force applied to the work tool 3, and generate two types of independent signals. A manual two-dimensional input device 5 for setting the direction of movement of the work tool 3 and a force connected between the flat part IA and the work tool 3 for detecting the magnitude of the force applied to the work tool 3”); and
a contact force detector comprising a second force sensor that detects a contact force acting on the effector from the object (See at least Page 4 Lines 24-26 “When the tool 3 is in contact with the work surface, a reaction force acts on the work tool 3 in the normal direction of the tangent plane as a reaction of the force, and the reaction force is detected by the force sensor-6.”);
a controller configured to perform operations comprising:
performing coordinate conversion to adapt a reference surface define by the handle and the support in an operation coordinate system set for the master to a surface of the object (See at least Page 4 Lines 54-55 “In the coordinate conversion 41, the target position of the two-dimensional input device 5 is converted into the work surface MtlA system”, Page 3 Lines 9-17 “On the other hand, the moving direction of the two-dimensional input device 5 is considered to be set in the work surface coordinate system, and a position increment ΔP (i) proportional to the analog input of the two-dimensional input device 5 (ΔP (i) x, y axis with respect to the x axis) ΔP (i) y) is converted into the base coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 41 and added to the current target position input 'r (i) by the position target value calculation 20 to obtain a new target position x' r ( i + 1) and outputs it as a position target value input {”. The comparator 21 compares the trick {'r with the value input obtained in the position calculation 19 by the comparator 21 to obtain a position deviation Δ input °in the base coordinate system. Then, this value is converted into a value Δ in the work surface coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 42, and this value is input to the compliance control 10.”)…
… and the contact force (See at least Page 4 Lines 24-26 “When the tool 3 is in contact with the work surface, a reaction force acts on the work tool 3 in the normal direction of the tangent plane as a reaction of the force, and the reaction force is detected by the force sensor-6.”, Page 1 Lines 37-39 “The control means calculates the normal direction of the work surface from the reaction force of the contact point between the work tool and the work surface detected by the force detection means, and has an origin at the tip of the work tool contacting the work surface.”); …
… obtaining a conversion component based on the coordinate conversion by acquiring a normal for a reference axis defined in a tool coordinate system of a tool fixed to the end effector at an intersection between the reference axis and the surface of the object where the tool is configured to contact the object (See at least Page 5 Lines 36-38 “The work tool 3 is controlled so that the posture of the work tool 3 is adjusted so as to match the direction of the force that has been moved until reaching the point of x３ (i + 1) while being pressed by the force F in the normal direction of the work surface.”);
obtaining as the conversion component, a command component for moving the effector such that the reference axis is coincident with the normal (See at least Page 1 Lines “It is possible to calculate a target value at a position where the position coincides with the normal direction, and perform a control operation that also indicates the posture of the work tool based on the target value at this position.”, Page 1 Lines 54-56 – Page 2 Line 1 “Further, when a control operation for instructing the attitude of the work tool based on a target value of a position where one axis of the predetermined orthogonal coordinate system is made to coincide with the normal direction of the work surface is further performed on the work tool, Tool can always be pressed at a fixed angle against the work surface.”); …
… and the conversion component (See at least Page 3 Lines 9-17 “On the other hand, the moving direction of the two-dimensional input device 5 is considered to be set in the work surface coordinate system, and a position increment ΔP (i) proportional to the analog input of the two-dimensional input device 5 (ΔP (i) x, y axis with respect to the x axis) ΔP (i) y) is converted into the base coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 41 and added to the current target position input 'r (i) by the position target value calculation 20 to obtain a new target position x' r ( i + 1) and outputs it as a position target value input {”. The comparator 21 compares the trick {'r with the value input obtained in the position calculation 19 by the comparator 21 to obtain a position deviation Δ input °in the base coordinate system. Then, this value is converted into a value Δ in the work surface coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 42, and this value is input to the compliance control 10.”, Page 4 Lines 54-55 “In the coordinate conversion 41, the target position of the two-dimensional input device 5 is converted into the work surface MtlA system”); …
… outputting the command for the mover such that the effector moves according to the command component (See at least Page 2 Para 1 Lines 25-29 “The controller 8 generally defines an orthogonal coordinate system that defines a space in which the work tool 3 moves, and determines the magnitude of the force set by the force setting device 4 for one of the three orthogonal axes. It includes a control means for performing an arithmetic control for instructing and performing a control arithmetic for instructing the moving direction set by the two-dimensional input device 5 for the remaining two axes.”); and …
However, Tooru does not explicitly spell out …
an operation force detector comprising a first force sensor that detects an operation force applied to the handle; …
obtaining an operation component according to the operation information based on the operation force detected by the operation force detector …
generating a command for the mover based on command component corresponding to the operation component … ;
generating a command for the support based on the command component; …
outputting the command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component so as to trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object.
Shiratsuchi teaches …
an operation force detector that detects an operation force applied to the handle (See at least Para [0037] “…The acting-force calculating unit 105a calculates an acting force generated in the end effector 11a…”, Para [0056] “A measuring method for an acting force by the acting-force calculating unit 105 a can be any method …”); …
obtaining an operation component according to the operation information based on the operation force detected by the operation force detector (See at least Para [0037] “…The acting-force calculating unit 105a calculates an acting force generated in the end effector 11a…”, Para [0056] “A measuring method for an acting force by the acting-force calculating unit 105a can be any method. For example, it is possible to adopt a method of attaching a force sensor to a wrist portion of a robot and setting a detection value by the force sensor as a measurement value of an acting force…”) …
generating a command for the mover based on command component corresponding to the operation component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”) …
generating a command for the support based on the command component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”); …
outputting the command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”)…
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tooru with the teachings of Shiratsuchi and include the feature of operation converter that obtains an operation component, which is a command component according to the operation information, using the operation force detected by the operation force detector as the operation information and generates a command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component, thereby providing effective and accurate slave movement for performing grinding precisely (See at least Para [0100] “…Therefore, it is possible to learn a more accurate track of the slave robot…”).
Ban teaches …
so as to trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object (See at least Page 7 Para 5 “Hereinafter, steps M8~ Step M13 in the robot controller 1, Step S2~ step S6 the robot controller 2 is repeated, one after another while maintaining a constant position and posture relationship arms M, S are corresponding to a matrix Tef each passing point E (0, q), F (0, q) (q = 1,2,3 ...), passes through”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tooru with the teachings of Ban and include the feature of trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object, thereby provide work accuracy which will lead to efficiency (See at least Page 1 Para 8 “Therefore, even when using the robot work by the double-arm, complex transportation work, for example, work accurately and efficiently on it…”).
Regarding Claim 2, modified Tooru teaches all the elements of claim 1. Tooru further teaches the robot system of claim 1, wherein
the reference surface is a plane in the operation coordinate system (See at least Page 1 Lines 51-52 “when the work surface coordinate system is defined as the rectangular coordinate system, the moving direction of the work tool can be defined on the tangent plane of the curved surface”).
Regarding Claim 3, modified Tooru teaches all the elements of claim 1. Tooru further teaches the robot system of claim 1, wherein
in the coordinate conversion, the controller maintains a posture of the effector with respect to the surface of the object constant (See at least Page 5 Lines 53-55 “When the posture of the work tool is also controlled, the work tool can be moved to the work surface by grind, etc. Is always can be pressed while maintaining a constant angle, thereby improving the machining accuracy.”).
Regarding Claim 4, modified Tooru teaches all the elements of claim 3. Tooru further teaches the robot system of claim 3, wherein
the controller changes the posture of the effector such that a reference axis defined in a tool
coordinate system set for the effector is coincident with a normal of the object to an intersection between the reference axis and the surface of the object, thereby maintaining the posture of the effector with respect to the surface of the object constant (See at least Page 1 Lines “It is possible to calculate a target value at a position where the position coincides with the normal direction, and perform a control operation that also indicates the posture of the work tool based on the target value at this position.”, Page 1 Lines 54-56 – Page 2 Line 1 “Further, when a control operation for
instructing the attitude of the work tool based on a target value of a position where one axis of the
predetermined orthogonal coordinate system is made to coincide with the normal direction of the work surface is further performed on the work tool, Tool can always be pressed at a fixed angle against the work surface.”).
Regarding Claim 5, modified Tooru teaches all the elements of claim 1. Tooru further teaches the robot system of claim 1, wherein
the operation coordinate system is fixed to the handle (See at least Fig 4 shows that the operation coordinate system is fixed to the handle).
Regarding Claim 11, modified Tooru teaches all the elements of claim 1. Tooru further teaches the robot system of claim 1, wherein
an action of the effector on the object comprises grinding, cutting, or polishing (See at least
Page 1 Lines 6-8 “The present invention relates to a curved surface copying control apparatus for a multi-degree-of-freedom working machine, and more particularly to a semi-automatic grinder for performing paring, curved surface polishing, etc.”).
Regarding Claim 12, Tooru teaches a method for controlling a robot system including a master comprising: a handle supported and movable by a support and capable of being operated by a user (See at least Page 1 Para 1 Line 37 “The two-dimensional input means can-for example be constituted by a joystick.”, discloses joystick which is supported and movable by a support, Page 1 Para 1 Lines 49-50 “the operator moves the work tool following the curved surface of the work surface only by manually operating the two-dimensional input means.”, discloses work tool is operated by the operator through manually operating the two-dimensional input means which is considered as the master operated by a user, Page 2 Para 1 Lines 22-23 “The two-dimensional input device 5 can use a joystick or the like.”); …; and a slave comprising: an effector that acts on an object and a mover that moves the effector (See at least Page 2 Lines 13-18 “The curved surface copying control device of the multi-degree-of-freedom work Il machine 1 generates one type of signal, generates a force setting device f4 for setting the magnitude of a force applied to the work tool 3, and generate two types of independent signals. A manual two-dimensional input device 5 for setting the direction of movement of the work tool 3 and a force connected between the flat part IA and the work tool 3 for detecting the magnitude of the force applied to the work tool 3”); and a contact force detector comprising a second force sensor that detects a contact force acting on the effector from the object (See at least Page 4 Lines 24-26 “When the tool 3 is in contact with the work surface, a reaction force acts on the work tool 3 in the normal direction of the tangent plane as a reaction of the force, and the reaction force is detected by the force sensor-6.”), the method comprising:
performing coordinate conversion to adapt a reference surface defined by the handle and the support in an operation coordinate system set for the master to a surface of the object (See at least Page 4 Lines 54-55 “In the coordinate conversion 41, the target position of the two-dimensional input device 5 is converted into the work surface MtlA system”, Page 3 Lines 9-17 “On the other hand, the moving direction of the two-dimensional input device 5 is considered to be set in the work surface coordinate system, and a position increment ΔP (i) proportional to the analog input of the two-dimensional input device 5 (ΔP (i) x, y axis with respect to the x axis) ΔP (i) y) is converted into the base coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 41 and added to the current target position input 'r (i) by the position target value calculation 20 to obtain a new target position x' r ( i + 1) and outputs it as a position target value input {”. The comparator 21 compares the trick {'r with the value input obtained in the position calculation 19 by the comparator 21 to obtain a position deviation Δ input °in the base coordinate system. Then, this value is converted into a value Δ in the work surface coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 42, and this value is input to the compliance control 10.”).
… and the contact force (See at least Page 4 Lines 24-26 “When the tool 3 is in contact with the work surface, a reaction force acts on the work tool 3 in the normal direction of the tangent plane as a reaction of the force, and the reaction force is detected by the force sensor-6.”, Page 1 Lines 37-39 “The control means calculates the normal direction of the work surface from the reaction force of the contact point between the work tool and the work surface detected by the force detection means, and has an origin at the tip of the work tool contacting the work surface.”); …
… obtaining a conversion component based on the coordinate conversion by acquiring a normal for a reference axis defined in a tool coordinate system of a tool fixed to the end effector at an intersection between the reference axis and the surface of the object where the tool is configured to contact the object (See at least Page 5 Lines 36-38 “The work tool 3 is controlled so that the posture of the work tool 3 is adjusted so as to match the direction of the force that has been moved until reaching the point of x３ (i + 1) while being pressed by the force F in the normal direction of the work surface.”);
obtaining as the conversion component, a command component for moving the effector such that the reference axis is coincident with the normal (See at least Page 1 Lines “It is possible to calculate a target value at a position where the position coincides with the normal direction, and perform a control operation that also indicates the posture of the work tool based on the target value at this position.”, Page 1 Lines 54-56 – Page 2 Line 1 “Further, when a control operation for instructing the attitude of the work tool based on a target value of a position where one axis of the predetermined orthogonal coordinate system is made to coincide with the normal direction of the work surface is further performed on the work tool, Tool can always be pressed at a fixed angle against the work surface.”); …
… and the conversion component (See at least Page 3 Lines 9-17 “On the other hand, the moving direction of the two-dimensional input device 5 is considered to be set in the work surface coordinate system, and a position increment ΔP (i) proportional to the analog input of the two-dimensional input device 5 (ΔP (i) x, y axis with respect to the x axis) ΔP (i) y) is converted into the base coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 41 and added to the current target position input 'r (i) by the position target value calculation 20 to obtain a new target position x' r ( i + 1) and outputs it as a position target value input {”. The comparator 21 compares the trick {'r with the value input obtained in the position calculation 19 by the comparator 21 to obtain a position deviation Δ input °in the base coordinate system. Then, this value is converted into a value Δ in the work surface coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 42, and this value is input to the compliance control 10.”, Page 4 Lines 54-55 “In the coordinate conversion 41, the target position of the two-dimensional input device 5 is converted into the work surface MtlA system”); …
… outputting the command for the mover such that the effector moves according to the command component (See at least Page 2 Para 1 Lines 25-29 “The controller 8 generally defines an orthogonal coordinate system that defines a space in which the work tool 3 moves, and determines the magnitude of the force set by the force setting device 4 for one of the three orthogonal axes. It includes a control means for performing an arithmetic control for instructing and performing a control arithmetic for instructing the moving direction set by the two-dimensional input device 5 for the remaining two axes.”); and
However, Tooru does not explicitly spell out …
an operation force detector comprising a first force sensor that detects an operation force applied to the handle; …
obtaining an operation component according to the operation information based on the operation force detected by the operation force detector …
generating a command for the mover based on command component corresponding to the operation component … ;
generating a command for the support based on the command component; …
outputting the command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component.
Shiratsuchi teaches …
an operation force detector comprising a first force sensor that detects an operation force applied to the handle (See at least Para [0037] “…The acting-force calculating unit 105a calculates an acting force generated in the end effector 11a…”, Para [0056] “A measuring method for an acting force by the acting-force calculating unit 105 a can be any method …”); …
obtaining an operation component according to the operation information based on the operation force detected by the operation force detector (See at least Para [0037] “…The acting-force calculating unit 105a calculates an acting force generated in the end effector 11a…”) …
generating a command for the mover based on command component corresponding to the operation component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”) …
generating a command for the support based on the command component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”); …
outputting the command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”)…
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tooru with the teachings of Shiratsuchi and include the feature of operation converter that obtains an operation component, which is a command component according to the operation information, using the operation force detected by the operation force detector as the operation information and generates a command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component, thereby providing effective and accurate slave movement for performing grinding precisely (See at least Para [0100] “…Therefore, it is possible to learn a more accurate track of the slave robot…”).
Ban teaches …
so as to trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object (See at least Page 7 Para 5 “Hereinafter, steps M8~ Step M13 in the robot controller 1, Step S2~ step S6 the robot controller 2 is repeated, one after another while maintaining a constant position and posture relationship arms M, S are corresponding to a matrix Tef each passing point E (0, q), F (0, q) (q = 1,2,3 ...), passes through”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tooru with the teachings of Ban and include the feature of trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object, thereby provide work accuracy which will lead to efficiency (See at least Page 1 Para 8 “Therefore, even when using the robot work by the double-arm, complex transportation work, for example, work accurately and efficiently on it…”).
Regarding Claim 13, Tooru teaches an article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storinq a control program for controlling a robot system including a master comprising: a handle supported and movable by a support and capable of being operated by a user (See at least Page 1 Para 1 Line 37 “The two-dimensional input means can-for example be constituted by a joystick.”, discloses joystick which is supported and movable by a support, Page 1 Para 1 Lines 49-50 “the operator moves the work tool following the curved surface of the work surface only by manually operating the two-dimensional input means.”, discloses work tool is operated by the operator through manually operating the two-dimensional input means which is considered as the master operated by a user, Page 2 Para 1 Lines 22-23 “The two-dimensional input device 5 can use a joystick or the like.”) … and a slave comprising: an effector that acts on an object and a mover that moves the effector (See at least Page 2 Lines 13-18 “The curved surface copying control device of the multi-degree-of-freedom work Il machine 1 generates one type of signal, generates a force setting device f4 for setting the magnitude of a force applied to the work tool 3, and generate two types of independent signals. A manual two-dimensional input device 5 for setting the direction of movement of the work tool 3 and a force connected between the flat part IA and the work tool 3 for detecting the magnitude of the force applied to the work tool 3”); and a contact force detector comprising a second force sensor that detects a contact force acting on the effector from the object (See at least Page 4 Lines 24-26 “When the tool 3 is in contact with the work surface, a reaction force acts on the work tool 3 in the normal direction of the tangent plane as a reaction of the force, and the reaction force is detected by the force sensor-6.”), the program, when executed, causing a computer to perform operations comprising:
performing coordinate conversion to adapt a reference surface defined by the handle and the support in an operation coordinate system set for the master to a surface of the object (See at least Page 4 Lines 54-55 “In the coordinate conversion 41, the target position of the two-dimensional input device 5 is converted into the work surface MtlA system”, Page 3 Lines 9-17 “On the other hand, the moving direction of the two-dimensional input device 5 is considered to be set in the work surface coordinate system, and a position increment ΔP (i) proportional to the analog input of the two-dimensional input device 5 (ΔP (i) x, y axis with respect to the x axis) ΔP (i) y) is converted into the base coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 41 and added to the current target position input 'r (i) by the position target value calculation 20 to obtain a new target position x' r ( i + 1) and outputs it as a position target value input {”. The comparator 21 compares the trick {'r with the value input obtained in the position calculation 19 by the comparator 21 to obtain a position deviation Δ input °in the base coordinate system. Then, this value is converted into a value Δ in the work surface coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 42, and this value is input to the compliance control 10.”).
… and the contact force (See at least Page 4 Lines 24-26 “When the tool 3 is in contact with the work surface, a reaction force acts on the work tool 3 in the normal direction of the tangent plane as a reaction of the force, and the reaction force is detected by the force sensor-6.”, Page 1 Lines 37-39 “The control means calculates the normal direction of the work surface from the reaction force of the contact point between the work tool and the work surface detected by the force detection means, and has an origin at the tip of the work tool contacting the work surface.”); …
… obtaining a conversion component based on the coordinate conversion by acquiring a normal for a reference axis defined in a tool coordinate system of a tool fixed to the end effector at an intersection between the reference axis and the surface of the object where the tool is configured to contact the object (See at least Page 5 Lines 36-38 “The work tool 3 is controlled so that the posture of the work tool 3 is adjusted so as to match the direction of the force that has been moved until reaching the point of x３ (i + 1) while being pressed by the force F in the normal direction of the work surface.”);
obtaining as the conversion component, a command component for moving the effector such that the reference axis is coincident with the normal (See at least Page 1 Lines “It is possible to calculate a target value at a position where the position coincides with the normal direction, and perform a control operation that also indicates the posture of the work tool based on the target value at this position.”, Page 1 Lines 54-56 – Page 2 Line 1 “Further, when a control operation for instructing the attitude of the work tool based on a target value of a position where one axis of the predetermined orthogonal coordinate system is made to coincide with the normal direction of the work surface is further performed on the work tool, Tool can always be pressed at a fixed angle against the work surface.”); …
… and the conversion component (See at least Page 3 Lines 9-17 “On the other hand, the moving direction of the two-dimensional input device 5 is considered to be set in the work surface coordinate system, and a position increment ΔP (i) proportional to the analog input of the two-dimensional input device 5 (ΔP (i) x, y axis with respect to the x axis) ΔP (i) y) is converted into the base coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 41 and added to the current target position input 'r (i) by the position target value calculation 20 to obtain a new target position x' r ( i + 1) and outputs it as a position target value input {”. The comparator 21 compares the trick {'r with the value input obtained in the position calculation 19 by the comparator 21 to obtain a position deviation Δ input °in the base coordinate system. Then, this value is converted into a value Δ in the work surface coordinate system by the coordinate conversion 42, and this value is input to the compliance control 10.”, Page 4 Lines 54-55 “In the coordinate conversion 41, the target position of the two-dimensional input device 5 is converted into the work surface MtlA system”); …
… outputting the command for the mover such that the effector moves according to the command component (See at least Page 2 Para 1 Lines 25-29 “The controller 8 generally defines an orthogonal coordinate system that defines a space in which the work tool 3 moves, and determines the magnitude of the force set by the force setting device 4 for one of the three orthogonal axes. It includes a control means for performing an arithmetic control for instructing and performing a control arithmetic for instructing the moving direction set by the two-dimensional input device 5 for the remaining two axes.”); and
However, Tooru does not explicitly spell out …
an operation force detector comprising a first force sensor that detects an operation force applied to the handle; …
obtaining an operation component according to the operation information based on the operation force detected by the operation force detector …
generating a command for the mover based on command component corresponding to the operation component … ;
generating a command for the support based on the command component; …
outputting the command for the support such that the handle moves with respect to the support based on the command component so as to trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object.
Shiratsuchi teaches …
an operation force detector comprising a first force sensor that detects an operation force applied to the handle (See at least Para [0037] “…The acting-force calculating unit 105a calculates an acting force generated in the end effector 11a…”, Para [0056] “A measuring method for an acting force by the acting-force calculating unit 105 a can be any method …”); …
obtaining an operation component according to the operation information based on the operation force detected by the operation force detector (See at least Para [0037] “…The acting-force calculating unit 105a calculates an acting force generated in the end effector 11a…”) …
generating a command for the mover based on command component corresponding to the operation component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”) …
generating a command for the support based on the command component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”); …
outputting the command for the support such that the handle moves with respect to the support based on the command component (See at least [0034] “The master control apparatus 20a, the slave control apparatus 20b, and the positional-relation calculating apparatus 30 are connected to one another by a communication line and configure the robot control system (the robot control apparatus) that drives the master robot 10a and the slave robot 10b while synchronizing the robots with each other. The master control apparatus 20a generates position command values for positioning the end effector 11a and drives the end effector 11a on the basis of the generated position command values. The master control apparatus 20a transmits the position command values related to the end effector 11a to the slave control apparatus 20b.”)…
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tooru with the teachings of Shiratsuchi and include the feature of operation converter that obtains an operation component, which is a command component according to the operation information, using the operation force detected by the operation force detector as the operation information and generates a command for the support such that the handle moves based on the command component, thereby providing effective and accurate slave movement for performing grinding precisely (See at least Para [0100] “…Therefore, it is possible to learn a more accurate track of the slave robot…”).
Ban teaches …
so as to trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object (See at least Page 7 Para 5 “Hereinafter, steps M8~ Step M13 in the robot controller 1, Step S2~ step S6 the robot controller 2 is repeated, one after another while maintaining a constant position and posture relationship arms M, S are corresponding to a matrix Tef each passing point E (0, q), F (0, q) (q = 1,2,3 ...), passes through”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tooru with the teachings of Ban and include the feature of trace a trajectory reflecting the movement of the effector alonq the surface of the object such that the posture of the handle with respect to the reference surface is maintained substantially constant with the posture of the effector and the surface of the object, thereby provide work accuracy which will lead to efficiency (See at least Page 1 Para 8 “Therefore, even when using the robot work by the double-arm, complex transportation work, for example, work accurately and efficiently on it…”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Kinoshita et al. (US 20180257230 A1) teaches a processing tool for processing a workpiece's surface while pressing the surface to be processed
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/SHAHEDA HOQUE/Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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