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 .
Drawings
The replacement drawings filed April 18, 2024 are accepted.
Abstract
The Abstract filed April 19, 2024 is accepted.
Specification
The corrected specification filed April 19, 2024 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 8, 9 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen (CN 103 909 473 A) in view of Andersson (US 2011/0022216 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Shen discloses the method for calibrating a crankshaft to be processed, the method comprising the steps of causing a positioner to rotate to at least two different angles, wherein the positioner is configured to support the crankshaft and drive the crankshaft to rotate; causing, for each of the at least two different angles, a probe arranged on a robot to touch a plurality of points on a first cylindrical crankpin of the crankshaft respectively to obtain coordinates of the plurality of points in a robot coordinate system; fitting, for each of the at least two different angles, the coordinates of the plurality of points on the first cylindrical crankpin respectively to obtain a respective pose of the first cylindrical crankpin relative to the robot coordinate system; and determining a pose of a rotating axis of the crankshaft relative to the robot coordinate system based on the respective pose of the first cylindrical crankpin.
Shen does not disclose the steps of rotating, touching for obtaining coordinates, fitting and determining to at least three different angles as recited in claim 1. Shen does not disclose the computer readable medium as recited in claim 15.
Andersson discloses an apparatus and method for calibrating an industrial robot system by determining the position of a first calibration object (24a) corresponding to at least three different angles of the rotation axis of the robot and the calibration tool. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Shen by allowing to determine the position for at least three different angles, as taught by Andersson, in order to optimize the system by improving accuracy.
Referring to claim 2, the method further comprising creating a first reference coordinate system based on the pose of the rotating axis such that the rotating axis coincides with one coordinate axis of the first reference coordinate system will be achieved by the regular operation of the combination of Shen and Andersson (Shen teaches solving nonlinear equations using numerical iterations and setting a coordinate offset of the C-axis of the machine head).
In regards to claim 8, the combination of Shen and Andersson disclose an apparatus for calibrating a crankshaft to be processed (Figures 1 – 5), the apparatus comprising a probe (4) arranged on a robot (CNC system); a positioner (6, 7, 8, 10) configured to support the crankshaft and drive the crankshaft to rotate; and a controller (Claim 1) configured to cause the positioner to rotate to at least three different angles (as modified by Andersson above); cause, for each of the at least three different angles (as modified by Andersson above), the probe (4) to touch a plurality of points on a first cylindrical crankpin of the crankshaft respectively to obtain coordinates of the plurality of points in a robot coordinate system (See Figures 1 – 5); fit, for each of the at least three different angles, the coordinates of the plurality of points on the first cylindrical crankpin respectively to obtain a respective pose of the first cylindrical crankpin relative to the robot coordinate system; and determine a pose of a rotating axis of the crankshaft relative to the robot coordinate system based on the respective pose of the first cylindrical crankpin (as modified by Andersson above).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Shen and Andersson teach an apparatus wherein the controller is further configured to create a first reference coordinate system based on the pose of the rotating axis such that the rotating axis coincides with one coordinate axis of the first reference coordinate system (Shen teaches solving nonlinear equations using numerical iterations and setting a coordinate offset of the C-axis of the machine head).
With regards to claim 15, the combination of Shen and Andersson teaches a computer readable medium (24 of Andersson) having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method (See Paragraphs ([0073]-[0074] of Andersson) in order to automate the process. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the teachings of Shen by providing a computer readable medium, as taught by Andersson, in order to optimize the system by improving accuracy.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 7 and 10 – 14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 3 - 5 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest a method further comprising causing the positioner to rotate to a predetermined angle; determining a first angle of a central axis of a second cylindrical crankpin of the crankshaft in the first reference coordinate system when the positioner is at the predetermined angle; obtaining a second angle of the central axis of the second cylindrical crankpin in a second reference coordinate system of a simulation station when the positioner is at the predetermined angle; and determining an angular offset of the crankshaft based on a difference between the first angle and the second angle in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Claims 6 - 7 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest a method further comprising causing the probe to touch an oil hole on a third cylindrical crankpin or a main journal of the crankshaft to obtain a first coordinate of the oil hole in the first reference coordinate system; obtaining a second coordinate of the oil hole in a second reference coordinate system of a simulation station; and determining a position offset of the crankshaft along the rotating axis based on the first coordinate and the second coordinate of the oil hole in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Claims 10 - 14 are allowable because the prior art fails to teach or suggest an apparatus wherein the controller is further configured to cause the positioner to rotate to a predetermined angle; determine a first angle of a central axis of a second cylindrical crankpin of the crankshaft in the first reference coordinate system when the positioner is at the predetermined angle; obtain a second angle of the central axis of the second cylindrical crankpin in a second reference coordinate system of a simulation station when the positioner is at the predetermined angle; and determine an angular offset of the crankshaft based on a difference between the first angle and the second angle in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL whose telephone number is (571)272-2244. The examiner can normally be reached Mon -Thu, 8:00am - 6:00pm.
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YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
June 16, 2026
/YARITZA GUADALUPE-MCCALL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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