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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities. Appropriate correction is required.
In claim 1, lines 5-6, "the curved surface of a structure" should be "the curved surface of the structure."
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the disclosures of "Estimation of modal parameters of a beam under random excitation using a novel 3D continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer system and an extended demodulation method" by Yuan et al. (Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, Volume 155, 2021, 107606, ISSN 0888-3270) (hereinafter referred to as Yuan), and "Continuous-scanning laser Doppler vibrometry: Extensions to arbitrary areas, multi-frequency and 3D capture" by B. Weekes et al. (AIP Conf. Proc. 27 May 2014; 1600 (1): pp. 361–376) (hereinafter referred to as Weekes).
With regards to claim 1, Yuan teaches a three-dimensional (3D) continuously scanning laser vibrometer (CSLV) system (see fig. 1) comprising:
first, second, and third laser heads (top, left, and right CSLDVs in fig. 1) with mirrors configured to be positioned for scanning a surface of a structure (see "2.1. Description of the 3D CSLDV system" on p. 3);
a profile scanner configured to determine a scan trajectory for the surface of a structure (the part of the computer in fig. 1, or other processor, that calculates the scan trajectories for the three laser heads according to the process in "2.1.2. Continuously and synchronously scanning relation among three CSLDVs" on pp. 4-5, also see the discussion of generating a scan path under "3.1. Experimental setup" on pp. 7-8); and
a computing device operably connected to the first, second, and third laser heads (see the computer and external controller connected to the CSLDVs in fig. 1), wherein the computing device is configured to:
control the first, second, and third laser heads to scan the surface of the structure based on the determined scan trajectory (see "2.1. Description of the 3D CSLDV system" on p. 3);
measure the 3D vibrations of the surface of the structure (see the abstract, and the mention of measuring 3D vibrations in at least the full paragraph on p. 8 under "3.1. Experimental setup"); and
determine mode shapes of the structure based on the measured 3D vibrations of the surface of the structure (see "3.2. Estimated damped natural frequencies and 1D undamped end-to-end mode shapes of the test beam from CSLDV measurements" and "3.3. Estimated damped natural frequencies and 3D undamped end-to-end mode shapes of the test beam from 3D CSLDV measurement" on pp. 9-15).
Yuan does not expressly teach
the surface being a curved surface,
the scan trajectory being a 3D scan trajectory, or
determining operating deflection shapes (ODSs) of the structure based on the measured 3D vibrations.
Weekes teaches techniques for transforming a SLDV system into a CSLDV system. Weekes also teaches applying CSLDV to curved shapes (3D CSLDV). Specifically, to do so, Weekes teaches the feature of applying a transformation to a scan path defined for a shape at each position where a CSLDV is located, based on calibration points on the curved shape. This adjusts the scan path so as to be suited to the shape of a curved test-piece and the viewpoint of CSLDV instrument position. The CSLDV instrument is then controlled (the scanning mirrors, specifically) according to the defined path for each position, thereby enabling a 3D CSLDV scan of the curved test-piece. Based on measurements of 3D vibrations, Weekes further teaches determining operating deflection shapes (ODSs) of the curved test-piece. See the section "3D CSLDV" on p. 370, noting fig. 8-15 (various ODSs are shown in fig. 13-15).
While Weekes teaches only the use of a single CSLDV instrument, this sort of path transformation and mirror control is clearly applicable to multi-instrument systems, such as the three-instrument system of Yuan. This would have the advantage of being faster by at least a factor of three, as the measurement instrument would not have to be moved for each of the required three measurements.
In view hereof, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to at least try to apply the 3D CSLDV techniques (scan path transformation, etc.) and ODS determination based on 3D vibrations taught by Weekes to the system of Yuan. In this combination, the scan trajectory would be a 3D scan trajectory, with each laser head being controlled according to an appropriately transformed scan path, and the system would determine ODSs in addition to mode shapes based on the measured 3D vibrations. Doing so would predictably achieve the benefit of enabling the scanning of curved surfaces for evaluation, and allow more modal parameters to be determined, better characterizing the object being inspected.
With regards to claim 2, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. In this combination, the computing device is configured to control the first, second, and third laser heads to continuously and synchronously move along the same scan trajectory on the curved surface of the structure (as per "2.1.2. Continuously and synchronously scanning relation among three CSLDVs" of Yuan, with the paths translated as appropriate as taught by Weekes).
With regards to claim 3, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. Yuan further teaches the second and third laser heads being positioned between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees relative to the first laser head (see "3.1. Experimental setup").
With regards to claim 4, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. Yuan further teaches the computing device configured to use a reference object as a measurement coordinate system for calibration (e.g., a Polytec PSV-A-450 reference object; see "2.1.1. Geometrical model of a CSLDV").
With regards to claim 5, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. Although Yuan does not expressly teach the first, second, and third laser heads measuring 3D vibrations of the curved surface of the structure under sinusoidal excitation, instead teaching random/white-noise excitation, it is well-known in the art to apply sinusoidal excitation when measuring vibrations. This is evidenced by the section "1. Introduction" of Yuan. Weekes also teaches sine excitations in the "Testing & Results" and "3D CSLDV" sections on pp. 369-370. It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to similarly have the first, second, and third laser heads measuring 3D vibrations of the curved surface of the structure under sinusoidal excitation. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to do so in order to, for example, separate resonant and forced responses, or simply to ensure consistency between tests.
With regards to claim 6, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. In this combination, the computing device is configured to determine vibration of the structure based on the measured 3D vibrations of the curved surface of the structure (in determining mode shapes and ODSs, vibration is determined).
With regards to claim 7, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. In the applied combination, the 3D scan trajectory is a Lissajous trajectory, which is an approximate zig-zag. However, even if this were disputed, Yuan teaches that the shape of the structure is one factor that goes into choosing the type of scan trajectory (see "2.1.2. Continuously and synchronously scanning relation among three CSLDVs"). It accordingly would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the 3D scan trajectory be an approximate zig-zag scan path for the curved surface, should it be deemed appropriate for the surface geometry.
With regards to claim 8, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. However, this combination does not expressly teach the computing device configured to use a demodulation technique to determine the 3D operating deflection shapes of the structure. Nevertheless, Weekes teaches that it is known to use various demodulation techniques to determine an ODS from captured vibration data. For example, see the techniques under "SIGNAL PROCESSING FOR CSLDV OF ARBITRARY AREA SCANS" on p. 367, noting sections such as "Amplitude Demodulation". It accordingly would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the computing device configured to use a demodulation technique to determine the 3D operating deflection shapes of the structure, selected as appropriate for the type of excitation, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to do so in order to calculate ODS values.
With regards to claim 9, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1.
In the applied combination, the curved surface of the structure is under random excitation (see abstract, "4. Conclusions" (conclusion 5 in particular), etc., in Yuan), and an extended demodulation method (EDM) (the "extended demodulation" mentioned in section 3.3 of Yuan) is configured to estimate damped natural frequencies and 3D full-field undamped mode shapes of the structure under random excitation (see "3.3. Estimated damped natural frequencies and 3D undamped end-to-end mode shapes of the test beam from 3D CSLDV measurement" in Yuan, with "3D undamped end-to-end mode shapes" corresponding to "3D full-field undamped mode shapes").
With regards to claim 10, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the system of claim 1. In this combination, the system is a 3D continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer system (as per both Yuan and Weekes).
With regards to claim 11, Yuan teaches a method (operating using the system of fig. 1) comprising:
using a profile scanner to determine a scan trajectory for a surface of a structure (the part of the computer in fig. 1, or other processor, that calculates the scan trajectories for the three laser heads according to the process in "2.1.2. Continuously and synchronously scanning relation among three CSLDVs" on pp. 4-5, also see the discussion of generating a scan path under "3.1. Experimental setup" on pp. 7-8);
positioning first, second, and third laser heads (top, left, and right CSLDVs in fig. 1) for scanning the surface of the structure (see "2.1. Description of the 3D CSLDV system" on p. 3);
controlling (using the computer and external controller connected to the CSLDVs in fig. 1) the first, second, and third laser heads to scan the surface of the structure based on the determined scan trajectory (see "2.1. Description of the 3D CSLDV system" on p. 3);
measuring the 3D vibrations of the surface of the structure (see the abstract, and the mention of measuring 3D vibrations in at least the full paragraph on p. 8 under "3.1. Experimental setup"); and
determining mode shapes of the structure based on the measured 3D vibrations of the surface of the structure (see "3.2. Estimated damped natural frequencies and 1D undamped end-to-end mode shapes of the test beam from CSLDV measurements" and "3.3. Estimated damped natural frequencies and 3D undamped end-to-end mode shapes of the test beam from 3D CSLDV measurement" on pp. 9-15).
Yuan does not expressly teach
the surface being a curved surface,
the scan trajectory being a 3D scan trajectory, or
determining operating deflection shapes (ODSs) of the structure based on the measured 3D vibrations of the surface of the structure.
Weekes teaches techniques for transforming a SLDV system into a CSLDV system. Weekes also teaches applying CSLDV to curved shapes (3D CSLDV). Specifically, to do so, Weekes teaches the feature of applying a transformation to a scan path defined for a shape at each position where a CSLDV is located, based on calibration points on the curved shape. This adjusts the scan path so as to be suited to the shape of a curved test-piece and the viewpoint of CSLDV instrument position. The CSLDV instrument is then controlled (the scanning mirrors, specifically) according to the defined path for each position, thereby enabling a 3D CSLDV scan of the curved test-piece. Based on measurements of 3D vibrations, Weekes further teaches determining operating deflection shapes (ODSs) of the curved test-piece. See the section "3D CSLDV" on p. 370, noting fig. 8-15 (various ODSs are shown in fig. 13-15).
While Weekes teaches only the use of a single CSLDV instrument, this sort of path transformation and mirror control is clearly applicable to multi-instrument systems, such as the three-instrument system of Yuan. This would have the advantage of being faster by at least a factor of three, as the measurement instrument would not have to be moved for each of the required three measurements.
In view hereof, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to at least try to apply the 3D CSLDV techniques (scan path transformation, etc.) and ODS determination based on 3D vibrations taught by Weekes to the method of Yuan. In this combination, the scan trajectory would be a 3D scan trajectory, with each laser head being controlled according to an appropriately transformed scan path, and the system would determine ODSs (in addition to mode shapes) based on the measured 3D vibrations. Doing so would predictably achieve the benefit of enabling the scanning of curved surfaces for evaluation, and allow more modal parameters to be determined, better characterizing the object being inspected.
With regards to claim 12, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. This combination involves controlling the first, second, and third laser heads to continuously and synchronously move along the same scan trajectory on the curved surface of the structure (as per "2.1.2. Continuously and synchronously scanning relation among three CSLDVs" of Yuan, with the paths translated as appropriate as taught by Weekes).
With regards to claim 13, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. Yuan further teaches the second and third laser heads being positioned between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees relative to the first laser head (see "3.1. Experimental setup").
With regards to claim 14, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. Yuan further teaches the feature of using a reference object as a measurement coordinate system for calibration (e.g., a Polytec PSV-A-450 reference object; see "2.1.1. Geometrical model of a CSLDV").
With regards to claim 15, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. Although Yuan does not expressly teach controlling the first, second, and third laser heads to measure 3D vibrations of the curved surface of the structure under sinusoidal excitation, instead teaching random/white-noise excitation, it is well-known in the art to apply sinusoidal excitation when measuring vibrations. This is evidenced by the section "1. Introduction" of Yuan. Weekes also teaches sine excitations in the "Testing & Results" and "3D CSLDV" sections on pp. 369-370. It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to similarly control the first, second, and third laser heads to measure 3D vibrations of the curved surface of the structure under sinusoidal excitation. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to do so in order to, for example, separate resonant and forced responses, or simply to ensure consistency between tests.
With regards to claim 16, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. This combination involves the computing device determining vibration of the structure based on the measured 3D vibrations of the curved surface of the structure (in determining mode shapes and ODSs, vibration is determined).
With regards to claim 17, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. In the applied combination, the 3D scan trajectory is a Lissajous trajectory, which is an approximate zig-zag. However, even if this were disputed, Yuan teaches that the shape of the structure is one factor that goes into choosing the type of scan trajectory (see "2.1.2. Continuously and synchronously scanning relation among three CSLDVs"). It accordingly would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the 3D scan trajectory be an approximate zig-zag scan path for the curved surface, should it be deemed appropriate for the surface geometry.
With regards to claim 18, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. However, this combination does not expressly teach the using a demodulation technique to determine the 3D operating deflection shapes of the structure. Nevertheless, Weekes teaches that it is known to use various demodulation techniques to determine an ODS from captured vibration data. For example, see the techniques under "SIGNAL PROCESSING FOR CSLDV OF ARBITRARY AREA SCANS" on p. 367, noting sections such as "Amplitude Demodulation". It accordingly would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to similarly use a demodulation technique to determine the 3D operating deflection shapes of the structure, selected as appropriate for the type of excitation, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to do so in order to calculate ODS values.
With regards to claim 19, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11.
In the applied combination, the curved surface of the structure is under random excitation (see abstract, "4. Conclusions" (conclusion 5 in particular), etc., in Yuan), and the method uses an extended demodulation method (EDM) (the "extended demodulation" mentioned in section 3.3 of Yuan) to estimate damped natural frequencies and 3D full-field undamped mode shapes of the structure under random excitation (see "3.3. Estimated damped natural frequencies and 3D undamped end-to-end mode shapes of the test beam from 3D CSLDV measurement" in Yuan, with "3D undamped end-to-end mode shapes" corresponding to "3D full-field undamped mode shapes").
With regards to claim 20, the combination of Yuan and Weekes teaches the method of claim 11. In this combination, the system is a 3D continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer system (as per both Yuan and Weekes).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
"Investigation of three-dimensional vibration measurement by three scanning laser Doppler vibrometers in a continuously and synchronously scanning mode" by Chen et al. (Journal of Sound and Vibration, Volume 498, 2021, 115950, ISSN 0022-460X) discloses a related 3D CSLDV system.
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/JS/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/JUDY NGUYEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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