DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim(s) 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 05/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In regards to the applicant’s arguments that the prior art fails to disclose or show a second encoder being offset from a first encoder a fixed distance relative to the travel path, the Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Attention is brought to Figures 2 and 3a-3b, which explicitly disclose a plurality of sensor arrays (311, 312) which are offset from each other in the y-direction, relative to the travel direction in the x-direction (par. 35). Further, each sensor is configured to receive light reflected from a separate periodic encoder track (201, 202) and obtain a separate displacement or position measurement (par. 31-32). While the prior art discloses the sensor arrays as being integrated into a “sensor unit 301”, the prior art explicitly discloses and shows the arrays as being separate within said sensor unit. Identical to the applicant’s claimed “encoder assembly”, further comprising a first encoder and a separate second encoder.
In regards to the applicant’s arguments that the prior art fails to disclose or show identifying periodic patterns which are directly attributable to interpolation error, the Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Attention is brought to paragraph 6, wherein various position calculation errors are disclosed, in particular “unnecessary spatial frequency components” and “components due to unnecessary diffracted light” may cause errors in position detection. Further, Nagura explicitly discloses performing “interpolation processing” (par. 29), to remove said unnecessary signal components to obtain an absolute position signal (par. 52-53, 55-58, 61-62).
Therefore, the prior art is understood to continue to anticipate the currently claimed invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by US Publication 2012/0217384 to Nagura.
In regards to claims 1-10, Nagura discloses and shows in Figures 1-19, a system and method for measuring movement along a travel path, the system comprising:
an encoder assembly (301) positioned relative to a main track (200), one of the encoder assembly and the main track being configured to move relative to the other along the travel path (par. 4, 7), the encoder assembly comprising:
a first encoder (311) configured to generate position measurements relative to the main track (Figures 2, 3a-b) (par. 30-32, 61-62), and
a second encoder (312) separate from the first encoder, the second encoder being offset from the first encoder a fixed distance relative to the travel path (par. 35; Figures 2, 3a-b; wherein a plurality of sensor arrays (311, 312) are offset in the y-direction, relative to the travel path in the x-direction), the second encoder being configured to generate position measurements relative to the main track (Figures 2, 3a-b) (par. 30-32, 61-62),
wherein the first and second encoders concurrently generate pairs of position measurements in the time domain based on the position of the encoder assembly relative to the main track (par. 30-32, 52-54, 61-62); and
a signal processing unit (401) in electrical communication with the encoder assembly (par. 29, 70);
wherein the signal processing unit converts the pairs of position measurements in the time domain into corresponding position measurements in the spatial domain (par. 31, 52-54, 61-62; wherein an amount of change and direction per unit time is measured for each sampling period), the signal processing unit creating a map of the difference between each pair of position measurements in the spatial domain throughout the travel path, the map including periodic patterns which are directly attributable to interpolation error (Figures 7-9) (par. 52-53, 55-58, 61-62; wherein four phase signal outputs are obtained and converted into spatial frequency maps (Figures 7-8), wherein direct current components are removed from the signals, and further unnecessary or unwanted spatial frequency components are removed to reduce the effects of modulation components);
[claim 2] wherein the signal processing unit identifies periodic patterns in the map of the difference between each pair of position measurements in the spatial domain (Figures 7-9) (Par. 55-58, 65-68; wherein unnecessary frequency components are removed in order to reduce the effects of the modulation component);
[claim 3] wherein the signal processing unit minimizes the presence of periodic patterns in the map in order to reduce interpolation error and thereby correct the pairs of position measurements in the spatial domain (Figures 7-9) (Par. 55-58, 65-68; wherein unnecessary frequency components are removed in order to reduce the effects of the modulation component);
[claim 4] wherein the signal processing unit identifies and minimizes the presence of periodic patterns in the map through a recursive process (Figures 7-9) (Par. 31, 55-58, 61-62, 65-68; wherein unnecessary frequency components are removed in order to reduce the effects of the modulation component, for each sampling period);
[claim 5] wherein the difference between each pair of position measurements in the spatial domain is mapped as data relative to one of the pair of position measurements (Figures 7-9) (par. 52-58; wherein the various spatial frequency components are generated by interference between different diffraction orders of light obtained from the slit track);
[claim 6] wherein the signal processing unit identifies periodic patterns in the map of the difference between each pair of position measurements in the spatial domain by performing at least one of a fast Fourier transform and a discrete Fourier transform on the mapped data to yield spatial frequency peaks at select frequencies (Figures 7-9) (par. 53; wherein Fourier transforms are performed on the reflectivity distribution to obtain the spatial frequency distribution);
[claim 7] wherein the signal processing unit filters out mapped data at the select frequencies with spatial frequency peaks (Figures 7-9) (Par. 31, 55-58, 61-62, 65-68; wherein unnecessary frequency components are removed in order to reduce the effects of the modulation component);
[claim 8] wherein the first encoder is configured to generate position measurements relative to the main track using a first scale pitch (par. 30-31);
[claim 9] wherein the second encoder is configured to generate position measurements relative to the main track using a second scale pitch (par. 30-31);
[claim 10] wherein the second encoder is configured to generate position measurements relative to the main track using a second scale pitch which differs from the first scale pitch (par. 30-31).
In regards to claims 11-15, Nagura discloses and shows in Figures 1-19, a system and method for measuring movement along a travel path, the system comprising:
an encoder assembly (301) positioned relative to a main track (200), one of the encoder assembly and the main track being configured to move relative to the other along the travel path (par. 4, 7), the encoder assembly concurrently generating pairs of position measurements in the time domain based on the position of the encoder assembly relative to the main track (par. 30-32, 52-54, 61-62), each pair of position measurements including first and second measurements set at a fixed distance apart from one another relative to the travel path (Figures 2, 3a-b) (par. 30-32, 52-54, 61-62); and
a signal processing unit (401) in electrical communication with the encoder assembly (par. 29, 70);
wherein the signal processing unit converts the pairs of position measurements in the time domain into corresponding position measurements in the spatial domain (par. 31, 52-54, 61-62; wherein an amount of change and direction per unit time is measured for each sampling period), the signal processing unit creating a map of the difference between each pair of position measurements in the spatial domain throughout the travel path, the map including periodic patterns which are directly attributable to interpolation error (Figures 7-9) (par. 52-53, 55-58, 61-62; wherein four phase signal outputs are obtained and converted into spatial frequency maps (Figures 7-8), wherein direct current components are removed from the signals, and further unnecessary or unwanted spatial frequency components are removed to reduce the effects of modulation components);
[claim 12] wherein the signal processing unit identifies periodic patterns in the map of the difference between each pair of position measurements in the spatial domain (Figures 7-9) (Par. 55-58, 65-68; wherein unnecessary frequency components are removed in order to reduce the effects of the modulation component);
[claim 13] wherein the signal processing unit minimizes the presence of periodic patterns in the map in order to reduce interpolation error and thereby correct the pairs of position measurements in the spatial domain (Figures 7-9) (Par. 55-58, 65-68; wherein unnecessary frequency components are removed in order to reduce the effects of the modulation component);
[claim 14] wherein the encoder assembly comprises a single encoder head (301) that is configured to simultaneously generate the first and second measurements for each pair of position measurements (par. 30-31, 52-58, 61-63)
[claim 15] wherein the single encoder head is configured to simultaneously generate the first and second measurements using a single scale pitch (par. 30-31; wherein the tracks may have the same pitch scales).
In regards to claims 16-19, Nagura discloses and shows in Figures 1-19, a system and method for measuring movement along a travel path, the system comprising:
an encoder assembly (301) positioned relative to a main track (200), one of the encoder assembly and the main track being configured to move relative to the other along the travel path (par. 4, 7), the encoder assembly concurrently generating pairs of quadrature output signals based on the position of the encoder assembly relative to the main track (par. 52-54, 61-62; wherein the four phase signals are each shifted by 90 degrees from each other, and are therefore viewed as quadrature signals); and
a signal processing unit (401) in electrical communication with the encoder assembly (par. 29, 70);
wherein the signal processing unit calculates a position measurement in the time domain for the encoder assembly relative to the main track using each pair of quadrature output signals (par. 31, 52-54, 61-62; wherein an amount of change and direction per unit of time is measured for each sampling period),
wherein the signal processing unit converts each position measurement in the time domain into a corresponding position measurement in the spatial domain and creates a map of position measurements in the spatial domain within a grating period (Figures 7-9) (par. 52-53, 55-58, 61-62; wherein four phase signal outputs are obtained and converted into spatial frequency maps (Figures 7-8), wherein direct current components are removed from the signals, and further unnecessary or unwanted spatial frequency components are removed to reduce the effects of modulation components);
[claim 17] wherein the signal processing unit utilizes the map to identify and minimize the presence of gain, offset, and phase errors in the pair of quadrature output signals to yield a corrected pair of quadrature output signals, the signal processing unit recalculating and revising the position measurement in the time domain using the corrected pair of quadrature output signals (Figures 7-9) (par. 45, 52-58; wherein the plurality of phase signals are obtained from arctangent calculations of the interference from different diffraction orders of light; the phase signals are converted to a spatial frequency map through Fourier transformation; and unnecessary spatial frequencies are identified and removed to reduce the effects of modulation components) (par. 61-70; further the absolute position measurements may be improved through an initialization operation of determining phase offset values for the plurality of phase signals);
[claim 18] wherein the signal processing unit calculates the position measurement in the time domain by computing an arctangent of a quotient of the pair of quadrature output signals (Figures 7-9) (par. 45, 52-58; wherein the plurality of phase signals are obtained from arctangent calculations of the interference from different diffraction orders of light);
[claim 19] wherein the signal processing unit uses a recursive approach to revise each position measurement in the spatial domain over a grating period, both over time and as one of the encoder assembly and the main track moves relative to the other (par. 45, 61-70; wherein absolute position measurements are determined over time through iterative phase calculations, conversions and corrections).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN M HANSEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1736. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michelle Iacoletti can be reached at 571-270-5789. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JONATHAN M. HANSEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2877
/JONATHAN M HANSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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