DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final Office Action on the merits in response to communications filed by Applicant on December 17th, 2024. Claims 1 and 11-19 are currently pending and examined below.
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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendments to the Claims, filed on July 3rd, 2025, have been entered. Claims 11-19 are new and currently pending, claim 1 is original, unamended, and pending, and claims 2-10 have been canceled. The amendments to the Specifications, filed on January 3rd, 2025, has been entered. The amendments to the Abstract, filed on January 3rd, 2025, has been entered.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. DE10 2022 210 253.3, filed on 09/28/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement(s) filed on 12/17/2024 and 12/17/2024 is/are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the Abstract is over 150 words in length (227 words in length). A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claim(s) recite the limitation “a computer-readable and/or non-volatile storage medium”. This limitation can encompass non-statutory transient forms of signal transmission, such as propagating electrical or electromagnetic signals per se. (See In re Nuijten, 500 F.3d 1346, 84 USPQ2d 1495 (Fed. Cir. 2007)). Review of the specifications, in particular paragraphs 0089 of the filed specifications, provides embodiments in which the computer readable medium is described as including signal transmission and thus the claims are directed toward non-statutory subject matter.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 11, and 14-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or (a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2011/0046782 A1 ("Fixell").
Regarding claim 1, Fixell teaches a method for calibrating a robot arm (1), comprising multiple joints (1.1) (Fixell: Abstract, “The present invention relates to a method and a system for determining the relation between a local coordinate system located in the working range of an industrial robot (1) and a robot coordinate system. The method comprises: attaching a first calibration object (10) in a fixed relation to the robot, determining the position of the first calibration object in relation to the robot, locating at least three second calibration objects (14, 15, 16) in the working range of the robot, wherein at least one of the calibration objects is a male calibration object having a protruding part shaped as a sphere, and at least one of the calibration objects is a female calibration object comprising at least two nonparallel, inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere so that the sphere is in contact with the surfaces in at least one reference position, determining a reference position for each of the second calibration objects in the local coordinate system, for each second calibration object moving the robot until the sphere is in mechanical contact with the surfaces of the calibration object, reading the position of the robot when the sphere is in mechanical contact with all of the surfaces, and calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the position of the first calibration object in relation to the robot, the reference positions of the second calibration objects in the local coordinate system, and the positions of the robot when the sphere is in mechanical contact with the surfaces of the second calibration objects.”),
with the aid of a measuring device that comprises a first calibration element (10) (Fixell: Figure 1 second calibration objects 14-16, Figure 4 second calibration objects 30-32, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the system includes a first calibration element (i.e. the second calibration objects 14-16 and 30-32))
and a calibration element (2) which is fixed to the robot arm (Fixell: Figure 1 first calibration object 10, ¶ 0034, “The robot 1 is provided with a robot controller 5 including at least one processor, memory and communication means. In this example, the robot controller 5 is utilized for carrying out most of the steps in the method according to the invention. The robot 1 comprises a tool flange 7 for attaching a tool 8. A first calibration object 10 in the form of a male calibration object including a sphere 10 is fixedly attached to the tool 8, and accordingly fixedly attached to the robot, during the calibration. The sphere 10 is attached to the robot tool 8 using a shaft or other structure. In an alternative embodiment, the first calibration object 10 can be attached to the tool flange 7. The tool centre point (TCP) of the sphere 10 must be known in the robot coordinate system. The TCP of the sphere can, for example, be identified by a one-time measurement for fixed installations, or every time the calibration is to be carried out using built in methods in the robot controller for flexible installations.”. The cited passages clearly shows that a calibration element is fixed to the end effector of the robot (i.e. the first calibration object))
and which can be moved relative to the first calibration element by adjusting joints of the robot arm (Fixell: Figures 3-5, ¶ 0034, “The robot 1 is provided with a robot controller 5 including at least one processor, memory and communication means. In this example, the robot controller 5 is utilized for carrying out most of the steps in the method according to the invention. The robot 1 comprises a tool flange 7 for attaching a tool 8. A first calibration object 10 in the form of a male calibration object including a sphere 10 is fixedly attached to the tool 8, and accordingly fixedly attached to the robot, during the calibration. The sphere 10 is attached to the robot tool 8 using a shaft or other structure. In an alternative embodiment, the first calibration object 10 can be attached to the tool flange 7. The tool centre point (TCP) of the sphere 10 must be known in the robot coordinate system. The TCP of the sphere can, for example, be identified by a one-time measurement for fixed installations, or every time the calibration is to be carried out using built in methods in the robot controller for flexible installations.”, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the calibration element mounted on the robot is moved by adjusting the joints of the robot.),
wherein the first calibration element and the calibration element fixed to the robot arm are designed such that in the event of a displacement of the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element in an advance direction, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided by the first calibration element from various starting positions to the same defined end position (Fixell: Figure 4, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the first calibration element (i.e. the second calibration object) and the calibration element fixed to the robot (i.e. the first calibration object) are configured such that when the calibration element fixed to the robot comes into contact with the first calibration element from any starting position, the first calibration element guides the calibration element fixed to the robot to the same final reference position.),
said method comprising the following steps: positioning (S10) the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element in one of the starting positions with the aid of the robot arm (Fixell: ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passage clearly shows that the robot is configured to move the attached calibration element to a starting element near the second calibration element.);
moving (S20), in a force-controlled manner, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element in the first advance direction with the aid of the robot arm (Fixell: ¶ 0017, “According to an embodiment of the invention, the robot is automatically moved by means of force control. The force control makes it possible for the robot to automatically locate the position in which the sphere is in contact with the surfaces and accordingly to automatically find the reference point. With force control is meant that the force or torque between the first calibration object and the robot is measured in at least two directions and the movement of the robot is made in dependence on the measured force or torque. The force or torque is measured in at least three degrees of freedom in case the calibration object is provided with three inclining surfaces. The sphere is in the reference position when there is a force or a torque in three directions. Force control is an active and sensitive control.”, ¶ 0035, “In this embodiment, a force sensor 12 for measuring forces in three orthogonal directions is provided between the tool flange 7 and the tool 8, and accordingly between the calibration object 10 and the robot 1. The robot is programmed to be moved by means of force control. This means that the movement of the robot depends on the measuring signal from the force sensor 12.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the robot is configured to move the attached calibration element into the reference position of the first calibration element through force control.),
wherein during this movement the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided by the first calibration element to the first end position (Fixell: ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that as the robot moves the attached calibration component, the first calibration component (i.e. second calibration objects 14-16/30-32) are configured to guide the attached calibration component to the reference position. Although the method is only describe with reference to the embodiment of the second calibration objects shown in Figures 1-3, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the channel formed by the walls 33-34 of the second calibration objects 30-32 in Figure 4 would also guide the attached calibration object to the reference position.)
and, at this end position, the robot comprises a first calibration setting (Fixell: ¶ 0038, “The three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 are preferably located in the local coordinate system so as to form corners of a triangle and preferably represent a single solution to the coordinate transformation. The robot controller 5 is configured to receive and store the positions of the robot when the sphere 10 is in mechanical contact with all three surfaces 20, 21, 22 of the second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 and comprises software for calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the robot positions when the sphere is in contact with the surfaces of the calibration objects.”, ¶ 0045, “When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”);
detecting (S30) first settings of the joints of the robot arm in the first calibration setting (Fixell: ¶ 0038, “The three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 are preferably located in the local coordinate system so as to form corners of a triangle and preferably represent a single solution to the coordinate transformation. The robot controller 5 is configured to receive and store the positions of the robot when the sphere 10 is in mechanical contact with all three surfaces 20, 21, 22 of the second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 and comprises software for calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the robot positions when the sphere is in contact with the surfaces of the calibration objects.”, ¶ 0045, “When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the system is configured to acquire the location of the joints of the robot); and
calibrating (S110) the robot arm based on these first joint settings (Fixell: ¶ 0045, “The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”).
Regarding claim 11, Fixell teaches characterized in that the measuring device comprises at least one second calibration element (20) (Fixell: Figure 1 second calibration objects 14-16, Figure 4 second calibration objects 30-32, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the system includes multiple calibrations (i.e. the second calibration objects 14-16 and 30-32) in both embodiments of said calibration elements.),
wherein the second calibration element and the calibration element fixed to the robot arm are designed such that when the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is displaced relative to the second calibration element in a second advance direction, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided from different second starting positions by the second calibration element to the same defined second end position (Fixell: Figure 4, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the second calibration element (i.e. one of the plurality of second calibration object 14-16/30-32) and the calibration element fixed to the robot (i.e. the first calibration object) are configured such that when the calibration element fixed to the robot comes into contact with the second calibration element from any starting position, the second calibration element guides the calibration element fixed to the robot to the same final reference position.);
wherein the method comprises the steps: positioning (S60) the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the second calibration element in one of the second starting positions with the aid of the robot arm (Fixell: ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored.”. The cited passage clearly shows that the robot is configured to move the attached calibration element to a starting element near the second calibration objects and repeats this process for each of the second calibration objects.);
moving (S70), in a force-controlled manner, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the second calibration element in the second advance direction with the aid of the robot arm (Fixell: ¶ 0017, “According to an embodiment of the invention, the robot is automatically moved by means of force control. The force control makes it possible for the robot to automatically locate the position in which the sphere is in contact with the surfaces and accordingly to automatically find the reference point. With force control is meant that the force or torque between the first calibration object and the robot is measured in at least two directions and the movement of the robot is made in dependence on the measured force or torque. The force or torque is measured in at least three degrees of freedom in case the calibration object is provided with three inclining surfaces. The sphere is in the reference position when there is a force or a torque in three directions. Force control is an active and sensitive control.”, ¶ 0035, “In this embodiment, a force sensor 12 for measuring forces in three orthogonal directions is provided between the tool flange 7 and the tool 8, and accordingly between the calibration object 10 and the robot 1. The robot is programmed to be moved by means of force control. This means that the movement of the robot depends on the measuring signal from the force sensor 12.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the robot is configured to move the attached calibration element into the reference position of the first calibration element through force control and repeats this process for each calibration element.),
wherein during this movement the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided by the second calibration element to the second end position (Fixell: ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored.”. The cited passages clearly shows that as the robot moves the attached calibration component, the first calibration component (i.e. second calibration objects 14-16/30-32) are configured to guide the attached calibration component to the reference position. Although the method is only describe with reference to the embodiment of the second calibration objects shown in Figures 1-3, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the channel formed by the walls 33-34 of the second calibration objects 30-32 in Figure 4 would also guide the attached calibration object to the reference position. Additionally, this process is clearly performed for each calibration element)
and at this end position the robot comprises a second calibration setting (Fixell: ¶ 0038, “The three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 are preferably located in the local coordinate system so as to form corners of a triangle and preferably represent a single solution to the coordinate transformation. The robot controller 5 is configured to receive and store the positions of the robot when the sphere 10 is in mechanical contact with all three surfaces 20, 21, 22 of the second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 and comprises software for calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the robot positions when the sphere is in contact with the surfaces of the calibration objects.”, ¶ 0045, “When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored.”); and
detecting (S80) second settings of the joints of the robot arm in the second calibration setting (Fixell: ¶ 0038, “The three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 are preferably located in the local coordinate system so as to form corners of a triangle and preferably represent a single solution to the coordinate transformation. The robot controller 5 is configured to receive and store the positions of the robot when the sphere 10 is in mechanical contact with all three surfaces 20, 21, 22 of the second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 and comprises software for calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the robot positions when the sphere is in contact with the surfaces of the calibration objects.”, ¶ 0045, “When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the system is configured to acquire the location of the joints of the robot);
wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these second joint settings (S110) (Fixell: ¶ 0045, “The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”).
Regrading claim 14, Fixell teaches characterized in that the robot arm in the first calibration setting, in particular when adjusting from the first calibration setting to the further calibration setting, is force-controlled such that the calibration element fixed to the robot arm in the first end position exerts a contact force on the first calibration element and is supported by the first calibration element in the first end position (Fixell: ¶ 0017, “According to an embodiment of the invention, the robot is automatically moved by means of force control. The force control makes it possible for the robot to automatically locate the position in which the sphere is in contact with the surfaces and accordingly to automatically find the reference point. With force control is meant that the force or torque between the first calibration object and the robot is measured in at least two directions and the movement of the robot is made in dependence on the measured force or torque. The force or torque is measured in at least three degrees of freedom in case the calibration object is provided with three inclining surfaces. The sphere is in the reference position when there is a force or a torque in three directions. Force control is an active and sensitive control.”, ¶ 0035, “In this embodiment, a force sensor 12 for measuring forces in three orthogonal directions is provided between the tool flange 7 and the tool 8, and accordingly between the calibration object 10 and the robot 1. The robot is programmed to be moved by means of force control. This means that the movement of the robot depends on the measuring signal from the force sensor 12.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the robot is moved using force control such that the attached calibration element maintains contact with the surfaces of the first/second/third calibration elements. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that maintaining contact between the attached calibration element and the surfaces the first/second/third calibration elements would require applying some contact force from the attached calibration element to the surfaces of the first/second/third calibration elements.).
Regarding claim 15, Fixell teaches characterized in that one of the first calibration element and the calibration element fixed to the robot arm comprises a guide surface (10.1) with a cavity (12), wherein the other of the first calibration element and the calibration element fixed to the robot arm can be supported by the cavity in a defined support position which determines the first end position, wherein the guide surface converges towards the cavity (Fixell: Figure 1 second calibration objects 14-16, Figure 4 second calibration objects 30-32, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”. The cited passages and figures clearly shows that both embodiments of the second calibration objects (i.e. 14-16 in Figure 1 and 30-32 in Figure 3) comprise a guide surface (surfaces 20-22 with respect to Figure 1 and surfaces 33-34 with respect to Figure 3) that forms a cavity, wherein the surfaces converge toward the cavity. Additionally the cavity formed buy the surfaces is clearly configured to support the attached calibration element at the reference point.).
Regarding claim 16, Fixell teaches characterized in that the guide surface comprises at least one guide ( 11) for guiding the other of the first calibration element and the calibration element fixed to the robot arm into the cavity along a one dimensional guide path (Fixell: Figure 1 second calibration objects 14-16, Figure 4 second calibration objects 30-32, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”).
Regarding claim 17, Fixell teaches characterized by the step of: force-controlled movement (S20) of the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element with the aid of the robot arm, wherein during this movement the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided by the guide along the guide path and settings of the joints of the robot arm are detected in at least two calibration settings (S20, S30) (Fixell: ¶ 0017, “According to an embodiment of the invention, the robot is automatically moved by means of force control. The force control makes it possible for the robot to automatically locate the position in which the sphere is in contact with the surfaces and accordingly to automatically find the reference point. With force control is meant that the force or torque between the first calibration object and the robot is measured in at least two directions and the movement of the robot is made in dependence on the measured force or torque. The force or torque is measured in at least three degrees of freedom in case the calibration object is provided with three inclining surfaces. The sphere is in the reference position when there is a force or a torque in three directions. Force control is an active and sensitive control.”, ¶ 0035, “In this embodiment, a force sensor 12 for measuring forces in three orthogonal directions is provided between the tool flange 7 and the tool 8, and accordingly between the calibration object 10 and the robot 1. The robot is programmed to be moved by means of force control. This means that the movement of the robot depends on the measuring signal from the force sensor 12.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the surfaces that from the guide of the first/second/third calibration elements are configured to guide the calibration element attached to the robot to the reference position while the robot is moving under force control.);
wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on these joint settings (S110) (Fixell: ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”).
Regarding claim 18, Fixell teaches a system for calibrating a robot arm (1) that comprises multiple joints (1.1), wherein the system is set up to carry out a method according to claim 1 and/or comprises (Fixell: Abstract, “The present invention relates to a method and a system for determining the relation between a local coordinate system located in the working range of an industrial robot (1) and a robot coordinate system. The method comprises: attaching a first calibration object (10) in a fixed relation to the robot, determining the position of the first calibration object in relation to the robot, locating at least three second calibration objects (14, 15, 16) in the working range of the robot, wherein at least one of the calibration objects is a male calibration object having a protruding part shaped as a sphere, and at least one of the calibration objects is a female calibration object comprising at least two nonparallel, inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere so that the sphere is in contact with the surfaces in at least one reference position, determining a reference position for each of the second calibration objects in the local coordinate system, for each second calibration object moving the robot until the sphere is in mechanical contact with the surfaces of the calibration object, reading the position of the robot when the sphere is in mechanical contact with all of the surfaces, and calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the position of the first calibration object in relation to the robot, the reference positions of the second calibration objects in the local coordinate system, and the positions of the robot when the sphere is in mechanical contact with the surfaces of the second calibration objects.”):
a measuring device which comprises a first calibration element (10) and a calibration element (2) which can be arranged on the robot arm (Fixell: Figure 1 first calibration object 10, second calibration objects 14-16, Figure 4 second calibration objects 31-33, ¶ 0034, “The robot 1 is provided with a robot controller 5 including at least one processor, memory and communication means. In this example, the robot controller 5 is utilized for carrying out most of the steps in the method according to the invention. The robot 1 comprises a tool flange 7 for attaching a tool 8. A first calibration object 10 in the form of a male calibration object including a sphere 10 is fixedly attached to the tool 8, and accordingly fixedly attached to the robot, during the calibration. The sphere 10 is attached to the robot tool 8 using a shaft or other structure. In an alternative embodiment, the first calibration object 10 can be attached to the tool flange 7. The tool centre point (TCP) of the sphere 10 must be known in the robot coordinate system. The TCP of the sphere can, for example, be identified by a one-time measurement for fixed installations, or every time the calibration is to be carried out using built in methods in the robot controller for flexible installations.”, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the system includes a first calibration element (i.e. the second calibration objects 14-16 and 30-32) and a calibration element is fixed to the end effector of the robot (i.e. the first calibration object).),
wherein the first calibration element and the calibration element which can be arranged on the robot arm are designed in such a way that, when the calibration element which can be arranged on the robot arm is arranged on the robot arm, this calibration element fixed to the robot arm can be moved relative to the first calibration element by adjusting the joints of the robot arm (Fixell: Figures 3-5, ¶ 0034, “The robot 1 is provided with a robot controller 5 including at least one processor, memory and communication means. In this example, the robot controller 5 is utilized for carrying out most of the steps in the method according to the invention. The robot 1 comprises a tool flange 7 for attaching a tool 8. A first calibration object 10 in the form of a male calibration object including a sphere 10 is fixedly attached to the tool 8, and accordingly fixedly attached to the robot, during the calibration. The sphere 10 is attached to the robot tool 8 using a shaft or other structure. In an alternative embodiment, the first calibration object 10 can be attached to the tool flange 7. The tool centre point (TCP) of the sphere 10 must be known in the robot coordinate system. The TCP of the sphere can, for example, be identified by a one-time measurement for fixed installations, or every time the calibration is to be carried out using built in methods in the robot controller for flexible installations.”, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the calibration element mounted on the robot is moved by adjusting the joints of the robot.),
and when the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is displaced relative to the first calibration element in a first advance direction, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided from various first start positions to the same defined first end position by the first calibration element (Fixell: Figure 4, ¶ 0036, “The system further comprises three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 positioned in the working range of the robot, in this case positioned on the fixture 3 holding the workpiece 2. Each of the second calibration objects 14-16 is a female calibration object comprising three non-parallel inclining surfaces arranged to receive the sphere 10 so that the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time when the sphere is in a unique and defined position relative the second calibration object. In the following, the position at which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces at the same time is denoted a reference position.”, ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot. The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the first calibration element (i.e. the second calibration object) and the calibration element fixed to the robot (i.e. the first calibration object) are configured such that when the calibration element fixed to the robot comes into contact with the first calibration element from any starting position, the first calibration element guides the calibration element fixed to the robot to the same final reference position.);
and/or a controller (3) for controlling the robot arm to position the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element in one of the first starting positions with the aid of the robot arm (Fixell: ¶ 0034, “The robot 1 is provided with a robot controller 5 including at least one processor, memory and communication means. In this example, the robot controller 5 is utilized for carrying out most of the steps in the method according to the invention. The robot 1 comprises a tool flange 7 for attaching a tool 8. A first calibration object 10 in the form of a male calibration object including a sphere 10 is fixedly attached to the tool 8, and accordingly fixedly attached to the robot, during the calibration. The sphere 10 is attached to the robot tool 8 using a shaft or other structure. In an alternative embodiment, the first calibration object 10 can be attached to the tool flange 7. The tool centre point (TCP) of the sphere 10 must be known in the robot coordinate system. The TCP of the sphere can, for example, be identified by a one-time measurement for fixed installations, or every time the calibration is to be carried out using built in methods in the robot controller for flexible installations.”);
controlling the robot arm to move, in a force-controlled manner, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element in the first advance direction with the aid of the robot arm (Fixell: ¶ 0035, “In this embodiment, a force sensor 12 for measuring forces in three orthogonal directions is provided between the tool flange 7 and the tool 8, and accordingly between the calibration object 10 and the robot 1. The robot is programmed to be moved by means of force control. This means that the movement of the robot depends on the measuring signal from the force sensor 12.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the robot is configured to move the attached calibration element into the reference position of the first calibration element through force control.),
wherein during this movement the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is guided by the first calibration element to the first end position (Fixell: ¶ 0037, “The female calibration object 14 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2a-2c. The female calibration object comprises three non-parallel inclining surfaces 20, 21, 22. The inclinations of the surfaces are preferably in the interval of 30-60° in relation to the longitudinal axes of the tube. For example, the shape of the upper end of the second calibration object has a form of a truncated inner comer of a cube. One upper end of the female calibration object is formed as a tube having an opening for receiving the sphere and the other lower end is designed for positioning the calibration object on the fixture 3. The tube is tapering in a direction away from the opening. The upper end of the calibration object has a mainly triangular cross section. The tube has three inner surfaces 20,21,22 inclining towards each other along the longitudinal axis of the tube. Only at one position along the longitudinal axis of the tube, the cross-section is such that the distances between the surfaces correspond to the cross section of the sphere 10. Accordingly, the sphere fits exactly in the tube at one single position, in which the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces 20-22. The reference position is defined to be the centre point 25 of the sphere when the sphere is contact with all three surfaces. FIG. 2c shows the sphere and the surfaces when the sphere is located in the reference position.”, ¶ 0042, “FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment three second calibration objects 30, 31, 32 are provided close to the working object in the robot working range. Each calibration object comprises a groove having two non-parallel inclining surfaces 33,34. In this case the single location position information is decreased to a line position information and needs to be combined in different ways to generate useful data. One possible solution is to determine a line based on the two surfaces of each groove. At least two reference positions on each groove are measured and a line between the positions is calculated. The lines between the surfaces can be used for identification of significant parts of the work piece and can easily be used for identifying the correct coordinate system of the work piece. The line based on the two surfaces is determined by two position measurements with a sphere 10. The relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate determined based on the determined lines.”, ¶ 0045, “When the actual calibration begins, the robot is moved to a position close to one of the female calibration objects, block 44. Thereafter, the robot is moved so that the sphere is in contact with all calibration surfaces of the female calibration object, block 46. This can, for example, be done by first moving the robot is so that the sphere is into contact with one of the surfaces, and there after moving the robot along the surface without loosing contact with the first surface until the sphere comes into contact with the next surface. Thereafter the robot is moved along the two surfaces without loosing contact with the surfaces until the sphere comes into contact with the third surface. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that as the robot moves the attached calibration component, the first calibration component (i.e. second calibration objects 14-16/30-32) are configured to guide the attached calibration component to the reference position. Although the method is only describe with reference to the embodiment of the second calibration objects shown in Figures 1-3, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the channel formed by the walls 33-34 of the second calibration objects 30-32 in Figure 4 would also guide the attached calibration object to the reference position.)
and at this end position the robot comprises a first calibration setting (Fixell: ¶ 0038, “The three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 are preferably located in the local coordinate system so as to form corners of a triangle and preferably represent a single solution to the coordinate transformation. The robot controller 5 is configured to receive and store the positions of the robot when the sphere 10 is in mechanical contact with all three surfaces 20, 21, 22 of the second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 and comprises software for calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the robot positions when the sphere is in contact with the surfaces of the calibration objects.”, ¶ 0045, “When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”);
and detecting first settings of the joints of the robot arm in the first calibration setting (Fixell: ¶ 0038, “The three second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 are preferably located in the local coordinate system so as to form corners of a triangle and preferably represent a single solution to the coordinate transformation. The robot controller 5 is configured to receive and store the positions of the robot when the sphere 10 is in mechanical contact with all three surfaces 20, 21, 22 of the second calibration objects 14, 15, 16 and comprises software for calculating the relation between the local coordinate system and the robot coordinate system based on the robot positions when the sphere is in contact with the surfaces of the calibration objects.”, ¶ 0045, “When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the female calibration object, the robot movement is stopped and the current robot position is stored in the robot controller, block 50. The robot position is the positions of the axes of the robot.”. The cited passages clearly shows that the system is configured to acquire the location of the joints of the robot.);
and/or a calibration means for calibrating the robot arm based on these first joint settings (Fixell: ¶ 0045, “The method steps described in block 46, 48 and 50 is repeated for the other two female calibration objects. When the sphere is in contact with all three surfaces of the calibration object, the sphere is in the reference position, and the position of the robot is read and stored. When the robot position for all three reference positions have been read and stored, the robot controller calculates the relation between the robot coordinate system and the local coordinate system, block 56. At first, the reference positions are determined in the robot coordinate system based the measured robot positions and the position of the sphere in relation to the robot. Thereafter, the relation between the coordinate systems is calculated based on the reference positions determined in the robot coordinate system and the reference positions determined in the local coordinate system by means of ordinary coordinate transformations.”).
Regarding claim 19, Fixell teaches a computer program or computer program product, wherein the computer program or computer program product includes instructions, in particular stored on a computer-readable and/or non-volatile storage medium, which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the computer(s) or system to carry out a method according to claim 1 (Fixell: “The robot 1 is provided with a robot controller 5 including at least one processor, memory and communication means. In this example, the robot controller 5 is utilized for carrying out most of the steps in the method according to the invention. The robot 1 comprises a tool flange 7 for attaching a tool 8. A first calibration object 10 in the form of a male calibration object including a sphere 10 is fixedly attached to the tool 8, and accordingly fixedly attached to the robot, during the calibration. The sphere 10 is attached to the robot tool 8 using a shaft or other structure. In an alternative embodiment, the first calibration object 10 can be attached to the tool flange 7. The tool centre point (TCP) of the sphere 10 must be known in the robot coordinate system. The TCP of the sphere can, for example, be identified by a one-time measurement for fixed installations, or every time the calibration is to be carried out using built in methods in the robot controller for flexible installations.”. See also ¶ 0017, ¶ 0034-0038, ¶ 0042, ¶ 0045).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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) 12 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2011/0046782 A1 ("Fixell") in view of JP 2011011326 A ("Sonehara").
Regarding claim 12, Fixell does not teach characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position; and
detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting;
wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110).
Sonehara, in the same field of endeavor, teaches characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position (Sonehara: Figures 3 and 4, Abstract, “PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool and a method for calibrating tool position for achieving the coincidence of the TCPs (tool center point) in three attitudes of the robot at one same point irrespective of the skill of an operator. SOLUTION: A tool coordinate system having a representative point of a tool 2 attached to the finger of a robot as the origin P is calibrated. A spherical tool 12 having a spherical surface 13 with a constant radius from the center A and a positioning tool 14 coming in contact with the spherical surface 13 to position the center A of the spherical surface 13 at a predetermined position B are prepared. The spherical tool 12 is attached to the tool 2 so that the representative point P of the tool 2 coincides with the center A. The positioning tool 14 is fixed at a predetermined position. The spherical surface 13 of the spherical tool 12 comes in contact with the positioning tool 14 to position the center A of the spherical tool 12 at the position B of the positioning tool 14 while the tool 2 is held in three or more attitudes. The relative position of the representative point P of the tool in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position-attitude data of a reference point on a face plate in a robot coordinate system in each of the three or more attitudes of the tool 2.”, ¶ 0041, “12 is brought into contact with positioning jig 14, and the center A of spherical jig 12 is positioned at the fixed position B of positioning jig 14. In step (E), the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each of the above postures. 12 is brought into contact with positioning jig 14, and the center A of spherical jig 12 is positioned at the fixed position B of positioning jig 14. In step (E), the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each of the above postures.”, ¶ 0042, “The flowchart in Figure 5 shows steps (D) and (E) in detail. In this example, robot 2 is assumed to be configured to be force-controllable. The flowchart in Figure 5 consists of steps (processes) S1 to S8. In step S1, the spherical jig 12 moves so that its center A is approximately above the fixed position B of the positioning jig 14. Next, in step S2, tool 2 is held in position 3 or higher. These three or more postures are arbitrary, as long as they are all different from each other. Next, in step S3, the tool 2 is moved with the center A of the spherical jig 12 toward the fixed position B of the positioning jig 14 (Figure 4(A)), the force control is applied to reduce the resistance to movement in a plane perpendicular to the direction of movement to zero (Figure 4(B)), and in step S4, the tool stops when the pressing force in the direction of movement reaches a predetermined constant value (Figure 4(C)).”, ¶ 0043, “At this stopping position, in step S5, the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system are acquired. In step S6, the hand is raised. In step S7, if data has been acquired for three or more orientations, step (D) is terminated.”. The cited passages teaches a method of calibrating a robot. The method comprises moving a calibration element attached to a robot into a calibration jig and capturing joint information of the robot at different postures while the calibration element is in the calibration jig. The robot is additionally operated using force control during this process.); and
detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting (Sonehara: Figures 3 and 4, Abstract, “PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool and a method for calibrating tool position for achieving the coincidence of the TCPs (tool center point) in three attitudes of the robot at one same point irrespective of the skill of an operator. SOLUTION: A tool coordinate system having a representative point of a tool 2 attached to the finger of a robot as the origin P is calibrated. A spherical tool 12 having a spherical surface 13 with a constant radius from the center A and a positioning tool 14 coming in contact with the spherical surface 13 to position the center A of the spherical surface 13 at a predetermined position B are prepared. The spherical tool 12 is attached to the tool 2 so that the representative point P of the tool 2 coincides with the center A. The positioning tool 14 is fixed at a predetermined position. The spherical surface 13 of the spherical tool 12 comes in contact with the positioning tool 14 to position the center A of the spherical tool 12 at the position B of the positioning tool 14 while the tool 2 is held in three or more attitudes. The relative position of the representative point P of the tool in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position-attitude data of a reference point on a face plate in a robot coordinate system in each of the three or more attitudes of the tool 2.”, ¶ 0041, “12 is brought into contact with positioning jig 14, and the center A of spherical jig 12 is positioned at the fixed position B of positioning jig 14. In step (E), the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each of the above postures. 12 is brought into contact with positioning jig 14, and the center A of spherical jig 12 is positioned at the fixed position B of positioning jig 14. In step (E), the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each of the above postures.”, ¶ 0042, “The flowchart in Figure 5 shows steps (D) and (E) in detail. In this example, robot 2 is assumed to be configured to be force-controllable. The flowchart in Figure 5 consists of steps (processes) S1 to S8. In step S1, the spherical jig 12 moves so that its center A is approximately above the fixed position B of the positioning jig 14. Next, in step S2, tool 2 is held in position 3 or higher. These three or more postures are arbitrary, as long as they are all different from each other. Next, in step S3, the tool 2 is moved with the center A of the spherical jig 12 toward the fixed position B of the positioning jig 14 (Figure 4(A)), the force control is applied to reduce the resistance to movement in a plane perpendicular to the direction of movement to zero (Figure 4(B)), and in step S4, the tool stops when the pressing force in the direction of movement reaches a predetermined constant value (Figure 4(C)).”, ¶ 0043, “At this stopping position, in step S5, the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system are acquired. In step S6, the hand is raised. In step S7, if data has been acquired for three or more orientations, step (D) is terminated.”. The cited passages teaches a method of calibrating a robot. The method comprises moving a calibration element attached to a robot into a calibration jig and capturing joint information of the robot at different postures while the calibration element is in the calibration jig. The robot is additionally operated using force control during this process.);
wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110) (Sonehara: ¶ 0044, “After acquiring data in three or more postures, in step (E) and S8, TCP position calibration calculations are performed to determine the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system based on the position data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each posture.”).
Fixell teaches a method of calibrating a robot. The method comprises moving a calibration element attached to the robot into a reference position on a first calibration element, wherein the first calibration element is configured to guide the attached calibration element to the reference position while the robot is operated under force control. The joint information of the robot is then acquired at the reference position and is used to calibrate the robot. This process is performed for each of the first, second, and third calibration elements and the robot is calibrated, in part, on the joint information acquired at each calibration element. Fixell does not teach characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position; and detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting; wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110). Sonehara teaches characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position; and detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting; wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110). A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities required to have modified the method taught in Fixell with characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position; and detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting; wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110) taught in Sonehara. Furthermore, the method taught in Fixell is already configured to move a calibration element attached to the robot into a calibration jig that guides the calibration element to a reference position while operating the robot under force control in order to determine the joint settings of the robot at the reference position. The method repeats this process for each calibration jig and calibrates the robot based on the acquired joint settings at each reference position. As such, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to modify the method taught in Fixell such that the joint settings are acquired at different orientations while the attached calibration element is at the reference location in the calibration jig taught in Sonehara according to methods known in the art. Such a combination would not have changed or introduced new functionality. No inventive effort would have been required. The combination would have yielded the predictable results of a method for calibrating a robot arm comprising: characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position; and detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting; wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have combine method taught in Fixell with characterized by the steps of: adjusting (S40) the robot arm from the first calibration setting into at least one further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position; and detecting (S50) further settings of the joints of the robot arm in this further calibration setting; wherein the robot arm is calibrated based on the first and these further joint settings (S110) taught in Sonehara with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because the combination would have yielded predictable results.
Regarding claim 13, Fixell in view of Sonehara teaches characterized in that when adjusting the robot arm from the first calibration setting to a further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position, when adjusting the robot arm between at least two calibration settings of the robot arm, the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position and an orientation of the calibration element fixed to the robot arm relative to the first calibration element is maintained, during the detection settings of the joints of the robot arm in these at least two calibration settings are detected, and the robot arm is calibrated on the basis of these detected settings of the joints; and/or when adjusting the robot arm from the first calibration setting into a further calibration setting in which the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position, in at least two calibration settings of the robot arm the calibration element fixed to the robot arm is arranged in the first end position and the calibration element fixed to the robot arm comprises different orientations relative to the first calibration element in these at least two calibration settings, during the detection settings of the joints of the robot arm are detected in these at least two calibration settings, and the robot arm is calibrated on the basis of these detected settings of the joints (Sonehara: Figures 3 and 4, Abstract, “PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool and a method for calibrating tool position for achieving the coincidence of the TCPs (tool center point) in three attitudes of the robot at one same point irrespective of the skill of an operator. SOLUTION: A tool coordinate system having a representative point of a tool 2 attached to the finger of a robot as the origin P is calibrated. A spherical tool 12 having a spherical surface 13 with a constant radius from the center A and a positioning tool 14 coming in contact with the spherical surface 13 to position the center A of the spherical surface 13 at a predetermined position B are prepared. The spherical tool 12 is attached to the tool 2 so that the representative point P of the tool 2 coincides with the center A. The positioning tool 14 is fixed at a predetermined position. The spherical surface 13 of the spherical tool 12 comes in contact with the positioning tool 14 to position the center A of the spherical tool 12 at the position B of the positioning tool 14 while the tool 2 is held in three or more attitudes. The relative position of the representative point P of the tool in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position-attitude data of a reference point on a face plate in a robot coordinate system in each of the three or more attitudes of the tool 2.”, ¶ 0041, “12 is brought into contact with positioning jig 14, and the center A of spherical jig 12 is positioned at the fixed position B of positioning jig 14. In step (E), the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each of the above postures. 12 is brought into contact with positioning jig 14, and the center A of spherical jig 12 is positioned at the fixed position B of positioning jig 14. In step (E), the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system is determined based on the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each of the above postures.”, ¶ 0042, “The flowchart in Figure 5 shows steps (D) and (E) in detail. In this example, robot 2 is assumed to be configured to be force-controllable. The flowchart in Figure 5 consists of steps (processes) S1 to S8. In step S1, the spherical jig 12 moves so that its center A is approximately above the fixed position B of the positioning jig 14. Next, in step S2, tool 2 is held in position 3 or higher. These three or more postures are arbitrary, as long as they are all different from each other. Next, in step S3, the tool 2 is moved with the center A of the spherical jig 12 toward the fixed position B of the positioning jig 14 (Figure 4(A)), the force control is applied to reduce the resistance to movement in a plane perpendicular to the direction of movement to zero (Figure 4(B)), and in step S4, the tool stops when the pressing force in the direction of movement reaches a predetermined constant value (Figure 4(C)).”, ¶ 0043, “At this stopping position, in step S5, the position and orientation (direction) data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system are acquired. In step S6, the hand is raised. In step S7, if data has been acquired for three or more orientations, step (D) is terminated.” ¶ 0044, “After acquiring data in three or more postures, in step (E) and S8, TCP position calibration calculations are performed to determine the relative position of the tool representative point in the tool coordinate system based on the position data of the reference point on the faceplate in the robot coordinate system for each posture.”. The cited passages clearly teaches that the method is configured to acquire the joint setting information used to calibrate the robot while the calibration element attached to the robot is at different orientations while in contact with the calibration jig.. These joint settings at different orientations of the attached calibration element are clearly used to calibrate the robot.).
Conclusion
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/N.W.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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