DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1-6 and 8-13 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-5 and 8-10 of U.S. Patent No. US 12137855 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because claims 1-5 and 8-10 of U.S. Patent No. US 12137855 B2 anticipate all the claim elements of the instant claims.
Instant application
U.S. Patent No. 12/137,855
1. A mobile robot, comprising:
a light source, configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval;
an image sensor, configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter, and
capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, wherein, within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames; and
a processor, configured to
calculate an average of first gray level summation of the multiple bright image frames,
calculate an average of second gray level summation of the multiple dark image frames,
calculate a gray level difference between the average of first gray level summation and the average of second gray level summation, and
perform cliff identification according to the gray level difference.
1. A detection system, comprising:
a light source, configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval;
an image sensor, configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter, and
capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, wherein, within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames; and
a processor, configured to
calculate an average of first gray level summation and an average of first image quality of the multiple bright image frames,
calculate an average of second gray level summation and an average of second image quality of the multiple dark image frames,
calculate a gray level difference between the average of first gray level summation and the average of second gray level summation,
calculate an image quality difference between the average of first image quality and the average of second image quality,
calculate an average shutter difference between the first shutter and the second shutter, and
perform cliff identification according to the gray level difference, the image quality difference and the average shutter difference.
2. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source and the image sensor are arranged at a bottom surface of the mobile robot and close to a side of a moving direction of the mobile robot.
2. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source and the image sensor are arranged at a bottom surface of the mobile robot and close to a side of a moving direction of the mobile robot.
3. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a light blocking cover arranged at the side of the moving direction of the mobile robot to block the image sensor from receiving ambient light from the moving direction.
3. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a light blocking cover arranged at the side of the moving direction of the mobile robot to block the image sensor from receiving ambient light from the moving direction.
4. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store gray level threshold to be compared with the gray level difference.
4. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store gray level threshold, image quality threshold and a shutter threshold.
5. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a field of view of the image sensor is perpendicular to a bottom surface of the mobile robot.
5. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a field of view of the image sensor is perpendicular to a bottom surface of the mobile robot.
1. A mobile robot, comprising:
a light source, configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval;
an image sensor, configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter, and
capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, wherein, within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames; and
a processor, configured to
calculate an average of first gray level summation of the multiple bright image frames,
calculate an average of second gray level summation of the multiple dark image frames,
calculate a gray level difference between the average of first gray level summation and the average of second gray level summation, and
perform cliff identification according to the gray level difference.
8. A mobile robot, configured to move at a preset speed on an operation surface, the mobile robot comprising:
a light source, configured to illuminate the operation surface;
an image sensor, configured to receive reflected light from the operation surface and generate image frames; and
a processor, configured to calculate a moving speed according to the image frames, trigger a cliff detection mode when the moving speed is lower than the preset speed exceeding a variation threshold, and in the cliff detection mode, perform cliff identification according to the image frames captured corresponding to the light source being turned on and turned off, wherein in the cliff detection mode, the light source is configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval, the image sensor is configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval and capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval, and within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames.
1. A detection system, comprising:
a light source, configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval;
an image sensor, configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter, and
capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, wherein, within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames; and
a processor, configured to
calculate an average of first gray level summation and an average of first image quality of the multiple bright image frames,
calculate an average of second gray level summation and an average of second image quality of the multiple dark image frames,
calculate a gray level difference between the average of first gray level summation and the average of second gray level summation,
calculate an image quality difference between the average of first image quality and the average of second image quality, calculate an average shutter difference between the first shutter and the second shutter, and
perform cliff identification according to the gray level difference, the image quality difference and the average shutter difference.
6. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cliff identification is triggered when a moving speed of the moving robot is lower than a preset speed by a variation threshold.
8. A mobile robot, configured to move at a preset speed on an operation surface, the mobile robot comprising:
a light source, configured to illuminate the operation surface;
an image sensor, configured to receive reflected light from the operation surface and generate image frames; and
a processor, configured to calculate a moving speed according to the image frames, trigger a cliff detection mode when the moving speed is lower than the preset speed exceeding a variation threshold, and in the cliff detection mode, perform cliff identification according to the image frames captured corresponding to the light source being turned on and turned off, wherein in the cliff detection mode, the light source is configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval, the image sensor is configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval and capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval, and within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames.
8. A mobile robot, comprising:
a light source, configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval;
an image sensor, configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter, and
capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, wherein, within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames; and
a processor, configured to
calculate an average of first image quality of the multiple bright image frames,
calculate an average of second image quality of the multiple dark image frames,
calculate an image quality difference between the average of first image quality and the average of second image quality, and
perform cliff identification according to the image quality difference.
1. A detection system, comprising:
a light source, configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval;
an image sensor, configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter, and
capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, wherein, within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames; and
a processor, configured to
calculate an average of first gray level summation and an average of first image quality of the multiple bright image frames,
calculate an average of second gray level summation and an average of second image quality of the multiple dark image frames,
calculate a gray level difference between the average of first gray level summation and the average of second gray level summation,
calculate an image quality difference between the average of first image quality and the average of second image quality,
calculate an average shutter difference between the first shutter and the second shutter, and
perform cliff identification according to the gray level difference, the image quality difference and the average shutter difference.
8. A mobile robot, configured to move at a preset speed on an operation surface, the mobile robot comprising:
a light source, configured to illuminate the operation surface;
an image sensor, configured to receive reflected light from the operation surface and generate image frames; and a
processor, configured to
calculate a moving speed according to the image frames, trigger a cliff detection mode when the moving speed is lower than the preset speed exceeding a variation threshold, and in the cliff detection mode, perform cliff identification according to the image frames captured corresponding to the light source being turned on and turned off, wherein in the cliff detection mode, the light source is configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval, the image sensor is configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval and capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval, and within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames.
9. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 8, wherein the image sensor is configured to capture the multiple bright image frames within the first interval using a first shutter and capture the multiple dark image frames within the second interval using a second shutter, and the processor is configured to perform the cliff identification according to a difference value between averages of gray level summation of the multiple bright image frames and the multiple dark image frames, a difference value between averages of image quality of the multiple bright image frames and the multiple dark image frames, and an average shutter difference between the first shutter and the second shutter.
9. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 8, wherein the light source and the image sensor are arranged at a bottom surface of the mobile robot and close to a side of a moving direction of the mobile robot.
2. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source and the image sensor are arranged at a bottom surface of the mobile robot and close to a side of a moving direction of the mobile robot.
10. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a light blocking cover arranged at the side of the moving direction of the mobile robot to block the image sensor from receiving ambient light from the moving direction.
3. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a light blocking cover arranged at the side of the moving direction of the mobile robot to block the image sensor from receiving ambient light from the moving direction.
11. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a memory configured to store image quality threshold to be compared with the image quality difference.
4. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store gray level threshold, image quality threshold and a shutter threshold.
10. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a memory storing a gray level threshold, an image quality threshold and a shutter threshold to be respectively compared with the difference value between averages of gray level summation, the difference value between averages of image quality and the average shutter difference by the processor.
12. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 8, wherein a field of view of the image sensor is perpendicular to a bottom surface of the mobile robot.
5. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a field of view of the image sensor is perpendicular to a bottom surface of the mobile robot.
13. The mobile robot as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cliff identification is triggered when a moving speed of the moving robot is lower than a preset speed by a variation threshold.
8. A mobile robot, configured to move at a preset speed on an operation surface, the mobile robot comprising:
a light source, configured to illuminate the operation surface;
an image sensor, configured to receive reflected light from the operation surface and generate image frames; and a
processor, configured to
calculate a moving speed according to the image frames, trigger a cliff detection mode when the moving speed is lower than the preset speed exceeding a variation threshold, and in the cliff detection mode, perform cliff identification according to the image frames captured corresponding to the light source being turned on and turned off, wherein in the cliff detection mode, the light source is configured to be turned on within a first interval and be turned off within a second interval, the image sensor is configured to capture multiple bright image frames within the first interval and capture multiple dark image frames within the second interval, and within the second interval, the light source is not turned on between capturing adjacent two dark image frames among the multiple dark image frames.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 and 14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 15-20 are allowed.
With respect to claim 15, the prior art of record, alone or in reasonable combination, does not teach or suggest, the following limitation(s), (in consideration of the claim as a whole). The closest art of US 20190274505 A1 to NG et al., in view of US 20210096560 A1 to al-Mohssen et al., in view of US 20130182077 A1 to Holz, further in view of US 20210264572 A1 to Hrabe et al. and US 20220015596 A1 to White et al. fails to teach or render obvious the limitation of “calculate an average of multiple first shutters within the first interval and an average of multiple second shutters within the second interval, calculate an average shutter difference between the average of multiple first shutters and the average of multiple second shutters, and perform cliff identification according to the average shutter difference.”
Claims 16-20 are in condition for allowance in view of their dependency from claim 15.
Conclusion
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/TRANG DANG/Examiner, Art Unit 3656
/KHOI H TRAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3656