DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-6, 10-16, 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by Gruver et al. (US 2016/0282468 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Gruver teaches:
A handling device, comprising:
a vehicle body;(FIG. 1A, 100)
a plurality of 3D laser radars arranged on the vehicle body, (FIG 1A, [0038], “As shown, the vehicle 100 includes five sensor units 102, 104, 106, 108, and 110”) wherein the plurality of 3D laser radars are configured to acquire 3D point cloud data of environment regions in a plurality of different orientations of the vehicle body, ([0088], “FIG. 2C illustrates a three-dimensional (3D) representation 292 of an environment based on data from the first LIDAR 200 of FIG. 2A, according to an example embodiment. In some examples, the 3D representation 292 may be generated by a computing device as a 3D point cloud based on the data from the first LIDAR 200.”[0094], “FIG. 3B illustrates a 3D representation 392 of an environment based on data from the second LIDAR 300 of FIG. 3A, according to an example embodiment. In some examples, the 3D representation 392 may be generated, similarly to the 3D representation 292 of FIG. 2C, by a computing device as a 3D point cloud based on the data from the second LIDAR 300.”) and the plurality of different orientations comprise at least two of a first side orientation, a second side orientation, and a front orientation of the vehicle body; (FIG 1A, [0038], “As shown, the vehicle 100 includes five sensor units 102, 104, 106, 108, and 110”, which correspond to the top, back and sides, front ) and
a controller, arranged on the vehicle body and in communication connection with the plurality of 3D laser radars,(FIG. 9, control system ) wherein the controller is configured to determine a pose of the handling device according to the 3D point cloud data acquired by the plurality of 3D laser radars.([0006], “The vehicle also includes a controller configured to operate the vehicle based on the scans of the environment by the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR.” [0135], “In another example, where the determination at block 606 is performed by a controller included in the vehicle, providing the operation instructions may involve the controller providing signals to a navigation system or other control system of the vehicle to adjust operation of the vehicle according to the determined operating instructions.” [0123], “At block 506, the method 500 involves operating the vehicle based on the scans of the environment by the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR. By way of example, the vehicle may be operated in an autonomous mode. In this example, the vehicle may generate 3D maps of the environment or portions thereof similarly to the 3D representations 292, 392, and/or 492. In turn, the vehicle may utilize the 3D maps to navigate the vehicle (e.g., adjust speed, direction, etc.) safely by avoiding obstacles among other possibilities. T”)
Regarding claim 2, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of 3D laser radars comprise at least two of a first 3D laser radar, a second 3D laser radar, and a third 3D laser radar; (See FIG. 1A)
wherein the first 3D laser radar is arranged on a first side surface of the vehicle body in a width direction and is in communication connection with the controller, and the first 3D laser radar is configured to acquire first 3D point cloud data of an environment region in the first side orientation of the vehicle body; ([0040], “As shown, the sensor unit 102 is mounted to a top side of the vehicle 100 opposite to a bottom side of the vehicle 100 where the wheel 112 is mounted.” FIG. 1B and [0046], a 3D map of the surrounding environment may be determined based on data from the LIDARs.)
the second 3D laser radar is arranged on a second side surface of the vehicle body in a width direction and is in communication connection with the controller, and the second 3D laser radar is configured to acquire second 3D point cloud data of an environment region in the second side orientation of the vehicle body; (side laser radar, [0040], “the sensor unit 108 is positioned at a right side of the vehicle 100, and the sensor unit 110 is positioned at a left side of the vehicle 100.”)
the third 3D laser radar is arranged on a front end of the vehicle body in a length direction and is in communication connection with the controller, and the third 3D laser radar is configured to acquire third 3D point cloud data of an environment region in the front orientation of the vehicle body.([0054], “FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the sensor unit 104 positioned at the front side of the vehicle 100” [0055] teaches the 3D map determined based on the data from the LIDAR.)
Regarding claim 3, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the first 3D laser radar, the second 3D laser radar, the third 3D laser radar, and the controller is arranged at a top of the vehicle body in a height direction. ([0040], “As shown, the sensor unit 102 is mounted to a top side of the vehicle 100 opposite to a bottom side of the vehicle 100 where the wheel 112 is mounted.” FIG. 1B and [0045])
Regarding claim 5, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the 3D point cloud data of environment regions in the plurality of different orientations of the vehicle body comprises 3D point cloud data of a road surface region in the front orientation of the vehicle body; (FIG. 2C) and the controller is further configured to: determine whether a void region exists in the road surface region according to the 3D point cloud data of the road surface region in the front orientation of the vehicle body.([0088], “In an example scenario where the LIDAR device 200 is mounted to a vehicle such as the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 may utilize the 3D representation 292 to navigate the vehicle away from region 296 towards region 298 that does not include the obstacles of the region 296.”)
Regarding claim 6, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to: when determining that a void region exists in the road surface region in the front orientation of the vehicle body, determine a distance between the handling device and the void region, and control a travel distance of the handling device.([0123], “At block 506, the method 500 involves operating the vehicle based on the scans of the environment by the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR. By way of example, the vehicle may be operated in an autonomous mode. In this example, the vehicle may generate 3D maps of the environment or portions thereof similarly to the 3D representations 292, 392, and/or 492. In turn, the vehicle may utilize the 3D maps to navigate the vehicle (e.g., adjust speed, direction, etc.) safely by avoiding obstacles among other possibilities. The obstacles or objects, for example, may be detected using an image processing algorithm or other computing method to analyze the 3D maps and detect or identify the various obstacles or objects. As another example, the vehicle may be operated in a partially autonomous or manual mode. In this example, the vehicle may notify a driver or operator of the vehicle of the presence or distance to various objects or changing road conditions (e.g., street lights, street signs, etc.).”)
Regarding claim 10, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, further comprising an angle adjustment assembly, wherein the angle adjustment assembly is arranged on the vehicle body, and each 3D laser radar of the plurality of 3D laser radars is arranged on the vehicle body through the angle adjustment assembly, to adjust an angle formed between the 3D laser radar and the vehicle body.([0070], “in some examples, the housing 210 can be configured to have a substantially cylindrical shape and to rotate about an axis of the LIDAR device 200. For example, the housing 210 can have the substantially cylindrical shape with a diameter of approximately 10 centimeters. In some examples, the axis is substantially vertical. By rotating the housing 210 that includes the various components, in some examples, a three-dimensional map of a 360-degree view of the environment of the LIDAR device 200 can be determined without frequent recalibration of the arrangement of the various components of the LIDAR device 200.” FIG. 2A and [0068])
Regarding claim 11, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of an anti- collision component, ([0086], “In an example scenario where the LIDAR device 200 is mounted to a vehicle such as the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 may utilize the 3D representation 292 to navigate the vehicle away from region 296 towards region 298 that does not include the obstacles of the region 296.” FIG. 9, an obstacle avoidance system 950.) an outline marker light, a first trigger assembly, a second trigger assembly, a signal emission assembly, a mast, a mast tilt assembly and an angle detection assembly, (these features are not selected.)
wherein the controller is further in communication connection with the first trigger assembly and the second trigger assembly respectively, and is configured to control the handling device to stop moving in a case where a first trigger operation corresponding to the first trigger assembly or a second trigger operation corresponding to the second trigger assembly is detected; (This limitation are dependent on the not selected features above.)
the controller is further in communication connection with the signal emission assembly, and the controller is configured to control the signal emission assembly to emit information to a charging device of a charging region in a case where the handling device arrives at the charging region, to enable the charging device to charge the handling device; (This limitation are dependent on the not selected features above.)
the vehicle body further comprises the mast, the mast is fixedly connected to a rear end of the vehicle body in a length direction, the mast tilt assembly is connected to the mast, the mast tilt assembly is configured to drive the mast to tilt forward or backward, the angle detection assembly is arranged on the mast, and the angle detection assembly is configured to detect a tilt angle of the mast; (This limitation are dependent on the not selected features above.) and
the controller is further in communication connection with the mast tilt assembly and the angle detection assembly, and the controller is further configured to: receive the tilt angle of the mast sent by the angle detection assembly, and control the mast tilt assembly to adjust the tilt angle of the mast to a target tilt angle according to the tilt angle. (This limitation is dependent on the not selected features above.)
Regarding claim 12, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether there is an obstacle in the environment regions in the plurality of different orientations of the vehicle body according to the 3D point cloud data of the environment regions in the plurality of different orientations of the vehicle body. (FIG. 2C, [0088], “FIG. 2C illustrates a three-dimensional (3D) representation 292 of an environment based on data from the first LIDAR 200 of FIG. 2A, according to an example embodiment. In some examples, the 3D representation 292 may be generated by a computing device as a 3D point cloud based on the data from the first LIDAR 200. Each point of the 3D cloud, for example, may be associated with a reflected light pulse from the reflected light beams 206 shown in FIG. 2B. Thus, as shown, points at a greater distance from the LIDAR 200 are further from one another due to the angular resolution of the LIDAR 200. Based on the rotation of the first LIDAR 200, the 3D representation 292 includes a scan of the environment in all directions (360° horizontally) as shown in FIG. 2C. Further, as shown, a region 294 of the 3D representation 292 does not include any points. For example, the region 294 may correspond to the contour 160 (FIG. 1E) around the vehicle 100 that the first LIDAR 120 of FIG. 1B is unable to scan due to positioning at the top side of the vehicle 100. Further, as shown, a region 296 is indicative of objects in the environment of the LIDAR device 200. For example, the objects in the region 296 may correspond to pedestrians, vehicles, or other obstacles in the environment of the LIDAR device 200. In an example scenario where the LIDAR device 200 is mounted to a vehicle such as the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 may utilize the 3D representation 292 to navigate the vehicle away from region 296 towards region 298 that does not include the obstacles of the region 296.”)
Regarding claim 13, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the environment regions in the plurality of different orientations of the vehicle body comprise at least two of an environment region in the first side orientation of the vehicle body, an environment region in the second side orientation of the vehicle body, and an environment region in the front orientation of the vehicle body;(FIG. 2C shows regions captured using top and front sensors.)
wherein the environment region in the first side orientation of the vehicle body comprises an upper environment region in the first side orientation of the vehicle body and a lower environment region in the first side orientation of the vehicle body;([0045-[0046], “FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the sensor unit 102 positioned at the top side of the vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown, the sensor unit 102 includes a first LIDAR 120, a second LIDAR 122, a dividing structure 124, and light filter 126. In some examples, the first LIDAR 120 may be configured to scan an environment around the vehicle 100 by rotating about an axis (e.g., vertical axis, etc.) continuously while emitting one or more light pulses and detecting reflected light pulses off objects in the environment of the vehicle, for example.” [0047], “Unlike the first LIDAR 120, in some embodiments, the second LIDAR 122 may be configured to scan a narrower FOV of the environment around the vehicle 100.” [0059] gives example of the captured upper region and lower region using the top sensors.)
the environment region in the second side orientation of the vehicle body comprises an upper environment region in the second side orientation of the vehicle body and a lower environment region in the second side orientation of the vehicle body;(the limitation is dependent on a feature not selected above.) and
the environment region in the front orientation of the vehicle body comprises an upper environment region in the front orientation of the vehicle body and a lower environment region in the front orientation of the vehicle body.([0061], “Accordingly, the third LIDAR 130 (not shown) of the sensor unit 104 may be used for scanning the environment for objects that are close to the vehicle 100. For example, due to the positioning of the sensor unit 104 at the front side of the vehicle 100, the third LIDAR 130 may be suitable for scanning the environment for objects within the distance 154 and/or the distance 156 to the vehicle 100, at least for the portion of the environment extending away from the front side of the vehicle 100. As shown, for example, the arrows 150 and 152 illustrate light pulses emitted by the third LIDAR 130 at ends of the vertical FOV of the third LIDAR 130. Thus, for example, the third LIDAR 130 of the sensor unit 104 may be configured to scan a portion of the environment between the arrows 150 and 152, including objects that are close to the vehicle 100. In one embodiment, the vertical FOV of the third LIDAR 130 is 110° (e.g., angle between arrows 150 and 152).” Between the arrows 150 and 152, there is upper region and lower region.)
Regarding claim 14, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein scanning regions of two 3D laser radars in the plurality of 3D laser radars partially overlap, or scanning regions of each 3D laser radar in the plurality of 3D laser radars do not overlap each other.([0059], “By way of example, arrows 142 and 144 illustrate light pulses emitted by the first LIDAR 120 of FIG. 1B” [0061], “the third LIDAR 130 of the sensor unit 104 may be configured to scan a portion of the environment between the arrows 150 and 152, including objects that are close to the vehicle 100.” FIG. 1D)
Regarding claim 15, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body comprises a vehicle main body and a mounting box, (FIG. 1D, the vehicle and 102) wherein the mounting box is arranged at a top of a front end of the vehicle main body in a length direction, (FIG. 1D, the 102) and at least one of the plurality of 3D laser radars and the controller is arranged at the mounting box. ([0045], “FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the sensor unit 102 positioned at the top side of the vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown, the sensor unit 102 includes a first LIDAR 120, a second LIDAR 122, a dividing structure 124, and light filter 126.”)
Claim 16 recites similar limitation of claim 1, thus is rejected accordingly.
Claim 18-19 recites similar limitation of claim 5, 12 respectively, thus is rejected accordingly.
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.
Claim(s) 4, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gruver.
Regarding claim 4, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the 3D point cloud data of environment regions in the plurality of different orientations of the vehicle body comprises 3D point cloud data of an environment region above the vehicle body, and the environment region above the vehicle body is an environment region above a top of the vehicle body; ([0040], “As shown, the sensor unit 102 is mounted to a top side of the vehicle 100 opposite to a bottom side of the vehicle 100 where the wheel 112 is mounted.” FIG. 1B and [0046], a 3D map of the surrounding environment may be determined based on data from the LIDARs.)
And the controller is further configured to: determine whether an obstacle exists in the environment region above the vehicle body according to the 3D point cloud data of the environment region above the vehicle body. ([0086], “In an example scenario where the LIDAR device 200 is mounted to a vehicle such as the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 may utilize the 3D representation 292 to navigate the vehicle away from region 296 towards region 298 that does not include the obstacles of the region 296.” FIG. 9, an obstacle avoidance system 950. Gruver teaches a control system to avoid obstacles based on 3D map of the environment. Although Gruver does not give specifics that the obstacle could be in a region above the vehicle, it would have been obvious for people ordinary skills in the art to use the system of Gruver to avoid the obstacle existed in a region above the vehicle to prevent collision. )
Claim 17 recites similar limitation of claim 4, thus is rejected accordingly.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gruver in view of Felts et al. (US 2002/0105592 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle body comprises a vehicle main body and a mounting box, the mounting box is arranged on a front end of the vehicle main body in the length direction, (FIG. 1A, vehicle and 102) and
wherein the first side surface comprises a first side sub-surface of the vehicle main body and a second side sub-surface of the mounting box, (FIG. 1A, right side view has vehicle sub-surface and 102 sub-subface) and the second side surface comprises a third side sub-surface of the vehicle main body and a fourth side sub-surface of the mounting box; (left side view has vehicle sub-surface and 102 sub-subface)
and the first 3D laser radar is arranged on the second side sub-surface; (FIG. 1A, laser radar 102 is on one side of 102 unit. ([0040], “As shown, the sensor unit 102 is mounted to a top side of the vehicle 100 opposite to a bottom side of the vehicle 100 where the wheel 112 is mounted.” ) and/or the second 3D laser radar is arranged on the fourth side sub-surface; and/or the third 3D laser radar is arranged on a bottom of the mounting box in a height direction of the vehicle body.(not selected feature)
However, Gruver does not, but Felts teaches:
the controller is arranged inside the mounting box; ([0071], “a graphics controller residing inside the set-top box.”)
Gruver teaches a vehicle system, where a controller can generate graphic images based on input images, however, Gruver does not explicitly teach where the controller located in the vehicle system. Felts teaches controller can be placed insider the top mounting box.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have pursued the design choice of Felts and incorporated it into the vehicle system of Gruver with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claim(s) 8-9, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gruver in view of Yoneyama et al. (US 2025/0153985 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Gruver teaches:
The handling device according to claim 1, further comprising:
However, Gruver does not, but Yoneyama teaches:
a fork assembly, movably connected to a rear end of the vehicle body in the length direction and in communication connection with the controller, the fork assembly being configured to handle a to-be-handled object; (0050]:”… As a result, the forklift 1 inserts the pair of forks 42, 42 of the fork assembly 40 into the pair of insertion openings and lifts the pallet 111.” FIG. 2)
an acquisition assembly, arranged at a rear end of the vehicle body and in communication connection with the controller, the acquisition assembly being configured to acquire object point cloud data of the to-be-handled object; ([0050], “During the travel for movement, the forklift 1 estimates a self-location on the basis of point cloud data regarding the two-dimensional shape acquired by the three ranging sensors 51 at a predetermined time interval.”) and
wherein the controller is further in communication connection with the fork assembly and the acquisition assembly, ([0050], “A transportation instruction is sent to the predetermined forklift 1 from the transportation controller 153 of the management server 140. In response to the reception of the transportation instruction, the forklift 1 moves to a designated picking position from the current position in accordance with the transportation instruction. During the travel for movement, the forklift 1 estimates a self-location on the basis of point cloud data regarding the two-dimensional shape acquired by the three ranging sensors 51 at a predetermined time interval. When arriving at the designated picking position, the forklift 1 recognizes positions of the insertion openings in the side surface of the pallet 111 at the picking position using the ranging sensor 50. As a result, the forklift 1 inserts the pair of forks 42, 42 of the fork assembly 40 into the pair of insertion openings and lifts the pallet 111.”) and the controller is further configured to determine a pose of the to- be-handled object according to the object point cloud data, to control the fork assembly to handle the to-be-handled object.([0046], “FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the map 72 indicating a layout of structures in the warehouse system 100. In this example, the map 72 indicates, for example, a layout of structures 200 on the lower stair 101. The structures 200 include the cardboard box 110 (or the pallet 111), the rack 120, the conveyor 132, and the like. The map 72 is generated by mapping using the three ranging (2D LiDAR) sensors 51 and the single ranging sensor (3D LiDAR) 50 of the forklift 1. Specifically, point cloud data regarding two-dimensional shapes of the structures 200 is acquired by causing the ranging sensors 51 located at the predetermined level from the floor surface to scan shapes of the structures 200. Outline shapes of the structures 200 are shown on the map 72 on the basis of the acquired point cloud data.”)
Gruver teaches a driving system, which can perform driving based on image data acquired by radar sensors. Yoneyama also teaches a driving system, which can perform driving based on image data acquired by radar sensors. In Yoneyama, an assembly system is attached on the driving system, to allow the driving system to load and drop objects.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have incorporated the assembly part of Yoneyama into the driving system of Gruver so expand the function of the driving system of Gruver.
Regarding claim 9, Gruver in view of Yoneyama teaches:
The handling device according to claim 8, wherein the fork assembly comprises a movable component and two forks, wherein the movable component is movably connected to the rear end of the vehicle body, the two forks are arranged on the movable component spaced apart, and the acquisition assembly is between the two forks. (Yoneyama FIG. 2, [0033], “The fork assembly 40 includes a bracket 41, a pair of forks 42, 42, and a backrest 43. The bracket 41 is supported by the inner masts 33, 33 and is relatively movable in the height direction with respect to the inner masts 33, 33. The pair of forks 42, 42 are attached to a front surface of the bracket 41.”)
Claim 20 recites similar limitation of claim 8, thus is rejected accordlingly.
Conclusion
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/YANNA WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2615
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