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 .
Priority
The present application, filed 17 December 2024, is a Continuation of U.S. Patent App. No. 18/622,640, filed 29 March 2024, which claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 63/561,023, filed 04 March 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18 December 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 5, 9, 12, 15, and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 5, Applicant claims: “a plurality of unit controllers, each controller disposed within each of one of the robot drive units.” The examiner recommends amending this limitation to recite: “a plurality of unit controllers, each controller disposed within each of the plurality of the robot drive units.”
Regarding claim 9, Applicant claims: “converting the target linear velocity and the target rotational velocity to a module linear velocity for each of the respective robot drive unit….” The examiner recommends amending this limitation to recite: “converting the target linear velocity and the target rotational velocity to a module linear velocity for each of the respective robot drive units….”
Regarding claim 12, Applicant claims: “converting the target linear force and the target wrench to a module linear force for each of the respective robot drive unit….” The examiner recommends amending this limitation to recite: “converting the target linear force and the target wrench to a module linear force for each of the respective robot drive units….”
Regarding claim 15, Applicant claims: “wherein the first drive motor operating instructions is determined based further on the first wheel second distance.” The examiner recommends amending this limitation to recite: “wherein the first drive motor operating instructions are determined based further on the first wheel second distance.”
Claim 20 contains limitations similar to those of claim 15, and should be similarly amended.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-7 and 9-13 of U.S. Patent No. 12204350. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims of the reference patent fully anticipate the present claims. See the table below for further details, where the differences between claim sets has been bolded.
Present Application
U.S. Patent No. 12204350
1. A robot drive assembly comprising:
a drive assembly enclosure;
a plurality of robot drive units, each of the robot drive units comprising:
a chassis;
an unpowered drive unit coupling, coupled to the chassis and configured to interface with the drive assembly enclosure to allow the respective robot drive unit to freely rotate about an unpowered axis of rotation relative to the drive assembly enclosure;
a first driven wheel, coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate about a first axle centerline, wherein the first driven wheel is longitudinally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel first distance; and
a first drive motor, configured to drive the first driven wheel; and
a robot drive controller, configured to:
determine robot drive assembly operating instructions for the robot drive assembly;
determine, based on the robot drive assembly operating instructions, drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units;
determine, for each of the plurality of robot drive units and based on the drive unit instructions and the first wheel first distance, first drive motor operating instructions; and
provide the respective first drive motor operating instructions to the respective first motor.
1. A robot drive assembly comprising:
a drive assembly enclosure;
a plurality of robot drive units, each of the robot drive units comprising:
a chassis;
a first driven wheel, configured to rotate about a first axle centerline, and a second driven wheel, configured to rotate about a second axle centerline, wherein each of the first and second driven wheels are coupled to the chassis and disposed in a fixed orientation relative to the chassis;
a first motor, configured to drive the first driven wheel, and a second motor, configured to drive the second driven wheel; and
an unpowered drive unit coupling, configured to interface with a portion of the drive assembly enclosure to allow the respective robot drive unit to rotate relative to the drive assembly enclosure, wherein the unpowered drive unit coupling is configured to allow the chassis to freely rotate in an unpowered manner about an unpowered axis of rotation relative to the drive assembly enclosure, wherein the unpowered axis of rotation is disposed a first distance from the first axle centerline along a travel axis corresponding to a nominal direction of travel of the first driven wheel, and wherein the first distance is a non-zero distance; and
a robot drive controller, configured to determine operating instructions and provide the operating instructions to each of the plurality of robot drive units, wherein the determining the operating instructions comprise:
determining robot drive assembly operating instructions based on a desired movement for the robot drive assembly;
determining drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units based on the robot drive assembly operating instructions; and determining first motor operating instructions for the first motor based on the drive unit instructions, wherein the first motor operating instructions comprise a first target motor velocity or torque, determined based on the first distance.
2. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the robot drive units further comprise: a second driven wheel, coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate about a second axle centerline; and
a second drive motor, configured to drive the second driven wheel.
1. A robot drive assembly comprising:
… a second driven wheel, configured to rotate about a second axle centerline, wherein each of the first and second driven wheels are coupled to the chassis and disposed in a fixed orientation relative to the chassis …
And a second motor, configured to drive the second driven wheel
3. The robot drive assembly of claim 2, wherein the first axle centerline and the second axle centerline are colinear.
2. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the first axle centerline and the second axle centerline are colinear.
4. The robot drive assembly of claim 2, wherein the robot drive controller is further configured to:
determine, for each of the plurality of robot drive units and based on the drive unit instructions, second drive motor operating instructions comprising a second target motor velocity or torque; and provide the respective second drive motor operating instructions to the respective second motor.
4. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the unpowered axis of rotation is disposed a second distance from the second axle centerline, and wherein the robot drive controller comprises: an assembly controller, coupled to the drive assembly enclosure; and a plurality of unit controllers, each unit controller disposed within each one of the robot drive units and configured to determine the first motor operating instructions and second motor operating instructions for the second motor, wherein the second motor operating instructions comprise a second target motor velocity or torque determined based on the second distance.
5. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the robot drive controller comprises:
an assembly controller, coupled to the drive assembly enclosure; and a plurality of unit controllers, each unit controller disposed within each of one of the robot drive units.
4. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the unpowered axis of rotation is disposed a second distance from the second axle centerline, and wherein the robot drive controller comprises:
an assembly controller, coupled to the drive assembly enclosure; and a plurality of unit controllers, each unit controller disposed within each one of the robot drive units and configured to determine the first motor operating instructions and second motor operating instructions for the second motor, wherein the second motor operating instructions comprise a second target motor velocity or torque determined based on the second distance.
6. The robot drive assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of unit controllers are configured to determine the first motor operating instructions.
4. The robot drive assembly of claim 1,… [further comprising] … a plurality of unit controllers, each unit controller disposed within each one of the robot drive units and configured to determine the first motor operating instructions…
7. The robot drive assembly of claim 5, wherein the assembly controller is configured to determine the robot drive assembly operating instructions and the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units and provide the drive unit instructions to each of the respective unit controllers.
5. The robot drive assembly of claim 4, wherein the assembly controller is configured to determine the robot drive assembly operating instructions and the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units and provide the drive unit instructions to each of the respective unit controllers.
8. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear velocity and a target rotational velocity for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly.
7. The robot drive assembly of claim 6, wherein: the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear velocity and a target rotational velocity for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly; the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear velocity and the target rotational velocity to a module linear velocity for the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear velocity is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit; the first target motor velocity or torque comprises a first motor velocity target determined based further on the module linear velocity and the orientation; the second target motor velocity or torque comprises a second motor velocity target determined based further on the module linear velocity and the orientation; and each of the unit controllers is further configured to communicate the first and second motor velocity targets to each of the respective motors.
9. The robot drive assembly of claim 8, wherein the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear velocity and the target rotational velocity to a module linear velocity for each of the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear velocity is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit.
7. The robot drive assembly of claim 6, wherein … the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear velocity and the target rotational velocity to a module linear velocity for the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear velocity is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit …
10. The robot drive assembly of claim 9, wherein the first drive motor operating instructions comprise a first target velocity.
7. The robot drive assembly of claim 6, wherein … the first target motor velocity or torque comprises a first motor velocity target determined based further on the module linear velocity and the orientation…
11. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear force and a target wrench for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly.
9. The robot drive assembly of claim 6, wherein: the determining the robot drive operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear force and a target wrench for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly; the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear force and the target wrench to a module linear force for the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear force is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit; the first target motor velocity or torque comprises a first motor torque target determined based further on the module linear force and the orientation; the second target motor velocity or torque comprises a second motor torque target determined based further on the module linear force and the orientation; and each of the unit controllers is further configured to communicate the first and second motor torque targets to each of the respective motors.
12. The robot drive assembly of claim 11, wherein the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear force and the target wrench to a module linear force for each of the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear force is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit.
9. The robot drive assembly of claim 6, wherein … the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear force and the target wrench to a module linear force for the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear force is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit …
13. The robot drive assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the robot drive units further comprise an angular position sensor, configured to determine an orientation of the respective robot drive unit to the drive assembly enclosure.
6. The robot drive assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the robot drive units further comprise an angular position sensor, configured to determine an orientation of the respective robot drive unit to the drive assembly enclosure.
14. The robot drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the first drive motor operating instructions comprise a first target torque determined based on the module linear force and the orientation.
9. The robot drive assembly of claim 6, wherein … the first target motor velocity or torque comprises a first motor torque target determined based further on the module linear force and the orientation
15. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the first driven wheel is laterally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel second distance, and wherein the first drive motor operating instructions is determined based further on the first wheel second distance.
10. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the first drive wheel is laterally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a first lateral distance, and wherein the first target motor velocity or torque is further determined based on the first lateral distance.
16. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive assembly enclosure comprises a payload coupling configured to couple to a payload.
3. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the drive assembly enclosure comprises a payload coupling configured to couple to a payload.
17. A robot drive unit comprising:
a chassis;
an unpowered drive unit coupling, coupled to the chassis and configured to interface with an assembly chassis to allow the robot drive unit to freely rotate about an unpowered axis of rotation relative to the assembly chassis;
a first driven wheel, coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate about a first axle centerline, wherein the first driven wheel is longitudinally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel first distance;
a first drive motor, configured to drive the first driven wheel; and
a drive unit controller, configured to determine, based on the first wheel first distance, first drive motor operating instructions comprising a first target velocity or torque.
11. A robot drive unit comprising:
a chassis;
a first driven wheel, configured to rotate about a first axle centerline and a second driven wheel, configured to rotate about a second axle centerline, wherein each of the first and second driven wheels are coupled to the chassis and disposed in a fixed orientation relative to the chassis;
a first motor, configured to drive the first driven wheel, and a second motor, configured to drive the second driven wheel;
an unpowered drive unit coupling, configured to interface with a portion of a robot drive assembly to allow the robot drive unit to rotate relative to the portion of the robot drive assembly, wherein the unpowered drive unit coupling is configured to allow the chassis to freely rotate in an unpowered manner about an unpowered axis of rotation relative to the portion of the robot drive assembly, wherein the unpowered axis of rotation is disposed a first distance from the first axle centerline along a travel axis corresponding to a nominal direction of travel of the first driven wheel, and wherein the first distance is a non-zero distance; and
a drive unit controller, configured to determine first motor operating instructions comprising a first target wheel velocity or torque, determined based on the first distance.
18. The robot drive unit of claim 17, wherein the drive unit coupling is configured to couple to one of a plurality of assembly couplings of the assembly chassis.
12. The robot drive unit of claim 11, wherein the drive unit coupling is configured to couple to one of a plurality of assembly couplings of the robot drive assembly.
19. The robot drive unit of claim 17, wherein the robot drive unit is configured to operate in conjunction with one or more other robot drive units coupled to the assembly chassis.
13. The robot drive unit of claim 12, wherein the robot drive unit is configured to operate in conjunction with one or more other robot drive units coupled to the robot drive assembly.
20. The robot drive unit of claim 17, wherein the first driven wheel is laterally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel second distance, and wherein the first drive motor operating instructions is determined based further on the first wheel second distance.
10. The robot drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the first drive wheel is laterally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a first lateral distance, and wherein the first target motor velocity or torque is further determined based on the first lateral distance.
As shown above, the claims of the present application are fully anticipated by those of the reference patent.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 and 5-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted elements are: the “second driven wheel,” and the “second drive motor.” Specifically, the examiner notes that Applicant’s specification indicates the importance of each drive unit having dual drive wheels (see, e.g., [0063] of the present specification), and does not detail any embodiment in which a drive unit has a single drive wheel.
Claims 5-16 are dependent on claim 1, and are similarly rejected. Claim 17, while not being fully similar in scope to claim 1, contains similar deficiencies, and is similarly rejected. Claims 18-20 are rejected by virtue of their dependence on claim 17.
The examiner notes that claims 2-4 are not rendered indefinite, as claim 2 recites: “wherein each of the robot drive units further comprise: a second driven wheel … and a second drive motor.” Claims 3 and 4 are dependent on claim 2, and are therefore similarly not indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Canuto Gil (US 20220194763 A1), hereafter Canuto, in view of Lee (US 11858573 B2), hereafter Lee.
Regarding claim 1, Canuto discloses a robot drive assembly comprising:
A chassis (0020, a chassis defining a rear third, an intermediate third, and a front third of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit and a vertical geometric axis in the center of the chassis, said chassis supporting the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly spaced from one another in the direction of the horizontal geometric axis, and supporting one or more caster wheels);
A drive unit coupling, coupled to the chassis and configured to allow the respective robot drive unit to rotate about an axis of rotation (0065, According to a proposed additional embodiment, the transport platform is rotational about a hollow platform bearing concentric with the vertical geometric axis and actuated by a rotary motor. Preferably, the rotary motor will be controlled by the control device. 0067, The rotation of the transport platform allows, in combination with the omnidirectional translation, a load placed on the transport platform to move in any direction, to rotate while it is moving, or to move while the drive unit performs a rotation, but without the load rotating by means of a counter-rotation of the transport platform which compensates for the rotation of the drive unit.);
A first driven wheel, coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate about a first axle centerline (0100, The first drive assembly 10 includes a first drive motor 11 connected by means of a transmission belt 15 with a first gearbox 13 which is in turn connected to a first drive wheel 11. 0102, The first drive wheel 11 will be concentric with a horizontal geometric axis EH, the input shaft and the output shaft of the first gearbox 13 also being concentric with said horizontal geometric axis EH.), wherein the first driven wheel is longitudinally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel distance (0122, To prevent harmful effects due to the off-centered position of the weight of the battery 30, the invention proposes placing the first drive wheel 11 and the second drive wheel 21 also in the front third 41, on both sides of the battery 30, with the horizontal geometric axis EH, which is concentric with the first and second drive wheels 11, 21, being moved a distance D away from the vertical geometric axis EV located in the intermediate third 42.); and
A first drive motor, configured to drive the first driven wheel (0100, The first drive assembly 10 includes a first drive motor 11 connected by means of a transmission belt 15 with a first gearbox 13 which is in turn connected to a first drive wheel 11. 0102, The first drive wheel 11 will be concentric with a horizontal geometric axis EH, the input shaft and the output shaft of the first gearbox 13 also being concentric with said horizontal geometric axis EH.); and
A robot drive controller (0030, A control device calculates control commands needed to produce an planned translation of the drive unit by means of the independent actuation of the first and second motors.), configured to:
Determine robot drive assembly operating instructions for the robot drive assembly (0030, A control device calculates control commands needed to produce an planned translation of the drive unit by means of the independent actuation of the first and second motors.);
Determine, based on the robot drive assembly operating instructions, drive unit instructions for the robot drive unit (0030, A control device calculates control commands needed to produce an planned translation of the drive unit by means of the independent actuation of the first and second motors.);
Determine, for each of the plurality of robot drive units and based on the drive unit instructions and the first wheel distance, first drive motor operating instructions (0118, The position of the vertical geometric axis EV and of the vertical housing 70 corresponds with the center of rotation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit, i.e., the translational movement of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit is performed about said vertical axis EV, taking said vertical geometric axis EV as the origin and reference point for the calculation of the control commands generated by the control device 80.); and
Provide the respective first drive motor operating instructions to the respective first motor (0070, According to another proposed embodiment, the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel each includes an angular position sensor which communicate angular position readings to the control device, and wherein the control device is configured for, after generating the control commands and producing the planned translation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit, calculating the actual translation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit from the angular position readings, and detecting a discrepancy between the actual translation and the planned translation.).
Canuto fails to explicitly disclose, however, wherein the assembly comprises:
A drive assembly enclosure;
Wherein the robot drive unit is a plurality of robot drive units; and
Wherein the drive unit coupling is unpowered, coupled to the chassis, and configured to interface with the drive assembly enclosure to allow the respective robot drive unit to rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the drive assembly enclosure.
Lee, however, in an analogous field of endeavor, does teach wherein the assembly comprises:
A drive assembly enclosure (Col. 1, Line 65 - Col. 2, Line 26, According to a first aspect of this invention, a steerable drive wheel assembly comprises an outer housing that defines a sheltered interior space. The outer housing includes a top having opposed left and right edges.);
Wherein the robot drive unit is a plurality of robot drive units (Col. 4, Lines 33 - 42, The outer housing 32 is both a structural member for the assembly 30 as well as an exterior shell within which is defined an interior space used to shelter, at least partially, the intermediate suspension module 34 and drive module 36 components. The structural attributes of the outer housing 32 arise from the fact that the assembly 30 attaches to a cart or other wheeled object through the outer housing 32. For example, FIGS. 3-6 depict two steerable drive wheel assemblies 30 joined to a lift cart 38 via their respective outer housings 32.); and
Wherein the drive unit coupling is unpowered, coupled to the chassis, and configured to interface with the drive assembly enclosure to allow the respective robot drive unit to rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the drive assembly enclosure (Col. 2, Lines 16-20, A rotary bearing is operatively disposed between the drive module and the intermediate suspension module for enabling rotational movement of the drive module relative to the intermediate suspension module about a generally vertical steering axis.).
Canuto and Lee are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the unpowered rotary bearing of Lee in order to provide a more simple means of rotating relative to an assembly. The motivation to combine is to reduce the complexity of the drive system as a whole.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 1, and Canuto further teaches wherein each of the robot drive units further comprise:
A second driven wheel, coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate about a second axle centerline (0106, The second drive assembly 20 includes a second drive wheel 21, a second gearbox 23 connected to a second motor 22 through a second belt 24, with the construction of the second drive assembly 20 being identical to that of the first drive assembly 10, and with the second drive wheel 21 also being concentric with the mentioned horizontal geometric axis EH, the first drive assembly 10 and the second drive assembly 20 facing one another.); and
A second drive motor, configured to drive the second driven wheel (0106, The second drive assembly 20 includes a second drive wheel 21, a second gearbox 23 connected to a second motor 22 through a second belt 24, with the construction of the second drive assembly 20 being identical to that of the first drive assembly 10, and with the second drive wheel 21 also being concentric with the mentioned horizontal geometric axis EH, the first drive assembly 10 and the second drive assembly 20 facing one another.).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 2, and Canuto further teaches wherein the first axle centerline and the second axle centerline are colinear (0106, The second drive assembly 20 includes a second drive wheel 21, a second gearbox 23 connected to a second motor 22 through a second belt 24, with the construction of the second drive assembly 20 being identical to that of the first drive assembly 10, and with the second drive wheel 21 also being concentric with the mentioned horizontal geometric axis EH, the first drive assembly 10 and the second drive assembly 20 facing one another.).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 2, and Canuto further teaches wherein the robot drive controller is further configured to:
Determine, for each of the plurality of robot drive units and based on the drive unit instructions, second drive motor operating instructions comprising a second target motor velocity or torque (0070, According to another proposed embodiment, the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel each includes an angular position sensor which communicate angular position readings to the control device, and wherein the control device is configured for, after generating the control commands and producing the planned translation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit, calculating the actual translation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit from the angular position readings, and detecting a discrepancy between the actual translation and the planned translation.); and
Provide the respective second drive motor operating instructions to the respective second motor (0070, According to another proposed embodiment, the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel each includes an angular position sensor which communicate angular position readings to the control device, and wherein the control device is configured for, after generating the control commands and producing the planned translation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit, calculating the actual translation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit from the angular position readings, and detecting a discrepancy between the actual translation and the planned translation.).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 1, and Canuto further teaches wherein the first driven wheel is laterally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel second distance, and wherein the first drive motor operating instructions is determined based further on the first wheel second distance (0122, To prevent harmful effects due to the off-centered position of the weight of the battery 30, the invention proposes placing the first drive wheel 11 and the second drive wheel 21 also in the front third 41, on both sides of the battery 30, with the horizontal geometric axis EH, which is concentric with the first and second drive wheels 11, 21, being moved a distance D away from the vertical geometric axis EV located in the intermediate third 42.).
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 1, and Lee further teaches wherein the drive assembly enclosure comprises a payload coupling configured to couple to a payload (Col. 5, Lines 15-35, housing having outriggers to attach the drive wheel assembly to the industrial lift cart).
Canuto and Lee are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the payload coupling of Lee in order to provide further means of attaching to a payload. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robot drive units are able to properly handle a payload.
Regarding claim 17, Canuto discloses a robot drive unit comprising:
A chassis (0020, a chassis defining a rear third, an intermediate third, and a front third of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit and a vertical geometric axis in the center of the chassis, said chassis supporting the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly spaced from one another in the direction of the horizontal geometric axis, and supporting one or more caster wheels);
A drive unit coupling, coupled to the chassis and configured to interface with an assembly chassis to allow the robot drive unit to rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the assembly chassis (0065, According to a proposed additional embodiment, the transport platform is rotational about a hollow platform bearing concentric with the vertical geometric axis and actuated by a rotary motor. Preferably, the rotary motor will be controlled by the control device. 0067, The rotation of the transport platform allows, in combination with the omnidirectional translation, a load placed on the transport platform to move in any direction, to rotate while it is moving, or to move while the drive unit performs a rotation, but without the load rotating by means of a counter-rotation of the transport platform which compensates for the rotation of the drive unit.);
A first driven wheel, coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate about a first axle centerline (0100, The first drive assembly 10 includes a first drive motor 11 connected by means of a transmission belt 15 with a first gearbox 13 which is in turn connected to a first drive wheel 11. 0102, The first drive wheel 11 will be concentric with a horizontal geometric axis EH, the input shaft and the output shaft of the first gearbox 13 also being concentric with said horizontal geometric axis EH.), wherein the first driven wheel is longitudinally offset from the drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel first distance (0122, To prevent harmful effects due to the off-centered position of the weight of the battery 30, the invention proposes placing the first drive wheel 11 and the second drive wheel 21 also in the front third 41, on both sides of the battery 30, with the horizontal geometric axis EH, which is concentric with the first and second drive wheels 11, 21, being moved a distance D away from the vertical geometric axis EV located in the intermediate third 42.);
A first drive motor, configured to drive the first driven wheel (0100, The first drive assembly 10 includes a first drive motor 11 connected by means of a transmission belt 15 with a first gearbox 13 which is in turn connected to a first drive wheel 11. 0102, The first drive wheel 11 will be concentric with a horizontal geometric axis EH, the input shaft and the output shaft of the first gearbox 13 also being concentric with said horizontal geometric axis EH.); and
A drive unit controller, configured to determine, based on the first wheel first distance, first drive motor operating instructions comprising a first target velocity or torque (0118, The position of the vertical geometric axis EV and of the vertical housing 70 corresponds with the center of rotation of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit, i.e., the translational movement of the autonomous omnidirectional drive unit is performed about said vertical axis EV, taking said vertical geometric axis EV as the origin and reference point for the calculation of the control commands generated by the control device 80.).
Canuto fails to disclose, however, wherein the drive unit coupling is an unpowered coupling.
Lee, however, in an analogous field of endeavor, does teach wherein the drive unit coupling is an unpowered coupling (Col. 2, Lines 16-20, A rotary bearing is operatively disposed between the drive module and the intermediate suspension module for enabling rotational movement of the drive module relative to the intermediate suspension module about a generally vertical steering axis.).
Canuto and Lee are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the unpowered rotary bearing of Lee in order to provide a more simple means of rotating relative to an assembly. The motivation to combine is to reduce the complexity of the drive system as a whole.
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive unit of claim 17, and Lee further teaches wherein the drive unit coupling is configured to couple to one of a plurality of assembly couplings of the assembly chassis (Col. 4, Lines 33-42, Figs. 3-6, two steerable drive wheel assemblies joined to a lift cart).
Canuto and Lee are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the plurality of robot drive units of Lee in order to provide a means of allowing collaborative work. The motivation to combine is to increase the movement possibilities for a robotic drive unit.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive unit of claim 17, and Lee further teaches wherein the robot drive unit is configured to operate in conjunction with one or more other robot drive units coupled to the assembly chassis (Col. 4, Lines 33-42, Figs. 3-6, two steerable drive wheel assemblies joined to a lift cart).
Canuto and Lee are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the plurality of robot drive units of Lee in order to provide a means of allowing collaborative work. The motivation to combine is to increase the movement possibilities for a robotic drive unit.
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive unit of claim 17, and Canuto further teaches wherein the first driven wheel is laterally offset from the unpowered drive unit coupling by a non-zero first wheel second distance, and wherein the first drive motor operating instructions is determined based further on the first wheel second distance (0122, To prevent harmful effects due to the off-centered position of the weight of the battery 30, the invention proposes placing the first drive wheel 11 and the second drive wheel 21 also in the front third 41, on both sides of the battery 30, with the horizontal geometric axis EH, which is concentric with the first and second drive wheels 11, 21, being moved a distance D away from the vertical geometric axis EV located in the intermediate third 42.).
Claims 5-7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Canuto in view of Lee, and further in view of Yamamoto (US 20200406733 A1), hereafter Yamamoto.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 1, and Canuto further teaches wherein the robot drive controller comprises:
A plurality of unit controllers, each controller disposed within each of one of the robot drive units (0030, A control device calculates control commands needed to produce an planned translation of the drive unit by means of the independent actuation of the first and second motors.).
The combination of Canuto and Lee fails to explicitly teach, however, wherein the robot drive controller comprises:
An assembly controller, coupled to the drive assembly enclosure.
Yamamoto, however, in an analogous field of endeavor, does teach an assembly controller (0049, As shown in FIG. 6, the external computer 40 transmits a control command for all the motor units 42A, 42B to the first motor unit 42A by wireless communication. The control command for all the motor units 42A, 42B is a control command for controlling driving of both the wheel motors 6A, 6B. In the first motor unit 42A, when the wireless communication circuit 44A receives the control command, the main control unit 46A stores the received control command in the memory 48A.).
Canuto, Lee, and Yamamoto are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the control command transmission of Yamamoto in order to provide a means of ensuring that the drive units operate properly. The motivation to combine is to allow the drive units to work in a more synchronized manner.
The combination of Canuto, Lee, and Yamamoto fails to explicitly teach, however, wherein the assembly controller is coupled to the drive assembly enclosure. The examiner asserts, however, that it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have coupled the assembly controller to the drive assembly enclosure, because to do so would be an obvious matter of design choice. Specifically, the examiner asserts that the position of the assembly controller would not produce any new or unexpected results.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Canuto, Lee, and Yamamoto teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 5, and Canuto further teaches wherein each of the plurality of unit controllers are configured to determine the first motor operating instructions (0030, A control device calculates control commands needed to produce an planned translation of the drive unit by means of the independent actuation of the first and second motors.).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 5, and Yamamoto further teaches wherein the assembly controller is configured to determine the robot drive assembly operating instructions and the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units and provide the drive unit instructions to each of the respective unit controllers (0049, As shown in FIG. 6, the external computer 40 transmits a control command for all the motor units 42A, 42B to the first motor unit 42A by wireless communication. The control command for all the motor units 42A, 42B is a control command for controlling driving of both the wheel motors 6A, 6B. In the first motor unit 42A, when the wireless communication circuit 44A receives the control command, the main control unit 46A stores the received control command in the memory 48A.).
Canuto, Lee, and Yamamoto are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robotic systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the control command transmission of Yamamoto in order to provide a means of ensuring that the drive units operate properly. The motivation to combine is to allow the drive units to work in a more synchronized manner.
Claims 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Canuto in view of Lee, and further in view of Slater (US 6853877 B1), hereafter Slater.
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear velocity and a target rotational velocity for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly.
Slater, however, in an analogous field of endeavor, does teach wherein the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear velocity and a target rotational velocity for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly (Col. 4, Line 56 - Col. 5, Line 16, Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram shows the flow of command information which controls the motion of the mobile base. Since each of the N wheels has two axes (i.e. steering and translation), the mobile base has a total of 2N axes. Controlling the 2N axes of the mobile base are 2N servo amplifiers connected to a set of low-level controllers that perform closed-loop, high servo-rate control of all axis positions. Positional feedback of each axis is provided by an accurate encoding scheme. A supervisory controller interfaced to the low-level controllers coordinates all 2N axes by sending position updates to the low-level controllers at each discrete control cycle. The position updates are calculated by the control algorithm which takes into account the mobile base geometry, motor dynamics, and a 3-DOF input vector sent from a host processor interfaced to the supervisory controller. The 3-DOF input vector completely describes the desired velocity-based motion of the mobile base, which is constrained to move within three DOFs as described previously. A possible input vector, for example, consists of an x-velocity, y-velocity, and rotational velocity with respect to the center of the mobile base, or alternatively, angle, magnitude, and rotational velocity with respect to a random fixed point (i.e. the representation is arbitrary as long as the axes of the input vector are independent.)).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the velocity conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Canuto, Lee, and Slater teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 8, and Slater further teaches wherein the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear velocity and the target rotational velocity to a module linear velocity for each of the respective robot drive unit, wherein the module linear velocity is for a second point associated with the respective robot drive unit (Col. 5, Lines 36-46, This determines the axis motion vector (AMV), m.sub.a, which is the motion required at each 2-DOFW and the corresponding motion at each axis such that the mobile base moves according to the commanded input vector … It is accomplished by first calculating the desired velocity to each wheel attachment point as below. The desired wheel velocity for each wheel is expressed as a 2-vector … in base coordinates (FIG. 4).).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the velocity conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Canuto, Lee, and Slater teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 9, and Slater further teaches wherein the first drive motor operating instructions comprise a first target velocity (Col. 5, Lines 36-46, This determines the axis motion vector (AMV), m.sub.a, which is the motion required at each 2-DOFW and the corresponding motion at each axis such that the mobile base moves according to the commanded input vector … It is accomplished by first calculating the desired velocity to each wheel attachment point as below. The desired wheel velocity for each wheel is expressed as a 2-vector … in base coordinates (FIG. 4).).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the velocity conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Canuto and Lee teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear force and a target wrench for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly.
Slater, however, in an analogous field of endeavor, does teach wherein the determining the robot drive assembly operating instructions comprises obtaining a target linear force and a target wrench for a first point associated with the robot drive assembly (Col. 7, Lines 18-43, axis motion vector containing steering axis torque and desired translation axis torque).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the torque conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Canuto, Lee, and Slater teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 11, and Slater further teaches wherein the determining the drive unit instructions for each of the plurality of robot drive units comprises converting the target linear force and the target wrench to a module linear force for each of the respective robot drive unit (Col. 7, Lines 18-43, calculation of axis torques using force torque input vector).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the torque conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Canuto, Lee, and Slater teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 12, and Slater further teaches wherein each of the robot drive units further comprises an angular position sensor, configured to determine an orientation of the respective robot drive unit to the drive assembly enclosure (Col. 5, Lines 53-55, The steering angle … for each 2-DOFW is measured based on the raw measured encoder value of the steering axis … and the encoder pitch).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the torque conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Canuto, Lee, and Slater teaches the robot drive assembly of claim 13, and Slater further teaches wherein the first drive motor operating instructions comprise a first target torque determined based on the module linear force and the orientation (Col. 7, Lines 18-43, determination of individual axis torques).
Canuto, Lee, and Slater are analogous because they are in a similar field of endeavor, e.g., holonomic robot systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the present invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have included the torque conversion of Slater in order to provide a means of better controlling the drive assembly. The motivation to combine is to ensure that the robotic drive units are able to properly carry out a desired movement.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Canuto et al. (WO2019020861A2) contains teachings similar to those of Canuto, but further includes an embodiment in which two robotic drive units cooperate to move a single payload (see at least Fig. 5).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BLAKE A WOOD whose telephone number is (571)272-6830. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Worden can be reached at (571) 272-4876. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BLAKE A WOOD/ Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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