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 .
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.
Joint Inventors
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/17/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). A certified copy of this document has been placed in the file wrapper. As such, the effective filing date of the instant application is considered 07/28/2022, coinciding with the filing date of the French Republic application to which foreign priority was requested.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-14, 16, 19-20, 24, 35 and 37-38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Somerville (US20130090878, referred to as Somerville).
Regarding claim 1: Somerville discloses: A method of recovering a master calibration state of a coordinate positioning machine having a first member that is moveable relative to a second member, wherein the geometry of the machine is characterised by a set of model parameters, and ([0078] It can be seen from FIGS. 4a-4c that changing the stylus, probe head translation and probe head rotation have different effects on the shift in apparent stylus ball position (i.e. the probe offset vector) that occurs as a function of probe head angle. Measuring the probe offset vector (defined in the probe or stylus geometry system) at a plurality of different head orientations can thus be used to assess what effect the disturbance has had on the CMM.) wherein the method comprises: (a) controlling the machine to make point contact between multiple reference surfaces of a tool mounted on the first member and multiple reference surfaces of an artefact mounted on the second member; ([0010] Firstly, a set of calibration data is taken that has been established for the coordinate positioning apparatus in the usual manner. In particular, the calibration data set com prises first datum data for a first nominal orientation of the measurement probe and further datum data for further orientations of the measurement probe. For a measurement probe comprising a deflectable stylus having a spherical stylus tip, the datum data for each different orientation may comprise information that describes the position of the centre of the (undeflected) stylus tip relative to a common or fixed point in the machine coordinate system.) (b) determining the separations between contacting surfaces expected from the current model parameters and recording these as a set of master separations; (c) subsequently performing step (a) again in respect of at least some of the contacts for which corresponding master separations were recorded in step (b); and ([0009] the method comprising the step of taking a calibration data set for the coordinate positioning apparatus that comprises datum data for a plurality of orientations of the measurement probe, the datum data including first datum data for a first nominal orientation of the measurement probe, wherein, after a disturbance to the coordinate positioning apparatus, the method comprises a step of updating the calibration data set, characterised in that the step of updating the calibration data set comprises the steps of acquiring one or more position measurements using the coordinate positioning apparatus, calculating a first correction from the one or more position measurements that describes any change in the first datum data following the disturbance to the coordinate positioning apparatus, and updating the datum data for a plurality of different orientations of the measure ment probe using the first correction.) (d) updating at least one of the model parameters to provide a closer correspondence to the master separations recorded previously in step (b). ([0023] the error in the (unknown) position of the calibration artefact is preferably separated from the change in the first datum data. This may be achieved by the step of acquiring one or more position measurements using the coordinate positioning apparatus with the measurement probe placed in at least three different nominal orientations. An apparent position of the calibration artefact can then be measured for each of the at least three different nominal orientations of the measurement probe and the first correction calculated from [0050] Probe datuming is the process by which the positional relationship between a reference measurement point of the measurement probe (e.g. the position (t) of the undeflected stylus tip) is established relative to a known point in the machine coordinate system (e.g. the point (h) on the head that has a known position relative to the origin (o) of the machine coordinate geometry). For example, probe qualification may involve establishing datum data in the form of the stylus deflection vector described above. The datum data may also include a value relating to the radius (r) of the spherical tip of the stylus)
Regarding claim 2: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein the at least one model parameter is or comprises the tool centre point of the tool. ([0016] the reference measurement point of Such a measurement probe comprises the centre of the spherical stylus tip when the stylus is in the neutral position. The step of calculating a first correction may thus comprise measuring the offset in the apparent position of the centre of the spherical stylus tip relative to the position of the centre of the spherical stylus tip previously established during US 2013/0090878 A1 calibration. Advantageously, the datum data for each measurement probe orientation includes a stylus tip radius value.)
Regarding claim 3: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein an at least nominal geometric model of the tool and/or the artefact is used in step (b) to determine or derive the separations. ([0078] It can be seen from FIGS. 4a-4c that changing the stylus, probe head translation and probe head rotation have different effects on the shift in apparent stylus ball position (i.e. the probe offset vector) that occurs as a function of probe head angle. Measuring the probe offset vector (defined in the probe or stylus geometry system) at a plurality of different head orientations can thus be used to assess what effect the disturbance has had on the CMM.)
Regarding claim 4: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein the master calibration state is a known good calibration state of the machine. ([0023] the error in the (unknown) position of the calibration artefact is preferably separated from the change in the first datum data. This may be achieved by the step of acquiring one or more position measurements using the coordinate positioning apparatus with the measurement probe placed in at least three different nominal orientations. An apparent position of the calibration artefact can then be measured for each of the at least three different nominal orientations of the measurement probe and the first correction calculated from th [0050] Probe datuming is the process by which the positional relationship between a reference measurement point of the measurement probe (e.g. the position (t) of the undeflected stylus tip) is established relative to a known point in the machine coordinate system (e.g. the point (h) on the head that has a known position relative to the origin (o) of the machine coordinate geometry). For example, probe qualification may involve establishing datum data in the form of the stylus deflection vector described above. The datum data may also include a value relating to the radius (r) of the spherical tip of the stylus)
Regarding claim 5: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein, prior to performing step (a) again in full for all contacts for which corresponding master separations were recorded previously in step (b), step (a) is first performed in respect of a subset of those contacts, and only if a measure of variation in the associated expected separations is considered to be above a predetermined threshold or level, then continuing to complete step (a) in respect of the full set of contacts. ([0003] One known type of contact measurement probe used with coordinate positioning apparatus comprises a probe housing and a deflectable stylus. Typically, the probe housing is mounted to the moveable platform or quill of the coordinate positioning apparatus and moved so as to bring the tip of the stylus into contact with the object to be measured. On con tacting the object, the Stylus deflects away from its so-called undeflected, rest or neutral position with respect to the probe housing and this stylus deflection is sensed by appropriate sensors. Measurement probes of this type may be broadly categorised as either touch trigger probes or scanning probes. Touch trigger probes (also known as digital or Switching probes) produce a trigger signal whenever the stylus deflec tion exceeds a certain threshold. Scanning probes (also known as analogue probes) produce probe output data that is indicative of the magnitude and direction of stylus deflection away from the stylus neutral position; for example, a scanning probe may output measurements of stylus tip deflection in its own local (a,b,c) co-ordinate system. [0023] the error in the (unknown) position of the calibration artefact is preferably separated from the change in the first datum data. This may be achieved by the step of acquiring one or more position measurements using the coordinate positioning apparatus with the measurement probe placed in at least three different nominal orientations. An apparent position of the calibration artefact can then be measured for each of the at least three different nominal orientations of the measurement probe and the first correction calculated from [0050] Probe datuming is the process by which the positional relationship between a reference measurement point of the measurement probe (e.g. the position (t) of the undeflected stylus tip) is established relative to a known point in the machine coordinate system (e.g. the point (h) on the head that has a known position relative to the origin (o) of the machine coordinate geometry). For example, probe qualification may involve establishing datum data in the form of the stylus deflection vector described above. The datum data may also include a value relating to the radius (r) of the spherical tip of the stylus)
Regarding claim 7: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein an end surface of the tool is spherical at least where contact is made with the artefact. ([0050] Probe datuming is the process by which the positional relationship between a reference measurement point of the measurement probe (e.g. the position (t) of the undeflected stylus tip) is established relative to a known point in the machine coordinate system (e.g. the point (h) on the head that has a known position relative to the origin (o) of the machine coordinate geometry). For example, probe qualification may involve establishing datum data in the form of the stylus deflection vector described above. The datum data may also include a value relating to the radius (r) of the spherical tip of the stylus)
Regarding claim 8: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein a side surface of the tool is cylindrical, at least where contact is made with the artefact. ([0010] For a measurement probe comprising a deflectable stylus having a spherical stylus tip, the datum data for each different orientation may comprise information that describes the position of the centre of the (undeflected) stylus tip relative to a common or fixed point in the machine coordinate system. [0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 9: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein a top surface of the artefact is planar, at least where contact is made with the tool. ([0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 10: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein a side surface of the artefact is planar, at least where contact is made with the tool ([0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 11: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: comprising using an at least nominal geometric model representing the geometry of the tool and/or the artefact in step (b) and/or step (d). ([0078] It can be seen from FIGS. 4a-4c that changing the stylus, probe head translation and probe head rotation have different effects on the shift in apparent stylus ball position (i.e. the probe offset vector) that occurs as a function of probe head angle. Measuring the probe offset vector (defined in the probe or stylus geometry system) at a plurality of different head orientations can thus be used to assess what effect the disturbance has had on the CMM.)
Regarding claim 12: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: comprising using calibrated dimensional measurements of the artefact in step (b) and/or step (d). ([0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 13: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein the reference surfaces of the artefact are metrological surfaces. ([0053] Performing a one-off calibration when commissioning a CMM or a new measurement probe is time consuming, but Such an event can be pre-planned to fit in with a production schedule. Furthermore, once calibrated the CMM can be used to acquire measurements for prolonged periods. There are, however, instances where CMM recalibration is suddenly required due to an unexpected disturbance to the machine, Such as a crash that breaks a stylus and/or misaligns the probe head. In Such cases, the operator is faced with having to take the machine offline in order to perform the recalibration process that is necessary to ensure metrology performance is maintained. This can be seriously disruptive to a production process.)
Regarding claim 14: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: comprising sensing contact between the tool and the artefact using a sensor. wherein the sensor is optionally mounted on the second member and is optionally a touch probe or a tool setter. ([0003] One known type of contact measurement probe used with coordinate positioning apparatus comprises a probe housing and a deflectable stylus. Typically, the probe housing is mounted to the moveable platform or quill of the coordinate positioning apparatus and moved so as to bring the tip of the stylus into contact with the object to be measured. On contacting the object, the Stylus deflects away from its so-called undeflected, rest or neutral position with respect to the probe housing and this stylus deflection is sensed by appropriate sensors. Measurement probes of this type may be broadly categorised as either touch trigger probes or scanning probes. Touch trigger probes (also known as digital or Switching probes) produce a trigger signal whenever the stylus deflection exceeds a certain threshold.)
Regarding claim 16: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 14,
Somerville further discloses: wherein the sensor is a contact sensor having a deflectable stylus and a contacting member for contacting an object being sensed, and wherein the artefact is optionally used as the contacting member of the contact sensor. ([0003] One known type of contact measurement probe used with coordinate positioning apparatus comprises a probe housing and a deflectable stylus. Typically, the probe housing is mounted to the moveable platform or quill of the coordinate positioning apparatus and moved so as to bring the tip of the stylus into contact with the object to be measured. On contacting the object, the Stylus deflects away from its so-called undeflected, rest or neutral position with respect to the probe housing and this stylus deflection is sensed by appropriate sensors. Measurement probes of this type may be broadly categorised as either touch trigger probes or scanning probes. Touch trigger probes (also known as digital or Switching probes) produce a trigger signal whenever the stylus deflection exceeds a certain threshold. Scanning probes (also known as analogue probes) produce probe output data that is indicative of the magnitude and direction of stylus deflection away from the stylus neutral position; for example, a scanning probe may output measurements of stylus tip deflection in its own local (a,b,c) co-ordinate system.)
Regarding claim 19: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein the artefact comprises a plurality of planar reference surfaces and a cylindrical reference surface. ([0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 20: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein the tool comprises a plurality of cylindrical reference surfaces and/or a spherical reference surface. ([0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 24: Somerville discloses: A method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: wherein at least one of the surfaces of the tool and/or the artefact is a revolute surface, for example having at least one revolute axis. ([0045] The Scanning probe 12, which may comprise a Renishaw SP25 probe, includes internal transducers that measure any deflection of the stylus 14 away from a so-called neutral or rest position. Any deflection of the stylus 14 is thus measured by the Scanning probe 12 in its local (probe) coordinate (a,b,c) system. To improve the ability to Scan complex objects, the indexing probe head 10 allows the scanning probe 12 to be rotated, relative to the quill, about the orthogonal axes A and B and locked in any one of multiple indexed positions. In the case of a Renishaw PH10 probe head, the probe may be indexed into any one of 720 different indexed positions. A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 35: Somerville discloses: a method as claimed in claim 1, and
Somerville further discloses: A method of recovering the tool centre point of a tool mounted to a coordinate positioning machine such as a robot arm, comprising performing … wherein step (d) comprises recovering the tool centre point from the previous calibration state. ([0016] the reference measurement point of Such a measurement probe comprises the centre of the spherical stylus tip when the stylus is in the neutral posi tion. The step of calculating a first correction may thus com prise measuring the offset in the apparent position of the centre of the spherical stylus tip relative to the position of the centre of the spherical stylus tip previously established during US 2013/0090878 A1 calibration. Advantageously, the datum data for each measurement probe orientation includes a stylus tip radius value.)
Regarding claim 37: Somerville discloses: a method as claimed in claim 1
Somerville further discloses: A computer-readable medium having stored therein computer program instructions for controlling a computer or a machine controller to perform one or more steps of … ([0045] A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Regarding claim 38: Somerville discloses: a method as claimed in claim 1,
Somerville further discloses: A computer or machine controller configured to perform one or more steps of ([0045] A controller 16 controls operation of the CMM.)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record, and not relied upon, considered pertinent to applicant' s disclosure or directed to the state of art is listed on the enclosed PTO-892.
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/ATTICUS A CAMERON/
Examiner, Art Unit 3658A
/JASON HOLLOWAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658