DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-10 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/01/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nabeto et al. (US 2021/0354316 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Nabeto teaches:
A robotic device (Fig. 12; [0031] “the end effector device 1 includes an end effector 10 , an arm 20 connected to the end effector 10”) which fits a piece of work ([0042] “object being grasped 60”) into a socket ([0042] “the object to be assembled 70”) including an opening surface ([0042] “ fitting recess 71”) perpendicular to a direction of a first axis (Fig. 13 shows the opening surface 71 being perpendicular to the direction of the Z axis; [0042] “The fitting control unit 110 presses the object being grasped 60 against the object to be assembled 70 with the pressing surface 16 so that the object being grasped 60 is fitted into the fitting recess 71 when the tactile sensor unit 13 detects that the pressing surface 16 of the force-receiving portion 14 contacts with an opening edge 72 of the fitting recess 71 in a case where the palm 11 approaches a fitting recess 71 of an object to be assembled 70 (see FIG. 4) from the Z direction (that is, the palm 11 moves in an arrow A direction in FIG. 4) and the object being grasped 60 is fitted into the fitting recess 71 in a state where the object being grasped 60 is grasped by each finger 12.”), the robotic device comprising:
a hand portion (Fig. 13; [0032] “end effector 10”) which includes a plurality of finger portions (Fig. 13; [0032] “a plurality of fingers 12”) respectively including gripping surfaces ([0039] “grasping surface 15”) with which the piece of work is graspable in a direction of a second axis ([0039] “The grasping surface 15 is placed facing the object being grasped 60 in a direction intersecting the extending direction of each finger 12 to be able to grasp the object being grasped 60.”; Fig. 13 shows the object 60 is graspable in the direction of Y-axis), the second-axis direction being perpendicular to the first-axis direction (Fig. 2 and 13 show Z-axis is perpendicular to Y-axis);
a sensor portion which is provided to at least one of the plurality of finger portions (Fig. 13; [0035] “Tactile sensor unit 13 is provided at a second end portion 122, which is a tip portion provided with the other end of each finger 12 in the extending direction thereof”), the sensor portion being capable of detecting a distribution of a pressure acting on the gripping surface ([0036] “Specifically, each tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect an external force in at least three axial directions by detecting a minute displacement/deformation as an electrical change, the minute displacement/deformation being caused by force that each force-receiving portion 14 receives from the object being grasped 60. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect at least a force in a Z direction along the extending direction of each finger 12, a force in a Y direction orthogonal to the Z direction and directed from one finger 12 to the other finger 12, and a force in a X direction (that is, the paper penetration direction in FIG. 2) orthogonal to the Z direction and the Y direction.”); and
a control device configured to determine a direction of a moment that acts on the piece of work, on a basis of an output from the sensor portion that is obtained when the piece of work is pressed against the opening surface in the first-axis direction ([0097] “When the tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect moments in each axial direction in addition to the external forces in the three axial directions orthogonal to one another, for example, the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 in the Y direction can be determined by a difference in moments in the X-axis direction.”), and to generate, ..., a first control command used to correct a position of the hand portion such that the hand portion is at a position that enables the piece of work to be aligned with the socket in the first-axis direction ([0081] “The position shift correction unit 130 controls the drive device 30 to move the object being grasped 60 in a direction opposite to a position shift direction (in other words, in a direction having the same axis as and the different direction from the position shift direction) of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 determined by the position shift direction determination unit 120 , thereby correcting the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71.”; [0102] “ The position shift correction unit 130 may have any configuration that can correct the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 by moving the palm 11 in a direction opposite to the position shift direction of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 determined by the position shift direction determination unit 120.”).
Nabeto does not explicitly teach the control device configured to generate, on a basis of the determined direction of the moment, a first control command used to correct a position of the hand portion such that the hand portion is at a position that enables the piece of work to be aligned with the socket in the first-axis direction.
However, Nabeto teaches determining a position shift direction of the object based on the determined direction of moment ([0097] “When the tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect moments in each axial direction in addition to the external forces in the three axial directions orthogonal to one another, for example, the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 in the Y direction can be determined by a difference in moments in the X-axis direction.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Nabeto to generate a first control command on a basis of the determined direction of moment, since the first control command is generated based on the determined position shift of the object as taught by Nabeto. Such modification provides a correction to a position shift of the object being grasped with respect to the opening surface of the socket.
Regarding claim 2, Nabeto teaches:
wherein the control device determines the direction of the moment about the second axis (Fig. 13; Y-axis) perpendicular to the gripping surface ([0098] “The position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 in the X direction can be determined by the difference in moments in the Y-axis direction. When the difference in moments in the Y-axis direction is a positive value, it is determined that the object being grasped 60 is shifted in the positive direction of X with respect to the fitting recess 71.”), and
on the basis of the determined direction of the moment ([0098] discloses the determined direction of moment is in the Y-axis direction “When the difference in moments in the Y-axis direction is a positive value, it is determined that the object being grasped 60 is shifted in the positive direction of X with respect to the fitting recess 71.”), the control device generates, as the first control command, a control command used to cause the hand portion to make a parallel movement in a direction of a third axis (X-axis; [0081] “The position shift correction unit 130 controls the drive device 30 to move the object being grasped 60 in a direction opposite to a position shift direction (in other words, in a direction having the same axis as and the different direction from the position shift direction) of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 determined by the position shift direction determination unit 120 , thereby correcting the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71.” – [0098] discloses when the determined moment direction is Y-axis direction, the position shift direction of the object is in the X-axis; therefore, the control command is generated to cause the hand portion to make a movement parallel to the X-axis/third axis to correct the position shift of the object) that is parallel to the gripping surface and orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis (Fig. 13; X-axis is parallel to the gripping surface and orthogonal to the Z-axis/first axis and Y-axis/second axis).
Regarding claim 3, Nabeto teaches:
wherein the sensor portion is provided to each of the plurality of finger portions (Fig. 13 shows tactile sensor unit 13 provided to each of the plurality of fingers 12; [0032]), the control device determines the direction of the moment about the third axis ([0097] “the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 in the Y direction can be determined by a difference in moments in the X-axis direction.”; [0098] “When the difference in moments in the X-axis direction is a negative value, it is determined that the object being grasped 60 is shifted in the positive direction of Y with respect to the fitting recess 71.”), and
on the basis of the determined direction of the moment ([0098] discloses determined direction of moment is in the X-axis direction), the control device generates, as the first control command, a control command used to cause the hand portion to make a parallel movement in the second-axis direction ([0098] “When the difference in moments in the X-axis direction is a negative value, it is determined that the object being grasped 60 is shifted in the positive direction of Y with respect to the fitting recess 71.”; [0081] “The position shift correction unit 130 controls the drive device 30 to move the object being grasped 60 in a direction opposite to a position shift direction (in other words, in a direction having the same axis as and the different direction from the position shift direction) of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 determined by the position shift direction determination unit 120 , thereby correcting the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71.” – [0098] discloses when the determined moment direction is X-axis direction, the position shift direction of the object is in the Y-axis; therefore, the control command is generated to cause the hand portion to make a movement parallel to the Y-axis/second axis to correct the position shift of the object).
Regarding claim 10, Nabeto teaches:
A method for controlling a robotic device (Fig. 12; [0031] “the end effector device 1 includes an end effector 10 , an arm 20 connected to the end effector 10”) which includes a hand portion (Fig. 13; [0032] “end effector 10”) including a plurality of finger portions (Fig. 13; [0032] “a plurality of fingers 12”) respectively including gripping surfaces ([0039] “grasping surface 15”) with which a piece of work is graspable in a second-axis direction ([0039] “The grasping surface 15 is placed facing the object being grasped 60 in a direction intersecting the extending direction of each finger 12 to be able to grasp the object being grasped 60.”; Fig. 13 shows the object 60 is graspable in the direction of Y-axis) perpendicular to a first-axis direction (Fig. 2 and 13 show Z-axis is perpendicular to Y-axis), and a sensor portion which is provided to at least one of the plurality of finger portions (Fig. 13; [0035] “Tactile sensor unit 13 is provided at a second end portion 122, which is a tip portion provided with the other end of each finger 12 in the extending direction thereof”), the sensor portion being capable of detecting a distribution of a pressure acting on the gripping surface ([0036] “Specifically, each tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect an external force in at least three axial directions by detecting a minute displacement/deformation as an electrical change, the minute displacement/deformation being caused by force that each force-receiving portion 14 receives from the object being grasped 60. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect at least a force in a Z direction along the extending direction of each finger 12, a force in a Y direction orthogonal to the Z direction and directed from one finger 12 to the other finger 12, and a force in a X direction (that is, the paper penetration direction in FIG. 2) orthogonal to the Z direction and the Y direction.”), the robotic device fitting the piece of work into a socket including an opening surface ([0042] “ fitting recess 71”) perpendicular to the first-axis direction (Fig. 13 shows the opening surface 71 being perpendicular to the direction of the Z axis; [0042] “The fitting control unit 110 presses the object being grasped 60 against the object to be assembled 70 with the pressing surface 16 so that the object being grasped 60 is fitted into the fitting recess 71 when the tactile sensor unit 13 detects that the pressing surface 16 of the force-receiving portion 14 contacts with an opening edge 72 of the fitting recess 71 in a case where the palm 11 approaches a fitting recess 71 of an object to be assembled 70 (see FIG. 4) from the Z direction (that is, the palm 11 moves in an arrow A direction in FIG. 4) and the object being grasped 60 is fitted into the fitting recess 71 in a state where the object being grasped 60 is grasped by each finger 12.”), the method comprising:
determining a direction of a moment that acts on the piece of work, on a basis of an output from the sensor portion that is obtained when the piece of work is pressed against the opening surface in the first-axis direction ([0097] “When the tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect moments in each axial direction in addition to the external forces in the three axial directions orthogonal to one another, for example, the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 in the Y direction can be determined by a difference in moments in the X-axis direction.”); and
generating, ..., a control command used to move the hand portion to a position that enables the piece of work to be aligned with the socket in the first-axis direction ([0081] “The position shift correction unit 130 controls the drive device 30 to move the object being grasped 60 in a direction opposite to a position shift direction (in other words, in a direction having the same axis as and the different direction from the position shift direction) of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 determined by the position shift direction determination unit 120 , thereby correcting the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71.”; [0102] “ The position shift correction unit 130 may have any configuration that can correct the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 by moving the palm 11 in a direction opposite to the position shift direction of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 determined by the position shift direction determination unit 120.”).
Nabeto does not explicitly teach generating, on a basis of the determined direction of the moment, a first control command used to correct a position of the hand portion such that the hand portion is at a position that enables the piece of work to be aligned with the socket in the first-axis direction.
However, Nabeto teaches determining a position shift direction of the object based on the determined direction of moment ([0097] “When the tactile sensor unit 13 is configured to be able to detect moments in each axial direction in addition to the external forces in the three axial directions orthogonal to one another, for example, the position shift of the object being grasped 60 with respect to the fitting recess 71 in the Y direction can be determined by a difference in moments in the X-axis direction.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Nabeto to generate a first control command on a basis of the determined direction of moment, since the first control command is generated based on the determined position shift of the object as taught by Nabeto. Such modification provides a correction to a position shift of the object being grasped with respect to the opening surface of the socket.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nabeto, in view of Tsukamoto et al. (US 2024/0131724 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Nabeto does not specifically teach wherein the sensor portion includes an elastically deformable sensor sheet including a plurality of capacitive elements detecting the pressure acting on the gripping surface.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Tsukamoto teaches:
wherein the sensor portion includes an elastically deformable sensor sheet (Fig. 5 shows sensor sheet 20; [0114] “The detection layer 21A and the detection layer 21B are capacitive detection layers and, more specifically, mutually capacitive detection layers. The detection layer 21A has flexibility. The detection layer 21A is bent toward the detection layer 21 B when pressure acts on the sensing surface 20S.”) including a plurality of capacitive elements detecting the pressure acting on the gripping surface ([0114] “The detection layer 21A includes a plurality of sensing portions (first sensing portions) SE21. The sensing portion SE21 detects the pressure acting on the sensing surface 20 S and outputs a detection result to the sensor IC4A. Specifically, the sensing portion SE21 detects capacitance corresponding to a distance between the sensing portion SE 21 and the conductive layer 24A, and outputs a detection result to the sensor IC4 A.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Nabeto to include an elastically deformable sensor sheet including a plurality of capacitive elements detecting the pressure acting on the gripping surface, as taught by Tsukamoto. Such modification detects a pressure acting on a surface of the force sensor and shearing force in an in-plane direction of the force sensor.
Regarding claim 8, Nabeto does not specifically teach wherein the sensor sheet includes a pressure sensor including a sensor electrode layer including the plurality of capacitive elements arrayed in a matrix, a reference electrode layer connected to a reference potential, and a deformation layer arranged between the sensor electrode layer and the reference electrode layer.
However, Tsukamoto teaches:
wherein the sensor sheet includes a pressure sensor (Fig. 5; [0111] “force sensor 20A”) including
a sensor electrode layer (Fig. 5; [0112] “a detection layer (a first detection layer) 21A, a detection layer (a second detection layer) 21B”) including the plurality of capacitive elements arrayed in a matrix (Fig. 6; [0119] “The plurality of sensing portions SE21 are arranged in a matrix form.”),
a reference electrode layer (Fig. 5; [0112] “a conductive layer (a first conductive layer) 24A, and a conductive layer (a second conductive layer) 24B”) connected to a reference potential ([0154] “The conductive layer 24A and the conductive layer 24B are so-called ground electrodes and are connected to the reference potential.”), and
a deformation layer ([0112] “a deformation layer (a first deformation layer) 23A, a deformation layer (a second deformation layer) 23B”) arranged between the sensor electrode layer and the reference electrode layer (Fig. 5; [0113] “The deformation layer 23A is provided between the detection layer 21A and the conductive layer 24A. The deformation layer 23B is provided between the detection layer 21B and the conductive layer 24B.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Nabeto to include a pressure sensor including a sensor electrode layer including the plurality of capacitive elements arrayed in a matrix, a reference electrode layer connected to a reference potential, and a deformation layer arranged between the sensor electrode layer and the reference electrode layer, as taught by Tsukamoto. Such modification detects a pressure acting on a surface of the force sensor and shearing force in an in-plane direction of the force sensor.
Regarding claim 9, Nabeto does not specifically teach wherein the sensor sheet includes a pair of pressure sensors each including a sensor electrode layer including the plurality of capacitive elements arrayed in a matrix, a reference electrode layer connected to a reference potential, and a deformation layer arranged between the sensor electrode layer and the reference electrode layer, and a separation layer arranged between pressure sensors of the pair of pressure sensors, the separation layer being formed of a viscoelastic material.
However, Tsukamoto teaches:
wherein the sensor sheet includes
a pair of pressure sensors (Fig. 5 shows a first pressure sensor including a detection layer 21A, a deformation layer 23A, and a conductive layer 24A, and a second pressure sensor including a detection layer 21B, a deformation layer 23B, and a conductive layer 24B) each including
a sensor electrode layer (Fig. 5; [0112] “a detection layer (a first detection layer) 21A, a detection layer (a second detection layer) 21B”) including the plurality of capacitive elements arrayed in a matrix (Fig. 6; [0119] “The plurality of sensing portions SE21 are arranged in a matrix form.”),
a reference electrode layer connected to a reference potential, and
[0112] “a deformation layer (a first deformation layer) 23A, a deformation layer (a second deformation layer) 23B”) arranged between the sensor electrode layer and the reference electrode layer (Fig. 5; [0113] “The deformation layer 23A is provided between the detection layer 21A and the conductive layer 24A. The deformation layer 23B is provided between the detection layer 21B and the conductive layer 24B.”), and
a separation layer arranged between pressure sensors of the pair of pressure sensors (Fig. 5; [0132] “The isolation layer 22 isolates the detection layer 21A from the detection layer 21B.”), the separation layer being formed of a viscoelastic material ([0133] “The isolation layer 22 preferably contains a gel ... The gel is, for example, at least one polymer gel selected from a group consisting of silicone gel, urethane gel, acrylic gel, and styrene gel.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Nabeto to include a pair of pressure sensors each including a sensor electrode layer including the plurality of capacitive elements arrayed in a matrix, a reference electrode layer connected to a reference potential, and a deformation layer arranged between the sensor electrode layer and the reference electrode layer, as taught by Tsukamoto. Such modification detects a pressure acting on a surface of the force sensor and shearing force in an in-plane direction of the force sensor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/NHI Q BUI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3656
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