# US 10,478,966 B2 · Workpiece support system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,966 B2 - Document ID: US10478966B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/364,967 - Filed: 2016-11-30 - Published: 2017-06-08 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-03 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Tomohiko Sekiguchi; Masataka Mizuno; Kazuyuki Ogusu; Kenichi Asakuma; Kimihiro Nanaeda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478966B2 ## CPC - B25J 9/0096: {co-operating with a working support, e.g. work-table} - B23P 2700/50: Other automobile vehicle parts, i.e. manufactured in assembly lines - B62D 65/026: {by using a jig or the like; Positioning of the jig} - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A workpiece support system includes: a workpiece support device that supports a workpiece by a support body having a support that comes in contact with the workpiece; and a robot that is separately provided outside the workpiece support device and moves the support, wherein the support is configured to be movable within a predetermined range and lockable at an arbitrary position, and wherein, by grasping a part of the locked support body, the robot unlocks the support and moves the unlocked support according to the shape of the workpiece. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A workpiece support system comprising: a workpiece support device that supports a workpiece by a support body having a support that comes in contact with the workpiece; and a robot that is separately provided outside the workpiece support device and moves the support, wherein the support is configured to be movable within a predetermined range and lockable at an arbitrary position, by clamping a robot-clamped component of the support body, the robot unlocks the support and moves the unlocked support according to a shape of the workpiece, the support body includes an X-slide, a Y-slide, and a Z-slide, each of which is unlocked to move the support, the robot-clamped component unlocks the support by being supplied with air, the Z-slide is unlocked to become slidable by being supplied with the air, and the X-slide, Y-slide and Z-slide are interlocked so that when the Z-slide is unlocked, the X-slide and Y-slide are also unlocked to become slidable, the robot has a tool assembly that supplies the air, and as the tool assembly of the robot clamps the robot-clamped component of the support body, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component and the support is unlocked. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The workpiece support system according to claim 1, wherein the robot moves the support with the tool assembly thereof clamping the robot-clamped component. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The workpiece support system according to claim 1, wherein the robot-clamped component has a pinhole, the robot has a tool assembly that supplies the air, the tool assembly has a pin, as the tool assembly of the robot clamps the robot-clamped component of the support body, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component and the support is unlocked, when the pin of the tool assembly is fitted into the pinhole of the robot-clamped component, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The workpiece support system according to claim 3, wherein the pinhole is connected to an air supply hole, the support body is locked when the air supply hole is an atmosphere, and the air is supplied to the air supply hole to unlock the support body. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The workpiece support system according to claim 1, wherein the support body further includes an X stage, a Y stage, and at least two Y-guides fixed on the X-stage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The workpiece support system according to claim 5, wherein a lock is fixed on the X-stage between the at least two Y-guides. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The workpiece support system according to claim 6, wherein the Y-slide is slidable with respect to the lock in a Y-axis direction and is fixable to the lock. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The workpiece support system according to claim 7, wherein when the Y-slide is locked to be fixed to the lock, a position of the Y-stage is fixed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The workpiece support system according to claim 8, wherein when the Y-slide is unlocked to be slidable with respect to the lock, the Y-stage is slidable in the Y-axis direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The workpiece support system according to claim 9, the robot-clamped component has a pinhole, the robot has a tool assembly that supplies the air, the tool assembly has a pin, as the tool assembly of the robot clamps the robot-clamped component of the support body, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component and the support is unlocked, when the pin of the tool assembly is fitted into the pinhole of the robot-clamped component, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The workpiece support system according to claim 10, wherein the pinhole is connected to an air supply hole, the support body is locked when the air supply hole is an atmosphere, and the air is supplied to the air supply hole to unlock the support body. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The workpiece support system according to claim 7, wherein when the Y-slide is unlocked to be slidable with respect to the lock, the Y-stage is slidable in the Y-axis direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The workpiece support system according to claim 12, wherein the robot-clamped component has a pinhole, the robot has a tool assembly that supplies the air, the tool assembly has a pin, as the tool assembly of the robot clamps the robot-clamped component of the support body, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component and the support is unlocked, when the pin of the tool assembly is fitted into the pinhole of the robot-clamped component, the air is supplied from the tool assembly to the robot-clamped component. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The workpiece support system according to claim 13, wherein the pinhole is connected to an air supply hole, the support body is locked when the air supply hole is an atmosphere, and the air is supplied to the air supply hole to unlock the support body.