# US 10,870,547 B2 · Air-blowing method and machining system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,547 B2 - Document ID: US10870547B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/509,764 - Filed: 2019-07-12 - Published: 2020-01-23 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-20 - Assignees: Fanuc Corporation - Applicants: Fanuc Corporation - Inventors: Hirofumi Sugahara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870547B2 ## CPC - B23Q 11/005: {by blowing} - B65G 69/20: Auxiliary treatments, e.g. aerating, heating, humidifying, deaerating, cooling, de-watering or drying, during loading or unloading; Loading or unloading in a fluid medium other than air - B08B 5/02: Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities {(airguns or nozzles per se B05B1/005)} - B23Q 11/0075: {for removing chips or coolant from the workpiece after machining} - B65G 47/905: {Control arrangements} - G05B 19/042: using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) - B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract An air-blowing method includes the steps of blowing, inside a machine tool, air onto a workpiece after machining, issuing a workpiece pick-up advance notice signal for notifying beforehand of pick-up of the workpiece by a robot or a worker, on the basis of a task state of the robot or an operation of the worker, and calculating the additional time for air blow on the basis of a time required by the robot or the worker to arrive at a workpiece pick-up position in front of the machine tool after the workpiece pick-up advance notice signal is issued, where air blow is extended by just the additional time in the step of blowing air. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air-blowing method comprising the steps of: blowing, inside a machine tool, air onto a workpiece after machining; issuing a workpiece pick-up advance notice signal for notifying beforehand of pick-up of the workpiece by a robot or a worker to the machine tool or another device, on a basis of a task state of the robot or an operation of the worker; and calculating an additional time for air blow by the machine tool or the another device, on a basis of a time required by the robot or the worker to arrive at a workpiece pick-up position in front of the machine tool after the workpiece pick-up advance notice signal is issued, wherein air blow is extended by just the additional time in the step of blowing air. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The air-blowing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step, performed after the step of blowing air, of moving the workpiece inside the machine tool, from an air blow position to a workpiece entering/leaving position, wherein in the step of calculating the additional time for air blow, the additional time for air blow is calculated on a basis also of a moving time of the workpiece from the air blow position to the workpiece entering/leaving position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The air-blowing method according to claim 2, wherein an air blow time from start to end of air blow is calculated by: A=D+(B−C), where A is the air blow time, B is the time required by the robot or the worker to arrive at the workpiece pick-up position in front of the machine tool after the workpiece pick-up advance notice signal is issued, C is the moving time of the workpiece from the air blow position to the workpiece entering/leaving position, and D is a time from the start of air blow to issuance of the workpiece pick-up advance notice signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The air-blowing method according to claim 3, wherein, when a predetermined minimum air blow time is given as E, A=D+(B−C) is true in a case of E>D, and A=D is true in a case of E