Power-operated precision chuck

Claim 2

A chuck comprising a body, radially arranged work-gripping jaws each mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, each of said jaws having a rack, radially arranged sliders mounted in said body for radial sliding movement and having racks engageable with said respective racks of the jaws, a slider-actuating means slidable axially within said body to radially move said sliders in unison, means for axially driving said slider-actuating means, means for resiliently urging the racks of said sliders out of engagement with the racks of said jaws, and locking means capable of being locked to force the racks of said sliders into engagement with the racks of said jaws against the resilient action of said resilient urging means to couple the jaws to said sliders, and capable of being unlocked to yield to the resilient action of said resilient urging means to cause the racks of said sliders to be disengaged from the racks of said jaws so as to allow displacement or replacement of the jaws independently of the sliders.

Claim 3

The chuck according to claim 1, wherein the rack of said jaws are provided on one axial end surfaces thereof and the racKs of said sliders are provided on adjacent axial end surfaces of the sliders, and wherein said means for resiliently urging the racks include at least one axially extending compression spring.

Claim 4

A chuck comprising a body, radially arranged work-gripping jaws each mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, each of said jaws having a rack, a guide block axially slidable in said body, radially arranged sliders mounted in said guide block for radial sliding movement and having racks respectively engageable with said racks of said jaws, a slider-actuating means slidable axially within said body, movement transmitting means connecting said slider-actuating means to said sliders to transform the axial movement of the slider-actuating means into radial movement of the sliders, means for axially driving said slider-actuating means, means for resiliently urging said guide block away from said jaws to cause the racks of said sliders out of engagement with the racks of said jaws, and locking means capable of being locked to force said guide block toward said jaws against the resilient action of said resilient urging means to cause the racks of said sliders to be brought into engagement with the racks of said jaws, and capable of being unlocked to cause said guide block to yield to the resilient action of said resilient urging means thereby to cause the racks of said sliders to be disengaged from the racks of said jaws so as to allow displacement or replacement of the jaws independently of the sliders.

Claim 5

A chuck comprising a body, radially arranged work-gripping jaws each mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, each of said jaws having a rack, a guide block axially slidable in said body, radially arranged sliders mounted in said guide block for radial sliding movement and having racks respectively engageable with said racks of said jaws, a slider-actuating means slidable axially within said body, movement transmitting means connecting said slider-actuating means to said sliders to transform the axial movement of the slider-actuating means into radial movement of the sliders, means for axially driving said slider-actuating means, means for resiliently urging said guide block away from said jaws to cause the racks of said sliders out of engagement with the racks of said jaws, and locking means capable of being locked to force said guide block toward said jaws against the resilient action of said resilient urging means to cause the racks of said sliders to be brought into engagement with the racks of said jaws, and capable of being unlocked to cause said guide block to yield to the resilient action of said resilient urging means thereby to cause the racks of said sliders to be disengaged from the racks of said jaws so as to allow displacement or replacement of the jaws independently of the sliders.

Claim 6

The chuck according to claim 3, wherein said guide block is an annular ring having an axial bore and said slider-actuating means is slidable in said bore.

Claim 7

The chuck according to claim 3, wherein said movement transmitting means are wedging connections between said slider-actuating means and said sliders.

Claim 8

The chuck according to claim 3, wherein said movement transmitting means are bellcrank lever connections between said slider-actuating means and said sliders.

Claim 9

The chuck according to claim 3, wherein said means for resiliently urging the guide block is a compression spring interposed between the chuck body and the guide block.

Claim 10

The chuck according to claim 3, wherein said locking means is a screw passing through the chuck body and threaded into said guide block.

Claim 11

The chuck according to claim 3, further including indication means comprising a pin passing radially through said chuck body to engage the peripheral surface of said guide block and resiliently urged radially inwardly, and a recess in said peripheral surface which receives the inner end of said pin to retract the same into the chuck body when the racks of said sliders have been completely engaged with that of the maws.

Claim 12

The chuck according to claim 3, further including fixing bolts passing through the chuck body and the guide block to fix the chuck on an object, and a spacer sleeve passing through said guide block and disposed around each fixing bolts.

Claim 13

The chuck according to claim 3, further including a stopping pin slidable in each of said sliders and resiliently urged toward the rack of the jaw to engage and hold the same when the racks of the slider and jaw are out of engagement.

Claim 14

A chuck comprising a body, radially arranged work-gripping jaws each mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, each of said jaws having a rack, radially arranged sliders mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, a slider-actuating means slidable axially within said body, movement transmitting means connecting said slider-actuating means to said sliders to transform the axial movement of the slider-actuating means into radial movement of the sliders, means for axially driving said slider-actuating means, an engagement piece passing through each of the sliders for sliding movement and having on one end thereof a rack engageable with the rack of the jaw, means for resiliently urging said engagement piece so as to cause the rack thereof to move out of engagement with the rack of said jaw, and locking means capable of being locked to force said engagement pieces toward the jaws against the resilient action of said resilient urging means to cause the racks of said engagement pieces to be brought into engagement with the racks of said jaws, and capable of being unlocked to cause said engagement pieces to yield to the resilient action of said resilient urging means thereby to cause the racks of said engagement pieces to be disengaged from the racks of said jaw so as to allow displacement or replacement of the jaws independently of the sliders.

Claim 15

A chuck comprising a body, radially arranged work-gripping jaws each mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, each of said jaws having a rack, radially arranged sliders mounted in said body for radial sliding movement, a slider-actuating means slidable axially within said body, movement transmitting means connecting said slider-actuating means to said sliders to transform the axial movement of the slider-actuating means into radial movement of the sliders, means for axially driving said slider-actuating means, an engagement piece passing through each of the sliders for sliding movement and having on one end thereof a rack engageable with the rack of the jaw, means for resiliently urging said engagement piece so as to cause the rack thereof to move out of engagement with the rack of said jaw, and locking means capable of being locked to force said engagement pieces toward the jaws against the resilient action of said resilient urging means to cause the racks of said engagement pieces to be brought into engagement with the racks of said jaws, and capable of being unlocked to cause said engagement pieces to yield to the resilient action of said resilient urging means thereby to cause the racks of said engagement pieces to be disengaged from the racks of said jaw so as to allow displacement or replacement of the jaws independently of the sliders.

Claim 16

The chuck according to claim 12, wherein said movement transmitting means are wedging connections between said slider-actuating means and said sliders.

Claim 17

The chuck according to claim 12, wherein said movement transmitting means are bellcrank lever connections between said slider-actuating means and said sliders.

Claim 18

The chuck according to claim 12, wherein said means for resiliently urging the engagement piece is a compression spring interposed between the slider and the engagement piece.

Claim 19

The chuck according to claim 12, wherein said locking means comprises an operating ring reciprocably rotatable in the chuck body and having a series of recesses distributed in the surface thereof, and means for rotating said operating ring, said operating ring, when the latter is in the unlocked position, receiving into its recesses the other ends of said engagement pieces to allow the latter to yield to the resilient action of the resilient means, and, when the operating ring is in the locked position, expelling from its recesses the other end of said engagement pieces to cause the latter to move onto the jaws against the resilient action of the resilient means.

Claim 20

The chuck according to claim 16, wherein said engagement pieces have on the other ends thereof protrusions, respectively, which are adapted to enter said recesses.

Claim 21

The chuck according to claim 16, wherein said means for rotating the operating ring comprises a nut having a protruding part engaging the operating ring, and rotatably mounted in the chuck body, and a threaded rod screwed in said nut to turn the same.

Claim 22

The chuck according to claim 12, further including a stopping pin slidable in each of said engagement pieces and resiliently urged toward the rack of the jaw to engage and hold the same when the racks of the slider and jaw are out of engagement.