Lifter mechanism for a powered fastener driver

A powered fastener driver comprising:

• a driver blade movable from a top-dead-center position to a driven or bottom-dead-center position for driving a fastener into a workpiece;
• a drive unit for providing torque to move the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position, the drive unit including an output shaft defining a rotational axis;
• a rotary lifter engageable with the driver blade, the lifter configured to receive torque from the drive unit in a rotational direction for returning the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position;
• an aperture defined within the lifter through which the output shaft extends, the aperture configured to permit limited radial movement of the lifter relative to the output shaft between a first position and a second position;
• a biasing member biasing the lifter to the first position relative to the output shaft;
• and
• a cavity defined between the output shaft and the lifter, the cavity being configured to receive the biasing member,
• wherein the biasing member is preloaded to a predetermined force to maintain the lifter in the first position, and
• wherein engagement with the driver blade applies a reaction force to the lifter that is greater than the predetermined force to move the lifter from the first position toward the second position.

A powered fastener driver comprising:

• a driver blade movable from a top-dead-center position to a driven or bottom-dead-center position for driving a fastener into a workpiece;
• a drive unit for providing torque to move the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position, the drive unit including an output shaft defining a rotational axis;
• a rotary lifter engageable with the driver blade, the lifter configured to receive torque from the drive unit in a rotational direction for returning the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position;
• an aperture defined within the lifter through which the output shaft extends, the aperture configured to permit limited radial movement of the lifter relative to the output shaft between a first position and a second position;
• and
• a spring biasing the lifter to the first position relative to the output shaft,
• wherein the lifter is configured to translate in a radial direction relative to the output shaft from the first position toward the second position in response to engagement with the driver blade while being rotated in the rotational direction, and
• wherein the aperture is partly defined by opposing curvilinear segments and opposing flat segments.

A powered fastener driver comprising:

• a driver blade movable from a top-dead-center position to a driven or bottom-dead-center position for driving a fastener into a workpiece;
• a drive unit for providing torque to move the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position, the drive unit including an output shaft defining a rotational axis;
• a rotary lifter engageable with the driver blade, the lifter configured to receive torque from the drive unit in a rotational direction for returning the driver blade from the bottom-dead-center position toward the top-dead-center position;
• an aperture defined within the lifter through which the output shaft extends, the aperture configured to permit limited radial movement of the lifter relative to the output shaft between a first position and a second position;
• and
• a biasing member biasing the lifter to the first position relative to the output shaft,
• wherein the biasing member is a compression spring that is preloaded to a predetermined force to maintain the lifter in the first position, and
• wherein engagement with the driver blade applies a reaction force to the lifter that is greater than the predetermined force to move the lifter from the first position toward the second position.