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US 2016/0158849 A1Published application
Safety lock for lathe chuck key
AssigneeJPW Industries Inc.
InventorsMicah A. Coleman, Martin Gardner, Charles Weber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lathe or other rotating machine includes a chuck for holding a work piece or tool. The chuck is operated between engaging and disengaging positions by rotating a chuck key that has been inserted into a key receiving opening in the chuck. A chuck key docking station on the machine includes a sensor to sense the presence or absence of the chuck key at the docking station. The sensor is connected to prevent operation of the machine at speed if the chuck key is not sensed in the chuck key docking station.
Claims11
A rotating machine, comprising:
- a motor that is operable for rotational motion;
- a chuck connected for rotation by the motor, the chuck including grasping elements that are movable relative to a rotational center of the chuck, the chuck defining a key receiving opening;
- a chuck key having a portion that selectively engages into the key receiving opening, the chuck key being operable to move the grasping elements of the chuck;
- a chuck key docking station remote from the chuck;
- and
- a sensor disposed and operable to determine a presence of the chuck key in or at the chuck key docking station, the sensor being connected to prevent rotational operation of the chuck by the motor unless the sensor determines that the chuck key is present in or at the chuck key docking station.
3 more elements
A method for operating a rotating machine, comprising:
- receiving a chuck key in a key receiving opening of a chuck for operation of the chuck between an engaged position and a disengaged position;
- detecting the chuck key at a chuck key docking station which is remote from the chuck of the rotating machine;
- enabling operation of the rotating machine to rotate the chuck at operating speed if the chuck key is detected at the chuck key docking station;
- and
- disabling operation of the rotating machine to rotate the chuck at operating speed if the chuck key is not detected at the chuck key docking station.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.