Double grip air chuck

A fluid actuating chuck comprising a chuck body having a rigid rear portion and a forward portion forming four surfaces forwardly of said rear portion and arranged about the axis of rotation of the chuck in opposed pairs, each of said surfaces of the forward portion being independently connected with the rigid rear portion by a central portion adapted to be flexible in such a manner that each surface can be moved generally in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation;

• the rigid rear portion of the chuck body forming inner and outer coaxial cylinders, one conentrically arranged within the other;
• a first piston carried in the inner cylinder and free to move in response to fluid pressure in the direction of the axis of rotation and having a forward end projecting from the chuck within the forward portion of the chuck body, said forward end carrying a first actuating means including two links, each one of said links being connected with one surface of one of the opposed pairs of surfaces in such a manner that movement of the piston in the direction of the axis of rotation will flex the central portions connected with said one of the opposed pairs of surfaces and move each one of the opposed pair of surfaces in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation;
• a second piston carried in the outer cylinder free to move in response to fluid pressure in the direction of the axis of rotation, and having rod means projecting forwardly through the chuck body and carrying a second actuating means;
• said second actuating means being mechanically connected to said second piston at its rear and carrying two links, each one of said links being connected with one surface of the other of the opposed pairs of surfaces in such a manner that movement of the second piston in the direction of the axis of rotation will flex the central portions connected with said other of the opposed pair of surfaces and move each one of the opposed pair of surfaces in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation;
• whereby each of said opposed pair of surfaces may be moved independently toward and away from the axis of rotation of said chuck by the application of fluid pressure to said first and second pistons thereby permitting work engaging surfaces mounted thereon to hold and turn a work piece.

In an automatic fluid actuated chuck to engage and rotate a work piece, the improvement comprising

• means forming two pairs of surfaces carried and rotatably driven by a chuck body, each of the surfaces of said pairs being independently movable generally in the direction of a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the chuck;
• a pair of independently movable fluid actuated pistons carried within a pair of cylinders formed within the chuck body;
• first actuating means carried by the chuck body and mechanically interconnecting one of said pair of pistons with one pair of surfaces to move said one pair of surfaces generally in a direction of a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the chuck upon the application of fluid under pressure to said one piston;
• and
• second actuating means carried by the chuck body and mechanically interconnecting the other of said pair of pistons with the other pair of surfaces to move said other pair of surfaces generally in a direction of a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation upon the application of fluid under pressure to said piston.