Air pressurized chuck

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, said spindle having penultimate and ultimate cylindrical housings in a forward portion thereof;
• a piston longitudinally reciprocable in said penultimate cylindrical housing;
• a rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation therewith having a knob symmetrically extending forwardly therefrom in said ultimate cylindrical housing and
• a coil spring seated in said spindle concentrically about said axis and biasing said piston forwardly, said spring having a diameter less than a smallest diameter of said rod;
• a plurality of symmetrically displaced fluid ports into said penultimate housing forward of said piston for selectively admitting fluid under pressure therein to overcome said spring bias and drive said piston rearwardly;
• a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers symmetrically displaced for reciprocal motion of said knob therebetween and pivotally engaged with said ultimate cylindrical housing for concentric reciprocation of a forward portion of said fingers in relation to said longitudinal axis, said fingers having a camming surface contoured to an opposing surface of said knob whereby said fingers move in an outward direction in response to forward movement of said knob and in an inward direction in response to rearward movement of said knob.

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, said spindle having penultimate and ultimate cylindrical housings in a forward portion thereof;
• a piston longitudinally reciprocable in said penultimate cylindrical housing;
• a coil spring seated in said spindle concentrically about said axis and biasing said piston forwardly;
• a plurality of symmetrically displaced fluid ports into said penultimate housing forward of said piston for selectively admitting fluid under pressure therein to overcome said spring bias and drive said piston rearwardly;
• a rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation therewith having a knob symmetrically extending forwardly therefrom in said ultimate cylindrical housing;
• a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers symmetrically displaced for reciprocal motion of said knob therebetween and pivotally engaged with said ultimate cylindrical housing for concentric reciprocation of a forward portion of said fingers in relation to said longitudinal axis, said fingers having a camming surface contoured to an opposing surface of said knob whereby said fingers move in an outward direction in response to forward movement of said knob and in an inward direction in response to rearward movement of said knob;
• and
• a plate fixed to a forward end of said ultimate housing and having a forward surface thereon establishing a reference plane transverse to said longitudinal axis and forward of a forwardmost portion of said fingers.

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, said spindle having penultimate and ultimate cylindrical housings in a forward portion thereof,
• a piston longitudinally reciprocable in said penultimate cylindrical housing;
• a coil spring seated in said spindle concentrically about said axis and biasing said piston forwardly;
• a plurality of symmetrically displaced fluid ports into said penultimate housing forward of said piston for selectively admitting fluid under pressure therein to overcome said spring bias and drive said piston rearwardly;
• a rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation therewith having a knob symmetrically extending forwardly therefrom in said ultimate cylindrical housing;
• a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers symmetrically displaced for reciprocal motion of said knob therebetween and pivotally engaged with said ultimate cylindrical housing for concentric reciprocation of a forward portion of said fingers in relation to said longitudinal axis, said fingers having a camming surface contoured to an opposing surface of said knob whereby said fingers move in an outward direction in response to forward movement of said knob and in an inward direction in response to rearward movement of said knob;
• and
• a plate fixed to a forward end of said ultimate housing and having a forward surface thereon establishing a reference plane transverse to said longitudinal axis and forward of a forwardmost portion of said fingers, said plate having a central aperture therethrough for permitting a block to be chucked to have a rearward portion thereof rearwardly inserted between said forwardmost portions of said fingers until a forward portion thereof abuts said forward surface of said plate.

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, said spindle having penultimate and ultimate cylindrical housings in a forward portion thereof;
• a piston longitudinally reciprocable in said penultimate cylindrical housing;
• a coil spring seated in said spindle concentrically about said axis and biasing said piston forwardly;
• a plurality of symmetrically displaced fluid ports into said penultimate housing forward of said piston for selectively admitting fluid under pressure therein to overcome said spring bias and drive said piston rearwardly;
• a rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation therewith having a knob symmetrically extending forwardly therefrom in said ultimate cylindrical housing;
• and
• a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers symmetrically displaced for reciprocal motion of said knob therebetween and pivotally engaged with said ultimate cylindrical housing for concentric reciprocation of a forward portion of said fingers in relation to said longitudinal axis, said fingers having a camming surface contoured to an opposing surface of said knob whereby said fingers move in an outward direction in response to forward movement of said knob and in an inward direction in response to rearward movement of said knob, said pivotal engagement comprising an instantaneous pivot defined by a knurl extending outwardly from each of said fingers into an annular groove along a forward portion of said ultimate housing.

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, said spindle having penultimate and ultimate cylindrical housings in a forward portion thereof;
• a piston longitudinally reciprocable in said penultimate cylindrical housing;
• a coil spring seated in said spindle concentrically about said axis and biasing said piston forwardly;
• a plurality of symmetrically displaced fluid ports into said penultimate housing forward of said piston for selectively admitting fluid under pressure therein to overcome said spring bias and drive said piston rearwardly;
• a rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation therewith having a knob symmetrically extending forwardly therefrom in said ultimate cylindrical housing;
• a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers symmetrically displaced for reciprocal motion of said knob therebetween and pivotally engaged with said ultimate cylindrical housing for concentric reciprocation of a forward portion of said fingers in relation to said longitudinal axis, said fingers having a camming surface contoured to an opposing surface of said knob whereby said fingers move in an outward direction in response to forward movement of said knob and in an inward direction in response to rearward movement of said knob;
• and
• a ring fixed to said penultimate housing having a central aperture for slidable reciprocation therein of a neck of said rod and means annularly disposed therebetween for preventing flow of fluid from said penultimate housing into said ultimate housing.

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis, said spindle having penultimate and ultimate cylindrical housings in a forward portion thereof;
• a piston longitudinally reciprocable in said penultimate cylindrical housing;
• a coil spring seated in said spindle concentrically about said axis and biasing said piston forwardly;
• a plurality of symmetrically displaced fluid ports into said penultimate housing forward of said piston for selectively admitting fluid under pressure therein to overcome said spring bias and drive said piston rearwardly;
• a rod fixed to said piston for reciprocation therewith having a knob symmetrically extending forwardly therefrom in said ultimate cylindrical housing;
• and
• a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers symmetrically displaced for reciprocal motion of said knob therebetween and pivotally engaged with said ultimate cylindrical housing for concentric reciprocation of a forward portion of said fingers in relation to said longitudinal axis, said fingers having a camming surface contoured to an opposing surface of said knob whereby said fingers move in an outward direction in response to forward movement of said knob and in an inward direction in response to rearward movement of said knob, said knob having a bore and a seat extending rearwardly therein and contoured to receive an adapter for holding a block therein.

An air pressurized chuck comprising:

• a housing;
• a spindle journalled in said housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis;
• means mounted in a penultimate portion of said spindle and rotatable therewith for longitudinally reciprocating along said axis;
• first force exerting means for driving said reciprocating means in one direction;
• second force exerting means for driving said reciprocating means in an opposite direction;
• and
• means mounted in an ultimate portion of said spindle and rotatable therewith for concentrically reciprocating pivotally engaged gripping portions thereof in relation to said longitudinal axis in an outward direction in response to movement of said longitudinal reciprocating means in said one direction and in an inward direction in response to movement of said longitudinal reciprocating means in said opposite direction,
• said pivotal engagement being an instantaneous pivot defined by a knurl extending outwardly from said gripping portion into an annular groove along a forward portion of said housing.