Passive locking chuck for rotary driver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12559898-B2
Application number	US-202217850851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2022
Priority date	Apr 28, 2021
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A passive locking chuck for a rotary driver. The chuck receives the driving end of a foundation component such a screw anchor to be driven into the ground. As the driving end is inserted into the chuck, spring biased pawls are displaced until insertion is complete. The geometry of each pawl dictates that less force is required to insert the foundation component than to remove it. The chuck has a geometry that mates with the geometry of the driving end of the foundation component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A chuck for a rotary driver comprising:
a main body; a mounting portion at one end of the main body for attaching to an output of a rotary driver; a receiving portion at an opposing end of the main body for receiving a driving end of a foundation component, the receiving portion comprising a notched opening; and a pair of spring pawls on the receiving portion, each spring pawl having a displacement surface terminating in a ledge, wherein the displacement surfaces are spring biased into the notched opening, and wherein the pair of spring pawls resist receiving the driving end of the foundation component with a first force, and resist releasing the foundation component with a second, greater force.

2 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement surfaces are displaced out of the notched opening by the driving end of the foundation component when the driving end is received in the notched opening until the ledge is cleared.

3 . The chuck according to claim 2 , wherein the displacement surfaces are displaced out of the notched opening by a driving ring formed on the driving end until the ring clears the ledge.

4 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of spring pawls surround opposing sides of the receiving portion and are interconnected at each respective end of the pair of spring pawls by respective springs.

5 . The chuck according to claim 1 , further comprising a pair of bolts passing through the main body.

6 . The chuck according to claim 5 , wherein each bolt passes through a portion of one of the spring pawls to enable the spring pawls to hinge about the bolt against tension formed by respective springs.

7 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the driving end of the foundation component bears against the displacement surfaces when the foundation component is inserted into the chuck, the pair of spring pawls resisting insertion with the first force.

8 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the foundation component bears against the ledge when the foundation component is being removed from the chuck, the pair of spring pawls resisting separation with the second force.

9 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the notched opening is dimensioned to receive driving features on the driving end of the foundation component.

10 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the driving end of the foundation component, when fully inserted into the chuck, sits against the ledge for each spring pawl.

11 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein a geometry of the displacement surfaces dictates that a direction of downward force is not aligned with a direction of spring displacement.

12 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of spring pawls is interconnected by a pair of opposing springs that circumscribe portions of the receiving portion.

13 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein the notched opening comprises a plurality of notches.

14 . The chuck according to claim 13 , wherein the displacement surface extends into one of the plurality of notches.

15 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein each spring pawl includes a spring inside the main body that is compressed when the spring pawl is displaced.

16 . The chuck according to claim 1 , wherein movement of a spring pawl, from the pair of spring pawls, by pressure against the displacement surface is resisted by the first force and movement of the spring pawl by pressure against the ledge is resisted by the second force.

Assignees

• Ojjo Inc

Inventors

• Almy Charles

Classifications

• B23B31/103

  Retention by pivotal elements, e.g. catches, pawls · CPC title

• F24S25/617

  Elements driven into the ground, e.g. anchor-piles; Foundations for supporting elements; Connectors for connecting supporting structures to the ground or to flat horizontal surfaces · CPC title

• E02D7/22 Primary

  Placing by screwing down {(screw piles per se E02D5/56)} · CPC title