Chuck assembly for a rotary power tool

1. A chuck assembly for use with a rotary power tool, the chuck assembly comprising:

a chuck body rotatable about an axis;

a plurality of jaws supported by the chuck body for relative movement therewith between a retracted position for permitting insertion of a tool bit within the chuck body and an extended position for clamping the tool bit;

a plurality of clamping nuts surrounding the chuck body and having interior threads engageable with corresponding threads on the respective jaws;

a tightening sleeve surrounding and threadably engaged with the chuck body for relative rotation therewith; and

a wedge defined on the tightening sleeve for selective engagement with the clamping nuts for inwardly displacing the clamping nuts in a radial direction, causing the respective threads on the clamping nuts and jaws to engage, in response to rotation of the tightening sleeve relative to the chuck body in a tightening direction.

2. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a jaw retainer movable together with the jaws between the retracted and extended positions.

3. The chuck assembly of claim 2 , wherein the chuck body includes a shank portion, and wherein the jaw retainer includes an annular portion coaxial with and slidable along the shank portion.

4. The chuck assembly of claim 3 , wherein the jaw retainer includes a flange extending from the annular portion, and wherein the flange defines a plurality of slots into which the respective jaws are received.

5. The chuck assembly of claim 2 , further comprising a first spring biasing the jaw retainer and jaws toward the extended position.

6. The chuck assembly of claim 5 , further comprising a second spring positioned between the tightening sleeve and the clamping nuts for biasing the clamping nuts rearward relative to the chuck body.

7. The chuck assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a thrust bearing positioned between the clamping nuts and an annular bearing seat portion of the chuck body, wherein the second spring biases the clamping nuts toward the thrust bearing.

8. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , wherein the clamping nuts are co-rotatable with the tightening sleeve using a key and keyway arrangement that permits displacement of the clamping nuts in a direction parallel with the axis relative to the chuck body.

9. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , wherein the interior threads on the clamping nuts and the threads on the respective jaws are configured as double-start threads.

10. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , wherein the interior threads on the clamping nuts and the threads on the respective jaws are configured as buttress threads.

11. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , wherein the chuck body includes a first outer peripheral portion on which an external thread is defined, and wherein the tightening sleeve includes an internal thread engageable with the external thread.

12. The chuck assembly of claim 11 , wherein the tightening sleeve is displaceable relative to the chuck body in response to relative rotation therewith when the internal thread is engaged with the external thread.

13. The chuck assembly of claim 12 , wherein the chuck body includes a second outer peripheral portion adjacent the first outer peripheral portion, and wherein the external thread is discontinued proximate an interface between the first outer peripheral portion and the second outer peripheral portion.

14. The chuck assembly of claim 13 , wherein the tightening sleeve is not displaceable relative to the chuck body in response to relative rotation therewith when the internal thread is aligned with the second outer peripheral portion of the chuck body.

15. The chuck assembly of claim 14 , wherein, in response to rotation of the tightening sleeve in the tightening direction while the internal thread is engaged with the external thread, the tightening sleeve is axially displaceable toward the clamping nuts, engaging the clamping nuts with the wedge and inwardly displacing the clamping nuts in a radial direction.

16. The chuck assembly of claim 15 , wherein the clamping nuts are disengaged from the wedge when the internal thread is aligned with the second outer peripheral portion of the chuck body.

17. The chuck assembly of claim 16 , wherein, in response to engagement of the respective threads of the jaws and the clamping nuts after the clamping nuts are disengaged from the wedge, continued rotation of the tightening sleeve in the tightening direction advances the jaws toward the extended position.

18. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wedge is integrally formed with the tightening sleeve.

19. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an outer sleeve coupled for co-rotation with the tightening sleeve, wherein the outer sleeve includes an outer peripheral surface graspable by a user of the chuck assembly for rotating the outer sleeve in the tightening direction and an opposite, loosening direction.

20. The chuck assembly of claim 19 , further comprising a key and keyway arrangement coupling the tightening sleeve and the outer sleeve permitting displacement of the tightening sleeve along the axis relative to the outer sleeve in response to rotation of the outer sleeve in both the tightening and loosening directions.

21. The chuck assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a spring positioned between each pair of adjacent clamping nuts for biasing the nuts apart from each other and in a radially outward direction.