Patent ID: 8052130

Claim:
A power-actuated vise apparatus comprising: a clamping unit including a base which defines a guideway that extends in a longitudinal direction and that has opposite first and second ends, a first jaw which is disposed on said base proximate to said first end, and which is adapted to permit a workpiece to be juxtaposed thereto in the longitudinal direction, a second jaw which is disposed to be movable in the longitudinal direction between an engaged position, where said second jaw contacts the workpiece to establish preliminary engagement, and a disengaged position, where said second jaw is spaced apart from the workpiece and is proximate to said second end, and a carrier which is disposed to support said second jaw, and which is configured such that said carrier is driven by an angular force to move said second jaw along said guideway between the engaged and disengaged positions in an initial course, and such that said carrier is further pressed by a linear force along the guideway in a subsequent course to bring said second jaw into tightened engagement with the workpiece from the preliminary engagement, thereby tightening the workpiece against said first jaw; a servo control mechanism disposed to deliver a torque force; a torque transmitting member disposed to be driven by said servo control mechanism to transmit the torque force, said torque transmitting member having a threaded segment, and being disposed to be rotatable about an axis in the longitudinal direction; and a force coupler unit configured to couple said torque transmitting member to said carrier and to take up the torque force from said torque transmitting member to result in generation of the angular force and the linear force, said force coupler unit including a driving shaft which is threadedly engaged with said carrier and which is rotatable relative to said base to generate the angular force so as to move said carrier between the engaged and disengaged positions, a transmitting sleeve which is sleeved on and which is threadedly engaged with said threaded segment to permit said torque transmitting member to be screwed-in or screwed-out relative to said transmitting sleeve by a frictional force between said transmitting sleeve and said threaded segment, and which is configured to be in splined engagement with said driving shaft, and a retractable retaining assembly which is disposed between said torque transmitting member and said transmitting sleeve and which provides a retaining force, said retractable retaining assembly being movable to an extending position where said transmitting sleeve is rotated with said torque transmitting member when the frictional force is smaller than the retaining force, and to a retracted position where said transmitting sleeve is freed from rotation with said torque transmitting member when the frictional force is greater than the retaining force.