A pencil sharpener

Abstract

A pencil sharpener includes: a support; at least two sets of clamping assemblies spaced circumferentially on the support, each clamping assembly including a support rod constrained on the support for reciprocating radially along a pencil hole and a clamping member disposed on the support rod, all clamping members collectively defining a pencil hole; a cutting assembly for cutting a pencil inserted into the pencil hole; and an actuator constrained on the support for reciprocating axially along the pencil hole, and having at least one actuating portion corresponding to each support rod, each actuating portion being located outside the corresponding support rod, and each actuating portion having an expanding portion and a constricting portion protruding inward relative to the expanding portion along the axial direction of the pencil hole, each actuating portion having two states as the actuator reciprocates: in a first state, the inner surface of the expanding portion abuts against the corresponding support rod, and the pencil hole expands outward; in a second state, the inner surface of the constricting portion abuts against the corresponding support rod, and the pencil hole constricts inward, thereby allowing adjustment of the pencil hole diameter of the pencil sharpener.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to pencil sharpeners, and more specifically to a pencil sharpener. Background Technology

[0002] A pencil sharpener typically includes a housing, a pencil hole within the housing, and a cutting mechanism within the housing. In use, a pencil is inserted through the pencil hole to limit its movement, and then the cutting mechanism cuts the pencil. To facilitate automatic pencil advance and retraction, some pencil sharpeners have an advance / retraction mechanism upstream of the cutting mechanism along the pencil advance direction. This mechanism includes at least two sets of rotating components spaced circumferentially. Each set of rotating components includes a rotatable shaft and a rotating wheel mounted on the shaft. All the rotating wheels collectively define the pencil hole. The advance / retraction mechanism drives the rotating wheel to rotate through the rotation of the shaft, thereby moving the pencil in the pencil hole closer to or away from the cutting mechanism, thus achieving automatic pencil advance and retraction. The aforementioned automatic advance / retraction mechanism has been disclosed in Chinese Utility Model Patent No. ZL202121406547.3 (Authorization Announcement No. CN215826343U), entitled "A Pencil Sharpener's Advance Mechanism and the Pencil Sharpener Thereof."

[0003] The size of the hole in existing pencil sharpeners is fixed, which cannot accommodate pencils with different barrel diameters. For example, the barrel diameter of ordinary pencils is 7-9mm, the barrel diameter of art pencils is about 10mm, and some manufacturers design triangular thick-barreled pencils with a barrel diameter of 12mm for preschool children, thus limiting the applicability of pencil sharpeners. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a pencil sharpener that can adjust the diameter of the pencil hole, so that the pencil sharpener can be used with pencils of different diameters.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is: a pencil sharpener, comprising:

[0006] Support;

[0007] At least two sets of clamping components are distributed circumferentially on the support, each clamping component including a support rod and a clamping member disposed on the support rod, and all the clamping members together define a pencil hole for a pencil to pass through.

[0008] A cutting assembly for cutting a pencil inserted into the pencil hole;

[0009] The feature is that: the support rod is constrained to the support in a direction that allows it to reciprocate radially along the pen hole, and it also includes...

[0010] The actuator is constrained to the support in a manner that allows it to reciprocate along the axial direction of the pen hole, and at least one actuating part is provided for each support rod. Each actuating part is located outside the corresponding support rod, and each actuating part has an enlarged diameter portion and a reduced diameter portion protruding inward relative to the enlarged diameter portion along the axial direction of the pen hole. Each actuating part has the following two states as the actuator reciprocates:

[0011] In the first state, the inner side of the enlarged diameter portion abuts against the corresponding support rod, and the pen hole expands outward;

[0012] In the second state, the inner side of the reduced diameter portion abuts against the corresponding support rod, and the pen hole is reduced inward.

[0013] The pen hole can be closed or semi-closed. The shape of the pen hole can be circular or non-circular.

[0014] To better suit users' pen insertion habits, the pen hole is oriented vertically.

[0015] In a further design, the actuator includes a first connecting plate located above the support. The first connecting plate has a first opening that penetrates its wall thickness and corresponds to the pen hole. Each actuator is located on the first connecting plate and extends downward.

[0016] To facilitate the installation of actuators and clamping components, the support has a vertically extending channel and a slot communicating with the lower side of the corresponding channel at the position of each actuator. Each actuator passes through the corresponding channel from top to bottom. The lower part of the support has a notch with a receiving area at the position of each clamping component. The end of each support rod is inserted into the corresponding slot in a manner that allows it to reciprocate radially along the pen hole, and each clamping component is received in the corresponding receiving area.

[0017] To facilitate the vertical movement of the actuator, a housing is also included, the support is disposed inside the housing, and a driving mechanism for driving the vertical movement of the actuator is provided between the housing and the actuator.

[0018] In a further design, the periphery of the first connecting disk has a vertically arranged first annular wall. The driving mechanism includes a second transmission member constrained inside the housing in a manner that allows it to rotate about a vertically extending axis of rotation. The second transmission member includes a second connecting disk located above the first connecting disk and a second annular wall extending downward from the lower edge of the second connecting disk. The second connecting disk has a second opening corresponding to the first opening. The second annular wall is located outside the first annular wall and a rotation-translation conversion mechanism is provided between the second and the first annular wall.

[0019] To simplify the rotation-translation conversion mechanism, the rotation-translation conversion mechanism includes a guide rib on the outer side of the first annular wall and a guide groove on the inner side of the second annular wall. Both the guide rib and the guide groove extend circumferentially and vertically in a spiral.

[0020] To facilitate the rational arrangement of the drive mechanism inside the housing, the top wall of the housing is provided with a pen inlet hole corresponding to the first opening and a mounting port located next to the pen inlet hole. The drive mechanism also includes a knob passing through the mounting port and a first transmission member located inside the housing and circumferentially fixed to the knob. The periphery of the first transmission member is provided with a first sector tooth portion, and the periphery of the second connecting plate is provided with a second sector tooth portion that meshes with the first sector tooth portion.

[0021] In a further design, the inner side of each actuating part is provided with an inclined surface located between the expanded diameter part and the reduced diameter part, and the inclined surface gradually slopes inward from the expanded diameter part to the reduced diameter part.

[0022] To facilitate automatic pen advance and retraction, the support rod can also rotate around its own center line, and the clamping component is a rotating wheel sleeved on the support rod.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: the pencil sharpener switches between a first state and a second state by setting the support rod to reciprocate radially along the pencil hole and by reciprocating axially along the pencil hole by the actuator, so that the inner side of the expanding part or the inner side of the shrinking part abuts against the corresponding support rod, thereby expanding or shrinking the pencil hole, realizing the adjustment of the diameter of the pencil hole, so that the pencil sharpener can be used with pencils of different diameters, such as sketching pencils. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the driving mechanism, support, actuator, and clamping assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the support, actuator, and clamping assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the actuator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a bottom view (first state) of the support, actuator and clamping assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A cross-sectional view along the BB direction;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a bottom view (second state) of the support, actuator and clamping assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 10 for Figure 9 A cross-sectional view along the CC direction;

[0034] Figure 11 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the bracket in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 12 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the cover plate in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 13 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the second transmission component in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 14 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the actuator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] like Figures 1-13 The image shown is a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the pencil sharpener in this embodiment includes main components such as a support 1, a clamping assembly 2, an actuator 3, a housing 4, a knob 5, a first transmission component 6, a second transmission component 7, an actuator cover 8, and a cutting assembly 9.

[0042] like Figure 2 , Figure 8 and Figures 10-12As shown, the support 1 is located inside the housing 4, and the support 1 includes a cover plate 11 at the top and a bracket 12 at the bottom. The bracket 12 has a notch 122 with three accommodating areas 1221 spaced apart circumferentially. The bracket 12 also has a slot 121 and a first opening 123 communicating with the corresponding slot 121 on both sides of each accommodating area 1221. The cover plate 11 has a second opening 111 at the position corresponding to each first opening 123, and each second opening 111 together with the corresponding first opening 123 forms a vertically extending channel 10. The cover plate 11 also has a limiting part 113 at the position corresponding to each slot 121, extending downward into the corresponding slot 121. The cover plate 11 has a through opening 112 at the center corresponding to the notch 122.

[0043] like Figures 8-10 As shown, there are three sets of clamping components 2, which are distributed circumferentially on the support 1. Each clamping component 2 includes a support rod 21, a clamping member 22, and a gear part 23. Each clamping member 22 is a rotating wheel provided on the corresponding support rod 21 and housed in the corresponding receiving area 1221, and all clamping members 22 together define a pencil hole 20 for a pencil to pass through. In this embodiment, the clamping members 22 are all made of rubber and can be elastically deformed after being squeezed by a pencil. Each gear part 23 is provided on the corresponding support rod 21 and housed in the corresponding receiving area 1221. The gear part 23 and the support rod 21 can be two independent parts or an integral part. The two ends of each support rod 21 are respectively inserted into the slots 121 on the corresponding side and are limited by the corresponding limiting part 113. Each support rod 21 can rotate around its own center line, thereby driving the corresponding clamping member 22 and gear part 23 to rotate relative to the support 1 around its own center line, thus driving the pencil passing through the pencil hole 20 to move up and down, thereby realizing the automatic advance and retraction of the pencil. Each support rod 21 can also move radially along the pencil hole 20, thereby driving the corresponding clamping member 22 and gear part 23 to move radially relative to the support 1 along the pencil hole 20, thereby adjusting the diameter of the pencil hole 20.

[0044] like Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Figure 10As shown, the actuator 3 is constrained to the support 1 in a manner that allows it to reciprocate along the axial direction (i.e., vertical direction in this embodiment) of the pen hole 20. Each actuator 3 includes a first connecting plate 32 located above the support 1 and six actuating parts 31 that are circumferentially spaced on the first connecting plate 32 and extend downward. The first connecting plate 32 has a first opening 321 that penetrates its wall thickness and corresponds to the pen hole 20. Each actuating part 31 is located outside the corresponding support rod 21 and passes through the corresponding channel 10 from top to bottom. Each actuating part 31 is provided with an expanding diameter part 311 at the top and a contracting diameter part 312 at the bottom. Each contracting diameter part 312 protrudes inward relative to the corresponding expanding diameter part 311. Each actuating part 31 has the following two states as the actuating member 3 reciprocates: In the first state, the inner side of the expanding diameter part 311 abuts against the corresponding support rod 21, and the pencil hole 20 expands outward. At this time, the diameter of the pencil hole 20 is 12mm, making the pencil sharpener suitable for cutting pencils with a diameter of 10 to 12mm. In the second state, the inner side of the contracting diameter part 312 abuts against the corresponding support rod 21, and the pencil hole 20 contracts inward. At this time, the diameter of the pencil hole 20 is 10mm, making the pencil sharpener suitable for cutting pencils with a diameter of 6 to 10mm. In this embodiment, the pencil sharpener uses the reciprocating vertical movement of the actuator 3 to switch the state in which the inner side of the expanding section 311 or the inner side of the narrowing section 312 abuts against the corresponding support rod 21, thereby adjusting the diameter of the pencil hole 20. The inner side of each actuator 31 is also provided with an inclined surface 313 located between the expanding section 311 and the narrowing section 312, which gradually slopes inward from the expanding section 311 to the narrowing section 312.

[0045] like Figures 1-4 , Figure 6 and Figure 13As shown, a drive mechanism for driving the actuator 3 to move vertically is provided between the housing 4 and the actuator 3. The drive mechanism includes a knob 5, a first transmission member 6, and a second transmission member 7. The top wall of the housing 4 is provided with a pen inlet hole 41 corresponding to the first opening 321, and a mounting opening 42 located beside the pen inlet hole 41. The knob 5 is rotatably inserted into the mounting opening 42. The first transmission member 6 is circumferentially fixed to the knob 5; specifically, the peripheral wall of the knob 5 is provided with a latch 51, and the peripheral wall of the first transmission member 6 is provided with a buckle 62, which is engaged in the latch 51. The first transmission component 6 has a first sector tooth portion 61 on its periphery; the second transmission component 7 includes a second connecting disk 71 located above the first connecting disk 32, and a second annular wall 72 extending downward from the lower edge of the second connecting disk 71. The second connecting disk 71 has a second opening 711 corresponding to the first opening 321, and the periphery of the second connecting disk 71 has a second sector tooth portion 712 that meshes with the first sector tooth portion 61. The periphery of the first connecting disk 32 has a vertically arranged first annular wall 322, and the second annular wall 72 is located outside the first annular wall 322 and a rotation-translation conversion mechanism is provided between the second annular wall 72 and the first annular wall 322. The rotation-translation conversion mechanism includes a guide groove 721 provided on the outer surface of the first annular wall 322 and a guide rib 323 provided on the inner surface of the second annular wall 72. Both the guide rib 323 and the guide groove 721 extend circumferentially and vertically in a spiral.

[0046] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the housing 4 is also provided with an actuation cover 8 that cooperates with the gear part 23 and is used to drive each support rod 21 to rotate around its own center line. The structure of the actuation cover 8 and the cooperation between the actuation cover 8 and the gear part 23 can be found in Chinese invention patent No. ZL202121406547.3 (authorization announcement No. CN215826343U) entitled "A pencil feed mechanism for a pencil sharpener and the pencil sharpener thereof".

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, the housing 4 also has a cutting component 9 located below the pencil hole 20 inside, which is used to cut the pencil inserted in the pencil hole 20. The structure and working principle of the cutting component 9 can be found in Chinese invention patent No. ZL202121406547.3 (authorization announcement No. CN215826343U), entitled "A pencil feed mechanism for a pencil sharpener and the pencil sharpener thereof".

[0048] The working principle of the pencil sharpener in this embodiment is as follows:

[0049] The pencil is passed through the inlet hole 41, the second opening 711, the first opening 321, the through hole 112, and the pencil hole 20 in sequence from top to bottom. Each clamping component 2 moves radially outward along the pencil hole 20 after being squeezed by the pencil. Then, it is determined whether the actuator 3 needs to be moved according to the diameter of the pencil barrel.

[0050] If the diameter of the pencil barrel exceeds or is smaller than the inner diameter of the current pencil hole 20, the knob 5 is rotated to drive the first transmission component 6 and the second transmission component 7 to rotate, thereby driving the actuator 3 to move vertically to switch between the first and second states. This causes the inner side of the expanded diameter part 311 or the inner side of the reduced diameter part 312 to abut against the corresponding support rod 21, so that the pencil hole 20 can better adapt to pencils with different barrel diameters, and all the clamping components 22 can provide appropriate clamping force, thereby enabling all the clamping components 2 to better clamp the pencil, thereby driving the pencil to move vertically and realizing automatic pencil advance and retraction.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] like Figure 14 The image shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the expanded diameter portion 311 is located below the reduced diameter portion 312.

[0054] The specification and claims of this invention use terms indicating direction, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "side," "top," and "bottom," to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements of the invention. However, these terms are used herein merely for ease of explanation and are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be arranged in different orientations, these terms indicating direction are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations. For example, "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity.

Claims

1. A pencil sharpener, comprising: Support (1); At least two sets of clamping components (2) are distributed circumferentially on the support (1). Each clamping component (2) includes a support rod (21) and a clamping member (22) provided on the support rod (21). All the clamping members (22) together define a pencil hole (20) for a pencil to pass through. A cutting assembly (9) is used to cut a pencil inserted into the pencil hole (20); The feature is that the support rod (21) is constrained to the support (1) in a direction that allows it to reciprocate radially along the pen hole (20), and further includes... The actuator (3) is constrained to the support (1) in a manner that allows it to reciprocate along the axial direction of the pen hole (20), and at least one actuator (31) is provided for each support rod (21). Each actuator (31) is located outside the corresponding support rod (21), and each actuator (31) is provided with an enlarged diameter portion (311) and a reduced diameter portion (312) that protrudes inward relative to the enlarged diameter portion (311) along the axial direction of the pen hole (20). Each actuator (31) has the following two states as the actuator (3) reciprocates: In the first state, the inner side of the enlarged diameter portion (311) abuts against the corresponding support rod (21), and the pen hole (20) expands outward; In the second state, the inner side of the reduced diameter portion (312) abuts against the corresponding support rod (21), and the pen hole (20) is reduced inward.

2. The pencil sharpener according to claim 1, characterized in that: The axial direction of the pen hole (20) is vertical.

3. The pencil sharpener according to claim 2, characterized in that: The actuator (3) includes a first connecting plate (32) located above the support (1). The first connecting plate (32) has a first opening (321) that penetrates its wall thickness and corresponds to the pen hole (20). Each actuator (31) is located on the first connecting plate (32) and extends downward.

4. The pencil sharpener according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support (1) has a vertically extending channel (10) at the position corresponding to each actuating part (31) and a slot (121) communicating with the lower end of the corresponding channel (10). Each actuating part (31) is inserted into the corresponding channel (10) from top to bottom. The lower part of the support (1) has a notch (122). The notch (122) has a receiving area (1221) at the position corresponding to each clamping member (22). The end of each support rod (21) is inserted into the corresponding slot (121) in a way that it can move back and forth along the radial direction of the pen hole (20). Each clamping member (22) is received in the corresponding receiving area (1221).

5. The pencil sharpener according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a housing (4), the support (1) is located inside the housing (4), and a driving mechanism for driving the actuator (3) to move vertically is provided between the housing (4) and the actuator (3).

6. The pencil sharpener according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first connecting disk (32) has a vertically arranged first annular wall (322) around its periphery. The driving mechanism includes a second transmission member (7) constrained inside the housing (4) in a manner that allows it to rotate about a vertically extending axis of rotation. The second transmission member (7) includes a second connecting disk (71) located above the first connecting disk (32) and a second annular wall (72) extending downward from the lower edge of the second connecting disk (71). The second connecting disk (71) has a second opening (711) corresponding to the first opening (321). The second annular wall (72) is located around the first annular wall (322) and a rotation-translation conversion mechanism is provided between it and the first annular wall (322).

7. The pencil sharpener according to claim 6, characterized in that: The rotation-translation conversion mechanism includes a guide rib (323) on the outer side of the first annular wall (322) and a guide groove (721) on the inner side of the second annular wall (72). The guide rib (323) and the guide groove (721) extend circumferentially and vertically in a spiral.

8. The pencil sharpener according to claim 6, characterized in that: The top wall of the housing (4) is provided with a pen inlet hole (41) corresponding to the first opening (321) and a mounting port (42) located next to the pen inlet hole (41). The drive mechanism also includes a knob (5) passing through the mounting port (42) and a first transmission member (6) located inside the housing (4) and circumferentially fixed to the knob (5). The periphery of the first transmission member (6) is provided with a first sector tooth (61), and the periphery of the second connecting plate (71) is provided with a second sector tooth (712) that meshes with the first sector tooth (61).

9. The pencil sharpener according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Each actuator (31) has an inclined surface (313) on its inner side, which is located between the expanded diameter portion (311) and the reduced diameter portion (312). The inclined surface (313) gradually slopes inward from the expanded diameter portion (311) to the reduced diameter portion (312).

10. The pencil sharpener according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The support rod (21) can also rotate around its own center line, and the clamping member (22) is a rotating wheel sleeved on the support rod (21).

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