Folding knife locking structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a folding knife locking structure. The locking structure comprises a lock bridge, a button gasket, a screw gasket, a button, a main shaft, a main shaft screw, a locking spring and a button spring. The lock bridge can be automatically inserted into the locking groove or the closing groove formed in the cutting edge according to the rotation angle of the cutting edge under the pushing of the locking spring, the locking effect is automatically achieved, the lock bridge is provided with the locking contact face and is divided into the flat section and the inclined section with different angles, the double effects of abrasion compensation and locking safety are achieved, and the service life of the blade is prolonged. The locking structure is simple in structure and convenient to operate, does not need manual insurance operation, has the advantages of being convenient to control and firm in locking at the same time, operation gestures do not need fingers to appear on a blade turning-back path, and the locking structure only needs one main shaft screw for fastening, does not have any specific structure exposure in appearance and has the advantages of being simple and attractive. According to the invention, the overall occupied space is small, avoiding interference to the cutting edge is little, the storage proportion during closing is high, and the advantage of saving space is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of folding knives, and more particularly to a folding knife locking structure. Background Art

[0002] A folding knife with a locking structure is a common tool for production and life. The blade can rotate within a certain angle range. When the blade is unfolded to the maximum angle, the locking structure will automatically pop out to lock the blade, making it convenient for users to use. There is an unlocking switch on the locking structure, which can be operated by fingers to unlock the blade and rotate it into the handle. It has the advantages of small storage space and integrated handle and sheath. With the development of productivity and the improvement of people's living standards, higher requirements have been put forward for tools from "usable" to "easy to use". In the field of folding knives, there are the following categories of common user needs.

[0003] Easy to operate: You can use one hand to operate the blade with a comfortable gesture to open, unlock and close. It would be better if the hand feels smooth and not stagnant during the process.

[0004] Lock firmly: When used vigorously, the locking structure will not break or slip, causing the blade to fold back and injure your hand. Some folding knives will add a second manual safety lock or latch in addition to the automatic lock, which can improve the firmness, but it goes against the need for easy operation.

[0005] Anti-misoperation: In normal use, the blade will not be folded back and injure your hand due to accidentally touching the unlock switch. During normal unlocking, your hand will not be injured because your fingers are on the blade's folding path. When storing, the blade will not accidentally unfold due to vibrations from walking or transportation, causing harm to people or objects.

[0006] Simple and beautiful: Every locking structure, especially the unlocking switch, will inevitably add protrusions or cracks to the structure. The protrusion is generally used for the unlocking switch to be pressed by a finger. The specific forms of the cracks are screws, holes, slots, block joints, etc. Users who pursue simplicity and beauty will hope that these protrusions or cracks are as few as possible, as small as possible, and preferably hidden and invisible.

[0007] Space saving: The locking structure will inevitably take up a certain amount of space, which will conflict with the blade. The larger the volume of the locking structure, the more area the blade will be exposed when closed, or the blade will have to make a gap to avoid it, which will lose the length of the available cutting edge. Users will want to waste as little space as possible.

[0008] In the current market, there are many popular locking structures, such as liner locks, back locks, shaft locks, etc. Among them, the liner lock is the most popular locking structure, which has the advantages of convenient operation, simple and beautiful, and space saving, but has disadvantages in terms of firm locking and preventing misoperation. The back lock may be the best on the market in terms of firm locking, but it has obvious disadvantages in terms of convenient operation, preventing misoperation, and saving space. The shaft lock is good in terms of convenient operation, firm locking, and preventing misoperation, but it has disadvantages in terms of simplicity, beauty, and space saving. Each of the above needs has its own strengths, but there is currently no locking structure that can meet customer requirements in all of the above aspects.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention specifically proposes a locking structure that can meet the requirements of customers in the current market in terms of convenient operation, firm locking, anti-misoperation, simple and beautiful appearance, and space saving. Summary of the invention

[0010] 1. Technical issues to be solved

[0011] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a folding knife locking structure, which can solve the problem that the existing locking structure cannot simultaneously meet the user's needs of convenient operation, firm locking, anti-misoperation, simple and beautiful appearance, and space saving.

[0012] 2. Technical solution

[0013] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

[0014] A folding knife locking structure includes a lock bridge, a button washer, a screw washer, a button, a main shaft, a main shaft screw, a locking spring and a button spring. The middle of the main shaft is a threaded hole. The button washer is threadedly connected to the upper end of the main shaft, and the screw washer is arranged at the lower end of the main shaft through the main shaft screw.

[0015] One end of the button passes through the button washer body and extends into the threaded hole of the main shaft. A button spring is arranged in the threaded hole between the button and the main shaft screw. An avoidance hole is arranged on the side of the button washer, and a locking spring placement hole is arranged on the screw washer. A locking spring is arranged on the locking spring placement hole. The two ends of the lock bridge are respectively provided with a first contact block which is inserted into the button washer and contacts the button through the avoidance hole, and a second contact block which is arranged at the other end of the locking spring. The two sides of the lock bridge are respectively provided with a locking contact surface which matches the blade locking groove, and a closing contact surface which matches the blade closing groove.

[0016] By means of the above structure, by pressing the button, the button moves downward relative to the button gasket, thereby driving the lock bridge to move downward, so that the position of the lock bridge changes, and the locking contact surface of the lock bridge is separated from the blade locking groove, so that the blade can rotate around the handle, so that it can be folded or unfolded, and the blade is not directly or indirectly pressed by any spring during rotation, so the friction resistance is very small, and it can be operated with one hand, and no other hand is needed to assist in rotating the blade, which plays a role of convenient operation. At the same time, since pressing the button does not require the finger to appear on the path of the blade folding back, it can prevent hand injury and play a role of preventing misoperation. During the pressing process, the button and the lock bridge squeeze the button spring and the locking spring respectively, but after releasing the external force, the button and the lock bridge return to their original positions under the action of elastic force. Depending on whether the lock bridge is in a folded state or an unfolded state, it can be locked by the locking contact surface that matches the blade locking groove, or by providing a certain threshold of closing resistance by the closing contact surface that matches the blade closing groove, so that when the blade is stored, it will not accidentally unfold due to the vibration of walking or transportation to injure people or objects.

[0017] Preferably, a groove is provided at the insertion end of the button, and a clamping rubber ring is provided on the groove to fix the insertion end of the button in the threaded hole of the main shaft; an inner step is provided in the middle of the button gasket to clamp the clamping rubber ring.

[0018] It can be seen that a groove is provided at the insertion end of the button, and a rubber ring is provided, which cooperates with the inner step to fix the position of the button without affecting the use of the button, has a simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

[0019] Preferably, the upper surface of the button gasket is provided with a first groove that matches the size of the button, the first groove is provided with an end hole for the button to extend into, and the side of the first groove is also provided with a lock bridge contact breach for the lock bridge to contact the button.

[0020] It can be seen that the button can be set in the button gasket through the first groove that matches the size of the button, and the contact gap of the lock bridge allows the button and the first contact block of the lock bridge to contact each other. The whole structure is completely hidden in the handle, and the overall structure has a more beautiful appearance. At the same time, the gap matches the handle to prevent the button gasket from rotating. The rotation of the button gasket is avoided, which may cause friction with the movement of the lock bridge and affect normal use. In addition to being beautiful, the flushness of the button and the button gasket also plays a role in preventing misoperation. If there is no hard circle protection around the button, it is easy to touch it by mistake during use, causing the blade to unlock and accidentally injure the finger. After adding the protective ring, due to the deep hole of the mouth, it is necessary to use the fingertips to reach in and press to the depth required for unlocking. It cannot be unlocked by other means, thus solving the problem of accidental touch and injury to the hand.

[0021] Preferably, a circular ring is protruded in the middle of the screw washer, and a spindle hole for the spindle to pass through is provided, and an arc-shaped breach for matching the handle and the locking spring is provided on the side of the protruding circular ring.

[0022] It can be seen that the arc-shaped gap is used to facilitate the fixing of the locking spring and the fixing handle, and the entire structure is completely hidden in the upper and lower handles. The overall structure is simple and beautiful, and the arc-shaped gap also plays an anti-rotation role.

[0023] Preferably, an upper gasket and a lower gasket are respectively provided at the upper and lower outer ends of the main shaft, a blade setting area is formed between the upper gasket and the lower gasket, an upper handle fixing area is formed between the upper gasket and the button washer, and a lower handle fixing area is formed between the lower gasket and the screw washer.

[0024] It can be seen that the blade setting area, the upper handle fixing area and the lower handle fixing area are formed by the fixed upper gasket and the lower gasket, so that the whole structure is completely hidden in the handle, and the appearance of the whole structure is more beautiful.

[0025] Technical advantages of the present invention:

[0026] The locking structure of the present invention only needs one spindle screw for fastening, and has no specific structure exposed in appearance, thus having the advantages of being simple and beautiful.

[0027] The button of the present invention returns to its original position after the hand is released. Compared with the locking structure on the market that places the button on the main shaft, some buttons of this type of structure will move together with the parts that play a locking role, resulting in the button being in a recessed position during use, and the appearance is not perfect. The button of the present invention is always in a perfectly flush position, and the appearance is more beautiful.

[0028] The present invention adopts an arched lock bridge to bypass the outer ring of the blade, so that the distance between the locking contact surface and the center of the circle is maximized as much as possible, that is, the locking force arm is maximized, which reduces the locking force under the same external torque and makes the locking more secure.

[0029] In the present invention, the locking contact surface of the lock bridge is divided into two sections with different angles, one section is flat and the other section is inclined. The inclined section is a compensation inclined surface, which is a locking contact surface for normal use and provides wear compensation to ensure that there is no gap between the blade and the lock bridge and that there is no shaking. The flat section is a safety plane, which does not contact the blade in normal state, but when the blade is impacted by external force and slides on the inclined surface, for example, when the blade is stuck when chopping firewood in the wild, and is pulled out with force, a plane appears when it slides to the end of the inclined surface, blocking the path of the blade to fold back. Due to the contact of the plane, the pressure of the blade on the lock bridge causes the force component in the translation direction of the lock bridge to suddenly change to 0 (the force component on the inclined surface), so that the lock bridge loses the power of translation and only has friction, and will not continue to move, ensuring that the blade is locked and will not hurt the hand. The role played by these two sections of locking surfaces is equivalent to the manual safety added to some folding knives on the market, but this solution is fully automatic. At the same time, the requirements of convenient operation and firm locking are met.

[0030] The present invention can be operated with one hand with a comfortable gesture to control the unfolding, unlocking and closing of the blade. The friction force is small during the process, the operation feels smooth, and the operation is convenient.

[0031] The present invention has a closing resistance when closing to prevent accidental opening of the knife due to vibration, a protective circle surrounds the button to prevent accidental touching when unfolding, and fingers do not need to be on the blade's folding path to prevent hand injuries when unlocking, thus having the advantages of preventing accidental operations in many aspects.

[0032] The appearance of the button, button washer, spindle, spindle screw, screw washer and other parts of the present invention when assembled is the same as the common folding knife spindle structure, and no additional space is occupied. The rubber ring, button spring and locking spring are completely hidden inside and cannot be seen, and no additional space is occupied. The lock bridge is in a semi-hidden state and can only be seen from a specific angle, and has no interference with the usable part of the blade exposed outside the handle. All influences are hidden in a very small range inside the handle, which plays a role in saving space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the locking structure of this embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2 It is a front view of the overall structure of the locking structure of this embodiment.

[0035] Figure 3 for Figure 2 AA section view.

[0036] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the folding knife structure of this embodiment.

[0037] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the explosion of the folding knife of this embodiment.

[0038] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the button structure of this embodiment.

[0039] Figure 7 FIG. 4 is a top view of the button gasket of this embodiment.

[0040] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the button gasket structure of this embodiment.

[0041] Fig. 9 Schematic diagrams of the front and back sides of the lower handle of this embodiment.

[0042] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the screw washer structure of this embodiment.

[0043] Fig.11 1 is a top view of the screw washer of this embodiment.

[0044] Fig.12 Schematic diagram of the structure of the blade of this embodiment.

[0045] Fig.13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the lock bridge of this embodiment.

[0046] Fig.14 2 is a top view of the lock bridge of this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention; it is obvious that the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments, and all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] Example:

[0049] See also Figure 1-14 A folding knife locking structure 100 includes a lock bridge 1, a button washer 2, a screw washer 3, a button 4, a spindle 5, a spindle screw 6, a locking spring 7 and a button spring 8. The middle of the spindle 5 is a threaded hole, the button washer 2 is threadedly connected to the upper end of the spindle 5, and the screw washer 3 is arranged at the lower end of the spindle 5 through the spindle screw 6.

[0050] One end of the button 4 passes through the button washer 2 and extends into the threaded hole of the main shaft 5. A button spring 8 is arranged in the threaded hole between the button 4 and the main shaft screw 6. An avoidance hole is opened on the side of the button washer 2, and a locking spring 7 placement hole is opened on the screw washer 3; a locking spring 7 is arranged on the locking spring 7 placement hole, and a first contact block 101 that is inserted into the button washer 2 and contacts with the button 4 through the avoidance hole is respectively provided at both ends of the lock bridge 1, and a second contact block 102 that is clamped at the other end of the locking spring 7 is respectively provided. A locking contact surface 104 for locking the groove 200a of the clamping blade 200 and a closing contact surface 103 for closing the groove 200b of the clamping blade 200 are respectively provided on both sides of the lock bridge 1.

[0051] Preferably, a groove is provided at the insertion end of the button 4, and a clamping rubber ring 401 is provided on the groove to fix the insertion end of the button 4 in the threaded hole of the main shaft 5; an inner step 201 is provided in the middle of the button gasket 2 to clamp the clamping rubber ring 401.

[0052] Preferably, the upper surface of the button gasket 2 is provided with a first groove 202 that matches the size of the button 4, a button insertion end hole 203 is provided in the first groove 202, and a lock bridge contact opening 204 for contact between the lock bridge 1 and the button 4 is also provided on the side of the first groove 202.

[0053] Preferably, a circular ring is protruded in the middle of the screw washer 3 and is provided with a spindle 5 hole for the spindle 5 to pass through, and an arc-shaped break 301 for matching the handle and the locking spring 7 is provided on the side of the protruding circular ring.

[0054] Preferably, an upper gasket 9 and a lower gasket 10 are respectively provided at the upper and lower outer ends of the main shaft 5, a blade setting area A is formed between the upper gasket 9 and the lower gasket 10, an upper handle fixing area B is formed between the upper gasket 9 and the button washer 2, and a lower handle fixing area C is formed between the lower gasket 10 and the screw washer 3.

[0055] In this embodiment, the lock bridge is constrained in a pair of rectangular holes 401 symmetrically arranged on the inner side of the handle and can only slide in one direction.

[0056] In this embodiment, the locking contact surface 104 of the lock bridge 1 is divided into two sections with different angles, one section is flat and the other section is inclined. The inclined section is the compensation inclined surface 104a, which is the locking contact surface 104 in normal use and provides wear compensation to ensure that there is no gap between the blade 200 and the lock bridge 1 and there is no shaking. The flat section is the safety plane 104b, which does not contact the blade 200 in a normal state, but when the blade 200 is impacted by external force and slides on the inclined surface, such as when it is stuck when chopping firewood in the wild, and is pulled out with force, etc., a flat surface appears at the end of the inclined surface, blocking the path of the blade 200 to return. Due to the flat contact, the pressure of the blade 200 on the lock bridge 1 causes the component of force in the translation direction of the lock bridge to suddenly change to 0 (the component of force on the inclined plane), so that the lock bridge 1 loses the power of translation and only has friction, and will not continue to move, ensuring that the blade 200 is locked and will not hurt the hand. Compared with ordinary folding knives, this avoids the problem of unlocking under the same circumstances and the blade 200 folding back to hurt the hand.

[0057] Specific implementation: In this embodiment, the blade 200 is set on the main shaft 5 between the upper gasket 9 and the lower gasket 10 through the blade setting area A, and the upper handle fixing area B and the lower handle fixing area C are respectively fixed with the upper handle 300 and the lower handle 400. The blade 200 is provided with an exposed part for finger operation to push the blade 200 to rotate around the main shaft 5. It is worth noting that the exposed part of the blade includes many ways such as protrusions, nail grooves, openings, push buttons, push plates, etc.

[0058] A knife stop column is provided between the upper handle 300, the lower handle 400 and the blade 200 to prevent the blade 200 from rotating counterclockwise. The knife stop column belongs to the existing technology, and the specific structure and working principle are no longer repeated in this application. In this embodiment, the upper handle 300 and the lower handle 400 are a mirror image structure.

[0059] In this embodiment, the folding knife is initially in a closed state. In this closed state, on the one hand, the counterclockwise rotation of the blade 200 is blocked by the blade column; on the other hand, the lock bridge 1 is pushed by the locking spring 7 and enters the closing groove of the blade 200, preventing the blade 200 from rotating clockwise. The resistance in two directions restricts the blade 200 to a fixed position, but the resistance of the lock bridge 1 is provided by the closing contact surface 103, and the blade 200 can be pushed open with only a force exceeding a certain threshold provided by the finger.

[0060] At this time, the lock bridge 1 is not in contact with the button 4, and the button 4 is pushed by the button spring 8 to be flush with the surface of the button gasket 2. At this time, the continued movement of the button 4 will be restricted by the card rubber ring 401, and the button gasket 2 will not be ejected. This is the normal state of the button 4. When there is no finger pressing, the button 4 will be doubly restricted by the button spring 8 and the rubber ring and stop at a position flush with the button gasket 2.

[0061] By pressing the button 4, the restriction of the lock bridge 1 on the blade 200 is unlocked, or the finger provides a force exceeding a certain threshold to drive the blade 200 to rotate around the main axis 5. In this intermediate state, the lock bridge 1 is not fixed in the closing groove 200b of the blade 200 or the locking groove 200a of the blade 200, so the blade 200 can rotate freely clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0062] When the blade 200 rotates and unfolds, it forms an unfolded locked state. In this state, on the one hand, the clockwise rotation of the blade 200 is blocked by the blade stop column; on the other hand, the lock bridge 1 is pushed by the locking spring 7 and enters the blade 200 locking groove 200a of the blade 200, preventing the blade 200 from rotating counterclockwise. The resistance in two directions restricts the blade to a fixed unfolded position. Different from the closed state, the slope of the locking contact surface 104 is very small at this time, and the friction angle self-locking condition is achieved, making the locking very firm.

[0063] When it is necessary to store and close it, the button 4 needs to be pressed to cancel the restriction of the lock bridge 1, forming an unfolded and unlocked state, so that the blade 200 can rotate freely, so as to enter the intermediate state and return to the closed state to complete the storage.

[0064] The difference between the unfolded unlocked state and the unfolded locked state depends entirely on whether button 4 is pressed. When button 4 is not pressed, it is in a locked state and the blade cannot rotate; when button 4 is pressed, the blade can rotate freely so as to enter the intermediate state and return to the closed state to complete storage.

[0065] The present invention perfectly integrates the folding knife locking structure 100 into the spindle screw 6 without adding any appearance-specific locking structure 100. Compared with other locking structures 100, or additional buttons 4, or additional slots, or additional screws, it is more concise and beautiful.

[0066] It is worth noting that the upper gasket and the lower gasket can be replaced by thrust ball bearings and other structures that can form a blade setting area. For those skilled in the art, this is an existing technology and the equivalent replacement of this structure can be achieved through simple replacement.

[0067] The above is only a preferred specific implementation of the present invention; however, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical solution and its improved conception within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A folding knife locking structure, characterized in that: The locking structure includes a lock bridge, a button washer, a screw washer, a button, a spindle, a spindle screw, a locking spring and a button spring; The middle of the main shaft is a threaded hole, the button washer is threadedly connected to the upper end of the main shaft, and the screw washer is arranged at the lower end of the main shaft through the main shaft screw; One end of the button passes through the button washer and extends into the threaded hole of the main shaft, and a button spring is arranged in the threaded hole between the button and the main shaft screw; The button washer has a side opening with an avoidance hole, the screw washer has a locking spring placement hole, and the locking spring placement hole is provided with a locking spring; The two ends of the lock bridge are respectively provided with a first contact block which is clamped into the button washer and contacts the button through the avoidance hole, and a second contact block which is clamped at the other end of the locking spring; The two sides of the lock bridge are respectively provided with a locking contact surface for locking the blade locking groove and a closing contact surface for locking the blade closing groove; The locking contact surface is divided into two sections: flat and inclined.

2. A folding knife locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A groove is provided at the insertion end of the button, and a clamping rubber ring is provided on the groove for fixing the insertion end of the button in the threaded hole of the main shaft; an inner step for clamping the clamping rubber ring is provided in the middle of the button gasket.

3. A folding knife locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the button gasket is provided with a first groove that matches the size of the button, the first groove is provided with a button insertion end hole, and the side of the first groove is also provided with a lock bridge contact breach for the lock bridge to contact the button.

4. A folding knife locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circular ring is protruded in the middle of the screw washer, and a main shaft hole for the main shaft to pass through is opened. The side edge of the protruding circular ring is opened with an arc-shaped break for matching the handle and the locking spring.

5. The folding knife locking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: An upper gasket and a lower gasket are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the main shaft, a blade setting area is formed between the upper gasket and the lower gasket, an upper handle fixing area is formed between the upper gasket and the button washer, and a lower handle fixing area is formed between the lower gasket and the screw washer.

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