CH658998A5 - SKI BRAKE. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a ski brake, that is to say a device intended to prevent a ski from sliding on a slope when,

during skiing, the ski is no longer connected to the skier, for example following the triggering of a safety binding during a fall.

Various ski brakes are already known which generally comprise at least one stop arm forming a "spade" and which is mounted to rotate relative to the ski. This spade is normally in an active braking position in which it projects under the sole of the ski. This spade is biased, as well as the rest of the constituent parts of the brake, to this position by a device of sollici-io tion comprising an elastic member. When the boot is engaged in a binding carried by the ski and when it is applied against the upper face of the latter, it on the contrary maintains the spade in an inactive position in which the latter is generally located above the upper surface of the ski. When the binding is released, under the action of the biasing device, it can penetrate more or less into the snow so as to immobilize the ski, so that the skier can recover it easily. Skiing therefore does not run the risk of hurtling downhill and injuring a downhill skier or even getting lost.

There are currently known various embodiments of such ski brakes and among these known brakes that described in French Patent No. 2,460,690 comprises a two-part actuation pedal, namely a lower body traversed by upper parts of the stop arms, and an upper control probe articulated around an axis transverse to the lower body of the pedal. The purpose of providing a pedal in two parts is to make it possible to obtain, at the end of the bearing race of the boot on the ski, while the body of the pedal is already immobilized by the ski, a movement relative of the control probe with respect to this body, movement which causes, as a result of an appropriate connection between the probe and the ends of the stop arms, a "retraction" of the spades above the ski, this is ie a displacement of these towards the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the ski. Therefore, when the ski is put on the two spades of the ski brake are retracted inwards, relative to the edges of the ski, and they therefore do not constitute, in this position, an obstacle to skiing. .

Such a ski brake has the disadvantage that in the active braking position, the stopping arms are not held firmly by a stop, so that in certain circumstances this brake, even in the active position of braking, can “escape”, that is to say that the stopping arms can pivot beyond the active inclined position, while not playing the stopping role for skiing.

The present invention aims to remedy this drawback by providing a ski brake of particularly simple design, which ensures firm holding of the stop arms in the active braking position, while minimizing the force to be exerted on the pedal to put the brake in the inactive position for skiing.

To this end, this ski brake comprising a support plate fixed 50 to the ski and on which at least one stop arm, terminated by a spade intended to be planted in the snow, is mounted to rotate about a transverse axis , between an inactive position, in which the spade is kept retracted over the ski by the boot placed on the latter, and an active braking position in which 55 it projects under the sole of the ski, a pedal on which is supported the sole of the ski boot and in which is engaged the upper part of each stop arm, this pedal being made up of two parts, namely a lower body crossed by each stop arm and a movable mounted upper control probe on 60 the lower body and acting on the upper ends of the stop arms, to bring in the spades, that is to say move them one towards the other and towards the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the skiing at the end of the passage in the inactive position, when the sole rotates the control probe relative to the body 65 already immobilized by the ski, and biasing means for automatically passing the stopping arms into the active braking position, when the shoe is separate from the ski, characterized in that the support plate has, on at least part of its

3

658,998

longitudinal edge, a stop for an intermediate section of the stop arm which is in support, in the active braking position, under and against the stop of the support plate, so that this stop opposes any pivoting movement of the stop arm beyond its active braking position, and means are provided so that at the very start of the pedal stroke from the active braking position to the inactive position, the relative movement of the control probe by in relation to the body, under the action of the shoe, causes the intermediate section of the corresponding stop arm to be spaced relative to the stop, before the whole of the pedal and the brake switches from the active position braking.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the upper control probe of the pedal is articulated, on the lower body, about a transverse axis located substantially in the middle of this probe, seen in the transverse direction, and the part bottom of the control probe, that is to say the one which is close to the body of the pedal, cooperates with the upper end parts, bent in the form of a crank, of the stop arms, so that the action of the sole on the control probe alone, at the start of the stroke, causes the probe to pivot around its transverse axis and correspondingly a rotation of each stop arm ensuring the spacing of the intermediate section relative to the stop of the plate- support.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the control probe is slidably mounted relative to the lower body and it is coupled to a member interposed between the intermediate section of the stop arm and the stop, this member being shaped so as to separate the intermediate section from the stop when, as a result of the action of the shoe, the control probe is pushed back towards the lower body.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the stop provided on the edge of the support plate is advantageously constituted by a wing inclined towards the upper face of the ski and the longitudinal plane of symmetry.

The ski brake according to the invention offers the advantage that the stop arms are held very firmly in the active braking position because a part of each of the arms is pressed against and under a stop of the support plate. This positive abutment moreover does not cause any exaggerated force of the shoe on the pedal, during the passage into the inactive position, because the cooperation with the abutment of the support plate ceases as soon as the shoe bears on the control probe. upper pedal. As a result, the skier has no discomfort in putting on his ski and putting the brake in the inactive position.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a view along the axis of the ski of a ski brake according to the invention in the active braking position.

Figure 2 is a side view of the ski brake in the active braking position.

Figure 3 is a side view of the ski brake in the inactive position.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the ski brake according to the invention, this brake being shown, in the left half of the figure, in the active braking position, and, in the right half of the figure, in the position in which the control probe has been pushed down, towards the lower body, before the start of the effective transition from the active braking position to the inactive position.

Figure 5 is a schematic profile view of the brake of Figure 4, in the active braking position.

Figure 6 is a schematic profile view of the brake of Figure 4, at the end of the sliding stroke of the control probe relative to the lower body.

The ski brake shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, which is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal plane xy, comprises a support plate 1, which is fixed to the ski 2 in an appropriate longitudinal position, by any known means. On this plate 1 is articulated,

around a transverse axis, a brake pedal 3 on which the sole of a ski boot 4 can act, indicated in phantom in FIG. 2.

The pedal 3 is itself made up of two parts, namely a lower body 5 and an upper feeler 6 preferably carrying, along its upper transverse edge, a support roller 7 for the sole of the shoe.

The body 5 of the pedal 3 is biased by a biasing device towards an active braking position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the body 5 and the brake assembly are inclined at an angle suitable for with respect to the ski 2. This biasing device comprises a spring 8 for returning the pedal 3 which may advantageously be constituted by a deformable loop of elastic thread, which loop is compressed and accumulates energy when the pedal 3 is applied to flat on the ski as shown in FIG. 2. However, the spring urging the pedal 3 towards the active braking position could be produced in any other way.

In this particular embodiment of the invention, the return spring 8 has, as we have seen above, the shape of a loop and its upper horizontal and transverse core 8a constitutes an axis of articulation for the control probe 6. This hinge pin 8a is located substantially in the middle of the control probe 6, considering the latter in the transverse direction.

The brake according to the invention also comprises two braking members or lateral stop arms 9 which are linked to the body 5 of the pedal 3 and which are each terminated, at their lower ends, by spades 11 intended to be planted in the snow. The stop arms 9 are advantageously constituted by sections of metal wire of a certain diameter bent in a particular way. As can be seen in FIG. 2, each stop arm 9 comprises, starting from a lower braking spade 11 which is in the active braking position, a substantially straight section 9a extending in the extension of the spade 11, upwards and slightly towards the ski, then a bend 9b bent in the direction of the ski and extending by a rectilinear transverse section 9c flush with the upper face of the ski 2, then a horizontal bend 9d, substantially at 90 °, extending towards the front of the ski (it being understood that the spades 11 are directed, in the active braking position, towards the rear of the ski), then an intermediate section 9e inclined upwards, at the angle a, and slightly outwards (as can be seen in FIG. 1) then a straight section 9f crossing right through the marginal zone of the body 5 and leaving, at the top of it, by a part 9g bent in form of crank. In the active braking position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this crank 9g is slightly inclined in the direction of the longitudinal plane of symmetry xy, when the brake is viewed in a longitudinal direction. The two cranks 9g which constitute the upper ends of the stop arms 9 are engaged in suitable recesses provided in the lower part of the control probe 6, so that they can be actuated by the latter.

Furthermore, it can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 that the support plate 1 has on each side, at the place where the elbows 9d and the inclined intermediate sections 9e of the two stop arms 9 are located, inclined wings 12 from top to bottom in the direction of the longitudinal plane of symmetry xy and constituting bearing faces for the intermediate sections 9e.

It is therefore seen, from the above description, that in the active braking position (FIGS. 1 and 2) the spades 11 protrude under the ski, being inclined up and down towards the rear of the ski, and therefore, if the ski is separated from the boot and tends to slide along a slope, the spades 11 planted in the snow oppose the movement of the ski downstream, each being subjected to a force F tending to rotate the stop arm 9 anticlockwise in FIG. 2. Because in this active braking position the intermediate section 9e of each stop arm 9 is in support under and against an inclined wing 12, forming a stop, of the support plate 1, this results, at this point, in a bracing preventing

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

658,998

song any untimely brake escape, in other words the braking spades 11 are held firmly pressed into the snow and it is impossible that the brake can tilt beyond its active braking position.

Furthermore, when the skier puts on his ski, he presses, by the sole of his shoe 4, on the pedal 3, so as to retract the braking spades 11 in the inactive position, as shown in FIG. 3. When the shoe ski rests on the upper roller 7 of the control probe 6 and exerts on it a force F1 downwards, this probe tends to pivot alone, first of all, around the transverse axis of articulation 8a, counterclockwise, as indicated by the arrows f. Because the control probe 6 constitutes a lever with two branches articulated substantially in the middle, its lower part in which the cranks 9g of the stop arms are engaged tends to be raised relative to the body 5 of the pedal 3. By following this pivoting movement of the control probe 6, the cranks 9g are driven in rotation towards the outside, so that the intermediate sections 9e of the stop arms 9 are spaced from the inclined bearing and locking faces 12. It can therefore be seen that at the very beginning of the stroke for the passage of the brake from the active braking position to the inactive position, the action on the control probe 6 causes the intermediate sections 9e of the stop arms 9 to be separated from the bearing faces 12 and the blocking effect is thus eliminated. The skier can therefore shift the ski brake practically without effort from the active braking position to the inactive position since the mechanical resistance due to blocking against the inclined bearing faces 12 is eliminated.

When the skier continues to press the pedal 3, the whole of the latter then pivots anti-clockwise in FIG. 2, so that the spades 1 are raised and come to be placed in a plane horizontal located above the upper face of the ski 2.

At the end of the retraction stroke of the brake, the body 5 of the pedal 3 is pressed against the upper face of the ski 1 and is then immobilized by the latter. The continuation of the pressure exerted by the sole of the shoe on the control probe 6 has the effect of rotating this probe 6 clockwise, relative to the body 5, to bring it in the same horizontal plane as this, as illustrated in FIG. 3. This relative pivoting movement of the control probe 6 relative to the body 5 causes the stop arms 9 to rotate around their sections 9f housed in the body 5 and constituting longitudinal pivot axes. It follows that the two spades 11 are brought towards the inside of the ski, that is to say towards the longitudinal plane of symmetry xy and they thus remain in the retracted position above the ski, being housed between the two vertical shots passing through the two ski edges.

In the variant illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6, the control sensor 6 is mounted to slide relative to the lower body 5 of the pedal 3. More particularly, the sensor 6 is mounted substantially in the extension of the lower body 5 , above it, and it is carried by a flexible and elastic extension, such as a piece of sheet metal, for example, fixed to the lower body and on which slides the upper feeler 6. This piece of sheet metal 13 must be flexible enough to allow the control probe 6 to act on the extreme cranks 9g of the stop arms, at the end of the passage stroke in the inactive position, to cause retraction of the spades 11, as indicated above.

The control probe 6 which is thus mounted to slide is integral, on each side, with a member 14 constituted, for example, by a curved plate, the lower end portion 14a of which, which is curved, is interposed between the intermediate section 9th inclined upwards and outwards and the inclined wing 12 of the plate 1 forming a stop. This plate 14 is thus slidably mounted in the body and it is urged upwards by a spring 15, a spring which contributes to pushing the control probe upwards, that is to say to move it away from the body 5 .

In the active braking position, which is that shown in the left half of FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5, the lower end portion 14a of the pad 14 is pressed against the inclined wing 12 and therefore constitutes the stop against and under which the intermediate section 9e of the stop arm 9 is immobilized.

At the start of the passage of the brake from the active braking position to the inactive position, the shoe rests, by its sole, on the control sensor 6 which is then pushed down, while the lower body 5 remains still. The control probe 6 thus slides on the piece of connecting plate 13 and it drives with it the two lateral plates 14. Each of these plates 14 bears against a lateral edge of the support plate 1 and, because its part lower 14a is curved, with a concavity turned towards the inside, this results in a relative displacement of this lower end part 14a towards the outside of the ski, which has the effect of removing the intermediate section 9e from the stop arm 9 relative to the inclined wing 12 forming a stop. In other words, the sliding movement of the control probe 6 causes the intermediate section 9e to be released, thus allowing the pivoting arms 9 to pivot freely, as in the case described above.

4

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

R

3 sheets of drawings

Claims (5)

658,998 1. Ski brake comprising a support plate fixed to the ski and on which at least one stop arm, terminated by a spade intended to be planted in the snow, is mounted to rotate about a transverse axis, between a position inactive, in which the spade is kept retracted above the ski by the boot placed on the latter, and an active braking position in which it protrudes under the sole of the ski, a pedal on which the sole of the shoe rests ski and in which is engaged the upper part of each stop arm, this pedal being made up of two parts, namely a lower body crossed by each stop arm and an upper control probe articulated around a transverse axis and acting on the upper ends of the stop arms, to bring in the spades, that is to say move them one towards the other and towards the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the ski, at the end of the passing race in inactive position, when the sole rotates the control probe relative to the body already immobilized by the ski, and biasing means for automatically passing the stop arm (s) into the active braking position, when the boot is separated from the ski, characterized in that the support plate (1) has, on at least part of its longitudinal edge, a stop (12) for a section (9d) of the stop arm (9) which is in abutment, active braking position, under and against the stop (12) of the support plate (1), so that this stop (12) opposes any pivoting movement of the stop arm (9) beyond its active braking position, and means are provided so that at the very start of the pedal stroke (3) from the active braking position to the inactive position, the relative movement of the control probe (6) relative to the body (5), under the action of the shoe, causes the intermediate section (9e) to spread apart from the rear arm corresponding (9) with respect to the stop (12), before the pedal and brake assembly switches from the active braking position. 2. Ski brake according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper control sensor (6) of the pedal (3) is articulated, on the lower body, around a transverse axis (8a) located substantially in the middle of this probe (6), seen in the transverse direction, and the lower part of the control probe (6), that is to say that which is close to the body (5) of the pedal (3), cooperates with the upper extremities (9g), bent in the form of a crank, stop arms (9) so that the action of the sole on the control probe (6) alone, at the start of the stroke, causes the pivoting of the feeler around its transverse axis (8a) and correspondingly a rotation of each stop arm (9) ensuring the spacing of the intermediate section (9e) relative to the stop (12) of the support plate (1). 2 3. Ski brake according to claim 2, characterized in that the transverse articulation axis (8a) of the control probe (6) is constituted by the core of a spring (8) with a deformable loop forming part of the pedal loading device (3). 4. Ski brake according to claim 1, characterized in that the control probe (6) is slidably mounted relative to the lower body (5) and it is coupled to a member (14) interposed between the intermediate section (9e ) of each stop arm (89) and the stop (12), this member (14) being shaped so as to separate the intermediate section (9e) from the stop (12) when, as a result of the action of the shoe, the control probe (6) is pushed back towards the lower body (5). 5. Ski brake according to claim 4, characterized in that the member (14) is biased upwards by a spring (15) which thus pushes the control plunger (6) and away from the lower body (5 ).