EP0030175B1 - Toe binding for ski - Google Patents

Abstract

The toe abutment member comprises a jaw unit pivotally mounted on the ski and consisting of two lateral arms adapted to cooperate with the front portion of the ski boot in order to maintain the boot in the axis of the ski, and a resilient device housed within the body of the abutment member for locking the arms in the boot-retaining position with a predetermined stiffness of release. The toe abutment member essentially comprises in addition a feeler member placed in contact with the front portion of the ski boot and adapted to cooperate with the resilient device to reduce the stiffness of release at the time of a forward-fall position and/or when an axial thrust is exerted on the ski boot. The jaw unit is mounted on the body for pivotal displacement about a transverse horizontal axis, and the feeler member is also mounted for rotation about a transverse horizontal axis so as to produce action on the resilient device by reducing its stiffness of release in the further event of a backward-fall position of the skier.

Description

The present invention relates to a front stop for ski binding.

We know from the French patent application published under No. 2,413,915 a front ski binding stop comprising a jaw consisting of two lateral arms intended to cooperate with the front part of the boot to retain the latter in the axis skiing, this jaw (or tip) being articulated about a horizontal axis on a body which is itself articulated on a vertical axis materialized by a pivot fixed to the ski. The pivot has a cam-shaped part against which is applied a piston biased by a spring housed inside the body, which tends to immobilize the body elastically in rotation around the pivot.

The piston is slidably mounted in the body and carries a follower member resting on two ramps integral with the end piece, so that, in the event of a rear fall, the end piece pivots about the horizontal axis, while the follower member and the piston move away from the cam, which reduces the release hardness of the binding.

However, such a stop does not reduce the hardness of the elastic trigger mechanism in the event of a forward fall.

EP 25,747 also discloses a front stop in which the boot retention arms can pivot on the ski around a vertical axis, and a feeler member is adapted to be in contact with the front part before the shoe and to cooperate with the elastic device, ensuring the immobilization of the toe in the shoe retaining position, and this by means of sliding rods so that the tripping hardness of the latter is reduced in case of actuation of this probe resulting from a front fall and / or an axial thrust of the shoe.

Indeed, as the feeler member is constituted by a plate having a concave shape substantially in an arc, adapted to cooperate with the front of the boot, a thrust exerted on this member, either during a fall of the skier towards the 'before, either during an axial thrust on the occasion for example of a flexion of the ski, causes a thrust on the piston in the opposite direction to the force which applies it against the pivot. Depending on the setting of the torsional hardness of the stop and on the importance of the thrust exerted on the feeler member, the force applying the piston against the pivot can only be reduced, while the piston remains applied against the cam of the pivot, or the piston can be detached from the pivot, and the retaining force disappears.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 13 and 14 of application EP 25.747, the feeler member thus provided consists of an angled lever mounted pivoting about a transverse horizontal axis carried by the body of the stop.

We thus resolve two difficulties encountered in the operation of these front stops: the first difficulty is encountered during clearances by complex falls in which combine the forward falling movements and the twists of the skier. There then occurs a considerable increase in the overall hardness of the release in torsion of the boot due to the markedly increased friction between the front of the boot and the ski, which is added to the own trigger hardness.

The second difficulty occurs in the event of an axial thrust on the stop. This thrust can appear in various circumstances, for example in the event of sudden braking of the ski or of significant bending of the ski which tends to compress the boot between the front stop and the heel, the lateral clearance of the boot being in all cases hampered by parasitic friction developing between the shoe and the front stop.

The second abutment embodiment mentioned above makes it possible to advantageously resolve these difficulties. However, the hardness of the release mechanism of this stopper is not reduced in the event of a rear fall. However, this is also a phenomenon causing a difficulty in the operation of a front stop.

The invention therefore aims to modify the aforementioned embodiment provided with a feeler, in order to be able to reduce the hardness of the trigger mechanism of this front stop as well in the event of a rear fall as in the event of a front fall.

To this end, in accordance with the invention, the jaw being articulated on the body about a transverse horizontal axis, there are provided, between this jaw and the feeler member, interconnection means adapted to transmit a movement to the latter. pivoting when the jaw is driven upward during a fall behind the skier, so that the feeler member also acts in this case on the elastic device to reduce the hardness of release.

Under these conditions, when the skier is in the rear fall position, the lifting of the tip causes the feeler member to tilt so that the latter slides the rods in the body and that they take off from the pivot. piston of the elastic device, or at least decrease the force with which it is applied to the pivot cam.

The stop according to the invention therefore provides additional security to the skier by facilitating the release of the boot in torsion as well in the event of a rear fall as in the event of a front fall.

In a particular embodiment, the interconnection means, existing between the feeler member and the jaw, consist of a curved ramp provided on the feeler member and a follower member secured to the jaw. Preferably this follower member is constituted by a transverse pin carried by the jaw.

Thus, when the shoe is not engaged in the binding, the feeler member is held in place by the pin carried by the stirrup.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows. In the accompanying drawings, two non-limiting examples are shown of two embodiments of the front stop according to the invention.

• Figure 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the front stop according to the invention, shown mounted on the ski and with the boot engaged in the stop.
• FIG. 2 is a top view of the stop of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 is a view in longitudinal section, along III-III of FIG. 4 of the stop of FIGS. 1 and 2.
• FIG. 4 is a top view in section along IV-IV of FIG. 3.
• Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a front drop.
• Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing a rear fall.
• Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view along VII-VII of Figure 8 of a second embodiment of the stop according to the invention.
• FIG. 8 is a top view in section along VIII-VIII of FIG. 7.
• Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing a front drop.
• Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing a rear fall.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, we see a front ski binding stop, mounted on a ski 1 and having a jaw consisting of two lateral arms 2, intended to cooperate with the front part of the boot 20 to retain it cl. in the axis of the ski 1, and a body 3 pivotally mounted around a pivot 4 fixed vertically on the ski 1; the arms 2 are carried by a stirrup 10 consisting of two lateral cheeks 5 rotatably mounted on the body 3 around a horizontal axis h.

The arms 2 constituting the jaw or shoe-retaining tip can pivot relative to the cheeks 5 around vertical axes 6, in order to be able to adapt to the different particular shapes of the shoes, the angular position of the arms 2 being adjustable by means screws 7 which bear against the cheeks 5.

The stop also includes an elastic device housed in the body 3, and ensuring the immobilization of the toe 2 in the shoe retaining position 20 with a predetermined trigger hardness. This elastic device comprises a piston 8 provided with a rod 30 and applied elastically against a cam 9 formed by a flat formed on the fixed pivot 4, towards the front of the ski. The piston 8 is normally kept applied against this cam by a spring 11 coaxial with the rod 30, and which bears on an adjustment plug 12 screwed into the body 3.

The stop also includes a feeler member 13 adapted to be in contact with the front front part of the shoe 20, and to cooperate with the elastic device so as to reduce the trigger hardness thereof, during a falling position before the skier and / or an axial thrust of the boot.

According to the invention, the feeler member 13 is rotatably mounted around a transverse axis 14 so that it can act on the elastic device by lowering its trigger hardness also in the case of the skier falling back.

To this end, the feeler member 13 is constituted by a bent lever whose face 15 facing the side of the shoe 20 is profiled to cooperate with the latter by presenting a concave surface, the face 17 of the feeler member facing towards 'before the ski bears against the ends of two rods 16 slidably mounted in the body 3, on either side of the pivot 4; the rods 16 are thus interposed between the feeler member 13 placed between the lateral arms 2, and the piston 8 for retaining the stop in its normal position.

The transverse axis 14 of pivoting of the probe 13 is supported at its two ends by the body 3. On the other hand, the probe lever 13 has, on the side facing the shoe 20, a ramp 32 against which a follower member bears. secured to the nozzle. In the example shown, this follower member consists of a transverse pin 18, the ends of which are fixed to the lateral cheeks 5 of the stirrup 10 and which is preferably provided with an anti-friction roller (so as to limit the friction between the follower member 18 and the ramp 32).

• En chute avant (figure 5), la chaussure 20 bascule selon la flèche AV et sa partie frontale avant repousse l'organe palpeur 13 qui pivote autour de l'axe 14 vers le piston 8. Le levier 13 pousse donc les tiges 16 qui coulissent dans leur logement du corps 3, et exercent sur le piston 8 une force opposée à la force de rappel du ressort 11. Si la poussée transmise par l'organe palpeur 13 est supérieure à la force antagoniste du ressort 11, le piston 8 s'écarte du méplat 9, comme représenté à la figure 5.

The front stop which has just been described operates as follows:

• In forward fall (FIG. 5), the shoe 20 rocks according to the arrow AV and its front front part pushes back the feeler member 13 which pivots around the axis 14 towards the piston 8. The lever 13 therefore pushes the rods 16 which slide in their housing of the body 3, and exert on the piston 8 a force opposite to the return force of the spring 11. If the thrust transmitted by the feeler member 13 is greater than the opposing force of the spring 11, the piston 8 s' away from the flat 9, as shown in Figure 5.

The natural hardness of triggering in torsion of the stop, due to the action of the piston 8 on the cam 9 is therefore zero; the trigger resistance is then due exclusively to the friction exerted between the boot and the ski and between the boot and the binding.

If the thrust transmitted by the feeler 13 is less than the return force of the piston 8 by the spring 11, the piston 8 remains applied against the cam 9, but with less force, so that - the hardness of the trigger is reduced.

In rear fall, the shoe 20 lifts backwards (arrow AR, FIG. 6), and its front part moves away from the profiled face 15 of the probe 13. However, the shoe lifts the end piece constituted by the arms 2 , so that the end piece and the stirrup 10 pivot around the horizontal axis h. The pin 18 secured to the stirrup 10 pivots with it and acts on the ramp 32 to rotate the lever 13 as before, as seen in Figure 6. Therefore, the probe 13 exerts a longitudinal thrust on the rods 16 which slide in the body 3 and apply to the piston 8 a force antagonistic to the force of the return spring 11. If the force exerted on the toe by the shoe 20 is sufficient to create a thrust on the piston 8 greater than its return force, the latter comes off from the flat 9, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Otherwise, the hardness of the trigger mechanism is simply reduced.

The embodiment shown in Figures 7 to 10 differs from the previous in that the elastic retaining device is provided with a second piston 19, slidably mounted inside a piston 21 normally applied to the cam 9 by a return spring 22. The second piston 19 therefore has a surface smaller than that of the piston 21, and is elastically urged against the latter by a spring 23 disposed internally at the spring 22. As in the previous embodiment, these two springs bear on the threaded plug 12 for adjusting the hardness of the mechanism, in which the end of the rod 24 of the piston 19 slides.

The latter comprises a recess in which is engaged a transverse rod 25, consequently interposed between the piston 19 and the piston 21, and the ends of which pass through lateral openings 27 of the piston 21, and 26 of the body 3. These openings are elongated in the longitudinal direction, in order to allow a displacement of the rod 25 in this direction so that it can move away from the piston 21. The feeler member 28 is provided with a transverse rod 29, the ends of which are connected to those of the rod 25 by connecting rods 31.

This stopper works as follows:

In the event of a front fall (Figure 9), the shoe. 20 exerts on the probe 28 a thrust which is transmitted to the piston 19 by the frame constituted by the rods 29, 25, and the links 31. If the thrust is greater than the return force of the spring 23, the rod 25 moves away of the piston 21 (which remains on the other hand applied to the flat 9), the ends of the rod 25 slide in the openings 26, 27 by moving the piston 19 away from the piston 21.

Under these conditions, the hardness of the trigger mechanism is reduced, but not reduced to zero, since the piston 21 remains applied against the pivot 4 by its return spring 22.

In the event of a rear fall (Figure 10). The shoe 20 lifts the lateral arms 2. As a result, the axis 18 is raised and makes the probe 28 pivot towards the fixed pivot 4, so that the thrust transmitted by the links 31 to the rod 25 takes off as before the piston 19 of the piston 21, if this thrust is greater than the return force of the spring 23.

Otherwise, the piston 19 and the rod 25 remain pressed against the piston 21, but the hardness of the trigger mechanism is reduced.

This embodiment has the advantage of avoiding the "floating" which occurs in the stop when there is an excessive accumulation of snow under the shoe. Indeed, the latter is then raised relative to its normal position, so that the retaining end piece is also raised, as in the position shown in FIG. 6, and can then cause permanent detachment of the piston 8 from the flat 9. In the second embodiment, only the internal piston 19 is pushed back, so that there is always a certain resistance to tripping, due to the action of the external piston 21 on the flat 9.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described and may include variant embodiments. Thus, the feeler member can be arranged to adapt to the sole of the shoe rather than to its upper.

Claims (5)

1. Toe binding for ski, comprising :

- a jaw unit constituted by two lateral arms (2) intended to cooperate with the front portion of the ski boot (20) in order to maintain this latter in the axis of the ski, this jaw unit being carried by a body (3) mounted for pivotal displacement about a pivot (4) which is intended to be attached vertically to the ski,

- a resilient device (8, 11, 19, 21, 23, 22) housed within the body for locking the arms (2) in the bootretaining position with a predetermined stiffness of release,

- and a feeler member (13, 28) in the form of an elbowed lever rotatably mounted on a horizontal cross-pin (14) supported by the body (3), adapted to be in contact with the front end portion of the ski boot and to produce action on the resilient device (8, 11, 19, 21, 23, 22) by means of sliding rods (16) or crank-arms (31) in order to reduce the stiffness of release of this latter at the time of its pivotal displacement under the action of a thrust resulting from a forward fall of the skier and/or from an axial thrust of the ski boot, characterized in that, since the jaw unit (2) is pivoted on the body (3) about a transverse horizontal axis (h), provision is made between this jaw unit and the feeler member (13, 28) for interconnection means adapted to transmit a pivotal movement to this latter when the jaw unit (2) is upwardly displaced at the time of a backward fall of the skier, with the result that the feeler member (13, 28) also produces action on the resilient device (8, 11, 19, 21, 23, 22) in this case in order to reduce its stiffness of release.

2. Toe binding in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the interconnection means existing between the feeler member (13, 28) and the jaw unit (2) consist of a curved ramp (32) provided on the feeler member and a follower member (18) rigidly fixed to the jaw unit.

3. Toe binding in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the follower member which is rigidly fixed to the jaw unit (2) is constituted by a cross-pin (18) carried by this jaw unit and preferably provided with an antifriction roller which is capable of rolling against the ramp.

4. Toe binding in accordance with any one of the predecing claims, in which the resilient device for retaining the arms (2) in their normal position comprises a first piston (21) slidably mounted within the body (3) and applied against a cam formed on the stationary pivot (4) by a first resilient member (22) housed within the body, characterized in that this resilient device is provided with a second piston (19) having a surface area which is smaller than that of the first (21) and slidably mounted within this latter, and with a second resilient member (23) which urges the second piston (19) against the first piston (21) and that this abutment member comprises means for causing the feeler member (28) to cooperate with the second piston (19) in order to move this latter away from the first piston (21) while correlatively reducing the stiffness of release in the event of a forward fall or a backward fall.

5. Toe binding in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that said means comprise a first rod (29) disposed transversely within the feeler member (28), the ends of which are connected by means of the crank-arms (31) to those of a second rod (25) which is positioned transversely between the two pistons (19, 21) so as to constitute a frame rigidly fixed to the feeler member (28), suitable slots (26, 27) being formed in the body (3) and in the first piston (21) in order to permit reciprocating movements of the second rod (25) and of the second piston (19) with respect to the first piston (21) as a result of the movements of rotation of the feeler member (28).

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