EP0068921A1 - Binding-device for holding the foot of a skier upon a ski, comprising a ski-boot and a toe-binding - Google Patents

Abstract

The toe abutment member of a ski binding is adapted to cooperate with a ski boot provided with a sole having a truncated front end and a toe-cap extension in overhung relation to the truncated front end. The abutment member comprises a feeler element placed directly beneath the toe-cap extension of the ski boot in close proximity to the toe-cap extension under normal skiing conditions. In the event of a forward fall, the feeler element undergoes a vertical displacement in the downward direction under the thrust exerted by said extension while producing a reduction in inherent stiffness of release of the toe abutment member.

Description

The present invention relates to a front ski binding stop, intended to cooperate with a shoe whose sole has a truncated front end, so that the front part of its rod is overhanging in front of said truncated end.

The stop is of the type comprising a jaw formed by two arms for retaining the truncated front part of the sole, rotatably mounted around at least one vertical pivot, and which cooperates with an elastic mechanism normally ensuring the immobilization of the arms in position retaining the shoe with an adjustable force, known as its own trigger hardness.

Certain front stops of this kind are provided with a feeler member adapted to be in contact with the front part of the shoe, and to act on the elastic mechanism in the event of a front fall, in order to reduce its own trigger hardness.

French patent No. 71 22 859 (publication number 2,099,849) thus discloses a front stop whose torsional hardness decreases in the event of a fall forward, by means of a member sensitive to pressure increase that occurs during the front fall such as a membrane, formed under the location of the skier's big toe. The increase in pressure in this member is transmitted to the mechanism for adjusting the torsional hardness to reduce this hardness.

This embodiment requires a complicated transmission device between the underside of the sole and the hardness adjustment mechanism. In addition, another drawback of this device comes from the fact that after a jump or a passage over a bump, at the moment when the skier falls flat on his skis, the body sensitive to the pressure of the foot is necessarily activated even if the skier is not in a dangerous situation. The sudden decrease in trigger hardness that results can then cause an inadvertent trigger.

The published German patent application n ° 2 905 837 also describes a front stop provided with a pressure-sensitive feeler member, placed under the front of the shoe and which can be constituted for example by a flexible pocket filled with air connected by a pipe to the elastic mechanism, or by rods capable of actuating a rod cooperating with a rocker which acts on the elastic mechanism by reducing the hardness during a forward fall.

These embodiments have the same drawbacks as that of French patent 71 22 859, in particular because of the danger of untimely triggering when a bump passes. Also known from the first addition No. 78,802 to French Patent 1,220,819 is a binding comprising a linkage associated with an elastic member, and arranged so that the lifting of the heel of the shoe causes the linkage to rise under the action of the elastic return member, and correspondingly a reduction in the force with which the torsion retaining piece is applied to the front of the binding.

This realization is complicated by the fact that it requires the arrangement of a mechanism under the shoe. In addition, it risks being very easily blocked by the accumulation of snow or by frost, due to the complicated linkage arranged between the boot and the ski.

The object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a front stop intended to cooperate with a ski boot, the sole of which has a truncated front end, above which the front front part of the upper is overhanging, and which is therefore of an embodiment that is both simple and very reliable, without risk of inadvertent triggering when passing a bump. A ski boot of this type is described, for example, in French patent No. 77 36 281 (publication no. 2 410 447).

According to the invention, the feeler member is arranged below the front part of the upper of the boot by touching this front part during normal skiing, and is vertically movable so as to lower under the thrust of said front part during a forward fall by causing a reduction in the trigger hardness.

Thus, the feeler member is placed directly above the elastic mechanism, which in particular makes it possible to remove complicated transmission parts, and therefore considerably simplifies the production of the device.

In one embodiment of the invention, in which the elastic mechanism comprises a U-shaped piston housed in a case slidably along the axis of the ski, and constantly urged by at least one spring against a flat part of the jaw retainer, the feeler member consists of a stirrup extending transversely to the ski, provided with two lateral tabs interposed between the sides of the piston and the housing and which cooperate with lateral lugs of the piston, so that, during the normal skiing practice, the lugs keep the stirrup in the raised position by acting on its lateral legs, and that in the event of a fall before the front part of the rod makes the stirrup pivot down around an axis transverse to the ski and correspondingly the legs of the stirrup exert on the lugs a push which separates the piston from the flat part of the jaw.

In normal position during skiing, the piston pushed by the elastic system constantly exerts by its lateral lugs, a pressure on the legs of the stirrup, whose transverse branch forming a pedal is inclined on the horizontal in order to allow a tilting of the caliper assembly.

In a second possible embodiment, the piston is provided on its face in abutment against the flat part of the jaw, with a finger having an inclined ramp, on which is placed in sliding abutment a pusher provided with a conjugate ramp and constituting the feeler member, this pusher being mounted to slide vertically around the fixed pivot and resiliently biased towards its position raised by the finger of the piston.

During a forward fall, the front part of the shell of the shoe presses on the pusher which slides down along the pivot, and causes, by respective sliding of the ramps of the pusher and the finger, a separation of the latter and of the piston in relation to the flat, which results in a reduction in the trigger hardness.

This embodiment is also very simple and reliable, and also does not run the risk of fouling by accumulation of snow or mud.

According to one feature, the invention also provides that the top of the feeler member is made up of removable plates, made of a material with a low coefficient of friction.

By having a set of pads of different thicknesses, it is possible to adjust the height of the feeler member with respect to the shoe so that the feeler surface is almost in contact with the shell of the shoe without being subjected to pressure. on the part of the latter outside a front fall.

• - La figure 1 est une vue en coupe longitudinale d'une première forme de réalisation de la butée avant selon l'invention, suivant I-I de la figure 2, le palpeur étant relevé.
• - La figure 2 est une vue de dessus et en coupe partielle horizontale avec arrachements suivant II-II de la figure 1. ^-
• - La figure 3 est une vue en coupe verticale longitudinale et élévation partielle suivant III-III de la figure 4, montrant l'organe palpeur abaissé lors d'une chute avant.
• - La figure 4 est une vue de dessus partielle et en coupe suivant IV-IV de la figure 3.
• - La figure 5 est une vue en coupe longitudinale suivant V-V de la figure 6 d'un second mode de réalisation de la butée avant selon l'invention, son palpeur étant en position relevée.
• - La figure 6 est une vue de dessus partielle et en coupe horizontale suivant VI-VI de la figure 5.
• - La figure 7 est une coupe longitudinale suivant VII-VII de la figure 8 montrant le poussoir abaissé lors d'une chute avant et le piston écarté de son méplat d'appui.
• - Za figure 8 est une vue de dessus partielle et en coupe horizontale suivant VIII-VIII de la figure 7.
• - La figure 9 est une vue en coupe longitudinale axiale suivant IV-IV de la figure 10 d'une troisième forme de réalisation de la butée avant selon l'invention, son organe palpeur étant en position relevée.
• - La figure 10 est une vue de dessus partielle et en coupe horizontale suivant X-X de la figure 9.
• - La figure 10a est un détail de la figure 10 montrant le piston écarté de son méplat d'appui par suite d'une chute avant.
• _- La figure 11 est une vue en coupe longitudinale suivant XI-XI de la figure 12 d'une quatrième forme de réalisation de la butée avant selon l'invention.
• - La figure 12 est une vue de dessus partielle et en coupe avec arrachements suivant XII-XII de la figure 11.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will appear during the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings in which several non-limiting embodiments of the invention have been shown.

• - Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment of the front stop according to the invention, according to II of FIG. 2, the probe being raised.
• - Figure 2 is a top view and in partial horizontal section with cutaway along II-II of Figure 1. ^-
• - Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view and partial elevation along III-III of Figure 4, showing the feeler member lowered during a forward fall.
• - Figure 4 is a partial top view in section along IV-IV of Figure 3.
• - Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view along VV of Figure 6 of a second embodiment of the front stop according to the invention, its feeler being in the raised position.
• - Figure 6 is a partial top view in horizontal section along VI-VI of Figure 5.
• - Figure 7 is a longitudinal section along VII-VII of Figure 8 showing the pusher lowered during a forward fall and the piston separated from its support flat.
• - Za Figure 8 is a partial top view in horizontal section along VIII-VIII of Figure 7.
• - Figure 9 is a view in axial longitudinal section along IV-IV of Figure 10 of a third embodiment of the front stop according to the invention, its feeler member being in the raised position.
• FIG. 10 is a partial top view in horizontal section along XX of FIG. 9.
• - Figure 10a is a detail of Figure 10 showing the piston separated from its support flat as a result of a front fall.
• _- Figure 11 is a longitudinal sectional view along XI-XI of Figure 12 of a fourth embodiment of the front stop according to the invention.
• - Figure 12 is a partial top view and in section with cutouts along XII-XII of Figure 11.

The front ski binding stop, shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, is intended to cooperate with a ski boot 1, the sole of which 2 has a truncated front end 2a. Therefore, the front part 1a of the upper of the shoe 1 is overhanging in front of the truncated end 2a.

The front of the ski is on the left of the figures.

The stop includes a jaw 3 formed by two arms 4 for retaining the front part of the shoe 1, and which are adapted to receive the truncated front part 2a. The jaw 3 is rotatably mounted around a vertical pivot 5 fixed to the ski 6, and cooperates with an elastic mechanism 7 normally ensuring the immobilization of the arms 4 in the shoe retaining position 1 with an adjustable force, called the own hardness of trigger.

The elastic mechanism 7 comprises, in this example, two helical springs 8 placed inside a U-shaped piston 9, having a transverse branch 9a held by the springs 8 bearing against a flat 11 formed vertically on the jaw 3. The springs 8 are supported on a part 12 placed between the lateral branches of the piston 9, and which is crossed by a screw 13 for adjusting the hardness of the springs 8.

The elastic mechanism 7 is housed in a case 14 having, on the side of the jaw 3, an opening in which the jaw 3 penetrates so that its flat 11 can effectively come into contact with the piston 9. Plastic plates 15 having preferably good sliding qualities are inserted between the lateral branches of the piston 9 and the walls of the housing 14. The plates 15 can be formed by vertical partitions forming integral parts of the base plate of the front stop. In the plates 15 are formed lights 16 whose role will be explained below.

The housing 14 is itself contained in a protective casing 17 fixed to the ski 6.

According to the invention, the front stop is provided with a feeler member 18_disposed below the front part 1a of the upper of the boot 1, by touching this front part 1a during normal skiing. This probe 18 can be moved vertically so as to lower itself under the thrust of the front part 1a during a forward fall, causing a reduction in the hardness of tripping of the elastic mechanism 7.

More precisely in the example described, the feeler member 18 consists of a stirrup extending transversely to the ski 6, provided with two lateral tabs 19 housed in the slots 16. The piston 9 is provided with two lugs 21 projecting in the slots 16, in contact with the legs 19. Under the thrust of the springs 8, the lugs 21 constantly exert pressure on the legs 19 tending to maintain the latter in the substantially vertical position of FIG. 1, to which corresponds a raised position of the transverse branch of the stirrup 18.

The stirrup 18 is therefore carried by the cover of the housing 14, the latter having openings for the passage of the lugs 19. The lugs 19 have, at the level of the cover of the housing 14, notches 22 into which the edge of housing cover 14.

The notches 22 allow the entire feeler stirrup 18 to pivot around an axis transverse to the ski 6 when the front part 1a of the boot presses on the stirrup 18.

Appropriate sealing means such as bellows, which have not been shown for the sake of simplification, may be provided to prevent snow Du ice from entering on the one hand between the transverse part forming the pedal of the probe 18 and the top of the housing 17, on the other hand inside the boot 14.

The front part of the sole 2 rests on a plate 23 with a low coefficient of friction, carried by the base plate of the front stop.

On the top of the stirrup 18 is fixed a plate 24 also with a low coefficient of friction (for example PTFE). It is advantageous to provide a removable mounting of the plate 24, for example by clipping, the plate can in this case be replaced by a plate of different thickness to take account of the inevitable differences in the dimensions of the different shoes and their wear. It is indeed important that the feeler 18 is not stressed during normal skiing, but only if the skier is tilted forward.

The operation of the front stop which has just been described is as follows.

During normal skiing, the feeler member and the boot 1 are in the respective positions of FIG. 1. The transverse branch of the feeler 18 is inclined to the horizontal, and its upper edge touches the front front part 1a of the shoe. During a front fall (FIGS. 3 and 4), the front part 1a overhanging the shoe 1 exerts on the feeler stirrup 18 a downward thrust, so that the stirrup 18 rocks around the transverse axis connecting the notches 22, to the position visible in Figures 3 and 4.

During the tilting of the stirrup 18, the lugs 19 pivot and thereby exert on the lugs 21 a force directed towards the front of the ski, which slightly advances the piston 9 relative to the flat 11 by compressing the springs 8 , as seen in Figures 3 and 4. The jaw 4 can therefore pivot freely over a certain angular travel. Tests have shown that this initial freedom of movement of the jaw around its vertical pivot 5 compensates for the parasitic friction appearing between the front of the shoe and the pad 23 as well between the front of the boot and the jaw 4 as a result of the skier tilting forward, so that the trigger hardness of the front stop in torsion is kept approximately constant whatever the 'tilt the skier forward ^* .

The front stop according to the invention therefore provides very high safety in combined pre-twist falls.

In the event of a pure forward fall, the probe 18 sinking, the escape of the shoe from the heel (not shown) is obviously not thwarted.

As soon as the abnormal forces which have appeared during skiing have ceased or as soon as the boot has left the binding, the springs 8 act on the lugs 19 by means of the lugs 21 to return the feeler 18 to its initial position in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It would also be possible to provide a small additional spring to help lift the probe 18.

The feeler device according to the invention is very simple and very effective while being inexpensive thanks to the fact that it is incorporated into the stopper itself, to which it is therefore not connected by complicated means such as only linkages.

In the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8, the feeler 27 is constituted by a pusher mounted to slide vertically around the fixed pivot 28. The pusher 27 is therefore hollow as seen in FIG. 5, while the head of the pivot 28 is provided with a projecting flange 29, serving as a height stop for the pusher 27.

The latter and the pivot 28 are housed in a cavity 31 formed in the jaw 26 and flared towards the front of the ski, the two spouts thus arranged ending in cams or vertical flats 33 on which the transverse branch 9a of the piston 9, pushed by the springs 8. The jaw 26 is provided with two arms 32 for retaining the boot similar to the arms 4.

The piston 9 is provided, on its face bearing against the flat 33, with a central finger 34 having an inclined ramp 34a, on which is placed in sliding bearing a conjugate ramp 27a formed at the lower end of the pusher 27, the occurrence a conical part.

Furthermore, this front stop is identical to that of FIGS. 1 to 4.

It will be noted that the front part 1a of the shell of the shoe is provided with a reinforcement insert 1b intended to come into contact with the pusher 27 so as to avoid deformation of the wall of the shell 1a at this location. The insert 1b preferably has good sliding characteristics.

The operation of the front stop of Figures 5 to 8 is as follows. During normal skiing, the pusher 27 is held in the raised position by the finger 34 secured to the piston 9, and this by means of the corresponding ramps 34a, 27a.

In the event of a front drop, the part 1a of the shoe presses, via the reinforcement 1b, on the pusher 27. The latter slides vertically downwards along the pivot 28. The ramp 27a pushes forward the ski the ramp 34a carried by the finger 34, so that the piston 9 is moved away from the flat 33.

At the end of this movement, the pusher 27, the piston 9 and the shoe 1 are in the positions illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, in which the natural hardness of triggering of the elastic mechanism is lowered since the piston 9 is no longer in support against the flat 33 (Figures 7 and 8). This makes it possible to compensate for parasitic friction so that the overall hardness of opening the front stop remains practically unchanged.

In the third embodiment of the front stop illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 10a, the jaw 35 is integral with the body 36 of the stop, inside which is housed the elastic mechanism 7, 9. The body 36 is rotatably mounted on a fixed vertical pivot 37 having a flat 37a against which the transverse branch 9a of the piston 9 is applied. An adjustment screw 13 screwed into the body 36 makes it possible to modify the trigger hardness exerted by the springs 8 constituting the elastic system 7.

In the fixed pivot 37 are mounted a slide 38 in the form of a wedge which is guided to move along the axis of the ski as well as a feeler constituted by a pusher 39 with an enlarged head 41, movable vertically along the axis of the pivot 37 .

The lower end of the pusher 39 has an inclined face 39a which bears against a complementary inclined plane 38a formed on the slide 38.

The slide 38 which in top view has the shape of a T, opens towards the front of the ski by its widened end in the flat 37a, opposite the transverse branch 9a of the piston 9.

At this level the width d of the slide 38 is less than the width D of the flat 37a (FIG. 10a).

During a fall before, the advance 1a of the shell of the shoe presses on the head 41 of the pusher 39 which slides vertically downwards in the pivot 37 while advancing the slider 38 by means of the ramps 39a and 38a. The piston 9 is therefore moved away from the flat 37a of width D and now bears against the front face of width d of the slide 38. Due to the decrease in the lever arm (which has gone from D to d), the tripping torque of the front stop is therefore reduced, which makes it possible to compensate for parasitic forces due to friction.

The fourth embodiment of the front stop shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 comprises two arms 42 independent, each pivotally mounted around a vertical axis 43. The arms 42 are each provided with a nose 44 directed towards one another, and which are introduced into an annular groove 45 formed in the head 46 of a tie rod 47 disposed axially on the ski 6.

The rod 48 of the tie rod 47 is guided in a flange 51 formed at the rear of the fixed stop body 49. The front part of the rod 48 is provided with a thread and is screwed onto a part 53 guided in translation in the body 49 to move along the axis of the ski. A compression spring 52 housed in the body 49 and bearing against the rear bottom thereof, acts on the part 53 to strongly apply the head 46 of the tie rod against the flange 51 and, correspondingly, hold the arms 42 in the retaining position of the shoe.

This type of front stop is well known and is commercially available. According to the invention the front stop is equipped with a feeler member. This consists of a pedal 54 articulated around a transverse axis 55 carried by the body 49 and located above the annular groove 45. The pedal 54 comprises a transverse branch 56 situated at a certain height above the cover of the housing 49, so as to be practically in contact with the part 1a of the shell of the shoe, as well as a lower extension 57 in the form of a nose, coming to engage in the groove 45.

As in the previous embodiments, the top of the pedal 54 is advantageously lined with a plate 58 made of a material with a low coefficient of friction possibly interchangeable.

Under these conditions, during normal skiing, the feeler 54 is in the position illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, raised above the housing 49 and not undergoing any pressure from the boot. During a front fall, the front part 1a overhanging the shoe presses on the pedal 54 which pivots about the axis 55, so that the lower extension 57 drives the head 46 of the piston 47 in the direction of the shoe, that is to say in the direction which facilitates the spacing of the arm 42 and the exhaust of the shoe.

This result is made possible by the fact that the transverse branch 56 of the pedal 54 extends towards the front of the ski with respect to the pivot axis 55.

After the shoe has escaped, the return spring 52 brings the entire mechanism and the probe 54 back to their initial position.

The invention is not limited to the various embodiments described above and can include numerous variant embodiments. Thus, the feeler members described can be produced in any other equivalent way, insofar as they remain movable vertically under the pressure exerted by the front part overhanging the upper of the truncated shoe, causing a reduction in the trigger hardness of the stop.

Thus, for example, it would be possible to provide an adjustment of the reduction ratio between the vertical force exerted on the probe and the horizontal force which results therefrom on the piston of the elastic mechanism. This could be achieved in the case of the 1st embodiment by providing means for varying the tilting axis of the probe 18 against the cover of the housing 14, for example by providing several notches 22 on each of the tabs 19.

It would be possible to equip the top of the feeler member with rolling members (needles or rollers) instead of a sliding plate.

Claims (7)

1 - Front ski binding stop, intended to cooperate with a shoe (1) whose sole (2) has a truncated front end (2a) so that the front part (the) of its rod is overhanging in front of said truncated end (2a), comprising a jaw (3, 26, 35) formed by two arms (4, 32, 42) for retaining the truncated front part (2a) of the sole (2), rotatably mounted around at least one vertical pivot (5, 28, 37, 43) and which cooperate with an elastic mechanism normally ensuring the immobilization of the arms (4, 32, 42) in the shoe retaining position (1) with an adjustable force, said own trigger hardness, and a feeler member (18, 27, 39, 54) adapted to be in contact with the front part (1a) of the shoe (1) and to act on the elastic mechanism in the event of a front fall in order to reduce its own trigger hardness, characterized in that the feeler member (18, 27, 39, 54) is arranged below the front part (la) of the tig e of the boot (1) by touching this front part (la) during normal skiing, and is movable vertically, so as to lower under the thrust of said front part (1a) during a forward fall in causing a decrease in the own trigger hardness. 2 - front stop according to claim 1, wherein the elastic mechanism comprises a U-shaped piston (9) housed in a housing (14) slidingly along the ski axis (6), and constantly stressed by at least a spring (8) against a flat (11) of the retaining jaw (3), characterized in that the feeler member (18) consists of a stirrup extending transversely to the ski (6), provided with two legs lateral (19) interposed between the sides of the piston (9) and the case (14) and which cooperate with lateral lugs (21) of the piston (9) of so that, during normal skiing, the lugs (21) hold the stirrup (18) in the raised position by action on its lateral legs (19), and that in the event of a fall before the front part (la) of the rod rotates the stirrup (18) down around an axis transverse to the ski (6) and correspondingly the legs (19) of the stirrup (18) exert on the lugs (21) a push which spreads the piston (9) of the flat (11) of the jaw (3). 3 - front stop according to claim 1, wherein the elastic mechanism comprises a piston (9) in a U housed in a housing (14) slidingly along the axis of the ski (6) and constantly stressed by at least one spring (8) against a flat part (33) of the jaw (26), characterized in that the piston (9) is provided, on its face in abutment against the flat part of the jaw, with a finger (34) having a ramp inclined (34a) on which is placed in sliding support a pusher (27) provided with a conjugate ramp (27a) and constituting the feeler member, this pusher (27) being mounted to slide vertically around the fixed pivot (28) and resiliently biased towards its raised position by the finger (34) of the piston (9). 4 - front stop according to claim 1, wherein the retaining jaw (35) is integral with a housing (36), the assembly being rotatably mounted around the vertical pivot (37) on which is formed a flat (37a) against which is pressed the piston (9) of the elastic mechanism, characterized in that the feeler member consists of a pusher (39) slidably mounted vertically in the fixed pivot (37), and which cooperates with a slider (38) mounted in the fixed pivot (37) between the pusher and the piston (9), the lower end of the pusher (39) having an inclined ramp (39a) for sliding support against a ramp (38a) corresponding to the slide (38). 5 - Front stop according to claim 4, characterized in that the slide (38) has a bearing face with the piston (9) whose width (d) is less than the width (D) of the flat (37a). 6 - front stop according to claim 1, wherein the jaw consists of two arms (42) each pivotally mounted about a vertical axis (43) and which are engaged with a central tie (47) biased by a member elastic (52), characterized in that the feeler member is formed by a pedal (54) articulated on a transverse axis (55) carried by a shoemaker (49) containing the elastic member (52), and this pedal (54 ) is provided with a lower extension (57) engaged in the tie rod so that the tilting of the pedal (54) during a front fall causes the tie rod (47) by means of said extension (57) , in the direction which facilitates the opening of the arms (42), that is to say towards the shoe (1). -7 - Abutment avant.selon any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the top of the feeler member (18, 27, 54) comprises sliding plates, optionally removable (24, 58).

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