EP0396133B1 - Releasable snowboard binding with a plate - Google Patents

Abstract

The releasable ski binding with a plate for winter sports equipment has a mobile binding plate (1) of an elongate basic shape with lateral outward curves and a vertical central borehole (28). The overall engaging and disengaging mechanism, consisting in general of spiral springs (12) and pressure cylinders (13), is installed in a space-saving manner below the boot sole region in the compact plate. By means of a pressing and rotary movement by the foot, the binding plate is engaged on an axle stub (2) mounted rigidly on the snow board. The axle stub serves both as a single anchoring element per binding and as a central rotary, swivel and guide axle for the rotary, tilting and lifting movements of the plate on all sides. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a snowboard plate release binding with a mobile plate that can be connected to the shoe and is provided with a coupling mechanism, which can be connected to an anchoring that can be mounted on the snowboard and disengages when there is a risk of injury.

Although it is known that many falling injuries, especially on feet and legs, occur in young snowboarding because the predominantly young users prefer to perform daring maneuvers and because the snowboards have generally become longer and faster, there is still no safety today Release binding for snowboards on the market, which releases the foot with excessive torsional and tipping forces in all directions, and which the test requirements and safety standards of the leading official safety institutes, such as TüV (FRG) and BfU (CH ) or the like.

Most snowboards are currently equipped with so-called soft or buckle bindings, with which mainly mountain boots or après-ski boots are used. However, the so-called plate bindings, which are intended for ski boots with standardized soles for fastening the sole holder, are emerging more and more. Both of these binding categories are firmly screwed to the snowboard and do not release the foot when falling. Since snowboards are generally thinner than skis, only relatively short screws with low tear-out resistance can be used for binding assembly. As a result of the practically rigid binding assembly and the foot standing across the snowboard, extremely normal pull-out forces result even with normal driving style, particularly due to the lateral tilting movements of the foot. It happens quite often that bindings tear off during normal driving, without falling or shoe holders tear off. Such incidents are extremely feared by the riders because after a binding is torn out, a multiple forward turning fall usually follows, in which the foot, which is still connected to the snowboard, is subjected to such high forces that serious injuries result. The falling driver can hardly hope that the second binding will be torn out, because relatively weak screw connections are also very resistant to the torsional forces that usually result in such cases.

There are various reasons why there are still no all-round safety ties with a test certificate from a leading safety institute. the market there. The ski bindings common today with separate front jaws for torsion release and automatic heel unit for lift release are in any case unsuitable for snowboards because, on the one hand, they do not offer a lateral tilt release and, on the other hand, because the binding parts protrude far beyond the sole of the shoe at the front and rear, where they turn would brush the ground with the snowboard.

AT-B-361 817 shows a ski safety binding, the construction of which has features that point in the right direction. However, this binding would not be suitable for snowboards, since the plate is not guided on the central block, but is only held on it. Despite the excessive thickness or height of the binding, it would not be suitable for the forces occurring with snowboards and would not solve the actual problems (lack of guidance on the central block; impossibility of providing a continuously open central bore in the plate; weakened plate middle part despite the relative thickness ).

The development of completely new types of binding systems, as required here, is technically difficult, complex and costly. In the snowboard market, which is still relatively small today, the leading ski binding brands still consider this too risky to enter here. On the one hand, the binding should not have a negative influence on the elasticity and bending line of the snowboard, and on the other hand, the binding functions must not be adversely affected by the deformations of the very flexible snowboards, as would be practically the case with the ski bindings known today.

The only snowboard plate release binding currently on the market has been specially developed for devices with a raised platform, joints and 2 short skis. This binding only triggers during tilting and lifting movements, and it has a torsion release function not, which is why she cannot receive a TÜV test certificate.

Despite the lack of a release function, most snowboard bindings are quite complicated to set up and in most cases the assembly requires drilling up to approx. 40 holes in the device. Since these are exactly at the most stressed points on the device, i.e. where the main forces act, there is a significant reduction in breaking strength. If you want to change or change the angle of the binding, additional screw holes are required and the breaking strength is further reduced.

Most of today's snowboard bindings are very tall, especially the buckle bindings, so that they take up a lot of space for storage and transportation. For owners of multiple snowboards, it is also expensive to purchase complete bindings for all devices.

The object of the invention is to largely eliminate all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of binding systems for snowboards that are common today, i.e. namely to ensure the general safety for the user through all-round torsion, tilt and stroke release functions, to increase the ease of entry and exit, to simplify assembly, to less impair the strength and flexibility of the winter sports device to facilitate storage and transport, and to make the individual binding setting generally more user-friendly without incurring any significant additional costs.

This object is achieved by the measures specified in claim 1. Details of preferred developments are given in the dependent claims.

• Fig. 1 eine Ansicht der Bindung von schräg oben,
• Fig. 2 einen vertikalen Längsschnitt,
• Fig. 3 einen horizontalen Längsschnitt,
• Fig. 4 den prinzipiellen Bewegungsablauf beim Einrasten,
• Fig. 5 eine Ansicht von oben einer Spezial-Version mit variabler Geometrie,
• Fig. 6 eine Ansicht des Achsstummels,
• Fig. 7 ein Horizontal-Querschnitt des Achsstummels auf halber Höhe,
• Fig. 8 eine Ansicht der Grundplatte des Achsstummels,
• Fig. 9 einen Querschnitt durch ein Ende der Platte,
• Fig. 10 einen Druckkolben mit drehbarer Kugelspitze,
• Fig. 11 eine Ansicht der Bindung mit Schnallen-Aufsatz.

In the following, an embodiment of the invention in various variants is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it

• 1 is a view of the binding obliquely from above,
• 2 shows a vertical longitudinal section,
• 3 shows a horizontal longitudinal section,
• 4 shows the basic sequence of movements when latching,
• 5 is a top view of a special version with variable geometry,
• 6 is a view of the stub axle,
• 7 is a horizontal cross section of the axle stub at half height,
• 8 is a view of the base plate of the stub axle,
• 9 shows a cross section through one end of the plate,
• 10 shows a pressure piston with a rotatable ball tip,
• 11 is a view of the binding with a buckle attachment.

The preferred embodiment of the subject matter shown in the drawings has proven itself optimally in practice. For wiping and cost reasons, the mobile plate 1 and the clamping bracket 4 are made of injection-molded plastic, preferably of polyamide. The stub axle 2 can also be made of high quality plastic. As a result of its high mechanical stress, a metallic material is recommended. The sole holder brackets 3 are preferably made of steel wire, as are the spiral compression springs 12. They are preferably made of metallic material also all screws 9, 11 and 17, the washer 16, the base plate 14, and the U-shaped profiles 6.

The assembly of only a single, compact stub axle 2 per binding on the center line of the device 10 is clearly less complex and quicker to accomplish than the mounting of any other binding today, both with or without triggering functions. For now, 6 screw holes arranged in a circle must be drilled in the center of the desired binding position in the device. Subsequently, the base plate 28 and the base plate 14 immediately above it are rigidly screwed on by means of six screws 17, which lead through the holes 26 provided in the base plate 14. The axle stub can be screwed to the central thread 21 of the base plate with only one central anchoring screw 9 and the washer 16. A mutual, radial fine toothing 20 between the base plate and the stub axle fixes the stub axle in the desired angular position on the device and prevents unwanted twisting under the action of torsional forces. The stub axle preferably has a round disk shape, and on its outer edge there are opposite recesses 15 in which the pressure pistons 13 can engage. The segment-shaped recesses 10 with horizontal guide grooves 19, which are provided immediately next to the indentations on the stub axle, ensure effortless engagement of the mobile binding plate 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the plate 1 is pressed down in such a rotated position before it engages. in which the pressure pistons 13 come to rest on the segment-shaped recesses 10 of the stub axle. This happens practically without resistance. Then the plate only has to be snapped into place by a rotary movement, after which it is in position 1A (FIG. 4). During the rotary movement, the plate cannot deflect upwards because the pressure pistons are guided through the guide grooves 19. The resistance of the rotary movement when snapping also gives the user a reliable impression of whether the release hardness is set correctly because the compression spring 12 has to be compressed when the plate is snapped into place. If the user wants to change the angular position of the binding to the device, all he has to do is loosen the central locking screw 9 a little until the mutual toothing 20 between base plate 14 and stub axle 2 no longer mesh, and as soon as he has found the new position, he has to finish tighten the central locking screw again. In this process, the mobile binding plate 1 can remain locked on the stub axle.

The basic shape of the mobile binding plate 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 has proven itself well in practice. With a low overall height, it offers an optimal strength / weight ratio. The visible side bulges in the middle section simultaneously increase the strength and bending stiffness in the most stressed zone in the middle, as well as widened support of the plate on the device, which means that the lateral tipping pivot point on the outer edge of the bulge from the anchoring Center is moved further outside. This distance between the anchoring center and the tipping pivot largely influences the ratio of the torsion to the lateral tipping release. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the plate 1 can be widened by additional attachments 17 which are fastened to the side of the plate by means of screws, as a result of which the lateral tilt-release force is increased compared to the torsion-release force, if desired. A variable fine adjustment of the plate width using adjusting screws, not shown here, would also be possible.

An embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 with stub axle 2 and plate 1 of the same low overall height is desirable since, as is known, control over the device decreases the higher the foot position is. Nevertheless, slightly elevated footrest surfaces 29, which lie clearly above the upper edge of the vertical central bore 27, are an advantage because the snow pressed through the stub axle when it snaps in through the vertical central bore, especially if it is spherical, can escape better between the top of the plate and the sole of the shoe.

In a simple version, the sole holder bracket 3 could be screwed into lateral holes in the plate, as is the case with the Fritschi brand snowboard binding. However, a more user-friendly version with a tool-free quick adjustment is preferred, as in FIGS. 1 and 3 shown. The embodiment shown and described here is inexpensive, foolproof and solid. For the longitudinal adjustment of a sole holder bracket 3, one only needs to fold up the associated, inverted U-profile 6, the toothing 8 attached to it being attached to the upper part of the plate Counter toothing 8A disengages. Now the sole holder bracket and U-profile can be moved together into the desired position and fixed in position by folding down the U-profile and snapping the teeth. Since the sole of the shoe exerts pressure on the U-profile when driving, the sole holder bracket can never accidentally slip into another position. Nevertheless, it is recommended to provide the U-profile with a snap-in resistance so that the sole holder bracket cannot be inadvertently adjusted even during transport and the like. The raised, flat upper part of the U-profile also serves as a raised shoe support surface 29. The horizontally bent sole holder strap ends 3 are slidably supported in horizontal slots 16, which are attached to the ends of the plate on both sides. Immediately on the outer edge of these slots, the brackets lead through holes in the side flanges of the U-profiles. The brackets thus serve as a hinged hinge and holder for the U-profile.

The diameter distribution of the vertical central bore 27 of the plate 1 must be matched to the diameter distribution of the axle stub 2 in such a way that the axle stub guides the plate radially without play in the engaged state, but does not hinder the sequence of movements when the tilting is triggered. This is preferably done by a slightly conically tapering diameter of the stub axle and a conically increasing diameter of the central vertical bore of the plate. If these conical changes in the diameter take place from half the height, there is a play-free connection of the two parts with the plate locked in place.

The two oppositely directed pressure pistons 13 with the associated screw pressure springs 12 and screw pressure adjusting screws 11 are installed in a space-saving manner completely below the shoe sole area in horizontal bores along the central longitudinal axis of the plate, where they are watertight and well protected. The thread for the adjusting screw 11 only extends so far that the compression spring does not block when the pressure piston position is compressed. The compression springs 12, adjusting screws 11 and adjusting window 5 with adjusting scale are matched to one another and calibrated in such a way that the rear edge of the adjusting screw visible through the adjusting window remains in the normal setting range in the range of the adjusting scale of the adjusting window.

In one embodiment for light drivers, such as children, the use of only one compression spring cylinder is possible, and weight and costs can be saved. This simpler embodiment is not shown in the drawing.

The holes 7 made in the circular arc in the plate 1 can be used to connect the plate to the device by means of rigid screwing, as is the case with many bindings common today. This rigid connection option can be of advantage for special purposes, such as extreme freestyle maneuvers on very short devices, with which the risk of injury is lower due to the system. The same holes 7 can also be used to screw a so-called soft buckle binding 23 for the use with après ski boots 22 to the plate instead of the sole holder bracket 3. These holes also help to reduce the weight of the panels.

Another possibility of establishing a rigid connection between plate 1 and device 10 is that the spiral springs 12 are replaced by rigid, cylindrical inserts, not shown here. If the adjusting screws 11 are now sufficiently tightened, the pressure pistons 13 can no longer spring back, as a result of which the plate is rigidly fixed.

10 shows a preferred pressure piston version with a front-mounted, mutually movable ball made of resistant material. The supporting rear part 25 comprises the ball with an undercut so that it cannot fall out, as is the case with a ballpoint pen tip. This ball reduces the coefficient of friction enormously.

Fig. 7 shows the horizontal cross-section at half height of an embodiment of the stub axle 2A with 2 separate recesses 15 offset at the cross. In this embodiment, the plate can either be in the so-called "regular" or "goofy" position, i.e. engage with the tips of your feet to the right or left without having to remount the stub axle.

12 and 13 show a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of the automatic braking device with double-sided brake lever 30, brake bracket 31, brake bracket holders 32, schematic representation of the binding plate 1 with shoe 33 mounted on the device 10. It can be seen here that the brake bracket at buckled on shoe and pressed flat by the heel when the binding is engaged,. so that the brake levers are laterally above the edge of the snowboard where they cannot touch the snow. The brake brackets are under spring tension, which bring the brake levers into the position 30A in the free state, ie when the shoe is not buckled up or when the plate together with the shoe is released, in which the ends of the brake levers extend below the tread such that the device is forced to age immediately. In the embodiment shown, the brake bracket 31 has an approximately semicircular arc shape, with the arc center in the middle of the associated binding. With this brake bracket shape, the plate 1 can be in various angular positions to the board, and even "Regular" or "Goofy"; can be engaged without having to change the braking mechanism. In addition, with this bracket shape, the plate can be easily snapped into place without the driver bending down and manually returning the brake lever to the operating position. For this purpose, the foot is guided with the longitudinal axis of the sole approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device via the stub axle 2, the heel of the shoe already coming to rest over the brake bracket 31. The brake bracket automatically lies flat when it is subsequently locked by turning. Instead of the automatic brake levers actuated by the heel of the shoe, a semi-automatic embodiment is also possible, in which the lever is brought into the normal position and locked in place. The driver carries a leash on the leg, the outer end of which can be connected to the brake bracket snap-in mechanism. If the foot loosens during a fall, the line tears open the brake bracket and the brake lever immediately goes to the braking position. Such an embodiment of the braking mechanism could be made more compact. The spring force required to operate the brake lever can either be from a Tension, compression or spiral spring not shown here are generated. However, the brake bracket preferably has an integral torsion suspension, as is the case with many ski brakes common today. This integral torsion suspension can work in such a way that, for example, the middle of the three brake bracket mounts 32 is mounted somewhat further forward on the device 10 than the two mounts on the edge. At the same time, the brake bracket is shaped in such a way that the brake levers are oriented approximately vertically downwards in the braking position in the unloaded state. If the brake bar is now pressed flat, there is an internal tensioning of the bar made of spring steel wire, which causes the brake levers to immediately turn to the braking position when the bar is released.

Countless test drives, in which well-known World Cup drivers have participated, have shown that the invention described here of a plate release binding for winter sports equipment works perfectly. With conventional as well as unusual falls, the feet immediately detached from the device, so that no injuries occurred. Even the riders, who were initially skeptical and did not believe in release bindings for snowboards, could be convinced of the usefulness. The test subjects particularly praised the simple, foolproof construction, which is even more compact and lighter than certain snowboard bindings without trigger functions. We also find it an advantage that the user is best able to adjust the setting hardness according to his needs, whereby he can always control the release force himself by tilting the foot out or turning it out. Since both bindings were triggered within a fraction of a second in the event of dangerous falls, all testers agree that forced simultaneous triggering, as was often required in the past, would not be necessary and would rather be undesirable because it was too complicated and unreliable. The user friendliness and safety are greatest in connection with the automatic braking mechanism. For example, you can only go safely to the chair or ski lift starting point with your front foot in the binding. Already while driving, or when arriving at the mountain, you simply turn your foot into the binding until it snaps into place and you are ready to start.

Thanks to the security guaranteed by this binding, another resistance barrier against snowboards will fall and the market for these new ones Enliven devices enormously. Sports retailers no longer need to be afraid of possible liability claims from injured customers, and parents no longer have to worry about buying a device for their children if it is fitted with the plate safety binding.

Owners of multiple devices that previously had large cash expenditures to equip each device with complete bindings can now save, because they now only need a pair of binding plates, even if they have a large number of devices. For each additional device, the user only has to purchase a set of base plates or stub axles at a low cost. As a result, he has security and comfort at lower costs than before without security. With unlatched binding plates, the devices can be stored and transported very space-saving, stacked flat on top of each other. While previously only a single device could be stowed in a carrier bag with mounted buckle bindings, now with the plate release binding according to the invention up to 6 devices can easily be stowed in a normal carrier bag, which competitors will certainly appreciate.

Due to the central mounting of the plate on the device, there is no tension due to rigid shoe soles and spaced-apart binding anchorages. The binding screws are not only less stressed by this, but also due to the fact that the release takes place before the screw pull-out force is reached. Should one of the bindings break out unexpectedly, the second binding will always disengage during the subsequent fall before excessive forces on the foot or leg can cause an injury.

This additional safety enables users to perform even more daring maneuvers without fear of leg injuries. This will also give the sport an additional boost.

Claims (9)

1. A plate-type release binding for snowboards, equipped with a mobile plate having attachment means for a boot and a coupling mechanism connectable with an anchoring device attachable onto the snowboard and releasable from it before injury-inducing forces are reached, whereby the binding is equipped with a single central hub (2) of principally circular outline containing recesses (15) along its periphery for the connection with engagement devices, said hub being firmly mountable onto the snowboard in any desirable angle position and serving at the same time as a central anchoring element as well as a central rotational, pivoting and guiding axle for the multi-directional turning, tilting and lifting movements of the plate (1) and, said plate (1) being provided with enlargements along its sides that exceed the width of the boot soles to be connected with it, and with devices for the engangement, holding and disengagement from the hub (2), at least consisting of a pressure spring with adjustable spring pressure (12) with a pressure piston (13) pointing towards the center of the plate and protruding into a vertical, through-going center-bore (27) of the plate, whereby the hub (2) is surrounded by the vertical central bore (27) without any radial play when the plate is engaged and each pressure piston (13) is lodged in a lateral recess (15), whose contours run at a widening angle from the narrow bottom upwards to its rim, so that the plate is connected tightly with the device in the desired position under normal use, but will immediately release upon exceeding the desired pre-set forces in any of the normally occuring torsion, pivoting and lifting forces in any dirction by forcing the pressure pistons to move away from the center by the sloped contours of the recesses in the hub against the compressing springs.
2. A plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1, wherein the hub (2) is equipped with segment-shaped cut-outs (10) next to the recesses (15) along the hub's outline for easier entry.
3. A plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein the hub (12) is firmly connectable in any desirable angle position with the device via a base plate (14) which is firmly mountable thereupon by means of a single vertical quick-attachment central screw (9) and wherein the contact surfaces of the hub and the base plate are equipped with mutually corresponding cogs.
4. Plate-type relaease binding for snowboards, as defined in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the plate (1) is adjustable.
5. Plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1, wherein the plate (1) is equipped with two separate pressure springs (12) and pressure pistons (13), positioned horizontally along the longitudinal center-axis of the plate in opposing direction.
6. Plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1, wherein each pressure piston (13) is equipped with a freely rotating bell (24) made from abrasion resistent and pressure-proof material.
7. Plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1, wherein the plate (1) is designed in such a way that it can either be used in combination with sole bail attachment devices for ski-type boots with standard sole ends, or in combination with a so-called freestyle buckle binding for hiking or after-ski type boots.
8. Plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1, with sole bails (3) for ski boots with standardized sole-ends, wherein the side flanges of the plate-ends are equipped with horizontal grooves (17), in which the horizontally angled-off bottom-ends of the sole-bails are anchored in longitudinally adjustable fashion, said sole-bail bottom-ends passing through openings in the side-flanges of inverted U-shaped brackets with counter-teeth (8A) that are engageable in teeth (8) on top of the plate for adjustment of the binding to the boot sole length by lifting the top of the bracket, shifting it to the desired location and locking it there by lowering until the teeth engage.
9. Plate-type release binding for snowboards, as defined in claim 1, wherein the underside of the plate (1) is beveled at least from the center towards one side, permitting the binding plate to pivot within a limited range sideways around the longitudinal axis of the pressure piston (13) in relation to the top surface of the device (10) for obtaining an improved foot position.

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