EP1393783A1 - Fixation on the frontside for a sportarticle - Google Patents

Abstract

The front binding (1) for a snowboard has two jaws (5a,b) to retain a boot vertically and laterally. The jaws are mounted on a carriage (4) movable between end positions in which the boot can be released by tilting of one or other of the jaws. The carriage is returned to an intermediate position by a spring. The tilting axes of the jaws are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the binding.

Description

The present invention relates to a front attachment gliding apparatus defined in accordance with the preamble to claim 1.

Sliding sports involve constraints contradictory concerning the structure of the shoes. On the one hand, they must have elements rigid ones allowing the user to guide precise gliding gear and feel the answer of the craft to his solicitations. On the other hand, they must have flexible elements ensuring the comfort of the user.

For the practice of sliding sports such as surfing snow, in which one can bind the shoe to the machine sliding by straps, it is possible to realize soft shoe soles to improve the walking comfort of the user. Such soles allow for shock absorption due to contact with the shoe with the ground during each step. They further facilitate the grip of the shoe on the ground by their deformation.

When shoes are related to sports gear slip from the front and back of the sole like this is the case with traditional ski bindings alpine, the sole must be rigid. To improve the comfort of walking, it is known to bring back to the front and at the back of the sole of the elements reported in flexible material. However, the standard defining the characteristics to which the shoes for these traditional bindings imposes the presence, at the front and back of these insoles, of areas with high hardness and low coefficient of friction with the fixation so to allow a good boot of the fixation as well that a good release of the shoe in case of fall.

Patents FR 2 788 443 and FR 2 418 657, it is known a snowboard binding comprising basically a frame attached to the board of slips and two jaws retaining the shoe having the form of levers articulated around axes longitudinal and each recalled in one position of balance now a shoe on the board of slips. These levers penetrate into housing made on both sides of the sole of the shoe. A lever allows to act on both lateral jaws against the action of a spring so to allow voluntary heaving. The jaws restraint and housing made in the sole of the shoe have forms allowing the heaving during a fall forward, a fall in back or torsion of the foot.

These achievements reduce the length of the sole of the shoe that no longer needs to standardized sidewalks at the rear and thus facilitate walk. They allow, moreover, the realization of a sole composed mainly of soft materials and having a shape facilitating the unfolding of the foot when walking.

Thanks to such systems, it is no longer necessary to arrange between the upper surface of the board of slips and the sole of the shoe, a hold improving skiing with skis parabolic. Indeed, the springs and others components necessary for the operation of these bindings are placed under the sole of the shoe and raise it significantly compared to the upper surface of the gliding board.

From US Patent 4,930,802, there is known a front fixing downhill ski with two arms intended to come in support on the sidewalk before the sole of a standardized ski boot so as to retain it vertically and laterally. Both arms are articulated around vertical axes and pivot, in certain conditions around these to leave escape the shoe in case of fall. These two arms are linked to a truck that can move according to a circular translational motion between two extreme positions in which the right arm or left arm is allowed to rotate to release the shoe. The cart is recalled by a means elastic in an intermediate position between these two extreme positions in which the pivoting of arm is forbidden.

These fasteners have disadvantages. The security release of the first two fixings is done through the cooperation of slopes made in the sole of the shoe and on the binding. The hills performed in the soles of the shoes are exposed to external aggressions that risk damage or alter their surface condition and modify the trigger stiffness.

The last attachment is designed to work with shoes with standardized soles. They do not therefore allow very little modification forms and materials to improve walking comfort.

The object of the invention is to provide a fixation before gliding gear improving the bindings before existing and overcoming the disadvantages previously cited. In particular, the invention proposes to make a binding before gliding gear to retain a shoe with a sole facilitating the walk of its user.

The front attachment of gliding apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the tilting axes of the jaws are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fixation.

Indeed, such jaws can retain the front of the shoe on these sides and realize foot soles of which the front part is no standardized and facilitates, because of its geometry, the walk.

Dependent claims 2 to 11 define different modes of execution of the fixation.

The appended drawing represents, as an example not limiting, an embodiment of the front binding according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the attachment before according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front fixing according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the front fixing according to the plane III-III of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the trolley of the fixing according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the piston of the fixing according to the invention.

Figure 6 is a top view of the attachment shown without the chassis.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the fixation according to plane VII-VII of FIG. carriage in its intermediate position.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. carriage being represented in one of these positions extremes.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. carriage being represented in one of its positions extremes.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9, one jaws being shown tilted.

Figure 11 is a sectional view similar to the figure 3, the carriage being shown rotated in the case of a fall back.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the attachment before retaining a shoe.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the fixation and footwear according to plan XIII-XIII of Figure 12.

The front binding 1 alpine ski shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is intended to be fixed on a ski not shown and to cooperate with a rear attachment such as a traditional heel binding for tie this one to a shoe. It must, for therefore, hold the front of the shoe vertically, laterally and constitute an abutment before for the shoe.

The front attachment 1 mainly comprises a chassis 2 in which is mounted transversely a trolley 4 carrying jaws 5a and 5b coming to rely on forms laid out in the sole of the shoe to hold it. As represented in Figure 10, these jaws can rock respectively around horizontal axes 32a and 32b to release the shoe when the cart reaches one or the other of its extreme positions. As shown in Figure 11, the carriage 4 is hinged around a transverse axis 35 to release the shoe when the front of it is lifted when a fall back.

As shown in Figure 6, at the front end of the attachment 1, two arms 6a and 6b symmetrical by relative to the longitudinal axis of the ski are articulated on the frame 2 around two vertical axes 34a and 34b. These two arms are articulated at their other ends on a support 11 around two axes 33a and 33b vertical and symmetrical with respect to the axis of the ski. These two arms are careened by a front cover 12.

The carriage 4 is connected to this support 11 around the axis 35. The assembly consisting of the support 11 and of the carriage 4 is mobile with respect to the chassis 2 or skiing in a circular translational motion which we will assimilate given the small amplitude of this movement during the trigger operation of the attachment to a transverse translation movement.

The arms 5a and 5b are articulated on the carriage 4 around the longitudinal axes 32a and 32b so as to what when switching them to release the shoe these can fade completely that is to say that they can be located entirely below the upper surface of the chassis 2.

A rocker 7 is articulated on the carriage 4 around axis 31 between the axes of articulation of the jaws. It comprises convex stops 41a and 41b having the shape of cylindrical surfaces of axis 31 cooperating with the ends 40a and 40b jaws having concave complementary surfaces to prohibit their tipping and to allow the tilting of the tipper, when the carriage 4 is in its intermediate position shown in Figure 7.

The jaws 5a and 5b respectively have cylindrical convex surfaces 42a and 42b of axis 32a and 32b cooperating with surfaces 43a and 43b concave Complements made on the rocker 7 for allow tilting of the jaws 5a and 5b when it is tilted.

The rocker still has two lower legs 9a and 9b cooperating with a stop 8 secured to the frame 2.

The carriage 4 has in its rear part a male vee made by two slopes 20a and 20b cooperating with a vee female made by two slopes 21a and 21b made on the front part of a piston 3 movable in translation in a guide 30 made in the frame 2. These two presented, respectively, in the sense of their axis, a draft and an undercut complementary. The piston 3 has a section substantially rectangular allowing him to translate in the guide 30 having a section complementary. The piston is subjected to the action of two compression springs 16a and 16b, acts against the trolley 4 and allows to recall by the induced contact forces of the piston 3 on the carriage 4, the latter in its intermediate position shown in Figure 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the two springs 16a and 16b rest on a stop 13 whose position axial can be adjusted by positioning transverse of a wedge 14 that can be moved by a screw 15 in pivot connection with frame 2 and screwed in the corner 14. The different positions that can occupy this stop 13 can adjust the stiffness triggering safety of the fastener.

A wafer 50 having a low coefficient of rubbing with the sole of the shoe is fixed on the upper face of the frame of the binding. This allows to ensure a boot and a quality heaving.

In the case of safety triggering of the fastener by twisting the foot relative to the ski around the axis of the leg, the front end of the shoe 60 is move laterally by sliding on the wafer 50. This movement causes, as shown in FIG. 8, moving the support assembly 11, carriage 4 and jaws 5a and 5b by the action of the shoe 60 on the jaws 5a and 5b. This displacement is done against the action of the piston 3 on the carriage 4 which, subject to the forces of the springs 16a and 16b, exercise a contact action of its face 21b on the face 20b of the trolley tending to bring the trolley back into its intermediate position shown in Figures 1 and 6. The transverse displacement of the carriage 4 with respect to frame 2 drives that of the rocker 7 relative to the chassis 2.

Taking the example of a twist tending to apply the front of the shoe against the jaw 5a, a little before the arrival of the carriage 4 in the extreme position, the lower flap 9b of the rocker 7 comes into contact with the stop 8 of the frame 2 and the other leg 9a of the tilter 7 comes next to a notch 10a made in the lower wall of the chassis 2 which has for consequence the tilting of the rocker around its axis 31.

The convex stop 41a of the rocker slides against the concave complementary surface 40a of the jaw 5a until they are no longer in touch and allow rotation of the jaw 5a. In this moment, the jaw 5a under the action of the shoe 60, tilts about its axis 32a as shown in FIG. figure 10. This jaw will completely fade, that is to say, pass below the upper surface of the frame 2, so as to release the shoe.

Once the shoe is released, the jaw 5a is recalled, either by a suitable shape of the surface 43a or by a spring not shown, in its position of restraint of the shoe. The carriage 4 is driven towards its intermediate position under the action of the piston 3 and the tab 9a, abutting against the end of the notch 10a, returns the rocker 7 in its position of origin shown in Figure 7. The attachment is then again ready to receive a shoe.

In the case of safety triggering of the fastener in the rear fall, the front of the shoe 60 is raises. This rotation movement is against the action of the piston 3 on the carriage 4 which, subject to efforts of the springs 16a and 16b, exerts an action of contact of its faces 21a and 21b on the faces 20a and 20b of the cart, which tends to bring back the cart in its stable position shown in Figures 1 and 3.

As soon as the carriage has rotated around the corner from its axis 35, the jaws come out of their shapes complementary 61a and 61b performed on both sides of the shoe in the sole.

As soon as the shoe is released, the carriage 4 is recalled in its stable position by the action of the piston 3 on this one and the fixation is then again ready to receive a shoe.

In a variant of the embodiment previously described, the support 11 is in sliding connection on the chassis 2. This slide connection can be realized thanks to two complementary forms in dovetail transverse axis to the fixation.

We can still consider linking the carriage and a blade transverse axis pivot connection, the blade being itself in pivot connection with the chassis 2 around a vertical axis sufficiently far from the jaws for the movement of the cart between its two extreme positions can be likened to a translation or the movement that the front of the shoe compared to the ski when triggered in torsion.

It is possible to make slopes 20a and 20b on the carriage 4 and complementary slopes 21a and 21b on the piston 3 that are not symmetrical so as to obtain trigger stiffness of fixation different depending on whether the twist is towards inside or outside the foot.

Triggering of the fixation before torsion or falling back against the action of the same elastic means, it is necessary to choose the value of the slopes and strains of the piston and the cart to get a good stiffness ratio of trigger.

The heaving of the ski during a fall before by the safety release of the rear attachment which can consist of a traditional heel.

Claims (11)

Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus comprising two jaws (5a, 5b) holding vertically and laterally a shoe (60) by their actions on the sole of the shoe, articulated on a carriage (4) movable in translation between two positions extremes in which the action of the carriage (4) on exhaust means (7, 8) causes the release of the shoe by tilting of one or other of the jaws (5a, 5b), the carriage (4 ) being biased into an intermediate position by an elastic means (16a, 16b), characterized in that the tilting axes (32a, 32b) of the jaws (5a, 5b) are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fastener. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it has two arms (6a, 6b) each articulated at one of its ends to a frame (2) and each hinged to the another of its ends to a support (11) to which is connected the carriage (4), the four joints at the ends of the arms (6a, 6b) forming a parallelogram. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriage is connected to a blade itself hinged to the frame about a vertical axis located at the rear of the binding. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriage and the frame are connected by a sliding link axis transverse to the attachment. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the exhaust means comprise a rocker (7) pivotally connected relative to the carriage (4) and having an angular position prohibiting the tilting of the two jaws (5a, 5b), an angular position for tilting of the single right jaw (5b) and an angular position for tilting of the only left jaw (5a). Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carriage (4) has slopes (20a, 20b) cooperating with the slopes (21a, 21b) of a piston (3 ) subjected to the action of an elastic means (16a, 16b) for biasing the carriage (4) in its intermediate position. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the slopes (20a, 20b) of the carriage (4) and the complementary slopes (21a, 21b) of the piston (3) are not symmetrical. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the carriage (4) pivots against the action of an elastic means (16a, 16b) about an axis ( 35) transverse to the binding, located in front of the jaws (5a, 5b) to allow the shoe (60) to escape from the jaws (5a, 5b) when the front of the shoe (60) is lifted. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the carriage (4) has slopes (20a, 20b) cooperating with the slopes (21a, 21b) of a piston (3) subjected to the action of an elastic means (16a, 16b) for biasing the carriage (4) to its intermediate position. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the slopes (20a, 20b) of the carriage (4) and the complementary slopes (21a, 21b) of the piston (3) are not symmetrical. Attachment (1) before gliding apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the piston (3) and the carriage (4) have complementary strokes for the action of the elastic means (16a, 16b) on the piston (3) allows to recall the carriage (4) around the transverse axis (35) in a position maintaining the shoe (60).

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