EP3219368B1 - Front unit for a slide board - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a front unit for a gliding board, in particular a touring ski binding, comprising a base member having a bottom portion and having first and second holding portions for holding a gliding board shoe, at a transition from a holding condition in which the gliding board shoe is engaged by the holding portions is held in a release state in which the sliding board shoe is released or insertion of the sliding board shoe is allowed, the first and second holding portions perform relative to each other a pivoting movement.

In the case of front units of this type, a bearing arrangement is usually provided on the holding sections in order to rotatably support a sliding board shoe on the front unit about an axis running transversely to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. A joint arrangement arranged between the holding sections is arranged to adjust the binding between the holding state and the release state. In many cases, the hinge assembly couples to a relatively strong spring assembly to provide a front end release function and / or closing function. However, such spring arrangements usually have a high weight.

From the FR 2 945 185 a front unit is known with relatively low weight, in which the bottom portion and the two holding portions are formed as elements of a continuous or integral U-shaped bracket, being dispensed with a hinge assembly. For embarking and disembarking as well as for a safety release of the binding, the holding sections are spread elastically with respect to the bottom section. This However, elastic bending of the bracket is associated with relatively high power, so that the ease of use is severely limited. Furthermore, the describes DE 10 2014 000 298 A1 a front unit for a gliding board according to the preamble of claim 1.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight front unit for a sliding board with increased ease of use and / or to provide a front unit for a gliding board which has a light weight with increased safety.

According to a first aspect, this object is achieved by a front unit according to claim 1.

According to the invention, a joint arrangement with a first joint and a second joint is provided, the spacing of which changes when the front unit is adjusted between the holding state and the release state. Since the two joints are respectively connected to the holding portions, the holding portions are moved apart or approximated by the joints. Depending on the choice of leverage ratios or ratios in the joint assembly a comfortable adjustment of the front unit is possible in this way. Joints, in contrast to cam mechanisms, also require little maintenance and are reliable even in difficult external conditions such as moisture and ice. The first holding portion is connected to the bottom portion via a first solid-body joint and / or the second holding portion is connected to the bottom portion via a second solid-body joint. Solid joints are not only of relatively low weight but also Insensitive to snow and ice deposits, so that the safety and functionality of the front unit is increased.

Characterized in that the bottom portion, the first holding portion and the second holding portion are formed as portions of an integral bracket of the base member, a simple structure is realized and weight is saved. Thus, the bottom portion, the first holding portion and the second holding portion may be formed, for example, of a bent integral sheet metal element.

The front unit may comprise an actuating element, which preferably acts on the third joint via a fourth joint optionally designed as a ball joint. In this case, a user can comfortably influence a movement of the joint arrangement and thus of the front unit via the actuating element.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the front unit may comprise a locking element pivotally mounted on the actuating element, by means of which a transition from the holding state to the release state is prevented in a locking state of the front unit. This prevents unintentional opening of the front unit during sporty driving or ascent in the event of a touring binding.

Advantageously, the front unit further comprises a bearing assembly adapted to hold a sliding board shoe on the front unit and comprising a first bearing member attached to the first retaining portion and a second bearing member attached to the second retaining portion, each of the first and second bearing elements is arranged to be in a holding state of the front unit with a sliding board shoe in contact. In particular, the bearing elements are left and right pins, which can engage in corresponding left and right bearing openings in the front region of a touring ski boot to pivotally mount the touring ski boot. Accordingly, the bearing arrangement can be adapted to pivotally hold a touring ski boot about a shoe transverse axis extending transversely to a shoe longitudinal axis. As a result, the front unit is particularly suitable for use in a touring binding.

According to a second, non-inventive aspect, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a front unit for a gliding board comprising a base member having a bottom portion and first and second holding portions for holding a gliding board shoe, the first holding portion being connected to the bottom portion via a first Joint is connected and the second holding portion is connected to the bottom portion via a second joint, wherein a main pivot axis of the first joint and a main pivot axis of the second joint intersect at a pivot axis intersection. The holding portions are rotatable in this aspect about main pivot axes, which do not run parallel to each other. This allows an increase in the design freedom for the design of the front unit and in particular an adaptation of the shape and movement of the holding portions to the shape of a front portion of a shoe. In particular, the pivot axis intersection point on the shoe longitudinal axis can lie in the direction of travel in front of the front unit, so that the holding sections can simulate the forward narrowing shape of the shoe.

It should be noted that the hinges of the front unit of the second aspect, hinges or pivot bearing with each other sliding or rolling bearing surfaces, for. As hinges or pin bearings etc, but may also be formed by solid joints or bending sections, where a material portion which connects the bottom portion with the respective holding portion, is elastically bent. A main pivot axis of the joint is defined by the pivoting movement between the holding section and the bottom section and does not have to be in the material of the front unit.

Preferably, a front unit of the second aspect comprises a hinge assembly which engages the first and second holding portions for displacing the holding portions between a holding state for holding a sliding board shoe and a release state for releasing the sliding board shoe, wherein at least one main pivot axis of the hinge assembly also passes through the pivot axis intersection Main pivot axes of the two steered the base section runs. It has been shown that in such a construction, in spite of the non-parallel course of the main pivot axes, a simple, pinch-free mechanism for adjusting the front unit can be realized, which manages without compensating elements. In particular, further, if the first joint and the second joint of the base member and all joints of the joint assembly are formed as pure hinges with only one rotational degree of freedom and translational degrees of freedom, so a gear assembly is realized with inevitability, that is, a mechanism having a plurality of joints, in which the movement of a joint forces a clearly defined movement of every other joint.

According to a third aspect not according to the invention, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a front panel for a gliding board comprising a base member having a bottom portion and a left holding portion and a right holding portion for holding a gliding board shoe, the holding portions being made of an elastically deformable plate material, in particular a metal sheet, are formed whose plate planes form lateral surface portions of a common versatile pyramid. It has been found that by orienting the plate surfaces along a common pyramid according to the third aspect, torsion in the base element as well as within the holding sections can be minimized when using the front unit and a force or load introduced thereby by the shoe into the front unit. The required stability of the front unit can thus be ensured even when using lighter constructions or materials (for example, relatively thin plates), so that the weight of the front unit can be reduced.

Advantageously, the aspects one, two and three can be combined as desired. For example, in a front unit according to the second aspect and the third aspect, it may be provided that the tip of the pyramid lies in the pivot axis intersection. In this way, not only the joint movements but also the distortions or bends of the base element occurring during loading become part of an inevitable movement mechanism. In particular, the additional effect has been observed that under mechanical loading input from the shoe into the front unit and acting on the holding portions, stress on the hinge assembly and torsion of the holding portions can be reduced. The front unit can thus also in use lighter materials ensure a defined shape and thus a reliable function.

In front units of the above-described aspects one to three, preferably, the bottom portion and the two holding portions form portions of an integral U-shaped bracket, the holding portions forming the legs of the U-shape and the bottom portion connecting the two holding portions. This version is particularly simple and weight-saving and thus particularly suitable for touring racing.

According to a fourth, not inventive aspect, which is arbitrarily combinable with the above-described aspects one to three, a front unit for touring binding is provided, which comprises a left holding portion, a right holding portion, an actuating element and a locking element, wherein the two holding portions Actuation of the actuator is adjustable between a holding state in which the two holding portions pivotally hold a sliding board shoe about a transverse axis transverse to a transverse axis transverse to the touring binding, and a release state in which the sliding board shoe is released or insertion of the sliding board shoe is allowed, wherein the Locking element is adjustable between a dearretierstellung in which the actuating movement of the actuating element is permitted, and a locking position in which the actuating movement is blocked or obstructed, wherein the Arret ierelement under bias of an elastic device, in particular a spring, is pivotally mounted on the actuating element, and wherein the locking element in its movement between the locking position and Dearretierstellung passes through a dead center of the elastic device in which the elastic restoring force of the elastic device occupies a local maximum, so that the elastic device depending on its rotational position always pushes the locking element away from the dead center and either to the locking position or towards the Dearretierstellung. In such a binding, the locking element has two stable, spring-biased positions, so that the operation of the locking element is facilitated. The elastic means may be formed by a knee joint assembly which assumes a dead center position when three hinges lie on a common line. Alternatively, the resilient means may comprise a spring biased cam mechanism, in particular a spring biased ball which rolls on or slides off a cam, the cam having a dead center defining projection or apex facing the ball.

• Fig. 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Vordereinheit als eine Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung in einer Freigabestellung;
• Fig. 2 eine perspektivische Ansicht der Vordereinheit aus Fig. 1 in einer Eingriffsstellung;
• Fig. 3 eine Schnittdarstellung der Vordereinheit aus Fig. 1 parallel zu einer Gleitachsenlängsebene in einer Arretierungsstellung;
• Fig. 4 eine Schnittdarstellung der Vordereinheit aus Fig. 1 parallel zu einer Gleitachsenlängsebene in der Eingriffsstellung;
• Fig. 5 eine Schnittdarstellung der Vordereinheit aus Fig. 1 in der Freigabestellung;
• Fig. 6 eine perspektivische Ansicht der Vordereinheit aus Fig. 1 und
• Fig. 7a und 7b eine Ansicht gemäß Fig. 4 und eine Vergrößerung eines Bereichs X daraus.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

• Fig. 1 a perspective view of a front unit as an embodiment of the present invention in a release position;
• Fig. 2 a perspective view of the front unit Fig. 1 in an engaged position;
• Fig. 3 a sectional view of the front unit Fig. 1 parallel to a Gleitachsenlängsebene in a locking position;
• Fig. 4 a sectional view of the front unit Fig. 1 parallel to a Gleitachsenlängsebene in the engaged position;
• Fig. 5 a sectional view of the front unit Fig. 1 in the release position;
• Fig. 6 a perspective view of the front unit Fig. 1 and
• Fig. 7a and 7b a view according to Fig. 4 and an enlargement of an area X therefrom.

Figures 1 and 2 show a front unit 2 for a sliding board S, which is preferably symmetrical to a vertical axis of symmetry L '(indicated in FIG Fig. 1 by dash-dot lines), which contains a shoe longitudinal axis L. Due to this symmetry, the following description focuses in many aspects on one side of the front unit 2, wherein the corresponding elements on the other side may be formed symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry L 'and with the same functions and features. Reference numerals of elements or Portions which are substantially symmetrical with respect to the plane of symmetry L 'are distinguished by the additions "1" and "r".

The front unit 2 comprises a base member 4 having a bottom portion 6, a first holding portion 8l and a second holding portion 8r. The base member 4 may have openings 56 for receiving screws for attachment to a sliding board S. The front unit can be attached to a gliding board at a desired position and in the desired orientation so that, for example, the longitudinal axis of the school L coincides with a sliding board longitudinal axis or forms an angle with the gliding board longitudinal axis.

The first holding portion 8l and the second holding portion 8r project in an assembled state of the front unit 2, preferably from a ski surface SO of the ski S upwards. The first holding portion 8l is connected to the bottom portion 6 via a first solid joint 24l (bending portion), and the second holding portion 8r is connected to the bottom portion 6 via a second solid joint 24r (bending portion). First solid-state joint 24l and second solid-state joint 24r are preferably formed substantially symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry L '. According to the invention, the first holding portion 8l, the second holding portion 8r and the bottom portion 6 are formed as portions of an integral or integral U-shaped bracket 26, in particular a metal sheet or a plastic molded part.

As in Fig. 6 illustrated, the outer and / or inner surfaces of the first holding portion 8l, the second holding portion 8r and the bottom portion 6 advantageously part surfaces of a lateral surface of a versatile pyramid with a pyramid tip P 'form. Preferably, the pyramid tip P 'is located in the plane of symmetry L', in particular on the shoe longitudinal axis L. Thus, the pyramid tip P 'in front of the front unit in the direction of sliding front longitudinal direction L (direction of travel) in a state of the front unit attached as intended on a sliding board.

The base element 4 may have at least one kink in the region of the solid-state hinges 24l, 24r. In the exemplary embodiment, two kinks, ie a total of four kinks 28-1l, 28-2l, 28-1r, 28-2r are provided in the region of each solid-body joint, through which the stirrup receives its U-shape. It can be seen that the kinks 28-11, 28-2l, 28-1r, 28-2r extend along edges of a pyramid with pyramid tip P 'already described above.

About the solid state joints 24l, 24r, the first holding portion 8l and the second holding portion 8r relative to each other perform a pivotal movement which is substantially transverse to the shoe longitudinal axis L and the plane of symmetry L '. The kinks can be weakened in a variant of the invention by, for example, in this area a thinner or more elastic material is selected. In this way, the kinks are at the same time main axes of movement of the solid joints 24l, 24r.

More generally, it has been recognized within the scope of this invention that shear forces in the front unit 2, and in particular in the first holding portion 8l and the second holding portion 8r, can be minimized if at least one main pivot axis of the solid-state hinges 24l, 24r pass through a pivot axis intersection point P and thus intersect there , The Pivot axis intersection point P may coincide with the pyramid tip P 'already described and in particular be arranged in front of the front unit 2. Under a main pivot axis of a solid-state joint while axes are considered, for which applies that a pivoting movement of the attached to the solid-state joint parts can be well approximated at least over portions of the pivoting movement by a rotational movement about this main pivot axis. In the present embodiment, the first solid-state articulation 24l has two main pivot axes H1l, H2l, the course of the main pivot axis H1l substantially coinciding with the course of the kink point 28-1l and the course of the main pivot axis H2l substantially coinciding with the course of the kink point 28-2l , However, the first solid-state joint 24l may also have only one main pivot axis.

Between the holding portions 8l and 8r, a hinge assembly 10 is provided which controls the pivotal movement of the holding portions 8l and 8r relative to each other. The hinge assembly includes a first hinge 12l, a second hinge 12r and a third hinge 14. The first hinge 12l holds a first strut 34l (FIG. FIG. 2 ) rotatably on the first holding portion 8l. The second hinge 12r rotatably supports a second stay 34r on the second holding portion 8r. The third hinge 14 directly couples the first strut 34l (as shown) or indirectly to the second strut 34r so that the first strut 34l and the second strut 34r are rotatable relative to each other.

The joints 12l, 12r and 14 are preferably pure hinges, thus allowing between the respective coupled elements only a rotational movement about a single axis of rotation. For example, hinges Bl, Br, however, it is also possible to use solid-state joints (bending joints).

It has been found that a torsional load of the holding portions 8l, 8r can be further reduced if at least one main pivot axis of the hinge assembly 10 also passes through the pivot axis intersection point P. In particular, the axes of rotation of the joints 12l, 12r and 14 respectively form main pivot axes of the joint arrangement 10. Preferably, the main pivot axis Hl of the first articulation 12l, the main pivot axis Hr of the second articulation 12r and the main pivot axis Hm of the third articulation 14 run through the point P.

Preferably, the struts 34l, 34r are generally plate-shaped and oriented such that their plate planes also pass through the point P.

In the illustrated embodiment, in particular, the first hinge 12l is attached to the first holding portion 8l via a first plate 16l and screws 18, and the second hinge 12r is attached to the second holding portion 8r via a second plate 16r and screws 18.

The hinge assembly 10 forms a knee joint assembly. In particular, the third joint 14 between the first joint 12l and the second joint 12r is preferably arranged such that the third joint 14 can move up and down in the vertical direction, with respect to a horizontal connecting line G which connects the first joint 12l to the first joint 12l second joint 12r connects (more specifically, the line G connects the pivot points 12dl, 12dr of the respective joints). When the third joint 14 approaches the connecting line G, the distance between the first and second increases exponentially Joint 12l and the second joint 12r and the holding portions 8l, 8r are spread apart against the elastic restoring force of the base member 4.

The front unit 2 further comprises a bearing assembly 20 with a first bearing element 22l and a second bearing element 22r. The bearing elements 22l, 22r may be formed as a pin, which in an opening of a sliding board shoe (for example, a touring ski boot) can engage to keep the sliding board shoe about a transverse to the shoe longitudinal axis L axis of rotation Q pivotally mounted on the front unit 2 and so a walking movement enable.

An actuating element 30 engages on the third joint 14 via a fourth joint 29 (see FIG FIGS. 3, 4 ), which is pivotally mounted on a bearing portion 32l, 32r about an axis transverse to the shoe longitudinal axis L axis 33. The vertical movement of the third joint 14 is thus coupled to a pivoting movement of the actuating element 30. The fourth hinge 29 is preferably a combination of a pivot bearing and a linear guide and has, for example, a ball head (at 29) and a cylindrical receptacle (at 14), wherein the ball head in the receptacle both pivotable and along the cylinder axis of the receptacle is displaceable. As such a combination bearing, the fourth hinge 29 allows the pivoting movement of the operating member to be translated into a linear upward and downward movement of the third hinge 14.

Is the actuator 30 in the in FIGS. 2 to 4 shown position, so is the third joint 14 below the line G and the Retaining portions 8l, 8r are approximated so that they can hold a sliding board shoe in engagement. This corresponds to an engagement position of the front unit (holding state in the sense of the claims). Depending on the exact distance of the engagement holes of the shoe and possibly located in the engagement holes of the shoe deposits the third joint will rest on the base member 4 in the engaged position or have a certain distance from this.

If the actuator 30 in the in FIGS. 1 and 5 pivoted position shown, third joint 14 is moved upward and the joints 12l, 12r are pressed apart via the struts 34l, 34r of the hinge assembly 10. Accordingly, the holding portions 8l, 8r spread apart and the front unit is moved to a release position in which it releases the sliding board shoe or allows entry into the front unit (release state in the sense of the claims).

Preferably, a transition between engagement position and release position is accompanied by a dead center passage of the third joint 14 through the connecting line G. At the same time, the two holding sections 8l, 8r are elastically biased toward one another by the solid-body joints so that the third joint 14 approaches the dead center position G against the elastic restoring force of the base element 4. Accordingly, both engagement position and release position are favored by the elastic restoring force of the base member 4 and form stable settings of the front unit.

The front unit further comprises a locking element 36 for locking or locking the actuating element 30 in the engaged position. The Locking element 36 is in particular pivotally held on a pivot axis 38 on the actuating element 30, wherein the pivot axis 38 may be located on a third hinge 14 and the fourth hinge 29 opposite end of the actuating element 30. About the pivot axis 38, the locking member 36 is pivotally mounted between a in FIG. 4 shown dearretierstellung, in which the locking element 36 releases a movement of the actuating element 30, and one in FIG. 3 shown locking position in which the locking member 36 blocks a movement of the actuating element 30 from the engaged position to the open position of the touring binding. For this purpose, a blocking portion 52 of the arresting element 36 facing away from the pivot axis 38 can abut against a locking portion 40 which is provided on a part of the front unit which is fixed to the sliding board, for example on the base element 4.

Since a movement of the actuating element 30 is locked in the release position in the locked position, an inadvertent opening of the front unit is avoided. Such locking is advantageous for ascent, that is, in the walking mode of binding for avoidance of false triggering. The locking element 36 preferably has a manual operating section 54 in the form of a lever for easy manual operation.

The locking portion 40 and the blocking portion 52 preferably form a cam mechanism, which is set up so that upon movement of the locking member 36 toward the locking position, the locking portion 40 and blocking portion 52 not only come into contact with each other but slide against each other while the actuator 30 in the direction Engagement position is rotated. In this way, an additional elastic bias in the direction of engagement on the Bearing elements 22l, 22r are applied to compensate for wear and shoe tolerances.

The pivotal movement of the locking member 36 about the axis of rotation 38 may be to improve the operating safety and ease of use under the bias of a spring 42, so that both the locking position and the Dearretierstellung of the locking member 36 supported by the spring 42 are stable positions in which the locking element 36 is pressed by the force of the spring 42 against respective rotation stops. In the locked position, this rotation stop is realized by the stop of the blocking portion 52 of the locking element 36 on the locking portion 40. In the Dearretierstellung the rotational stop between the locking element 36 and actuator 30 is provided, in particular by a projection 51 of the locking member 36 which abuts on the actuating element 30.

When the locking element 36 is rotated between the two states, the locking element 36 preferably passes through a dead center position which is unstable or indifferent with respect to the two directions of rotation, in which the compression of the spring 42 reaches a local maximum. Thus, the spring 42 urges the locking element 36, starting from the dead center in each case in the direction of one of the two rotation stops.

Details of a possible implementation variant of the coupling between locking element 36 and actuating element 30 are in FIGS. 7a and 7b shown. The spring 42 is supported at one end on a first spring bearing 44 on the locking element 36 and from the other end to a second spring bearing 46 on the actuating element 30 from. The positions of Spring bearings 44, 46 are selected such that the first spring bearing 44 is located above an imaginary connecting line between the locking element rotation axis 38 and the second spring bearing 46 when the locking element 36 is in the dearretierstellung ( Fig. 4 ), and that the first spring bearing 44, however, is below this imaginary connecting line when the locking member 36 is pivoted into the locking position ( Fig. 3 ). Between locking position and Dearretierstellung then the already mentioned dead center, in which axis of rotation 38, first spring bearing 44 and second spring bearing 46 are all on the designated connecting line and thus a distance between the spring bearings 44 and 46 is the lowest and the spring 42 is most compressed ,

The spring 42 is in the illustrated variant a coil spring and is preferably supported by a pin 48 which is inserted axially into the spring 42 and which is held in the first spring bearing 44 about a rotation axis 50 pivotally mounted on the locking member 36. At its end facing away from the first spring bearing 44, the pin 48 is axially displaceable inserted into a matching opening 52 of a cylindrical or spherical bearing body 54, which belongs to the second spring bearing 46. The bearing body 54 is itself in turn inserted into a matching cylinder-pan-shaped or ball socket-shaped recess 56 of the actuating element 30, so that the bearing body 54 is rotatably mounted on the actuating element 30 about a rotation axis 58. As a result, the pin 48 is pivotally mounted on the first spring bearing 44 and the second spring bearing 46 and axially displaceable and thus can absorb the change in distance between the spring bearings 44, 46 during the rotational movement of the locking member 36 and hold the spring 42 securely in position.

Claims (5)

1. Front unit (2) for a slide board, comprising

   a base element (4) with a floor portion (6) and a first and a second holding portion (81, 8r),

   wherein on transition from a holding state of the front unit (2) to a release state of the front unit (2), the first and second holding portions (81, 8r) execute a pivot movement relative to each other;

   a hinge arrangement (10) which comprises a first hinge (121), a second hinge (12r), and a third hinge (14) arranged between the first (121) and second (12r) hinges,

   wherein the first hinge (121) is connected to the first holding portion (81) and the second hinge (12r) is connected to the second holding portion (8r),

   wherein a distance between the first hinge (121) and the second hinge (12r) changes on transition from the holding state to the release state,

   wherein the first holding portion (81) is connected to the floor portion (6) via a first solid body hinge (241) and/or the second holding portion (8r) is connected to the floor portion (6) via a second solid body hinge (24r),

   characterised in that the floor portion (6), the first holding portion (81) and the second holding portion (8r) are configured as portions of an integral bracket (26).
2. Front unit (2) for a slide board according to the preceding claim, comprising an actuating element (30) which acts on the third hinge (14), preferably via a fourth hinge (29).
3. Front unit (2) for a slide board according to claim 2, wherein the front unit (2) comprises a locking element (36) which is arranged so as to be pivotable on the actuating element (30) and by means of which, when the front unit (2) is in a locked state, a transition from the holding state to the release state is suppressed.
4. Front unit (2) for a slide board according to any of the preceding claims, furthermore comprising a bearing arrangement (20) which is configured to hold a slide board shoe on the front unit (2) and which comprises a first bearing element (221) arranged on the first holding portion (81) and a second bearing element (22r) arranged on the second holding portion (8r), wherein each of the first (221) and second (22r) bearing elements is configured so as to be in contact with a slide board shoe when the front unit (2) is in a holding state.
5. Front unit (2) for a slide board according to claim 4, wherein the bearing arrangement (20) is configured to hold a slide board shoe so as to be pivotable about a shoe transverse axis (Q) running transversely to a shoe longitudinal axis (L).

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