WO1997041931A1

WO1997041931A1 - Automatic snowboard binding

Info

Publication number: WO1997041931A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/002348
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Krenn
Original assignee: Sam Sport And Marketing Ag
Priority date: 1996-05-08
Filing date: 1997-05-07
Publication date: 1997-11-13
Also published as: DE59701370D1; ATE191155T1; EP0906142A1; JP2000509310A; EP0906142B1; DE29608353U1

Abstract

The invention relates to a snowboard binding with a binding element (1) to be attached to the snowboard, to which a snowboard or ski boot (3) can be positively locked and which is provided with two lateral cheeks (5) at a mutual distance corresponding to the width of the sole (6) and at a right angle to the surface of the snowboard. Each cheek (5) contains at least one protruding locking element (10), preferably a pin, which can be displaced almost parallel at least to the surface of the snowboard against an energy storing device (15) and which passes through an opening (11) of the side facing the other cheek and engages into an opening (23) or recess of the boot (3) or grips over a ridge of the boot (3).

Description

Automatic snowboard binding

The invention relates to a snowboard binding with a binding element to be fastened to the snowboard, on which a snowboard or ski boot can be locked in a form-fitting manner, and which has two side cheeks arranged perpendicular to the surface of the snowboard and spaced from one another by the width of the shoe sole.

Such a snowboard binding is known from DE 44 16 531. This ensures easy entry into the binding and a firm hold of the snowboard boot in the binding. To exit the binding, an unlocking device with an actuating member is arranged on or in the snowboard shoe.

In this known snowboard binding, a binding element to be firmly connected to the snowboard boot protrudes on both sides of the shoe sole over the outer surface thereof. As a result, depending on the embodiment, the snowboard boot can be used on other snowboards with conventional bindings, in which the front and rear edges of the shoe soles are overlapped by holding brackets which lie closely on the side of the shoe. In addition, the attachment of the unlocking device and the actuating member to standard shoes is very complex and expensive. In particular, if the actuating member inside the snowboard shoe is led up to the shoe upper between an inner shoe and a shell of the snowboard shoe, the effort for retrofitting is very high, if it is possible at all. Otherwise, newly constructed snowboard boots that have these devices directly are correspondingly complex and expensive.

The weight of the snowboard boots is increased by the additional devices, which reduces the comfort of the shoes when running. Additional dangers can arise when running in such snowboard boots if the binding elements projecting over the sole of the boot get caught on obstacles inside or outside.

From DE 689 13 377 T2 a snowboard binding with two holding jaws is known, which each engage from the outside in a recess in the sole of the shoe. One holding jaw is firmly attached to the snowboard, while the other holding jaw is displaceable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the shoe sole.

In this way, the binding elements protruding from the outside of the shoe sole are dispensable, but in particular the lateral hold of the shoe in the binding is relatively small and entry is also not very comfortable due to the holding jaw fixed on one side.

The object of the invention is to provide a structurally simple, inexpensive and easy-to-use snowboard binding of the type mentioned, which, with a high level of ease of entry and a secure hold, the use of snowboard boots even on conventional standard bindings enables. In addition, it should be possible to retrofit standard shoes with the necessary sole elements with the lowest possible weight in a simple and inexpensive manner.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that in each side cheek at least one protruding locking element, preferably a bolt, is at least approximately displaceably mounted parallel to the surface of the snowboard against an energy store which is passed through an opening on the side facing the other cheek and into a The opening or recess of the shoe engages or engages over a projection of the shoe.

As a result, the snowboard boot has no binding elements protruding laterally over the outer surface of the shoe sole and can therefore also be used on snowboards with conventional standard bindings. It is impossible to get caught in obstacles with parts protruding outside or inside while running in snowboard boots.

With a simple construction, the snowboard binding is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to handle. It ensures a secure hold of the snowboard boot on the snowboard and enables you to get into the binding quickly and comfortably even while driving.

Conventional standard snowboard boots can also be retrofitted with the necessary sole elements in a simple and inexpensive manner, just like ski boots. The weight of the shoes is kept almost constant and gives the shoes great comfort even when running.

The side cheeks can be arranged parallel to one another or adapted to the shape of the rear shoe contour. This gives the shoe a particularly large lateral hold. Both locking elements can be locked independently of one another in the shoe, so that even with a shoe inserted obliquely from one side into the binding, a secure positive fit can be achieved by first locking a locking element and then the user pressing the foot in question by pressing the shoe brings it into an upright position and engages the second locking element. This increases the ease of entry.

However, two or more locking elements or bolts per side cheek can also be provided. Additional bolts from other directions, in particular in the longitudinal direction of the shoe sole, can also be provided.

The insertion of the boot into the snowboard binding can also be facilitated in that the side cheeks have an inlet slope on the inner sides facing the boot, which center the boot laterally.

The bolts can have a round or angular, in particular flat, cross-sectional area. The bolts preferably have a rectangular cross section with corners rounded on both sides at the top. If the bolts are chamfered or rounded off on their top towards the end of the bolts, the bolts are inserted in a particularly simple manner through the sole of the shoe against the energy accumulators into the side cheeks when the shoe is inserted, and thus enable the shoe to be inserted easily into the snowboard binding. Likewise, the insertion of the boot into the snowboard binding can be facilitated by tapering the bottom of the bottom of the boot.

The entry of snow or water into the side cheeks of the binding element can be prevented in a simple manner by the binding element against the bolts are preferably sealed at the passage openings of the side cheeks by a Simmerring. Grease lubrication of the bolts is also possible.

When exiting the binding, the locking elements or bolts can be moved hydraulically and / or via mechanical gears against the energy accumulator. It is particularly favorable if the locking element can be displaced against the energy store via a Bowden cable. The ends of the bolts located within the side cheeks can each be fastened to the end of a Bowden cable and the Bowden cables can be guided to a common actuating element, in particular a pull button or a pivotable lever. When using Bowden cables, an adjustment possibility for the subsequent compensation of changes in length, which can be caused in particular by temperature fluctuations, can be created in a simple and known manner.

The unlocking mechanism is particularly easy to operate when the largest possible radii are maintained when guiding and deflecting the Bowden cables.

The binding element made of plastic can be produced in a particularly simple manner in two or more binding parts. In this case, channel-shaped channels for guiding the Bowden cables or optionally for receiving the hydraulic lines can advantageously be provided on the side surfaces facing the other binding parts. An additional reinforcement of the binding element and the side cheeks can be achieved by reinforcement plates, which can preferably be arranged on the sides adjacent to the shoe.

The stress on the side walls made of plastic by the bolts can thereby be reduced in a simple manner be that the bolts in the side cheeks are each stored in a metal bearing bush.

In order to ensure that the locking elements are protected against icing, they can advantageously be encased on the outside with a plastic layer and / or be mounted in the side cheeks in a guide made of metal, preferably in metal bearing bushes, in particular made of bearing bronze, with incorporated lubricant. The easily possible icing in metal-metal material combinations without lubricant cannot occur, so that a particularly high level of operational safety is guaranteed.

The energy accumulator, against which a bolt can be displaced, can advantageously be formed by a helical spring mounted coaxially to the bolt. This ensures optimal power transmission without tilting moments on the bolt. But leaf springs, rubber springs or other elastic spring elements can also be used as energy stores.

In order not only to transmit the forces to be transmitted in the longitudinal direction of the shoe sole, in particular forward against the front binding part, solely by means of the bolts, a projection is advantageously arranged on the sides of the side cheeks facing the snowboard shoe, which is pointed at the top in a wedge shape or round and which engages in a correspondingly shaped recess in the snowboard boot. Due to the lateral contact flanks of these projections, at least a main part of the forces to be transmitted in the longitudinal direction of the shoe sole for pressing the front shoe area against a front binding element are transmitted from the shoe to the side cheeks of the binding element. This considerably reduces the load on the bolts in this direction. The main function of the bolts is to hold the boot in the binding element at the bottom and to prevent the boot from being unintentionally released from the snowboard binding. In addition, the round or wedge-shaped side flanks of the protrusions, together with the correspondingly designed side flanks of the wedge-shaped recesses on the shoe sides in the longitudinal direction of the shoe sole, precisely center the bolts on the recesses in the snowboard shoe. In this way, the bolts are surely guided past the recesses when the heel is pressed down and can snap into the recesses.

If the wedge-shaped projections are chamfered at the top towards the inner sides of the side cheeks, snow which may be present in the correspondingly shaped recesses in the shoe can be pressed out when entering the binding.

In order to be able to compensate for small height differences between the tread surfaces of the front and rear binding elements, which are achieved by means of underlaying elements, it is advantageous if the bolts are guided through the projections and the projections are preferably pivotably attached to the side cheeks around the bolts over a small corner area are. For this purpose, for example, curved elongated holes can be provided on the projections through which pins or screws firmly connected to the side cheeks pass.

If the binding element between the side cheeks is designed to slope obliquely from a transverse edge to the front and / or to the rear, any snow that may be present between the side cheeks can be printed out to the front and / or to the rear when getting into the binding.

Snowboard binding is particularly inexpensive and simple when the binding element holds the rear area of the snowboard shoe and the front area of the snowboard shoe on a step element in the usual manner Way is held. This can preferably be carried out by means of a bracket which overlaps a shoe sole edge which projects forward, or by means of one or two projections, in particular projecting laterally on the underside of the snowboard shoe, which are overlapped by one or two retaining lugs.

However, it is also possible to hold both the front and the rear shoe area by means of a binding part according to the invention.

A further possibility for arranging the binding element is that the binding element holds the middle area of the snowboard shoe and the front and rear sole areas of the snowboard shoe each rest on a tread element or on the surface of the snowboard. This type of arrangement can preferably be used in the case of soft snowboard boots, the rear part of the boot upper being additionally supported by a contact surface.

The snowboard binding can be adapted to different shoe sizes in a particularly simple manner in that the binding element and the step element (s) are attached to a base plate so as to be displaceable relative to one another. For this purpose, the tread elements and / or the binding elements can be detachably fastened to the base plate via elongated holes or, in particular, can be connected to one another in a longitudinally displaceable manner by means of a dovetail guide and a spindle.

In particular in the case of hard snowboard bindings, which are preferably used for races, it is advantageous if damper elements can be mounted between the base plate and the surface of the snowboard. Wedges can also be mounted in a known manner between the base plate and the surface of the snowboard in order to achieve an optimal position of the driver. A snowboard shoe can be used in a simple manner with a snowboard binding according to the invention if the snowboard shoe has a recess on its sides, preferably in the sole of the shoe, into which the locking element (s) of the binding element engage.

Previously standard snowboard or ski boots with a sole part that can be mounted thereon can also be used for a snowboard binding according to the invention if the sole part has a recess on each side into which the bolts of the binding element can engage. The retrofitting of the standard shoes that is possible at any time and inexpensively is particularly advantageous.

The load on the soles of the snowboard shoes or the sole part mounted on them, which are usually made of plastic and mostly hollow on the inside, by the bolts can be reduced in a simple manner in that each of the recesses of the shoe or the sole part has a metal bushing for receiving a Locking element or bolt is provided.

The penetration of snow into the recesses of the shoes can be prevented in a simple manner by the fact that in the recesses a locking element, preferably made of plastic, can be slid against a force accumulator, which closes the recess to the outside and when the snowboard binding is locked by em locking element or is displaceable inwards by a bolt. Here too, a metal-plastic-material combination eliminates the risk of icing. Further advantages and features of the invention result from the following description and the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.

Show it:

Figure 1: partially sectioned view of a binding element according to the invention

Figure 2: Sectional view of the binding element of Figure 1 along the section line A-A

Figure 3: Side view of a complete snowboard binding with snowboard boot

Figure 4: Side view of a subsequent one

Standard snowboard shoe mountable sole part

Figure 5: Sectional view of the sole part of Figure 4 along the section line B-B

The binding element 1 shown in FIG. 1 serves to lock the rear area 2 of a snowboard shoe 3. It has a base plate 4, from which two side walls 5 arranged parallel to one another extend vertically at a distance upwards, which is the width of the shoe sole 6 of the snowboard shoe 3 corresponds to 2 in the rear area. It is also possible to arrange the two side cheeks 5 not parallel to one another, but rather at an angle to one another which is predetermined by the shape of the rear region 2 of a specific snowboard boot 3.

The base plate 4 and the side walls 5 of the construction element 1 smd are made of plastic and are composed of two construction element halves 7a, 7b, which are formed by Screws are connected. The outer edges 8 cheeks in the transition region from the bottom plate 4 to the sides 5 ^¬ are chamfered. At the snowboard shoe 3 facing inner sides of the side walls 5 and the top of the bottom plate ^¬ page 4, a reinforcement plate 9 is made of metal, on which the underside of the shoe sole rests 6 of the snowboard boot 3 in the locked state. The total height of the base plate 4 with the reinforcement plate 9 is approximately 6 mm. At the upper inner ends, the side walls 5 and the reinforcement plate 9 are formed with chamfers 9a.

In each side wall 5, a bolt 10 is mounted axially displaceably in a bore 11. The ends 12 of the round bolts 10 projecting inwards from the side cheeks are conical in shape with a rounded tip. At the ends opposite the free ends 12, the bolts 10 each have a flange 13 projecting in the form of a flange, which is guided in a cylinder space 14 with a correspondingly larger diameter.

On the sides facing away from the free ends 12 of the bolts 10, the disks 13 are each acted upon by a compression spring 15. The coil springs 15 press the bolts out of the side cheeks 5 until the washers 13 rest against the shoulders between the bores 11 and the cylinder spaces 14. In this position, the bolts 10 can lock a snowboard shoe 3 in the binding element 1.

In order to unlock a snowboard boot 3 locked in the binding element 1, the bolts 10 must be pulled outwards against the springs 15. For this purpose, a Bowden cable 16 is attached to the ends of the bolts 10 provided with the washers 13. The Bowden cables 16 are guided through channels 17, which are formed on the abutting contact surfaces of the binding element halves 7a, 7b by channels. In a side wall 5, the Bowden cables 16 of both bolts 10 are connected to one another and led to a spherical pull lever 18 as an actuating member for the unlocking device. For this purpose, a floor cable 16 is guided from the side wall 5 through the base plate 4 into the other side wall 5. In doing so, keep the radii as large as possible when deflecting and guiding the Bowden cables 16 so that the unlocking mechanism is easy to operate.

Below the tension lever 18, an end stop element 19 is adjustably fastened to the Bowden cables 16 at the connection point of the two Bowden cables 16 and is guided in a cavity 20. The end stop body 19 prevents the pull lever 18 from being pulled too far and thus too high a load on the connection points between the Bowden cables 16 and the bolts 10 during the unlocking process. Instead of the pull lever 18, a pivoting lever can preferably also be provided as an actuating member for the unlocking device.

A triangular projection 21 is fastened to the inside of each of the side walls 5 by screws. The bolt 10 is passed through a hole through the upper rounded corner. In the locked state, the two projections 21 lie in correspondingly shaped recesses 22 in the shoe sole 6 of the snowboard boot 3 em.

In the upper corners of the recesses 22 there is an opening 23 on both sides of the shoe sole 6, into which the bolts 10 engage when the binding element 1 is locked.

The openings 23 and the recesses 22 can also be arranged in a sole part 24 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which can be easily screwed in rear area of the shoe sole 6 can be attached. Conventional ski or snowboard shoes 3 often have inserts shaped accordingly as standard in the shoe soles 6, which inserts can be exchanged for a sole part 24 according to the invention without any problems.

In a particular embodiment, the sole part 24 has a continuous cavity 25 between the two openings 23, which has a larger diameter than the openings 23. Two closure elements 26 are axially displaceably mounted in the cavity 25 and are supported against one another by a compression spring 27. On their outer sides, the closure elements 26 each have a small shoulder 28 which closes the openings 23 to the outside and thus prevents the penetration of snow m the openings 23. When the snowboard boot 3 is locked in the binding element 1, the closure elements 26 are pressed inwards by the bolts 10. The compression spring 27 therefore has a lower spring stiffness than the springs 15.

FIG. 3 shows a complete snowboard binding 29 with a locked snowboard shoe 3. The snowboard binding 29 has an embodiment element 1 according to the invention, which holds the rear region 2 of the snowboard boot 3. The front region 30 of the snowboard boot 3 is held in a conventional snowboard binding element, which essentially consists of a tread element 31 and a bracket 32. The bracket 32 braces the snowboard boot 3 against the tread element 31 via the protruding edge 33 of the shoe sole 6.

The front standard binding element is connected to the rear binding element 1 according to the invention by a base plate 34 which is fastened on the top of the snowboard at the desired angle to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. The rear edge 35 of the shoe sole 6 is not required for locking the snowboard shoe 3 in the case of the inventive element 1. However, it allows the snowboard boot 3 to be used on conventional standard snowboard constructions.

When entering the snowboard binding 29 shown in FIG. 3, the front shoe region 30 is first braced on the tread element 31 by the bracket 32. Then the rear shoe region 2 is lowered from above between the side cheeks 5 of the binding element 1 to the base plate 4. The two bolts 10 are first printed outwards into the side cheeks 5 by the shoe sole 6 or the sole part 24. When the snowboard shoe 3 has reached its end position, the openings 23 lie exactly in front of the bolts 10. The bolts 10 are then pressed inwards again by the springs 15 through the openings 23 and thereby lock the snowboard shoe 3 in a form-fitting manner in the snowboard binding 29.

To unlock the snowboard binding 29, the pull lever 18 is pulled, as a result of which the bolts 10 are pulled outward m the side cheeks 5 and the positive connection between the snowboard shoe 3 and the element 1 is canceled. Then the snowboard boot 3 can first be removed from the snowboard binding 29 at the back and then at the front.

Claims

Expectations

1. Snowboard binding with a binding element to be fastened to the snowboard, on which a snowboard or ski shoe can be locked in a form-fitting manner, and which has two side walls arranged at a distance from one another corresponding to the width of the shoe sole and extending perpendicular to the surface of the snowboard, characterized in that in Each side cheek (5) has at least one protruding locking element (10), preferably a bolt, which is displaceably mounted at least approximately parallel to the surface of the snowboard against an energy accumulator (15) which is opened on the side facing the other side cheek (5) through an opening (11 ) is passed and engages in an opening (23) or recess of the shoe (3) or engages over a projection of the shoe (3).

2. Snowboard binding according to claim 1, so that the side cheeks (5) have an inlet slope (9a) on the sides facing the shoe (3) at the top.

3. Snowboard binding according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking elements (10) towards the free end (12) are sloping or rounded on their top,

4. Snowboard binding according to one of the preceding claims, that the locking elements (10) can be moved hydraulically and / or via mechanical gears, preferably via a Bowden cable (16) against the energy store (15), so that they can be moved.

5. Snowboard binding according to one of the preceding claims, that the locking elements (10) are coated with a plastic layer on the outside and / or are stored in the side cheeks in a guide made of metal, preferably in a bearing bush with incorporated lubricant.

6. Snowboard binding according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the sides of the side cheeks (5) facing the snowboard shoe (3) there is in each case a projection (21) which is tapered round or upward and which is shaped accordingly Recess (22) of the snowboard boot (3) engages.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the Bmdungselement (1) between the side walls (5) from a transverse edge to the front and / or sloping towards the rear.

8. Snowboard binding according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the binding element (1) holds the rear region (2) of the snowboard boot (3) and the front region (30) of the Snowboard shoe (3) is held on a tread element (31) by a bracket (32) or by em or two protrusions, preferably projecting laterally on the snowboard shoe (3) and overlapped by one or two retaining lugs.

9. Snowboard binding according to one of claims 1 to 7, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the

The binding element (1) holds the middle area of the snowboard shoe (3) and the front and rear area (30, 2) of the snowboard shoe (3) each rest on a tread element (31) or on the surface of the snowboard.

10. Snowboard binding according to claim 8 or 9, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the

The binding element (1) and the step element (s) (31) are attached to a base plate (34) so as to be displaceable relative to one another.

11. Snowboard binding according to claim 10, so that the damper elements and / or wedges can be mounted between the base plate (34) and the surface of the snowboard and smd.

12. Snowboard shoe for a snowboard binding according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the snowboard shoe (3) on its sides, preferably in the shoe sole (6) each has at least one recess (23) into which the locking elements (10) of the Intervene binding element (1).

13. Snowboard or ski boot with a mountable sole part for a snowboard binding according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the sole part (24) has on its sides at least one recess (23) into which the locking elements (10) of the Intervene binding element (1).

14. Snowboard or ski boot according to claim 12 or 13, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that in the

Recesses (23) of the shoe (3) each have a metal bushing for receiving a locking element (10).

15. Snowboard or ski boot according to one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that in the recesses (23) or metal bushings of the shoe (3) in each case one against an energy store (27) displaceable, preferably made of plastic closure element (26, 28th ) is mounted, which closes the recess (23) or metal bushing to the outside and can be moved inwards by a locking element (10).