WO2008081117A1

WO2008081117A1 - Mono-skid sliding vehicle for snow sports

Info

Publication number: WO2008081117A1
Application number: PCT/FR2007/002005
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoan Bibollet
Original assignee: Yoan Bibollet
Priority date: 2006-12-07
Filing date: 2007-12-06
Publication date: 2008-07-10
Also published as: FR2909630B1; FR2909630A1

Abstract

The sliding vehicle (1) for snow sports of the present invention includes a single sliding skid (18) bearing on the snow, associated with a frame (14) having an upward extension in the form of a driving member (17) provided in the front upper portion. A seat (13) is provided on the rear upper portion of the frame (14) and suspension means (15) are provided between the frame (14) and the seat (13).

Description

Sliding single skid vehicle for snow sports.

The present invention relates to a slippery single-slider vehicle for snow sports

There are already various patents relating to this type of recreational vehicle on snow.

Snow vehicles of the prior art such as in particular those described in patent applications 98 03003, 98 03004, 98 03 005 are however not satisfactory in terms of efficiency and safety because they do not include no means for guiding the seat relative to the chassis. It follows that the assembly proposed in these patents that report all the connection and guiding forces of the seat on the single axis that connects it to the chassis requires manufacturing precision and the use of materials with high mechanical characteristics that translate by cost price beyond market prices. .

The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by proposing an optimized design of the product on the mechanical level that allows its mass production in industrial processes from thermoplastic materials and while providing compared to the products of the art previous gain very appreciable in terms of comfort, efficiency and lightness.

Prior to the following explanations, it is stipulated that the references to forward and backward direction appear throughout this text refer to the usual direction of movement of the vehicle while the notions of direction up and down correspond to the position occupied by the vehicle when it rests on the ground by its skate.

This agreed, the vehicle according to the invention comprises:

- a unique sliding glide on the snow,

a support frame secured to said shoe

- a seat on which the user sits. - A manual driving member for directing and braking the vehicle said driving member being positioned in part at least between the legs of the driver and being disposed in front of the seat and extending above the horizontal plane passing through the point the higher of the seat. According to an important characteristic, when the vehicle according to the invention rests on a horizontal ground, the vertical passing through the front end of the pipe member is located at a distance, measured horizontally from the front end of the spatula before the sliding shoe, advantageously less than one third of the total length of the sliding shoe and preferably less than a quarter of the total length of the sliding shoe, said total length of the sliding shoe being measured from its front end to its rear end spatulas included.

According to another important characteristic, when the vehicle according to the invention rests on a horizontal ground, the horizontal plane passing through the upper end of the pipe member is located at a distance, measured vertically from the sliding surface of the sliding shoe, greater than half the total length of the sliding shoe.

According to another definition of the preceding characteristic, when the vehicle according to the invention rests on a horizontal ground, the horizontal plane passing through the upper end of the pipe member is located at a height, measured vertically from the surface sliding slip of the sliding shoe, which is advantageously between half (0.5 x) and one and a half times (1.5 x) the total length of the sliding shoe, said height preferably being between seventy five percent (75%) and one hundred and twenty five percent (125%) of the total length of the skid in particular from eighty percent (80%) to one hundred percent (100%) of the total length of the skid

According to a first characteristic of a preferred embodiment, the support frame advantageously constitutes with the shoe a monolithic assembly made by rotational molding or by blowing or else by assembling two shells molded by thermoplastic injection according to the hollow-body technology which offers the advantage of being able to be filled with an expansive curable foam allowing the part to offer very good mechanical characteristics for a very reduced weight and for a very interesting cost.

According to another characteristic of a first embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention does not comprise a suspension and the seat and the support frame constitute either a monolithic assembly or two distinct subassemblies secured to one another by detachable means or not but which do not allow the displacement of the seat relative to the support frame during the use of the vehicle. When they form a monolithic assembly, the support frame and the seat can advantageously be made of thermoplastic material according to the hollow-body technology by rotomolding, by blowing, by gas injection or by assembly of two shells and they can, if necessary If necessary, be filled with an expansive foam hardenable to optimize their mechanical strength.

According to a preferred embodiment of the vehicle in its version without suspension, said vehicle is made using two subassemblies: a lower subassembly consisting of the support frame and the pad and if necessary the driving member and an upper subassembly consisting of the seat and if necessary the driving member when the latter is not secured to the lower subassembly. Connecting and guiding means ensure the coplanarity between the vertical longitudinal axial plane of the lower subassembly and the vertical longitudinal axial plane of the upper subassembly while opposing on the one hand lateral tilting in one direction or in the other. other of the upper subassembly with respect to the lower subassembly and opposing on the other hand the translations in the horizontal plane of one subassembly with respect to the other, both in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction of the vehicle .

To do this, the upper subassembly, constituting the seat, has in its underside arrangements of concave shape, therefore female, and / or arrangements of convex shape, therefore male, which collaborate with complementary arrangements of shape made in the corresponding zone of the lower subassembly constituting a support frame.according to a preferred embodiment, the upper part of the lower subassembly constitutes a tenon or comprises at least one stud coming to fit without play in a mortise or in a groove of complementary shape arranged in the corresponding underside of the upper subassembly comprising the seat, advantageously, the front part of the upper subassembly may also comprise two extensions extending forward and constituting a bunching between which comes s' fit the driving member, the latter preferably consisting of a single handle whose axis l longitudinal axis extends in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle. The connecting and guiding means constituting these complementary interlockings and / or these struts fit together by vertical translation and / or by horizontal translation and / or by a combined movement of vertical translation and rotation of one of the two subsets relative to the other around one or more virtual axes substantially perpendicular to the general plane of symmetry of the vehicle.

Fixing means ensure the temporary or permanent joining of the two subassemblies together.

Advantageously, these fastening means consist of rapid assembling devices which allow rapid assembly and disassembly of the two parts together and which may in particular each be constituted by a fastening loop set in tension and locked by a lever according to a device well known to those skilled in the art.

These devices can be advantageously positioned on the rear face of the support frame and / or on the rear lower face of the seat to be easily accessible and thus allow the rapid separation of the two subassemblies for storage and transport in a backpack. or a car trunk slippery vehicle whose size has been greatly reduced.

In this first embodiment in which the seat is not suspended, shock absorption can be achieved either by a simple elastically deformable cushion compression foam and / or pneumatic which is fixed on the seat cushion or in filling the hollow body constituting the seat of air or gas slightly overpressure.

According to a second embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention comprises a seat associated with suspension means, said seat being connected to the main frame by connecting means allowing it to move in the vertical plane on a limited stroke against means of elastic recall.

According to another characteristic, whatever the mode of connection of the seat relative to the chassis, whether by rotation about an axis, by guide rods or by sliding, the vehicle according to the invention advantageously comprises means of guidance arranged preferably at the rear portion of said seat which collaborate with complementary guide means arranged at the frame to ensure coplanarity between the longitudinal vertical axial plane of the seat and the longitudinal vertical axial plane of the support frame during displacements of the seat due to the movements of the suspension According to a first embodiment, to allow its displacement in the vertical plane and to ensure its guidance during suspension movements, the seat is articulated to the support frame via at least one front link and at least one rear link forming with the support frame and the seat a deformable assembly, each link being connected by one of its two ends to the support frame while its second end is connected to the seat.

According to another embodiment, to allow its movement in the vertical plane and to guide its rear portion during suspension movements, the seat is articulated to the support frame by means of at least two front links constituting at the at least one front compass and at least two rear links constituting at least one rear compass, each compass being connected by one of its two branches to the support frame while its second branch is connected to the seat.

According to another embodiment to allow its displacement in the vertical plane and ensure its guidance during suspension movements, the seat is slidably mounted relative to the frame, said sliding being able to be carried out either telescopically straight or by sliding or by sliding along a ramp or curvilinear path concave or convex.

According to a preferred embodiment, for its suspension movements, the vehicle seat moves in the vertical plane by rotation about a virtual or real axis disposed perpendicularly to the vertical plane of general symmetry of the vehicle. In this configuration, the seat is extended forward by two arms which advantageously constitute a monolithic assembly with said seat and which are positioned on either side of the longitudinal plane of general symmetry of the vehicle; the pivot axis of the seat is therefore positioned in front of the seating area of the seat and it can be positioned either above, at or below the knees of the pilot when the latter is seated in position driving.

According to another feature of this preferred embodiment in which the seat is pivotally mounted about at least one transverse axis, the means for guiding said seat relative to the chassis are at least partially positioned behind said pivot axis and they are arranged in particular, at least in part, between said hinge axis connecting the seat to the frame and the rear end of the seat. According to another approach, the guide means are positioned behind the vertical plane arranged perpendicular to the general plane of symmetry passing through the half-length of the sliding shoe. . According to a first embodiment, the means ensuring the vertical guidance of the seat relative to the support frame are constituted by one or more male elements integral with the seat, of flat shape or of tubular shape or of profiled shape and whose axis longitudinal, rectilinear or curvilinear shape, extends in the longitudinal plane of symmetry or in a plane parallel thereto, said one or more male elements collaborating with one or more corresponding female forms arranged in the support frame.

According to a preferred embodiment, these guide means are constituted by a clevis open towards the bottom and secured to the seat, or even constituting therewith a monolithic assembly, said clevis being adapted to fit the corresponding upper part of the frame which therefore comes to fit between the two cheeks of the screed with just the necessary functional play. The substantially vertical inner face of each of the two vertical side walls of the yoke thus bears against the corresponding substantially vertical outer face of the frame and the two cheeks of the yoke extend downwards to a height sufficient to ensure good guidance by support sliding during the movements of the seat, thereby preventing the latter from twisting as it would inevitably be the case in the absence of guiding means.

According to a complementary characteristic of this embodiment, reinforcing lateral ribs advantageously connect each of the two vertical cheeks constituting the yoke to the corresponding part of the seat extending laterally outwards, cantilevered with respect to the cheek concerned. . These reinforcing side ribs arranged in gussets thus ensure the recovery of the vertical forces transmitted by the thighs of the pilot, which are exerted mainly on the two lateral wings of the seat, to transfer them against the vertical cheeks of the yoke which are very well armed to withstand these efforts since they are sliding against the robust outer walls corresponding chassis. According to an advantageous arrangement, the two vertical cheeks of the seat constituting the yoke extend rearwardly to the vicinity of the rear end of the seat and forward to the pivot axis of the seat and this to constitute at the same time the two walls - main stiffeners of the seat in the longitudinal direction and to constitute also the two arms before the seat. These two stiffening walls thus constitute two vertical flasks bearing against the outer faces of the chassis to the level of the pivot axis of the seat which ensures optimal guidance of the seat in the vertical plane and avoid twisting during the movements of the suspension.

Such a configuration proves to be particularly efficient mechanically, economically and aesthetically by ensuring excellent distribution of mechanical forces through a mesh of ribs which are mutually bracing and which, therefore, can be thin enough to be light and therefore economical in terms of material cost and injection cycle time while being thin and therefore aesthetically pleasing.

According to another embodiment, the seat is pivotally mounted relative to the frame about a transverse axis positioned at the front end of said seat and the guide means are constituted by at least one compass consisting of two rods assembled between they by a common axis, the free end of the upper link being connected by an axis to the rear part of the seat while the lower end of the second link is connected to the frame by an axis also.

On part of their length the two cheeks of the clevis constituting the longitudinal walls carrying the seat can advantageously extend upward beyond the seat face of the seat and meet together in the form of a vault for reinforce each other while also constituting a central boss extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This boss, positioned in the front portion at least of the seating surface of the seat, is disposed symmetrically with respect to the general plane of symmetry of the vehicle and its height is degressive in the direction of the front to the rear of the vehicle. It provides an appreciable ergonomics of the seat and it also guarantees a very good stalling of the driver in the lateral direction thus allowing him to remain well positioned in his seat despite the centrifugal force that he undergoes in turns.

According to another feature, the upper face of the seat constituting the seat face of said seat is generally concave in the transverse direction and in the longitudinal direction. According to another characteristic, in the vicinity of the rear end of the seat an opening is arranged through said seat to form a carrying handle positioned in the general axis of symmetry of the vehicle.

According to another feature the overall width of the seat measured transversely at the widest part of the seat is greater than twice the overall width of the seat measured at the pivot axis which connects to the support frame.

According to another characteristic, the support frame comprises protuberances extending laterally on either side of the side walls of the frame and / or on either side of the driving member and which are located substantially at the height of the seat to provide a support allowing the user, when the terrain allows, to rest his legs to relieve his abdominal muscles.

According to another characteristic, the support frame comprises protuberances extending laterally on either side of the side walls of the frame and / or on either side of the driving member constituted by the handle, said protuberances being located at a height greater than that of the seat cushion to be able to constitute two high stops against which the pilot can wedge the upper face of his legs to facilitate and make less painful the maintenance of the upper body lying down to the used in some cornering techniques.

According to another characteristic, the frame comprises a handle whose longitudinal axis is disposed in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle and in the immediate vicinity of the vertical passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle.

This central carrying handle is located between the seating area of the seat and the base of the driver and extends more precisely from the rear face of the handle to the vicinity of the front face of the seat. This central handle is positioned vertically in the middle of the pad, considered here in its length, and it is located at a level higher than that of the seating face of the seat to be used as a docking handle when the driver adopts a recumbent position used in certain cornering techniques. This central longitudinal handle, since its longitudinal axis is arranged in the direction of the length of the vehicle, is much more functional and much more comfortable than the transverse handles of the prior art that did not allow to control the inevitable longitudinal swaying movement of the vehicle when it is hand-carried while walking and which were otherwise un-ergonomic as tie-down handles for the reclined rearward position of the pilot adopted in certain cornering techniques.

According to an important characteristic, the central handle is at a height greater than that of the pivot axis of the seat. It is advantageously secured to the frame and not the seat so that it does not undergo movement of the seat during the movement of the suspension which allows the user to use it effectively as a stowage to relieve the suspension when it is in the recumbent position and that the load reported on the suspension means is then maximum.

According to another characteristic of a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned central handle is located in alignment with the driving member constituted by the handle, which it reinforces the connection with the support frame by constituting a buttress arch.

This central handle advantageously inclined from the front upwards, rearward down is also, by its configuration and its position, an ascending ramp facilitating the sliding of the driver over the handle itself inclined towards the before thus avoiding that it does not hurt against the angular base of the handle as is the case with the vehicles of the prior art when the pad is abruptly stopped by an obstacle.

According to another characteristic, the frame comprises, in its front face, a carrying handle positioned between the central longitudinal handle described above and the pad, said opening allowing the passage of the hand to grip the lower part of the handle as a handle to more easily carry the vehicle upright spatula directed upwards when the user walks on foot.

According to an alternative embodiment, the central carrying handle and the front carry handle described above are joined together to form a single handle. This single handle can be grasped both from the top to carry the vehicle in a position in which its sliding pad is substantially horizontal and forward to carry the vehicle vertically than in a position intermediate the previous two, very comfortable, in which the vehicle is carried in such a way that its sliding shoe is inclined obliquely, the spatula occupying a position farther from the ground than that of the heel of the sliding shoe.

According to another characteristic, the frame comprises a carrying handle positioned between the seat and the upper face of the rear part of the pad making it easier to carry the vehicle in the vertical position of the pad facing the ground when the user is walking. .

According to another characteristic, the vehicle according to the invention comprises an additional upper handle arranged between the aforementioned upper central handle and the seat. This second upper handle is positioned in the front part of the seat and / or in the central boss of the seat, said handle allowing the carriage of the vehicle when it is in the folded configuration after the driving member and the upper central handle which associated with it have been folded forward.

According to an important characteristic of the preferred embodiment, the control member, also called driving member, for directing the vehicle • consists of a single handle whose longitudinal axis is disposed in the general plane of symmetry of the vehicle and it extends in an oblique direction oriented from the back downwards to the front upwards.

According to another characteristic, this handle constituting the control member is disposed in front of the seat between the legs of the driver and is advantageously inclined forward so that on the one hand its lower part is sufficiently close to the axis of the driver. articulation of the seat to ensure the strength of this area highly stressed in torsion and that on the other hand its summit end, located above the pilot's legs, is sufficiently far towards the front of the pilot's face so that it is not likely to come hurt during jumps bumps which is common with vehicles of this type of the prior art whose handle is disposed perpendicularly to the sliding surface of the pad which ipso facto position the upper end of said sleeve near the pilot's face.

This arrangement of the forward inclined handle also provides an effective ergonomic grip, said handle being thus disposed substantially perpendicular to the traction exerted by the hands which operates in a direction extending obliquely from the front to the down at the back up According to another feature of a particular embodiment, the handle constituting the driving member is disposed in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle and its upper part at least is shaped in the form of a loop, at least one opening through said handle from one side to the other in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The aforementioned opening being of sufficient size to allow the passage of at least one of the two hands of the pilot, the front branch of said opening therefore constitutes for the hand gripped on the rear branch of this opening a protective guard against shocks but also against the cold.

According to another embodiment, the driving member consists of two branches connected or not to each other at their upper end, the longitudinal axes of each of the two branches extending in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle this configuration allowing the pilot to grip the rear branch of said shaft with his right hand and the front branch of said shaft with his left hand, or vice versa. This particular arrangement of dual handle offers the driver the opportunity to position his two hands at the same height as the other relative to the ground which does not allow the handle with a single branch that requires to position a hand below each other.

According to another embodiment, the driving member consists of two branches connected or not to each other at their upper end, the two branches being disposed symmetrically on either side of the vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle.

According to another characteristic of a first embodiment, the handle is secured to the seat that accompanies in all its movements during the movements of the suspension.

According to another characteristic of a second embodiment, the handle is secured to the frame with which it is either a monolithic assembly or it is secured by interlocking and / or by any definitive or removable fixing method is still connected to said frame by a hinge pin around which it can rotate to be folded forward or backward thereby making the vehicle more compact to facilitate its transport and storage. When the handle is connected to the frame by a hinge pin, this axis can be advantageously constituted by the axis about which the seat pivots with respect to the frame so that the seat and the driving member can pivot around the same axis.

According to an alternative embodiment in which the handle is foldable forward by pivoting about an axis, the central carrying handle arranged in the upper part of the frame is integral with the handle so that it also pivots around said axis to accompany the handle in its folded position forward which further improves the compactness of the folded vehicle. In this particular embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention advantageously comprises an additional upper handle arranged between the upper central handle mentioned above and the seat. This second upper handle is therefore positioned in the front part of the seat and / or in the central boss of the seat and / or in the upper part of the support frame and it allows the carriage of the vehicle when it is in folded configuration after the handle and the upper central handle associated with it have been folded forward.

According to another embodiment the driving member is retractable by sliding relative to the frame to move from an inactive position retracted downward to an active position protruding upwardly relative to the upper end of the seat. The translation between the retracted position, inactive, and the prominent position, active, is performed either telescopically rectilinear or by sliding or sliding along a ramp or a curvilinear rectilinear or curvilinear path or convex curvilinear.

When the driving member is collapsible forwards or retractable downwards, the sliding vehicle according to the invention advantageously comprises means for locking said driving member in its inactive position folded or retracted and / or in its active position of use.

According to another characteristic and according to a first embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention comprises return means ensuring the automatic return of the driving member from its disengaged, inactive position to its active engaged position. According to another characteristic of a second embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention comprises return means ensuring the automatic return of the driving member from its engaged, active position to its inactive disengaged position.

According to a first embodiment, the pad constitutes a monolithic assembly with the frame with which it is connected over a length greater than half of its total length.

In the sliding zone of the pad, the lateral edges of said pad and / or the lateral edges of the metal plate which covers its sliding surface may be rectilinear in the longitudinal direction while being parallel to each other or conversely converging towards the rear or forward. Said lateral edges may also be curvilinear and in particular concave in such a way that the two longitudinal edges are closer to one another in the central part of said pad than they are in the front part or in the rear part of the skate.

According to another feature of a particular embodiment, the pad has a protuberance shaped in the form of a hook open rearwardly positioned at the front end of its front spatula and for suspending said vehicle to a wire or to a hook or to carry it vertically its spatula being then directed towards the sky. Moreover this protuberance is beneficial by a thickening of the spatula which is less penetrating in case of collision.

According to another characteristic of a particular embodiment, the shoe comprises a protuberance shaped in the form of a hook open towards the front positioned at the upper end of its fore spatula and for suspending said vehicle to a wire or a hook or carry it vertically, its spatula being then oriented towards the ground.

Furthermore, the vehicle according to the invention comprises a shoe whose sliding surface is defined as being the surface in contact with the ground extending from the zone where the front spatula meets the ground to the rear end of said pad, when the latter is flat, or up to the rear point where the pad begins to curl upward to form the rear spatula when the pad has a rear spatula, According to an important feature on part of the length of the sliding surface mentioned above the width of said shoe and the sliding sole which is associated is at least 15 (fifteen) millimeters less than the width of the pad and the sliding shoe measured at the half-length of the pad. This narrowing width of the sole and the shoe extends forward for a distance of at least 3 (three) centimeters measured from the rear end of the pad when it does not comprise a rear spatula or measured from the point of connection of the rear spatula to the sliding surface when the pad has a rear spatula

The sliding surface of the narrowed zone in width remains in the extension, therefore without recess at altitude, of the plane of the unshrinked sliding surface which precedes it, but at least in the case where the shoe has a rear portion raised in shape. of rear spatula, the rear end of each of the two narrowed side zones of the sole and the pad is advantageously raised upwardly and rearwardly to form two small rear side spatulas avoiding a sudden blockage of the vehicle when sliding in reversing when performing certain figures, for example when he makes a turn of three hundred and sixty degrees in the horizontal plane.

The rear part of the pad and the soleplate is thus sufficiently reduced so that the lateral edge of the said reduced zone inside the bend is no longer in contact with the ground when the vehicle tilts to turn and the snow is hard and therefore strong. It should be known that this type of vehicle whose skid is rigid turns only by skidding from the rear and then it is easy to understand that the reduction at the rear of the length of the edge penetrating the snow greatly facilitates the release of the turn-off from the rear when the vehicle tilts towards the inside of the turn. The central portion of the sole of said reduced width zone is, however, situated in the continuity of the part of the sole that is not affected by the narrowing in width so that this central zone returns to contact with the ground as soon as the vehicle recovers. at the exit of the turn to fulfill its role as a bearing surface and thus allow the vehicle to quickly regain the speed that he had lost when skidding in the turn.

According to another embodiment, when the rear end of the pad is raised upwards to form a rear spatula, the aforementioned width narrowing extends forwards from the rear end of the rear spatula at least up to at the level where the front part of said rear spatula joins the ground. The longitudinal outer edges of the narrowed zone may be rectilinear and then parallel to each other or conversely converging towards the rear, but they may also be curvilinear in the lateral direction of concavity oriented towards the outside or on the contrary convex of convexity oriented towards outside.

According to another characteristic, the rear end of the pad is raised in the shape of a rear spatula and it comprises braking means consisting of a blade whose rear portion is disposed substantially in the extension of the sole of the ski is bent towards the low and which has or not teeth coming to scrape the surface of the snow when the driver pitched the vehicle by pulling upwards and backwards on the driving member while resting on the ground with his shoes

According to another characteristic, the vehicle according to the invention comprises a braking device operable by rotation towards the rear of the driving member about its axis of rotation.

According to a particular embodiment, the vehicle according to the invention comprises a braking device whose control, bringing said braking device from its active position to its inactive position and vice versa, is effected by acting on the driving member of the vehicle. To do this, said driving member is advantageously pivotally mounted relative to the chassis of the vehicle about a horizontal axis and connected to the braking device by mechanical connection means such as a cable or a linkage and / or by pneumatic, hydraulic and / or electric means. The device is arranged in such a way that a traction exerted on the aforementioned driving member tending to pivot it backwards about its axis of rotation results in bringing it into the active position, thus leaving the braking member which is found in prominence down below the sliding plane of the pad where it comes to rub on the snow by slowing the speed of the vehicle. The return by rotating forward, around its axis of rotation, of the driving member of the vehicle causes the return of the braking member to its retracted, inactive position, in which said braking member is therefore found at above the sliding plane of the skate.

According to another embodiment the passage from the inactive position thus retracted, the braking member to its active position, so prominent, is controlled by a contact button or by a lever of the bicycle brake lever type connected to the control member by mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical connection, said button or said lever being positioned at the gripping area of the driving member of the vehicle. Whatever the mode of actuation of the braking device, the return of the braking member from its active position to its inactive position can be advantageously ensured by means of recall acting as soon as the pilot ceases to exert his action on the means controlling the supply of the braking member from its inactive position to its active position.

According to a first embodiment, the elastically deformable means constituting the suspension of the vehicle comprises at least one bending element such as a curved blade or not, interposed between the underside of the seat and the corresponding upper face of the frame, said blade can be advantageously made of metal and / or composite materials.

According to another embodiment, these suspension means consist of at least one element working in compression such as a pneumatic cylinder, a helical spring, a hydraulic spring-shock absorber or a buffer made of natural or synthetic rubber or in a deformable material having the required elastic characteristics.

It should be noted that the positioning of the anchoring points of these different suspension means can be modified to vary the lever arms involved and allow to adapt the stroke and / or the hardness of the suspension to the weight of the suspension. user and / or the relief of the borrowed track.

According to another characteristic, the seat comprises a transverse stiffener extending over at least a portion of the width of the seat, said stiffener being advantageously positioned between the abovementioned return means and the corresponding lower zone of the seat.

According to another characteristic, the vehicle according to the invention comprises optical means, and / or magnetic and / or electronic allowing the control of the payment of the cost of use of the lift borrowed by the user.

According to another characteristic, to avoid the accidental fall of the vehicle when the user takes the chairlifts, the vehicle according to the invention is equipped with a safety strap connected by one of its ends to said vehicle, preferably at its level. central handle for example, while the other end is connected to the user. At least one of the two ends of the strap will advantageously be designed to be able to detach automatically, by unclipping, by rupture or by any other solution when the tension exerted on said strap exceeds a predetermined value threshold.

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge more clearly from the following description of the various embodiments of the invention given by way of non-limiting example and represented in the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1, 2, 3 correspond to the views respectively in side view, in front view and in plan view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view from below of the slider base of the slippery vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

- Figures 5 and 6 show two driving characteristic positions of the different gliding vehicles according to the invention. - Figures 7 and 8 are side views showing an alternative embodiment of the vehicle shown in Figures 1 to 3. In these figures 7 and 8 the driving member of the slippery vehicle is connected to the frame by a hinge pin allowing its folding forward against the upper end of the ski for transport and storage.

- Figures 9 to 16 show a second embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention comprising a suspended seat. Among these figures:

• Figure 9 is a side view of the vehicle when the seat is not loaded and so occupies its extreme high position

FIG. 10 is a sectional view along the line AA in FIG. 9

• Figure 11 is a side view of the vehicle when the seat is loaded and so occupies its extreme low position

FIG. 12 is a sectional view along the line BB in FIG.

• Figures 13 and 14 are partial sectional views with cutaway respectively of Figures 9 and 11.

FIGS. 15 is a top view of the sliding vehicle shown in FIGS. 9 to 14.

• Figure 16 is a bottom view of the seat only of the slippery vehicle shown in Figures 9 to 15.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show another embodiment of the sliding vehicle in which the driving member and the seat are integral with each other and pivotally mounted relative to the frame about an axis. FIGS. 19 to 21 show another embodiment of the sliding vehicle in which the driving member and the seat are independent of each other while both being pivotally mounted relative to the frame about an axis. common allowing the forward folding of the driver for transport and storage.

FIGS. 22 to 25 show another embodiment of the sliding vehicle in which the seat and the driving member, here arranged in the form of a loop, are integral with each other and pivotally mounted relative to the frame around an axis allowing on the one hand the movement of the suspension and on the other hand the folding towards the front and down of the seat assembly and driving member for transport and storage.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, the sliding vehicle according to the invention 1 constitutes a monolithic assembly comprising the seat 2, the chassis 3, the shoe 4 and the driving member constituted here by a handle 5 whose longitudinal axis is disposed in the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle.

The handle 5 is generally of rectilinear shape over most of its length and is arranged obliquely in such a way that from its base by which it is attached to the upper part of the frame, its longitudinal axis extends from back down to the front up. Said handle 5 is bulged in its upper part 51 on the one hand to prevent the hand from slipping when the vehicle is transported by holding it by the handle and on the other hand so that its summit end has an enlarged surface, greater than that the user's eye cavity to prevent eye or face accidents during a collision. The front face of the handle advantageously has bosses greatly improving the grip in hand in the rugged reliefs.

The seat face of the seat is generally concave in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction to form a bucket ensuring a very good position of the driver in bends and in rough terrain. An opening 21 made through the seat allows the passage of the hand to grasp, as a handle, the rear portion of the peripheral frame of the seat to carry the vehicle vertically, the spatula of the pad being then directed towards the ground. When viewed in side view as shown in Figure 1 The frame is generally triangular one side of the triangular constituting the base by which said frame is integral with the pad 4.

A first opening 31 allowing the passage of the hand is arranged through the rear part of the chassis to allow the vehicle to be carried vertically spatula directed towards the ground by gripping a shaped region of the frame in the form of a sleeve located between the underside of the seat and the back of the pad 4. A second opening 32 is arranged in the front part of the frame 3 to enable the vehicle to be carried vertically upwards by gripping an area of the shaped sleeve-shaped chassis located between the lower base of the handle 5 and the front part of the skid. 4.

Above the seat 2 a third opening 33 is arranged in the upper part of the frame 3 to allow the vehicle 1 to be carried horizontally and to dock by gripping an area of the chassis 3 shaped in the form of a sleeve located between the lower base of the handle 5 and the seating surface of the seat 5. This top handle is also great for holding onto the vehicle in a very efficient cornering technique that requires you to lie backwards as shown in Figure 6. It should also be noted that the peripheral walls of the aforementioned openings allowing the passage of hands constitute as many bridging areas between each of the two outer walls of the frame 4 which ensures very beneficial mechanical links when the vehicle is made of hollow body material thermoplastic according to the process of rotational molding or blowing as well as when this product is made by assembling two injection-molded shells.

The vehicle 1 further comprises protuberances 7 and 8, advantageously profiled in the form of wings, extending laterally on either side of the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle, the two upper retaining protrusions 7 and 7 being secured to the sleeve while the two lower bearing protuberances 8 and 8 extend laterally on both sides of the frame 3 to which they are secured. The interest of these prominences is explicitly shown in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows the normal position of descent. It is easy to understand that the pilot can appreciate the support constituted by the two lower wings 8 and 8 on which he can, when the speed and the terrain profile allow it, come and rest one and / or the other of his legs by bringing them closer to the handle 5. This support provides immediate relief of the abdominal muscles that produce a lot of effort to avoid maximum that the shoes do not touch the ground so as not to slow down the descent. The reduced length of the retaining wings 7 and 7 and the support wings 8 and 8 is of course calculated so that they do not interfere with the movements of the legs of the pilot when the latter does not wish to use them and that he has also had to bring his legs laterally against the handle 5 to be able to benefit from the support downwards or the upward restraint when desired.

These downwardly supporting wings 8 and 8 as the upwardly retaining wings 7 and 7 are positioned forward of the seat at a height above the ground greater than that of the seating surface of the seat. These wings used as a support support or as a high abutment can be secured to the vehicle by means for modifying their positioning in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle as well as their height relative to the ground and possibly even their inclination relative to the horizontal so that they can be positioned precisely according to the morphology of the pilot, his driving technique and the profile of the track.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4 the sides of the pad 4 and the metal sole 6 which covers it are here parallel over most of its length and at the rear of the vehicle, the width of the rear portion of the pad 4 narrows sharply to go from its width L1 measured at the half-length of the pad, preferably between 60 and 80 millimeters, to a reduced width L2, advantageously between 40 and 50 millimeters.

This narrowing of at least 15 (fifteen) millimeters between the width L1 and the width L2 extends forward a distance D2 of at least 3 (three) centimeters measured from the rear end of the pad when it has no rear spatula or measured from the point of connection of the rear spatula to the general plane of sliding of the pad when it has a rear spatula 42 as shown in Figure 1. The sliding surface of the zone narrowed in width to the dimension L2 remains in the prolongation, therefore without any detachment at altitude, of the plane of the unshrinked sliding surface which precedes it,

At least in the case where, as shown in Figure 1, the pad 4 has a rear portion raised in the shape of rear spatula 42, the rear end of each of the two narrowed side regions of the sole and the pad is advantageously raised upwards and backwards to constitute two small rear lateral spatulas 43 and 43. In turns on hard snow, because of the inclination of the vehicle the pad 4 thus has a length of edge reduced to the length D1 since the lateral edge of the narrower rear portion is no longer in contact with the ground. which greatly facilitates the release of the skidding turn from the rear. As soon as the vehicle recovers at the end of the turn the narrowed portion of the sole returns to contact with the ground to play its role of bearing surface again.

It should be noted that the narrowing of the width of the sole and the corresponding narrowing of the pad can be further extended forward towards the spatula, then extending further over the flat part of the sole if it is desired to easier to start the turn.

At its rear end, the pad 4 has a brake blade 9 bent in the form of a rake whose teeth come to scrape the ground when the driver rears the vehicle by pulling on the handle while resting on the ground with his shoes.

The shoe 4 has a protuberance shaped hook-open rearward 41 positioned at the front end of its front spatula.

Figures 7 and 8 are side views showing an alternative embodiment of the vehicle shown in Figures 1 to 3. In these Figures 7 and 8 the control member 10 is connected to the frame 11 by a hinge pin 100 perpendicularly disposed the general symmetry plane Ps of the vehicle which allows it to fold forward against the upper end of the paddle spatula to facilitate the transport and storage of the vehicle. The upper central handle 12 made in the fixed upper part of the frame 11 also constituting the central boss of the seat remains usable for transporting the vehicle when the control member 10 occupies its inoperative position of use and is therefore folded down. forward as shown in fig 8. When it occupies its active use position, shown in Figure 7, the conduit member 10 abuts in rotation against the corresponding front face of the frame 11 so that a rearward pull exerted on said driving member 10 is then transmitted directly to the chassis thus allowing any driving maneuver and braking by lifting the vehicle. The sliding vehicle 1 may advantageously comprise means for locking in rotation the control member 10 in its active position of use and / or in its inoperative position of use. FIGS. 9 to 16 show another embodiment in which the seat 13 is connected to the frame 14 by a pivot axis 130 around which it can pivot in contact with resiliently deformable return means, constituted here by a conical progressive abutment 15 , made of natural rubber or in a synthetic elastomer, interposed between the underside of the seat 13 and the corresponding face of the frame 14. During all the pivoting movements of the seat 13 about its axis 130, during the movements of the suspension, the coplanarity between the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle 1 and the plane Ps of symmetry of the seat 13 is provided by guiding means disposed between the axis of rotation 130 and the rear end of the seat 13.

According to another approach, the guiding means are positioned behind the vertical plane arranged perpendicularly to the plane Ps of general symmetry passing through the half-length of the ski.

As shown in these Figures 9 to 16 these guide means are constituted by the two vertical flanges, 131 and 132, disposed in the underside of the seat 13 which they are secured; when the seat 13 moves relative to the frame 14 said vertical cheeks slide in constant support against the corresponding vertical faces, 141 and 142 of said frame 14. Reinforcing wings, 133 and 134, forming gussets, connect said cheeks 131 and 132 to the underside of the corresponding parts of the seat arranged cantilevered lateral to the frame 14 so that the support forces transmitted to said parts of the side cantilever seat are thus echoed to the frame via the sliding support of the flanges 131 and 132 against the faces 141 and 142 of the frame. 14.

The two vertical cheeks, 131 and 132, extend rearwardly to the vicinity of the rear end of the seat 13 and forward to the pivot axis 130 of the seat to thus constitute everything to both the bearing blades of the seat 13 in the longitudinal direction and to also constitute the two front flanges of the seat. From the pivot axis 130 these two longitudinal plane walls 131 and 132 therefore extend rearward parallel to each other over most of their length while bearing against the corresponding vertical external faces, 141 and 142, of the frame 13 thus ensuring optimum guidance of the seat in the vertical plane and avoiding twisting during the movements of the suspension. As shown more particularly in FIGS. 12 and 14 when the seat 13 has reached its limit of travel downwards, it comes to rest by its lower face 136 on the corresponding upper face 143 of the chassis 14.

This low bearing abutment disposed directly below the seat cushion and therefore positioned between the return means, constituted here by the rubber pad 15, and the rear end of the seat 13 is particularly significant since it allows to transmit the violent shocks directly on the ground, via the frame 14 and the pad 18, without transmitting them to the return means 15 or to the front axis 130 that they would have risked deteriorating.

In the front portion of the seat the walls 131 and 132 extend above the seat surface of the seat 13 to meet forming a boss 135 constituting a central boss for the seat.

A central carrying and gripping handle 16 arranged in the upper part of the frame 14 is disposed between the front end of the seat seat and the driving member here constituted by a handle 17 whose longitudinal axis is arranged in the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle 1. The lower part of the front half of the handle 17 extends to the shoe 18 and the latter thus constitutes with said handle 17 and the frame 14 a monolithic assembly.

When viewed from the side, the handle 17 is here of generally curvilinear shape, its concavity being oriented towards the front, and its front face has recesses designed to prevent the sliding of hands.

The sliding vehicle 1 shown in FIGS. 9 to 16 furthermore comprises two protuberances 19 in the form of ailerons arranged perpendicularly to the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle and extending laterally on either side of the outer faces of the chassis 4 to which they are solidarized. These two protuberances constituting support wedges and rest for the legs as shown in Figure 5 are arranged in front of the pivot axis 130 of the seat 13.

The sliding vehicle 1 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 differs from that shown in FIGS. 9 to 16 in that its driving member consisting of a handle 20 is here secured to the seat 21 and that the assembly they both constitute pivotally mounted relative to the frame about a transverse axis 22 arranged perpendicularly to the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle. A central carrying handle 23, integral with the seat assembly 21 and driving handle 20, is positioned between the base of the handle and the front end of the seating area of the seat.

The sliding vehicle 1 shown in FIGS. 19 and 21 differs from that shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 in that its driving member consisting of a handle 24 is pivotally mounted about a transverse axis 25 of FIG. a part relative to the frame 27 and secondly with respect to the seat 26. The handle 24 and the seat 26 can therefore pivot both with respect to the frame 27 about the axis 25. For transportation and storage of the vehicle the handle 24 can be folded forward against the paddle spatula by rotation about its axis 25. as shown in Figure 21, against the seat remains in its active position of use and the central handle 28 associated with it remains in its position of use to allow to carry the vehicle as a simple suitcase.

When the handle 24 is pivoted rearwardly from its inactive position, folded, shown in Fig 21, to its active position raised, shown in Figure 19, it abuts in rotation against the corresponding front face of the seat so that a rearward traction exerted on said driving member 24 is then transmitted directly to the seat 26 thus allowing all maneuvers driving and braking by lifting the vehicle.

According to a variant of this embodiment, the driving member, constituted by the handle 24, can be brought from its inactive position, folded forward, as shown in Figure 21, to an extreme active position rear view as shown in Figure 20 and passing through an intermediate active position, as shown in Figure 19. This rotational movement from the front to the rear, therefore from its inactive position to its active position, of the driving member 24 around its axis of rotation 25 is effected against increasing restoring forces as and when as said driving member is pivoted rearwardly, said restoring forces developed by an elastic stop or a return spring or other idoines means tending to bring the driving member from its active position to its ^Λ inactive position, folded. When the driving member 24 is sufficiently tilted backward to have exceeded its intermediate active position a selectively engageable mechanical stop opposes its forward rotation beyond its intermediate position acitve and therefore prevents its return to inactive position but allows the continuation of its rotation to its extreme rear active position against the aforementioned increasing return forces .;

The arrangement described above makes it possible to effectively damp the landing shock of the vehicle upon receipt of a jump since the heel of the sliding shoe comes first in contact with the ground and said sliding shoe then gradually bears on the ground along its entire length in a movement that is damped by the rotation towards the rear of the driving member to which the pilot clings.

Figures 22 to 25 show another embodiment in which the slippery vehicle

I consists of two subassemblies articulated to each other by a pivot axis 55 disposed perpendicularly to the plane Ps of general symmetry of the vehicle. The first subassembly consists of the seat 50 and the pipe member 51 advantageously constituting a monolithic assembly and the second subassembly consists of the sliding pad 54 and the frame 53 which advantageously also constitute a monolithic assembly.

As shown in Figure 24, the driving member 51 consists of two elements arranged symmetrically on either side of the plane Ps of general symmetry which meet together at their front end.

A first central handle 52 made in the subassembly consisting of the seat 50 and the driving member 51 is positioned at the seating area of the seat 50 to allow the transport of the sliding vehicle when it is unfolded in an active position. use. A second handle 57 is formed in the upper part of the subassembly consisting of the sliding pad 54 and the frame 53 to allow the transport of the vehicle in the folded position as shown in FIG.

It should be noted that when the vehicle is unfolded in the active position of use this second upper central handle 57 is housed in the cavity formed by the underside of the central boss 59, as shown by the snatch of Figure 23, and that it does not then constitute a gene for the use of the upper central handle 52.

From its active position of empty use shown in full lines in FIG. 22

, the first subassembly, consisting of the seat 50 and the control member 51, can pivot relative to the second subassembly about the axis 55 along F1 against elastic return means constituted by an elastically deformable abutment 56 for to reach as far as possible its extreme low position represented in discontinuous lines on this same figure 22. During all these downward pivoting movements of the back of the seat 50 constituting the suspension movements of said seat 50 guide means positioned behind the pivot axis 55 provide coplanarity between each of the two planes of general symmetry of two subsets mentioned above. These guide means are advantageously constituted by the lower side cheeks 58 of the seat 50 bearing against the outer lateral faces of the frame 53 as previously described in this same document.

The first subassembly consisting of the seat 50 and the control member 51, can also pivot relative to the second subassembly about the axis 55 along F2 to move from its active position of use, shown in solid lines on the FIG. 22, at its transport and storage position, shown in FIG. 25, in which the seating face of the seat is found opposite the upper face of the shoe 54.

Of course the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown as examples but it also includes all the technical equivalents and their combinations.

Claims

1 - Sliding vehicle (1) for snow sport comprising:

- a single skid (4, 18, 54) sliding on the snow,

a chassis (3, 11, 14, 27, 53), a seat (13, 21, 26, 50) on which the user sits,

- a manual driving member (5, 10, 17, 20, 24, 51) for directing and braking the vehicle said driving member being positioned at least partially between the legs of the driver and being disposed in front of the seat and extending above the horizontal plane passing through the highest point of the seat (13, 21, 26, 50)

Said vehicle (1) according to the invention being characterized in that: - when the vehicle according to the invention rests on a horizontal ground, the vertical passing through the front end of the driving member is located at a distance, measured horizontally from the front end of the front spatula of the sliding shoe, less than one-third of the total length of the sliding shoe, said total length of the sliding shoe being measured from its front end to its rear end including spatulas,

when the vehicle according to the invention rests on a horizontal ground, the horizontal plane passing through the upper end of the driving member is located at a height, measured vertically from the sliding surface of the sliding shoe, which is advantageously between half (0.5 x) and one and a half times (1.5.x) the total length of the sliding shoe,

said sliding vehicle (1) comprises suspension means allowing the seat to move in the vertical plane on a limited stroke against elastic return means (15, 56),

- The seat (13, 21, 26, 50) comprises guide means (131, 132, 58) collaborating with complementary means (141, 142) arranged at the frame (14, 53) to ensure the coplanarity between the axial plane of said seat (13, 21, 26, 50) and the axial plane of the frame (14, 53),

- The means (131, 132, 141, 142, 58) for guiding said seat (13, 21, 26, 50) relative to the frame (14, 53) during the movements of the suspension are partly in less positioned between said hinge axis connecting the seat to the frame and the rear end of the seat.

2 - sliding vehicle (1) for snow sport according to claim 1 characterized in that the seat has in its underside arrangements of concave shape, so female, and / or arrangements of convex shape, so male, which collaborate with complementary shaped arrangements made in the corresponding area of the support frame.

3 - sliding vehicle (1) according to the preceding claims 1 or 2 characterized in that the guide means of the seat (13, 50) relative to the frame (14, 53) are constituted by two vertical flanges (131, 132, 58 , 58) disposed on the underside of the seat (13, 50) of which they are integral which slide in constant abutment against the corresponding vertical faces (141, 142) of the frame (14, 53) during the movements of the seat (13, 53 ) relative to said frame (14, 50).

4 - sliding vehicle (1) according to claim 3 characterized in that reinforcing wings (133, 134) forming gussets, connect the vertical flanges (131, 132) to the underside of the corresponding parts of the seat (13) arranged cantilever side with respect to the frame (14).

5 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that it comprises suspension means for moving the seat in the vertical plane on a limited stroke against elastic return means ( 15, 56) by pivoting about an axis of rotation (130, 22, 25, 55) arranged perpendicular to the plane (Px) of general symmetry of the vehicle

6 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the seat is slidably mounted relative to the frame, said sliding being effected either telescopically rectilinear or by sliding or sliding along a ramp or a concave or convex curvilinear path.

7 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the control member of the vehicle consists of a handle (17, 20, 24) whose longitudinal axis disposed in the plane (Ps) of general symmetry of the vehicle extends in an oblique direction oriented from the rear downwards to the front upwards.

8 - slippery vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the driving member consists of two branches connected to each other at their upper end and in that these two branches are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle.

9 - sliding vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8 characterized in that the control member (17) is integral with the frame (14).

10 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8 characterized in that the control member (10, 24) is connected to the frame (11, 27) by a hinge axis (100, 25) arranged perpendicularly to the plane (Ps) of general symmetry of the vehicle allowing it to fold forwardly against the upper end of the spatula of the pad.

11 - slippery vehicle (1) according to claim 10 characterized in that it comprises biasing means ensuring the automatic return of the driving member from its disengaged position, inactive, to its active engaged position.

12 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 characterized in that it comprises protuberances (19) in the form of ailerons extending laterally on either side of the outer faces of the frame (14) of which they are integral and in that said protuberances (19) constituting support wedges for the legs are disposed in front of the pivot axis (130) of the seat (13).

13 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 12 comprising a pad (4) whose sliding surface is defined as being the surface in contact with the ground extending from the area where the front spatula joins the ground to the rear end of said pad, when the latter is flat, or to the rear point where the pad begins to bend upwards to form the rear spatula when the pad has a rear spatula, said pad (4) being characterized in that:

- over a part of the length of the aforementioned sliding surface, the width (L 2) of said shoe (4) and associated sliding shoe (6) is at least 15 (fifteen) millimeters shorter than the width (L1) of the pad and the sliding sole measured at the half-length of the pad.

- the narrowing in width of the sole and the shoe extends forward for a distance of at least 3 (three) centimeters measured from the rear end of the pad when it does not have a rear spatula or measured from the point of connection of the rear spatula to the sliding surface when the pad has a rear spatula

- the sliding surface of the narrowed zone in width remains in the extension, therefore without detachment at altitude, of the plane of the unshrinked sliding surface which precedes it,

- At least in the case where the pad has a rear portion raised in the shape of a rear spatula, the rear end of each of the two narrowed side zones of the sole and the pad is advantageously raised upwardly and rearwardly to form two small lateral spatulas behind.

14 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 13 characterized in that it comprises a braking device operable by rotation towards the rear of the driving member about its axis of rotation.

15 - sliding vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 characterized in that it comprises a carrying handle (16, 23, 28, 52) whose longitudinal axis is arranged in the plane (Ps ) of longitudinal symmetry of the vehicle, said handle being located between the seating area of the seat (13, 21, 26, 50) and the vehicle driving member (17, 20, 24, 51).