EP0490047A1 - Ski binding - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatically detachable ski binding includes spaced apart and interconnected toe and heel portions mounted on a ski for holding a ski boot in place thereon. The ski binding includes a mechanical shoe clamping and release system and an electronic controller, the heel portion of the binding including a pivotable clamp with which a spring and a probe engage. The binding is designed in such a manner that the point of application of the probe on the clamp lies between the point of application of the spring on the clamp and the transverse axis about which the clamp pivots, and that the distance between the point of application of the probe and that of the spring and/or the prestress of the spring are selected in such a manner that in the point of application of the probe would specify the relationship, are the same between the desired release values of the vertical and the horizontal torque such that the two different torque values effect the same linear shifting movement of the probe.

Description

The invention relates to an automatically releasable ski binding according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a ski binding is known from DE-C1-38 08 643.

, wobei MV das vertikale Auslöse-Drehmoment, MH das horizontale Auslöse-Drehmoment bezeichnen.This known ski binding has the advantage over a purely mechanical binding that the clamping force acting on the ski boot is reduced by the electronically electronically controlled triggering, which significantly reduces the risk of injury. This binding also triggers if the electronics should fail, and like conventional bindings, purely mechanically. Finally, despite its double function as a mechanical and electrical binding, the known binding is comparatively simple in its construction, for example using only one so-called Z-spring and only one push-button determining the triggering. However, the latter in particular, that is to say the use of only one Z spring and one pushbutton, brings about certain difficulties for taking into account the two load torques which occur, namely the horizontal and the vertical torque. Extensive medical examinations (measurement of the TiBiA head diameter) have shown that horizontal torque loads (turning camber) lead to injuries much earlier than vertical torque loads (frontal camber); DIN 7881 was therefore used for safety bindings fixed: $$\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}\text{=}\frac{\text{4th}}{\text{1}}$$

, where MV is the vertical trigger torque, MH is the horizontal trigger torque.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to further develop the binding mentioned at the outset such that, while maintaining the basic structure, the different values for the horizontal and maximum release torque can be taken into account in a structurally simple but functionally very precise manner. The solution to this problem results from the characterizing features of patent claim 1.

The invention is based on the finding that the displacement of the button with the consequence of a release of the bond depends on a number of structural dimensions, including the distance from the point of application of the button on the lever to the point of application of the spring, as well as on the pretensioning of the spring, and from this the technical teaching is derived, by appropriate dimensioning of this distance (with a fixed spring preload) or suitable dimensioning of the preload (at a fixed distance) or by combining these two measures, it is possible to achieve an exact with a single spring and a single button for the binding To ensure value for the triggering at certain horizontal torque, at certain - different - vertical torque and for the spring preload (shoe clamping force).

Particularly expedient configurations of the invention are characterized in the subclaims.

Fig. 1

einen Vertikalschnitt durch eine schematische Darstellung des Fersenteils der Sicherheitsbindung,

Fig. 2 A

eine Darstellung ähnlich Fig. 1, wobei jedoch zusätzlich der Vorderbacken der Bindung und der eingespannte Skischuh gezeigt sind,

Fig. 2 B

eine Darstellung entsprechend Fig. 2 A, wobei jedoch der Skischuh hochgekippt ist (Frontalsturz-Situation),

Fig. 3 A

eine Draufsichtskizze der Bindung mit Skischuh, und

Fig. 3 B

eine Darstellung gemäß Fig. 3 A mit in Horizontalebene verdrehtem Skischuh (Drehsturz-Situation).

In the drawing, an embodiment of the invention is shown for example. Show it:

Fig. 1

a vertical section through a schematic representation of the heel part of the safety binding,

Fig. 2A

a representation similar to FIG. 1, but additionally showing the front jaws of the binding and the clamped ski boot,

Fig. 2B

2 A, but with the ski boot tipped up (frontal fall situation),

Fig. 3 A

a top view sketch of the binding with a ski boot, and

Fig. 3B

a representation according to FIG. 3 A with the ski boot twisted in the horizontal plane (lintel situation).

In Figure 1, the heel part of the ski binding is shown schematically in vertical section. This heel part has a housing 10, which is guided in a U-shaped guideway on the top of a ski 11 and is connected to a toe piece, also not shown, via drawstrings, not shown in the drawing. A ratchet lever 13 representing a binding sole clamp is articulated on a transverse axis 12. The transverse axis 12 is mounted in the cage-like front end of an essentially double-rod heel slider 14 which is guided horizontally displaceably in the housing 10. A carriage 15 is slidably disposed in the housing 10. The carriage 15 consists of a vertically extending carriage plate 15a which is slidably penetrated by the heel slider 14, a support bolt 15b protruding from the plate 15a and guided in a bore in the housing 10, and one likewise from the shield 15a parallel to the support bolt 15b and sliding in a housing bore guided spring sleeve 15c. A locking cam 16 engages in the support bolt 15b of the slide 15 and prevents the support bolt 15b and thus the entire slide 15 from moving in the locked position. A helical spring (Z-spring) 17 is accommodated in the spring sleeve 15c, which is supported on the one hand on the rear, closed end face of the spring sleeve 15c and on the other hand against a fork 18, which rests on the ratchet lever 13. The rear, closed end face (bottom) 15d of the spring sleeve 15c, on which the Z-spring is supported, is designed to be adjustable in order to set the Z-value calculated for the user according to TiBiA (spring preload). Finally, a switching rod 19 extending parallel to the spring sleeve 15c is slidably guided in the housing 10, which is loaded by a spring 10 in the direction of the ratchet lever 13 and bears against it by means of a button 21, the button 21 being located between the prongs of the fork 18 is guided downwards in such a way that it engages at a point on the ratchet lever 13 which is closer to the transverse axis 12 than the point of attack of the fork 18. In the rear region of the switching rod 19, a contact piece 22 is attached to the latter, in the movement path of which an electrical switch 23 is located, which sits on a circuit board 24 fixed to the housing. The electric switch 23 is in the circuit of an electromagnet, not shown, which actuates the locking cam 16 in a manner to be explained later, in such a way that it is able to remove the locking cam 16 from the path of movement of the support bolt 15b, thus allowing the carriage 15 to move freely.

The basic functioning of this heel part shown in FIG. 1 will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 differs from FIG. 1 only in that, in addition to the heel part, a toe 31, heel part and toe clamps 30 and a ski boot 32 clamped between the heel and toe are shown. In the situation shown in FIG. 2A, the ski boot 32 lies flat on the top of the ski and is held in place by the ratchet lever 13. If a load now occurs in the direction of a frontal fall, then the ski boot 32 is pulled up with its heel part, with the toe as the fulcrum. This is shown in Figure 2B. As a result, the pawl lever 13 is pivoted counterclockwise, namely against the force of the Z-spring 17, at the same time the button 21 is shifted (to the left in the drawing) and thus also the switch rod 19. Its contact 22 thus approaches the electrical switch 23 its heel part is pulled up so far that the contact 22 reaches the electrical switch 23, then the - as mentioned - electromagnet is not energized, which pulls the locking cam 16 out of the range of movement of the support bolt 15b, with the result that the entire carriage suddenly 15 with the Z-spring 17 moves in the housing (to the left in the drawing), so that the back pressure on the ratchet lever 13 is eliminated. But this allows the pawl lever 13 to pivot freely counterclockwise and also to move its articulation axis 12 with the heel slider 14 (to the left in the drawing). The ski boot 32 can thus come loose from the heel part. The same triggering process also occurs when the ski boot 32 is subjected to a horizontal torsional load, as shown in the schematic sketch (top view) of FIG. 3. In FIG. 3A, the ski boot 32 is rotated in the horizontal plane, then its heel part pushes the heel slider 14 with the ratchet lever axis 12 and ratchet lever 13 to the rear, with the button 21, switching rod 19 and contact piece 22 following this movement. As soon as the contact piece 22 then reaches the electrical switch 23, the release of the ski boot 32, which has already been explained with reference to FIG. 2, occurs. If the action forces of the ski boot on the binding have ceased (exit), a pushing device, consisting essentially of a spring, intervenes Housing 10 and slide 15, retracted the binding in the entry position for the ski boot.

, wobei MV das vertikale Auslöse-Drehmoment, MH das horizontale Auslöse-Drehmoment bezeichnen. Dies bedeutet, daß die Abstimmung des Fersenteils so vorzunehmen ist, daß die sich bei einem vorgegebenen horizontalen Auslöse-Drehmoment ergebende Verschiebung des Klinkenhebels 13 (Verschiebung zusammen mit Achse 12 und Fersenschieber 14) zu derselben Verschiebung der Schaltstange 19 und damit des Schaltkontakts 22 um SH (Fig. 3) führen muß wie die sich bei dem 4-fachen vertikalen Drehmoment MH ergebende Schwenkung des Kipphebels 13 um die Achse 12. Erreicht wird dies dadurch, daß der Angriffspunkt der Gabel 18 und damit der Feder 17 am Klinkenhebel 13 weiter von der Achse 12 entfernt ist als der Angriffspunkt des Tasters 21 am Klinkenhebel 13 und daß der Abstand a - t zwischen diesen beiden Angriffspunkten entsprechend gewählt wird. Als weiterer Parameter kommt jedoch noch die Vorspannung der Feder 17 hinzu. Die Feder 17 hat ja auch die Aufgabe, den Skischuh über den Fersenschieber 14 mit einer bestimmten Kraft gegen den Vorderbacken zu drücken, daß heißt, den Skischuh festzuklemmen. Bekanntlich ist aber die Federcharakteristik bei der Schraubenfeder nicht linear, was verständlich macht, daß eine Änderung der Feder-Vorspannung bei festem Abstand (a-t) der erwähnten Feder-Taster-Angriffspunkte eine Veränderung des Verhältnisses von horizontalem zu vertikalem Auslöse-Drehmoment nach sich zieht. Theoretische Überlegungen haben gezeigt, daß die erwähnten Parameter methematisch erfaßbar sind, daß heißt, bei vorgegebener Dimensionierung der beweglichen Teile (Schlitten, Klinkenhebel, Taster) und vorgegebener Z-Feder Kurven aufgestellt werden können, welche die Abhängigkeit zwischen dem Verhältnis $\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}$

und der Vorspannung der Z-Feder angeben. Solche Kurven erleichtern dann nicht nur die Auswahl geeigneter Federn und die Bestimmung günstiger Angriffsstellen von Taster und/oder Gabel am Klinkenhebel, sondern ermöglichen beispielsweise auch das Auffinden von Bereichen, innerhalb derer sich das Verhältnis $\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}$

nur geringfügig in Abhängigkeit von der Federvorspannung ändert, so daß dem Bindungsbenutzer erlaubt werden kann, die Federvorspannung selbst innerhalb dieses Bereichs seinen Wünschen entsprechend zu ändern, ohne daß dies eine Änderung des Verhältnisses $\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}$

nach sich zieht. Jedenfalls ist es sowohl experimentell als auch theoretisch möglich, durch entsprechende Wahl der erwähnten Parameter das gewünschte Ergebnis zu erreichen. Erleichtert wird dies noch dadurch, daß beispielsweise der Taster 21 und/oder Gabel 18 längen- oder richtungsveränderlich ausgebildet sind oder aber diese Elemente, ebenso wie die Feder 17, als Austauschelemente in verschiedenen Dimensionierungen bereitgestellt werden.In the above explanation of the basic principle of operation, it has not yet been considered that both the triggering with frontal loading (Fig. 2) as the triggering under torsional load (FIG. 3) is based on a single spring element, namely the spring 17, which understandably requires certain precautions. First of all, it must be assumed that, according to today's medical knowledge, horizontal torque loads (turning camber) lead to injuries much earlier than vertical torque loads (frontal camber), which led to the already mentioned DIN 7881 which specifies for safety bindings: $$\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}\text{=}\frac{\text{4th}}{\text{1}}$$

, where MV is the vertical trigger torque, MH is the horizontal trigger torque. This means that the heel part must be adjusted in such a way that the displacement of the pawl lever 13 (displacement together with axis 12 and heel slider 14) resulting from a predetermined horizontal release torque results in the same displacement of the switching rod 19 and thus of the switching contact 22 by SH (Fig. 3) must lead as the result of the 4-fold vertical torque MH pivoting of the rocker arm 13 about the axis 12. This is achieved in that the point of application of the fork 18 and thus the spring 17 on the ratchet lever 13 further from Axis 12 is removed as the point of engagement of the button 21 on the ratchet lever 13 and that the distance a - t between these two points of attack is chosen accordingly. The preload of the spring 17 is added as a further parameter. The spring 17 also has the task of pressing the ski boot against the toe with a certain force via the heel slide 14, that is to say to clamp the ski boot. However, as is known, the spring characteristic of the helical spring is not linear, which makes it understandable that a change in the spring preload at a fixed distance (at) from the spring-switch application points mentioned results in a change in the ratio of horizontal to vertical triggering torque. Theoretical considerations have shown that the parameters mentioned can be recorded methematically, that is, given the dimensioning of the moving parts (slide, ratchet lever, button) and more Z-spring curves can be drawn up showing the dependency between the ratio $\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}$

and the preload of the Z spring. Such curves then not only facilitate the selection of suitable springs and the determination of favorable points of attack for the button and / or fork on the ratchet lever, but also make it possible, for example, to find areas within which the ratio is $\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}$

changes only slightly depending on the spring preload, so that the binding user can be allowed to change the spring preload according to his wishes even within this range, without this changing the ratio $\frac{\text{MV}}{\text{MH}}$

entails. In any case, it is both experimentally and theoretically possible to achieve the desired result by appropriately selecting the parameters mentioned. This is further facilitated by the fact that, for example, the button 21 and / or fork 18 are designed to be variable in length or direction, or else these elements, like the spring 17, are provided as exchange elements in different dimensions.

Components and functions of the heel part, which correspond to or are similar to DE-C1-38 08 643 mentioned at the outset and are explained in detail there, are not shown in the drawing, and a detailed description in this regard is also dispensed with. This applies, for example, to the arrangement of a second electrical switch on the switching rod 19, which is used to switch on the batteries for the electromagnet only immediately before the triggering. A timer will also be provided in order to avoid a release of the bond if there are only very brief load impacts. With regard to the function of the electromagnet and its mode of operation for unlocking the locking element 16, reference is also made to the aforementioned prior publication. Here, too, the blocking element can be designed in a similar manner, that is to say it consist of balls which are arranged on the circumference of the support bolt 15b and of a sleeve-like extension of the electromagnetic armature can be operated.

The illustrated and described embodiment can undergo numerous modifications without leaving the scope of the invention. This applies in particular to the shape of the button and fork, as long as they can cross without contact.

Claims (5)

Automatically releasable ski binding with an interconnected front and heel part, a mechanical shoe holding and release system and an electronic control device, the heel part consisting of a housing, a slide part that is longitudinally displaceable against the force of a preloaded spring and a pawl lever that is articulated and supported against the spring , a locking coupling between the housing and the slide part, a button, the front end of which engages the ratchet lever and the rear end of which is designed as a movable contact piece of an electrical on / off switch and one which interacts with the locking coupling and is controlled by the on / off switch via the electronic control device Electromagnet exists, characterized in that the point of application of the button (19, 21) on the pawl lever (13) lies between the point of application of the spring (17) on the pawl lever (13) and the lever pivot axis (12) and that the distance (at) between Angr iffpunkt of the button (19, 21) and that of the spring (17) and / or the bias (SE) of the spring (17) are selected so that at the point of engagement of the button with a predetermined ratio, different from the value 1, between the target Tripping values of the vertical and horizontal torque lead the two different torque values to the same linear displacement path (SH) of the button (19, 21). Ski binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the button (19, 21) extends parallel above the spring (17) and has a downwardly inclined attack tip (21), whereas the spring (17) with an upwardly directed attack piece (18 ) is provided such that the push button tip (21) and the spring action piece (18) cross without contact. Ski binding according to claim 2, characterized in that the spring engagement piece is designed as a fork (18). Ski binding according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the length and / or direction of the push button attack tip (21) and / or the spring engagement piece (18) are adjustable in direction and / or length. Ski binding according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that push button gripping tips (19) and / or spring gripping pieces (18) of different dimensions are provided as exchange parts.

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