EP1166834A1 - Alpine ski - Google Patents

Abstract

Alpine ski having a mark (9) called "mid-boot point" indicating the position of the mid-boot, and equipped with a raising platform (2) comprising front, (8) central (7) and rear (6) zones ), characterized in that: the platform (2) rests on the ski (1) by means of three feet (10, 11, 12) situated respectively in the front (8), central (7) and rear ( 6) of the platform (2), the height (h1, h2, h3) measured between the underside of the foot (10, 11, 12) and the top face of the platform (2) being minimum for the foot (11) located in the central area (7); the platform (2) is anchored without sliding by screwing at least at the front (8) and central (7) zones, the anchor point (17, 18) located in the central zone (7) being positioned in front of the shoe mid point (9), the anchor points (17, 18, 25, 26) being spaced longitudinally by a distance d2 of between 150 and 300 millimeters; it comprises a stud (40) made of elastic material inserted between the front end (42) of the platform (2) and a bearing zone (44) in front of the platform, said stud (40) being able to be compressed during relative movements of the platform (2) relative to the upper face (5) of the ski (1), following a bending of the latter. <IMAGE>

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to the field of sliding sports and more especially alpine skiing. It specifically targets alpine skis equipped with platforms for raising the elements of the binding.

Previous techniques

It is widely known to equip the upper face of an alpine ski with a raising platform intended to receive the elements of the fastening, namely the toe piece and the heel piece.

This type of platform fulfills several functions, including that of raise the level of the stopper and fixing to, for example, prevent sides of the shoe come into contact with snow when the board is inclined.

Platforms are, in the vast majority of cases, produced by manufacturers different from those who develop and market skis. Moreover, these platforms are, most often, sold to be mounted on any ski of the market whatever its brand and its characteristics.

A constant concern with this kind of platform lies in the interaction of the stiffness of the platform with the intrinsic stiffness of the board. Indeed, in function in particular of its anchoring on the upper face of the ski, the platform inevitably increases the stiffness of the assembly and therefore disturbs the stiffness intrinsic of the board studied in structure and dimensions to present certain mechanical properties.

This is why, in general, we seek to limit the influence of stiffness of the platform opposite that of the board. Thus, in known manner, we ensure mounting the platform on the ski in such a way that at least one of these ends has a capacity for longitudinal relative movement with respect to the board.

Solutions of this type have in particular been described in the document US 4,896,895. The platforms described in this document have one end which has an elongated opening inside which can slide a body attached to the upper face of the ski. The other end of the platform being firmly anchored in the board, the different bending movements of the board causes one end of the platform to slide relative to on the upper side of the board. This limits the influence of the stiffness of the platform opposite that of the board. Such an unleashing phenomenon is very widely sought after.

Other embodiments such as that illustrated in document US 2,560,693, use a platform fixed by its central part in the ski, and each of which end is linked to the upper face of the ski by allowing relative movement by longitudinal sliding.

Document DE 4 317 675, corresponding to document US 5 474 321, describes another type of platform comprising a central support zone crossed by binding elements to the ski. The front and rear ends of this platform are cantilevered above the upper surface of the board.

All of these solutions are intended to reduce the parasitic stiffening effect given to the ski by the platform, to allow the ski to keep the mechanical characteristics defined by its designer so that it fits into a specific product range.

A problem which the invention proposes to solve is that of integrating the stiffness characteristics of the platform to that of the ski, from the design of this one. The platform being an additional piece added to the ski, the anchoring means on the ski, as well as the connecting surfaces between the ski and the platform must meet a number of constraints.

Indeed, it is understood that when the two ends of the board are firmly anchored by screwing, for example on the upper face of the board, creates too strong mechanical stresses in terms of screws or means anchoring the platform on the board because the platform is relatively rigid.

Very high shear forces are exerted on the screws when the board deforms and on the contrary the platform remains rectilinear.

A problem which the invention proposes to solve is that of ensuring a controlled rigidity of the board / platform assembly, while allowing anchoring of the platform which is mechanically reliable and efficient.

Statement of the invention

The invention relates to an alpine ski having a mark or midpoint of shoe, indicating the position of the middle of the shoe, and equipped with a platform enhancement comprising front, central and rear zones.

• la plateforme repose sur le ski par l'intermédiaire de trois pieds situés respectivement dans les zones avant, centrale et arrière de la plateforme, la hauteur mesurée entre la face inférieure du pied et la face supérieure de la plateforme étant minimale pour le pied situé dans la zone centrale ;
• la plateforme est ancrée sans coulissement sur le ski au moins au niveau des zones avant et centrale, le point d'ancrage situé dans la zone centrale étant positionné en avant du point de milieu de chaussure situé sur le ski, les points d'ancrage étant distants longitudinalement d'une distance comprise entre 150 et 300 millimètres ;
• il comporte un plot en matériau élastique inséré entre l'extrémité avant de la plateforme et une zone d'appui située devant la plateforme, ledit plot étant apte à être comprimé lors des mouvements relatifs de la plateforme par rapport à la face supérieure du ski, consécutif à un cintrage de ce dernier.

This set is characterized in that:

• the platform rests on the ski by means of three feet situated respectively in the front, central and rear areas of the platform, the height measured between the lower face of the foot and the upper face of the platform being minimum for the foot located in the central area;
• the platform is anchored without sliding on the ski at least at the front and central zones, the anchor point located in the central zone being positioned in front of the mid-boot point located on the ski, the anchor points being longitudinally distant from 150 to 300 millimeters;
• it comprises a pad of elastic material inserted between the front end of the platform and a support zone located in front of the platform, said pad being able to be compressed during the relative movements of the platform relative to the upper face of the ski, following a bending of the latter.

In other words, the platform comes to rest on the board at three points forming support wedges whose thicknesses are determined for avoid thwarting the natural camber of the maximum thickness board with regard to the central area of the platform.

Part of the stresses exerted on the anchor foot is also reduced by the presence of a compressible element located in front and / or behind of the ends of the platform.

In addition, it was observed that the stresses exerted on the anchor points front and central are acceptable without weakening the whole, if the two points are separated by a distance less than 300 millimeters, and on the other hand, if the platform acts in opposition to the deformation of the ski via the stud elastic inserted between the end of the platform and the support area located on the ski, opposite the end of the platform.

In addition, it has been observed that the stresses exerted on the anchoring screws are lower when the platform is screwed on the board in front of the point of middle of shoe.

In practice, the feet of the platform can be constituted by additional independent elements forming a support wedge and placed between the underside of the platform and the top face of the board, or else be an integral part of the platform and form protrusions under the face lower of the latter.

In practice, good results have been obtained concerning the behavior of the screws. anchor to forces when the intermediate anchor point is located at the central area of the platform, without necessarily being located in the middle geometric of the latter.

In a preferred form, the anchor points at the level of the central zones and front of the platform are separated longitudinally by a distance between 200 and 230 millimeters.

Furthermore, the positioning of the platform on the ski determines the stiffness distribution. Thus, according to the invention, the central anchor point is advantageously placed in front of the middle of the shoe mark drawn on the ski, i.e. between 5 and 50 millimeters forward in the direction of the tip and advantageously between 20 and 35 millimeters.

Advantageously in practice, the ski may include a second pad in elastic material coming into contact with the rear end of the platform, and being also able to be compressed during relative movements of the platform by compared to the upper face of the board.

In a preferred form, the platform may include an anchor point rear, i.e. located near the rear leg, this anchor point being be provided to link with or advantageously without sliding the rear of the ski platform. In the latter case, the rear of the platform resting on top of the ski, to maintain lateral guidance but to allow longitudinal movement on the ski at this anchor point.

Advantageously in practice, the stud (s) may have a hardness between 40 Shore A and 95 Shore A.

In a particular form, the hardness of the front stud may be greater than that of the rear stud, which allows stiffening of the front of the ski, which is interesting because it is the front of the ski which, by firmly fitting into the snow allows good precision when cornering (without skidding or grazing).

Brief description of the figures

La figure 1 est une vue de côté de la zone patin d'un ski équipé d'une plateforme conformément à l'invention.

La figure 2 est une vue de dessus de la figure 1.

La figure 3 est une vue en coupe longitudinale selon le plan III-III' de la figure 2.

La figure 4 est une vue en coupe transversale selon le plan IV-IV' de la figure 2.

The manner of carrying out the invention as well as the advantages which result therefrom will emerge clearly from the description of the embodiments which follow, with the support of the appended figures in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the skate area of a ski equipped with a platform according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of Figure 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in longitudinal section along the plane III-III 'of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the plane IV-IV 'of FIG. 2.

Way of realizing the invention

As already said, the invention relates to an alpine ski equipped with a platform raising the binding.

More precisely, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the gliding board (1) receives the platform (2) at its skate area. This platform (2) is made up of a metal plate which has a constant width over most of its length.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to this geometry but covers other variants in which the width of the platform can be variable.

In the form illustrated in Figure 1, the platform (2) comprises each side two extensions (3, 4) coming practically in contact with the face upper (5) of the board (1).

In one embodiment, these extensions come to bear on shims in viscoelastic material or ABS.

These shims (13, 14) allow a more direct transmission of forces in direction of edges. Nevertheless, the invention covers alternative embodiments in which these extensions are not provided.

The platform (2) can be produced using different techniques. So he can be a profile with longitudinal cavities intended to lighten the platform itself. The platform can also be made from a massive plate or whatever.

As already said, the platform (2) rests on the upper face (5) of the ski by through three feet (10, 11, 12), located respectively at the level of the rear (6), central (7) and front (8) area of the platform.

The feet (10, 11, 12) can be constituted as in the form illustrated by independent support wedges, added during the mounting of the platform (2) on the board (1). They can also, in a form not shown, be constituted by two protrusions forming an integral part of the platform. These feet (10, 11, 12) allow the platform (2) proper to be raised. According to a characteristic of the invention, the foot (11) situated at the level of the central zone (7) has a height h ₂ less than the heights h ₁ , h ₃ of the feet (10, 12) situated at the level of the zones respectively rear (6) and front (8) of the platform.

More precisely, the height h ₁ , h ₂ , h ₃ of each foot is measured between the lower face of the foot (10, 11, 12) and the upper face of the platform (2).

In practice, the difference in height between the central leg (11) and the two front and rear feet (10, 12), is of the order of 1 millimeter. In this way, the camber natural skiing is not disturbed during the establishment of the platform (2).

The raising platform (2) is secured to the board (1) by screwing at least at the front zone (8) and the central zone (7). More precisely, in the form illustrated in FIG. 2, the platform (2) comprises at the level of the central zone (7) two orifices (15, 16) receiving two screws (17, 18). These two screws (17, 18) have a head whose thickness is housed inside the platform. The diameter of these screws corresponds substantially to the openings through (19, 20) formed in the wedge (11), so that the screws (17, 18) are placed on the board with a minimum of play compared to the platform.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the two screws (17, 18) are arranged in front of the mark (9) located on the ski, materializing the position of the middle of the shoe. More specifically, in the example illustrated, the two screws (17, 18) are distant from point (9) in the middle of the shoe by a distance d1, of 27 millimeters in direction of the spatula.

At the front area (8), the platform includes two other holes (23, 24) receiving two screws (25, 26). These two screws (25, 26) pass through the shim (12) with a minimum of mechanical play to anchor in the structure of the board (1).

In the form illustrated in FIG. 2, the screws (25, 26) are spaced from the screws (17, 18) from the central zone (7) with a distance d2 equal to 223 millimeters. Of course, these distances are given only by way of example, and the invention covers the variants in which these distances are adapted according to the geometry of the board and the platform.

At the rear area (6), the platform includes two lights elongated feedthroughs (30, 31) inside which screws (32, 33) penetrate. These lights (30, 31) have a shoulder intended to prevent any upward movement of the platform (2). The lights (30, 31) are elongated in a longitudinal direction to allow a slight sliding of the rear area (6) of the platform relative to the anchor point that constitutes the screws (32, 33). The screws (32, 33) pass through the rear wedge (10) through lights which can be either elongated if the wedge is integral with the platform, or of a diameter identical to that of the screws (32, 33) if the wedge is free relative to the platform (2).

In an embodiment not illustrated, the rear zone (6) of the platform can also be firmly anchored to the board, and therefore have three joining zones on the board, which increases the stiffness of the whole.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the ski comprises two studs (40, 41) coming into contact with the end of the platform (2). More specifically, the front stud (40) has a rear face (42) which comes into contact from the front end of the platform (2).

The geometry of the stud (40) can be adapted as a function of that of the platform (2), for example to increase the contact surface. In the form illustrated, the stud (40) is associated with a stop (44) which is secured to the face top of the board, so as to constitute a fixed area of the ski against which supports the front face (46) of the stud (40). So when the ski (1) bends, and that the front stop (44) therefore tends to approach the face of the platform (2), the stud (40) is compressed between the front end (42) of the platform and the rear face (46) of the stop (44). In this way, part of the stresses generated on the screws (25, 26) is supported by the stud (40), which limits the risk of shearing of the fastening screws (25, 26).

Obviously, other methods of placing the stud on the board can be envisaged as soon as the principle of the invention is respected, and the stud (40) can be compressed when bending the ski. So it is possible to secure the stud (40) only by gluing on the upper face of the board, or else by screwing through the thickness of the stud (40) proper, or else again by pinching thanks to the screws (25, 26) of an extension of the stud passing towards the back under the platform.

The stop can also be constituted by a boss formed in the structure of the upper side of the ski.

Likewise, the invention is not limited to the single embodiment in which both ends of the platform are equipped with a pad of material elastic, but it also covers variants in which only one of these plots is present.

In practice, the pads (40, 41) are made of an elastic material of the type natural rubber whose stiffness affects the behavior of the ski.

Thus, when the material for making the stud (40) has a hardness between 40 Shore A and 70 Shore A, the ski according to the invention has a relatively comfortable behavior, more particularly intended for a versatile practice.

Conversely, when the rubber used has a hardness of between 70 and 95 Shore A (corresponding to 45 Shore D), the behavior of the ski is more stiff, and therefore intended for such a ski for competitive practice. In case the ski has two front and rear studs, mixes in the hardness of the studs optimize behavior.

Thanks to the combination of these different provisions, it has been observed that the mechanical stresses undergone by the fastening screws intended for clamping the board are not excessive, which ensures a certain reliability to the whole.

• intégration de la raideur de la plateforme à celle de la planche ;
• possibilité de varier le comportement en faisant varier les différents paramètres : bridage arrière ou non, plot avant, plot arrière, différentes duretés,
• pouvoir assurer un bridage de la plateforme par rapport au ski tout en assurant une fiabilité mécanique de l'ancrage.

It appears from the above that the ski according to the invention has the following advantages:

• integration of the stiffness of the platform with that of the board;
• possibility of varying the behavior by varying the different parameters: rear clamping or not, front stud, rear stud, different hardnesses,
• ability to clamp the platform with respect to the ski while ensuring mechanical reliability of the anchor.

Claims (11)

Alpine ski having a mark (9) called "mid-boot point" indicating the position of the mid-boot, and equipped with a raising platform (2) comprising front, (8) central (7) and rear (6) zones ), characterized in that : the platform (2) rests on the ski (1) by means of three feet (10, 11, 12) located respectively in the front (8), central (7) and rear (6) areas of the platform (2 ), the height (h ₁ , h ₂ , h ₃ ) measured between the lower face of the foot (10, 11, 12) and the upper face of the platform (2) being minimum for the foot (11) located in the area central (7); the platform (2) is anchored without sliding by screwing at least at the front (8) and central (7) zones, the anchor point (17, 18) located in the central zone (7) being positioned in front of the shoe mid point (9), the anchor points (17, 18, 25, 26) being longitudinally spaced apart by a distance d ₂ of between 150 and 300 millimeters; it comprises a stud (40) made of elastic material inserted between the front end (42) of the platform (2) and a support zone (44) in front of the platform, said stud (40) being able to be compressed during relative movements of the platform (2) relative to the upper face (5) of the ski (1), following a bending of the latter. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the feet form an integral part of the platform and form protuberances under the underside of said platform. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the feet consist of independent support wedges (10, 11, 12) placed between the lower face of the platform (2) and the upper face (5) of the ski. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the anchor point (17, 18) situated at the level of the central zone (7) is separated from the mid-boot point (9) indicated on the ski, by a distance d ₁ between 5 and 50 millimeters, preferably between 20 and 35 millimeters. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the anchoring points (17, 18, 25, 26) at the central (7) and front (8) zones are longitudinally separated by a distance d ₂ of between 200 and 230 millimeters. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the stud (40) has a hardness between 40 Shore A and 95 Shore A. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second stud (41) made of elastic material coming into contact with the rear end (43) of the platform (2), and capable of being compressed during the relative movements of the platform (2) relative to the upper face (5) of the ski. Ski according to claim 7, characterized in that the hardness of the front stud (40) is greater than the hardness of the rear stud (41). Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear area of the platform is anchored without sliding on the ski. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear zone (6) of the platform is anchored with a sliding capacity on the ski. Ski according to claim 1, characterized in that the platform (2) has lateral extensions (3, 4) bearing on the upper face (5) of the ski by means of wedges (13, 14) made of viscoelastic material.

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