EP3498346B1 - Heel unit for ski binding - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rear retaining device, or heel piece, for fixing a boot to a gliding device.

Usually, each ski is provided with a binding comprising a front stop and a heel piece. This type of binding, called releasable, allows, on the one hand, the maintenance of the boot integral with the gliding device during skiing and, on the other hand, the release of the boot when the user exercises, via his shoe, excessive force on an element of the binding. Conventionally, the sole of the shoe is engaged, at the level of the front end, with a jaw of the front stop and, at the level of the rear end, with a jaw of the heel piece.

In order to limit the risk of injury to the user during a fall, elements of the binding incorporate release mechanisms allowing the boot to be detached from the binding. Heels are generally designed to release the shoe when too great a vertical force is applied by the shoe on the jaw of the heel. This is called vertical release of the binding, this release causing the boot to separate from the binding. The front stops are generally designed to release the boot when too great a transverse force is applied by the boot on the jaw of the stop. This is referred to as lateral release of the binding, this release also causing the boot to separate from the binding. In some constructions, the lateral release is provided by a release mechanism housed in the heel piece. These trigger mechanisms often include adjustment means making it possible to adjust the binding triggering force threshold. In addition, in order to be able to adjust these triggering thresholds, the adjustment means integrate a visual indicator allowing the user to check which triggering force is set.

According to certain binding constructions, the heel piece comprises a frame, intended to be secured to a ski, the frame carrying a jaw, an actuating lever and a vertical trigger mechanism. The vertical release mechanism interacts with the jaw so as to allow in particular the tilting of the jaw from its engaged position to its released position when the jaw is requested beyond a determined threshold force, in a release direction. The trigger mechanism is housed in a rear part of the frame, behind the jaw. The visual indicator of the adjustment means of this mechanism is positioned in an upper part of the mechanism so as to be visible from an upper face of the frame. The actuating lever acts on the jaw in particular to make it tilt from a engaged position to a released position. When the heel piece is in its triggered configuration, the actuation lever is positioned so as to largely cover the visual indicator, thus masking its reading. Also, to be able to see the visual indicator in In this latter configuration, an opening is made in the actuating lever in certain heel piece models. The area of this opening is large enough to completely clear the reading surface of the visual indicator.

The size of this opening greatly facilitates the reading of the visual indicator. However, due to its size, a user can pass a finger through it and risk pinching it when handling the operating lever. Indeed, when the heel piece tilts from its engaged configuration to its released configuration, the trigger mechanism will act, with a certain energy, on the lever, via the jaw, to press it against the frame of the heel piece. Consequently, by inserting a finger through the opening during this change of configuration, it is possible that his finger gets stuck in the opening and / or between the lever and the frame, resulting in a pinch. This risk is all the more marked for bindings intended for children, since they have smaller fingers. Moreover, this type of fixing must meet normative requirements, in particular to prevent these risks of pinching.

One solution to overcome this problem consists in adding a transparent cover, thus closing off the opening made in the lever. However, this solution is expensive since it requires the addition of a part. On the other hand, it is not reliable because the cover can be scratched or clogged which can hinder the reading of the visual indicator. In addition, snow can get stuck between the cover and the visual indicator, which can disrupt the operation of the binding and the reading of the indicator. The document US3416812A discloses such a window arranged in the lever.

The aim of the invention is to provide a rear retaining device for a binding of a boot on an improved sliding device.

One aim is in particular to prevent the risk of finger pinching when manipulating the actuating lever of the jaw of a heel piece.

Another object is to facilitate the reading of the visual indicator of the vertical release mechanism of a heel piece through the actuating lever of its jaw.

Another object is to provide a reliable and economical heel piece construction.

• un châssis destiné à être solidarisé avec l'engin de glisse;
• une mâchoire de retenue d'un talon de la chaussure, la mâchoire étant mobile par rapport au châssis entre une position enclenchée et une position déclenchée ;
• un mécanisme de déclenchement, logé dans le châssis et coopérant avec la mâchoire de sorte à permettre le basculement de la mâchoire de sa position enclenchée vers sa position déclenchée lorsque la mâchoire est sollicitée au-delà d'un effort seuil déterminé, selon une direction de déclenchement, le mécanisme de déclenchement comprenant des moyens de réglage permettant de modifier l'effort seuil déterminé, les moyens de réglage intégrant un indicateur visuel visible depuis une face supérieure du châssis ;
• un levier d'actionnement apte à coopérer avec la mâchoire de sorte à faire basculer la mâchoire de sa position enclenchée vers sa position déclenchée, le levier d'actionnement comprenant une ouverture délimitée par une face antérieure, une face postérieure et deux faces latérales, l'ouverture étant disposée en vis-à-vis de l'indicateur de réglage, lorsque le levier d'actionnement est dans une configuration pour laquelle la mâchoire est dans sa position déclenchée.

The invention provides a rear retaining device for a binding of a boot on a sliding device, comprising:

• a frame intended to be secured to the gliding device;
• a jaw for retaining a heel of the shoe, the jaw being movable relative to the frame between a engaged position and a released position;
• a trigger mechanism, housed in the frame and cooperating with the jaw so as to allow the tilting of the jaw from its engaged position to its released position when the jaw is stressed beyond a determined threshold force, in a direction of triggering, the trigger mechanism comprising adjustment means making it possible to modify the determined threshold force, the adjustment means incorporating a visual indicator visible from an upper face of the chassis;
• an actuation lever able to cooperate with the jaw so as to cause the jaw to switch from its engaged position to its released position, the actuation lever comprising an opening delimited by an anterior face, a posterior face and two lateral faces, the 'opening being disposed vis-à-vis the adjustment indicator, when the actuating lever is in a configuration for which the jaw is in its released position.

The rear retaining device is characterized in that the actuating lever comprises one or more ribs each connecting two faces of the opening, the rib or ribs being dimensioned and arranged so as to divide the opening into several windows all having a maximum width of less than 0.85 centimeters.

Thanks to this construction, the windows are dimensioned so that no finger, in particular those of children, can pass through the opening made on the operating lever. This avoids a risk of jamming at this opening of the lever. On the other hand, the number of windows and their size make it possible not to disturb the reading of the visual indicator too much. Finally, the solution is simple and economical since the rib or ribs can be formed directly by the lever, the lever and the ribs then forming a unitary, one-piece piece.

• le levier d'actionnement comprend une unique nervure reliant la face antérieure et la face postérieure de l'ouverture,
• la largeur de l'unique nervure est inférieure à la largeur de la partie visible d'un curseur de l'indicateur visuel,
• la distance minimale entre la face antérieure et la face postérieure de l'ouverture est supérieure à 1,2 centimètre,
• le levier d'actionnement est une pièce distincte de la mâchoire apte à interagir avec la mâchoire,
• le levier d'actionnement et la mâchoire forment une pièce unitaire,
• la mâchoire est montée rotative sur le châssis,
• l'ensemble de fenêtres présente une surface découverte supérieure à 70% de la surface de lecture de l'indicateur visuel.

According to advantageous but not mandatory aspects of the invention, such a rear restraint device can incorporate one or more of the following characteristics, taken in any technically admissible combination:

• the actuating lever comprises a single rib connecting the anterior face and the posterior face of the opening,
• the width of the single rib is less than the width of the visible part of a cursor of the visual indicator,
• the minimum distance between the anterior face and the posterior face of the opening is greater than 1.2 centimeters,
• the actuating lever is a separate part of the jaw capable of interacting with the jaw,
• the actuating lever and the jaw form a unitary part,
• the jaw is rotatably mounted on the frame,
• the set of windows has an uncovered surface greater than 70% of the reading surface of the visual indicator.

The invention also relates to a binding of a boot for a gliding device, comprising a front retaining device and a rear retaining device as described above.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective avant partielle d'un ski muni d'un dispositif de retenue arrière d'une fixation selon l'invention, la fixation étant dans une configuration déclenchée ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective arrière partielle d'un ski muni d'un dispositif de retenue arrière d'une fixation selon l'invention, la fixation étant dans une configuration enclenchée ;
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessus du ski équipé de la figure 1;
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon IV-IV de la figure 3 ;
• la figure 5 est une vue en perspective avant du levier du dispositif de retenue arrière d'une fixation selon l'invention ;
• la figure 6 est une vue de dessus du levier de la figure 5.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings illustrating, according to non-limiting embodiments, how the invention can be implemented, and in which :

• the figure 1 is a partial front perspective view of a ski provided with a rear retention device for a binding according to the invention, the binding being in a released configuration;
• the figure 2 is a partial rear perspective view of a ski provided with a rear retainer device for a binding according to the invention, the binding being in an engaged configuration;
• the figure 3 is a top view of the ski equipped with the figure 1 ;
• the figure 4 is a sectional view along IV-IV of the figure 3 ;
• the figure 5 is a front perspective view of the lever of the rear retainer of a binding according to the invention;
• the figure 6 is a top view of the lever of the figure 5 .

The figure 1 is a front perspective view of a gliding device 2, in this case a ski, provided with a rear retaining device 1 with a binding according to the invention. The binding ensures the attachment or separation of a boot 3 with the ski 2. It comprises, in a manner known per se, a front retaining device, called a stopper, not shown in the figures, and a rear retaining device 1, said heel piece.

In the remainder of the description, use will be made of terms such as “horizontal”, “vertical”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “front” , " back ". These terms must in fact be interpreted in a relative manner in relation to the normal position that the retaining device occupies on a ski, and the normal direction of advance of the ski. For example, “longitudinal” means relative to the longitudinal axis of the ski.

We will also use a frame whose forward / backward direction corresponds to the X axis, the transverse or right / left direction corresponds to the Y axis and the vertical or up / down direction corresponds to the Z axis.

Likewise, the term “engagement” denotes the attachment of the boot to the binding and the expression “release” denotes the separation of the boot from the binding. On the other hand, the “vertical release” corresponds to the release of the binding by a vertical force of the boot on the binding. In the example illustrated, the vertical release is achieved at the level of the heel piece by means of a release mechanism.

The ski 2 comprises a lower surface 21, called the sliding surface, intended to be in contact with the snow, and an upper surface 22, opposite the sliding surface. The elements of the binding are assembled on the ski, on the side of its upper surface.

In this example, the rear retainer 1, i.e., the heel piece, comprises a frame 11, a jaw 12, an actuation lever 13, a vertical release mechanism 14 and an interface 15.

The interface 15 is attached directly to the upper surface 22 of the ski.

The frame 11 is mounted to slide along the longitudinal axis X of the ski, thanks to a slide-type connection.

The jaw 12 is rotatably mounted on the frame 11 about a first axis Y12 transverse to the frame in a plane parallel to the sliding surface 21 of the ski, when the heel piece is assembled to the ski. Other jaw kinematics can be considered. It can be, for example, a combination of translation and rotation.

The vertical release mechanism 14 is here housed in the frame 11 and interacts with part of the jaw 12 to switch it between two stable configurations: an engaged configuration for which the jaw 12 acts on the sole 31 in order to keep it engaged. with the attachment, as shown in figure 2 , and a triggered configuration for which the sole 31 is able to disengage vertically from the jaw 12 which allows the boot to be released from the binding, as illustrated in figure 1 .

According to a variant, the frame 11 is divided into two parts, an upper part carrying the jaw and a lower part assembled at the interface or directly to the ski. In this case, the upper part is rotatably mounted on the lower part about a Z axis normal to the sliding surface when the heel piece is assembled to the ski. The relative rotation between the two parts of the frame is controlled by a lateral release mechanism. Thus, the heel piece according to this variant ensures a double release, vertical and lateral.

The vertical trigger mechanism 14 is a mechanism known per se. Such a mechanism is in particular described in the document EP 0 766 930 . It comprises a piston 141 interacting with an internal part of the jaw 12, a spring 142, able to exert a force on the piston to push it against the jaw, and adjustment means 143 making it possible to modify the spring tension by adjusting the spring preload. The spring thus defines the vertical release value of the heel piece and therefore of the binding. Conventionally, the adjustment means 143 comprise a screw 1431 bearing against a wall of the frame 11 and a nut 1432 cooperating, on the one hand, with the screw 1431 and, on the other hand, with one end of the spring 142. Advantageously, part of the nut 1432 forms a slider 1422. The slider 1422 is positioned under an upper wall of the frame 11, when the vertical release mechanism 14 is housed in the frame 11. Moreover, in the rear part of its upper surface 111, the frame 11 comprises a graduated surface 1441 positioned so as to cover the stroke of the cursor 1422. This graduated surface 1441 comprises a central slot 1423 passing through the upper wall of the frame 11 so as to make the cursor 1422 visible from the face top 111 of the chassis. The graduated surface 1441 also comprises a marking, and more particularly a graduation scale bordering the central slot 1423. Thus, the cursor 1422 and the graduated surface 1441 provided with its slot 1423 form a visual indicator 144 making it possible to know the tension of the spring 142. and therefore the adjustment value of the triggering threshold of the vertical triggering mechanism.

The vertical trigger mechanism 14 cooperates with the jaw 12 so as to allow the tilting of the jaw 12 from its engaged position to its position. triggered when the jaw is stressed beyond a determined threshold force, in a trigger direction D, as shown in figure 4 . The triggering direction is a vertical triggering direction, substantially in a vertical direction Y. It is thus a direction substantially perpendicular to the sliding surface 21 of the sliding device 2 and in a direction away from the device. of sliding.

The actuation lever 13 mainly allows the user to tilt the jaw backwards from its engaged configuration to its released configuration. This lever allows the boot to be released from the binding by a simple action by the skier. Thus, pressing this lever with a stick, his hand or his other shoe, the user can cause this change of configuration. In this example, the actuating lever 13 is separate from the jaw 12. It interacts with the latter according to a different kinematics. According to one variant, the actuating lever can form a unitary part with the body or be a separate part, fixed directly to the body. In these two embodiments, the jaw is called a single piece. The actuating lever 13 also swings into two configurations, an engaged configuration in which the lever is raised, as seen in figure 2 , and a triggered configuration in which the lever is lowered, thus covering the upper face 111 of the frame and in particular the visual indicator, as seen in figure 1 .

Generally, the adjustment of the vertical release force is carried out when there is no boot engaged with the binding, that is to say, when the heel piece is in its released configuration. However, as we have seen previously, in this configuration, the actuating lever masks the visual indicator which prevents the control of the setting of the binding. To overcome this problem, the lever comprises an opening 131 passing through the lever. The opening 131 is delimited by an anterior face 1311, located on the side of the jaw, a posterior face 1312, opposite the anterior face, and two side walls, right 1314 and left 1313. The opening 131 is arranged and dimensioned to so as to display the visual indicator 144 when the lever is lowered, in its tripped configuration. The visual indicator is then visible which facilitates the adjustment of the vertical release mechanism.

Another problem arises. Due to the size of the visual indicator, it is necessary to have a relatively large opening 131 in order to see the visual indicator well. Also, the size of the opening 131 is such that it allows the passage of at least one finger of the user, which results in the risks of jamming / pinching mentioned above. The invention aims to overcome this problem with a simple and economical embodiment.

The actuating lever comprises one or more ribs 132 each connecting two faces 1311, 1312, 1313, 1314 of the opening 131, the rib or ribs 132 being dimensioned and arranged so as to divide the opening 131 into several windows 133 all having a maximum width W133 of less than 0.85 centimeters. This value corresponds roughly to the average diameter of a child's finger. Accordingly, in reducing the dimensioning of these passages in this way, the risk of fingers being introduced through these windows is reduced, and therefore their jamming is avoided, without however penalizing the reading of the visual indicator 144.

To obtain this subdivision of the opening 131 into small windows 133, several solutions are possible. The opening 131 is thus partially closed by one or more ribs 132. It can be a grid formed by several ribs, several ribs arranged in parallel, or even a single rib. Advantageously, the set of windows 133 has an uncovered surface S133 greater than 70% of the reading surface S1441 of the graduated surface 1441 of the visual indicator 144. This makes it easier to read the visual indicator while hardly masking the one. -this.

According to the embodiment described, the actuating lever 13 comprises a single rib 132 connecting the anterior face 1311 and the posterior face 1312 of the opening 131. This rib 132 is centered relative to the width of the opening 131, thus creating two identical windows 133, arranged symmetrically, on either side of the central rib 132. According to one embodiment, the width W132 of the single rib 132 is less than the width W1423 of the visible part of a cursor 1442 of the visual indicator 144. In the case where the cursor 1442 is visible only in the central part of the graduated surface 1441, this construction allows the direct reading of the visual indicator. In the example described, the visible part of the cursor 1442 of the visual indicator 144 corresponds to the width W1423 of the central slot 1423 described above. In this example, the rib is less than three millimeters, which makes it possible not to interfere with the reading of the visual indicator.

To have a good view of the visual indicator, the length of the opening 131, that is to say, the minimum distance L131 between the anterior face 1311 and the posterior face 1312 of the opening is greater than 1, 2 centimeter. This makes it possible to fully see the marking on the graduated surface 1441. This makes it easier to read for the user.

Other visual indicator constructions 144 may be considered. For example, the part of the visible cursor can be offset from the center of the graduated surface.

The invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is possible to combine these embodiments.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments previously described but extends to all the embodiments covered by the appended claims.

Nomenclature

1. 1- Rear retainer
   • 11- Chassis
     111- Upper face
   • 12- Jaw
   • 13- Actuation lever
     • 131- Opening
       • 1311- anterior face
       • 1312- posterior face
       • 1313- left side face
       • 1314- right side face
     • 132- Rib
     • 133- Window
   • 14- Vertical trigger mechanism
     • 141- Piston
     • 142- Spring
     • 143- Adjustment means
       • 1431- Screw
       • 1432- Nut
     • 144- Visual indicator
       • 1441- Graduated surface
       • 1442- Cursor
       • 1443- Slot
2. 2- Gliding machine
   • 21- Gliding surface
   • 22- Upper surface
3. 3- shoe
   31- Sole

Claims (9)

1. Rear retaining device (1) for a boot binding (3) on a sliding device (2), comprising:

   - a chassis (11) intended to be secured to the sliding device;

   - a jaw (12) for retaining a heel of the boot, the jaw being movable with respect to the chassis from an engaged position to a disengaged position;

   - a disengagement mechanism (14), which is housed in the chassis and cooperates with the jaw so as to allow the jaw to tip from its engaged position to its disengaged position when the jaw is loaded beyond a given threshold force, in a disengagement direction (D), the disengagement mechanism comprising:

   - adjusting means (143) for modifying the given threshold force, and

   - a visual indicator (144) that is visible from an upper face (111) of the chassis;

   - an actuating lever (13) that is able to cooperate with the jaw so as to tip the jaw from its engaged position to its disengaged position, the actuating lever comprising an opening (131) delimited by a front face (1311), a rear face (1312) and two lateral faces (1313, 1314), the opening being disposed facing the visual indicator when the actuating lever is in a configuration in which the jaw is in its disengaged position,

   characterized in that
   the actuating lever comprises one or more ribs (132) that each connect two faces of the opening, the rib(s) being dimensioned and disposed so as to divide the opening into a plurality of windows (133) that all have a maximum width (W133) less than 0.85 centimetre.
2. Rear retaining device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the actuating lever comprises a single rib connecting the front face (1311) and the rear face (1312) of the opening.
3. Rear retaining device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the width (W132) of the single rib is less than the width of the visible part of a slider (1442) of the visual indicator.
4. Rear retaining device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the minimum distance (L131) between the front face (1311) and the rear face (1312) of the opening is greater than 1.2 centimetres.
5. Rear retaining device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating lever is a separate part from the jaw that is able to interact with the jaw.
6. Rear retaining device (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the actuating lever and the jaw form a single piece.
7. Rear retaining device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the jaw is mounted in a rotatable manner on the chassis.
8. Rear retaining device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the set of windows has an uncovered area (S133) greater than 70% of the reading area (S144) of the visual indicator.
9. Boot binding for a sliding device, comprising a front retaining device and a rear retaining device according to any one of the preceding claims.

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