Ski Binding Heel Unit with Eccentric Spring for Knee Injury Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ski bindings with tall heel pads increase valgus torque and strain on the knee, leading to ACL injuries during aggressive skiing, as they fail to effectively mitigate forces and torques transferred to musculoskeletal structures.
Innovation Solution
A ski binding with a lowered heel pad and reorganized mechanical elements, including an eccentrically positioned longitudinal pressure spring, reduces the lever arm from the snow surface to the knee, minimizing valgus torque and strain on the ACL, MCL, and other knee structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lateral heel release bindings with tall heel pads are used to provide lateral heel release and mitigate inadvertent pre-release, then lateral release capability is improved, but valgus torque and strain on the knee increases leading to ACL injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the longitudinal pressure spring from a vertical stacking arrangement to a horizontal arrangement within the heel unit. This dimensional change allows the spring to provide necessary longitudinal pressure while reducing the vertical height of the heel pad, thereby lowering the lever arm and reducing valgus torque on the knee while maintaining lateral release capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of heel pad height by reconfiguring the internal mechanism. By reducing the heel pad height from typical values of 30mm or more to a lower height, the effective lever arm is reduced, which directly reduces the valgus torque generated during skiing while preserving the binding's release function
2Object-affected harmful factors
If heel pad height is reduced to minimize lever arm and valgus torque, then knee injury risk is reduced, but the stacking height of lateral heel release mechanism and longitudinal pressure spring becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space constraint by transitioning the longitudinal pressure spring from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation within the heel unit. This allows the spring to maintain adequate length and functionality while accommodating the reduced heel pad height requirement, effectively using horizontal space instead of vertical space
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an eccentrically positioned longitudinal pressure spring that can dynamically adjust its position and orientation. This dynamic configuration allows the spring to provide consistent longitudinal pressure to the boot while accommodating variations in boot geometry and skiing conditions, maintaining effectiveness despite the compact heel unit design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces the frequency and severity of knee injuries by minimizing the forces and torques acting on the knee, thereby reducing the need for lateral heel release and mitigating second-order injuries during ski binding events.
Implementation Method 1
a non-centered longitudinal pressure spring in communication with the lower heel housing and supplying a longitudinal pressure to the ski boot
Implementation Method 2
reduces the lever arm from the snow surface to the knee, minimizing valgus torque and strain on the ACL, MCL, and other knee structures
Data Source
AI summary
An improved ski binding heel unit comprising a lateral heel release mechanism to release the heel of a ski boot from a ski is disclosed. The ski binding heel unit typically includes an independent vertical heel release mechanism, an independent lateral heel release mechanism, and a longitudinal pressure compensator. The improved ski binding heel unit allows a reduction in the height of the heel pad. This reduction in heel pad height is generally achieved by eccentrically positioning two or more of the springs within the heel unit while superpositioning the resultant centroid of the forces of friction between the lower housing and mating heel track structures that house at least one of the eccentrically positioned springs to foster smooth longitudinal displacement of the lower heel housing when the ski flexes and counterflexes.