Touring Binding Heel Unit Oblique Release Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heel units for touring bindings often result in false releases during sporty maneuvers, especially when encountering obstacles or uneven terrain, due to their tendency to trigger prematurely under temporary and high forces, leading to unreliable coupling with the touring shoe.
Innovation Solution
The heel unit features coupling projections that move obliquely or orthogonally to the plane of the gliding board, increasing the release path and allowing the coupling pins to follow the heel section's movement before releasing, thus preventing immediate triggering under transient loads and ensuring reliable release only when sustained force is applied.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the coupling projections are designed to move only in the horizontal plane (parallel to the gliding board), then the release mechanism is simple, but false releases occur during sporty maneuvers due to temporary high forces
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling projections are designed to move not only horizontally (parallel to the gliding board) but also vertically (perpendicular to the gliding board). This adds a third dimension to the movement, creating an oblique path that allows the coupling to follow the heel section's vertical movement during sporty maneuvers before releasing, thereby preventing false releases while maintaining a manageable device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling projections are made dynamically movable in multiple directions (horizontal and vertical) rather than being constrained to a fixed horizontal path. This dynamic capability allows the coupling to adapt to transient vertical forces during sporty activities, following the heel section's movement and only releasing when sustained force is applied, thus improving reliability without excessive complexity
2Reliability
If the coupling projections move away from the plane of the gliding board, then false releases are prevented, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling projections are designed to move in three-dimensional space, combining horizontal and vertical movements. This dimensional change allows the coupling to follow the heel section's vertical displacement during sporty maneuvers, preventing false releases. The structural implementation uses guide surfaces and elastic means that, while adding some complexity, provide a systematic and manageable increase in device structure
Solution Approach 2:
The horizontal and vertical movement capabilities of the coupling projections are merged into a single integrated mechanism. The elastic means and guide surfaces combine to provide both horizontal mobility for normal release and vertical follow-up motion for preventing false releases, thereby achieving reliable false release prevention with a unified structure rather than separate systems
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
This design enhances the reliability of the heel unit by preventing false releases during sporty activities and ensuring the touring shoe is securely coupled or released based on the duration and intensity of the applied force, maintaining stability and safety.
Implementation Method 1
the coupling projections are movable away from one another in a horizontal plane (Y-direction) from this position by elastic means (not shown) of the heel unit
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a heel unit 10 for a touring binding of a ski touring boot, comprising a binding body 14 on which two coupling projections 16 are movably held for coupling to a heel section of a touring boot, wherein the movable holder of the coupling projections 16 is arranged so that the coupling projections 16 move away from a ski touring boot plane.