Ski Binding Toe-Piece With Movable Pins for Boot Misalignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ski mountaineering bindings suffer from detachment of the ski boot due to misalignment caused by transverse stresses, leading to unhooking during descents, even with small rotations.
Innovation Solution
A toe-piece design with rotatable and retractable hooking elements that allow for roto-translatory motion, maintaining contact with the ski boot even during temporary misalignments, using elastic means and retaining mechanisms to prevent complete detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the hooking elements are rigidly fixed in the jaws to ensure stable coupling, then the coupling strength is improved, but the binding becomes sensitive to misalignment and detaches during transversal stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The hooking elements are made movable within their respective jaws through retaining means that allow roto-translatory motion. This dynamic capability enables the tips to adjust their positions and maintain contact with the holes during transversal stresses, preventing detachment while preserving coupling strength
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the positional parameters of the hooking element tips relative to the jaws. By allowing the tips to move along rotated trajectories within enlarged holes, the system adapts to misalignment caused by transversal stresses, maintaining reliable attachment
2Manufacturing precision
If the hooking element tips are positioned precisely to align with the holes, then the form coupling is improved, but the system cannot accommodate rotations of the ski boot during descents
Solution Approach 1:
The hooking elements are designed to be dynamically movable within the jaws, allowing them to adjust their positions in response to boot rotations. The retaining means enable roto-translatory motion, permitting the tips to follow rotated trajectories and maintain contact with the holes even when the boot rotates during descents
Solution Approach 2:
The hooking element tips are nested within enlarged holes in the jaws, allowing them to move freely within a larger space. This nested configuration provides the necessary freedom of motion for the tips to accommodate boot rotations while maintaining form coupling
3Device complexity
If the jaw structure is simplified to reduce complexity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain contact during misalignment is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw structure is segmented into fixed and movable components. The jaws themselves remain relatively simple, but each contains retaining means that allow specific portions (the hooking element tips) to move independently. This segmentation enables complex motion capability without significantly increasing overall structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining means act as intermediary mechanisms between the simple jaw structure and the requirement for complex motion. These retaining means enable the hooking elements to perform roto-translatory motion while the jaws maintain a relatively simple, robust structure
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
Ensures the ski boot remains securely attached during descents, allowing continued skiing by preventing undesired detachment due to temporary misalignments and facilitating realignment post-solicitation.
Implementation Method 1
Elastic means are present in the toe-piece, activatable via a lever, in order to activate the first jaw and the second jaw in rotation with respect to the base about the respective first and second rotation axis
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
Figure 6A~6C
AI summary
The toe-piece (100) of a ski mountaineering binding comprises: a first jaw (1) and a second jaw rotatably coupled with a base (B) fixable to a ski (S); a first hooking element (10) borne by the first jaw (1) and having a first tip (11) for inserting in a first lateral hole (F1) of the front part (A) of a ski boot (D) for ski mountaineering and a second hooking element (20) borne by the second jaw (2) and having a second tip (21) for inserting in a second lateral hole (F2) of the front part (A) of the ski boot (D) for ski mountaineering when the toe-piece assumes a configuration (O1) of an inserted ski boot. The toe-piece is configured in such a way that at least the first hooking element (10) is inserted in a first seat (12) present in the first jaw (1) with the first tip (11) exiting from the first seat (12) and in such a way as to be able to perform a roto-translatory motion between a retracted position (PR), when the ski boot (D) for ski mountaineering is aligned to the longitudinal axis of the ski (S), and an advanced position (PA) of a plurality of possible advanced positions in which it is more greatly projecting from the first seat (12) when the ski boot (D) for ski mountaineering temporarily misaligns with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski (S).