Ski Binding Toe-Piece Dynamic Pin Guide Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ski bindings do not effectively manage transverse forces during ski mountaineering, leading to potential injuries due to inadequate unhooking mechanisms when a ski boot experiences forces greater than a certain threshold.
Innovation Solution
A toe-piece design for ski bindings that incorporates sliding elements and guides to adjust pin positions, allowing for automatic unhooking when transverse forces exceed threshold values, while preventing involuntary unhooking from lower forces, using stabilizing means and abutting elements to maintain stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the ski binding uses a fixed pin position to maintain stability during normal skiing, then stability is improved, but the ability to automatically unhook during falls or twists is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The pin position is made dynamic rather than fixed. The pin can laterally displace along the guide when subjected to transverse forces exceeding a threshold value, enabling automatic unhooking during falls or twists. During normal skiing, the pin remains in its constrained position providing stability. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between stability and automatic unhooking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral position of the pin changes in response to applied forces. When transverse forces exceed the threshold, the pin displaces laterally along the guide, changing its position parameter. This parameter change enables the binding to transition from a stable locked state to an unhooked state, resolving the contradiction between maintaining stability during normal use and enabling automatic unhooking during abnormal conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ski binding allows lateral pin displacement for automatic unhooking, then automatic unhooking capability is improved, but stability during normal skiing is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is designed to be dynamically constrained by the guide, allowing lateral displacement only when necessary. During normal skiing, the guide constrains the pin to maintain stability. When transverse forces exceed the threshold during falls or twists, the pin dynamically displaces laterally along the guide to enable automatic unhooking. This dynamic constraint system resolves the contradiction by providing stability when needed and mobility when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral position of the pin is controlled through parameter changes based on applied forces. The guide maintains the pin in a stable position during normal use, but allows the pin to change its lateral position parameter when transverse forces exceed the threshold. This controlled parameter change enables automatic unhooking while maintaining stability during normal skiing, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the guide allows extensive lateral movement of the pin, then automatic unhooking is improved, but control over unhooking threshold is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The guide acts as an intermediary element between the pin and the transverse forces. It provides a controlled path for lateral pin displacement while maintaining precision over the unhooking threshold through its geometric design. The guide's shape and constraints ensure that the pin only displaces laterally when forces exceed the designed threshold, resolving the contradiction between enabling automatic unhooking and maintaining precise threshold control.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide controls the lateral position parameter of the pin through its geometric constraints. By designing the guide with specific dimensions and orientations, the unhooking threshold is precisely controlled. The pin can change its lateral position along the guide when forces exceed the threshold, but the guide's geometry ensures precise control over when this transition occurs, resolving the contradiction between automatic unhooking capability and threshold control precision.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E~1F
AI summary
A toe-piece of a ski binding (1), comprising: a base (2) which is fixable to a ski; a first jaw (3); a second jaw (4); a first pin (5) which is borne by the first jaw (3) for inserting in a first lateral hole fashioned in a tip of a ski boot; a second pin (6) which is borne by the second jaw (4) for inserting in a second lateral hole opposite the first lateral hole fashioned in the tip of the ski boot; a first guide (7) which is borne by the base (2), which has a first portion (8) which extends away from the longitudinal axis of the ski, when the base (2) is fixed to the ski, and which has a second portion (9), following the first portion (8), which extends towards the front part of the ski, when the base (2) is fixed to the ski; a second guide (10) which is borne by the base (2), which has a third portion (11) which extends away from the longitudinal axis of the ski, when the base (2) is fixed to the ski, and which has a fourth portion (12), following the third portion (11), which extends towards the front part of the ski, when the base (2) is fixed to the ski; a first couple of sliding elements (13) which are borne by the first jaw (3) and which engage slidably along the first guide (7); and a second couple of sliding elements (16) which are borne by the second jaw (4) and which engage slidably along the second guide (10).