Ski Boot Removable Sole Rigid Plate Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ski touring boots with removable soles suffer from play between the sole and the hull due to misalignments and size discrepancies in fixing screws, leading to reduced precision and safety in energy pulse transfer to the skis, particularly affecting control and rapidity during uphill skiing.
Innovation Solution
The ski boot design features a hull with uniformly distributed seats on a rigid plate that matches the shape and size of the removable soles, ensuring precise fit through perpendicular fixing screws, eliminating play and enhancing the DYNAFIT® binding constraint for improved control and rapidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If removable soles are used to enable interchangeability for different skiing disciplines, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to play between sole and hull
Solution Approach 1:
A rigid plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the hull and the removable sole. The plate is fixedly constrained to the hull and provides a precise mounting surface for the sole, eliminating the play that would otherwise exist between the sole and hull directly. This mediator ensures that the connection point for energy transfer remains stable and precise.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid plate is pre-fixed to the hull with precisely positioned seats for the fixing screws before the sole is attached. This preliminary action ensures that the mounting surface is already in the correct position and orientation, so when the sole is attached, it aligns perfectly without creating play or misalignment.
2Ease of operation
If fixing screws are used to attach removable soles, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to misalignments and size discrepancies
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid plate changes the geometric parameters of the mounting interface by providing precisely positioned seats for the fixing screws. These seats ensure that the screws are always inserted at the correct position and angle, regardless of variations in screw size or minor misalignments, thereby maintaining reliable energy transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid plate acts as a mediator that absorbs and compensates for misalignments and size discrepancies in the fixing screws. By providing a rigid, precisely positioned mounting surface, it ensures that the connection between hull and sole remains stable and reliable for energy transfer.
3Manufacturing precision
If a fixed sole is used to ensure precise energy transfer, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as the boot can only be used for uphill skiing
Solution Approach 1:
The sole is segmented into a removable portion that can be detached and replaced. The rigid plate remains fixed to the hull, maintaining the precise mounting interface, while the removable sole portions can be exchanged between uphill and downhill configurations, providing both precision and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid plate with its precisely positioned seats serves as a universal mounting interface that works with different types of soles for different skiing disciplines. This single fixed component enables the boot to be adapted for multiple functions while maintaining precise energy transfer.
Data Source
AI summary
A ski boot with removable and interchangeable soles. In one embodiment, the ski boot has a hull with a shaped plate, a sole adapted to be removed from the hull with the sole having a front portion and a back portion that are separated from each other and constrained to the hull via fixing screws. The removable and interchangeable soles allows the ski boot to be configured for specific skiing disciplines and is compatible with ski bindings provided with a plurality of pins integral with the ski that are fitted into corresponding shaped recesses of the hull. The shaped recesses are positioned on the sides of the plate, which is fixedly constrained to the ski boot.