Alpine Ski Heel Piece With Rotatable Pin Hooking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ski attachments for Alpine skiing are not compact or lightweight enough, making them inefficient for re-ascent and descent, as they require bulky components to securely attach and detach the ski boots.
Innovation Solution
A compact heel-piece with rotatable arms and elastic means that project pins to hook the ski boot, allowing for a contained design with adjustable hooking force, where the pins recall to lock the boot in place, minimizing volume and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ski attachments use bulky components to securely attach and detach ski boots, then reliability of attachment is improved, but weight and volume of the attachment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment device is divided into separate functional components: a heel piece with independent pin mechanism, a toe piece, and a binding system. The heel piece specifically uses two pins that can independently engage with the boot heel, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function rather than requiring a bulky monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential hooking function into a minimal set of elements - specifically two pins that project from the heel piece. By removing unnecessary structural bulk and keeping only the critical pin elements that perform the attachment function, the design achieves secure attachment with reduced weight and volume.
2Reliability
If conventional ski attachments use bulky components to securely attach and detach ski boots, then reliability of attachment is improved, but volume of the attachment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment device is divided into separate functional components: a heel piece with independent pin mechanism, a toe piece, and a binding system. The heel piece specifically uses two pins that can independently engage with the boot heel, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function rather than requiring a bulky monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential hooking function into a minimal set of elements - specifically two pins that project from the heel piece. By removing unnecessary structural bulk and keeping only the critical pin elements that perform the attachment function, the design achieves secure attachment with reduced weight and volume.
3Volume of moving object
If the heel-piece uses a simple pin structure to reduce volume, then compactness is improved, but ease of operation for hooking and unhooking may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The heel piece incorporates movable pins that can rotate or pivot within their mounting holes. This dynamic capability allows the pins to be easily manipulated - they can be pushed through to engage the boot heel and pulled back to release it. The rotatable arms provide mechanical leverage that makes the simple pin structure easy to operate despite its compact size.
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 provides a lightweight and compact heel-piece that efficiently hooks and unhooks the ski boot, enhancing athletic performance by reducing the size and weight of the attachment, while maintaining secure engagement and disengagement mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
elastic means associated to the upper element in such a way as to be in contact with the pins and to maintain the pins at a predetermined reciprocal distance; the elastic means recalling the pins such that they near one another when they have been forced to distance
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A heel piece for an alpine ski attachment comprises a base element (1), fastenable to a ski (S), an upper element (2), coupled to the base element (1), and hooking means (3) borne by the upper element (2) for hooking to a shaped portion exhibited in a rear part of an alpine ski boot. The hooking means (3) comprise a pair of arms (31), constrained to the upper element (2) in such a way as to be rotatable with respect to the upper element (2), and a pair of pins (32) borne by the pair of arms (31) in such a way as to project from the upper element (2). The heel-piece further comprises elastic means (4) associated to the upper element (2) in such a way as to be in contact with the pins (32) and to maintain the pins (32) at a predetermined reciprocal distance. The elastic means (4) are stressable by a separation of the pair of pins (32), determined by a lowering of the rear part of the ski boot onto the ski and by insertion between the pins (32) of the shaped portion exhibited in said rear part. The pins (32) are destined, following complete insertion between the said pins (32) of the shaped portion, to be recalled by the elastic means (4) to near one another, in order to lock against an upper part of the shaped portion and thus to hook the ski boot.