Ski Brake

The invention relates to a ski brake to prevent the sliding or runaway of a ski after release of same from a ski boot initially held on the ski by ski bindings. The ski brake consists of braking arms positioned on both sides of the ski and are attached to a braking bar which is pivotally supported on the ski. The braking bar, loaded by a spring, is held in the braking position by a downwardly extending arm and is held in the ready position above the upper surface of the ski by the ski boot engaging a stepping plate when the ski boot is inserted in the ski binding.

Ski brakes of this type are known in various constructions. The ski brakes which more closely relate to the abovementioned subject matter are described for example in German OS No. 24 12 623, in the associated addition applications which are published in German OS Nos. 24 36 155 and 25 07 371, furthermore, in German OS No. 25 31 466. All these constructions have in common the torsion-springlike construction of the entire braking bar. This has the disadvantage that the torsion force which is produced in the braking bar is the greatest in the ready or cocked position of the ski brake and when the ski boot is clamped in the ski bindings. As a result, the foot of the skier is pushed by the largest possible spring force. This situation is disadvantageous for holding down the ski boot in the ski binding since the release point of the ski binding must be adjusted with consideration being given to the torsional stand-up force stored in the spring wire bar. A further disadvantage consists in that in a one-piece manufacture of the bar, two opposed conditions must be met. First, the brake arms must be produced of a wire which is as strong as possible in order to avoid bending. Second, the dimensions of the spring wire of which the braking bar consists may not be chosen particularly large, because otherwise the earlier already mentioned torsion force, which the skier must overcome, will be too great and also the holding mechanism of the entire braking bar will have undesired dimensions. To avoid these disadvantages, it was suggested according to Austrian Auslegeschrift No. A 1803/75 to design the braking bar with additional extensions which are associated with the stepping plate, wherein the braking arms and in particular the segment which is stressed for bending consist of two wire materials, however, the one-piece manufacture of such a brake is for technical manufacturing reasons associated with particularly high assembly time and expense.

The already mentioned German OS No. 24 12 623 (corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,271) describes also a further construction in which a pressure bar is associated with a stepping bar, wherein the two bars are connected by means of an intermediate bar. The known arrangement is thereby such that an extending of the intermediate bar is only possible when the stepping bar is extended. This will achieve the known pulling in of the braking arms above the upper ski surface in the ready position. In this known construction therefore the torsion force is produced only in the stepping bar and in same also only by the extending function, wherein the two bends of the stepping bar are supported at the end stop of the recess. A disadvantage of this known construction lies in the greatest force being created in the ready or cocked position and the torsion force having also to be produced by the stepping bar, so that again opposed conditions must be met.

The invention has the object of overcoming the disadvantages of the known ski brakes and to provide a ski brake in which the braking bar and the spring which loads same are constructed separately and the hold down force is smaller in the ready position of the device than in the braking position.

The object of the invention is inventively achieved by a spring, as actually known, being a barlike torsion spring which is designed from spring wire, and which torsion spring is supported on a mounting plate on the ski and wherein the torsion spring and the breaking bar are connected together through a stepping plate and between said parts there is provided a connection which permits a lost motion pivoting of the parts.

The inventive design of the ski brake permits the stand-up force to achieve its maximum magnitude in the braking position while requiring in the ready or cocked position only a small force for holding same down. This is due to the fact that the torsion force is stored exclusively in the separate spring bar and the braking bar is freed from any self contained stand-up forces. The braking bar carries out only the pivotal movement which is necessary for pulling in the ends of the braking arms in a plane which lies above the upper surface of the ski and generally parallel to said upper surface of the ski; the force pivoting the braking bar from the ready position into the braking position comes exclusively from the torsion force which is stored in the spring bar.

For the connection between a braking bar and a spring bar through a stepping plate, various embodiments are possible which lie within the scope of the invention. These and further details or advantages of the invention will now be described with reference to the several exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a first exemplary embodiment, wherein FIGS. 2 and 3 are related views in which the inventive ski brake lies in the cocked or ready position and FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of the ski brake in the braking position;

FIGS. 1a, 2a, 1b and 2b are further constructions of the stepping plate in positions corresponding to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate a second exemplary embodiment, similar to the positions of FIGS. 1 to 3.

The following description identifies component parts which are the same in both exemplary embodiments with the same reference numeral, however, similar parts which fulfill the same purpose or function have been identified with the same reference numeral and the prime (') suffix to effect a differentiation therebetween.

In the first exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, a ski boot 2 which is shown only in FIGS. 1 and 2 is held on a ski 1 by means of a conventional ski binding 3. The ski binding 3 is not the subject matter of the present invention. The front ski binding part is not shown in the drawings but it may have any desired and known conventional construction. With reference to the ski binding 3, there is arranged adjacent thereto a mounting plate 4 for a ski brake which as a whole is identified by the reference numeral 5. The ski brake 5 is, according to FIG. 1, in the braking position, namely either in the position when the ski boot 2 is being clamped into the ski bindings or in the position when the ski boot 2 is being released from the ski binding 3, for example after a fall. The ski brake 5 thereby becomes active to retard the free sliding of the ski 1. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the ski brake 5 in the ready or cocked position, however, FIG. 3 does not show the ski boot to facilitate a better understanding of the invention.

The design of the ski brake 5 which is the subject matter of the present invention is as follows. The ski brake 5 consists of a generally U-shaped braking bar 6, a generally U-shaped spring bar 7 and a stepping plate 8 connecting the braking bar 6 and the spring bar 7 together. The braking bar 6 and the spring bar 7 are supported in pivot bearings 9 or 11 of the mounting plate 4. The braking bar is freely pivotally supported in the bearings 9 over the entire range of movement thereof without generating any torsional forces in the wire tending to return same to the upright braking position. The mounting plate 4 has a recess or notch 12 in the center area, namely where the pivot bearings 9 for the braking bars 6 are provided. The recess or notch 12 facilitates a horizontal movement of the braking bar 6 during a swing thereof in the pivot bearings 9, wherein also the possibility for a tilting exists. This measure is intended as an overloaded protection device in order to prevent a bending of the braking arms 13 when same get hung up or caught on a rigid obstacle in the ground, for example a root. The pivot bearings 11 for the spring bar 7 are provided on the lateral sides of the mounting plate 4. Free space or gaps 10 are provided in the lateral sides of the mounting plate 4 and in horizontal alignment with the pivot bearings 11 for the bent sections 15 of the braking bar 6. As a result, it is possible to pull in the free ends 13a of the braking arms 13 from an initial inoperative position wherein the free ends 13a are positioned alongside of and outwardly of the upper lateral edges of the ski to a fully inoperative position above the upper surface of the ski 1a and inside of the upper lateral edges of the ski when the shank portions 6A of the braking bar 6 engage the cams 4A. The degree or amount of pulling in depends on the width of the respective ski and the spacing between the brake arms 13 of the ski brake mounted on the ski as well as the size of the cam 4A. The present exemplary embodiment illustrates a ski 1, the width of which corresponds to an average value. The dimension of the inside diameter of the free ends 13a of the braking arms 13 is measured such that they can just yet carry out in the case of a ski of the widest width (short ski) the horizontal movement during the swing of the braking bar 6 from the ready or cocked position into the braking position and yet still effect a pulling in in the case of a narrower ski. It has proven to be preferable if the braking arms 13 as shown in FIG. 2, define an angle .alpha. in the fully inoperative ready or cocked position with the upper surface 1a of the ski 1, the magnitude of which is in the range of approximately 5.degree. to 20.degree., preferably 10.degree.. This facilitates the provision of an increase in the degree or amount of pulling in which must be accomplished for the various ski widths. A coating or covering 14, for example of plastic is provided on the free ends 13a of the braking arms 13. The bight portion of the U-shaped bar part 16 of the braking bar 6 lies in a recess of the stepping plate 8, which recess is not separately shown in the drawings. The stepping plate 8 has at its end remote from the braking bar an extension 18 which has an elastic characteristic in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3. For this purpose, recesses 18a are provided in the extension 18. The stepping plate 8 has longitudinal slots 17 provided on both sides thereof for receiving the bight portion 7a of the U-shaped spring bar 7. In this manner according to this exemplary embodiment a simultaneous swinging of the two bars 6 and 7 is assured without any interengagement therebetween. It must be remarked in addition that the spring bar 7 has the two torsion areas, 7b between the bight portion 7a which acts as neutral zone and the bent free ends or offset segments 7c. As will be recognized from FIG. 3, the free ends 7c of the spring bar 7 lie in the ready or cocked position of the ski brake so that they extend approximately parallel to the bent sections 15 of the braking bar 6 (see the dashed position thereof in FIG. 3) and when in the braking position of the ski brake they lie in the dash-dotted position. This arrangement shows that the torsion in the torsion area 7b caused by a swinging of the braking bar 6 in the pivot bearings 11 toward the ready or cocked position is produced by the changed position of the free ends 7c. Only in order to be complete it is remarked that a neutral zone in the bight portion 7a is created by the fact that the torsion forces which are produced at opposite ends thereof by the two side portions 7b are effectively cancelled.

The elastic construction of the extension 18 is provided for the purpose of facilitating a better adjustment to the sole of the ski boot 2. As will be recognized from FIGS. 1a and 2a, which show similar positions of the areas of the stepping plate 8 and which are associated with FIGS. 1 and 2, a construction is also possible in which an extension 18' is pivotally connected to the free end 8a of the stepping plate 8 by means of a pivot axle 19. A spring 20 can, if desired, be arranged between a projection on the extension 18' and the stepping plate 8. The spring 20 has either a length through which an engagement of the extension 18' on the stepping plate 8 in the braking position is effected in order to assure a good support for the sole of the ski boot 2, or is dimensioned so strongly that it can cooperate in the release of the ski boot 2.

For the purpose of facilitating a perfect functioning of the ski brake with a one-piece stepping plate 8, it will be preferable if the free end of the extension 18 extends in a rounded portion 18b as shown in FIG. 2b. It will be recognized that in this development of the stepping plate 8, a catching of the ski brake 5 along the lower side of the sole of the ski boot 2 is not possible even when same is provided with special recesses or the like.

A further modification of the connection between the braking bar 6 and the spring bar 7 exists in the stepping plate 8 having according to FIG. 1b a hook portion 8b on its side facing the ski 1, which hook assures an engagement with the bight portion of the spring bar 7 over the entire range of movement of the ski brake 5. In this case, the longitudinal slots 17 can be left out. For the purpose of preventing an unintended loosening of the spring bar 7 from the stepping plate 8 and thus from the braking bar 6, the course of swing of the entire ski brake 5 is limited. This can be done either by arranging a stop 21 on the mounting plate 4 selectively in the path of swing of the braking bar 6 or the spring bar 7 or it can be arranged on the opposite side of the pivots therefor (in relationship to the swinging of the ski brake) on the mounting plate 4 or on the ski 1 so that further swinging of the braking arms 13 will be limited. The stop 21, as is shown in FIG. 1 b, is arranged most advantageously in the path of the swing of the spring bar 7 because here neither insertion of the ski boot 2 is hindered nor is an outwardly projecting part created which projects outwardly during downhill skiing. The arrangement has the further advantage that the ski brake 5 upon creation of an overload can swing also beyond the limit of the stop 21 because the component of movement which is created transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ski exerts the necessary axial force onto the associated free end 7c of the spring bar 7 and a sliding off over the stop 21 can occur.

The entire arrangement can be adjustably mounted in a conventional manner for movement in longitudinal direction of the ski separately from ski binding 3 or otherwise together with the ski binding 3. This embodiment has the advantage that the mounting plate 4 can be constructed at the same time as a sliding plate so that a separate mounting for the ski brake 5 or a separate sliding plate for the ski binding 3 is not needed. As a result, the friction forces which disadvantageously stress the ski boot 2 or its sole during a release operation are reduced.

In the second exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 4 to 6, the difference from the preceding embodiments lies in the bight portion 7a' of the spring bar 7' having a cranklike portion 7d which is positioned in an associated (not separately illustrated) recess of the stepping plate 8' and is form-lockingly connected to same. To assure the swing movement according to this exemplary embodiment, the free ends 7c of the spring bar 7' are freely movably supported in elongated slots 22 in the mounting plate 4, which elongated slots 22 are arranged on both sides of the mounting plate 4 and act as a type of sliding axle. In this arrangement, not only do the two legs act as torsion segments 7b' but also the remaining two segments 7a" of the bight portion 72a' are positioned transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ski. The crank portion 7d and the bent portions 7e, which exist between the two torsion areas 7a" and 7b" which lie one behind the other, are neutral. In order to be complete, it is remarked that the lateral torsion segments, 7b' receive torsion through the bent portions of the free ends 7c and the torsion segments 7a" receive torsion through the sliding axles. The torsion force is achieved between the crank portion 7d and the stepping plate 8 in that the planes of the crank portion 7d and of the braking bar 7 form an acute angle .beta. with one another in the braking position of the ski brake 5. A comparison of the positions of the crank 7d and of the spring bar 7 to one another according to FIGS. 4 and 5 will reveal the change of the angle .beta. and thus the initial tension in the ready or cocked position of the ski brake 5.

The invention is not limited to the illustrated exemplary embodiments. Various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the braking bar can be manufactured not only as illustrated of a spring wire, but also with any desired different cross section, namely both of plastic and also of a light metal U-shaped casting or also of a sheet metal material. The approximately U-shaped shape refers to a view in longitudinal direction of the ski. It is also possible that the lateral resiliency of the braking bar is created--not as illustrated by lateral abutting surfaces, constructions or the like--but for example by a hinged connection of two half bar parts which are held together by means of a spring. Such an embodiment is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,223, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The use of lateral limitations is known for example from German OS No. 24 36 155.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.