Supporting Plate Incorporating An Adjustable Asymmetry Function For Shaped Skis

Abstract

The invention relates to a supporting plate incorporating an adjustable asymmetry function enables the carving turns to be performed in such a way, that the skis run along two parallel curves, which in ideal circumstances match closely the arcs of two concentric circles, that no additional energy is needed to maintain the skis in parallel position throughout the turn, and that the turns are executed without unwanted vibrations and with normal, not much increased physical activity. The asymmetry of the skis, that is the assignment of a left and a right ski, is set up in a control assembly, comprising a weighting member, made of two balls, one steel ball and one highly compressible ball made of rubber or similar material, and two mechanical stops, as well as a housing, where an aluminum piston with a magnet acts as a find regulating device. The left and the right ski are set up by the disposition of the balls and the outside ski in a turn, respectively, are distinguished. The supporting plate of the inside ski allows a maximal flexion of its ski, while the supporting plate of the outside ski restricts successively the bending line of the ski and thereby slightly increases the radius of its turning arc. Consequently, the tracks of a turn are two parallel curves matching closely the sections of two concentric circles, spaced at a distance between the skis.

1 . A supporting plate incorporating an adjustable asymmetry function, comprising a toe portion  1 , a heel portion  24 , and a control assembly  5 , wherein the setting up of asymmetry, that is the designation of the left and the right ski, respectively, is performed in the control assembly ( 5 ), consisting of a weighting member made of two balls ( 17 ,  18 ), two mechanical stops ( 25 ,  26 ), and a housing with a fine regulating device in a form of an aluminum piston ( 6 ) with a magnet ( 19 ); that the said weighting member, comprising one steel ball ( 18 ) and one soft, highly compressible ball ( 17 ) made of rubber or similar material, is adjusted by corresponding disposition of the said two balls ( 17 ,  18 ) and by adjustment of mechanical side stops ( 25 , 26 ); that the movement of said balls ( 17 ,  18 ) of the weighting member, stipulated by the gravitation, defines, which ski is the inside ski and which is the outside ski in a turn, and that the supporting plate of the inside ski allows a maximal flexion of its ski, while the supporting plate of the outside ski restricts successively the bending line of the ski and thereby slightly increases the radius of its turning arc, so that the tracks of a turn are two parallel curves, matching closely the sections of two concentric circles, spaced at a distance between the skis. 
   
   
       2 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the interior of the control assembly ( 5 ) is watertight and that the watertight construction is ensured by washers fitted on the side stops ( 25 ,  26 ), by a gasket at the entrance for the aluminum piston ( 6 ) with its magnet ( 19 ) into the interior of the control assembly ( 5 ) and by a thin layer of hardened glass or similar material at the top of the control assembly ( 5 ). 
   
   
       3 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the supporting plate is fitted to the ski in four transversal lines (I, II, III, IV) in such manner, that the fitting is firm, that is made by a screw connection, only in the first line (I) at the beginning of the toe portion ( 1 ) of the supporting plate; that in the second line (II), an oval hole is provided allowing a slight longitudinal movement of the plate by means of two simple distance pieces, while in the last two lines (III, IV) the heel portion ( 24 ) of the supporting plate is fitted to the ski ( 2 ) by means of larger distance pieces and specially shaped grooves ( 20 ) made in the heel portion ( 24 ), so that in the last three lines (II, III, IV) the fitting of the supporting plate is elastic in longitudinal direction and allows maximal bending of a weighted ski while the supporting plate travels longitudinally along the ski depending on the weight force and consequently on the bending of the ski; that when the ski bends, the supporting plate moves freely and adapts to the bent upper surface of the ski also with the help of two transversal slits ( 9 ) made on the toe portion ( 1 ) and the heel portion ( 24 ), the maximal shift of the heel portion ( 24 ) being larger than 5 mm at maximal bending of the ski; that in order to lessen the friction, a thin pad ( 27 ) made of 0.4 mm thick rust-resistant sheet metal is placed beneath the heel portion ( 24 ) of the supporting plate. 
   
   
       4 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein in the middle of the toe portion ( 1 ) there is a longitudinal groove along which moves the lever arm ( 14 ) of the stretching mechanism ( 4 ) for the spring ( 16 ); that the stretching mechanism ( 4 ) for the spring ( 16 ) consists of a housing, which is fastened with screws to the front section of the ski, and of a transversally fastened support ( 15 ) for the lever arm ( 14 ), the said support ( 15 ) allowing the skier to change the length of the arm ( 14 ) to control the tension of the spring ( 16 ); that the spring ( 16 ) presses resiliently on the control assembly ( 5 ), which has a transversal groove along which travel the steel ball ( 18 ) and the soft ball ( 17 ) driven by gravitation force when the skis incline sideways. 
   
   
       5 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein in the inside ski in a turn, a link is established between the stretching mechanism ( 4 ) and the lever ( 12 ) through a sequence of parts, consisting of the support ( 15 ) for the lever arm ( 14 ), the lever arm ( 14 ), the spring ( 16 ), the control assembly ( 5 ), the soft rubber ball ( 17 ), the aluminum piston ( 6 ) acting as a fine regulating device, and the pullback arm ( 10 ); that while the ski bends, the supporting plate moves longitudinally along the ski and pushes the lever ( 12 ), built-in in the lever housing ( 13 ), by means of the rear arm ( 11 ), whereby the lever ( 12 )  18  triggered into action, wherein it reverses the direction of the movement, since the pullback arm ( 10 ) is moving in the opposite direction than the supporting plate, and, depending on the lever arms, increases the amplitude of the movement of the heel portion ( 24 ) of the supporting plate; that when bending of the ski is extreme, the heel portion ( 24 ) of the supporting plate shifts also for more than 5 mm toward the rear section of the ski, which means that at a 1:3 ratio of the lever arms the pullback arm ( 10 ) shifts toward the front section of the ski for more than 15 mm; that an aluminum piston ( 6 ) with a magnet ( 19 ), acting as a fine regulating device, is situated at the beginning of the pullback arm ( 10 ), wherein the piston ( 6 ) enters through a gasket into the housing of the control assembly ( 5 ), to push the balls ( 17 ,  18 ) with greater or lesser force, depending on the shifting amplitude of the feedback loop; that as the soft ball ( 17 ) is highly compressible, the bending of the ski is practically unimpeded and is consequently maximal, when the feedback loop is established over the ball ( 17 ). 
   
   
       6 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein in the outside ski in a turn, the link between the outermost elements, that is between the stretching mechanism ( 4 ) and the lever ( 12 ), is established over the steel ball ( 18 ), wherein the steel ball ( 18 ) is pushed by the lever ( 12 ) over the pullback arm ( 10 ) and over the aluminum piston ( 6 ) with magnet ( 19 ), acting as a fine regulating device, against the housing of the control assembly ( 5 ) fastened in the guides ( 23 ) on the cover plate ( 3 ) by means of distance pieces; that such fastening of the control assembly ( 5 ) allows longitudinal movement of the control assembly ( 5 ) only in the direction toward the main working spring ( 16 ); that greater flexion of the ski instigates greater pressure of the front side of the control assembly ( 5 ) on the working spring ( 16 ), wherein the strength of the working spring ( 16 ) can be adjusted by means of the support ( 15 ) of the lever arm ( 14 ); that the magnet ( 19 ) ensures that the steel ball ( 18 ) is centered exactly in the middle of the piston ( 6 ). 
   
   
       7 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein by choosing a suitable type of the main operating spring ( 16 ) and by an adjustable regulation of the stretching of the spring ( 16 ) by means of the stretching mechanism ( 4 ), a desired dependence diagram of the contraction of the spring from the push force can be achieved, while by the aluminum piston  6 , acting as a fine regulating device, the user can determine precisely, at what flexion of the ski the feedback loop over the steel ball ( 18 ) will be established as well as when, how, and how much the possibility of a free flexion of the ski will be decreased to allow the outside ski to draw a somewhat larger circle than the inside ski, whereby the said circles are concentric, spaced at a distance between the skis. 
   
   
       8 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein in each turn both the inside ski and the outside ski have a feedback loop closed through the relevant ball, that is through the steel ball ( 18 ) in the outside ski and through the soft ball ( 17 ) in the inside ski, to ensure that the unwanted vibrations of the front section and the rear section of the ski die out as quickly as possible. 
   
   
       9 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein the toe portion ( 1 ), a heel portion ( 24 ), and a control assembly ( 5 ) are preferably made of plastics, aluminum, various alloys or composite materials, and that they are covered by a few millimeters thick cover plate ( 3 ) made of aluminum, various alloys or composite materials. 
   
   
       10 . A supporting plate according to  claim 1 , wherein in an alternative configuration of the supporting plate, suitable for execution of extreme turns and for slalom races, where the turns should have a smallest possible radius and the edge angle of the ski relative to the surface of the snow should be high, and where greater difference is required between bending of the inside and outside ski, the control assembly ( 5 ) has only a steel ball ( 18 ), which is limited on one side by a short stop ( 25 , 26 ) and on the other side by a long stop ( 30 ). 
   
   
       11 . A supporting plate according to  claim 10 , wherein in the outside ski, the absorption of vibrations is ensured by the feedback loop established over the steel ball ( 18 ), while in the inside ski which is left without the feedback loop, as the aluminum piston ( 6 ) moves freely in the control assembly ( 5 ) and passes by the steel ball ( 18 ), the absorption of vibrations is provided by the stretching mechanism ( 4 ) of the spring ( 16 ) and by the spring ( 16 ), which acts as a shock absorber for the front section of the ski, while in the rear section of the ski the elastic connection between the rear lever ( 12 ) and the pullback arm ( 10 ) as well as the spring ( 8 ) of the pullback arm ( 10 ) is used as a shock absorber; that the pullback arm ( 10 ) travels through the spring ( 8 ) mounted in the longitudinal groove in the heel portion ( 24 ) of the supporting plate; that at its front end, the spring ( 8 ) is restricted by a vertically movable stop ( 7 ), while at its rear end, a spring blockade ( 21 ) is situated, which is used to set the initial elasticity of the mounted on the pullback arm ( 10 ), wherein the energy preserved in the spring ( 8 ) in this way, helps in straightening the ski as fast as possible at the end of the turn, where the flexion of the ski decreases; that faster straightening of the skis is provided in addition by the main operating spring ( 16 ), positioned in the longitudinal groove in the toe portion ( 1 ) of the supporting plate, wherein the spring ( 16 ) elastically presses onto the control assembly ( 5 ), when the ski is not weighted and consequently is not bent, so that the control assembly ( 5 ) is in its outermost position as allowed by the manner of fastening through the guides ( 23 ), whereas when the ski bends, the distance between the stretching mechanism ( 4 ) of the spring ( 6 ) and the control assembly ( 5 )  18  decreased and the spring ( 16 ) contracts, while the preserved energy ensures the quickest possible returning of the ski into straight position at the end of a turn.