DEVICE WITH TOBOGGAN

Abstract: Device for a toboggan (1) or similar sledge that is designed to be attached to a tow line, particularly for pulling in ski lifts or similar lift arrangements, comprising a gripping organ (16), a first brake element (114) and a second brake element (217). The gripping organ can be moved between an active engaged position and a passive disengaged position. A stop mechanism is connected to this gripping organ, where the stop mechanism can be released manually to transfer the gripping organ from an active to a passive position. The gripping organ (16) is suspended so that it can turn about an axle (15) that extends transverse to the direction it is being pulled. The gripping organ (16) in an active position works together with a protrusion (26) at the front of the toboggan, where the stop mechanism comprises an organ (18) that extends from the gripping organ and through the front of the toboggan, to be connected to a jointed organ (19). There is also a first brake element (114) for normal tobogganing, and a second brake element (217) for emergency situations.

Description: Device with toboggan. The invention comprises a toboggan or similar sledge that can be attached to a towline, particularly a toboggan designed for use in an alpine skiing facility, as indicated in the introduction to Claim 1. As alpine skiing facilities expand with ski lifts and other forms of transporting skiers, an alternative to normal alpine forms of skiing has become apparent. Here tobogganing has become evident in conjunction with such facilities. The use includes tow lifts, like those for skiers, and tobogganing on alpine slopes and/or runs that are specifically designed for this purpose. One prereguisite for this type of use is that there is a satisfactory connection between such a toboggan and a towline. Preferable the towline for such a toboggan should be eguipped in the same way as tow lifts for skiers. It is also necessary to have a very efficient, operationally safe braking system for such a toboggan. Many different braking systems have been suggested for toboggans where the brake swings from a passive to an active braking position. The known solutions, mainly from toboggans with steering wheels and children's sledges do not have adequate braking or the release accuracy that is necessary in toboggans for adults. These toboggans also need a braking system that comes into effect if the user falls off or is incapable of operating the manual braking system. In other words, there must be a type of emergency brake that can stop such a toboggan in an emergency. Various types of emergency brakes are known that are activated when a grip is released. However it has not been possible to find a known solution that is satisfactory for this particular area of use. It has also been a main objective with the present invention to produce a device to connect a toboggan or similar sledge to a towline that is designed for towing The device must meet a number of basic assumptions. The activation and deactivation must be simple. There must be a high degree of built-in safety to prevent malfunction during operation. In addition, the device must avoid any risk of injury during use, that is when tobogganing. A further objective has been to design a device that is as simple as possible both structurally and functionally, thus restricting the maintenance requirements and making any repairs simple and easy to do. The activation and deactivation of the tow must be able to be simply operated from the toboggan's central seating area. It is a further objective of the invention to design a braking device that is an improvement on known systems. In specific terms this means designing a braking device that can be activated in an accurately controlled manner that gives strong braking even in loosely-packed runs. The braking should be so efficient that is not necessary to specially prepare slopes that are to be used by toboggans, at the same time the toboggans are to be capable of being used on piste that havebeen prepared for skiing in the usual way. A specific objective is to design a braking device that has a simple and certain transition from the active to the passive position. A further objective with the present invention is to design a braking mechanism that can be released in an emergency or similar situations on a toboggan as mentioned above, where it is not necessary to have special activation during normal use. A particular consideration is that the braking device is to be as small hindrance as possible to the free use of the toboggan, at the same time it must be certain that the braking device operates should there be an accident. Such a braking device is to be convenient and simple to use, this will give the tobogganist considerable freedom. At the same time it is to operate quickly if there is an accident, and there is not to be any risk that it will remain passive if there is a malfunction in the normal routines. The objectives of the invention are met by a device with the characteristics stated in the characterizing part of Claim 1. Other advantageous features are given in associated subsidiary claims. The invention will now be described closer by means of an example of the design and with reference to the enclosed drawings, where fig. 1 shows a perspective sketch of a toboggan in accordance with the present invention, fig. 2 shows a lateral section of a draw fork in Fig. 1, in the active raised position, - fig. 3 shows the equivalent elements as in Fig. 2, but with the draw fork in the downward, non-engaged position, while figs. 4 and 5 respectively show the lateral and front sections of the draw fork, fig. 6 shows a lateral section of a brake device in ' accordance with the invention, with the brake element in the passive position, fig. 7 shows an equivalent sketch as in fig. 1, with the brake element in the active position, while fig. 8 shows a sketch from above of the brake element in fig. 6, i.e., the brake element is in the raised, passive position, fig. 9 s-hows a schematic lateral perspective of an emergency brake in accordance with the present invention, and fig. 10 is a plane section of a release disc from the emergency brake in fig. 9. First reference is made to fig. 1 where we can see a toboggan 1 with a chassis 2. Front skis 3 and rear skis 4 are suspended on the frame which is not shown. It the present example three skis 3, 4 are arranged and it is easy to imagine that two or another number of skis could be mounted in the front. Furthermore, there is space for two seats 5, but once again this amount can be varied. There is Reference is also made to figs. 2 and 3 where there is an angular frame tube 11 covered by a top 12 that forms a facing wall 13 between the seating area, not illustrated in more detail, and the front wall 14 at the front of the toboggan. Ahead of the front wall 14 there is a lateral support axis 15,that is not illustrated in more detail, this carries a double draw fork 16 that is illustrated in more detail in figs. 4 and 5. The draw fork 16 is rigidly connected to an arm 17 that protrudes from the axis 15 in the opposite direction to the draw fork and which is linked to an adjustable activation lever 18. The activation lever 18 extends through the front wall 14 into an inner chamber in the toboggan where its other end is linked to a boomerang-shaped lever 19 which has a central position on the transverse axle 20. The lever 19 is connected at the other, rear end to a release line 21 that is extended through the facing wall 13 to a engagement hook 22, that is located near the seating area. In fig. 2 the lever 19 is shown in its end position turned clockwise towards an adjustable stop pin 23 that forms a connection with the link to the activation lever 18. The activation lever 18 is pulled towards this position by a coil spring 24 that is located in a central part of the activation lever and which has its other end attached by a bolt 25 across the activation lever to the frame tube 11 of the toboggan. In this position the draw fork 16 is swung completely upwards so that the arm 17 is in its upper position, in front of the front wall 14. The front wall 14 in the area behind the draw fork 16 in the raised position is shaped with an inward and upward facing crack 26 that forms a cavity 27 behind the outer part of the draw fork 16. The cavity 27 provides enough space for the insertion of a cross piece 28 of a tow bar 29. This will be explained in more detail with reference to fig. 5. A tobogganing position is shown in fig. 3 where the draw fork 16 is swung forwards and downwards towards the front wall 14. This is possible because the lever 19 has been released by the engagement hook 22 so that this swings past the dead point where the joint between the activation lever 18 and the lever 19 lie on a line between the jointed axle 20 and the joint between the activation lever 18 and the arm 17. Once the lever 19 is swung beyond this dead point, the draw fork 16 will be swung around and down towards the front wall 14. It is best if the front wall 14 is designed with a cut out 30, to enable the draw fork 16 to lie flat when it is swung downwards. figs. 4 and 5 show how the draw fork 16 can be designed in more detail. This comprises two tubular struts 16A and 16B that at their inner ends are rigidly connected with the axle 15 and have a diverging V-shape from here. The distance between the inner parts of the struts 16A and 16B is adjusted to the thickness of the tow bar 29. One of these struts 16B has an arm 17 which has a plate- shaped material connected to it. In the example the arm 17 is led from its end into the axle 15 and welded to it and the strut 16B. The draw fork 16 can also be adjusted to be connected to other lift elements than the T-shaped tow bar. Reference is now made to fig. 6 which shows a brake device in accordance with the present invention. The brake device is supported by two side plates or brackets 111 that are located side-by-side and that support the skis 4. The brackets 111 carry a bearing axle 112 between them that forms support for two movable support plates 113, which in turn support brake unit 114 between them on a transverse axle llδlocated at a distance from the bearing axle 112. One of the two support plates 113 has a protruding arm 116 which has a hole 117 that is the anchor point for a return spring 118. The bearing axle 112, the brake unit's axle 115 and the attachment hole 117 for the return spring 118 are all in a triangular pattern. The brake unit 114 comprises two parallel brake levers 119 of a plate-shaped material, that at its free end is - transverse to the brackets 111. At the other end of the brake levers 119 there is a jointed connection to a pair of plate- like steering levers 121, that are supported parallel by one of the steering lever axles 122 between the brackets 111. One of the steering levers is an extended lever to the opposite side of the steering lever axle, in that this extension 123 has three attachment holes 124A-C for an activation wire 125. The activation wire 125 is connected in an appropriate manner to an handle that is not illustrated. The brake device functions in the following manner. Pulling the activation wire 125 causes the steering lever 121 to turn clockwise from the downward position shown in fig. 6. This movement will start a clockwise rotational movement of the support lever 113 so that the brake unit 114 will be transitionally displaced from an upper position shown in fig. 6, to a lower, active position as shown in fig. 7. In the latter position the brake plate 120 protrudes downwards under the brackets 111 to make contact with the terrain below the toboggan. The brake unit will be held in this position as long as tension is maintained in the activation wire. If the tension is released, the return spring 118 will pull the support lever 113 anticlockwise and thereby lift the brake unit 114, controlled by steering lever 121, that turns anticlockwise. The invention can be realized by other individual components than those shown in the example. For instance, the return spring can be shaped as a coil spring and located on the support lever axle. Also the plate-shaped pair of levers can be replaced by a combination of solid, tubular and plate- shaped levers. In fig. 9 a ski is shown that is attached in an appropriate manner to a support frame 212 that is part of a toboggan with a seat cushion 213. The support frame 212 is integrated with a front transverse bar 214 and a rear transverse bar 215. The front transverse bar 214 is located in the area in front of and under the seat cushion 213, while the rear transverse bar 215 is located just below the back edge of the seat cushion 213. At the underside of the transverse bar 215, a lateral shaft journal 216 supports a brake lever 217 that can move from an upper forward position to a lower braking position at a sharp angle downwards and forwards from the shaft journal 216. The brake lever 217 can possibly be held in tension towards the lower active position by a spring element that is not illustrated. The brake lever 217, that can be manufactured as a rectangular tube with an appropriately shaped free end 218, is equipped at its leading edge with an attachment bracket 219 which two wires can be fitted to. A stop wire 220 is attached at the outer end of the attachment bracket 219, seen from the shaft journal 216, the other end of this wire is anchored tothe front transverse bar 214. The stop wire 220 has the function of arresting the downward movement of the brake lever 217 and holding it at a suitable angle for braking. When the brake lever 217 is raised in its passive position, the stop wire 220 will hang slack as shown by 220'. At the inner end of the attachment bracket 219 there is a release wire 221, which has a spherical unit 222 that has been welded or pressed onto its free end. The spherical unit 222 is designed to be retained by a release disc 223 (see fig. 2) that will be described in more detail below. The release wire 221, which could alternatively be a rope or line, is led in an active position though an opening 224 in the raised back edge 225 of the seat cushion 213. Above this opening the attachment disc 223 is designed to fit so that it cannot be pulled through the opening 224. The attachment disc 223 is also equipped with a locking slit 226 with an expanded inner end 226' that the spherical unit 222 cannot slide through. In the example, the locking disc 223 is attached to a release line 227 that is designed to be connected by the user of the toboggan by means of a loop 228 that can be tied around the user's waist. If there is an accident while using the toboggan, the release line 227 will pull the locking disc 223 out of its engagement with the sphere 222 and thereby loosen the wire 221 and the brake lever 218 which will be activated after a slight delay. If this is prestressed, it can be activated so that it works in both directions, i.e., there also will be braking in the normal direction taken by the toboggan. It is however appropriate to equip the toboggan with an automatic brake lock (not shown) that will assume this function. Numerous modifications are possible within the framework of this invention. As an example, the brake lever 217 can be given another geometry of movement than the one shown in the example. The line 221 can be anchored in other places than those shown, but preferably in the back part of the seat. The stop wire 221 can be replaced by another form of end stops, but this will necessitate heavier elements and thereby give greater weight. At its lower end position, the break lever 217 forms an angle of a minimum of 10-15 degrees from the vertical. It is important that the brake lever is placed at the rear end of the toboggan, as this will prevent overturning and/or rotation of the toboggan during braking.

Claims: Claims: 1. Device for a toboggan (1) or similar sledge that is designed to be attached to a tow line, particularly for pulling in ski lifts or similar lift arrangements, where there is a gripping organ (16) on the toboggan, that can be moved between an active engaged position and a passive disengaged position, a stop mechanism is connected to this gripping organ, where the stop mechanism can be released manually to transfer the gripping organ from an active to a passive position, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the gripping organ (16) being suspended so that it can turn about an axle (15) that extends transverse to the direction- it is being pulled and that the gripping organ in an active position works together with a protrusion (26) at the front of the toboggan, where the stop mechanism comprises an organ (18) that extends from the gripping organ and through the front of the toboggan, to be connected to a jointed organ (19), further there is a first brake element (114) and a second brake element (217). 2. Device as claimed in Claim l, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the gripping organ being linked to a lever (18), where the lever (18) extends to a stop lever (19, 23) located behind the front (14) of the toboggan. 3. Device as claimed in Claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the gripping organ being shaped like a fork (16) with two spikes that protrude from the axle (15), so that a T-shaped tow bar (28) can be located with the bar (29) between the spikes. 4. Device as claimed in Claims 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the lever (18) being linked to one side of a two armed movable jointed organ (19), where the other arm of this is connected to a manually operated release handle (22). 5. Device as claimed in Claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the lever (18) and the jointed organ (19) form a knee joint with a dead position when the gripping organ (16) is swung into an active position, and where the knee joint can be led out of this position by the operation of a release handle (22). 6. Device as claimed in one of Claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the protrusion in the front (14) of the toboggan comprising a lateral decline (26), where the gripping organ (16) in its active position is located against the outer side of this slope, that preferably has a central depression for the bar (29) " of the tow bar. 7. Device as claimed in Claim 1, where the first brake element (114) is supported by a movable lever (119), so that the brake element (114) can be led between a passive disengaged position and an active, protruding position, where the support lever is linked to " a release element, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by - the brake element (114) being movable supported on movable support organ (113), - the support organ (113) is linked to a movable suspended steering element (121) that can be turned by anactivation . handle in a direction that means that the brake element (114) is lowered, and - that the support organ (113) is stressed against a raised position. 8. Device as claimed in Claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by this being located between parallel plates (111) that are located vertically to the glide plane of the toboggan. 9. Device as claimed in Claims 7 or 8, c h a r a. c t e r i z e d by the support organ (113) being formed by two parallel arms, whereof one is extended to the opposite side of the bearing axle (112) so as to act as anchor point for a return coil spring (118). 10. Device as claimed in one of Claims 7-9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the steering element (121) comprising two lever-like parallel plates that are suspended on an axle that is parallel with the support axle (112) and where the one end of the lever is linked to the inward-facing end of the brake element in order to control the activation movement of the brake element, while the other end of the lever is connected to an activation wire (125). 11. Device as claimed in Claims 7-10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the brake element comprising a pair of brake levers (119), preferably with two parallel plates, that form a U-shape together with a transvers brake plate (120). 12. Device as claimed in Claim 1, where the second brake organ (217) is particularly designed for braking following an accident, where the user is unable to activate the manually operated brake device, further that the brake organ (217) is movably suspended or is movable in another way between an active braking position and a passive disengaged braking position, and where the brake organ (217) is held in its passive braking position by an attachment organ (221) that can be released from its holding position, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the attachment organ comprising a line (221) the free end (222) of which can be attached so that it can be loosened from a release organ, in the form of a locking disc (223) that can be disengaged from its position in a stop opening (224) by the cushion in the toboggan or the control position. 13. Device as claimed in Claim 12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the stop being formed by an opening (224) for the attachment line (221) through the cushion (213) seat in the toboggan. 14. Device as claimed in Claim 12 or 13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the brake organ (217) being movable on a transverse axle (216), in that it is anchored to a stop wire (220) " that is in turn anchored to the front part of the toboggan and tightened by the lowering of the brake organ to the lower braking position.

Inventors: LAENN PER TERJE, PEDERSEN IVAR-ARNLJOT, LAENN, PER, TERJE, PEDERSEN, IVAR-ARNLJOT
Applicants: LAENN PER TERJE, PEDERSEN IVAR ARNLJOT, LAENN, PER, TERJE, PEDERSEN, IVAR-ARNLJOT
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B62B17
IPC codes: B61B11, B62B17