AU2005100162A4 - Tactile Ground Surface Indicator and Method of Manufacture - Google Patents

Description

Tactile Ground Surface Indicator and Method of Manufacture Field of Invention The present invention relates exclusively to tactile indicators that are positioned on a surface in order to provide tactile and/or visual indication to a blind or visually-impaired person who walks on the surface.

The invention relates particularly to a method of manufacturing such tactile indicators on the walking surface.

The present invention is solely limited to the field of such tactile indicators for blind or visually-impaired people, and hence the appended claims do not cover any other type of article or method.

Background Tactile ground surface indicators are protrusions that are located on ground surfaces, or walking surfaces, on which blind or visually-impaired people walk. Such tactile indicator are found typically in and around buildings and stairs, or along the side kerbs of roads. These tactile indicators forewarn the blind or visually-impaired people of an upcoming obstruction or hazard which they will encounter if they continue to walk in a particular direction.

These tactile indicators are particularly needed when the environment, which surrounds the obstruction or hazard, does not provide the blind person with sufficient indication of the presence of the obstruction or hazard. For instance, in a wide-open hotel lobby, there may be no indication of the presence of stairs. Hence, tactile indicators placed just ahead the stairs, so that visually-impaired people will be aware of the stairs ahead.

Tactile ground surface indicators can be located, for example, in the approach to steps, edges of railway platforms, traffic crossings and ramps, and so forth.

When a visually-impaired person feels the tactile indicators under his feet, it is an indication that the next step should be taken with caution, because of the presence of some obstacle or potential hazard.

In Australia, for example, the shape and configuration of tactile indicators is defined by Australian Standard AS/NZS 1428.4:2002 ("the Australian Standard"), entitled "Design For Access And Mobility. Part 4: Tactile Indicators". This Australian Standard defines the term "Tactile Ground Surface Indicators" as Areas of raised ground surface texture treatment, designed to provide blind or vision-impaired pedestrians with warning and/or directional orientation information. This is the definition used in this specification.

It is found that the majority of people, who are regarded as blind or visually-impaired, do actually have some degree of vision. This vision, however slight, can be used to visually detect the tactile indicators, provided there is sufficient luminance or contrast between the tactile indicators and the material of the walking surface.

These tactile indicators are often in the shape of dots on the ground surface.

The Australian Standard defines degrees of such difference in luminance, depending on whether the dots are the same colour as the ground surface material, or whether there is a colour difference.

In accompanying prior art Figure 1, the tactile indicators 10 can have the appearance of an ordered grid of dots on the ground surface 20. (The under-surface of the walking surface material is referred to by numeral 21 in Figure 2).

In the prior art, in order to create these arrays of dots, each of the tactile indicators is in the form of a short disc-like object, such as in Figure 2.

The problem with the prior art is that it takes considerable skill, care and man-hours for a person to arrange each of those disc-like objects in correct alignment. Thus, it is a timeconsuming process to glue each dot to the ground-surface. Often, in one square metre, there can sometimes be around 400 of these dots. Moreover, the distance between the dots is mandated by the Australian Standard, hence, the person has to take great care to maintain the prescribed dimensions. For this reason, the financial cost of installing these grids or arrangements of dots is very high, typically in the region of a thousand or more dollars to install per square metre.

Moreover, the person that creates these arrangements of dots has to exercise great care or skill, and hence it is possible that some workmen may inadvertently produce shoddy workmanship, resulting in incorrectly aligned dots, which would produce an unpleasant appearance. In short, the manual installation process is fraught with higher costs, longer time for installation, and the possibility of shoddy workmanship in aligning the dots Typically, the tactile indicators 10 are adhered to the ground surface with adhesive, such as epoxy adhesive. Over a period of time, with people walking across and occasionally kicking these indicators 10 can cause them to be displaced.

An object of the present invention is to overcome or ameliorate any one or more of the problems in the prior art, or alternatively to provide an improved alternative.

Summary According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of creating a tactile indicator on a walking surface material, the method including: creating a cavity shape in the walking surface material; creating a tactile indicator; and inserting the tactile indicator into the cavity shape such that, in use, the tactile indicator is held fast in the cavity and a portion of the tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as a tactile ground surface indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cavity shape may be created to pass completely through the walking surface material, or the cavity can have a dead-end.

The cavity shape may be cylindrical or other suitable cross-sectional shapes.

Preferably, the tactile indicator has a substantially difference surface luminance compared to that of the walking surface material.

In some embodiments, the tactile indicator and the surface material may be both made of the same material.

The tactile indicator and the surface material may be both made of a stone material.

Preferably, the cavity shape has a depth sufficient to anchor the tactile indicator which, in use, is fitted therein.

Preferably, each tactile indicator has a body shape that corresponds to the cavity.

Preferably, the body shape of the tactile indicator, in use, fills the cavity shape so as to provide a measure of stability by anchoring the tactile indicator inside the cavity shape.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a walking surface material having a plurality of cavity shapes therein, wherein each of the cavity shapes is provided, in use, with a tactile indicator fitted therein such that, in use, the tactile indicator is held fast in the cavity and a portion of each tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as a tactile ground surface indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tactile indicator adapted to protrude above the surface of a walking surface material, wherein the tactile indicator has a body shape that corresponds to a cavity shape in the walking surface material, and wherein the tactile indicator is adapted, in use, to be inserted into the cavity shape of the walking surface material such that the tactile indicator is held fast in the cavity and a portion of the tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as tactile ground surface indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system of creating tactile ground surface indicators on a walking surface material comprising a walking surface material of as described above, and a plurality of tactile indicators as described above.

Drawings In order that the invention might be more fully understood, embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a prior art plan view of an array of tactile indicators.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional, side view of one of the tactile indicators of prior art Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of a tactile indicator of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a side, cross-sectional view of the cavity shape that is created in the walking surface material. It is shown before the tactile indicator of Figure 3 has been inserted; Figure 5 shows a side, cross-sectional view of the tactile indicator of Figure 3 after it has been inserted into the cavity in the walking surface material; Figure 6 relates to another embodiment, and shows a cross-sectional side view of a modified tactile indicator which extends through the entire thickness of the walking surface material; Figure 7A is a photograph of a plan view of an embodiment where the tactile indicators are of different colour and luminance compared to the surface; Figure 7B is a photograph of another embodiment where the tactile indicator is made of the same raw material as the surface, but where a difference in luminance has been imparted by creating a textured surface on the tops of the tactile indicators; and Figure 7C is a close-up photograph of a further embodiment where the tactile indicator is made of the same raw material as the surface, and has roughly similar luminance.

The above three photographs were originally in colour, and have been converted into black and white for the patent application.

Australian Standard defines certain proportions for the tactile indicators, and also distance proportions between adjacent dots, however, the accompanying drawings are not draw precisely to these standards, and are merely for illustration.

Description Referring to the drawings, Figure 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of a tactile indicator in the form of tactile protrusion member 100.

In use, the protrusion member 100 is designed to protrude above the surface of a walking surface material 200, shown in Figure 4.

In Figures 3 and 4, the protrusion member 100 has a body shape 110 that corresponds to a cavity shape in the form of a well 220.

The well 220 is formed in the walking surface material 200.

Figure 5 shows that, in use, the protrusion member 100 is inserted into the well 220 of the walking surface material. An upper portion of the protrusion member 100 protrudes above the surface 200 of the walking surface material to act as an indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

In the embodiment in Figure 4, the well 220, which is created in the surface of the surface material 200, has a depth D that is sufficient to anchor the tactile indicator into the surface when it is fitted inside the well.

Also, in the embodiment, the body shape 110 of the protrusion member 100 fills the well 200, and hence provides stability by anchoring the protrusion 100 inside the well 220. This depth of anchoring is believed to provide superior anchoring, compared to the prior art method of gluing a steel disc onto the surface.

Manufacture The protrusion member 100 is created in and on the walking surface material 200 by the following method: In Figure 4, a cavity shape 220 is first created in the walking surface material 200.

Then, the protrusion member 100 is inserted into the cavity shape 220 such that a portion of the tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as an indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

6 A problem with the prior art in Figures 1 and 2, as mentioned, is that it takes considerable time and care for a person to align and glue the prior art stainless steel discs 10 onto the floor surface 20. Whereas, in the manufacturing process of the present embodiment, the cavity shapes 220 can be drilled or milled with perfect precision in a factory. It is possible for machines to create these cavities in slabs of granite, for instance, in a perfect, automated process.

Moreover, the protrusion member 100 can be inserted into the cavity shapes 220 also in the factory.

Hence, a completely manufactured surface material 200, with inserted protrusion members 100, can be installed on site as one integral piece. It can therefore be installed by any tiler tradesman, as compared to the prior art method which requires a skilled tradesman, on site, to individually place and glue hundreds or thousands of discs 10 onto the floor 20 in accordance with the dimensions specified by the Australian Standard.

With the manufacturing process of the present embodiment, there is far less chance of misaligned tactile indicators, because the nature of the production process lends itself to automation or semi-automation.

It is also possible to machine the cavity shapes in patterns, rather than in grid arrays. For instance, the process can be used to create words, such as "Welcome" or even the name of the hotel, on the floors of lobbies of buildings.

The process of the present embodiment, of creating a protruding tactile indicator by creating a cavity and fitting a protrusion member therein, is also superior to a known prior art process of milling or grinding out the desired shape directly from a solid piece of material, such as stone. That prior art process, which is analogous to sculpting the entire tactile surface from solid material, is expensive, slow and difficult to achieve in terms of milling the narrow, circular spaces 20 between the dots The fact that, in the present embodiment, the base surface 200 and the protrusion members 100 are separate items, it leads to a further advantage: namely, that each of these items can be provided with a different surface finish. For instance, the base surface 200 might be provided with a smooth polished surface to, for example, match the smooth surface of a hotel lobby. Concurrently, the upper surface of the protrusion members can be sand-blasted to give a different degree of luminance, as seen in the photograph of Figure 7B.

This degree of variation would be very difficult to achieve, for example, with a conventional milling procedure because, for instance in the example of Figure 7B, it would be very difficult to polish the surfaces 200 between the dots 100. Whereas in the present embodiment, it is simply a matter of polishing the flat surface 200, before the protrusion members 100 are inserted and fitted into the cavities.

In various embodiments, each of the portions namely, the flat surface 200, the upper surface of the members 100, and the rim of the members 100 can each be given a different texture. Such different texture can be achieved by honing, grinding, sand-blasting, and other surface treatments, which occur before inserting and fitting the members 100 into the cavity shapes 220.

Luminance The Australian Standard allows for a case where there is a difference in luminance of the tactile indicators 10, 100 compared to the base surface 20, 200. The Standard also allows for the alternative where there is no discernible difference in luminance of the tactile indicators 10, 100 compared to the base surface.

Figure 7A is a photograph of an embodiment where the tactile indicators 100 are of different colour and luminance compared to the surface 200. The protrusion members 100 have a particular luminance, which has a substantially different surface luminance to that of the walking surface material 200. This is to enable the blind or visually-impaired person to detect the protrusion member 100 on the walking surface material 200. The substantial difference between the luminance of the tactile indicator and the luminance of the walking surface material is of a degree that a typical blind or visually-impaired person can identify the difference.

Figure 7B is a photograph of a different embodiment where the tactile indicator is made of the same raw material as the surface, and hence has the same colour, but where a difference in luminance has been imparted by creating a textured surface on the tops of the tactile indicators.

Here, the textured surface is created by sand-blasting the top surfaces of the protrusion members 100, before these are inserted and fitted into the cavity shapes 220.

Figure 7C is a close-up photograph of another embodiment where the tactile indicator is made of the same raw material as the surface, and has roughly similar luminance. In such instances, the difference in luminance, required for the visually-impaired user, is achieved by situating this slab of material directly beside another area of floor material that has a different luminance. In other words, the difference in luminance is achieved by juxtaposition of slabs of material, rather than from differences in the luminance of the dots.

Material From the photographs in Figures 7A to 7C, it can be seen that the protrusion member 100 can be manufactured from materials that either match or contrast with the material of the base surface 200. The shape and depth of the protrusion member 100 allows for a wider range of manufacturing processes, and a wider selection of possible materials.

Since the body shape 110 of the protrusion member 100 has sufficient depth D (in Figure it is more feasible to manufacture the protrusion 100 from a wide variety of materials, such as stone, granite or even metals such as copper or steel.

In contrast, in the prior art of Figure 2, the short height of the tactile indicator would make it more difficult to manufacture from granite or some other stone material. For instance, it would be difficult to place the short, disc-like indicator 10 in a lathe to machine a bevelled edge, whereas it is easier to place the larger item 100 of the present embodiment in a lathe.

Also, as mentioned above, the present process allows different parts of the final product to be given different surface textures, before final assembly of the members 100 into the cavities 220. Such variation of surface texture would be difficult or costly to achieve, if the product were to be manufactured from a single piece of material.

In essence, the present embodiment works differently to the prior art because the creation and use of a cavity shape 220, inside the surface 200, means that the overall protrusion member 100 of Figure 3 is larger, in total size, than the prior art tactile indicator 10 of Figure 2. The larger size means that the protrusion member 100 can be made from a wider variety of materials, particularly stone materials. Whereas, in the prior art, it would be much more difficult to make the smaller, disc-like tactile indicators 10 from stone, because of the greater difficulty in shaping such small items from stone.

In the present embodiment, the larger stone protrusion member 100 can be milled in a lathe.

In the present embodiment, the protrusion member 100 is made from polished granite.

Hence, when the protrusion member 100 is inserted into cavity shapes 220 made in granite surface material 200, the appearance of the tactile indicators is in keeping with the level of quality of the polished granite ground surface. For instance, in the photographs 7A, 7B and 7C, the material of the dots 100 is the same as the base 200.

Thus, for instance, these granite protrusion member 100 would be more suitable for maintaining the appearance and quality finish of a polished granite floor of a hotel lobby, for instance, while adding the extra safety feature of the tactile indicators for blind or visuallyimpaired hotel guests.

A difference in luminance, between the protrusion member 100 and the base surface 200, may be created by making each item from differently-coloured or differently-patterned granite or stone materials, for example.

It is found that the vast majority of people who are considered to be blind, according to the legal definition, still have a degree of sight that is sufficient for them to detect differences in luminance between the texture or colour of the stone material of the protrusion member 100, compared to the luminance of the surface 200. For instance, a differently-coloured or differentlytextured stone can be selected to create the contrast in luminance of the protrusion members 100 against the surface material 200.

For instance, in the high quality flooring of a hotel lobby, the surface material 200 can be made from the same material from which the rest of the hotel lobby floor was made, while the protrusion members 100 could be made from the same type of material, albeit with a different luminance.

It is considered that manufacturing the surface material 200 and the protrusion members 100 from the same type of material, such as stone, would give a more pleasing finish, compared to creating the dots 100 from a different material such as stainless steel.

The larger protrusion member 100, of the present embodiment, in use, is buried in the cavity shape 220. Hence, the final appearance of Figure 5, compared to Figure 2, is similar. The main difference is what lies beneath the surface 200.

Moreover, the fact that a large percentage of the protrusion member 100 is buried beneath the surface 200, means that the tactile indicators of the present embodiment will tend to be more securely fastened in placed, compared to the prior art disc-like dots that are glued onto the surface.

In the embodiment, granite is the preferred material because of its strength, however, the protrusion members 100 can be made from other suitable materials, such as other stone materials, and even metallic, suitable strong polymer materials, or wood if these are desired.

Other Modifications Figure 6 shows another modified embodiment in which the cavity shape 220 is created so as to passes completely through the walking surface material, and opens out on the under-surface 210.

In the embodiments, the cavity shape 220 is cylindrical and passes through the entire surface material. However, in other variations, the cavity shape may have a square, rectangular or other shape for its cross-section.

Referring to Figure 4, the depth D of the cavity can be varied, although it is appreciated that a deeper cavity provides greater anchoring for the protrusion members.

The protrusion members 100 can be press fit into the cavities, or they can be glued in situ. The surfaces of the protrusion members 100 can be milled or ground to very fine tolerances, so that the fit it the cavity shape can be very precise.

For repairs, if one of the protrusion members 100 has to be repaired, it may be broken into pieces, in situ within the cavity, so that it can be removed and replaced.

The tactile indicators may be removably inserted into the cavities.

The embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example only, and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims which, as mentioned at the outset, only relate solely and exclusively to the field of tactile indicators that are provided on a surface to act as tactile and/or visual indications to a blind of visually-impaired person who walks on the surface.

Claims (4)

1. A method of creating a tactile indicator on a walking surface material, the method including: creating a cavity shape in the walking surface material; creating a tactile indicator; and inserting the tactile indicator into the cavity shape such that, in use, the tactile indicator is held fast in the cavity and a portion of the tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as a tactile ground surface indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

2. A method of claim 1 wherein the tactile indicator and the surface material are both made of the same stone or granite material.

3. A walking surface material having a plurality of cavity shapes therein, wherein each of the cavity shapes is provided, in use, with a tactile indicator fitted therein such that, in use, the tactile indicator is held fast in the cavity and a portion of each tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as a tactile ground surface indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons.

4. A walking surface material of claim 3 wherein the cavity shape has a depth sufficient to anchor the tactile indicator which, in use, is fitted therein. A tactile indicator adapted to protrude above the surface of a walking surface material, wherein the tactile indicator has a body shape that corresponds to a cavity shape in the walking surface material, and wherein the tactile indicator is adapted, in use, to be inserted into the cavity shape of the walking surface material such that the tactile indicator is held fast in the cavity and a portion of the tactile indicator protrudes above the surface of the walking surface material to act as tactile ground surface indicator for blind or visually-impaired persons. 12 DATED 23RD FEBRUARY 2005 THE C P INVESTMENT UNIT TRUST AND EIGEN TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD BY THEIR PATENT ATTORNEY ROGER SYN CO. FELLOW OF THE INSTITUTE OF PATENT AND TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS OF AUSTRALIA