EA001276B1 - Manufacture of traffic signs - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Method for manufacturing traffic signs (1) and analogous signs retroreflecting light (L) and including sign figures, in which method a lightretroreflective layer (2) is attached to a rigid or flexible base material (3), materials forming the sign figures (10) being attached on the outer surface of the said layer; the method is characterised in that it comprises as separate phases: [1] arranging the said light-retroreflective layer (2) uniformly over at least the dimensions (H1, H2) of the entire area of the traffic sign figures and said layer not substantially changing the colour of the light reflected therefrom; [2] arranging at least some of the sign figures (10) necessary for the traffic sign in question on one side of a coating film (4) in mirror image (P); and [3] adhering the coating film on top of the light-retroreflective layer on the surface of the base material so that the mirror image -type sign figures (10) point towards the light-retroreflective layer and are thus situated between the retroreflective layer (2) and the coating film (4). 2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the coating film (4) is a flexible or rigid sheet-like material transparent to light with as low absorption and as low diffusion as possible, and that a rigid sheet, e.g. a metal sheet is used as base material (3). 3. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a phase for spreading an adhesive layer (6a and/or 6b) adhering the coating film and the lightretroreflective layer to each other: [a] on the outer surface (12) of the retroreflective layer (2) either - before joining the layer to the base material (3); or - after the retroreflective layer has been fastened to the base material (3); or [b] on the surface (24) of colours (7) of sign figures being as mirror image on the coating film (4). 4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that it further comprises a phase in which a protective film (8a; 8b), a protective paper or the like is placed on the spreaded adhesive layer (6a; 6b) for providing a prefabricated base material combination (9) or, respectively, a coating film combination (5), which combinations for traffic signs is readily transportable and manageable. 5. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that all sign figures (10) of a traffic sign-in question are arranged on one side of the coating film (4), that colorants transparent to light beams with as low diffusion as possible are used for other colours (T, Y, R, C, M, etc.) than black, and a colorant absorbing and diffusing light as strongly as possible is used for the black colour (B). 6. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that it comprises as phases: - removing the said protective film or protective paper (8a and/or 8b) from the adhesive layer (6a and/or 6b); - pressing (K) the outer surface (12) of the light-retroreflective layer of the base material combination (9) and the coating film combination (5) against each other; and - bringing the adhesive layer (6a and/or 6b) between the coating film combination and the retroreflective layer to a state maintaining adhesion. 7. Method according to claim 1 or 5, characterised in that the said sign figures (10) are arranged on the surface (14a) of the coating film by laminating from films of a desired colour and/or by printing, e.g. by silk-screen printing. 8. A coating film combination for providing traffic sign symbols for lightreflective traffic signs (1) with sign figures, in which combination the coating film continues uniformly at least over the area of the traffic sign figures and in which materials forming the sign figures (10) are arranged on the surface of a coating film (4), characterised in that the said coating film combination (5) comprises a light transparent plastic film (4) which diffuses transmitted light (L) as little as possible; that at least part of the sign figures 10) of the traffic sign (1) is fastened on one side (14a) of the film in mirror image (P); that the said sign figures mainly are colour materials (7) diffusing light (L) passing through them as little as possible; and that the coating film combination (5) is light-nonretroreflective. 9. Coating film combination of claim 8, characterised in that the said colour materials (7) are printing colorants, such as silk-screen printing colours or, alternatively, coloured films; that the black colorant (B) is a material transmitting as little light as possible and absorbing as much light as possible, and the other colorants (T, Y, R, C, M, etc.) are transparent to light and non-diffusing materials; and that these colour materials are placed on the said one side (14a) of the plastic sheet or plastic film in such an order that the symbol colour of the traffic sign in question, which is supposed to be visible uninterruptedly, lies closest to the sheet or plate, and the symbol colour, which may partly be covered by sign figures nearer the sheet or film, lies farthest away. 10. Coating film combination of claim 8, characterised in that an adhesive layer (6a) is on the surface (24) of the colour materials (7), the adhesive being an adhesive glue or a heat-setting adhesive glue or dry adhesive; that, if necessary, a releasable protective film or protective paper (8a) is on the adhesive layer; and that the thickness of the plastic film is less than 1 mm, advantageously less than 0.5 mm. 11. Coating film combination of claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the areas (E) of the said film (4), which in the final traffic sign are placed in the points of the base material (3) that are not supposed to be visible, are covered with a black colour material (B) transmitting as little light as possible and absorbing as much light as possible. 12. A sheet-like base material combination for light-retroreflective traffic signs (1) with sign figures, in which a light-retroreflective layer (2) is fastened to a rigid or flexible base plate (3), characterised in that the said base material combination (9) is a prefabricated product comprising a planar or alternatively bent and surfacetreated base plate piece (13) cut into shape, and which further comprising a uniform light-retroreflective layer (2) on one side (23a) of the base plate piece and attached permanently to it, the said layer being such that it does not substantially change the colour of the reflected light when compared with light directed thereto. 13. Base material combination of claim 12, characterised in that the shape and size (H1, H2) of the base plate piece (13) is identical for all traffic signs (1) with the same maximum dimensions but different-shaped sign figure areas, and that the base plate pieces are rectangular or, advantageously, square. 14. Base material combination of claim 12, characterised in that there is an adhesive layer (6b) on the outer surface (12) of the said light-retroreflective layer (2), the adhesive being an adhesive glue, a heat-setting adhesive glue or a dry adhesive, and that, when necessary, a releasable protective film or protective paper (8b) is on said adhesive layer. 15. Base material combination of claim 12, characterised in that the material of the base plate (3) is a rigid metal sheet, advantageously a steel sheet coated with plastic layers (1 lea, llb) or, alternatively, a laminate or a composite material, and that the said rigid base plate is either straight or curved.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing traffic signs containing symbols and reflecting light in the opposite direction, as well as corresponding signboards. In accordance with this method, a reflective layer is attached to the surface of a rigid or flexible base material, and the materials forming the image of the signs are placed on the outer surface. The invention also relates to a combined covering film for manufacturing images of road signs and to a combined base material used for said road signs.

As you know, in addition to the color scheme of the image of signs, such as symbols or alphanumeric designations, the shape of the road sign board also emphasizes the function of the sign in traffic. So round shields are used to prohibit and restrict, triangular signs warn, square or rectangular signs indicate or inform, signs turned to the top indicate the beginning or end of priority, and the octagonal shield is a form that is used exclusively for the 8ΤΟΡ sign. Cutting the base of the shield in shape and bending its edges before applying colors, characters or alphanumeric messages is one of many work operations related to the manufacture of road signs. Once upon a time, significant capital expenditures on equipment and tools were required from the manufacturer of the base material or from the shield factory. However, the old shield factories have long recovered the costs as depreciation. When, for example, suppliers of aluminum or plywood plates now cut the material into shape, the price of this has no noticeable consequences in the manufacture of road signs. In addition to the actual traffic signs, other similarly made signboards, such as signs, are also located near the road.

Undoubtedly, the shape of the base of the shield was of great importance for the information transmitted by the road sign at a time when materials reflecting in the dark were not yet known. The shape of the contours of a traffic billboard drawn on a non-reflective base with non-reflective paints (i.e., a circle, triangle, square or octagon) could be seen as a silhouette from a greater distance than other details of the shield, i.e. its colors, symbols or designations, especially at dusk. When driving at night, it was impossible to distinguish the symbols on such a painted road sign in the headlights at a distance of more than a few meters.

The invention of retroreflective materials, which appeared on the market of Western industrial countries in 1955-1965, dramatically changed the situation. The shape of the base of the shield loses its significance, since a reflective film that returns light and colors back to the light source in the dark has made it possible to distinguish the main shape of the road sign already at a distance of a couple of hundred meters, regardless of the shape of the base of the shield, on which the reflective symbol of the sign is attached. Such test boards have already been manufactured and installed near roads in several European countries.

These reflective colored surfaces and images are attached to the bases of the shields in two different known ways. The oldest and still the most reliable is the so-called vacuum thermal lamination, in which colored surfaces of the road sign as sign shapes, for example red edges, now also a narrow yellow Euro-strip, a yellow center and black symbols, and in some road signs, blue plots etc. they are assembled on the basis of a shield from single-color parts of reflective films cut into the desired shapes, i.e., as a rather laborious mosaic. The assembly, consisting of the base of the shield with the colored parts of the film located on it, is then sintered by heating the lamps at a temperature of about +83 ° C and at a pressure created by vacuum in a vacuum heating apparatus, usually for 3-4 minutes, so that the dry bonding layer on the back surface of the films melts and adheres to the base of the shield. When using this method, it is required that for a single road sign a large number of parts of the reflective film of various shapes and colors be cut so that each part of the film always contains only one color; and so that these several parts are manually and accurately placed on the right places of the base of the shield. In this method, the shapes of the characters are formed from parts of a reflective material having the desired color. The base of the shield is not reflective, and it does not need to establish optical requirements. This method is slow and energy intensive. The resulting road signs, however, are very durable when used if the coating material consists of such reflective materials as are disclosed, for example, in publications 1Ρ-6-43819 (Ά), 1Ρ-293684 (A) and 1Ρ-2-93685 (Α ), and in which the reflective layer and possible colored layers are protected from the environment by a surface layer with high light transmission.

A simpler and faster, albeit less reliable method, regarding the durability of the final product, is to first print all the necessary images of the road sign on a reflective film, for example, by silk screen printing, and then calender the film on the base of the shield using adhesive glue. In the coating film obtained by this method, colored surfaces, symbols, numbers, etc. road signs are printed on the outer surface of the reflective film, i.e. on the surface, turned from the base of the shield and the reflective layers of the coating film, so paints are completely susceptible to environmental influences. The reflectivity of the print, and therefore its visibility in the dark, depends on many factors, such as ink translucency, viscosity, amount of diluent used, etc. Paints on the outer surface of the mark do not withstand washing with solvent and change their color quite quickly due to UV radiation. In addition, in a short time, the deteriorating effect of wind, ice, sand dust or icy snow flying under the influence of passing transport can be detected in the form of wear, disappearance or discoloration of the colored surface. Attaching the image of the sign to the base of the shield also depends on the method of lamination, the temperature of the working room, the storage time of the images, as well as the temperature and cleanliness of the base of the shield before attaching. A sufficient number of appropriate figures for the shield must be stored for each different road sign and size. Since it is difficult to foresee the final need for each sign, the quantity stored may be too large or too small for any particular road sign. Thus, this method also has many disadvantages, although it makes it possible to avoid cutting out many differently colored parts of the reflective film and placing them on the base of the shield, which is necessary in the first method.

EP-0 089 215 discloses another surface forming method for road sign symbols, in which the sign image contains a reflective layer composed of liquid crystals, so that a change in ambient temperature causes the image to appear or disappear. This method is intended for the production of a indicating or warning road sign, which, without external control, changes in accordance with the temperature. Accordingly, the reflective layer consists of a thermochromic liquid crystal material, and the reflectance of the layer is determined based on the Bragg reflection, i.e. scattering from the crystal lattice of liquid crystals. This leads to such a distribution of radiation caused by phase differences of the scattered radiation that both completely dark sections and points or lines of different intensities are generated on the reflecting side, the intensity depending on the angle of incidence of the radiation, and the theoretical maximum of the most intense point is 0.5, as stated in the publication. The effective wavelength, again, depends on the properties of the crystal lattice. Such a reflection may in no way be suitable for traffic signs, therefore, this publication also indicates means to improve the situation, for example, orienting liquid crystals so that they are perpendicular to the surface. Thus, one effective point of diffraction reflection is directed backward in the direction of incidence, but the reflection is weak in other incident or correspondingly outgoing directions of radiation. Alternatively, two layers or two different materials in one layer can be used so that the above maximum reflection coefficient can be increased, however, in this case, the reflection distribution will also be unfavorable in other incident and outgoing radiation directions.

If we consider the phenomena of reflection from the surface in general, then they can be divided into the following types:

a) Diffuse reflection, in which the incident beam is reflected in the form of a spot and / or line in various directions, which depend on the angle of incidence of the incident beam.

b) Mirror reflection, in which the reflected beam is directed at an angle to the normal to the surface, equal to the angle of the incident beam to this normal.

c) Diffuse reflection, in which the reflected radiation is distributed in all directions in half-space, regardless of the angle of incidence.

d) Reflection in the opposite direction, in which the reflected beam is directed backward in the direction of the incident beam, regardless of the angle of incidence of the incident beam.

Typically, the reflective properties of most surfaces encountered are between reflections of the mirror and diffuse type, i.e., they reflect more or less scattered or diffuse radiation in directions near the angle of mirror reflection. Of these types of reflection, only reflection in the opposite direction is really effective for road signs. Diffuse reflection can be effective only in one direction, pre-selected so that the road sign can not be seen at all from directions that are even slightly different from the selected direction. Diffuse reflection, again, acts in all directions, but its effectiveness is extremely low. In specular reflection, again, the light is directed completely in a different direction from the approaching car.

Despite the various proposals for solutions presented above, the base of the shields still retain their old forms; reflective films and images that must be attached to signs are still done in the old ways, and over the past 30 years there have been no significant changes in the technique for making road signs.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and combinations of parts or materials used therein with the possibility of manufacturing such retroreflective road signs in which the symbols of the signs with their colors are well protected from the effects of weather and mechanical damaging factors. Another objective of the invention is the creation of such a method and the combined materials used in it, in which the production price can be reduced, and the components of the parts for road signs can be made in advance in the largest possible quantity with minimal capital costs. This means that the manufacture of road signs or their combined parts or materials will require the smallest possible number of work operations and / or they will be simplified as much as possible. It also means that it would be desirable to manufacture products with a minimum deviation of their parameters, and compact storage of products and their transportation with minimal costs.

In accordance with the present invention, the above disadvantages can be eliminated, and the above objectives are achieved using the method that is described in the characterizing part of claim 1, as well as using the combined coating film described in the characterizing part of claim 8, and the combined base material of this invention, which is characterized in the characterizing part of claim 12.

One of the advantages of the invention is that in an appropriate way, if necessary, it is possible to produce sheet or plate-like parts of the base materials of only one shape for all different road signs; these parts can be made in a similar way for all road signs with different symbols as sign images, which keeps the cost of manufacturing sheet / plate-like parts of the material of the base of the road signs at a very low level, as well as the cost of storage and transportation. Another advantage of the invention is that by the proposed method, the characters on the covering film can be obtained using a quick and simple manufacturing technique; in addition, in the finished road sign, the symbols or images of the sign are very well protected, for example, from ultraviolet radiation and dust, from abrasion and other mechanical influences. The cost of manufacturing the coating films of this invention, the cost of storage and their transportation to the place of manufacture of road signs is very low. A third advantage of the invention is that finished road signs can be made by using the combined base material of this invention, already provided with a retroreflective layer, and the combined covering film so that they can be combined in a quick and easy way, for example, near the intended application road sign. A further advantage of the invention is that the combined coating film and the combined base material of this invention can be manufactured on a very large scale, so that unit prices become low. This advantage is enhanced by the fact that the storage and transportation of these products takes up little space, due to which their cost is kept at a low level.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates, in axonometric form, an operation in accordance with the method of the invention, whereby the combined first type coating film of the invention is attached to the combined base material of the first type of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates, in axonometric form, an operation in accordance with the invention whereby a combined second type coating film of the invention is attached to the combined base material of the second type of the invention.

In FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross section 1-1 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-section ΙΙ-ΙΙ of FIG. 2. In FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view III of the combined base material of the first type shown in FIG. 3, on an enlarged scale.

In FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view IV of the second type of combination coating film shown in FIG. 4, on an enlarged scale.

In FIG. 7 shows an example of the arrangement of three different road signs in a mirror form in which they are formed on a combined covering film according to the invention, i.e. from the side on which the symbols of the road sign are placed (view along arrows V of Fig. 1-4).

In FIG. 8 shows an example of a completed traffic sign consisting of those shown in FIG. 7 of three different signs, as seen from the side of the road user, (view along arrows VI of FIGS. 1-4).

In FIG. 1-4, in particular, shows a combined sheet or plate-like material 9 of the base of the road sign. It consists of a rigid base plate 3 and a retroreflective layer 2 attached to the plate. As used herein, the reflective layer, the retroreflective material, and the reflection of light are applied to the layer that reflects light in the opposite direction and to the reflection of light backward in the direction of the light source, unless otherwise indicated. According to the invention, said combination base material 9 is a prefabricated product comprising a base plate portion 13 cut in shape and having a machined surface. Said part 13 can be a metal sheet, mainly steel, covered with plastic layers 11a and 11b, as shown in FIG. 5. In general, road signs are relatively strong, so using a steel sheet that is well protected with a plastic coating is a reliable and cheap solution. Obviously, the base plate 3 can also be made of some kind of laminate, such as plywood or a plastic coated cellular board, or something similar, as well as a flexible material such as plastic. If necessary, a flexible road sign or combined material of its base can be transported, for example, in a roll. However, the most common and most common solution is to use a rigid base plate 3, as described above. The term "hard" here refers to material that retains its shape in the process of its use and handling. The base plate 3 may also be made of a composite material such as fiberglass bonded with polyester or epoxy plastic, carbon fiber, or the like. If necessary, the edges 25 of the base plate may be bent to increase the rigidity of the plate portion 13, as shown in FIG. 2. These bends can be made at opposite edges of the base plate 3 or at all edges. In accordance with the invention, said combination base material 9 comprises a retroreflective layer 2 attached to the surface 23, and over its entire area. This retroreflective layer 2 is a layer of any type known per se that is commercially available from several different manufacturers. Retroreflective layers 2 may vary in their internal structure depending on the manufacturer. One of the known methods for manufacturing a retroreflective layer that reflects light mainly back to the light source and, to some extent, at a relatively small angle to the main direction of reflection, is to place a number of small glass balls next to each other on an aluminum foil base so so that said aluminum foil and glass beads are bonded to each other with a plastic that is transparent to light. Another alternative for the manufacture of such a retroreflective layer is the use of microprisms, the sharp peaks of which are directed in the opposite direction from the direction of observation, i.e., towards the direction of incidence of light. In this regard, there is no need to explain in more detail the internal structure of the layers 2, since according to the invention any rigid or flexible retroreflective layer known per se can be applied. The reflection coefficient I of these retroreflective layers is in the range of 40-1200 cd / lux-m ² , therefore, the choice of such a layer with a sufficient reflection coefficient is carried out for each specific purpose. The retroreflective layer 2 is attached to the surface 23a of the base plate portion 13 by any method suitable for these materials, for example, by means of glue or a thermosetting binder.

A special feature of the combined base material 9 according to the invention, which is generated by other features of the invention, is that the shape and dimensions of H1 and H2 of part 13 of the base plate (Fig. 2, 8) are the same for all road signs 1 with the same overall dimensions sizes, albeit with different forms of the image section of the sign. For example, according to FIG. 8, which shows the finished road sign made according to the invention, as seen from the user's side, it follows that the width H1 and the height H2 of the part 13 of the base plate for the speed limit sign to 60 km / h are exactly the same as the width H1 and the height H2 of the part 13 base plates for a triangular sign indicating the presence of a turn. Obviously, the same dimensions can be used to form an inverted triangle or sign 8ΤΘΡ of a similar size. The road number sign shown at the bottom of FIG. 8 is slightly smaller, but again, it can be the same size for all road numbers, regardless of their numbering. According to the invention, the parts 13 of the base plate are generally rectangular and predominantly square, as can be understood from FIG. 8. It is obvious that when they want to make road signs with significantly different sizes, then, of course, it is reasonable to set the actual values of the width H1 and height H2 close to the required size of the road sign. Thus, it is possible to make parts 13 of the base plate of only a few very different sizes, because according to the invention, it is possible to make the desired size of the road sign seeming by the method described below, using black color B for those parts of the part 13 of the base plate that the user should not see. At the same time, on the one hand, nothing hinders making parts 13 of another shape, for example, round, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. one.

In FIG. 4 shows a first embodiment according to the invention of a combined base material 9, the cross section of which consists of a portion 13 of said rigid base plate 3 with a retroreflective layer 2 attached to the surface 23a over its entire area. A second embodiment of the composite material 9 is shown more schematically in FIG. 3 and in more detail in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the combined material 9 comprises a bonding layer 6b on the outer surface 12 of the retroreflective layer 2; the bonding layer is an adhesive or thermoset adhesive or a dry binder. Thus, the combination coating film of any of the two types of the invention described below can be attached to the combination base material 9 of the invention. The specified layer 6b of glue, thermosetting glue or a dry binder is any binder suitable for this purpose, and so light that it scatters the light b passing through it as little as possible. Thus, the combined base material 9 comprises a retroreflective layer 2 and possibly a bonding layer 6b on the surface 23a of the rigid or flexible base support plate 3. An example of a combined flexible base material is not shown in the drawings. The retroreflective layer 2 on the combined base material 9 may have a yellow color Υ, whereby the primary color of the road sign can be made in this way. In the combined coating film 5, the spots of the indicated yellow color Υ naturally have a colorless color T, as described below.

In FIG. 1-4 and 6-7 show a combined covering film for the manufacture of road sign symbols. Said combined coating film 5 is superimposed on the combined base material 9 and attached to its surface 12. The coating film 5 according to the invention comprises a plastic sheet or film 4 which forms a coating for the combined base material 6, having the maximum possible light transmission and the minimum possible light scattering b. In other words, film 4 is a thin layer of light transparent plastic, for example PVC, acetate plastic, polycarbonate-based plastic, polyester-based or polyacrylate-based plastic, etc. The specified covering film is made continuous (without gaps), at least in the area where the road sign symbols are located, and is mainly such on the entire part of the base material. At least a portion of the symbols 10 of the road sign 1 are attached to the surface 14a of the sheet or film 4 in the mirror form P. FIG. 7 is a mirror view of those shown in FIG. 8 road signs. According to the invention, in this mirror form P (if you look at the sheet or film 4 along the arrows V of Fig. 1-4), the road signs 10 are attached to the surface 1 4a of the sheet or film 4. This allows the symbols 10 located on a sheet or film 4, between this sheet (or film) and the retroreflective layer 2 of the base material, as a result of which these symbols are very well protected from external influences (see Fig. 3 and 4).

According to a first embodiment (FIG. 3), the combined coating film of the present invention contains only said plastic sheet or plastic film 4 and characters 10 characters located on the surface 1 4A in a mirror form. The specified combined covering film is pressed against the surface of the bonding layer 6b of the combined base material, made according to the first embodiment, in the direction K to obtain a finished road sign 1. According to the invention, in this road sign, colored materials 7 or paints forming the symbol 10 of the road sign, tightly compressed between the sheet or film 4 and the retroreflective layer 2, so that the sheet or film 4 protects the paint from environmental influences.

According to a second embodiment of the combined coating film (FIGS. 4 and 6), the bonding layer 6a, consisting of either glue or thermoset glue or a dry binder, is applied to the sign symbol 10 formed by colored materials 7 on the surface 14a of the covering film 4. When such a combined covering the film 5 in accordance with the invention is placed on the outer surface 12 of the retroreflective layer 2 of the combined base material 9 made in the second embodiment (see FIG. 4), bonding the adhesive layer 6a etsya combined to said base material, so colored material 7 disposed between the plastic sheet or plastic film 4 and 9 combined pictures, it is very well protected as in the previous versions. In this case, the road sign is obtained by pressing the combined covering film 5 against the combined base material 9 in the direction K (Fig. 4). Thus, according to the invention, the combined coating film 5 in any case has graphic signs 10 for the road sign located on the surface of a thin sheet or film 4, which are extremely transparent, and the symbols 10 consist of two or more different colors and images made in mirror form P, while the combined coating film does not have a retroreflective layer. According to the invention, a combination covering film thus houses either all the symbols and images of the road sign, or at least more than one symbol or image. It should be borne in mind that in this description the light, that is, the transparent section of the symbol of a colorless color T is considered one of the colors among the colors of the combined covering film, because in this case this section can also form and often forms one of the symbols of the road sign. For example, it can serve as a backdrop for the number 80, denoting a speed limit (Fig. 1). Thus, in this description, the term "color" means a transparent or reflective material that changes the distribution of the spectrum in the light passing through or reflected from this material and / or the light intensity, or minimally changes these parameters. An extreme example of the latter is a colorless coating film, an extreme example of a paint that changes the intensity of light is black. In general, said material always alters at least to some extent the spectral distribution and intensity of transmitted or reflected light, although this may be indistinguishable to the naked eye. Thus, the combination cover film 5 of the present invention is a continuous cover film containing at least two colors, of which one may be a colorless color or some other color for all portions of the characters. This film may contain a larger number of colors (for example, three or four), forming all areas within the actual area of the symbol of the road sign, i.e. circle, triangle or octagon, or some other possible shape.

As already mentioned, in accordance with the invention, those sections E of said covering film 4, which are located in such places of the road sign in such places of the base material 3 that should not be visible to a person moving along the road or looking at the road sign, are covered with black material colors B, having the smallest possible light transmission and as little as possible absorbing and scattering light. As can be seen from FIG. 1-2, 7-8, the background section E around the speed limit sign, i.e. around the circle forming the symbol of this sign, as well as the area around the triangular symbol of the turn sign, are covered with such black material B. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the black light-transmitting and absorbing material is located on the surface of the combined coating film 5, so that only the above-described retroreflective layer 2 is located on the combined base material. In this way, it is possible to simplify the size layer layers. However, there is no reason why, if necessary, the black material B covering the edge (background) sections E could not be placed on the retroreflective layer 2, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4. And in this case, the black material B in the finished road sign 1 will be placed between the plastic sheet or plastic film 4 of the coating and the retroreflective layer 2 of the base material and will thus be protected.

In order for the observer of the road sign 1 to be able to distinguish the sign symbols 10 most clearly, these symbols 10 are composed of colored materials 7, minimally scattering the light b passing through them, i.e. these materials 7 are translucent or transparent. Various colors required for traffic signs, such as colorless T, yellow Υ, red B, blue-green C, etc., can be printed, for example, silk-screen, inks or color films. In the first case, the colored materials 7 are printed on the surface 14a of the sheet or film 4 by a silk-screen printing method, in the latter case they are glued to the surface 14a of the sheet or film 4 in a suitable way using the appropriate binder. As mentioned above, colored materials should be as transparent and non-diffusing as possible. Naturally, the colorless color T is realized, leaving the area in question unprinted or not covering it with any other color film. Only black material B should have the lowest possible transparency for light and, if possible, absorb and scatter light. In addition to the indicated sections E, which should be invisible, the black color B is also used on other sections of the symbol 10 of the sign, which should look black relative to their background, for example, the numbers 80 and 60, an arrow indicating the direction of rotation on the symbols, etc.

In addition, in order to provide the maximum possible reflecting effect of the retroreflective layer 2 and the maximum possibility of returning the light b back in the direction of the light source and the observer of the traffic sign, the plastic sheet or plastic film 4 of the combined covering film should be sufficiently thin. The thickness 8 of the sheet or film 4 should be no more than 1 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm. Thus, the sheet or film 4 is made of flat materials that can be relatively rigid or very flexible. For curved road signs, it is advisable to use a relatively flexible material.

In FIG. 3 and 4 show two different methods of applying color material 7. FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which all the various inks are printed next to each other. As a result, each color required for the road sign is printed separately, and each color section contains empty spaces for other colors, if necessary. So in FIG. 3 it can be seen that black colors are printed next to each other B in the marginal sections E and the number 80; yellow color of the so-called Euro-strip; или yellow or white primary color Υ and red color in the ring. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and 6, various inks print one on top of the other so that their combined result creates the desired road sign symbol 10. This is done in accordance with the so-called subtractive color synthesis. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, 4 and 6, the colors for the “No rotation” sign are printed in such a way that, for example, yellow Υ is first printed across the entire plastic sheet or the entire plastic film. Then the magenta color M prints the annular section and the intersecting strip, so in transmitted light b these two colors Υ and M are combined so that the user's eye sees the red color B in these areas. The purple color M may also extend to the edge portion E of the road sign. The black color B is printed last for the image of the direction arrow and the edge portion E. Thus, in this embodiment, the color (in this case, yellow Υ), which should be visible without imposing other colors and applied in a continuous layer, is closest to the sheet or film 4 (directly on them), and the color of the symbol, which may be partially overlapped by images located closer to the sheet or film 4, lies farthest from the latter (in this case, black color B). Between these extreme colors lies a color (in this case, magenta M), which, together with the inks printed before it, forms the color of the symbol, separating the most peripheral colors of the symbol. The colors most commonly used in traffic signs are created in this way. The blue color, replacing yellow in some characters, can also be formed by the subtractive method, if we keep in mind that it consists of blue-green C and purple M, just as red B consists of purple M and yellow Υ. Thus, all the colors found in road signs can be applied using any of the two techniques described above - by printing or placing color films in a specific order. In this regard, it must be emphasized that, although from FIG. 4, 6 it can be seen that the superimposed arrangement of colors Υ, M, and B leads to a variability in the thickness of the plastic sheet or plastic film 4, in practice this does not matter and this feature is shown in the drawings only to facilitate understanding of the invention. In fact, films that form colors or layers of printed ink are extremely thin.

In conclusion, we can say that the combination of the base material 9 was described above, on which the retroreflective layer 2 is located in a continuous manner, at least in the entire area where the signs of the road sign are located, and mainly on the surface of the entire part 13 of the base plate, this the layer does not significantly change the color of the reflected light. In addition, a combination coating film 5 has been described above, on one side of the coating film 4 of which at least a portion of the symbols 10 of the sign are coated in mirror form, and preferably all symbols required for the sign having at least two different colors , of which one may be a colorless color, and the film 4 does not contain a retroreflective layer. According to the invention, the combined coating film 5 is attached to the combined base material 9 having a retroreflective layer 2, so that colored materials 7 of the symbol 10 are placed between said covering film 4 and the layer 2. For attaching the combined covering film to the combined base material or the bonding layer 6a located on the color layers lying on the side 14a of the combined coating film, or the bonding layer 6b is located on the surface 23a of the combi reflective layer 2 9, th e base material. Taking into account the manufacturing technique of the combined base material, the bonding layer 6b can be located on the retroreflective layer 2 already before the last material is attached to the base plate 3 or the bonding layer 6b can only be applied after the retroreflective layer 2 has been attached to the base plate 3 . Depending on the type of binder bonding layer 2 to the plate 3 of the base material of the sign shield, either of the two described methods for applying the bonding layer 6b can be used. However, in all cases, the bonding layer 6a of the combined coating film 5 is always applied only after the colored materials 7 are distributed in their places using any of the methods described above, and placed on the outer surface of the colored materials. Depending on the type of binder used, a protective paper or protective film 8a is placed on the bonding layer 6b of the combined base material, and a protective paper or protective film 8b is placed on the bonding layer 6a of the combined coating film. The combined base material and combined coating film made in this way are conveniently stored and transported because they do not have any outer surface that is damaged when handling them. Thus, it is possible to pre-fabricate the required number of required types of these products and transport them to the place of use by any suitable means. According to the invention, the total yellow color Υ of the base can be obtained by using a special colored portion of the combined coating film 5, or by using the color of the retroreflective layer 2 of the combined base material, as well as by using a colored bonding layer such as the bonding layer 6a and / or the bonding layer 6b.

To produce a complete road sign, the protective paper or protective film 8a and / or 8b that can be applied to the bonding layers is removed, when required, from the combined covering film and / or the combined base material, and these two products are pressed together as shown in FIG. 3 and 4. If necessary, the binder and / or colored materials 7 can be polymerized at suitable temperature and pressure. After this operation, the bonding layer 6a, 6b between the combined coating film and the retroreflective layer provides bonding. It is understood that the bonding layer can be placed either on the surface 24 of the color layer of the combined coating film, or on the surface 12 of the retroreflective layer 2, or on both of these surfaces. One alternative is to place the bonding layer on one surface and the activator on the other surface, so that after contacting the surfaces by pressing them against each other, the combined coating film 5 and the combined base material 9 are bonded. In addition, on the exposed surface of the weather surface of the combined coating film, i.e., on the surface opposite to the colors M, K, Υ, ^, C, and also between the plastic sheet or plastic film 4 and the colors M, K, Υ, ^ , C can be applied additional protective layers. Such layers can consist of dirt-water-repellent coatings or coatings that absorb UV, or layers that improve the adhesion of non-ferrous materials, etc.

Thus, it should be understood that the light b coming in from the light source and the observer of the traffic sign 1 passes through colored materials 7 located between the plastic sheet or film 4 and the retroreflective layer 2, is reflected from this layer, again passes through these layers of colored materials 7 and then through a plastic sheet or plastic film 4 is returned back to the eye of the observer. These colored materials are located between the retroreflective layer 2 and the covering film 4 and on the back side of the specified film are visible as a mirror view P character signs, as described above.

In the combined coating film 5, part of the portion corresponding to the symbols is made in one color, and part is in some other color, as described above, provided that the colorless color T is also considered a color. Thus, the road sign has the desired form.

In addition to the manufacture of truly traffic signs, the present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of other similar billboards, such as signboards, etc., which require good visibility in the light coming in the direction from the observer, i.e., require the presence of them reflective surface and various symbols. However, first of all, the invention relates to road signs that a person involved in traffic should look at. In general, the main point is that all surfaces, for example, in finished road signs and similar products, should not be specularly reflective. This means that the road sign should not reflect light at an angle to the normal to the surface, equal to the angle of the incident beam to this normal.

As a rule, it is most suitable that the road sign or similar product has one retroreflective surface, as described above. Road signs are usually flat, if you do not take into account the reinforcing edge bends, but can also be made of a curved shape from a rigid material so that they can be seen from the directions of the incident light, even significantly deviating from one another, regardless of the ability of reflection in the opposite direction. The invention also relates to such curved road signs or related products.

Claims (15)

CLAIM 1. A method of manufacturing road and similar signs, reflecting light in the opposite direction and containing symbols of the symbol, consisting in the fact that the retroreflective layer is attached to a rigid or flexible base material, and materials forming the symbols of the sign, characterized by what contains the individual steps: - placing the specified retroreflective layer in a continuous manner, at least around the entire location of the characters of the road sign, with the specified layer slightly changes the color of the light reflected from it; - placing in a mirror form, at least some of the symbols required for the mark being made on one side of the covering film, and - sticking the covering film on top of the retroreflective layer on the surface of the base material so that the symbols of the mark in the mirror image are facing the retroreflective layer and are thus located between the retroreflective layer and the covering film. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that flexible or rigid sheet material that is transparent to light and has the lowest possible light absorption and light scattering is selected as the covering film, and a hard, for example metal, sheet is used as the base material. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the step of applying a bonding layer, gluing the covering film and the retroreflective layer to each other, or on the outer surface of the retroreflective layer before attaching this layer to the base material or after such attachment, or on the surface colored materials of the symbol of the mark on the covering film in a mirror form. 4. The method according to p. 3, characterized in that it includes a step of applying a protective film, or protective paper, or some similar material on the applied bonding layer to produce prefabricated composite base material or, respectively, a combined covering film used for road signs and convenient for transportation and handling. 5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that all the symbols of the manufactured traffic sign are located on one side of the covering film, and for colors of symbols, except black, transparent paints are used for light rays, having the smallest possible light scattering, and for black use paints that absorb and scatter light as much as possible. 6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that it includes the steps: - remove the specified protective film or protective paper from the bonding layer, - pressing the outer surface of the retroreflective layer of the combined base material and the combined covering film to each other and - bringing the bonding layer between the combined covering film and the retroreflective layer to a state of adhesion. 7. The method according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that said characters of the mark are placed on the surface of the covering film by means of lamination with films of the desired color and / or by means of printing, for example silk screen printing. 8. Combined covering film to obtain symbols of retroreflective road signs, containing covering film extending in a continuous layer, at least throughout the site of the location of the characters of the road sign, and located on the surface of this film materials forming the sign characters, characterized in that covering film selected translucent plastic film, if possible minimally diffusing the light passing through it; at least part of the characters of the road sign is attached to one side of this film in the mirror form; the materials that form the characters of the mark are mainly colored materials, which dissipate the light passing through them as minimally as possible; and the combined coating film as a whole is non-reflective in the opposite direction. 9. Combined covering film of claim 8, characterized in that as these colored materials used printing inks, such as paints for screen printing, or color films; moreover, black paint allows as little as possible and absorbs light as much as possible, while other paints are translucent non-scattering light materials; however, these colored materials are placed on one specified side of a plastic sheet or plastic film in the order in which the paint of the symbol of the road sign to be made, which should be visible without overlapping other colors, is closest to the specified sheet or film, and the paint of the symbol that can be partially overlapped by other symbols of the mark that are closest to the sheet or film, and farthest from the latter. 10. Combined coating film according to claim 8, characterized in that it is provided with a bonding layer on the surface of colored materials, which used glue, or thermosetting glue, or dry binder, as well as, if necessary, a removable protective film or protective paper located on the bonding layer; moreover, the thickness of the plastic film is less than 1 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm. 11. Combined covering film according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that portions of said plastic film, which are located in the finished road sign in the parts of the base material that are supposed to be invisible, are covered with black colored material that allows for the least possible light transmission and maximum absorption. 12. The combined sheet material of the base for having symbols of road signs, reflecting light in the opposite direction, containing a rigid or flexible base plate and a retroreflective layer attached to it, characterized in that it is a prefabricated product, the base plate of which is cut in shape, has the treated surface is flat or curved, and the retroreflective layer is located on one side of the base plate in a continuous manner and is attached to it over the entire area, and This layer does not significantly change the color of the reflected light in comparison with the light directed at it. 13. Combined base material according to claim 12, characterized in that the shape and dimensions of the base plate are the same for all road signs that have the same overall dimensions, although different shapes of image areas, and the base plate has a rectangular or mostly square form. 14. The combined base material according to claim 12, characterized in that it is provided with a bonding layer located on the outer surface of the specified retroreflective layer, which used glue, or thermosetting glue, or dry binder, and, if necessary, a removable protective film or protective paper located on the specified bonding layer. 15. The combined base material according to claim 12, characterized in that the base plate is made in the form of a flat or curved rigid metal sheet, preferably steel, covered with plastic layers or a layered or composite material.