EP0112804B1

EP0112804B1 - Anticollision road marker

Info

Publication number: EP0112804B1
Application number: EP83830250A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Ferruccio; Vinicio Calcabrini
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-12-06
Filing date: 1983-12-05
Publication date: 1988-06-29
Also published as: EP0112804A2; IT1189433B; EP0112804A3; ATE35435T1; DE3377225D1; IT8249623A0

Abstract

A road edge marker comprising a reflector support divided into two aligned portions joined together by means of a hinge which allows the two portions to shift in case of collision. The hinge consists of sleeves fixed to said portions, connected to one another by an elastic member, such as a spring or a caoutchouc tube, which brings them back to their original position.

Description

The present invention relates to a road edge marker of the type with a support for a reflector (cat's eye) which indicates the road way.
It is well known that road way edges are marked laterally by red reflectors on the driver's side and white ones on the opposite side. The reflectors must maintain a precise position so that the driver can see their reflections so that it is very important for the reflector support to be in position as well.
Known supports of the rigid type obviously stay in position, unless they are hit by an automobile or the like or are moved in any way, in which case manual intervention is required to return them to their position. In fact, given the large number of road way markers and the extension of the road system, the manual intervention to bring the road markers back consumes a very high proportion of the working hours of the road maintenance crews. Therefore, while the rigid markers are economical to manufacture, they involve high maintenance costs.
To solve this severe problem, flexible markers have been made out of rubber material, which return automatically to position in case of collision or displacement. However, these flexible markers have high manufacturing costs, since to maintain their flexibility for an acceptable period while exposed to atmospheric agents, they must be made. of specially treated synthetic rubber. Even then however, their duration in inclement whether is fairly limited and so they must be replaced frequently. Therefore from an economical point of view, this type of flexible marker has not resolved the problem posed above.
US Application 4270873 describes a delineator pole according to the first part of claim 1 which pole pivots when a force is applied thereto and includes upper and lower segments joined together by a biasing spring. A shank is integrally joined to the spring and threaded to a nut locked on the tip of the pole. The spring system of this pole can not be adapted to poles of various shapes and lengths. Moreover, as the interior is hollow for accommodating the spring system, accumulation of impurities and deteriorating matter inside the pole can not be avoided.
The present invention as characterised in claim 1 is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above.
CH Application 451228 describes a flexible delineator pole consisting of an upper and lower segment joined together by a coiled spring which is compression stressed by a cable when the upper segment is tilted, so exerting a return force. This pole is so arranged as not to be sufficiently weatherproof and gives no assurance of resuming the correct position as extraneous matter could insinuate between the upper and lower segment.
According to the present invention, this problem is solved by means of a marker made of rigid material highly resistant to inclement weather, which gives offering no resistance in case of collision by a vehicle and returns exactly to the initial position automatically.
The marker according to the invention is therefore made of less expensive material and can solve the problem posed above.
According to the present invention, the anticol- lision road edge marker comprises a reflector support of the tubular type divided into at least two portions connected by an elastic swivel joint comprising a first sleeve which is fixed coaxially and internally in a rigid fashion to one end of the first portion and projects slightly from said end, as well as a second sleeve which is fixed coaxially and internally in a rigid fashion to one end of the second portion and is recessed slightly in said end. Said sleeves are equipped with engagement means comprising for example a projection and indentation pair opposite to one another, which reciprocally engage said sleeves so as to define a precise relative position. The sleeves are also connected through a cable tensioned by a helical spring, so that said ficist and second portions of the support are kept in alignment as long as the first and second sleeve are engaged to each other, while in case of collision or the like, the two portions are allowed to go out of alignment because of the elasticity of the spring, which then brings the marker back to its initial position by means of its elastic return and the engagement means provided on the sleeves.
The invention will be described below in detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded view of the elastic swivel joint of the marker according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the joint in.its normal rest position;
Figure 3 is a preferred embodiment of the point;
Figure 4 is an example of an embodiment of the road marker according to the invention;
Figure 5 shows the marker of Figure 4 in the non-aligned position;
Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the road marker; and
Figure 7 shows the marker of Figure 6 in the non-aligned position.
Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the joint for road markers according to the invention.

The joints comprises an upper sleeve 27 and a lower sleeve 28 equipped respectively with projections 42 and indentations 43 to fix their relative positions. The sleeve 27 recedes into the upper portion 46 of the post, and sleeve 28 protrudes with respect to the lower portion 45 (Figure 2). The lower sleeve is equipped with a flange 44.
Inside cavity 33 of sleeve 27 and cavity 34 of sleeve 28 are arranged respectively an upper plug 26 and a lower plug 29, equipped with longitudinal grooves 32 and 35. The spring 25 is compressed between an abutment 48 integral to upper plug 26 and a free bearing 24.
A flexible, traction-resistant cable 31 is fixed at the top to a screw 47 which can be screwed into a nut 23 resting against the other side oifthe support 24 of spring 25.
Cable 31 is preferably a strand of galvanized or tinned steel.
Pins 36 and 37 fix the members of the jointto the upper and lower portions 46 and 45 respectively, pin 36 passing through an opening 40 in upper plug 26 and another opening 38 in upper sleeve 27, and pin 37 passing through an opening 39 in lower sleeve 28 and an opening 41 in lower plug 29.
The cable 31 is fitted in the grooves 32 of the upper plug 26 and in the grooves 35 of the lower plug 29, winding a pulley 30 at the lower end of plug 29. The screw 47 passes through an opening of the support 24 and is engaged by nut 23, which thus fixes the cable 31 in position and in engaging with the screw 47 causes a certain degree of compression of the spring 25.
The operation is as follows. Displacement of the upper portion 46 of the post with respect to the lower portion 45 leads to compression of the spring 25 which tends to bring the two portions of the post back into alignment, and moreover into the exact position established by the engagement of the projections 42 with the indentations 43.
This embodiment moreover allows the reflector post to be brought back to the exact position desired, even when the upper post 46 is rotated 180° with respect to the lower post 45 and the projections 42 and indentations are engaged backwards. This situation leads to the inversion of the cat's eye reflector's colour on the marker.
In the present embodiment this position would not be stable, since it would cause the cable 31 to cross with consequent compression of the spring 25 which immediately brings the marker back to the correct position.
In addition to the shape illustrated above the point of the marker may also be shaped like a spade so that the point may be inserted simply by lapping it in; a preferred shape is shown in Figure 3.
As shown in Figure 3, the point consists of two equal pieces of sheet metal joined face to face, for example by means of spot welding.
Thus the point has a generally spade-like shape, preferentially indicated with 50, and a tubular sleeve 51 which may also comprise the lower portion of the marker which contains the lower sleeve of the joint.
Laterally the spade 50 presents a saw tooth profile indicated with 52, which provides resistance to attempted extraction of the point from the ground.
A hook 53 may be provided near the point of the spade to increase resistance to extraction. The surface of the spade is moreover equipped with openings which facilitate packing of the spade in the ground where it is fixed.
With this shape point, the marker can thus be placed in operation simply by tapping it into the ground, with no need for digging a hole first, therefore reducing installation costs.
Figures 4 and 5 show how the road marker according to the invention comprises a support consisting of a point 1 and a post 2 which supports a cat's eye reflector 3. The two portions of the support consisting of point 1 and post 2 are connected to one another at the point indicated with 4, by means of swivel joint which allows post 2 to go out of alignment with the point, or even to lay against the ground, as shown in Figure 5, and then to return to its proper position as shown in Figure 4.
Therefore, in the road marker's normal position (Figure 2) the two portions 45,46 of the support are exactly aligned and the engagement means 42, 43 ensure that the reflector is oriented precisely as it should be. As shown, the two portions are perfectly sealed to external atmospheric agents (sun, rain, dust) which thus affect only the outer surface of portions 45 and 46 of the support, which is made of inexpensive material resistant to these agents. In particular, cable 31 and spring 25 remain well protected.
In case of collision or of a reciprocal shift (disalignment) of portions 45 and 46, the spring 25 gives easily, allowing practically any reciprocal position of the portions 45 and 46 of the support, and then returns to its initial condition, bringing portions 45 and 46 back to alignment and their proper orientation, thanks to the engagement means 42, 43 of the sleeves 27, 28.
The joint shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be placed in the most suitable position of the marker: In Figures 4 and 5, the joint is located between the point 1 and the post 2, so that the marker is made up of the portions. In this case the. lower sleeve of the joint has a flange 16 which serves to drive the point into the ground using an appropriate device.
Figures 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the marker according to the invention, in which therer are two joints in the positions indicated with 17 and 18. In this case the support consists of three parts, that is a post 19, a lower arm 20 and an upper arm 21 which supports the reflector 3. The lower arm 20 is connected to a point 22. This embodiment has the advantage of keeping the reflector 3 away form the post 19, so that the splashes of water and mud which reach the post have difficulty reaching the reflector 3. Figure 7 shows the marker folded at joint 18. Obviously, it may also be subject to deviations at joint 17.
The marker according to the invention conforms to article 92 of the Italian Highway Code.
Preferably in the embodiment shown, the reflector support is a cylindrical section since in this way the supported reflector is less exposed to spashes of water and mud which may strike the support.
Therefore, the present invention allows realization of a relatively low cost, long-lasting marker which maintains its operational position even when disturbed and which, even if it does not return to its exact initial position after a collision, may be fixed manually with great facility. Furthermore, the material exposed to the elements may be selected so as to be long-lasting, whilethe more sensitive parts remain protected.
The portions of the support may be selected as desired, so that the same joint may be used for reflectors applicable to walls, quard-rails, bridge parapets and the like.

Claims

1. Anti-collision road marker formed with a tubular support consisting of at least two portions (45, 46) and an elastic joint connecting one of said portions to the other, said joint including: a first sleeve (28) fixed coaxially and internally in a rigid way to one end of the first portion (45) and projecting slightly from said end; a second sleeve (27) fixed coaxially and internally in a rigid way to one end of the second portion (46) and recessed slightly in said end, said first and second sleeves being coupled in abutment engagement by means of a spring action so as to define the precise relative position between the first and second sleeve, characterized in that an upper plug (26) and a lower plug (29) having a pair of opposite longitudinal grooves (32, 35) are fitted in the cavities of the upper and lower sleeves respectively and fixed with respect to them; a flexible and tension resistant cable (31) of closed configuration is placed to run along said grooves of said plugs; a screw (47) is fixed to the joint upper ends of said cable and a nut (23) is treadedly engaged with said screw and frictionally engaged with the upper surface of a support (24) having a through hole for said screw, and a helical spring (25) is engaged with said second sleeve (27) and said support (24), so that said first and second portions remain aligned while the first and second sleeves are engaged with one another, and disalignment of said portions is allowed by the compression of said spring, the return force of which brings the road marker back to its initial position.

2. Road marker according to claim 1, in which a pair of tapered projections and indentations (42, 43) exactly opposite to one another, are provided in said sleeves for obtaining a precise rest configuration.

3. Road marker according to claim 1, in which the sleeve projection from the end of the respective portion is provided with a flange (44) which covers said end.

4. Road marker according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a flattened spade-shaped point (50), provided laterally with a saw tooth profile (52), with openings (54) in its surface and a hook (53) near the point.