FR2628241A1 - Toll booth signalling light for motorway - uses stacked lights to show toll rates with lamps flashed on and off at rate imperceptible to eye - Google Patents

Abstract

A lamp consists of a toroidal tube which is fitted inside a concave reflector so that it can be seen from any direction. A transparent wall, in the shape of a cylinder, is placed over the lamp. The wall will eventually have information on it. Two or more lamps are stacked together vertically and held by an external case. The lamps are flashed on and off at such a rate as to present an impression of-permanence to the eye. ADVANTAGE - Brighter than incandescent or fluorescent lamps and compact support structure.

Description

() FRENCH REPUBLIC Publication no. 2,628,241 (use only

  for NATIONAL INSTITUTE reproduction orders)

* INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

  INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY (national registration number 88 02657 PARIS

(Int CI4: G 08 B 5/38.

A1 PATENT APPLICATION

  (Date of filing March 2, 1988. t Applicant (s): Public limited company called: SOCIETE IN-

  DUSTRIAL OF ELECTRICAL LINKS SILEC -FR.

) Priority

(Inventor (s) Robert Lechau.

  4 Date of public availability of the

  application: BOPI "Patents" n 36 of September 8, 1989.

  - References to other national documents appearing

rentés rt Holder (s)

(Agent (s) Cabinet Boettcher.

  Light signaling device. A road signaling device comprises at least

  two lights A1, A2, A3, A4 visible over the entire horizon including - -

  each with a flashing toric tube 1 surrounding a reflector A ..

  concave 2, enclosed in a transparent enclosure 3, before 7z

  beautifully colored. This reflector can be defined by the revolution-

  tion, around a straight line of privileged direction, of an arc of Ai ..

  parabola, hyperbola, circle, ellipse, etc. This device makes it possible to encode simple information and = is intended in particular for toll access installations on 'motorways. It is visible from afar and in all weathers, is little A

  bulky and economical.

  I N L D Sale of leaflets 'IMPRIMERIE NATIONALE, 27, rue de la Convention75732 PARIS CEDEX 15 OL Selling leaflets to (' IMPRIMERIE NATIONALE, 27, rue de la Convention -75732 PARIS CEDEX 15 The subject of this invention is a signaling device

  bright visible over the entire horizon.

  The invention aims to solve a problem that arises in

  especially in toll access facilities on Ces-

  installations include a series of doors closed by barriers which are opened in front of each vehicle after the driver has paid a fee. The tax payable varies according to the category of vehicle (heavy goods vehicle, light vehicle with or without trailer, etc.). In general, the doors do not receive. for any particular purpose and any type of vehicle can use any door. The opening of the barriers is controlled solt by the driver of the vehicle himself, who threw coins in a basket or introduced a ticket in an automatic teller machine, either by a teller who collected the tax paid by

the driver.

  For operating reasons specific to the concessionaire, the head of the toll station must be able to instantly, from his office or anywhere in the toll area, visually know the category of vehicle paying the fare and this for one

any of the doors.

  One solution is to equip the tolling system with a system of light signals placed above each door, these signals lighting up when each vehicle passes by, according to a light code corresponding to the amount of tax paid. ie to category

vehicle.

  When the importance of the toll station Justifies a large area. the distance between the observation point and a door can reach several hundred meters. It is therefore necessary that the light signals have the corresponding power, taking into account the fact that they must operate under various meteorological conditions, in

  especially in fog and full sun.

  The light signals used so far are of three types. A first type consists of one or more letters, numbers, or planar luminous signs, oriented towards the observation post of the lookout. To be visible from a distance, these signals are large and are equipped with powerful lighting means. They therefore offer good wind resistance and require correspondingly sized support structures, which are expensive. Besides this drawback, they consume a lot of energy for a result

poor in foggy weather.

  Another type of light signal commonly used consists of a stack of several lights juxtaposed vertically, visible over the entire horizon. Each of these lights includes a light source (incandescent lamp or fluorescent tube) enclosed in an enclosure

  transparent. Each fire is identified by its rank in the stack.

  The observer decodes the information by identifying the row (s) of the light (s) lit during the passage of the vehicle (for example, first row for a passenger vehicle, first and third row for a heavyweight, etc.) The third type of signal is identical to the previous one, but the lights of the same signal are arranged according to a sequence of colors, each light having its own color which it draws either from the coloring of its transparent enclosure (case of incandescent lamps), or of the nature of the gas - and possibly of. the powder contained in its fluorescent tube. This color sequence, joined to the separate lights supply, allows more decoding. easy information. These last two types of light signals are also not completely satisfactory: the fluorescent tubes do not heat, but have a relatively low light intensity and the incandescent lamps, heating, must be limited in power because, being enclosed in a closed enclosure , if this precaution was not taken, their lifespan would be very short. These signals are therefore not always visible, especially in foggy weather. They also have the double disadvantage of being relatively bulky and consuming

an important energy.

  The present invention aims to solve the problems posed by the realization of a light signaling device which overcomes the disadvantages of the signals known from the prior art and which, in particular, is visible even in high cloud conditions, which

  consumes little energy and is not bulky.

  According to the invention, a road signaling device comprising at least two luminous lights visible over the entire horizon is remarkable in that each light comprises an O-ring tube with flashes surrounding a concave reader ref, enclosed in a transparent enclosure, advantageously colored. This reflector can be defined by the revolution, around a straight line of privileged direction, of an arc of parabola, hyperbola, circle, ellipse, etc. According to a characteristic of the invention, each light further comprises an individual housing for containing said flash tube, said concave reflector and said transparent wall, this housing comprising

  fixing means for fixing it to two housings.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention

  will appear better on reading the description which follows, given to

  by way of nonlimiting example, made in relation to the accompanying drawing in which the single figure represents a schematic sectional view, according to a

  diametral plane of the signaling device according to the invention.

  This signaling device, which has the general shape of a cylinder, comprises several superimposed lights AI, A2, A3, A4 (four in the figure, this number being arbitrary) of identical conformation. Each light includes a flash tube I of toroidal shape encircling a concave reflector 2, the whole being placed inside a transparent closed wall 3 (a cylinder in the figure), possibly colored: The reflector can be defined by the revolution, around a privileged straight-direction, an arc of a parabola, hyperbola, circle, ellipse, etc. Each light A1, A2, A3, A4 can be included in a general housing intended to support a determined number of lights, as well as to contain, in its lower part for example, their supply system. Advantageously, each light is included in an individual box 4 comprising fixing means (not shown) for two boxes of the same type, the signaling device according to the invention then resulting from the modular assembly of two lights or

  plus and a power supply 5.

  A flashing light composed of an O-tube and a concave reflector.

  such as that which has just been described, makes it possible to emit on 360, for a very short time, a light of an intensity very much higher than that

  of a powerful incandescent lamp operating continuously.

  Due to the persistence of retinal impressions, a light emitting for example two flashes per second seems to operate continuously and is therefore much more intense than incandescent lamps or that fluorescent tubes mounted so far in light signals

  used in highway access facilities.

  The signaling device according to the invention therefore remains visible despite a high cloudiness. Besides this substantial advantage, it presents

  that of being of a low volume compared to the existing signals, that is to say

  that is to say to offer less wind resistance and therefore to require only a fairly light support structure, as well as this other considerable advantage which is its low operating cost, its electricity consumption representing approximately one tenth of that of

existing signals.

  The transparent cylinders 3 respectively enclosing the lights AI to A4 may not be colored, the watchman then having to take into consideration, for example, the number of lights on or the sequence of lighting of these lights. Advantageously, these cylinders are however colored and have different colors, which makes it possible to produce

  more varied and distinctive signals.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described; on the contrary, it is susceptible to variations and

  modifications which will appear to those skilled in the art.

Claims (4)

  1. Road signaling device comprising at least two lights (Ai, A2, A3, A4) visible over the entire horizon, characterized in that each light (AI, A2, A3, A4) comprises an O-tube (1) to flakes, surrounding a concave reflector (2), said flake tube and said reflector being protected by a transparent closed wall (3). 2. Signaling device according to claim 1, characterized   in that the transparent wall (3) is colored.   3. Signaling device according to one of claims   previous, characterized in that the flash tube emits a flash all   two seconds when it is on.   4. Signaling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each light (AI, A2, A3, A4) further comprises an individual housing (4) for containing the flash tube (1), the concave reflector (2 ) and the transparent wall (3), said housing   comprising fixing means for fixing it to two housings (4).   Single plate VIIf / é /, IF IlIl ,, A1 I   Az A4_L Unique figureo Unique figure