FR2680808A1 - Diversion delimitation (lane-closure) device for motorways - Google Patents

Abstract

This device can be used for delimiting the diversion of a traffic lane (B) to another lane (A). It consists of a series of substantially horizontal signalling arms (3), arranged at intervals from one another on the motorway portion in question, and having increasing respective lengths (L1, L2, L3, L4). Each signalling arm (3) is pivotably mounted about an axle (4) and can either be withdrawn onto a side of the roadway, in particular by leaning against a crash barrier (2), or deployed above the traffic lane (B) whose traffic is to be diverted.

Description

"Deviation beacon for highway" The present invention

  relates to a deviation beacon device

  for motorway, or other fast road.

  This device is used to mark the deviation from one traffic lane to another, in particular from the left lane to the right lane, in particular in "at risk" areas known for the frequency of accidents that occur there. , without excluding deviations for maintenance, viability works, etc., generally any area whose crossing is

dangerous for personnel.

  To ensure such deviation markings, the safety and maintenance services of motorways usually use mobile conical beacons, which must be placed on the roadway Since the drawdown of traffic from one lane to the other must to be progressive, a deflection "bevel" is made, the length of which must be 100 to 150 m, with a beacon placed approximately every 5 m, so that 20 beacons are necessary The agents of the intervention personnel, whose vehicle is initially parked on the emergency stop lane, and which can only carry a small number of beacons each time, must cross the road on foot a certain number of times, for example ten times before ability to set up their vehicle behind the "bevel" to continue marking out along the length of the track We understand that when setting up the beacons, the agents are exposed to serious risks due to the traffic of vehicles on the road, and that there arises serious

  safety issue for response personnel.

  To solve this problem, starting from the observation that the risk zones are well known by the security services, the present invention proposes a deviation beacon for highway which is a device intended to be permanently installed in such a zone. , the commissioning of this beacon device can be done by crossing the road only once, or even without crossing the road in the case of a remotely controlled device, therefore in safety conditions

  significantly improved for staff.

  To this end, the deviation beacon device for motorway object of the invention consists essentially of a series of substantially horizontal signaling arms, arranged at intervals from each other on the portion of motorway concerned and having respective increasing lengths , each of these signaling arms being pivotally mounted so that it can be either retracted on one side of the roadway, or deployed above the taxiway whose traffic is to be diverted

towards the other way.

  Such a beaconing device is fitted either between the safety rails of the central reservation of the portion of motorway concerned, or on a single or double concrete wall constituting the separation of the two carriageways of a motorway, without any modification of the rails or the wall In the retracted position, the signaling arms are applied laterally against the rails or against the wall as the case may be, forming a negligible extra thickness, in no way hampering vehicle traffic and not adversely affecting the safety of motorists In the deployed position of use, these progressive signaling arms mark out a "bevel", with for motorists an optical effect equivalent to that of beacons

  traditional conical, and even improved compared to these tags.

  The signaling function is preferably provided towards the free end of each arm, by an end plate provided for example with a

retro-reflecting arrow.

  Advantageously, the whole part of each signaling arm, which in the deployed position of use projects beyond the track, is made of a material allowing this part to break easily in the event of an impact with a vehicle. Each signaling arm is mounted on a pivot, itself fixed on an anchor sole to the ground, preferably with the interposition of adjustment means with screws which facilitate the adjustment of horizontality of the signaling arm The pivoting mounting of the signaling arms makes it possible to deploy them either perpendicular to the road,

  either in a direction oblique to the road.

  According to one embodiment of the invention, the beacon device is manually controlled, each signaling arm being provided with locking means in distinct angular positions corresponding to the

  retracted position and in the deployed position of use.

  According to another possibility, the beacon device according to the invention is motorized, with for each arm a motor means able to move it pivotally between its retracted position and its deployed position of use; the motor means associated with the different arms, for example

  electric cylinders are themselves remotely controlled.

  Anyway, the invention will be well understood using the description

  which follows, with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting examples, some embodiments of this deviation beacon device for motorway: Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of motorway, equipped deflection beacon devices according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a signaling arm belonging to a device according to the invention, in an embodiment adapted to crash barriers; Figure 3 is a front view of a signal arm, similar to that of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a detail view, in vertical section, showing the adjustment means located at the base of the pivot of such a signaling arm; Figure 5 illustrates the pivoting mounting of a signaling arm, in the case of a device suitable for a simple concrete wall; Figure 6 shows a variant of the simple wall mounting of Figure 5; Figure 7 illustrates another variant, suitable for a double wall with

central interval.

  FIG. 1 represents a portion of motorway, with two carriageways between which a central separation 1 is provided, such as a median, here equipped with safety barriers 2 One of the carriageways comprises two traffic lanes designated A and B, and the other roadway comprises two traffic lanes designated C and D A device according to the invention is used to mark a deviation from the left lane B of a roadway towards the right lane A of the same roadway This Indeed, the deviation beacon device is constituted by a series of signaling arms 3, arranged at intervals from one another (in the longitudinal direction of the portion of motorway concerned), the arms 3 being for example four in number. Each signal arm 3 is pivotally mounted about a substantially vertical axis 4 The respective lengths LI, L 2, L 3, L 4 of the different signal arms 3 of the same device are increasing, in the direction corresponding to vehicle traffic Each signaling arm 3 can pivot, about its axis 4, between a retracted position and a deployed position, FIG. I showing two devices for

  markup whose arms occupy, respectively, these two positions.

  Thus, as shown in the lower half of FIG. 1, all the signaling arms 3 of the device can be deployed above the left lane B of one of the carriageways, so as to mark a deflection "bevel" from this left lane B to the right lane A, as illustrated by arrows E and F. On the contrary, when all the signaling arms 3 are retracted, as illustrated for the other device, the two traffic lanes C and D of the roadway remain both free and open to traffic. It should be noted that in the retracted position, the signaling arms 3 are folded against the safety rails 2, and are located within the limits median

central 1.

  Figures 2 to 4 show the detail of the structure of a signaling arm 3 and its pivoting mounting The signaling arm 3 has a main straight part 5, of varying length, located outside the slide 2 and appearing as a lattice structure, made of synthetic material, with an upper member 6, a lower member 7 and vertical connecting elements 8 and oblique 9 At one end, the members 6 and 7 are connected, by respective joints 10 and II with safety pin, to upper 12 and lower 13 horizontal elements, both forming an elbow The upper bent element 12 passes over the slide 2, and the lower bent element 13 passes below the slide 2, these two bent elements 12 and 13 being mounted rotating around the same vertical pivot 14, preferably metallic, which materializes the pivot axis 4 of the arm of signaling 3, the pivot 14 being located on the inside of the slide 2 In a variant not shown, the safety pin at 10 and It is deleted, the elements

  bends 12 and 13 also being made of synthetic material.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the free end of the signaling arm 3 advantageously carries a terminal signaling plate 15, preferably removable, provided with a retroreflective arrow 16 or another clearly visible motif, possibly illuminated by means electrical such as light-emitting diodes The oblique elements 9 of the arm 3 may also include patterns in the form of bands, arrows or the like, present over the entire length of the arm and suitable for inciting

  motorists to fall back into the right lane.

  Referring more particularly to Figures 2 and 4, the pivot 14 is fixed to the ground by an anchor plate 17, which itself comprises an upper plate 18 secured to the pivot 14, and a lower plate 19 extended towards

  the bottom by tenons 20 sealed in a concrete block (not shown).

  Four adjustment screws 21 make it possible to position the upper plate 18 in the desired manner, relative to the lower plate 19, and four other screws 22 ensure the immobilization of the upper plate 18 on the plate

  lower 19, in the previously chosen position.

  FIG. 2 also shows mechanical means, generally designated by 23, which make it possible to lock the signaling arm 3 in two distinct angular positions, corresponding respectively to the retracted position and to the deployed position of use. These means 23 include, in the example shown, a fixed locking cam 24, integral with the lower part of the pivot 14, and ending at its ends by two notches 25 and 26 A horizontal rod 27, linked in rotation with the signaling arm 3, carries a locking lever 28 designed to cooperate with the cam 24 When the lever 28 is positioned in the notch 25, the arm 3 is stopped in the deployed position of use, indicated in solid lines; when the lever 28 is positioned in the other notch 26, the arm 3 is stopped in the retracted position, sketched in broken lines This locking lever 28 can be controlled manually, or by foot, or even by electric or other motorized means, for its lifting, extracting it from the notch 25 or 26 at the start of deployment or retraction of the arm 3 At the end of deployment or retraction, the lever 28 falls by itself, under the effect of its weight, in the other notch 26 or 25 of the locking cam 24. The length of this locking cam 24, therefore the spacing between the two notches 25 and 26, can be fixed or adjustable An adjustable cam 24

  allows the final deployment position of the signaling arm 3 to be chosen.

  Thus, this arm 3 is not necessarily deployed perpendicular to the roadway, as illustrated in the drawing by way of simple example; it can also be brought into a deployed position, oriented in a direction

  oblique to the roadway.

  Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the adaptation of the device according to the invention to a portion of highway whose two roads are separated from each other by a concrete wall In this case, the signaling arms 3 properly

  said are not modified from the previous description, and

  the adaptation only concerns the mounting of the pivot 14 on the wall.

  More particularly, FIG. 5 shows a simple wall 29, which alone separates the two carriageways The pivot 4 crosses a first support bearing 30 fixed on the top of the wall 29, and a second support bearing

  31 fixed against a lateral face of this wall 29, substantially at mid-height.

  In a variant illustrated in FIG. 6, the lower end of the pivot 4 rotates in a lower support bearing 32 fixed practically at the level of the base of the wall 29 Of course, all heights, intermediate between those of the support bearing 31 and the bearing -support 32 can also be envisaged In all cases, the shape of the section of the wall 29 allows the signaling arm 3 to retract practically across the width of this

low wall 29.

  Finally, FIG. 7 shows the adaptation of the invention to a double separation wall, with two parallel concrete parts 33 and 34, between which there remains a central gap 35, here used for the mounting of the signaling arm 3 Thus, the pivot 14 passes through two support bearings

  superimposed 36 and 37, fixed against the inner face of a wall portion 33.

  The upper bent element 12 of the arm 3 passes over the wall part 33, while the lower bent element 13 passes through a horizontal opening 38, formed in the wall part 33, the length of the opening 38 being

  sufficient to allow the rotation of said lower bent element 13.

  The mechanical components required to pivot the signaling arm 3

  are thus protected between the two wall parts 33 and 34.

  Locking means 23 are also provided in the case of devices adapted to concrete walls; these means 23 can be produced as described above, but, as the drawing shows, they are here advantageously located towards the top of the single wall 29 or of the wall

double 33.34.

  As is obvious, and as is clear from the foregoing, the invention is not limited to the sole embodiments of this deviation beacon device for motorways which have been described above, by way of examples ; on the contrary, it embraces all of the variant embodiments and applications respecting the same principle. It is thus, in particular, that one would not depart from the scope of the invention: by constructive modifications of detail of the signaling arms, or by adding to these arms any accessories or patterns improving their visibility; using any solution equivalent to that described, for the means for locking the arms in the retracted position and in the deployed position; by providing a motorized control such as electric cylinders, which can itself be activated remotely, for the pivoting of the signaling arms, in which case the aforementioned locking means are no longer essential; by adapting the number of these signaling arms, their lengths and their intervals, according to the particular cases of use; by arranging the device for a deviation not from the left lane to the right lane, but vice versa from the right lane to the left lane; by implementing the same deviation signaling device not on a section of motorway in the strict sense, but on a section of road with separate carriageways where a similar problem can naturally arise.

Claims (8)

  1 deviation beacon for motorway, usable for beaconing the deviation from one traffic lane (B) to another (A), characterized in that it consists essentially of a series of signaling arms (3) substantially horizontal, arranged at intervals from one another on the portion of motorway concerned and having respective increasing lengths (L1, L2, L3, L4), each of these signaling arms (3) being pivotally mounted (at 4 ) so that it can either be retracted on one side of the road or deployed above the traffic lane (B),   traffic must be diverted to the other lane (A).   2 deviation beacon for highway according to claim 1, characterized in that in the retracted position, the signaling arms (3) are applied laterally against crash barriers (2)   or against a concrete wall (29; 33,34).   3 deviation beacon for highway according to claim 2, characterized in that it is adapted between the crash barriers (2) of the central reservation (1) of the portion of highway concerned, the signaling arms ( 3) being each mounted on a pivot (14), itself fixed   on a ground anchor sole (17).   4 deviation beacon for highway according to claim 3, characterized in that each signaling arm (3) is linked to its pivot (4) by an upper bent element (12) and by a lower bent element (13) which pass, respectively, above and below the safety barrier (2).   5 deviation beacon for highway according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the ground anchor (17) comprises adjustment means with screws (18 to 22), for adjustment   horizontality of the signaling arm (3).   6 deviation beacon for highway according to claim 2, characterized in that it is adapted on a concrete wall, single (29) or double (33,34), by means of support bearings (30,31,32,36,37).   7 Deviation beacon for highway according to one   any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the part (5) of   each signaling arm (3), which in the deployed position of use projects over the traffic lane (B), is made of a material allowing this part (5) to break easily in the event of an impact with a vehicle. 8 Deviation beacon device for motorway according to one   any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the free end   of each signaling arm (3) carries a terminal signaling plate (15), for example provided with a retro-reflecting arrow (16). 9 Deviation beacon for highway according to one   any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that each arm of   signaling (3) is provided with locking means (23) in distinct angular positions corresponding to the retracted position and to the position deployed use.   Deviation beacon device according to claim 9, characterized in that the aforementioned locking means (23) comprise a fixed locking cam (24), terminating at its ends by two notches (25,26), and a lever locking (27) linked to the signaling arm (3) and designed to cooperate with the cam (24) and its notches (25, 26), the locking lever (28) being able to be controlled manually, or by foot, or again by motorized means.   11 Deviation beacon device according to any one of the   Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it includes a control   motorized, with for each signaling arm (3) motor means, such   electric cylinder, associated with a remote control.