FR2686104A1 - Luminous safety and signalling device for traffic lanes - Google Patents

Abstract

Luminous safety and signalling device for traffic lanes, comprising a composite luminous plate (1) made of moulded plastic (3) comprising bundles of optical fibres (2) whose ends (4) are flush with the border of the composite plate and which are combined into an optical cable to be connected to a light emission box (13) allowing visible, but not dazzling, intermittent lighting spots to be produced, and thus providing, cheaply, compactly, reliably and durably, a signalling and decelerating device which is efficient and can be adapted to many configurations.

Description

LUMINOUS SECURITY AND SIGNALING DEVICE FOR TRACKS
TRAFFIC
The present invention relates to a luminous safety and signaling device to be installed across a traffic lane permanently or temporarily and capable of fulfilling several functions in an economical and reliable manner.

 The increase in road traffic and the multiple dangers linked to speeding have justified the design of numerous safety and signaling devices. Thus we already know a number of signaling or safety devices aimed in particular at slowing down vehicles near dangerous centers such as crossroads, city entrances, schools, dangerous bends ... Among these devices we can cite flashing lights orange, the signs flashing or not indicating a dangerous turn or a speed limit and the devices known as "retarders" or "lying gendarmes" placed across the road in order to cause an obstacle or a series of obstacles likely to slow down the These retarder devices are produced in many ways ranging from the striated strip or not, glued at regular or progressive intervals, to the realization of a very rough bituminous coating forming a prominent strip or to the realization of real elevations of the circular or trapezoidal road generally carried out according to recommendations of the technical guide published by the Center for Studies of Urban Transport and whose sides are often indicated in multiple ways and in particular by bands of paint of different colors ranging from black and white to red and white or to other associations colours. There are also known phosphorescent devices ranging from paint strips to studs embedded at regular intervals in the roadway. These devices are more often used to illustrate a notion of roadside with a search for correct visibility at night.

 There also exist in the prior art pavement marking devices comprising an interior lighting incorporating in the part fixed on the pavement active light sources constituted by flashing light-emitting diodes or any other means and controlled by electrical wiring or made autonomous. by incorporation of a battery.

 In fact, these devices all have drawbacks which moreover explain the extreme diversity of research and achievements in these areas of security and signaling.

 The orange flashing light and the signaling by means of a flashing sign indicating a speed limit have the disadvantage of not offering physical obstacles which can certainly cause the desired deceleration.

 Although effective, these devices therefore present the risk of a certain trivialization by the absence of direct effects, and this trivialization can be detrimental to the desired goal. On the other hand, these devices offer the advantage of a good approach to standardization, regulation and visualization with a universal understanding since the concept of orange flashing light is, for various reasons, such as flashing lights for crossroads, change of direction lights for vehicles, signaling lights of a danger for a site, the means used in most countries of the world.

 The physical obstacles known as "retarders" or "lying gendarmes" as they are made offer numerous disadvantages to the point sometimes of paradoxically causing nuisances such as accidents or mechanical incidents which go against the desired objective.

 The main drawbacks stem from the poor signaling of these non-standardized devices, which come in extremely varied aspects. This poor signaling and these very different conceptions can therefore surprise the driver, instead of really warning him of a danger, to the point of causing fairly substantial mechanical incidents or traffic accidents by sudden braking, for example. This bad signaling, however reinforced by an indicator panel, gets worse at night because if some devices can be provided with reflective or phosphorescent systems others are totally deprived of them. Finally these devices by their diversity of form are poorly integrated into the road network and this possible generation of nuisance is poorly perceived psychologically by drivers and therefore they only partially fulfill their safety mission.

 Furthermore, these devices are entirely passive, which means that, in the event of a wish or a desire to improve the signaling or to provide information, the system must be supplemented with the aid of other independent active devices such as light panels.

 In the case of devices incorporating active light devices such as light-emitting diodes, the main drawbacks lie in the complexity of these devices, their low reliability linked to the risk of non-operation of light-emitting diodes, their difficulty of maintenance, their large size, their high cost, which explains the use of such devices for traffic signs or road traffic barriers, but the difficulty of an application as pavement marking for retarders except in the case of complex works such as marking airport runway ...

 The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks which the known signaling and safety devices present, while offering a compact and reliable economic formula, easily adaptable to the different pavement configurations, temporarily or permanently and capable of fulfilling functions ranging from the warning light, to the obstacle ensuring a deceleration.

 The basic device, object of the invention, has the essential characteristics of being able to be -adapted on a roadway as a simple strip glued or fixed by any other means without active device intervening on the roadway while offering a certain number of functions going from the obstacle intended to ensure the slowing down of the vehicles to a light signaling of the flashing orange type or any other luminous information of the flashing type or not intended to warn the driver at the same time of the presence of the dangerous traffic point and of the obstacle constituted by the strip placed on the road.

 The device object of the invention consisting of optical guides is entirely passive in the part subject to vehicle bearings and is therefore extremely reliable and durable, it is simply connected by an optical cable to an active box in which is located the both the light source and its sequence means.

 The device, object of the invention, is therefore capable of fulfilling multiple functions ranging from the retarding obstacle to the warning or signaling of deceleration for crossing pedestrians or not.

 It is therefore designed to improve very economically, reliably and durably the safety and signaling of vehicles and pedestrians on the road network, on cycle paths in dangerous traffic areas such as factories, workshops ...

The device which is the subject of the present invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, of exemplary embodiments, given for purely indicative and in no way limitative, with reference to the appended drawings in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the basic device according to the invention consisting of a molded light composite plate and connected to a light emission box by an optical cable.

 - Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the basic device according to the invention consisting of a thick light composite plate molded producing a signaling message and connected to a transmission box by an optical cable.

 - Figure 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a composite plate formed of a base and an upper plate.

 - Figure 4 is a schematic view of the longitudinal edge of a luminous composite plate formed by a base and an upper plate.

 - Figure 5 is a schematic view of the longitudinal edge of a luminous composite plate formed of a base comprising channels intended to facilitate the wiring of the optical fibers and of an upper plate.

 - Figure 6 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a thick luminous composite plate formed by a base having channels forming wiring columns allowing to achieve by the arrangement of the fibers a signaling message and an upper plate.

 In Figure 1 there is shown schematically an exploded perspective view of a version of the basic safety and light signaling device, object of the invention, consisting of a composite plate and its connection to an emission system from light. The safety and signaling device intended to be placed on a traffic area, for example across a roadway, consists of a composite plate 1 formed of bundles of optical fibers 2 embedded in a molded resin 3 which while retaining a certain flexibility to the composite plate 1 gives it excellent resistance to the effects of repeated traffic and to aging that can be obtained from ultra-violet radiation for example. According to the desired use, this resistance can be improved by incorporating in the molding of reinforcing elements such as glass fabrics or suitable fillers such as glass microbeads for example. Embedded in the molded resin 3, the optical fibers 2 made for example of plastic material such as PMMA or polystyrene are intended to produce at their ends 4 light spots particularly advantageous for their visibility, day and night, linked to the light density that such optical fibers with a large core diameter, for example of the order of 900 μm and with a large numerical aperture, for example of the order of 0.5, can provide, which makes it possible, using a device, to unique light injection extremely simple to inject sufficient light power into each optical fiber 2 in order to provide at the end of fiber 4 a spot that is clearly visible but not dazzling for the driver of the vehicle in question. '' warn of the presence of an obstacle or a dangerous traffic area that absolutely requires deceleration. The optical fibers 2 are arranged according to the intensity and the desired message to end up on one or more edges 5 of the composite plate 1 at regular or irregular intervals. They are very simply, after molding, leveled in the plane of the edge 5 of the composite plate 1, the assembly of fibers and molded resins thus forming a compact, resistant and reliable composite material. The optical fibers 2 are when cabling grouped together by bundles to form on a lateral part 6 of the plate 1 a dense flat bundle 7 which is transformed into a preferably cylindrical cable coated with a protective sheath 8 inside a transition box 9 which protects the cable 7 and guarantees a good mechanical transition between the cable 8, the dense flat bundle 7 and therefore the composite plate 1.

 The optical cable 8 is provided with a cylindrical half-connector 10 to be connected by a half-connector 11 to an optical cable 12 exiting from a light emission box 13. The light emission box 13 can thus be placed either in the immediate vicinity of the luminous composite plate 1 or at a distance of a few meters, or even a few tens of meters while remaining compatible with sufficient light transmission to the ends 4 of the optical fibers 2. In the simple version of a luminous composite plate intended to provide the alarm-retarder function, the box 13 is a light emission box whose function is to inject an appropriate light power into the cable 12 therefore after connection in the optical cable 8 and therefore in each fiber 2, continuously or preferably intermittently according to a known sequence analogous to flashing orange lights. The good transmission of fibers o ptiques, moreover not fragile in the case of such an application for plastic optical fibers, over short distances, transmission which is around 300 to 1000 dB / km for very economical fibers, makes it possible to guarantee thanks to their large core diameter and their large numerical aperture, by a very simple injection, for example from a weak halogen focused lamp, for example 250W-24V. A good brightness of the ends 4 of the fibers 2 thus giving a light signal which can be seen by a motorist in particular from dangerous hours such as nightfall and a fortiori during the night at a distance of at least 100 m, without Glare on approach. Thanks to the intermittent injection of an orange light into the fiber bundle, the orange flashing effect induces an anticipated slowdown for the driver universally accustomed to understanding the message of orange flashing lights as a warning any obstacle or danger.

 It can thus be seen that a compact, economical, reliable and very resistant light device is produced, the dimensions of which can vary both in width, length and thickness depending on the application envisaged and in which the thickness, in particular, can be extremely low on the order of 3 mm for a signaling application without the desire to create a retarding obstacle at the same time. This minimum thickness also guarantees the composite plate 1 a certain flexibility and allows its application in multiple final or temporary situations such as early warning of a dangerous pedestrian crossing, incorporation on, in or in front of a "lying gendarme" type retarder device in order to improve its signaling, incorporation in a very thick structure constituting a lying gendarme, signaling traffic areas in workshops, inside public buildings ....

 In Figure 2 there is shown schematically a perspective view of a version of safety and signaling device according to the invention showing that it can be obtained by combining a greater thickness with the composite plate 1 and a distribution of the ends 4 optical fibers the luminous inscription of a message such as school, danger, work, 30 km / h .... Insofar as the device, object of the invention, alone or in addition to a greater obstacle is used as a retarder the edges 5 of the composite plate 1 are, in accordance with the recommendations of the technical guide published by the Center for Urban Transport Studies, bevelled with a slope of less than 20% which provides for a thickness of 5 centimeters, for example from the composite plate 1, an inclined face width greater than 25 cm and by distributing the ends 4 of the optical fibers to produce clearly visible luminous letters are for the driver but not dazzling. For example Figure 2 shows a device of this type indicating the presence of a school. As in the case of a thin plate the device is compact, resistant and economical. It can be fixed directly to the circulation area by gluing or by mechanical means and it can also be incorporated into a more substantial structure such as retarders made of concrete for example or the edge of a mini-roll ...

 In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fibers are directly embedded in a molded resin 3, and simply leveled after molding in the inclined plane of the edge 5 of the composite plate 1, which supposes that the mold has holes on its corresponding face. optical fibers are introduced. By way of example, the composition of a letter can be carried out with an average of approximately 12 optical fibers, which leads to high capacity cables which can reach, depending on the application envisaged, several hundred optical fibers.

 Other embodiments of the thin or thick composite plate 1 are given by way of nonlimiting example.

 In Figure 3 there is shown schematically an exploded perspective view of a composite plate 1 formed of a base 14 made of a flexible plastic material but sufficiently resistant as there exist for example for systems of glued strips delimiting the axis of the carriageways, base intended to be glued to the traffic lane and an upper plate 15 made of a plastic or metallic material very resistant to the effects of rolling and to various aging phenomena such as ultraviolet radiation. Between the base 14 and the upper plate 15, the optical fibers 2 are sandwiched and embedded in a resin 3, and their ends 4 are simply leveled in the plane of the edge of the upper plate 15, beveled edge or not. Depending on the desired application and as shown in FIG. 3, the base 1 can be of dimensions greater than those of the plate 15 and this to facilitate fixing on the traffic lane.

 FIG. 4 shows a view of the longitudinal edge of the composite plate 1 formed from the base 14, from the upper plate 15, from the ends of the fibers, for which the central part or core of the fiber 16 has been shown. guides the light and the optical sheath 1 7, the fibers being embedded in the resin 3.

 FIG. 5 shows a view of the longitudinal edge of the composite plate 1 formed from a base 18 provided with channels 19 facilitating wiring, the optical fibers of which the ends 4 have been shown being placed in these channels and bonded by a resin 20 and an upper plate 21 simply bonded to the base plate 18 to form a resistant and homogeneous composite plate.

 FIG. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of a thicker composite plate formed by a base 22 and an upper plate 23 bonded to this base. The formation of the letters appearing on the inclined border 24 with a slope of less than 20% of the base plate 22 is effected by wiring in a series of grooves 25 arranged at regular intervals and opening onto a channel 28 where the fiber bundles are grouped together to form a cable 27 intended to connect the composite plate 1 to the transmission box.

 As shown in FIG. 6 which by way of example represents the word school, the ends 4 of the optical fibers 2 are arranged at the option of the wiring columns represented by the grooves 25 to form letters which are perfectly visible to the conductor. After wiring the fibers embedded in a resin 267 are simply leveled in the plane of the inclined edge 24 thus constituting a homogeneous surface which even in the event of wear due to vehicle bearings retains its light function.

 In the description of these exemplary embodiments which do not limit the field of possible variants, we therefore see the appearance of a new signaling and light security device, easy to adapt according to the desired signaling message, a message which can range from a simple flashing orange line formed by luminous spots arranged at regular or irregular intervals, with the intermittent inscription of a word or a signal adapted to the danger zone considered as school, work, slow down ...., easy to install on a traffic lane such as a carriageway, workshop traffic areas, bicycle paths, traffic areas in public places, etc. The device that is the subject of the invention makes it possible to obtain an intermittent or not perfectly visible signal for a driver or a pedestrian without risking disturbing him and likely to alert him of the presence of a danger and therefore to generate through the use of a signal, for example of the type orange flashing sequenced like traffic lights, universally recognized signal, an anticipated slowdown reflex. The device which is the subject of the invention can be produced in an extremely economical manner and the device is resistant, compact and entirely passive since it consists of optical guides embedded in a resin or sandwiched between two plates and embedded in a resin which guarantees it a very long service life without costly and delicate reinterventions on the traffic lane. The safety and signaling device object of the invention therefore has the advantage of this luminous composite plate of being able to be controlled remotely by a simple box of light emission, box can also control several composite plates installed in the same sector with a sequence for intermittence as there are for flashing traffic signs and therefore can be installed without difficulty in multiple places where the vigilance of the driver, pedestrian or cyclist is desired, the transmission box can thus be placed in a more protected place and easily accessible for servicing or maintenance.

 The simplicity, reliability and brightness of the device adapted to an application on a traffic lane make it a new tool for safety and signaling either in application alone in the form of a thin plate or a thick plate forming a slowdown obstacle, either in addition to the existing retarder device, warning of pedestrian crossings, warning of dangerous crossroads, or by incorporating existing or future deceleration systems into larger works.

Claims (8)

 1. - Luminous safety and signaling device for traffic lanes characterized in that it comprises a composite plate of reinforced plastic material or not resistant to the effects of rolling and aging which can be fixed temporarily or permanently across a traffic lane, containing plastic optical fiber bundles, the ends of which are distributed at regular or non-regular intervals on one or more edges of the plate, the optical fibers being grouped together, on a lateral edge of the plate and inside a protective box, in an optical cable which connects the composite plate to a light emission box placed in the immediate vicinity of the composite plate or at a distance ranging from a few meters to a few tens of meters and which, continuously or intermittently in a sequence similar to that of the flashing orange lights, provides the ends of s optical fibers a series of sufficiently visible but not dazzling light spots.  2. - Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the luminous composite plate is formed of bundles of optical fibers directly embedded in a molded resin, the fibers being simply leveled at the edge of the plate after demolding.  3. - Device according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the molding resin is reinforced by glass fibers or fillers such as glass microbeads.  4. - Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the luminous composite plate is formed of a lower sole and an upper plate of plastic or metal, resistant to the effects of traffic, and bundles of optical fibers taken sandwich between the bottom sole and the top plate and embedded in a resin.  5. - Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the luminous composite plate is formed of a lower sole provided with channels and an upper plate made of plastic or metal resistant to the effects of traffic and bundles of optical fibers placed in the channels of the bottom sole and embedded in a resin.  6. - Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the luminous composite plate is obtained by direct molding around the optical fibers and has a thickness such that it forms an obstacle to circulation.  7. - Device according to claims 1 and 5 characterized in that the composite plate with bevelled longitudinal edges at a slope of less than 20% and that the optical fibers are distributed in the mold, the corresponding face of which has holes receiving the fibers for forming the letters or the signal of a luminous message, the fibers being simply leveled in the plane of the bevelled edge of the composite plate after demolding.  8. - Device according to claims 1 and 4 characterized in that it comprises a thick bottom sole whose longitudinal edges are bevelled at a slope of less than 20% and have channels forming wiring columns allowing according to the distribution of embedded fibers in a resin to form the letters or the signal of a luminous message, the fibers being simply leveled in the plane of the beveled border.