FR2768446A1 - System for allocation of lanes to road traffic in each direction - Google Patents

Abstract

The allocation of lanes to traffic in both directions is signaled by a suspended plate (2) that is positioned at the appropriate boundary between lanes. The suspended plate carries colored markings and also colored lamps, which may be flashing or stationary. The suspended plate is carried on a transverse rail (4) supported by posts (1,2) on either side of the road. A motor (M) displaces the suspended plate across the rail

Description

 New traffic plan for highways and roads.

Highways and roads made elastic.

 It is likely that different buyers of this patent will make different regulations at the start and then the State will choose the best, which will thus become a few lines of writing added to the highway code.

For example, in Fig. 1, the numbers 1 and 3 are two very powerful (but they are almost almost always off) red lights, and the electric motor (M, on the right and at the top in Fig. 1) by turning a long screw (4 ) makes the movable vertical beam (2) move forwards or backwards which divides the road into the two traffic directions: in Fig. 1, to save electricity, the mobile vertical beam is without bulbs (it is very visible not because it has light bulbs, but because it is large). A possible scenario is as follows: the direction of the highway lights 1 and 3 at the orange light (= "slow down all!") And then at the red light (= "stop all on the whole highway!") And then engine
M moves 2 ... then green lights for the only direction that has been deprived of one or more lane (s) and then green lights for all.

 But all these maneuvers require (at the Direction of the highway) highly qualified personnel and, on the other hand, motorists would be very embarrassed by said slowdowns and traffic stops.

 A better scenario is therefore the following: the movable vertical beams are only advanced (or moved back) by (for example) 5 centimeters (this is technically easy to obtain because, by moving, the movable vertical beam opens or closes contacts electric which can either stop M when said displacement of 5 centimeters is obtained, or can inform the Direction that possibly a movable vertical beam is broken down and has not moved correctly). And only if the first movement of 5 cm is without failure, another movement of 5 cm follows, and so on until the total movement desired by the Management.

 Thus the bad position of a movable vertical beam because of a breakdown is only bad - at most - because of a 5 cm offset (the repair is therefore not urgent because there is no of danger: quite simply one renounces to make elastic the road until the repair executed without urgency); moreover (but on the condition of abolishing the white lines drawn on the ground and which divide the same direction of circulation into its several lanes) this slow movement of the mobile vertical beams makes it possible to abolish said slowing and stopping (and therefore abolish 1 and 3 of Fig. 1). The only possible dangerous breakdown is that - until the repair - the mobile vertical beams remain blocked in the middle of a lane which would disorient motorists and we remedy <a priori. ') This by (I repeat) abolishing the white lines drawn on the ground.

Fig. 2 (which represents the cross section of the horizontal beam which crosses the entire road) is sufficient to achieve this scenario (which I said "better" ... but not all motorways will accept to abolish the white lines drawn on the ground ): B is the floor where the convenience store can walk, and A is the tube, open at the bottom, where the long screw (the one in Fig. 1 has the number 4) by turning forward or backward a threaded sleeve (see Fig. 3, indicated by
MF: with a small welded bar at the bottom) from which the mobile vertical beam (PMV) descends downwards; V is the small screw (and E its nut) which fixes PMV to the "small welded bar" mentioned above.

 Inside MF I drew several small lines (almost teeth ...) to indicate that there, inside, MF is threaded (although in reality, if it was a photo, we would not see these teeth).

 MF can be as long as PVM is wide, or it will only be said "small welded bar" to be so long, with two small ends (eg 3 or 4 centimeters) of threaded sleeve at both ends.

 Anyway, the first thing that a convenience store will do, will be to remove one of the two (they are obviously two) small screws (V, in Fig. 3) in order to be able to pull up (making it become horizontal, and thus invisible in the large horizontal beam) the PVM badly placed because of a breakdown.

 But if you want to keep the white lines drawn on the ground between the tracks, you have to complicate Fig. 2: by making it so to speak symmetrical, that is to say by drawing on the right also the small cage from which PMV descends downwards; each metal bridge will thus have two PVMs, one of which will be able to move (so to speak) to drive motorists from a direction that is too congested, and if such a movement has been without failures, the PVM that had not moved will go join the one who had moved.

 I spoke above of electrical controls (by moving PVM opens or closes electrical contacts - I said), but we can make it simpler (controls by television, by trip - precisely in the direction of traffic the less crowded! - in motorway employees' cars, etc. and then movements of 5 centimeters at a time can become 30 centimeters at a time, etc.), just as it can be more complicated (not the employees of the highway examine the electrical signals, but an electronic brain, and then the displacements of 5 centimeters at the same time can become for example of a centimeter at a time).

 Finally, it is obvious that we can do without PVM or even metallic bridges: PVM, by changing the colors of the red or green lights placed directly on the horizontal beam; metal bridges, by rolling cars for example every 50 meters, on a light line (red or green bulbs protected by a very resistant glass) ... and in these two cases, the elasticity of traffic would be controlled by change of colors (but with the sun sometimes we do not see the colors well ... except putting very strong bulbs, but they would dazzle the eyes of motorists).

 Anyway, at the entrance of the highway (and in certain bends) the metal bridges (or light lines on the ground, etc.) will have to be more numerous (1 every 5 meters? Instead of every 50 meters. ..) to teach the motorist (automatically: without the need to stop him to distribute a sheet that explains it) the functioning of the elastic road.

Finally, I briefly cite these two other possibilities of application: firstly "to make the division, today fixed on the ground, between the two directions of traffic directly mobile" can be simplified by making such division discontinuous <eg. 1 meter every 50 meters: we would only move one meter every 50 meters!); secondly,
PVM can be replaced by several (each in the right place, where falling vertically downwards it would fall on a white line that divides the tracks) vertical beams that a small electric motor, one for each of these beams, pulls by a chain or a wire at the top by making them become horizontal and therefore invisible in the large horizontal beam which crosses the road: and only one at a time of these several beams, would remain vertical by dividing the two directions of traffic.

Claims (9)

 1) ROAD MADE ELASTIC FROM THE TOP: about every 50 meters, a horizontal beam (which most often is a metal bridge) descends down a small, colored and mobile vertical beam fitted with electric bulbs (flashing or no; colored or not); by moving along the horizontal beam, this vertical beam variably divides the road into its two directions of traffic.  2) Variation: as in the preceding claim, but the movable vertical beam is (for electricity saving) large and without electric bulbs.  3) For more security: graduation (imperceptible to the eye of motorists if it is graduated, for example only 5 - or less - centimeters at a time) of the displacement of the vertical beam which will only move the following 5 centimeters if the previous movement was (in all metal bridges) without any breakdown.  4) For added security: two vertical mobile beams on each metal bridge; the second joins the first, which has moved from (for example) a track, only if there has been (in all metal bridges) no breakdown.  5) Simplification (but the Description of the Patent says it is dangerous): we abolish the mobile vertical beam and we place directly on the horizontal beam red or green lights which, by changing color, variably divide the road in its two directions of the circulation.  6) Variation: we replace the mobile vertical beam with several hidden beams (because they also in a horizontal position) in the large horizontal beam which crosses the road; and only one at a time of these beams falls vertically to the place variably desired to divide the road into its two directions of traffic.  7) ROAD MADE ELASTIC FROM THE BOTTOM: the metal bridges are abolished and the division on the ground (now fixed) is made mobile between the two traffic directions; and we can simplify that by abolishing most of such division on the ground, we would leave it for example. only 5 meters (or less) every, eg 50 meters.  8) Variation: the metal bridges are abolished by placing "light lines" on the ground (eg one every 50 meters ... but the Description of the Patent fears the same danger of which Claim 5 speaks), that is to say, electric bulbs (protected by a resistant glass) which, by changing color, variably divide the road into its two directions of traffic.  9) EITHER FOR THE ROAD MADE ELASTIC FROM THE TOP ONLY THE ROAD MADE ELASTIC FROM THE BOTTOM, this didactic method (to teach motorists well): at the entrance of the elastic road (and also in certain bends, etc.) we increase (one every 5 meters e.g. at the place every 50 meters) the number of metal bridges (or the number of "light lines on the ground", etc. etc.).