GB2218843A

GB2218843A - Traffic marker

Info

Publication number: GB2218843A
Application number: GB8825753A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Patrick Keon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-04-12
Filing date: 1988-11-03
Publication date: 1989-11-22
Also published as: GB8825753D0; GB8808566D0

Abstract

A road traffic marker (10) comprises a housing (12) having one or more visually conspicuous surface portions (14, 22) which the housing (12) presents in generally outward directions, and a support portion (16) adapted to stand on a road surface and to maintain the housing at an elevated position above the road surface. In preferred embodiments the housing (12) is polygonal in plan view, and the housing may be rotatably mounted on the support portion, to be set into rotation by prevailing winds, or may comprise reflectors mounted and shaped so as to be rotatable under action of gusts of wind or the like. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: "Traffic Marker" Description of Invention This invention relates to a road traffic marker.

According to the invention, there is provided a road traffic marker comprising a housing having a visually conspicuous surface portion which the housing presents in a generally outward direction, and a support portion adapted to stand on a road surface and to maintain the housing at an elevated position above the road surface.

Preferably said surface portion is presented in a generally radially outward direction.

Preferably the housing comprises a plurality of visually conspicuous surface portions which the housing presents in respective generally outward directions.

Preferably the housing is of substantial size.

By the term "substantial size" as used herein, it is meant that the housing should be readily visible in its own right, as an object having a discernable width and height, from a distance of about 100 to 200 metres, and preferably the width and height of the housing are each in excess of about 10 centimetres, and preferably the width is in excess of about 15 centimetres and the height is in excess of 20 centimetres or so.

The housing may for example be of closed or generally closed form, or may for example be of openwork form.

Any such surface portion may be visually conspicuous by virtue of being provided with a brightly coloured (including white) and/or reflective (e.g.

retro-reflective or the like) area or part. In some instances any such surface portion may itself be luminous.

Any such surface portion may be generally vertical, so as to be presented in a respective generally horizontal direction.

The housing may be in the form of a box, of which side walls may afford respective visually conspicuous surface portions.

Preferably, the housing in plan view is polygonal in shape, preferably regular-polygonal in shape.

Thus for example, the housing in plan view may be octagonal, and may thus for example have eight visually conspicuous surface portions which it presents in eight different generally horizontal directions, so that a number of the surface portions may be visible from any given direction.

Alternatively the housing in plan view may be hexagonal, and may then have six visually conspicuous surface portions which it presents in six generally horizontal directions.

The housing may if desired be mounted on the support portion for rotation relative to the support portion, for example about a generally vertical axis, said axis preferably being defined by cooperation between the housing and the support portion.

Preferably the housing is captive on the support portion.

Preferably the housing is releasably captive on the support portion, for example by a clip-on, clip-off interconnection, or by a screw-threaded connection or interconnection so as to be interchangeable with other such housings.

Where the housing is rotatable, the surface(s) of the housing may be provided with formations such as "ears" which may be "caught" by prevailing winds, such as by gusts due to passing vehicles, to set the housing into rotation.

The most visually conspicuous areas or parts of the or each surface portion are preferably spaced from each other. Thus, where the housing is rotatable, during rotation the housing gives the impression of a plurality of discrete visually conspicuous objects moving around said axis.

Preferably the housing has an upper surface shaped so as to channel water, such as rain water or spray, falling thereon so that it does not flow over those areas or parts of said surface portion or portions which are the most visually conspicuous.

The housing may comprise a body formed by moulding thereof from plastics material.

The support portion may be formed by moulding thereof from plastics material.

Where the housing is rotatable, low friction bearing surfaces are preferably provided on the housing and/or support portion where the housing and support portion cooperate in a rotatable manner.

The support portion may comprise an upwardly tapering frusto-conical body which carries the housing at or adjacent to its upper extremity.

An enlarged base rim may be provided around a lower edge of the support portion, to assist stability.

Some or all of the visually conspicuous surface portions may comprise reflectors mounted and shaped so as to be rotatable under action of gusts of wind or the like, so as to give the effect of a flashing lamp when caught in the beam of a vehicle's headlights.

A plurality of road traffic markers in accordance with the invention may be positioned as required on a road surface, so as to cordon off a road hazard area for example, or so as to mark out the edges of the available road way where, due to road works for example, these edges differ from their normal locations. By virtue of the provision of the housings, with their respective visually conspicuous surface portions maintained at an elevated level above the road surface, road traffic markers in accordance with the invention may be significantly more conspicuous than conventional road traffic markers intended for such uses, so giving obvious road safety benefits.

The invention also provides a housing suitable for use in providing a road traffic marker in accorance with the invention.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE I is an elevational view of a first road traffic marker embodying the invention; FIGURE 2 is a plan view from above of the road traffic marker of Figure I; FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional plan view, on the line 3-3 of Figure I, of a housing of the road traffic marker of Figure I, to an enlarged scale; FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of an alternative road traffic marker embodying the invention, the lower part of the marker being shown in crosssection; and FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view, to an enlarged scale, showing the means by which a reflector of the marker of Figure 4 is rotatably mounted.

Referring to the drawings, a first road traffic marker 10 embodying the invention, which has been selected for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation, comprises a hollow plastics moulded housing 12 of substantial size (as herein defined), being approximately 18 to 20 centimetres in width and approximately 30 to 35 centimetres in height (H), and of regular, polygonal shape (in this example octagonal) in plan view, comprises a plurality of generally vertical surface portions 14 which it presents in respective radially outward and generally horizontal directions. The housing 12 is in the form of a box, side walls 15 of the box affording said surface portions.

The housing 12 is rotatably mounted in a captive manner on a plastics (e.g. "PVC") moulded support portion 16 which is adapted to stand on a road surface in use so as to maintain the housing at an elevated position above (in this example, in excess of 40 centimetres above) the road surface.

The support portion 16 is in the form of an upwardly tapering frustoconical body 17 which carries the housing 12 at or adjacent to its upper extremity 19. The support portion 16 has an enlarged base rim 21 around its lower edge, to assist stability. In this example the body 17 is hollow but has a reinforced plastics base.

The outer surface of the portion 16 is predominantly red in colour, but with a predominantly white band 19a thereon.

Said rotatable mounting of the housing 12 on the support portion 16 is achieved by way of cooperation between a neck portion 18 of the housing 1 2 and a neck portion 20 of the support portion 16, thereby defining the generally vertical axis of rotation A of the housing 12, low friction nylon bearing surfaces (not shown) being included to facilitate rotation.

Said cooperation occurs in a clip-fit manner, utilising resilience of the components, which resilience permits the housing 12 to be released from the support portion 16, for example when it is desired to interchange the housing 12 for an alternative such housing.

The surface portions 14 are rendered visually conspicuous by virtue of comprising respective discrete retro-reflective panels 22, spaced from each other around the housing 12, the panels 22 being mounted on brightly but differently coloured areas 24 of the surface portions 14. The panels 22 are mounted generally flush with the areas 24 by being held in recessed portions of the areas 24 by peripheral rubber gaskets 23 (which are black in colour.) It will be appreciated that a number of the surface portions 14, and their respective panels 22, will be visible from any given direction.

The surface portions 14 are provided with respective pairs of oppositely directed "ears" 26 which in use may be "caught" by prevailing winds, such as by gusts due to passing vehicles, to set the housing into rotation in an appropriate direction. With ears 26 arranged as shown, there in no preferred spin direction i.e. the housing 12 may rotate either way about said axis.

During rotation, the housing 12 gives the impression of a plurality of visually conspicuous objects moving around the axis A, especially at night when the headlights of a vehicle are seen reflected in the moving retroreflective panels 22.

The panels 22 in this example are of approximately 6 centimetres in height and approximately 5 to 6 centimetres in width, but may be of other dimensions if desired. For example, they may be of reduced width, for example about 3 centimetres. In this example there are two rows of the panels 22 disposed around the housing 12 at respective different heights, with the ears 26 disposed in a row around the housing 12 at an intermediate height.

In each row the panels are alternately red and white.

The ears 26 have outer edges which are spaced from the remainder of the areas 24 by vents in the form of through holes.

The housing 12 has an upper surface 28 formed with a plurality of inclined channels or gulleys which channel water such as rain or spray falling thereon so as to flow downwards over the outside surface of the housing 1 2 but between the panels 22 so as not to obscure the panels 22 in such conditions. The channels/gulleys are inclined at about 150 to the horizontal.

A plurality of road traffic markers such as the road traffic marker 10 may be positioned as required on a road surface, so as to cordon off a road hazard or so as to mark out the edges of the available road way where for example these differ from their normal locations. The housings 12, with their visually conspicuous surface portions 14 carrying the panels 22 maintained at an elevated level above the road surface, enable the road traffic markers 10 to be significantly more conspicuous than conventional road traffic markers, so giving obvious road safety benefits. The markers are readily portable, and may be carried by police or motoring organisation vehicles as normal emergency equipment, and may be transported from site to site with ease.

In alternative road traffic markers in accordance with the invention, the housing may have have "ears" of alternative shapes e.g. the "ears" may curve outwards.

Whilst the housing 12 illustrated is of generally closed form, alternative housings may for example be of openwork form.

It is to be appreciated that an alternative rood traffic marker comprising a housing having only one visually conspicuous surface portion, or in which the surface portion(s) is or are presented other than generally horizontally and/or other than generally radially outwards, will remain within the scope of the invention.

A preferred alternative road traffic marker 110 in accordance with the invention is shown in Figure 4, those parts corresponding to parts of the marker 10 hereinbefore described being similarly numbered but with the addition of the prefix "1". The same materials are used, and the description of the marker 10 may be taken to apply correspondingly, except for the differences which will now be described.

The housing 112 of marker 110 is of approximately 22 to 30 centimetres in height, shorter than the housing 12, but is of the same width. The housing 112 is hexagonal in plan view, with a hexagonal top cap 128. The housing 112 has only one row of six plastic reflectors 122, instead of the two rows of reflectors, and the row of ears, of the housing 12. Instead of being stationary with respect to the housing 112, the reflectors 122 are individually mounted in the respective side walls 115 for low friction rotation about respective vertical axes, this being achieved by rotatably holding each reflector 122 in respective upper and lower nylon bearings B (Figure 5) which on assembly are snap-fitted into respective hollows D in the upper and lower edges of respective rectangular openings in the walls 115 which receive the respective reflectors.

The reflectors 122 are curvilinear in plan with left and right portions of each having opposite curvatures with a point of inflexion coincident with the axis of rotation, so that a gust of wind, in whatever direction, will cause one or more of the reflectors to rotate, Both front and rear surfaces of each reflector are reflective.

The housing 112 is mounted on support portion 116 by the way of a threaded tubular member E, being an integral part of the housing 112, which member E is passed through a central aperture provided in the top of the portion 116, a threaded plastics nut NI already on the member E, and a threaded plastic nut N2 applied thereto after passage through said aperture, being tightened against the top of portion 116 to secure the housing 112 against rotation, at a desired height, relative to the portion 116.

The portion 116 may be a conventional rood cone, modified to produce the marker 110 by mounting thereon of the housing 112.

The housing 112 will fall apart, into its constituent parts, on impact with a vehicle, enabling undamaged parts of the housing 112 to be salvaged for re-use.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or compositions, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

I. A road traffic marker comprising a housing having a visually conspicuous surface portion which the housing presents tn o generally outward direction, and a support portion adapted to stand on a road surface and to maintain the housing at an elevated position above the road surface.
2. A rood traffic marker according to Clalm I wherein said surface portion is presented In a generally radlally outward direction.
3. A road traffic marker according to Claim I or Claim 2 wherein the housing comprises a plurality of visually conspicuous surface portions which the housing presents in respective generally outward directions.
4. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding clalms wherein the housing is of substantial size.
S. A road traffic marker according to Clalm 4 whereln the width and height of the housing are each In excess of about 10 centimetres.
6. A road traffic marker according to Claim 5 wherein the width is In excess of about IS centimetres and the height Is in excess of 20 centimetres or so.
7. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing is of closed or generally closed form.
8. A rood traffic marker according to any one of Claims I to 6 wheretn the housing Is of openwork form.
9. A rood traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein such surface portion Is visually conspicuous by virtue of being provided with a brightly coloured (including white) and/or reflective (e.g.

retro-reflective or the like) area or part.
10. A road traffic marker according to any one of the procedtng clalms wherein such surface portion is itself luminous.
11. A road traffic marker according to ony one of the procoding clalms wherein such surface portion Is generally vertical, so as to be presented tn a respective generally horizontal dIrection.
12. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing Is In the form of a box, of which side walls may afford respective visually conspicuous surface portions.
13. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing tn plan view Is polygonal In shape, preferably regularpolygonal in shape.
14. A road traffic marker according to Claim 13 wherein the housing In plan vlew Is octagonal.
IS. A rood traffic marker according to Clalm 14 whereln the housing has eight visually conspicuous surface portions which it presents In eight different generally horizontal directions.
16. A road traffic marker according to Claim 13 whereIn the housing in ptan view Is hexagonal.
17. A road traffic marker according to Claim 16 whereIn the housing has slx visually conspicuous surface portions which it presents In six generally horizontal directions.
18. A road traffic marker according to any one of the precedlng claims wherein the housing has an upper surface shaped so as to channel water falling thereon so that it does not flow over those areas or parts ot said surface portion or portions which are the most visually conspicuous.
19. A road traffic marker acocording to any one of the preAedlns claims wherein the housing comprises a body formed by moulding thereof from plastics material.
20. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing is captive on the support portion.
21. A road traffic marker according to ClaIm 20 wherein the housing Is releasably captive on the support portion, for example by a cilpen, clip-off Interconnection, or by a screw-threaded connection or interconnection.
22. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing Is mounted on the support portion for rotation relative to the support portion, for example about a generally vertical axles, said axis preferably being defined by cooperation between the housing and the support portion.
23. A road traffic marker according to ClaIm 22 wherein low friction bearlng surfaces are provlded,on the housing and/or support portion where the housing and support portion cooperate in o rotatable manner.
24. A road traffic marker according to Claim 22 or Claim 23 whereln the 6urfocets) of the housing Is/are provided width formations such as "ears" which may be "caught" by prevailing winds, to set the housing into rotation.
25. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the most visually conspicuous areas or parts of the or each surface portion or. spaced from each other.
26. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims wheretn the support portion is formed by moulding thereof from plastics material.
27, A rood traffic marker according to any one of the preceding claims whereln the support portion comprises an upwardly tapering frusto-conical body which carries the housing at or adjacent to Its upper extremity.
28. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding clatms wherein an enlarged base rim Is provided around a lower age of the support portion, to assist stabilIty.
29. A road traffic marker according to any one of the preceding clatms wherein some or all of the visually conspicuous surface portions comprise reflectors mounted and shaped so as to be rotatable under action of gusts of wfnd or the like.
30. A housing sutteble for use In providing a road traffic marker tn accordance with any one of Claims I to 29.
31. A road traffic marker substontlolly as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
32. A housing for a rood traffic marker substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanyIng drawings.
33. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or Illustrated In the accompanying drawings.