JP2000242889A - Signal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an automobile driver to clearly visually recognize signal light even in the case where a signal is directly irradiated with the morning sunshine or evening sunshine by arranging a light-transmissible reflection body which reflects the sunshine obliquely and transmits the signal light forward to the front of a housing so that its reflecting surface is slanted to the signal. SOLUTION: In front of a lens 5, the light-transmissible reflection body 7 which has a smooth top surface and superior reflectivity is arranged bending forward at about 20 deg. to the perpendicular. When the sunshine A impinges on the light-transmissive reflection body 7 at an incidence angle of 10 deg. to a horizontal road surface, reflected light (a) reflected by the light-transmissive reflection body 7 is reflected on the road surface right before the signal 1 at about 30 deg. to the perpendicular. Therefore, lights (a), (b), and (c) of the reflected sunshine reflected on the road surface at angles of about <=30 deg. to the perpendicular become hard to enter the eyes of an automobile driver where the signal needs to be recognized during a travel and the automobile driver is able to clearly view the signal light emitted by the signal 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic signal, and more particularly, to a traffic signal, and more particularly to a traffic signal in which the signal light can be easily recognized by a driver of an automobile even when direct sunlight of Chaoyang or Xiyang is received on the front.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a traffic light for an automobile installed on a road has red, yellow and blue signal lights arranged in rows or columns.

[0003]

The conventional traffic light is
A lens or protective glass is placed in front of the signal light,
Since the reflector is installed inside, when the sun is low, such as in Chaoyang or Xiyang, the sunlight is directly reflected on the lens or reflector and reflected, and the sunlight is a better signal. Since it is brighter than the light, it is difficult for the car driver to identify which of the signal lights is on, and there is a major drawback that leads to an accident. In view of these circumstances, the present invention provides a traffic signal that reflects sunlight in an outward direction with respect to the direction of the traffic signal, so that a car driver can clearly recognize the signal light even when receiving direct sunlight from Chaoyang and Xiyang. It was developed for the purpose of providing.

[0004]

The present invention has the following technical means in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object. The translucent reflector referred to here is one configured to transmit signal lamp light well, but to reflect sunlight directly incident on the front of the traffic signal to the outer oblique side. The specific structure of the invention is as follows.

That is, a traffic signal having a signal light inside a housing and projecting the signal light to the front of the housing, wherein the front part of the housing reflects sunlight in an oblique direction and transmits signal light to the front. The light reflector is configured as a traffic light in which the reflection surface is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the direction of the traffic light.

Specifically, the translucent reflector is a traffic signal in which, on the side surface, a front portion is disposed in a front portion of a housing, and an upper portion with respect to a vertical direction is disposed in a front inclined or rear inclined shape.

The light-transmissive reflector can be formed in a plate shape such as a flat shape, a curved shape, and an uneven shape.

The translucent reflector can be bent left or right or up and down symmetrically from the center to the rear in the plane, curved, or formed so that the center protrudes forward. .

[0009] The translucent reflector may be formed in a hat-shape, and the outer surface may be formed in a conical shape or a pyramid shape. In this case, the apex can be eccentric or configured to be truncated, or a vertical cut line can be formed.

[0010] The light-transmitting reflector may have a different auxiliary layer formed on the back surface of the main body. What is different here is
It means one or more of which differ in material, refractive index, lightness, light transmittance, color, shape (irregularities, holes).

The translucent reflector is formed in a hollow shape,
A fluid selected from a liquid or a gas can be integrally packed in the outer body. The shape of the outer body is arbitrary such as a lens shape, a flat plate shape, a dome shape, and a multi-lens shape.

The translucent reflector may have an uneven surface, or may have a plurality of through holes penetrating back and forth. The shape of the unevenness or the shape of the through hole is arbitrary. Further, irregularities having different shapes can be arranged in any combination. The irregularities can be configured, for example, in the form of a plurality of linear prisms to form a flat magnifying mirror.

[0013] The translucent reflector is shaped like a disk donut.
A through hole can be formed at the center. Another lens can be fitted in the through hole at the center. Irregularities can be arbitrarily formed on the peripheral surface.

[0014]

The present invention configured as described above has the following operation.

Since a translucent reflector is disposed at the front of the traffic signal housing so that the reflection surface is inclined vertically or horizontally with respect to the direction of the traffic signal, Chaoyang or Xiyang hits the front of the traffic signal at a low incident angle. However, it also reflects the sunlight toward the outer oblique side.
In addition, since the translucent reflector can transmit the signal light well and project it forward, the vehicle driver does not mistakenly recognize the signal light.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing the reflection of Saiyo. In FIG. 6, when Xiyang directly hits the front of the traffic light 1 at 10 degrees A to 15 degrees B with respect to the road surface, the traffic light 1
The reflected lights a and b reflected from the vehicle will hit the driver's eyes of the vehicle about 20 to 30 meters before the traffic light 1, and the driver will erroneously recognize which signal light is on. . The hood 6 of the traffic light 1 is useless at a low angle of Saiyo.

From this, FIG. 7 shows how to prevent the sunlight that directly strikes the front of the traffic light 1 at such a low angle from being reflected and coming into the eyes of the driver. Consider FIG.

FIG. 7 shows the reflecting surface H inclined upward by 10 degrees with respect to the vertical. When the sunlight at the incident angles of 10 degrees A, 15 degrees B, and 30 degrees C with respect to the horizontal road surface hits the reflecting surface H, the incident light of 20 degrees to 30 degrees is reflected and is about 25 meters before the traffic light 1. Reflected light a, b, c
It will hit the driver's eyes.

FIG. 8 shows the reflecting surface H inclined downward by 20 degrees. The incident angle of the sunlight is the same as that in FIG. 7, but the reflected lights a, b, and c from the reflecting surface H are radiated to the road surface at a position 5 or 6 meters before the traffic light 1.

From the above, the reflection surface H on the front of the traffic light 1
If the light is inclined upward or downward by about 20 degrees or more, there is no possibility that the reflected light reflected on the reflecting surface H will be seen by the automobile driver. If the reflection surface H has an inclination of at least 5 degrees with respect to the direction of the traffic light 1, the amount of reflected light to the driver can be considerably reduced as compared with the conventional traffic light.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a traffic light. In FIG. 1, reference numerals are a housing 2, a signal light 3, a reflecting mirror 4, a lens 5, and a hood 6. The traffic light 1 is configured so that the driver can visually recognize the signal lamp light within a range of 45 degrees to the left and right by the reflecting mirror 4 and the lens 5. The lens 5 has a convex lens shape with a central portion bulging forward.

A translucent reflector 7 is provided in front of the lens 5.
The upper part is disposed so as to be inclined forward with an angle of about 20 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The translucent reflector 7 includes a glass plate,
A translucent plate such as a synthetic resin plate, the surface of which is smooth and excellent in reflectivity. Now, the angle of incidence is 1
When the positive light A of 0 degree is inserted into the translucent reflector 7, the reflected light a reflected by the translucent reflector 7 is reflected on the road surface immediately before the traffic light 1 at an angle of about 30 degrees with respect to the vertical. Become.

Therefore, the reflected positive lights a, b and c which are reflected on the road surface at an angle of about 30 degrees or less with respect to the vertical are less likely to be seen by an automobile driver at a position where a signal needs to be checked during traveling. In other words, the vehicle driver can clearly see the signal light emitted by the traffic light 1. For this reason, if the mounting angle of the translucent reflector 7 is selected from the range of 5 to 30 degrees in conformity with the angle of the morning sun and the west sun at the installation position of the traffic light 1, it is possible to reliably prevent the signal lamp from being erroneously viewed. can do.

In the case of a sloping road, the traffic light 1
If it is inclined, it may be adjusted accordingly. If the side of the translucent reflector 7 is inclined so that the upper portion is warped backward on the side surface, the reflected light reflected on the side is reflected obliquely forward, so that the reflected light does not enter the eyes of the driver. .

Of course, the translucent reflector 7 can be set to the left oblique side or the right oblique side with respect to the direction of the traffic light 1. However, depending on the location, if the light is simply reflected to the side obliquely, there is a possibility that the reflected light may hit the eyes of a car driver on another road.

The material of the translucent reflector 7 can be arbitrarily selected, such as glass or synthetic resin. Further, transparent, translucent, colored, and colorless are arbitrarily selected. The light purple color filters out ultraviolet rays. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, an auxiliary layer 7B different from this can be formed on one surface of the main body 7A. For example, the main body 7A is a synthetic resin plate, and the auxiliary layer 7B is a colorless resin plate, a colored resin plate, a colorless resin coating layer, a colored resin coating layer, a metal vapor-deposited layer (aluminum / silver, etc.), and other light-transmitting materials. Can be arbitrarily selected. The same applies when the main plate 7A is made of glass.

Further, for example, an uneven surface (not shown) can be formed on the back surface. The uneven surface has, for example, a triangular pyramid shape, a quadrangular pyramid shape, a conical shape, or the like, and if the inclination of the uneven surface is about 30 degrees, it is possible to correspond to the mounting angle of the translucent reflector 7 of 30 degrees. Further, the reflection of the internal reflecting mirror 4 can be deflected by a quadrangular prism shape, a rectangular horizontal column ridge shape, a concave spherical shape, a line prism shape, or the like. The arrangement of the irregularities may be set arbitrarily, such as annular, vertical stripe, horizontal stripe, or wavy, and may be an arbitrary combination thereof.

Since the auxiliary layer 7B is for the purpose of improving the reflection of the sunlight to the outside, a layer that meets the purpose is selected. For example, in the case of a thin metal deposition layer, the translucent reflector 7
Like a magic mirror, it reflects sunlight well, but signal light is well transmitted forward. Further, since other materials have a different refractive index from the main body 7A, the reflectivity in the outward direction is also increased, and the signal light light transmittance is good.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the translucent reflector 7. The same members as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The translucent reflector 7 of this embodiment is a flat circular plate at the front, which is bent left and right from the center, so that the central front portion protrudes from the signal lamp 3. As a result, as shown in FIG.
Reflected light d is deflected obliquely outward. Also, the reflected light e of the obliquely incident positive light E is warped inward.

When the flat translucent reflector 7 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed at an inclination as shown in FIG. 1, the sunlight that enters the traffic light 1 at a lower position from the front is reflected in the lower horizontal oblique direction. Therefore, the signal light of the traffic signal 1 can be clearly recognized by the driver of the vehicle. Although the shape of the translucent reflector 7 in FIG. 3 is bent in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, it may be bent in multiple steps or may be curved. This bent or curved form can be arranged in the housing 2 in a state of being turned up and down by rotating 90 degrees.

FIG. 4 shows a translucent reflector 7 having a hole at the center.
Is shown. In this embodiment, a through-hole 7C is formed at the center of the doughnut-shaped portion so as to penetrate forward and backward. On one surface around the through hole 7C, for example, unevenness such as a surface prism is formed, or a plurality of small through holes can be formed. The shape of the through hole can be circular, square, triangular, arcuate, or the like. The penetration angle is arbitrary such as a right angle or an inclination angle with respect to the outer surface. The subject 7A is dark purple,
In the case of a light colored material such as dark green, dark gray, dark red, or dark brown, the inside of the case 2 of the traffic light 1 becomes dark, and the positive reflected light by the internal reflecting mirror 4 becomes weak. Since the vehicle travels straight through the through-hole, the signal light of the vehicle can be easily recognized by the vehicle driver. Another lens can be fitted in the through hole 7A.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of a three-dimensionally shaped translucent reflector. This form has a hat-shaped structure, and the outer surface is formed in a cone shape. The inclination of the outer surface is set to about 30 degrees with respect to the vertical. When disposed in the front of the housing 2 of the traffic light 1 in this configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the positive light having an incident angle of 10 degrees F and 30 degrees G with respect to the horizontal road surface is reflected light f upward or downward, respectively. g is warped, and even in a plane, it is warped in the left and right diagonal directions.

However, since the thickness of the translucent reflector 7 can be reduced, the signal lamp light is projected forward with little influence. Note that FIG.
In the above conical shape, the tip of the translucent reflector 7 can be cut as necessary to form a truncated cone with holes. Further, this conical shape can be formed into, for example, a hexagonal pyramid, an octagonal pyramid, or the like. Furthermore, the apex can be eccentric.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be appropriately changed according to the purpose. For example, the light-transmitting reflector 7 can be formed integrally by forming an outer body in a hollow shape and enclosing a liquid or gas fluid therein. This liquid or gas can be colored or colorless. The refractive index of the liquid can be arbitrarily selected. In this case, the outer body can be formed in a flat plate shape, a concave lens shape, a convex lens shape, or the like.

When the translucent reflector 7 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2, it can be attached to an existing traffic signal. Further, it can be configured to be movable and attached and fixed at an angle suitable for the installation place. A plurality of the translucent reflectors 7 can be provided side by side, and the inclination angle can be changed before and after, or can be set as a shelf. Further, it can be used for a square signal for pedestrians. Although the light transmitting / reflecting body 7 is shown in the figure as being set in front of the lens 5 of the existing traffic light, it can be used in place of the lens 5.

[0036]

The present invention constructed as described above has the following excellent effects.

A light-transmitting reflector that transmits signal light and reflects sunlight toward the outer side is disposed at the front of the traffic signal housing, so that the traffic light receiving direct sunlight, such as Chaoyang or Xiyang, operates. There is an effect that the car driver can clearly see the signal light without reflecting the sunlight toward the eyes of the driver.

When the reflecting surface of the translucent reflector is arranged to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction, even if the reflecting surface is flat,
Since the sunlight is deflected to the outer diagonal side of the road or out of the visual position of the driver, there is an effect that the vehicle driver can clearly recognize the signal light.

When the translucent reflector is formed in a hat-shaped conical outer surface, the sunlight is reflected in the upper, lower, left, and right outer directions regardless of whether the position of the sun is high or low. This has the effect of being easily visible.

When the translucent reflector is configured to be detachable,
It can be attached to the front part of the housing of the existing traffic light, and there is an effect that the existing traffic light can be utilized.

When formed of a synthetic resin, the translucent reflector can be mass-produced and supplied at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a traffic light.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an example of a translucent reflector.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of a translucent reflector.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view illustrating an example of a translucent reflector.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an example of a translucent reflector.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing reflection of sunlight.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing reflection of sunlight.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing reflection of sunlight.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traffic signal 2 Housing 3 Signal lamp 4 Reflector 5 Lens 6 Hood 7 Translucent reflector 7A Main body 7B Auxiliary layer 7C Through hole H Reflection surface A to G Incident sunlight a to g Reflected light

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A traffic light having a signal light inside a housing and projecting the signal light to the front of the housing, wherein the traffic light reflects obliquely at the front of the housing and transmits the signal light forward. A traffic signal, wherein the reflective body is disposed with its reflection surface inclined with respect to the direction of the traffic signal. 2. The traffic light according to claim 1, wherein the translucent reflector has a central portion formed to protrude forward. 3. The light-transmitting reflector is formed in a hat-like shape with a central portion bulging forward.
Traffic light described in. 4. The traffic light according to claim 1, wherein the translucent reflector has a different auxiliary layer formed on one surface of a main body. 5. The traffic light according to claim 1, wherein the translucent reflector has an uneven reflection surface. 6. The traffic light according to claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting reflector has a through-hole penetrating front and rear. 7. The light-transmitting reflector according to claim 1, wherein an outer body is formed in a hollow shape, and a fluid is integrally formed therein. Traffic light.