JP2002250016A - Braille block with heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively maintain the function of a braille block even in the snow at lost cost. SOLUTION: In this braille block constituted by adhering a braille tile 1 to an upper surface of a planar concrete block 7, a filament heating body 2 is arranged on a lower surface of the braille tile 1 and the filament heating body 2 is buried in a surface of a mat-shaped heat insulating material layer 4 adhered to the upper surface of the concrete block 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a braille block for walking by visually impaired persons, and more particularly to a braille block with a heater which does not hinder the snow in cold regions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Braille blocks are laid on sidewalks of roads, passages in underground shopping malls, passages in stations, platforms, and the like to assist the walking of visually impaired persons. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the braille block forms a circular or linear protrusion of about 5 mm in height on the surface of the concrete block, and the shape and direction of the protrusion are detected by a visually impaired person using a cane to reach the destination. It is intended to be able to walk toward. For example, FIG.
In (a) and (c), the projections are linear, and it is safe to proceed in the direction of this straight line. In addition, FIG.
In the case of (d), the protrusion has a circular shape, which indicates that the direction is changed at this position or that the projection temporarily stops.

[0003] Braille blocks may be molded by a mold when producing concrete blocks, but generally, they are 300 mm square or 400 mm square having only protruding portions on the surface.
In general, a resin tile of mm square is attached to the surface of a concrete block of the same size, and the concrete block is arranged and laid in a predetermined path, or is directly attached to asphalt on a road surface.

[0004] In recent years, there has been a call for understanding of the so-called vulnerable people and the development of social infrastructure. For example, the Traffic Barrier-Free Law has been enacted. It is mandatory to take various measures including installation.
Braille blocks are part of that. By the way, since the Braille block walks by detecting its unevenness,
If the snow on the road surface is squeezed in a cold region, even if the braille block itself is installed, it is useless. Even if the pedestrian's path is cleared of snow, it is difficult to detect by foot sensation if the snow compaction remains around the protrusion of the Braille block.

A method of embedding a tag for transmitting a radio signal in a Braille block and detecting this signal using a cane as a receiver has been proposed. However, it has not been widely used because it is expensive, and an expensive Braille block has been proposed. Even if it is installed, there is a problem that a person who does not have a corresponding cane cannot use it.
It has also been proposed to use a special material for pavement such as roads as a measure against snow and to melt the snow by heating the entire roadbed by electromagnetic induction. For example, even if this is limited to a part of the platform or the like, there is a problem in its feasibility such as a large investment in equipment and a large cost for melting snow because it covers a fairly large area.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and to propose a Braille block which functions effectively even at the time of snowfall at a feasible cost.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in a braille block in which a braille tile is attached to an upper surface of a plate-like concrete block, a heating element is arranged between the concrete block and the braille tile. It is a braille block with a heater, wherein the heating element is desirably an electric linear heating element, and the heating element is buried on the front side of a mat-like heat insulating material layer attached to the upper surface of the concrete block. In addition, a switch circuit having a temperature adjusting function is attached to an electric linear heating element, and a power cable of the linear heating element is separated for each concrete block via a connector. The above-mentioned Braille block.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a heating element is arranged on the lower surface of the surface Braille tile, that is, between the concrete block and the Braille tile, and the heating element is formed of a mat-like heat insulating material layer. Because it is buried on the front side, most of the generated heat does not escape to the ground side, but mostly flows to the side of the Braille tiles, and is effectively used for melting snow.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A braille block B with a heater according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 is a braille tile on the surface,
It is commercially available, for example, the thickness of the ground part is 2 mm, the height of the protrusion is 5 mm, the overall size is 300 mm square, it is made of yellow soft synthetic rubber, and the backside is coated with a solventless rubber-based adhesive Yes, the surface of the partner to be adhered is treated with a primer and adhered.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a heating element arranged on the lower surface.
As the heating element, there is also a film-shaped sheet heating element and the like, but since the heating value is large, the heating value can be freely selected according to the length, etc., for example, an electric type heating device commercially available under the name of a code heater is used. A linear heating element or the like is most preferred. The cord heater winds a heating wire around the glass fiber, and the outside is P
It is coated with a fluororesin such as FA to make it water and heat resistant. Lead wires 5 are attached to both ends,
Heating part Generates 25-35W per 3m.

In order to suppress the temperature rise more than necessary, it is preferable to connect a switch circuit having a temperature adjusting function such as a thermostat in series to the heating element. Reference numeral 4 denotes a mat-like heat insulating material layer to be attached to the upper surface of the concrete block 7, and the material is, for example, glass wool. The thickness may be appropriately determined according to the effect, and is, for example, 5 mm.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a power cable. Aside from the ground wire, this cable has two cores, is cut to the length of each Braille block, and has a connector 61 attached to the end. The power cable 6 is straight or T-branched at the center.
It is shaped like a letter, and is appropriately selected and used depending on the attachment position. Since the power cable 6 is divided into lengths for each Braille block, each Braille block can be replaced even during repair or the like.

Generally, a braille block with a heater is not tightly laid with its ends in contact with each other, but is provided with a slight gap for jointing. The connector 61 is buried in this gap. 7 is a concrete block. A 300 mm square is provided, for example, according to the shape and dimensions of the Braille tile 1, and a groove 71 for inserting the power cable 6 is provided on the surface. Groove 71
May be linear or T-shaped in accordance with the power cable 6, but may be all cross-shaped grooves to reduce the number of types.

In this braille block with a heater, a power cable 6 is basically inserted into a groove 71 of a concrete block 7, a heat insulating material layer 4 is laid thereon, the heating element 2 is placed thereon, and the lead wire 5 is connected to the power cable. 6, the Braille tile 1 may be adhered to the upper surface, but it is not always necessary to assemble in this procedure, and it is optional to partially integrate the Braille tile 1 appropriately.

FIG. 2 is an example of an electric circuit diagram of a braille block with a heater according to the present invention, wherein B ₁ , B ₂ and B ₃ are each a single braille block with a heater. In addition to those described so far, 51 is a fuse, 8 is a no-fuse breaker,
Reference numeral 9 denotes a plug connected to a power supply, for example, a general-purpose AC 100 V outlet. The snow melting ability of the braille block with a heater according to the present invention depends on the capacity of the heating element mounted on one block, but it is sufficient to prepare 30, 50, 70, 90 W, etc. types according to the environment of the installation place. In the case of 30W, which is considered to be the most common, the surface temperature of the Braille tile is 2.5 to 3.5 ° C against the outside air temperature of -10 ° C to + 3 ° C. . The power consumption per unit area was about 250 kcal / m ² per hour.

In general, several tens of braille blocks with a heater are continuously laid, but it is preferable to use a separate circuit every 15 A in view of electrical safety in view of the power supply capacity. FIG. 3 is an example of a layout in which a heating element is arranged in each of the braille blocks with a heater. (A) shows a case where a small-capacity heating element is evenly arranged, and (b) shows a case where a large-capacity heating element having a long total length is arranged in one block. A hole for passing the lead wire 5 may be provided near the center of the heat insulating material layer 4.

As described above, in the present invention, only the Braille tile portion on the surface of the Braille block is heated to maintain the function of the Braille tile even in snowy season, so that the entire road or platform can be heated, or it can be manually operated. Effective measures can be taken at a much lower cost than when snow removal is performed. Furthermore, if a recess is provided in the concrete block, even if a guidance system using a radio signal is introduced in the future, it is possible to easily cope with the problem by embedding a tag in the recess, so that there is no need to replace the braille block.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a braille block which functions effectively even in snowy conditions with less cost is realized, and the safety of roads and station platforms in snowy conditions is improved not only for persons with disabilities but also for healthy persons. This has the effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a braille block with a heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram of a braille block with a heater according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a layout of a heating element of the braille block with a heater according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a braille block according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Braille tile 2 Linear heating element (heating element) 3 Thermostat (switch circuit) 4 Thermal insulation layer 5 Lead wire 6 Power cable 7 Concrete block 8 No-fuse breaker 9 Plug 51 Fuse 61 Connector 71 Groove

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2D051 AA08 AB03 AE03 AF03 AF09 AF11 AG03 AH02 GA01 GB03 GC01 2D064 AA03 AA22 DA08 DB01 EA12 EB05 GA00 HA03 HA04 JA01

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A braille block in which a braille tile is attached to an upper surface of a plate-like concrete block (7), wherein a heating element (2) is provided between the concrete block (7) and the braille tile (1). A braille block with a heater, which is arranged. 2. A braille block with a heater according to claim 1, wherein the heating element (2) is an electric linear heating element. 3. Braille with heater according to claim 2, wherein the linear heating element (2) is buried and disposed on the front side of the mat-like heat insulating material layer (4) to be attached to the upper surface of the concrete block (7). block. 4. The braille block with a heater according to claim 2, wherein a switch circuit having a temperature adjusting function is additionally provided to the electric linear heating element. 5. A power cable (6) for a linear heating element (2).
The braille block with heater according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein each is separated via a connector (61) for each concrete block (7).