JP2008210146A - Single screen light for pedestrian - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cost and space-saving light for pedestrians enhancing visibility of traffic signs at a pedestrian crossing. <P>SOLUTION: The light for pedestrians has a board; a circuit board mounted to the board; an LED panel mounted to the board; and a protective cover mounted to the board to cover the circuit board and the LED panel. The LED panel has an outside peripheral edge area and an inside square area. The circuit board controls the inside square area displaying the traffic signs of "go" or "stop", and also controls the outside area displaying countdown information showing remaining seconds until the current traffic sign is changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian signal, and more particularly, to a pedestrian signal that displays traffic signs and countdown information on the same screen.

  There are two types of traffic signs: dynamic and static. Static types such as road signs are suitable for displaying traffic rules and speed limits. Dynamic traffic signs include signals such as traffic signals and pedestrian signals.

  Conventional red and green signals are designed not only for vehicles but also for pedestrians. When the green signal changes to a red signal, the green signal blinks to alert the pedestrian. However, if the signal simply flashes, the pedestrian cannot know how many seconds are left to cross the pedestrian crossing. Here is a safety issue.

  Therefore, a pedestrian signal with an upper screen and a lower screen has been developed to help pedestrians. During the green signal, the lower screen displays a dynamic green indicator of the pedestrian and the upper screen displays the remaining time. When the green signal changes to a red signal, the green signal on the lower screen flashes and alerts the pedestrian before it becomes a red sign for the waiter.

  However, although this pedestrian signal has a countdown function, it has two screens and requires twice as much space and cost.

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a new pedestrian signal that reduces or eliminates the above problems.

  It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a pedestrian signal that can display a “progress” or “stop” sign and countdown information on the same screen at a time.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian signal capable of adjusting the brightness of an LED (light emitting diode, hereinafter referred to as “LED”).

  The signal for pedestrians in the present invention includes a board, a circuit board attached to the board, an LED panel attached to the board (light emitting diode panel, hereinafter referred to as “LED panel”), and a protective lid attached to the board. And have. The LED panel has an outer peripheral area and an inner square area. The inner square area consisting of a plurality of LEDs displays a "advance" or "stop" sign with a green or red signal, respectively. The outer peripheral area consisting of multiple LEDs indicates the remaining time. That is, a pedestrian signal can be expressed together with countdown information on a single display screen.

  The pedestrian signal according to the present invention uses an optical sensor so as to sense the intensity of ambient light.

  Since the pedestrian signal according to the present invention has a single display screen, it does not require assembling labor and maintenance costs as compared with a pedestrian signal having a plurality of conventional screens.

  In addition, since an optical sensor that senses the intensity of ambient light is used, the circuit board can adjust the brightness of the LEDs on the LED panel based on the sensing result.

  Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a single screen pedestrian signal 10 according to the present invention includes a board 11, a circuit board 12, an LED panel 13, and a protective lid 14.

  The protective lid 14 is made of a translucent or transparent material, and is attached to the substrate 11 so as to cover the circuit board 12 and the LED panel 13.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the circuit board 12 of the pedestrian signal 10 includes a control unit 121, an output connection interface 122, a timer 123, an input device 124, and an optical sensor 125.

  The output connection interface 122 is connected between the output terminal of the control unit 121 and the input terminal of the LED panel 13. The control unit 121 lights and extinguishes each LED via the output connection interface 122, and adjusts the color and brightness.

  The timer 123 has an output terminal connected to the input terminal of the control unit 121 and an input terminal connected to the output terminal of the input device 124.

  The input device 124 can also be a key set (a key set) or a switch set (a switch set), and is connected to the control unit 121 and the timer 123 to send control variables to the control unit 121 and the timer 123, respectively. It has an output terminal.

  The optical sensor 125 is connected to the control unit 121 and senses the intensity of ambient light. The sensing result is sent to the control unit 121, and the brightness of the LED panel 13 is adjusted.

  The LED panel 13 is attached to the substrate 11 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 12. The LED panel 13 is composed of a plurality of LEDs of various colors, and can display various colors and signs based on drive signals sent from the control unit 121. As shown in FIG. 3, the LED panel 13 has two regions. The first display area is the outer peripheral area 131. The second display area is an inner rectangular area 132 inside the outer peripheral area 131.

  Furthermore, the outer peripheral area 131 of the LED panel 13 has a function of displaying countdown information. For example, the entire outer peripheral region 131 can be divided into 60 sections corresponding to 60 seconds of the watch. When the inner square region 132 is displaying the “advance” or “stop” sign, the 60 sections of LEDs in the outer peripheral region 131 are each shown to indicate the remaining time from the initial state of lighting. By turning off the sections sequentially in a counterclockwise direction, that is, by turning off each section sequentially in a counterclockwise direction every second, the visual effect appears as if the dots move like a second hand indicating the waiting time. Can be generated. Alternatively, it is also possible to produce a visual effect in which a point of light appears to move by sequentially lighting 60 sections of LEDs in the outer peripheral region (131) counterclockwise every second. The countdown of the remaining time is less than 60 seconds or 1 minute or more depending on the traffic volume of the intersection, but the above countdown display works effectively when it is less than 61 seconds.

  As described above, the pedestrian can easily recognize the pedestrian signal from the inner rectangular region 132 and the remaining time from the outer peripheral region 131. In this way, a conventional pedestrian signal composed of two screens can be combined into a single pedestrian signal.

  Although numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been described along with the detailed structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is merely an example. Details of the present invention, in particular the shape, size and arrangement of parts, can be modified within the general meaning of the words expressed in the claims without departing from the essence of the present invention.

The expanded cross-sectional view of the signal for pedestrians concerning this invention. The control block diagram of the signal for pedestrians concerning this invention. The top view of the signal for pedestrians concerning this invention. The pedestrian signal concerning the present invention is the operation top view which displays the green dynamic sign made by "the person who walks", and the countdown information which suggests that the remaining time is 35 seconds. The pedestrian signal which concerns on this invention is the operation | movement top view which is displaying the red static sign made by "waiter", and the countdown information which suggests that the remaining time is 20 seconds.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pedestrian signal 11 Board | substrate 12 Circuit board 13 LED panel 14 Protective lid 121 Control unit 122 Output connection interface 123 Timer 124 Input device 125 Optical sensor 131 Outer peripheral area 132 Inner square area

Claims (7)

A single screen pedestrian signal comprising a substrate, a circuit board attached to the substrate, an LED panel attached to the substrate, and a protective lid attached to the substrate,
The LED panel is composed of a plurality of light emitting diodes, and is positioned inside the outer peripheral region and an outer peripheral region controlled by the circuit board to indicate countdown information for the remaining number of seconds. An inner rectangular area consisting of a diode and controlled by the circuit board to show a traffic sign for pedestrians,
The protective lid is translucent or transparent and is a single screen pedestrian signal that covers the circuit board and the LED panel attached to the board. The circuit board includes a control unit, an output connection interface connected between the control unit and the LED panel, a timer, an input device, and an optical sensor,
The control unit controls the light emitting diode of the LED panel via the output connection interface;
The timer has an output terminal connected to the control unit and an input terminal connected to the input device,
The input device is connected to the control unit and the timer to send control variables to the control unit and the timer;
The optical sensor connected to the control unit senses the intensity of ambient light and sends a sensing signal to the control unit so that the control unit adjusts the brightness of the light emitting diodes of the LED panel. The pedestrian signal according to claim 1.   The pedestrian signal according to claim 1, wherein all the light emitting diodes in the outer peripheral region are divided into 60 sections corresponding to 60 seconds of a watch.   The pedestrian signal according to claim 3, wherein the 60 sections including the light emitting diodes in the outer peripheral region display countdown information by sequentially turning off the counterclockwise from the initial lighting state.   The 60 sections of light emitting diodes in the outer peripheral region are turned off every second in a counterclockwise direction from an initial lighting state, thereby generating a visual effect in which a point moves like a second hand. Signal for pedestrian according to 3.   60. The 60 sections of light emitting diodes in the outer peripheral region produce a visual effect in which the dots suggesting the number of seconds left are moving by turning on every second in a counterclockwise direction. Signal for pedestrian according to 3.   The pedestrian signal according to claim 1, wherein the traffic sign displayed in the inner square area is green “advance” or red “stop”.

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