JP2013083113A - Road sign - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a road sign capable of notifying its overturn, hardly overturning, and having good durability.SOLUTION: A road cone 1 has a nearly conical sign body 2, a tabular bottom plate 2a which is continuous with the bottom part of the sign body 2 and of which outer edge is substantially square in a planar view, and a base plate 4 engaging with the bottom plate 2a. The base plate 4 is so formed that its outer edge is substantially square in a planar view, and has a projection 4a at each of four corners. A contactor 5 of an overturn switch is installed on the upper part of the lateral face of each projection 4a. In each side in a planar view of the base plate 4, a light-emitting device 6 which is actuated by the overturn switch corresponding to an opposite side is installed. When the sign body 2 overturns together with the base plate 4, the contactor 5 comes into contact with an installation surface C and a laser beam L is emitted from a light-emitting device 6 of the opposite side in a direction perpendicular to the installation surface C.

Description

  The present invention relates to a road sign installed on a road such as a road cone.

  Road cones installed on roads are widely used to indicate the scope of road regulation during road construction and traffic accidents. Since the road cone is made of plastic and is relatively lightweight, the road cone is likely to fall over due to strong winds or contact with a vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the road cone during a road regulation period. When the road regulation is large-scale over several kilometers, it is difficult to quickly recognize the fall of the road cone, and the difficulty of recognizing the fall of the road cone becomes remarkable at night.

  In order to solve such a problem, a load cone provided with a fall detection switch and a radio transmitter at the top has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). When the load cone falls, the top fall switch is activated to turn on the power of the radio transmitter, and the radio transmitter transmits a signal. The radio signal is received by a receiver installed at the location of the supervisor and an alarm is issued to inform the supervisor of the fall of the road cone.

JP 2001-123419 A

  However, the conventional load cone has a problem that the fall detection switch and the radio transmitter are provided at the top, so that the center of gravity of the entire load cone is increased and the ease of the fall is increased. In addition, the conventional load cone receives a relatively large impact at the top when it falls, so that there is a problem that the fall detection switch and the radio transmitter are easily damaged and the durability is poor.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a road sign that can notify a fall and is difficult to fall and has good durability.

In order to achieve the above object, a road sign of the present invention includes a sign body,
A base that supports the sign body in contact with an installation surface on which the road sign is installed;
A fall detector disposed on the base and detecting the fall of the label body;
And a warning unit that is arranged on the base and issues a warning based on the detection of the fall of the sign main body by the fall detection unit.

  According to the above configuration, when the road sign falls, the fall of the sign body is detected by the fall detection unit, and a warning is issued by the warning unit based on the detection of the fall of the sign body by the fall detection unit. It is recognized by the monitor who received this warning that the road sign has fallen. Since the fall detection unit and the warning unit are provided at the base that is in contact with the installation surface on which the road sign is installed, the center of gravity of the road sign is closer to the installation surface than when provided on the upper part of the sign body. Therefore, this road sign is harder to fall than before. Moreover, since the fall detection part and the warning part are provided at the base part in contact with the installation surface, the impact received when the sign body falls is less than that provided at the upper part of the sign body. Therefore, the fall detection part and the warning part are hard to be damaged and have better durability than before.

  In the present invention, the road sign broadly corresponds to a device that is installed on the road and represents information, such as a road cone, a display board, an electric display board, a flashing light, a rotating light, and a doll. The fall detection unit includes a switch that has a contact that contacts the installation surface when the sign body falls, a switch that has a contact that comes off the installation surface when the sign body falls, and the like. It is possible to use a device that detects a change in the direction of action and detects a fall. In addition, the warning unit may be a unit that outputs a light to give a warning, a unit that outputs a sound to give a warning, a unit that outputs an electric signal to give a warning, and the like.

In one embodiment of the road sign, the base has a base member,
The fall detection unit and the warning unit are provided on the base member.

  According to the above embodiment, the fall detection unit and the warning unit can be separated from the sign main body by providing the fall detection unit and the warning unit on the base member, so that the fall detection unit and the warning unit can be efficiently maintained. it can. Here, it is preferable that the base member is detachably formed on the sign body. Thereby, the fall detection function and the warning function can be retrofitted to the road sign by replacing the base member of the road sign that does not have the fall detection part and the warning part with the base member of the present invention.

  In one embodiment of the road sign, the base member has a toppling prevention function that prevents the sign body from falling due to its weight.

  According to the above embodiment, it is possible to prevent overturning with a simple structure.

  In the road sign of one embodiment, the base is polygonal in plan view, and the fall detection unit is provided corresponding to each side of the polygonal base.

  According to the above embodiment, when the sign body falls down, the side of the base comes into contact with the installation surface, so that the fallen sign body can be stabilized and the fall detection unit provided corresponding to the contacted side. Thus, it is possible to accurately detect a fall. Here, “corresponding to each side” means that one fall detection unit is provided corresponding to one side, and the installation position of the fall detection unit is the side part and the corner part. Either of these may be used. Moreover, when a fall detection part has a switch which contacts and operates an installation surface, it is preferable to arrange | position a contactor to the upper part of the side surface of a base. By disposing the contact of the switch on the upper part of the side surface of the base, the switch can be reliably operated when it falls down.

  The road sign of one embodiment has a protrusion near each corner of the polygon base, and the warning portion is provided on each side of the polygon base.

  According to the above embodiment, when the sign body falls down, the protruding part of the base comes into contact with the installation surface, so that the warning part provided on the side of the base can be prevented from coming into contact with the installation surface, and the warning part is protected. can do. Here, the protruding portion may be formed so as to include the corner of the base in plan view, or may be formed closer to the center of the side than the corner of the base in plan view.

  In the road sign according to an embodiment, the fall detection unit is provided at the protruding portion of the base.

  According to the above embodiment, when the sign main body falls, the fall detection unit provided on the protruding portion of the base comes into contact with the installation surface, so that the fall can be accurately detected.

  In one embodiment of the road sign, the warning unit includes a light emitting device that emits light in a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface in a fall state.

  According to the embodiment described above, the light emitted from the light emitting device of the warning unit in a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface allows the monitor at a distant position to recognize that the sign body has fallen. The approximate position of the marked body can be recognized. Further, since the fall warning is given by the light emitted from the light emitting device, the monitor can recognize the fall of the road sign with a simple device configuration without using a receiving terminal or the like.

It is a front view which shows the load cone as embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows a load cone. It is a figure which shows a mode that the load cone fell.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a road cone as a road sign according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the road cone.

  The road cone 1 according to the embodiment is used to indicate a road regulation range in road construction or a traffic accident, and is connected to a substantially cone-shaped sign body 2 and a bottom portion of the sign body 2. When viewed from the outside, the board is generally composed of a plate-like bottom plate 2a having a substantially square outer edge and a base plate 4 as a base member engaged with the bottom plate 2a. The bottom plate 2 a and the base plate 4 constitute the base 3 of the load cone 1. The base plate 4 is detachably locked on the bottom plate 2 a continuous with the sign body 2.

  The sign body 2 and the bottom plate 2a are integrally formed of a synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride, the inside of the sign body 2 is formed hollow, and has a height of about 700 mm and a weight of about 1 kg. A pattern or a character is given to the sign body 2 as necessary.

  The base plate 4 is formed of a synthetic rubber such as styrene butadiene rubber and has a main part, and has a weight of about 2 kg. The weight of the base plate 4 prevents the sign body from falling. The base plate 4 has a substantially square outer edge with a side of about 400 mm in a plan view, and projecting portions 4a projecting outward are formed at four corners, respectively. The projecting portion 4a has a shape in which a side in a predetermined range from a corner projects outward while the tip of the corner is rounded in a plan view. These four protrusions 4a are provided with a contact 5 of a fall switch as a fall detection unit.

  In addition, the protrusion 4a of the base plate 4 may be formed closer to the center of the side than the corner, in addition to being formed to include the corner in plan view. In short, the shape of the base plate 4 may be formed so that two points on the side of the base plate 4 come into contact when the sign body 2 falls on a flat installation surface. One of them may be provided with the contact 5 of the fall switch.

  The base plate 4 is provided with a fall switch as a fall detection unit, a light emitting device 6 as a warning unit, and a storage battery as a power source.

  The fall switch as a fall detection unit detects the fall of the sign body 2 when the sign body 2 falls with the base plate 4 and the contact 5 comes into contact with the installation surface. The overturn switch is interposed in a power supply circuit that connects between the power source and the light emitting device 6, and this power supply circuit is turned on and off by the operation of the contact 5. The contact 5 is arranged on the upper part of the side surface of the protruding portion 4a so as to protrude in a direction perpendicular to one side adjacent to the protruding portion 4a of the base plate 4 in plan view. The contact 5 is connected to a movable terminal that is in contact with and away from the fixed terminal of the power supply circuit, and is urged by a spring built in the base plate 4 so as to protrude outward. When the sign body 2 falls and the contact 5 comes into contact with the installation surface, the movable switch connected to the contact 5 comes into contact with the fixed terminal, and the power supply circuit is switched from OFF to ON. Thereby, electric power is supplied to the light emitting device 6 and the light emitting device 6 is activated. The overturning switch arranged corresponding to each side is connected to the light emitting device 6 provided on the side opposite to the corresponding side. In other words, the overturn switch turns on and off the power of the light emitting device 6 on the side opposite to the side where the contact 5 protrudes at a right angle.

  The light emitting device 6 serving as a warning unit outputs a light to give a warning when the sign body 2 falls, and has an LD (laser diode) that emits laser light of a predetermined wavelength. The light emitting device 6 is disposed on each of the upper edges of the four sides extending between the four protrusions 4a of the base plate 4 in plan view. The light emitting device 6 is formed so as to emit laser light L in a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface C as shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the label main body 2 falls with the base plate 4. The light emitting device 6 is arranged on each of the four sides, so that the laser light L can be emitted upward even if any side falls down.

  The storage battery is a secondary battery built in the base plate 4 and can be taken out of the base plate 4 and charged. The storage battery may be a primary battery that is replaceably attached to the base plate 4. Moreover, you may form so that a photovoltaic power generation panel may be installed in the baseplate 4 or the label | marker main body 2, and the electric power produced | generated with this photovoltaic power generation panel may be charged to a secondary battery.

  The road cone 1 having the above-described configuration is disposed on a road, a sidewalk, or the like for the purpose of indicating a road regulation range or calling attention to a driver or pedestrian of a vehicle during road construction or a traffic accident. When the load cone 1 falls due to strong wind or vehicle contact, the sign body 2 falls with the base plate 4, and the contact 5 of the protruding portion 4 a of the base plate 4 contacts the installation surface C. Thereby, the fall switch is switched from OFF to ON, and power is supplied from the storage battery to the light emitting device 6 provided on the side facing the side where the contact 5 is provided and facing upward due to the fall. . The light emitting device 6 receives a supply of electric power from the storage battery and emits a laser beam in a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface C to give a warning. Since the light emitted from the light emitting device 6 is a highly directional laser beam, it is recognized even if the monitor is at a remote position. Therefore, even when the road cone 1 is used to indicate road regulations over several kilometers, it is possible to prompt the supervisor to recognize the fall of the road cone 1. Further, since the load cone 1 emits a laser beam to warn of a fall, the laser beam can be easily visually recognized at night, so that the supervisor can quickly recognize the fall.

  Further, in the load cone 1 of the present embodiment, since the overturn switch and the light emitting device 6 are provided on the base plate 4 of the base 3 in contact with the installation surface C, the load cone 1 is more than the case of being provided on the upper portion of the sign body 2. Since the center of gravity is close to the installation surface C, it is harder to fall than before. Moreover, since the fall switch and the light emitting device 6 are provided on the base plate 4, even if the sign body 2 falls, it is less likely to receive an impact than when it is provided above the sign body 2. Therefore, the fall switch and the light emitting device 6 are hardly damaged and have better durability than the conventional one.

  In addition, since the load cone 1 of the present embodiment has the tip switch and the light emitting device 6 on the base plate 4 which is a separate member from the sign main body 2, the sign main body 2 having a relatively large size can be obtained by removing the base plate 4 from the sign main body 2. Therefore, the switch and the light emitting device 6 can be easily separated. Therefore, maintenance of the switch and the light emitting device 6 can be performed efficiently. In addition, since the base plate 4 having the overturn switch and the light emitting device 6 is detachably formed, the base plate of the load cone not having the overturn switch and the light emitting device 6 is replaced with the base plate 4 of the present invention, so that the load cone A fall detection function and a warning function can be retrofitted.

  In the above embodiment, the base plate 4 is detachably locked on the bottom plate 2 a to form the base 3. However, the bottom plate 2 a at the bottom of the sign body 2 is deleted, and the base plate 4 is connected to the bottom of the sign body 2. In addition, the base may be configured only by the base plate 4. In this case, the sign body 2 and the base plate 4 may be detachably connected, or may be fixed so as not to be detachable. Further, the base plate 4 is formed to be detachable with respect to the bottom plate 2a of the sign body 2. However, the base plate 4 may be fixed to the bottom plate 2a and the sign body 2 so as not to be detachable. Further, the base plate 4 may be detachably attached to the bottom portion of the sign main body 2 through a member other than the bottom plate 2a, or may be fixed detachably.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although LD which emits a laser beam was used for the light-emitting device 6, other apparatuses which emit a laser beam may be used. Moreover, although the light-emitting device 6 emitted laser light, the light emitted from the light-emitting device 6 is not limited to laser light.

  Moreover, although the fall switch which act | operates when a contactor contacts the installation surface C was used as a fall detection part, the contactor which contact | connects the installation surface C is normally provided in the bottom face, and when the sign body 2 falls, the contactor You may use the switch which operate | moves as it leaves | separates from the installation surface C. FIG. Moreover, you may use the gravity sensor which detects the action direction of gravity other than a fall switch as a fall detection part.

  Moreover, although the light emitting device 6 is provided as a warning unit and the light is emitted to give a warning, a buzzer or the like may be provided as the warning unit to output a sound and give a warning. In addition, as a warning unit, a transmitter that outputs an electric signal representing a warning superimposed on a carrier wave may be provided to issue a warning by outputting a radio signal.

  In addition, when a device such as an illumination or a speaker is installed in the sign body 2, the power source of the light emitting device 6 as a warning unit may be used.

  Further, although the base 3 is formed by the substantially square bottom plate 2a and the base plate 4, the base may be another polygon such as a pentagon. A fall detection unit may be arranged corresponding to each side of the polygonal base, and a warning unit may be arranged on a side or corner opposite to the side where the fall detection unit is provided.

  Moreover, although the case where this invention was applied to the load cone was illustrated in the said embodiment, this invention can be applied to a display board, an electric display board, a blinking light, a rotation light, a doll, etc. besides a load cone. . That is, the present invention can be widely applied to devices that are installed in areas where vehicles and people pass such as roads and parking lots and display information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Load cone 2 Marking body 2a Bottom plate 3 Base part 4 Base plate 4a Protrusion part 5 Contactor 6 Light-emitting device L Laser beam

Claims (7)

A sign body;
A base that supports the sign body in contact with an installation surface on which the road sign is installed;
A fall detector disposed on the base and detecting the fall of the label body;
A road sign, comprising: a warning part which is arranged at the base part and issues a warning based on the detection of the fall of the sign main body by the fall detection part. The road sign according to claim 1,
The base has a base member,
The road sign, wherein the fall detection unit and the warning unit are provided on the base member. The road sign according to claim 2,
The road sign characterized in that the base member has a fall prevention function for preventing the fall of the sign body due to its weight. The road sign according to claim 1,
The road sign is characterized in that the base is a polygon in plan view, and the fall detector is provided corresponding to each side of the base of the polygon. In the road sign according to claim 4,
A road sign characterized by having a protruding portion in the vicinity of each corner of the polygonal base and the warning portion on each side of the polygonal base. In the road sign according to claim 5,
A road sign characterized in that the fall detection part is provided on a protruding part of the base part. In the road sign according to claim 6,
The warning section includes a light emitting device that emits light in a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface in a fall state.

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