JP3582759B2 - Light-emitting road tack - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is installed on a road surface such as a center line of a road, the center of an intersection, a pedestrian crossing, etc., and emits a light-emitting body such as a light-emitting diode by a power supply device to warn a vehicle driver or a pedestrian or guide a line of sight, thereby It relates to a self-luminous road stud that prevents accidents.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a self-luminous road stud that emits a light emitting body such as a light emitting diode by a power supply device is generally provided with a light emitting window formed on an inclined side surface of a frustum of a square truncated pyramid shape protruding from a road surface, and a light emitting window. In some windows, a light emitting diode is mounted outward in a window so that light of the light emitting diode emitted by a power supply device is directly visible to a vehicle driver or the like.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the self-luminous road stud as described above has the following problems. That is, since the light emitting diode is attached to the inclined side surface of the truncated quadrangular pyramid-shaped stud body protruding from the road surface, the height of the stud body protruding from the road surface is higher than the diameter of the light emitting diode due to the structure. Is required at a minimum, and usually protrudes from the road surface by about 20 to 30 mm, which is an obstacle to vehicles and pedestrians.
[0004]
Therefore, a light-transmitting body having a horizontal surface is attached to the upper part of the tack body, and a light-emitting diode is arranged at the lower part of the light-transmitting body so that its optical axis is directed obliquely upward, and a planar shape perpendicular to the optical axis is provided. Is formed in a light transmitting body, and the light of the light emitting diode which is incident obliquely upward from the light incident surface passes through the light transmitting body and is emitted from the surface. In this self-luminous road tack, the light emitting diode is arranged below the light transmitting body, so that it is not necessary to protrude a height equal to or larger than the diameter of the light emitting diode as in the former, and it is possible to suppress the protrusion from the road surface. .
[0005]
However, in this self-luminous road tack, in order to reduce the elevation angle of the light emitted from the translucent member, the inclination angle of the optical axis of the luminous member is reduced so as to be visually recognized by a distant vehicle driver. It is necessary, but when the angle of inclination is less than a predetermined angle, total reflection occurs at the interface between the light transmitting body and the air, that is, the surface of the light transmitting body, so that there is a limit in reducing the elevation angle of light.
[0006]
For example, at a point 50 m away, in order to make the line-of-sight angle of the vehicle driver located 1.2 m above the ground equal to the elevation angle of the emitted light, the elevation angle should theoretically be about 1.37 degrees. . In order to raise the elevation angle to about 1.37 degrees, when polycarbonate is used as the light-transmitting member, the refractive index is 1.58. Therefore, the light must be incident at an incident angle of 39 degrees. Is 39.3 degrees with respect to the air, the incident angle is approximately near the critical angle. Therefore, there is a problem in making the elevation angle smaller than this, and since the light of the luminous body spreads radially around the optical axis, when the elevation angle is to be emitted at about 1.37 degrees, some light is emitted. There is also a problem in that light becomes a critical angle or more and causes total reflection on the surface, and the amount of emitted light is reduced to reduce visibility.
[0007]
In order to suppress such total reflection and reduce the elevation angle of the emitted light, the surface of the light transmitting body is made to protrude from the road surface, and the protruding side surface is formed as an inclined surface inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light emitting body. There is also a self-luminous road stud designed to emit light from a luminous body. In this self-luminous road stud, since the light of the luminous body is incident not on the horizontal plane but on the inclined surface, the incident angle is reduced by the inclination angle of the inclined surface, so that total reflection can be prevented. However, since the surface of the transparent body protrudes from the road surface, it becomes an obstacle to vehicles and pedestrians, and in snowy regions, there is a risk of being damaged by a snow removal grader and being caught by a snow grader.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, can suppress the protrusion from the road surface, and efficiently emits the light of the luminous body from the surface of the translucent body to enhance the visibility and the emitted light. It is intended to provide a self-luminous road stud that can reduce the elevation angle of the vehicle.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, in the self-luminous road tack according to the present invention, a light-transmitting body is attached to an upper part of a tack body buried in a road surface, and a light-emitting body that emits light by a power supply device is attached to a lower part of the light-transmitting body. The light-emitting surface is arranged with the optical axis facing obliquely upward, the light-transmitting body is recessed at the center of the surface, and the inner surface is an inclined surface. A surface is formed, and light of the illuminant is made to enter the light transmitting body from the incident surface and exit from the inclined surface.
[0010]
According to the present invention, the light-emitting body is disposed below the light-transmitting body, and the inclined surface for emitting the light of the light-emitting body is formed by recessing the center of the surface of the light-transmitting body. Since it does not protrude from the surface, it is possible to suppress protrusion from the road surface. Further, since the light of the light emitter is emitted from the inclined surface, the incident angle is reduced by the inclination angle of the inclined surface, and the elevation angle of the emitted light can be reduced without total reflection.
[0011]
Further, since the inclined surface is formed by recessing the center of the surface of the light transmitting body, the surface of the light emitting body can be buried almost flush with the road surface. By embedding the surface of the light-emitting body almost flush with the road surface, in addition to the above-described effects, it is possible to prevent the vehicle and the pedestrian from becoming an obstacle at all.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
First, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention described in claim 1, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG.
[0013]
In the drawings, 1 is a tack body embedded in a road surface G, 2 is a translucent member attached to an upper portion of the tack body 1, and 3 is a diagonally upwardly extending optical axis 32 of a light emitting surface 31 below the translucent member 2. A light source 4 arranged toward the light source 4 is a power supply device for causing the light emitter 3 to emit light.
[0014]
Since the tack main body 1 is buried in the road surface G, it is usually made of metal such as aluminum die-casting having excellent strength, corrosion resistance and moldability. The transparent body 2 is a hard transparent material having excellent impact resistance, abrasion resistance, weather resistance, etc., so that it is not damaged even when a vehicle or the like rides thereon, and the light of the luminous body 3 is transmitted. It is generally made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin such as glass, polycarbonate, acrylic resin, or the like. The surface 21 is substantially flush with the road surface G in a state where the surface 21 is attached to the upper portion of the tack main body 1. It is installed to become.
[0015]
As the luminous body 3, a light emitting diode, a halogen lamp, a metal halide lamp, a cathode tube, an electroluminescence, a xenon lamp, or the like is appropriately used. In general, a light emitting diode having strong directivity and high luminance is preferably used. Another reason that light emitting diodes are used is that the power supply voltage required to cause the light emitting diodes to emit light is a low voltage of 30 volts DC or less, and such a low voltage has little effect on the human body. This is because the power source burying work is easy and possible without the need. Therefore, the solar cell 41 is generally used as the power supply device 4 as in the present embodiment because of the use of low DC voltage. That is, in this embodiment, the solar cell 41 is housed in the center of the lower surface of the light transmitting body 2 in the tack main body 1 buried in the ground, and power is supplied to the solar cell 41 by daylight rays incident from the light transmitting body 2. Is occurring. Below the solar cell 41, a power storage device 42 for storing the generated power of the solar cell 41, a controller 43 for controlling the light emission of the luminous body 3 and the like are appropriately stored, and the power is supplied directly from the solar cell 41 or from the power storage device 42. The light-emitting body 3 is supplied and controlled appropriately by the controller 43 so that the light-emitting body 3 is turned on or off only during the day or night or at night. Of course, a commercial power supply can be used.
[0016]
The relationship between the light emitting body 3 and the light transmitting body 2 will be further described. The light emitting body 3 is disposed below the light transmitting body 2 with the optical axis 32 of the light emitting surface 31 obliquely upward. The light-transmitting body is formed by forming a concave portion 22 by recessing a central portion of a horizontal surface 21, making a bottom surface 23 horizontal, and forming an inner surface thereof as an inclined surface 24. In addition, an incident surface 25 facing the light emitting surface 31 of the light emitting body 3 is formed below the rear surface of the inclined surface 24. The solar cell 41 receives sunlight rays incident from the bottom surface 23 of the concave portion 22.
[0017]
With this configuration, the light L of the luminous body 3 emitted obliquely upward at the inclination angle β of the optical axis 32 is incident on the light transmitting body 2 from the incident surface 25, and the interface between the light transmitting body 2 and air is provided. That is, the light is refracted downward by the inclined surface 24 of the light transmitting body 2 and is emitted from the inclined surface 24 at a predetermined elevation angle α.
[0018]
Note that the incident surface 25 of the light transmitting body 2 may be inclined with respect to the optical axis 32 of the light emitting body 3, or may be formed as a plane perpendicular to the optical axis 32 of the light emitting body 3. If the incident surface 25 is inclined with respect to the optical axis 32 of the luminous body 3, the light L of the luminous body 3 is refracted by the incident surface 25 and the light transmitting body is inclined at a different inclination angle β from the optical axis 32. In the case where the inclination angle β of the optical axis 32 cannot be set arbitrarily by design due to the limitation of the storage space in the rivet main body 1 or the like, the inclination of the incident surface 25 with respect to the optical axis 32 can be made. By appropriately setting the angle, a desired elevation angle α can be obtained. Further, when the inclination angle β of the optical axis 32 can be set arbitrarily, if the incident surface 25 is formed in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis 32, the light L of the light emitting body 3 will be almost perpendicular to the incident surface 25. Since the light is more incident, the reflection at the incident surface 25 is suppressed, and the light L of the light emitting body 3 can be efficiently made to enter the light transmitting body 2.
[0019]
The depth of the concave portion 22 formed by denting the central portion of the surface 21 of the light transmitting member 2 is not particularly limited, but if the depth is made as small as about several mm, the accumulation of sand or the like is reduced. Due to the fact that the inner side surface is formed as the inclined surface 24, the inner surface is blown off by the wind pressure and the natural wind during traveling of the vehicle and does not accumulate.
[0020]
The elevation angle α of the light L emitted from the inclined surface 24 is determined by the inclination angle β of the optical axis 32 of the light emitter 3, the refractive index determined by the material of the light transmitting body 2, and the inclination angle of the inclined surface 24. May be appropriately set so that a predetermined elevation angle α is obtained. The angle of elevation α is not particularly limited. However, the light angle is set so as to be substantially identical to the line-of-sight angle when viewed from a vehicle driver at a distance of 50 m or more. The elevation angle α is preferably as small as possible, for example, about 2 to 5 degrees. In the present invention, even if the angle of elevation α is set to be small as described above, since the angle of incidence at the interface between the light transmitting body 2 and the air is small due to the inclined surface 24, total reflection cannot occur. Absent.
[0021]
The self-luminous road stud according to the present embodiment is usually installed at the center of an intersection of a crossroad, and the light emitters 3 are arranged in the respective cross directions so that the light L of the light emitters 3 is emitted in the cross direction. At the same time, the light-entering surfaces 25 are formed on the light-transmitting members 2 so as to face the respective light-emitting members 3. However, when the light-emitting members 3 are installed along a center line, a pedestrian crossing, etc. The luminous body 3 may be arranged so that the light L of the body 3 is emitted. The number of the light-emitting bodies 3 arranged to face each of the incident surfaces 25 of the light transmitting body 2 may be one, or a plurality of the light-emitting bodies 3 may be arranged along the incident surface 22.
[0022]
Further, in this embodiment, the stud body 1 and the light transmitting body 2 are formed separately, and the light transmitting body 2 is strongly protected by the stud body 1 and the attachment to the road surface G is reliably and easily performed by the stud body 1. However, if the strength is possible, the tack main body 1 and the light transmitting body 2 may be integrally formed of the above-mentioned hard transparent glass or a transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin.
[0023]
Further, in this embodiment, the surface 21 of the translucent member 2 is buried substantially flush with the road surface G so as not to be an obstacle for vehicles and pedestrians, but there is no obstacle to vehicles and pedestrians. To the extent, the surface 21 may slightly protrude from the road surface G, and the surface 21 of the light transmitting body 2 may not be a horizontal surface, may be a convex curved surface, and except for the concave portion 22 including the inclined surface 24. , May be formed from an opaque body.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the luminous body is arranged below the translucent body, and the inclined surface for emitting the light of the luminous body is formed by depressing the center of the surface of the translucent body. Since the surface does not protrude from the surface of the light transmitting body, it is possible to suppress the protrusion from the road surface. Further, since the light of the light emitter is emitted from the inclined surface, the incident angle is reduced by the inclination angle of the inclined surface, and the elevation angle of the emitted light can be reduced without total reflection.
[0025]
If the surface of the illuminant is buried almost flush with the road surface, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, it is possible to prevent the vehicle or the pedestrian from becoming an obstacle at all.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 tack main body 2 translucent body 21 surface 22 recess 23 bottom surface 24 inclined surface 25 incident surface 3 light emitting body 31 light emitting surface 32 optical axis 4 power supply device 41 solar cell 42 power storage device 43 controller

Claims (4)

A light-transmitting body is attached to the upper part of the tack body buried in the road surface, and a light-emitting body that emits light by the power supply device is mounted to the lower part of the light-transmitting body, and the light-emitting body is arranged with the optical axis of the light-emitting surface obliquely upward. The light-transmitting body is formed such that a central portion of the surface is recessed, an inner surface of the light-transmitting body is formed as an inclined surface, and an incident surface facing the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting body is formed below the rear surface of the inclined surface. A self-luminous road stud, which is made to enter a light transmitting body from a surface and emerge from an inclined surface. The self-luminous road stud according to claim 1, wherein an incident surface of the light transmitting body is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light emitting body. The self-luminous road stud according to claim 1, wherein an incident surface of the light transmitting body is perpendicular to an optical axis of the light emitting body. 4. The self-luminous road stud according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the light transmitting body is buried substantially flush with a road surface.

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