JP3586171B2 - Sign - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sign having improved visibility in backlight.
[0002]
[Prior art]
On a route toward the east and west, a route on the beach, and the like, the visibility of the road sign is reduced due to the influence of the backlight caused by the morning sun, the sunset, and the like, and the content of the sign tends to be difficult to read. For this reason, an unfamiliar driver or a driver without land may make a mistake in the course or delay danger prediction. In addition, if the traveling speed is reduced to read the contents of the sign, there is a risk that the following vehicle may perform a dangerous braking operation.
[0003]
To solve this problem, for example, the sign plate 1 shown in FIG. 11 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-259027 has a large number of holes 4 formed in the figure portion 3 of the plate 2 so that light is transmitted from the back surface. The visibility in backlight is improved. Further, there is disclosed a sign plate 1 in which a translucent reflection sheet is arranged on the front surface of the plate.
[0004]
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, “Study on Morphology of Marking Material in Backlight (I)” (Proceedings of the 15th Traffic Engineering Research Conference, November 1995, Japan Traffic Engineering Society) In addition, a sign 1 in which a reflective sheet 7 is arranged on the front surface of a light-transmitting plate (polycarbonate plate) 5 or a punching plate 6 and light from the back surface is transmitted to the character portion 8 to improve visibility in a backlight. Have been. That is, the sign 1 that transmits light by not providing the reflective sheet 7 on the character portion 8 and the sign 1 that transmits light by disposing the translucent reflective sheet 7 on the character portion 8 are disclosed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-mentioned sign, light penetrates the character design part from the back side, and visibility in backlight is improved, but when the sun receives strong backlight, such as when the sun comes directly behind the sign, the character The design may become too bright and difficult to read. In particular, when light passes directly, as in the case where light is transmitted through a hole, there is a possibility that the character design may be difficult to read due to direct sunlight or the color of the background.
[0006]
When strong light passes through the character design portion from the back surface of the light transmitting plate, the character design portion may appear white. In this case, in a sign in which a character design is drawn on a light-colored base such as white, the character design portion may have the same color as the base, and the visibility of the sign may be easily reduced.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to provide a sign having high visibility even when receiving strong backlight.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in the sign according to the present invention, a light-transmitting reflective sheet representing a character pattern is disposed on the front surface of the light-transmitting plate, and light is transmitted through the reflective sheet from the rear surface of the light-transmitting plate. did. As a result, the sign becomes brighter when the subject is backlit, and the visibility is improved. At this time, if the translucent plate is provided with a means for adjusting the amount of transmitted light, it is possible to prevent the character / design portion from becoming too bright and difficult to read.
[0009]
Then, a configuration can be adopted in which one of the character pattern portion and the base portion constituting the reflection sheet is made translucent and the other is made non-translucent. That is, the character design portion is made translucent so that light is transmitted, and the base portion is made non-translucent. Alternatively, the character pattern portion is made non-translucent, and the base portion is made translucent. As a result, since light from the back surface of the light transmitting plate transmits through the character pattern portion or the base portion of the reflection sheet at the time of backlight, contrast between the character pattern portion and the base material can be provided, and visibility at the time of backlight is improved. . Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which both the character design portion and the base portion are made translucent to make the whole bright.
[0010]
And, when punching processing is performed on the reflection sheet of the character design portion, light can be transmitted even when a non-translucent reflection sheet is used for the character design portion, and the transmitted light makes the character design portion of the sign bright. Thus, visibility in backlight is improved.
[0011]
Here, when a punching metal is arranged on the back surface side of the light transmitting plate as a means for adjusting the amount of transmitted light, the amount of light reaching the light transmitting plate is less than the amount of backlight that the light transmitting plate receives when there is no punching metal. The total amount is obtained by multiplying the ratio between the area of the hole of the punching metal and the total area of the punching metal. When the light-transmitting plate and the punching metal are arranged at a predetermined interval, light can be uniformly applied to the back surface of the light-transmitting plate by utilizing light diffraction.
[0012]
The amount of light transmission can also be adjusted by coloring the light-transmitting plate. At this time, since the sunlight does not pass directly through the sign and is not affected by the color of the background, the sign can be easily read. In addition, since strong light can be prevented from penetrating from the back surface of the light-transmitting plate to make the character design look white, even if the character design is drawn on a light-colored base such as white, the visibility of the sign is improved. Does not drop.
[0013]
Here, if a color film is arranged on the back side of the light transmitting plate and colored, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a colored light transmitting plate is used. In addition, when the translucent plate is colored in the same color as the reflection sheet of the character design portion, it is possible to prevent the color of the character design portion from changing due to the backlight.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the sign according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the sign 1, FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the cutout 9, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view thereof. In the sign 1 shown in FIG. 1, a translucent plate 5 such as a transparent acrylic plate is attached to the back side of the sign plate 2 so as to cover a cutout 9 formed in the sign plate 2 made of aluminum. The reflection sheet 7 for improving nighttime visibility is attached to the front surface of the plate 5. A translucent plate 5 larger than the cutout 9 is used so that the translucent plate 5 can be overlapped on the back side of the sign plate 2.
[0015]
The reflection sheet 7 is attached to the front surface of the light-transmitting plate 5 to form a character pattern portion, and the reflection sheet 7a is attached to the front surface of the light-transmitting plate 5 to form a base portion. It comprises a light-transmitting reflection sheet 7b and a non-light-transmitting reflection sheet 7c which is adhered to the front surface of the sign board 2 and forms a base portion. Therefore, at the time of backlight, light is transmitted only from the back surface of the sign 1 through the translucent plate 5 to the character design portion, and the contrast with the base portion is provided, and the visibility is improved. The translucent reflection sheet 7a forming the character pattern portion has a different color from the non-translucent reflection sheets 7b and 7c forming the base portion.
[0016]
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the sign 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view (AA cross section) of a main part thereof. As shown in the figure, a slide channel 13 for reinforcing the sign board 2 around the cutout 9 and the sign board 2 is attached to the back surface of the sign board 2 by welding or the like in the vertical and horizontal directions. The upper end of the light transmitting plate 5 is fixed to the back surface of the sign plate 2 with bolts 11 and nuts 12, and the side end and lower end are fixed to the slide channel 13 with bolts 11 and nuts 12. Between the pressing member 14 and the sign board 2.
[0017]
In FIG. 2, since the back surface of the sign plate 2 and the front surface of the light-transmitting plate 5 overlap, the front surfaces of the sign plate 2 and the light-transmitting plate 5 are not flush with each other. If a notch 15 having the same thickness as the marker plate 2 is formed in the overlapping portion of the translucent plate 5 and the marker plate 2, the front surfaces of the translucent plate 5 and the marker plate 2 can be flush.
[0018]
Then, an aluminum punching metal 17 for adjusting the amount of light transmitted when the backlight is back is attached to the rear surface side of the slide channel 13, that is, the U-shaped portion 16. Here, the distance between the marker plate 2 and the light transmitting plate 5 and the punching metal 17 can be adjusted by selecting the size of the slide channel 13.
[0019]
FIGS. 5A and 5B show a state in which the sign 1 is installed on the support column 18, wherein FIG. 5A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a rear view. A vertical member 19 made of an aluminum T-shaped member is attached to the back surface of the punching metal 17, and the vertical member 19 is supported by two cantilever beams 22 attached to the column 18 via an attachment 20. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a support member.
[0020]
Next, a description will be given of how the sign 1 receives back light. As shown in FIG. 6, the back light is blocked by the punching metal 17 in which the circular holes 4 are arranged at equal intervals, and only the light passing through the holes 4 is emitted. The light reaches the rear surface of the light transmitting plate 5. Therefore, the amount of light that passes through the punching metal 17 and reaches the rear surface of the light transmitting plate 5 is equal to the total amount of light received by the light transmitting plate 5 when there is no punching metal 17 and the area of the hole 4 and the total amount of the punching metal 17. The ratio is multiplied by the area ratio, and can be adjusted by selecting the size and interval of the holes 4.
[0021]
By the way, due to the diffraction of light, the light that has passed through the hole 4 reaches not only a portion located in front of the hole 4 but also a front surface of a portion blocked by the punching metal 17. In order to uniformly illuminate the rear surface of the light transmitting plate 5 by utilizing the diffraction of the light, the distance between the holes 4 may be reduced and the distance between the light transmitting plate 5 and the punching metal 17 may be increased. Therefore, the size and interval of the hole 4 and the interval between the light transmitting plate 5 and the punching metal 17 may be adjusted in consideration of making the light uniform and the amount of transmitted light.
[0022]
The light that has reached the rear surface of the light transmitting plate 5 passes through the light transmitting plate 5 and reaches the reflection sheet 7 attached to the front surface of the light transmitting plate 5. At this time, the non-light-transmitting reflection sheet 7b forming the base portion blocks light, and the light-transmitting reflection sheet 7a forming the character design portion transmits light, so that only the character design portion becomes bright. The contrast with the base portion is provided, and the visibility at the time of backlight is improved. In addition, since the amount of transmitted light is adjusted by the punching metal 17, the character and design portions do not cause halation or glare.
[0023]
Note that light reaching the back surface of the sign plate 2 is blocked by the sign plate 2 without reaching the reflection sheet 7c. When it is necessary to increase the distance between the translucent plate 5 and the punching metal 17 so as to make the light uniform, the punching metal 17 is arranged on the rear side of the cantilever 22 as shown in FIG. Is also good. In the sign 1 having a small number of characters, the design can be raised by changing the interval between the holes 4 of the punching metal 17, which can contribute to the design of the back surface of the sign board.
[0024]
Next, the visibility of the sign 1 at night will be described with reference to FIG. At night, it is necessary for the sign 1 to secure predetermined visibility by receiving the light of the vehicle 23 and the light of the lighting equipment. At this time, good visibility can be ensured by using the reflection sheet 7 having a high reflection luminance in the character / pattern portion.
[0025]
In general, light is reflected at a constant reflection angle according to the incident angle. However, if a wide-angle reflection sheet 7 that reflects light with a predetermined spread is used, as shown in FIG. By reflecting the light emitted from the floodlight 25 installed on the roadside 24 in front, good visibility for the driver of the vehicle 23 traveling on the road 26 can be secured. That is, when the reflection angle is constant, the driver can visually recognize the sign 1 only when the reflection position is on a straight line having a certain angle with respect to the straight line connecting the light projector 25 and the sign 1. However, by giving the reflection angle a wide angle, the range in which the sign 1 can be visually recognized can be expanded.
[0026]
By the way, the visible range of the sign 1 increases at a predetermined angle as the distance from the sign 1 increases. Therefore, even when it is not possible to view at a position close to the sign 1, it is visible at a position away from the sign 1. Here, when the light projector 25 is installed at a predetermined position (L1: distance from the sign 1, H: height from the road surface), the visible distance (L2) of the sign 1 is determined by the reflection angle of the reflection sheet 7. The larger, the shorter.
[0027]
9 and 10 show another embodiment. In the sign 1 of FIG. 9, the character portion of the above-described embodiment is formed of the non-light-transmitting reflection sheet 7a, and a large number of the character portion reflection sheets 7a are formed by punching so that the character portion transmits light. The hole 4 is formed. Since it is not necessary to use the translucent reflective sheet 7 in the sign 1, it is possible to select the reflective sheet 7 by focusing on functions other than translucency such as the reflection angle of the reflective sheet 7.
[0028]
The sign 1 shown in FIG. 10 has a color film 27 for adjusting the amount of transmitted light adhered to the back surface of the light transmitting plate 5 and a large number of holes 4 formed on the front surface of the light transmitting plate 5 by punching. The character formed by the translucent reflection sheet 7a is adhered. By making the color film 27 the same color as the reflection sheet 7a, the color of the character portion is prevented from being affected by the background, and the character portion is prevented from appearing white due to strong backlight. Therefore, even in the sign 1 having the white base portion, good visibility can be ensured. The marker 1 does not need to be provided with the punching metal 17, but may be used in combination with the punching metal 17 by reducing the color of the color film 27.
[0029]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, the reflection sheet 7a constituting the character pattern portion may be made non-translucent, and the reflection sheet 7b constituting the base portion may be made translucent to provide a contrast between the character design portion and the base portion. .
[0030]
As the light transmitting plate 5, a punching plate may be used instead of the transparent plate. Instead of attaching the color film 27 to the light transmitting plate 5, a colored light transmitting plate 5 may be used.
[0031]
Further, a shutter powered by a solar cell is provided behind the light-transmitting plate 5 to close the shutter to reduce the amount of transmitted light when the backlight is strong, and to open the shutter to reduce the amount of transmitted light when the backlight is weak. The amount may be adjusted so as to increase.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
In the sign according to the present invention, light is transmitted from the back side to the character design portion so that the character design portion becomes brighter than the base portion when the subject is backlit. Then, by adjusting the amount of transmitted light, the visibility at the time of backlight can be improved. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of accidents caused by oversight of the sign and the brake operation for reading.
[0033]
In the case of a small sign or a light-colored base material, the entire sign board is made of a light-transmitting plate, and a light-transmissive reflective sheet with a text pattern is attached on the entire surface to simplify the structure and improve visibility. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a sign of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a cutout portion, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view thereof. FIG. -A cross-sectional view [Fig. 5] Shows the installation state of the sign on the support, (a) is a side view, (b) is a rear view [Fig. 6] Arrangement diagram of holes of punching metal [Fig. FIG. 8A is a side view, and FIG. 8B is a rear view. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating illumination of a sign using a floodlight. FIG. FIG. 10 (a) is an enlarged view of a cutout portion of a sign in which a character portion is punched and a color film is adhered to the back surface, and FIG. 10 (b) is an enlarged view of a cutout portion of the sign. (B) is a cross-sectional view thereof. [FIG. 11] A perspective view of a conventional sign plate in which a number of holes are formed in a figure portion. [FIG. 12] A character portion is translucent and a base portion is non-transparent. 13 shows a configuration of a conventional sign in which a reflective sheet having transparency is arranged on the front surface of a light-transmitting plate. FIG. 13 A reflective sheet having a light-transmitting character portion and a light-transmitting base material is arranged on the front surface of a punching plate. Diagram showing the configuration of a conventional sign
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mark 4 Hole 5 Translucent plate 7 Reflective sheet 17 Punched metal 27 Color film

Claims (4)

A reflection sheet representing a character pattern is arranged on the front surface of the light-transmitting plate, and is a sign provided with adjustment means for adjusting the amount of light transmitted through the reflection sheet from the back surface of the light- transmitting plate. A sign made of punched metal arranged at intervals on the back side . 2. The sign according to claim 1, wherein the reflection sheet comprises a character design portion and a base portion, one of which is translucent and the other is non-translucent. 2. The sign according to claim 1, wherein the reflection sheet includes a character design portion and a base portion, and is entirely translucent. 2. The sign according to claim 1, wherein the reflection sheet includes a character design part and a base part, and one of the reflection sheet and the base part is punched.

Images