JP7477413B2 - How to install and remove a light-emitting device to replace a flare - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that replaces a flare, and in particular to a method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that replaces a flare from a managed vehicle on a road surface.

On roads such as expressways, for example, when dealing with traffic accidents or repairing or cleaning roads, a commonly used method is to alert drivers of vehicles traveling along the road to the fact that such work is being carried out, preferably by patrolmen in a maintenance vehicle known as a yellow work patrol, to place flares on the road surface to alert drivers. To ensure the safety of vehicles traveling along the road, multiple flares are placed at regular intervals in a section, for example, several hundred meters to several kilometers before the accident or work site, and have the function of alerting vehicles traveling along the road of danger by emitting, for example, a red flame, and of warning drivers in advance not to enter the accident or work site.

Flames are also designed to have a one-step ignition system, for example by twisting and pulling out the cap, so that a worker in a work vehicle can quickly ignite them and place them on the road surface; they are also designed to have a luminous intensity of preferably 200 candelas or more so that the light from the flame can be seen from more than 600 m away during the day and more than 2 km away at night; and they are designed to burn normally even in environments with wind speeds of around 18 m/sec and rainfall of around 50 mm/h.

Furthermore, flares can roll or shift sideways due to strong winds, etc., and there is a risk of fires along the road caused by ignition. In addition, flares cannot be used if gasoline or oil is leaking, for example, at the scene of an accident. Therefore, as alternatives to flares, flares that do not use fire (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and emergency signal lights that run on dry batteries (see, for example, Patent Document 2) have also been developed.

JP 2004-123477 A Utility Model Registration No. 3110865

The above-mentioned conventional flares and alternative flares are difficult to install stably on the road surface, and are installed in an unstable state that is prone to sideways shifting or rolling due to vibration or wind. In addition, if they are run over by a moving vehicle, the flame may go out, break, or jump up and affect other vehicles.

For these reasons, the applicant has developed an alternative light-emitting device to flares that can be used without ignition, can be quickly installed on the road surface in a stable state, and can effectively prevent damage or the device from flying up and affecting other vehicles even if it is run over by a moving vehicle (see, for example, Patent Application No. 2020-75682).

However, with these flares and replacement flares, workers had to get off their maintenance vehicles and place the flares or replacement flares on the road surface, or remove them from the road and collect them. This can have an excessive impact on ordinary vehicles traveling on the road during work, and in some cases may even result in workers coming into contact with vehicles traveling on the road.

The present invention aims to provide a method for installing and removing a flare replacement light-emitting device that allows workers to smoothly install and remove a flare replacement on the road surface without excessively affecting general vehicles traveling on the road.

The present invention relates to a method for installing and removing a flare replacement light-emitting device, which is installed on the road surface of a road such as a highway and is used as a substitute for a flare to alert drivers of vehicles traveling on the road, for installing or removing the flare replacement light-emitting device from a management vehicle on the road surface. The flare replacement light-emitting device comprises a base portion, a light-emitting main body portion equipped with a light source portion having a plurality of LEDs attached thereto and a battery, which is installed on the upper surface side of the base portion, and a light-emitting main body portion attached to the upper surface side of the base portion so as to cover the light-emitting main body portion at a height that can be crossed by the tires of a traveling vehicle. The above-mentioned objective has been achieved by providing a method for installing and removing a flare replacement light-emitting device, which includes a protective cover body having a transparent window through which the light-emitting device can be viewed, and a flexible annular engaging portion is integrally formed on the upper surface of the protective cover body, and a worker in a management vehicle operates a rod-shaped member having a hook-shaped engaging portion at the tip while remaining in the management vehicle, and installs or removes each of the flare replacement light-emitting devices on the road surface while removably engaging the hook-shaped engaging portion with the annular engaging portion of the protective cover body.

In the method for installing and removing a light emitting device that replaces a flare of the present invention, it is preferable that the annular engaging portion is formed using a flexible band-shaped member.

In addition, in the method for installing and removing a light emitting device that replaces a flare of the present invention, it is preferable that the annular engaging portion is formed by detachably engaging a flexible loop-shaped member having one of a male fastener and a female fastener that constitute a flat fastener attached to the upper surface of the protective cover body, the other being attached to the male fastener and the female fastener.

Furthermore, in the method of installing and removing a light-emitting device that substitutes for flares of the present invention, it is preferable that a wristband is connected to the tip of the rod-shaped member on the opposite side to the hook-shaped engaging portion, and a worker installs or removes the light-emitting device that substitutes for flares from the road surface from the maintenance vehicle while wearing the wristband on his or her arm.

Furthermore, the method for installing and removing the alternative light-emitting device to flares of the present invention is preferably such that a worker operates the rod-shaped member through a window of the maintenance vehicle to install or remove the alternative light-emitting device to the road surface.

The method for installing and removing a flare replacement light-emitting device of the present invention allows workers to smoothly install and remove a flare replacement on the road surface without excessively affecting general vehicles traveling on the road.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a light-emitting device that replaces a flare, which is used in a method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that replaces a flare according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a rod-shaped member having a hook-shaped engaging portion at a tip end thereof. FIG. Figure 3(a) is a partial perspective plan view of the light-emitting device as an alternative to a flare, showing the top surface of the protective cover body in a see-through state, Figure 3(b) is a side view of Figure 3(a) from direction A, and Figure 3(b) is a side view of Figure 3(a) from direction B. FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the light-emitting device alternative to a flare is being charged using a charger. 11 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of a light emitting device as an alternative to a flare. FIG.

A method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that replaces flares according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is adopted as a method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that replaces flares 10 shown in FIG. 1 on a road surface 30 (see FIGS. 3(b) and (c)) on a road such as a highway. The light-emitting device that replaces flares 10 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a substitute for flares by emitting light and installing multiple devices at predetermined intervals on the road surface 30, preferably in a section several hundred meters to several kilometers before the repair work site, when road repair work is carried out at night when traffic volume is low. In addition, the light-emitting device that replaces flares 10 has a function of effectively notifying the driver of the existence of a construction site in advance so that the vehicle does not enter the work site while driving by calling the driver's attention. Furthermore, the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 uses LEDs 12 (see Figs. 3(a) and (c)) as a light source, so it can be used without catching fire, can be installed on the road surface 30 quickly and in a stable state, and can be effectively prevented from being damaged or jumping up and affecting other vehicles even if it is run over by a traveling vehicle. The installation and removal method of this embodiment allows the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 to be smoothly installed on the road surface 30 and smoothly removed from the road surface 30 by workers manually, without excessively affecting general vehicles traveling on the road and while avoiding contact with traveling vehicles.

The method for installing and removing a flare replacement light-emitting device of this embodiment is a method for installing or removing a flare replacement light-emitting device 10, which is installed on the road surface 30 of a road such as a highway and is used as a substitute for a flare to alert drivers of vehicles traveling on the road, from a management vehicle to the road surface 30. As shown in Figures 1 and 3 (a) to (c), the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 comprises a base portion 11, a light-emitting main body portion 15 equipped with a light source portion 13 having a plurality of LEDs 12 attached thereto and a battery 14, which is installed on the upper surface side of the base portion 11, and a light-emitting main body portion 15 that covers the light-emitting main body portion 15 at a height that can be crossed by the tires of a traveling vehicle and is located on the upper surface of the base portion 11. The protective cover body 16 has a transparent window 16a attached to the side of the protective cover body 16, through which the light-emitting main body 15 can be viewed. The protective cover body 16 has a flexible annular engaging portion 20 integrally formed on its upper surface 16e. A worker in a management vehicle (not shown), such as a yellow patrol car, can operate a rod-shaped member 22 having a hook-shaped engaging portion 22a at its tip, as shown in FIG. 2, while remaining in the management vehicle, and install or remove each flare replacement light-emitting device 10 on the road surface 30 while removably engaging the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a with the annular engaging portion 20 of the protective cover body 16.

In addition, in this embodiment, the annular engaging portion 20 is formed using a flexible band-shaped member 21.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3(a)-(c), the base portion 11 constituting the flare replacement light emitting device 10 is the part forming the bottom surface of the flare replacement light emitting device 10, and preferably has a substantially square planar shape with four chamfered corners and a length and width of about 100-250 mm (for example, length and width of about 198 mm in this embodiment). The base portion 11 is a molded product made of a material with moderate flexibility and elasticity, such as NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) or urethane, in consideration of the cushioning effect when a vehicle such as a 5-ton truck runs over the flare replacement light emitting device 10 and the effect of mitigating the effects of geothermal heat from the road surface. The protective cover body 16 described later is attached to the upper surface of the base portion 11 as a single unit by joining the lower end surface of the inclined leg portion 16c to the upper surface of the base portion 11 with the light emitting main body portion 15 attached inside.

In this embodiment, the light emitting body 15 constituting the flare replacement light emitting device 10 is installed on the upper surface side of the base part 11 while being covered by and placed inside the protective cover body 16 described later (see Figs. 3(a) and (b)). The light emitting body 15 is equipped with a light source part 13 to which multiple LEDs 12 are attached, and a translucent cover 15a made of the same material and parts as the translucent cover body and light source part of the blinking illumination part constituting the road guide light device described in JP 2019-90176 A, for example, and a rechargeable battery 14 can be removably attached and built into the battery storage box 15b in the center.

The battery 14 built into the light-emitting main body 15 as a sub-charger is charged appropriately by being connected with a single touch, preferably via a charge distribution module, to a parent charger 24 (see FIG. 4) that is installed in, for example, a yellow patrol car (not shown), a maintenance vehicle for work, and is charged while the vehicle is moving. By supplying power to the LED 12 of the light source 13, the light-emitting main body 15 can be illuminated for, for example, three hours or more.

The light emitting body 15 is capable of emitting red light close to the color of flames, preferably with a luminous intensity of 200 candelas or more, by using, for example, multiple high-brightness bullet-shaped red LEDs (6 cd) and multiple green LEDs (18 cd) as the LEDs 12 of the light source 13. The light emitting body 15 is also capable of emitting red light, preferably with a luminous intensity of 200 candelas or more, toward the surroundings of the installation location, by having the light source 13 using the LEDs 12 face the translucent window 16a around the protective cover 16 through the translucent cover 15a (see FIG. 3(a)).

In this embodiment, the protective cover body 16 constituting the flare replacement light emitting device 10 is preferably a die-cast product made of metal such as aluminum or a plastic product made of polypropylene, and as shown in Figures 3(a) to (c), the four inclined legs 16c protruding in all four directions are formed so that the spacing between the tip edges of each pair of diagonally arranged inclined legs 16c has a planar shape that is the same size as the diagonal length of the approximately square base part 11. The protective cover body 16 is composed of an approximately square top surface part 16b (see Figure 1) with the four corners chamfered into an arc shape, and inclined legs 16c whose upper surfaces extend diagonally downward outward from the four corners of the top surface part 16b. When the protective cover body 16 is attached to the base part 11 by joining the lower end surface of the inclined leg part 16c to the upper surface of the base part 11, the approximately square top surface part 16b is formed so that it is positioned at a height of, for example, about 50 mm or less (about 34 mm in this embodiment) from the road surface 30, which is a height that the tires of a traveling vehicle can climb over.

Furthermore, in the four inclined legs 16c of the protective cover body 16, four openings 16a, 16d that open in all four directions are formed in the portions between the base ends of the connection portions of the adjacent inclined legs 16c to the top surface portion 16b. Three of these four openings 16a, 16d are used as light-transmitting windows 16a, and are arranged to face the light source portion 13 of the light-emitting body portion 15 using the LEDs 12 and the light-transmitting cover 15a. The remaining opening is used as an attachment opening 16d, and the battery 14 can be fitted into the battery storage box 15b in the center of the light-emitting body portion 15 through this attachment opening 16d, allowing the battery 14 to be detachably built into the light-emitting body portion 15.

In this embodiment, the flexible annular engaging portion 20 is formed on the top surface 16b and the upper surface 16e of the inclined leg portions 16c of the protective cover body 16 using a flexible belt-shaped member 21, and is provided integrally above them. That is, the belt-shaped member 21 is made of, for example, a sheet-like woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, shape memory alloy, etc., having shape retention, and is formed, for example, longer than the diagonal length of the top surface 16b of the protective cover body 16, and preferably both ends of the belt-shaped member 21 are joined to the connection base portion of the top surface 16b of a pair of diagonally inclined leg portions 16c via adhesive, welding, etc., to form the annular engaging portion 20 that stands upright from the top surface 16e of the protective cover body 16 in a loop shape with the top surface 16e as the base, and detachably engages the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a (see FIG. 2) of the rod-shaped member 22. In addition, the annular engaging portion 20 of the belt-shaped member 21 is erected with a gap of preferably about 50 mm between it and the top surface 16b of the protective cover body 16, so that the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a of the rod-shaped member 22 can be easily attached and detached. Also, because it is flexible, it is crushed and deformed when, for example, the tires of a moving vehicle go over the protective cover body 16, so as not to impede the passage of the vehicle. Furthermore, because it has shape retention, it can smoothly return to its original erect shape after the vehicle has passed.

In this embodiment, the rubber plate 17 is disposed so as to overlap the lower part of the base 11 of the flare replacement light emitting device 10 and is provided as an integral part. The rubber plate 17 is a plate member having a thickness of about 2 to 10 mm and made of a known rubber product, preferably NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber), and has a planar shape similar to that of the base 11. The lower surface of the rubber plate 17 is preferably coated with an adhesive, and the flare replacement light emitting device 10 is installed on the road surface 30 with the rubber plate 17 adhered to the road surface 30 via the adhesive 18. This makes it possible to install the flare replacement light emitting device 10 at a predetermined position on the road surface 30 as a substitute for a flare more easily and stably, without causing lateral displacement or rolling due to, for example, vibration of the road surface 30 caused by a vehicle traveling or wind.

The flare replacement light emitting device 10 configured as described above has an overall weight of, for example, about 0.5 to 2 kg (about 1.1 kg in this embodiment).

In this embodiment, the rod-shaped member 22 that detachably engages the annular engaging portion 20 provided on the protective cover body 16 of the light-emitting device 10 with the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a is preferably a key-shaped rod-shaped member made of metal or synthetic resin with both ends bent as shown in FIG. 2. The rod-shaped member 22 has a length of, for example, about 90 to 130 cm so that a worker in the management vehicle can easily engage the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a with the annular engaging portion 20 of the light-emitting device 10 while remaining in the vehicle, preferably from a window of the management vehicle, and has a hook-shaped engaging portion 22a at its tip. The hook-shaped engaging portion 22a is formed by bending the tip into a shallow U-shape so that the annular engaging portion 20 of the engaged belt-shaped member 21 is stably engaged so that it is not easily disengaged, and the engaged state can be smoothly released.

The rod-shaped member 22 has a handle portion 22b, bent into a ring shape, formed on the other end opposite the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a at the tip, so that a worker in the maintenance vehicle can grasp the handle portion 22b and install or remove the flare replacement light emitting device 10 on the road surface 30, preferably through a window of the maintenance vehicle.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a wristband 22c is connected to the end of the rod-shaped member 22 on the opposite side to the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a. With this wristband 22c attached to the worker's arm, the worker can install the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 on the road surface 30 from the management vehicle or remove it from the road surface 30, which effectively prevents the rod-shaped member 22 from being accidentally dropped onto the road surface 30 during work.

In the method of installing and removing the flare replacement light-emitting device of this embodiment, for example, a patrolman, who is a worker, riding in a yellow patrol car, which is a management vehicle for work, can cause the flare replacement light-emitting device 10, whose battery 14 has been charged by the parent charger 24 as shown in FIG. 4, to emit light by simply removing it from the parent charger 24, and the patrolman can position the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 at a predetermined position on the road surface by simply operating the rod-shaped member 22, preferably through a window of the management vehicle, while still riding in the management vehicle, with the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a of the rod-shaped member 22 engaged with the annular engaging portion 20 of the flare replacement light-emitting device 10, and then release the engaged state, thereby easily installing and mounting the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 at a predetermined position on the road surface. The light emitting device 10, which is installed at a predetermined position on the road surface 30, has a light emitting main body 15 covered by a protective cover body 16 with a considerable strength, so that even if it is run over by a moving vehicle, it will not break and can firmly maintain its function of emitting light of a predetermined luminous intensity to the surroundings. In addition, the light emitting device 10, which is preferably in contact with the road surface 30 via a rubber plate part 17 and a base part 11 made of a rubber material, can be installed on the road surface 30 in a stable state without lateral displacement or rolling due to the frictional force and contact area, and while providing a cushioning effect when run over by a moving vehicle.

On the other hand, when removing the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 installed at a specified position, a patrol member, while still in the management vehicle, operates the rod-shaped member 22, preferably through a window of the management vehicle, to engage the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a of the rod-shaped member 22 with the annular engaging portion 20 of the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 installed at a specified position on the road surface 30, and then takes the engaged flare replacement light-emitting device 10 into the management vehicle, making it possible to easily remove the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 from the road surface 30. After the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a of the rod-shaped member 22 is released from the annular engaging portion 20, the flare replacement light-emitting device 10 taken into the management vehicle is connected to the parent charger 24, and charging of the battery 14 is resumed.

As a result, the method for installing and removing the tube-replacement light-emitting device of this embodiment allows workers to perform the work while remaining in the management vehicle, allowing them to smoothly install and remove the replacement flare on the road surface without excessively affecting general vehicles traveling on the road.

Figure 5 presents another form of the flare replacement light-emitting device 25 used in the installation and removal method of the flare replacement light-emitting device of this embodiment. In addition, with regard to the other form of the flare replacement light-emitting device 25 shown in Figure 5, the components different from the above-mentioned flare replacement light-emitting device 10 are mainly described, and the same components are given the same reference numerals and the description is omitted. For components that are not particularly mentioned, the description of the above-mentioned flare replacement light-emitting device 10 is appropriately applied. In the other form of the flare replacement light-emitting device 25 shown in Figure 5, the annular engaging portion 20' having flexibility and shape retention, which is integrally provided on the upper surface portion 16e of the protective cover body 16, is formed by detachably engaging one of the male side fastener 26a and the female side fastener 26b constituting the surface fastener 26 with the other attached, and having flexibility and shape retention, a loop-shaped member 27.

In other words, in the alternative light emitting device 25 shown in FIG. 5, the female fastener 26b is attached by sticking to the top surface 16e of the top surface 16b of the protective cover body 16, and by engaging the male fastener 26a, which has a loop-shaped member 27 attached to its top surface, which is flexible and has shape retention, to the female fastener 26b, the annular engaging portion 20' formed by the loop-shaped member 27 is provided integrally with the top surface 16e of the protective cover body 16.

Even when using another form of flare replacement light-emitting device 25 shown in FIG. 5, the worker can perform operations while remaining in the management vehicle, such as engaging the hook-shaped engaging portion 22a of the rod-shaped member 22 with the annular engaging portion 20' of the loop-shaped member 27, or releasing the engaged state, to achieve the same effect as described above. In addition, in the case of another form of flare replacement light-emitting device 25 shown in FIG. 5, the annular engaging portion 20' of the loop-shaped member 27 can be removed from the protective cover body 16 in the management vehicle, so that when multiple flare replacement light-emitting devices 25 are attached to multiple parent chargers 24 and charged simultaneously, charging can be performed in a compact state that does not take up space.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the annular engaging portion that is integrally provided on the upper surface of the protective cover body does not necessarily have to be formed using a belt-shaped or loop-shaped member, but may be made of various other materials that are capable of engaging the hook-shaped engaging portion of the rod-shaped member, and that preferably have flexibility and shape retention.

10, 25 Flare replacement light emitting device 11 Base unit 12 LED
13 Light source unit 14 Battery 15 Light emitting main body unit 15a Light-transmitting cover 15b Battery storage box 16 Protective cover body 16a Light-transmitting window unit (opening)
16b Top surface portion 16c Slanted leg portion 16d Mounting opening (opening)
16e Upper surface portion 17 Rubber plate portion 20, 20' Annular latched portion 21 Belt-shaped member 22 Rod-shaped member 22a Hook-shaped latch portion 24 Parent charger 26 Surface-shaped fastener 26a Male fastener 26b Female fastener 27 Loop-shaped member 30 Road surface

Claims (5)

A method for installing and removing a flare substitute light-emitting device, which is installed on the road surface of a road such as an expressway and is used as a substitute for a flare to alert drivers of vehicles traveling on the road, is provided for installing or removing the flare substitute light-emitting device on the road surface from a management vehicle,
The flare substitute light emitting device is configured to include a base portion, a light emitting main body portion equipped with a light source portion having a plurality of LEDs attached thereto and a battery, which is installed on the upper surface side of the base portion, and a protective cover body equipped with a light transmitting window portion through which the light emitting main body portion can be viewed, which is attached to the upper surface side of the base portion and covers the light emitting main body portion at a height that can be overcome by the tires of a moving vehicle,
The protective cover body has a flexible annular engaging portion integrally formed on its upper surface, and a worker riding in a management vehicle, while remaining in the management vehicle, operates a rod-shaped member having a hook-shaped engaging portion at its tip to detachably engage the hook-shaped engaging portion with the annular engaging portion of the protective cover body, while installing or removing each of the flare replacement light-emitting devices on or from the road surface. The method for installing and removing a light emitting device replacing a flare according to claim 1, in which the annular engaging portion is formed using a flexible band-shaped member. The method for installing and removing a light emitting device that replaces a flare according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the annular engaging portion is formed by detachably engaging a flexible loop-shaped member to which one of the male and female fasteners that constitute a flat fastener attached to the upper surface of the protective cover body is attached, and the other fastener is attached to the other. The method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that substitutes for flares according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which a wristband is connected to the tip of the rod-shaped member on the opposite side to the hook-shaped engaging portion, and a worker installs or removes the light-emitting device that substitutes for flares from the road surface from the maintenance vehicle while wearing the wristband on the worker's arm. The method for installing and removing a light-emitting device that substitutes for flares described in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which a worker operates the rod-shaped member from a window of the maintenance vehicle to install or remove the light-emitting device that substitutes for flares on the road surface.

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