JP7479161B2 - Road markings and road illuminating materials - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to road marking materials and road light-emitting materials that provide indications to pedestrians and vehicle drivers passing along the road by emitting light or other means.

When providing information to pedestrians and drivers of vehicles traveling on the road, they are often notified by road markings such as white lines laid on the road surface.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes such road markings as a road marking paint that contains a synthetic resin solution or dispersion and a filler, and is applied to the road surface, then a retroreflective material such as glass beads is sprinkled on it and allowed to dry to form a coating. This road marking paint is applied to a concrete road surface by spraying or the like, and before it dries, a retroreflective material is sprinkled on the surface, and then the diluent contained in the paint is volatilized to provide a retaining portion on the periphery of the retroreflective material, thereby increasing the retention of the retroreflective material.

Patent Document 2 also describes a road surface line marking in which the band-shaped line to be detected by the laser radar is formed from a fusion-type marking paint essentially consisting of a thermoplastic binder, a filler, a plasticizer, a color pigment, and glass beads, and the glass beads are scattered and fixed to the surface of the band-shaped line, with the glass beads containing 50% or more glass beads having a refractive index of 1.6 to 2.5 and a median particle size of 500 to 1500 μm.

Patent document 3 describes a white line for road markings that is formed on the road surface and is composed of a filling layer and a line paint layer, and describes a white line for road markings that has a glass film layer formed of a single or multi-component metal oxide glass film provided on the white line.

JP 2003-208106 A JP 2015-148114 A JP 2004-239033 A

In road markings formed by applying road marking paint as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the coating of the road marking paint is easily worn away by wear caused by contact with pedestrians and vehicles. For this reason, as part of maintenance, it is necessary to maintain the road markings by periodically applying additional coats of retroreflective material (such as glass beads) and road marking paint. Once maintenance is performed, traffic restrictions are required for an extended period of time, so there has been a demand for a road marking method that requires less frequent maintenance.

In this case, applying a thick layer of road marking paint may make the road marking less likely to be lost when it comes into contact with a pedestrian or vehicle. However, if the road marking paint is applied thickly, the force received from contact with a pedestrian or vehicle increases, particularly on the underside of the road marking, making the road marking more likely to peel off from the road surface and fall off.

The object of the present invention is to provide road marking materials and road luminous materials that can reduce the frequency of maintenance and are less likely to fall off the road surface.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems. As a result, they have discovered that a road marking material having at least a display plate body that is fitted into a groove formed on the road and that provides an identifying display function to pedestrians and vehicle drivers can be held in the groove, making the road marking material less likely to fall off the road surface. They have also discovered that the identifying display function of the display plate body can make it less likely for the identifying display function of the road marking material to be lost even through wear caused by contact with pedestrians and vehicles, and have thus completed the present invention. Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

That is, the gist of the present invention is as follows.
(1) A road marking material characterized by having at least a display plate body that is fitted into a groove formed on a road and provides an identification function to pedestrians and/or vehicle drivers passing along the road.
(2) The road marking material described in (1) above, wherein the indication plate body is made of a wear-resistant material and has a base material having at least one of a continuous groove that extends continuously and an intermittent groove in which a plurality of recesses extend in an intermittent series, and a indication plate piece fitted into the groove.
(3) A road marking material as described in (2) above, in which the indication plate piece is fitted into the intermittent groove, and a partition portion of the base material existing between the grooves that constitute the groove has a wear limit indication at a predetermined height position between the upper surface position of the partition portion and the bottom surface position of the groove.
(4) The road marking material according to (1), (2) or (3) above, wherein the marking plate body is a white line plate having a function as a dividing line on the road.
(5) A road marking material as described in (2) or (3) above, in which the indication plate piece is made of a translucent material, and the recess constituting the intermittent groove has a first indication pattern on at least a portion of its inner wall.
(6) A road marking material as described in (2) or (3) above, wherein the display plate piece is made of a translucent material, the recess constituting the intermittent groove is rectangular in a plan view, and one of four inner walls has a first display pattern, and the inner wall opposite the one inner wall has a second display pattern.
(7) A road marking material as described in any one of (1) to (6) above, which has an internal space for accommodating a cable and is a cover material for closing the opening of a cable storage section having an open upper end.
(8) The road marking material according to (7) above, wherein at least one of the first display pattern and the second display pattern is constituted by a light-emitting means electrically connected to the cable and emitting light.
(9) The road marking material according to (8) above, wherein the light emitting means emits a first light emission to encourage vehicles traveling on the road at a speed different from a set speed to travel at the set speed.
(10) The road marking material according to (8) above, wherein the light-emitting means emits a second light emission to notify a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on the road that the vehicle is traveling in the wrong direction.
(11) A road marking material according to any one of (2) to (10) above, wherein at least a portion of the base material and the marking plate piece is made of a material that reflects electromagnetic waves.
(12) A road marking material as described in any one of (1) to (11) above, which constitutes a lid material for a snow melting equipment, and which is a heat-conductive lid material having an internal space for accommodating a heating element and being positioned to close the opening of a storage container having an open upper end.
(13) A road surface illuminating material characterized by being comprised of an illuminating plate body which is fitted into a groove formed on a road and has an illuminating means for illuminating one or both of pedestrians and vehicles passing along the road.
(14) The light-emitting plate body is made of a wear-resistant material, and has a base material having at least one of a continuous groove that extends continuously and an intermittent groove in which a plurality of recesses extend in an intermittent series, and a light-transmitting plate piece made of a light-transmitting material fitted into the groove, as described in (13) above.
(15) The road surface light-emitting material described in (14) above, wherein the recess constituting the intermittent groove has a first light-emitting pattern on at least a portion of the inner wall.
(16) A road surface light-emitting material described in any one of (14) or (15) above, wherein the recess constituting the intermittent groove is rectangular in a plan view, and one of the four inner walls has a first light-emitting pattern, and the inner wall opposite the one inner wall has a second light-emitting pattern.
(17) The road surface light-emitting material described in (16) above, wherein the road surface light-emitting material is embedded in the boundary between the portions of the road where the pedestrians and the vehicles pass, the intermittent grooves are provided along the direction of movement of the pedestrians and the vehicles, the first light-emitting pattern is configured to illuminate the pedestrians, and the second light-emitting pattern is configured to illuminate the vehicles.

The present invention provides road marking materials and road illuminating materials that can reduce the frequency of maintenance and are less likely to peel off from the road surface.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a road marking material of a first embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view and FIG. 1(b) is a sectional view taken along an imaginary plane _P1 in FIG. 1(a). FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of road marking materials of the first embodiment according to the present invention are installed on a paved road. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the structure of a road marking material of a second embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P2 of FIG. 3A. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the structure of a road marking material of a third embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a perspective view and FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P3 in FIG. 4A. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing the structure of a road marking material of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a perspective view and FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P4 in FIG. 5A. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a case where a road marking material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is used to provide a notice to a driver of a vehicle traveling on a road at a speed different from a set speed. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a case where a road marking material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is used to provide a notice to a driver of a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on a road. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a road marking material according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing the structure of a road surface light emitting material of a sixth embodiment according to the present invention, in which FIG. 9A is a perspective view and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P5 in FIG. 9A. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a case where a road surface light emitting material according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is used to illuminate pedestrians and also to provide a display to vehicle drivers.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 shows the structure of a road marking material of a first embodiment according to the present invention, with Fig. 1(a) being a perspective view and Fig. 1(b) being a cross-sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P1 of Fig. 1(a), with Fig. 1(a) showing one cable contained in a container, and Fig. 2 being a schematic view showing a plurality of road marking materials of the first embodiment according to the present invention installed on a paved road.

As shown in FIG. 2, the road surface marking material 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has at least a display plate body 2 that is fitted into a groove 11 formed on a road 10 and serves to display the walking path or driving path on the road to one or both of pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C passing along the road. By configuring the display plate body 2 to be fitted into the groove 11 in this way, the thick display plate body 2 is held in the groove 11, making it difficult for the road surface marking material 1 to fall off from the road 10. In addition, by configuring the road surface marking material 1 to be fitted into the groove 11, the paint film will not peel off and the marking will not be faded, compared to the conventional method in which identification marks such as white lines are formed with a paint film, and even when a new white line is formed, the trouble of peeling off the paint film is not required, making it possible to reduce maintenance work time.

In FIG. 2, the road marking material 1 is fitted into a groove 11 formed on the road 10, and multiple road marking materials 1 are lined up along the direction of travel D of vehicles C and pedestrians F on the road 10. On the other hand, the road marking materials 1 can be formed into any shape according to the required road marking, and are not limited to being lined up along the direction of travel D. Furthermore, when lined up along the direction of travel D, the road marking materials 1 may be arranged in a continuous line (solid line) with the ends of adjacent road marking materials 1 in contact with each other, or adjacent road marking materials 1 may be arranged in an interrupted line (dashed line) with a specified interval between them.

From the viewpoint of not interfering with the passage of vehicles C and pedestrians F, the road surface marking material 1 is preferably embedded in the arrangement groove 11 so that the upper surface T of the display plate body 2 is flush with the surface (ground surface G) of the road 10 on which the vehicles C and pedestrians F pass. The surface of the road 10 on which the vehicles C and pedestrians F pass may be either a paved or unpaved road, but from the viewpoint of preventing deterioration of the identification function due to dirt, it is preferable that it is the surface of a paved road 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the paved road 20 may have a pavement layer 21 mainly made of asphalt and a ground 22 mainly made of soil and located in the lower layer. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the road surface marking material 1 is embedded on a road 10 on which both vehicles C and pedestrians F pass, but the road 10 on which the road surface marking material 1 is embedded may be a road on which only one of the vehicles C and pedestrians F passes. Roads 10 also include areas where vehicles C and pedestrians F do not pass, and further include areas that do not have the function of allowing vehicles C and pedestrians F to pass, such as parking lots and bicycle parking lots.

The means for fixing the road surface marking material 1 to the installation groove 11 is not particularly limited, and known means such as stakes and screws can be used. The road surface marking material 1 according to this embodiment can be fixed to the installation groove 11 without relying on adhesion to the road surface of the pavement 20, as with road marking paint, and is therefore unlikely to be damaged even when vehicles C and pedestrians F pass over the top surface.

The road marking material 1 may be fixed to the installation groove 11 by itself. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, it is also preferable to combine the road marking material 1 with a storage container 8 that has an internal space S for storing the cable 7 and is open at the top, and use it as a lid to close the opening. This allows the installation of the road marking material 1 and the burial of the cable 7 in the ground to be carried out simultaneously.

Examples of the storage container 8 include containers that store cables 7 such as communication lines, low-voltage power lines, and high-voltage power lines. In particular, from the perspective of preventing the cables 7 from falling off when the storage container 8 is installed, it is preferable that the storage container 8 has a concave shape when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction (the length direction y of the road marking material 1 in Figure 1) that is parallel to the direction in which the cables 7 extend. In other words, it is preferable that the road marking material 1 has an identification function as well as a function as a lid for the storage container 8.

[Display plate body]
As shown in FIG. 1, a road marking material 1 according to this embodiment includes a marking plate body 2 that exhibits an identification marking function.

In the road surface marking material 1 according to this embodiment, at least a portion of the marking plate piece 5 of the marking plate body 2 has a color different from that of the road 10, such as a white line plate that functions as a dividing line on the road, thereby providing an identification function for pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C. On the other hand, at least a portion of the marking plate body 2 may emit light, providing an identification function for pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C. This aspect will be described later.

The display plate body 2 is preferably made of a wear-resistant material and has a base material 4 having a groove 3, and a display plate piece 5 fitted into the groove 3.

(Base material)
Of these, the substrate 4 is preferably made of an abrasion-resistant material. In particular, by making the substrate 4 of an abrasion-resistant material, the substrate 4 is less likely to be worn even if a pedestrian F or a vehicle C passing through the road 10 comes into contact with the substrate 4, and therefore the identification function of the road marking material 1 can be protected. Here, as the abrasion-resistant material, it is preferable to use a material in which the amount of abrasion required when H-22 is selected as the abrasion wheel and the load is set to 9.8 N in a test conforming to JIS K 7204 (plastic-abrasion test method using abrasion wheels) is 0.5 g/1,000 times or less. Specific examples of abrasion-resistant materials include metals such as iron, stainless steel, and aluminum, engineering plastics such as polyamide and polytetrafluoroethylene, fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP), ceramics, and concrete.

The substrate 4 has at least one of the grooves 3, which are a continuous groove that extends continuously, and an intermittent groove in which a plurality of recesses extend in an intermittent series. More preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the groove 3 has an intermittent groove 31 in which a plurality of recesses 3a to 3f extend in an intermittent series. By providing a groove 3 that extends continuously or intermittently along at least one of the length direction y and width direction x of the road marking material 1, a display means such as a display plate piece 5 can be embedded therein, so that the road marking material 1 can exhibit various identification display functions. In particular, by providing an intermittent groove 31 in which a plurality of recesses 3a to 3f extend in an intermittent series, a wear-resistant material is present not only in the adjacent parts in the width direction of the groove 3 but also in the parts that are interrupted in the extension direction of the groove 3, so that the identification display function of the road marking material 1 can be protected from wear due to contact with pedestrians F and vehicles C.

The direction in which the grooves 3 are formed may be along the length direction y of the road marking material 1 or along the width direction x. From the perspective of displaying to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C who are in a specific direction, it is preferable to have multiple grooves 3 arranged parallel to each other, but the multiple grooves 3 may each extend in a different direction.

The thickness dimension of the base material 4 is preferably large, and more specifically, is preferably in the range of 10 mm to 100 mm. In this way, by increasing the thickness dimension of the road marking material 1, when the road marking material 1 is installed on the road 10, it becomes easier to hold the display plate body 2 in the installation groove 11, and it becomes less likely that the road marking material 1 will fall off the road 10.

The background color of the substrate 4 is not particularly limited, but if it is desired to make both the display plate piece 5 and the substrate 4 stand out against the road 10 on which the road marking material 1 is installed, the background color of the substrate 4 may be white, orange, or the like. On the other hand, if it is not desired to make the road marking material 1 stand out against the road 10, the background color of the substrate 4 may be black, gray, or the like.

(Display plate piece)
The display plate piece 5 is fitted into the groove 3 of the base material 4 to display or assist in displaying to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C. The color of the display plate piece 5 and the background color of the base material 4 provide the identification display function of the display plate body 2.

The color of the display plate piece 5 is determined based on the desired display color of the road marking material 1. For example, if it is desired to make the display plate piece 5 stand out on the road 10 on which the road marking material 1 is installed, the color of the display plate piece 5 may be white or orange. In addition, the color of the display plate piece 5 may be combined with the background color of the substrate 4 so that these colors and colors different from the background color are recognized by pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C.

The display plate piece 5 is configured to be attached to the substrate 4. Here, when attaching the display plate piece 5 to the substrate 4, a transparent or non-transparent adhesive may be used as necessary.

It is preferable that the thickness dimension of the indication plate piece 5 is large. More specifically, it is preferable that the thickness dimension is in the range of 5 mm to 50 mm. In this way, by increasing the thickness dimension of the indication plate piece 5, it is possible to make it thicker than the coating film that has been used conventionally, so that the identification display function of the road surface marking material 1 is less likely to be lost even due to wear caused by contact with pedestrians F, vehicles C, etc.

The display plate piece 5 is fitted into the intermittent groove 31, and preferably has a wear limit indicator 6 at a predetermined height position between the position of the upper surface T of the partition portion 41 and the position of the bottom surface 33 of the groove 3 in the partition portion 41 of the base material 4 that exists between the grooves 3 that constitute the groove 3. In particular, by providing this wear limit indicator 6 above the height position at which wear due to contact with a pedestrian F or a vehicle C is permitted, it becomes possible to proceed with replacing the road marking material 1 before the identification display function of the road marking material 1 is lost. This allows maintenance to be performed at an appropriate time while properly maintaining the identification display function of the road marking material 1, and also makes it easier to plan maintenance, thereby improving the efficiency of maintenance. For example, when the wear limit indicator 6 is visually recognized, maintenance work to replace the display plate piece 5 can be performed.

Here, it is preferable that one or both of the display plate piece 5 and the base material 4 are made to contain a material that reflects electromagnetic waves. This makes it easier to reflect electromagnetic waves such as radar emitted by the vehicle C with an autonomous driving function, making it easier for the vehicle C with an autonomous driving function to identify the road marking material 1 on the road 10. Therefore, for example, if the road marking material 1 having the display plate piece 5 or base material 4 with electromagnetic wave reflectivity is used as a lane marking on the road 10, it is possible to more reliably prevent the vehicle C from deviating from the lane.

In this specification, the term "vehicle driver" includes the vehicle itself, even if the vehicle has an autonomous driving function.

Second Embodiment
Fig. 3 shows the structure of a road marking material of a second embodiment according to the present invention, with Fig. 3(a) being a perspective view and Fig. 3(b) being a cross-sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P2 of Fig. 3(a), with Fig. 3(a) showing one cable housed in the housing container. In the following explanation, the same components as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted or simplified, with differences being mainly explained.

In the road marking material 1A shown in FIG. 3, the marking plate pieces 5A are made of a translucent material, and the recesses 3a to 3f that make up the intermittent groove 31 have a first marking pattern 61A on at least a portion of the inner wall 32. In this embodiment, of the marking plate body 2A of the road marking material 1A, it is not the marking plate pieces 5A themselves, but the first marking pattern 61A provided on the inner wall 32 of the intermittent groove 31, that exhibits a different color from the road 10 through the marking plate pieces 5A made of a translucent material, thereby providing an identification display function for pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C.

The translucent material that constitutes the display plate piece 5A can be a material that transmits visible light (light with a wavelength in the range of 400 nm to 700 nm), and specific examples include polycarbonate, acrylic, and reinforced glass.

The first display pattern 61A is provided on at least a portion of the inner wall 32 of the intermittent groove 31. More preferably, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the first display pattern 61A is provided on a side wall 34 of the inner wall 32 of the intermittent groove 31 that is perpendicular to the top surface T and faces in one direction. In particular, by providing the first display pattern 61A on the side wall 34 facing in one direction, it is possible to selectively provide an identifiable display function to a pedestrian F or a driver of a vehicle C present in one direction.

Third Embodiment
Figure 4 shows the structure of a road marking material of a third embodiment according to the present invention, with Figure 4(a) being a perspective view and a cross-sectional view taken along imaginary plane _P3 of Figure 4(a), and Figure 4(a) showing a state in which one cable is housed in the housing container. In the following description, the same components as those in the first or second embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified, with differences being mainly described.

In the road surface marking material 1B shown in Fig. 4, the marking plate piece 5B is made of a translucent material as in the second embodiment, and the recesses 3a to 3f constituting the intermittent groove 31 are rectangular in plan view from above, and of the four inner walls formed by the sides of the rectangle, one inner wall, that is, the side wall 34, has a first marking pattern 61B, and an inner wall (side wall 35) opposite the one inner wall (side wall 34) has a second marking pattern 62B. Here, the first marking pattern 61B is provided on the side wall 34 of the inner walls 32 of the intermittent groove 31 that is perpendicular to the upper surface T and faces in one direction. On the other hand, the second marking pattern 62B is provided on the side wall 35 of the inner walls 32 of the recesses 3a to 3f that is perpendicular to the upper surface T and faces in the other direction opposite to the one direction. This allows the first display pattern 61B to be selectively displayed to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C in one direction, and the second display pattern 62B to be selectively displayed to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C in the other direction. Therefore, different content can be displayed to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C on both sides of the road marking material 1B.

Fourth Embodiment
Fig. 5 shows the structure of a road marking material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 5(a) is a perspective view, Fig. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view in the virtual plane _P4 of Fig. 5(a), and Fig. 5(a) shows a state in which one cable is accommodated in the accommodation container. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a case in which the road marking material according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is used to provide an indication to a driver of a vehicle traveling on a road at a speed different from a set speed. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a case in which the road marking material according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is used to provide an indication to a driver of a vehicle traveling on a road in the wrong direction. In the following description, the same components as those in at least one of the first to third embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified, and differences are mainly described.

The road marking material 1C shown in FIG. 5 is a road marking material 1C having at least one of a first display pattern 61C and a second display pattern 62C, and at least one of the first display pattern 61C and the second display pattern 62C is composed of light-emitting means 72C, 73C that are electrically connected to the cable 7 and emit light. Here, in the road marking material 1C shown in FIG. 5, the first display pattern 61C is composed of the light-emitting means 72C, and the second display pattern 62C is composed of the light-emitting means 73C. As a result, the light-emitting means 72C, 73C are electrically connected to a power source (not shown) by the cable 7 and the lead wire 71, etc., and emit light, so that it can demonstrate an identification display function for pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C. At this time, by storing the cable 7 in the above-mentioned storage container 8, the cable 7 and the light-emitting means 72C, 73C are provided in close proximity to each other, making it easier to perform wiring work during maintenance.

The road surface marking material 1C has a display plate piece 5C made of a translucent material, as in the second and third embodiments, and is configured so that the first display pattern 61C and the second display pattern 62C are displayed to pedestrians F and the driver of vehicle C based on the light emitted from the light emitting means 72C and 73C. Here, the light emitting means 72C and 73C may be ones that emit visible light (light with a wavelength in the range of 400 to 700 nm), such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), or ones that emit light in the ultraviolet or infrared range may be used in combination with a fluorescent material.

The road marking material 1C of this embodiment can be configured to display, to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C, display patterns that change in color or display presence depending on time, in addition to fixed display patterns. For example, the road marking material 1C provided on the road 10 is preferably configured to configure the light-emitting means 72C to perform a first light emission to encourage vehicles C traveling on the road 10 at a speed different from a set speed _v0 such as a legal speed to travel at the set speed _v0 . More specifically, the road marking material 1C is preferably configured to configure the light-emitting means 72C to sequentially emit and extinguish light so that the light-emitting portion moves toward the traveling direction of the vehicle C in accordance with the set speed _v0 . This allows the driver of the vehicle C to be informed that the moving speed _v1 of the vehicle C exceeds the set speed _v0 or that the moving speed _v1 of the vehicle C is decreasing due to an uphill gradient, etc., and thus encourages the vehicle C to travel at a more appropriate speed.

As another example, it is preferable that the road marking material 1C' provided on the road 10 is configured so that the light emitting means 73C emits a second light emission to notify a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on the road 10 (traveling in the opposite direction to the direction in which the travel speed _v1 is set) that the vehicle is traveling in the wrong direction. More specifically, it is preferable that the road marking material 1C' notifies the driver of the vehicle C' that the travel direction is not appropriate by having the light emitting means 73C emit and extinguish a warning color. This makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of a traffic accident caused by the vehicle C' traveling in the wrong direction, since it is displayed to the driver of the vehicle C' that the vehicle C' is traveling in the wrong direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, it is preferable that the road 10 on which the road marking material 1C is installed further comprises detection means 91 that detects the traveling direction and traveling speed of the vehicle and generates a detection signal, and light emission control means 92 that infers the traveling direction and traveling speed of the vehicle from this detection signal and controls the emission and extinguishing of the light emitting means 72C, 73C based on a predetermined traveling (traffic) direction and set speed on the road 10 so that the first display pattern 61C and the second display pattern 62C are displayed. This makes it possible to selectively display information regarding the traveling direction and traveling speed on the road marking material 1C for drivers of vehicles whose traveling direction and traveling speed are not appropriate.

6, when the detection means 91 detects a vehicle C whose moving speed _v1 on the road 10 is higher (lower) than the set speed _v0 , the light emission control means 92 can be configured so that the light emitting means 72C facing the front of the vehicle C sequentially emits and extinguishes light so that the light emitting location moves along the set speed _v0 . This allows the light emitting means 72C to display the appropriate moving speed to the driver of the vehicle C.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7, when the detection means 91 detects a vehicle C' traveling in the wrong direction on the road 10 (traveling in the opposite direction to the direction in which the travel speed _v1 is set), the light emission control means 92 can configure the light emission means 73C to emit and extinguish a warning color for the vehicle C'. This allows the light emission means 73C to indicate to the driver of the vehicle C' that the travel direction is not appropriate. At this time, the light emission control means 92 can also configure the light emission means 72C to emit and extinguish a warning color for other vehicles ahead of the vehicle C', thereby indicating the presence of the vehicle C' traveling in the wrong direction to other vehicles. This makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of a traffic accident caused by the vehicle C' traveling in the wrong direction.

Fifth Embodiment
8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a road marking material according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same components as those in at least one of the first to fourth embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified, and differences will be mainly described.

In this embodiment, the road marking material 1 constitutes the lid of the snow melting equipment 12, as shown in FIG. 8. Here, the road marking material 1 constituting the lid is preferably a heat-conductive lid having an internal space S for accommodating a heating element 9, and being combined with a storage container 8 with an open top, and being provided in a position to close the opening at the top of the internal space S. This melts at least the accumulated snow W on the ground surface G above the road marking material 1, so that the desired identification function can be demonstrated to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C, especially in snowy areas.

The heating element 9 may be any element capable of heating the ground surface G to 0°C or higher. Among these, from the viewpoint of being able to accommodate a power cable in the storage container 8, an electric heating wire or hot water piping heated by the heating wire is preferable. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of melting snow on a wider area of the ground surface G, water or hot water above 0°C may be sprayed onto the ground surface from the heating element 9. Note that FIG. 8 shows an example in which a snow melting equipment 12 equipped with a road surface marking material 1 and a storage container 8 for the heating element 9 is buried in a pavement 20 having a pavement layer 21 mainly made of asphalt and a ground 22 mainly made of soil, but is not limited to this.

Sixth Embodiment
In the above-mentioned fourth embodiment, the road marking material 1C having the light-emitting means 72C, 73C is configured to provide an identifiable display function to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C passing along the road 10, but is not limited to such a configuration. For example, by appropriately adjusting the brightness of the light-emitting means 72C, 73C of the road marking material 1C in the fourth embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, a road light-emitting material 1' consisting of a light-emitting plate body 2' having light-emitting means 72', 73' that illuminates one or both of pedestrians F and vehicles C passing along the road may be fitted into a groove 11 formed on the road 10.

The road surface illuminating material 1' can be configured in the same way as the road surface marking material 1C of the fourth embodiment. That is, like the display plate body 2, the illuminating plate body 2' preferably has a base material 4 made of an abrasion-resistant material and having a groove 3, and a translucent plate piece 5' made of a translucent material fitted into the groove 3. Of these, the groove 3 preferably has an intermittent groove 31 in which a plurality of recesses 3a to 3f extend in an intermittent series, from the viewpoint of protecting the light-emitting means 72', 73' from abrasion due to contact with a pedestrian F or a vehicle C. On the other hand, in addition to or instead of the intermittent groove 31, a continuous groove that extends continuously may be provided.

At this time, it is preferable that the recesses 3a to 3f constituting the intermittent groove 31 have the first light emitting pattern 61' on at least a part of the inner wall. More preferably, the recesses 3a to 3f constituting the intermittent groove 31 are rectangular in plan view from above, and have the first light emitting pattern 61' on one of the four inner walls formed by each side of the rectangle, which is the side wall 34, and have the second light emitting pattern 62' on the inner wall (side wall 35) facing the one inner wall (side wall 34). This makes it possible to selectively display the first light emitting pattern 61' to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C present in one direction, and to selectively display the second light emitting pattern 62' to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C present in the other direction. Therefore, different contents can be displayed to pedestrians F and drivers of vehicles C located on both sides as seen from the road surface light emitting material 1'.

A specific example of the road surface light-emitting material 1' is a road surface light-emitting material 1' buried in the boundary between the passage of pedestrians F and vehicles C in the road 10, as shown in FIG. 10. Here, the road surface light-emitting material 1' is provided so that the intermittent groove 31 is aligned with the moving direction D of the pedestrians F and the vehicles C. At this time, the first light-emitting pattern 61' by the light-emitting means 72 provided on the side wall 34 of the intermittent groove 31, as shown in FIG. 9, is configured to illuminate the pedestrian F in the direction _L1 . In addition, the second light-emitting pattern 62' by the light-emitting means 73 provided on the side wall 35 of the intermittent groove 31 is configured to illuminate the vehicle C in the direction _L2 . As a result, the pedestrian F is illuminated by the first light-emitting pattern 61', and the driver of the vehicle C is selectively alerted by the second light-emitting pattern 62'. Therefore, both the pedestrians F and the vehicles C passing on both sides of the road surface light-emitting material 1' can travel the road 10 more safely.

<Other embodiments>
In addition, the light-emitting means 72', 73' connected to the lead wire 71 of the road surface light-emitting material 1' in the sixth embodiment can be replaced with other electrical or electronic devices, so as to stimulate at least one of the five senses of the pedestrian F or the driver of the vehicle C.

For example, at least one of the light emitting means 72' and the light emitting means 73' can be replaced with a directional speaker. More specifically, referring to FIG. 9, a speaker can be provided on the side wall 34 of the intermittent groove 31 to stimulate the hearing of the pedestrian F in the direction _L1 . Also, a speaker can be provided on the side wall 35 of the intermittent groove 31 to stimulate the hearing of the driver of the vehicle C in the direction _L2 . This makes it possible to selectively alert the pedestrian F or the driver of the vehicle C by sound.

At least one of the light emitting means 72' and the light emitting means 73' may be replaced with a spray means. More specifically, referring to Fig. 9, by providing a spray means on the side wall 34 of the intermittent groove 31, it is possible to selectively provide a cool feeling or waft a fragrance toward the pedestrian F in the direction _L1 .

Reference Signs List 1, 1A to 1C Road surface marking material 2, 2A to 2C Marking plate body 3 Groove 3a to 3f Recess 31 Intermittent groove 32 Inner wall 33 Bottom surface 34, 35 Side wall 4 Base material 41 Compartment portion of base material 5, 5A to 5C Marking plate piece 6 Wear limit marking 7 Cable 71 Lead wire 72C, 73C Light emitting means 8 Storage container 9 Heating element 10 Road 11 Installation groove 12 Snow melting equipment 20 Paved road 21 Paving layer 22 Ground 61A to 61C First display pattern 62B, 62C Second display pattern 91 Detection means 92 Light emission control means 1' Road surface light emitting material 2' Light emitting plate body 5' Translucent plate piece 61' First light emitting pattern 62' Second light emitting pattern 72', 73' Light emitting means C Vehicle D Direction of movement F Pedestrian G Ground surface S Internal space T of storage container Top surface W of marking plate body Snow load v ₀ Set speed of road v ₁ Vehicle travel speed x Width direction of road marking material y Length direction of road marking material

Claims (13)

The road marking device has at least a display plate body that is fitted into a groove formed on a road and has an identification display function for pedestrians and/or vehicle drivers passing along the road,
The display plate body is
A substrate having a groove including a plurality of recesses extending in a continuous and discontinuous manner;
a plurality of display plate pieces fitted into the recess;
The display plate piece is fitted into the groove,
A road surface marking material, in which a partition portion of the base material existing between the grooves that constitute the groove has a wear limit marking at a predetermined height position between the top surface position of the partition portion and the bottom surface position of the groove. The road marking material according to claim 1, wherein the marking plate body is a white line plate that functions as a dividing line on the road. The road marking material according to claim 1, wherein the marking plate piece is made of a translucent material, and the recess constituting the groove has a first marking pattern on at least a portion of the inner wall. The road marking material according to claim 1, wherein the display plate piece is made of a translucent material, the recess constituting the groove is rectangular in plan view, one of the four inner walls has a first display pattern, and the inner wall facing the one inner wall has a second display pattern. The road marking material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has an internal space for accommodating a cable and is a cover material for closing the opening of a cable accommodating section that is open at the top. 5. The road marking material according to claim 4, wherein the road marking material has an internal space for accommodating a cable, and at least one of the first display pattern and the second display pattern is constituted by a light-emitting means electrically connected to the cable and emitting light. The road marking material according to claim 6, wherein the light emitting means emits a first light emission that prompts a vehicle traveling on the road at a speed different from a set speed to travel at the set speed. The road marking material according to claim 6, wherein the light emitting means emits a second light to notify a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on the road that the vehicle is traveling in the wrong direction. The road marking material according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least a portion of the base material and the marking plate piece are made of a material that reflects electromagnetic waves. The road marking material constitutes a cover material for a snow melting facility,
10. The road marking material according to claim 1, wherein the lid material is a heat-conductive lid material having an internal space for accommodating a heating element and disposed in a position to close the opening of a container having an open upper end. The road marker comprises a light-emitting plate body having a light-emitting means for being fitted into a groove formed on a road and for illuminating one or both of pedestrians and vehicles passing along the road,
The light emitting plate body is
A substrate having a groove including a plurality of recesses extending in a continuous and discontinuous manner;
a plurality of light-transmitting plate pieces made of a light-transmitting material and fitted into the recesses;
The recess constituting the groove has a first light-emitting pattern on at least a portion of its inner wall. The road surface light-emitting material according to claim 11, wherein the recess constituting the groove is rectangular in plan view, one of the four inner walls has the first light-emitting pattern, and the inner wall facing the one inner wall has the second light-emitting pattern. The road surface light emitting material is embedded in a boundary between a portion of the road where pedestrians and vehicles pass,
The groove is provided along a moving direction of the pedestrian and the vehicle,
The first lighting pattern is configured to illuminate the pedestrian;
The road surface illuminating material according to claim 12 , wherein the second light emitting pattern is configured to illuminate the vehicle.

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