JPH03151406A - Optical response type signal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To transmit information by allowing a plastic material containing a fluorescent dye to carry a marking having a shape of a symbol, etc., and deflecting a part of the light emitted in response to the incident light from an external light source by diffusion, etc. CONSTITUTION: Any part of a traffic cone, for example its over-part 1, is formed from a plastic material containing organic fluorescent phosphorus dye, and most of the light emitted by the fluorescent effect is restrained inside the material until it encounters a diffusive means. A symbol 4 to transmit the information to be transmitted, for example left-hand traffic, is carved at the internal or external surface of the over-part 1. The material of this part 1 has a fluorescent effect to be luminous under the daylight, headlight of vehicle, or any artificial illumination and puts the symbol 4 bright to its surrounding in response to an incidence of light. Accordingly the necessary information can be transmitted without provision of any local power supply.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a signaling device, in particular to a device of this kind that can be used, for example, to convey information to the driver of a vehicle on the road.

For example, in the vicinity of roadworks, traffic accidents, floods, etc., it may be necessary to notify vehicle drivers of danger, instruct them to take or leave a particular route, or - visually communicate with the operator. It is often necessary to Currently, cones of plastic material are used in such situations, but such cones currently in use do not provide information other than that displayed by their physical presence. I can't tell you much.

In more permanent situations, bollards (bol-1a
Fixed devices such as rds) may be used, but such devices cannot carry information unless they are connected to a power source that can illuminate symbols or other characters, especially in darkness or other conditions of poor visibility. Its effectiveness as a cone is the same as that of the cone mentioned above.

Both cones and bollards can be reflective,
It has been proposed to use fluorescent, scattering and retroreflective materials to make them more visible. However, the problem remains that either bollards or cones convey little information (other than that displayed by their own physical presence) unless connected to an external power source.

West German patent application DE 2934140 discloses a light source with a high light output and a wide variation range of the spectral intensity distribution. This active device uses fluorescent material as a means to collect the light produced by a conventional lamp and concentrate it at an output point.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved signaling device.

According to the invention, the plastic material is made of a fluorescent dye-containing plastic material and comprises at least a portion that generates light by the fluorescent action of the material in response to incident light from an external light source; carrying a marking in the form of a symbol or sign conveying the desired information, the marking being such that at least a portion of the light generated by the fluorescent action is substantially aligned with said symbol or sign; A light-responsive signaling device is provided that is adapted to be scattered or otherwise diverted from a light source.

It is believed that such a signaling device, for example in the form of a traffic cone, could be valuable in providing a more visible indication to drivers of vehicles on the road. In complete contrast to this, West German patent application no. DE239341
40 is essentially concerned with producing a focused beam of light from a finite spot of light which can be of arbitrary geometric shape.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the device shown therein comprises a traffic cone, at least in its upper part 1, consisting of a plastic material, such as polycarbonate, containing an organic fluorescent phosphorous dye. If desired, a combination of layers containing different fluorescent dyes can be used to generate various colors (including white). A suitable plastic material is known as Lissa, which was developed by Bayer AG of West Germany. The base part 2 of this cone may or may not be made of fluorescent material, or may or may not contain fluorescent material, and may be stability-weighted if desired. .

The area 3 of the cone is advantageously made of or supports a material capable of reflecting or diffusing the light incident on the upper part 1.

The material of the upper part 1 of the cone is characterized by its fluorescent effect (flu
The geometry is such that most of the light generated by the orence is constrained to remain within the material until it encounters scattering or other diverting means. It will be seen that in this example, the thickness of the plastic material increases as the cone tapers.

According to this embodiment of the invention, said scattering or turning means consist of a symbol 4 (see FIG. 2) carved into the inner or outer surface of the upper part 1 of the cone. Alternatively or additionally, the means may include a layer of paint or other suitable substance printed or otherwise applied or deposited on the inner surface of the upper part 1 of the cone according to the desired form of the symbol 4. It may be equipped.

In any case, a substantial amount of the light generated by the fluorescence in the upper part 1 is provided outside in a manner substantially corresponding to the shape of the symbol, which in this case consists of an arrow representing "driving on the left". going out to

It will be appreciated that this arrangement is cleaner and more useful in practice than the assembly of arrow-like symbols from a matrix of point sources, as for example in West German patent application DE 29 34 140.

It is possible that marks, such as fingerprints on the plastic material, act as scattering points and reduce the intensity of the light obtained at the desired emission location. Therefore, if desired, the fluorescent plastic material can be "shrink-wrapped" in a conforming plastic.
(pped), so that there is always an air film between the shrink wrap and the cone, so that marks such as fingerprints on the plastic wrap can undesirably interfere with the light emission. It disappears.

Additionally or alternatively, convenient techniques such as metallization or the use of non-contact light scatterers may be used to remove light that would otherwise be lost, e.g. at the edges of the cone. You can also put it back into the cone.

In conditions of daylight and/or illumination by vehicle headlamps and/or artificial light, the material of the upper part 1 responds to the incidence of such light by a fluorescent effect, and the light-collecting area and fluorescence-generating volume of the cone It will be appreciated that since it is much larger than the light emitting area (i.e. the vicinity of the symbol), there will be a high concentration of light, thereby causing the symbol to shine brightly relative to the surrounding area adjacent to it.

Thus, the present invention enables the reporting of visual signals with high brightness compared to the background without the need for local power supplies.

It will be appreciated that a local power supply may be added if desired.

The device according to this embodiment of the invention may show the symbol 4 in only one direction, for example in response to illumination from the headlamps of a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction or approaching at some other angle. You will understand what you can do.

The invention is also not limited to application in the field of traffic cones, but where it is desired to convey information by visual signals and where devices carrying symbols or other forms of visual information are illuminated. It will also be understood that it can be used in any case, such as when it can be used.

In other configurations, the upper part of the cone may be made of a transparent plastic material 5 and, for example, a triangular shaped fluorescent plastic element 6 is shown at 7 against the inner surface of the cone in a predetermined format. Solvent welding may also be carried out by edge welding (see Figures 3 and 4). Its fluorescent plastic elements allow the cones to be stacked on top of each other for storage.
Preferably, their inner surfaces are left free.

Alternatively, the cone may be made collapsible by forming a number of parts which, when extended, are held together by suitable latching mechanisms. This improves storage efficiency.

Still other configurations may use a fluorescent cylinder inside the protective transparent cone.

Alternatively, the light-responsive signaling device may be in the form of a shroud or cover for use with conventional traffic cones.

It will be understood from the above description that in order for the fluorescence action and light concentration process to work, the surface of the fluorescent plastic must be exposed to ambient light (at least to the relevant wavelength of the ambient light) over a large area. . This means that this surface cannot be covered significantly with a conventional retroreflective layer. This is because such conventional retroreflective layers are opaque and prevent ambient light from entering the fluorescent plastic over its area. When a retroreflective layer is placed under the fluorescent plastic layer, the absorption by the fluorescent planutic reduces the attraction of the retroreflected light, and
Colored, i.e. cannot be zero color. The retro-reflective layer allows light to be concentrated from the top area so that the headlights of the vehicle surface are brightly retro-reflected while other ambient shine is concentrated to produce luminescence. Most advantageously, the following embodiments of the invention accomplish this.

In this example, there is a corner cube on the back.
r-cubes) with an embossed plastic foil on either side perpendicular to it (for example, 30
It retroreflects light incident on the front of the foil within a range of This includes (total) reflection from the face of the corner cube on its back surface. Outside this angular range, the reflection is small and the incident light passes through the foil and exits from its back side. Such foils are manufactured by Riffref Sight Limited (
(Transflexite, non-adhesive, D50-150)
00180 or D52-1800-180), corner cube retroreflectors (transflective
corner-cube retroreflect
or) by removing the back (semi-transparent) layer.

When this is placed on the central part of the fluorescent plastic layer, for example on a cone, it reflects back the near-normally incident light and allows the obliquely incident light to pass through, allowing the fluorescent action of the fluorescent plastic and light concentration. Stimulate the process. In this way, light is emitted from areas above or below the retroreflector, or even behind it if the retroreflector appears oblique. The curvature of the cone shape causes white light from the vehicle's headlights to be reflected back to the driver from this central section over most of its width, while light incident near the edges of the cone is transmitted through the fluorescent plastic. Pump and emit light from the desired area or symbol. If desired, the retroreflected light can be colored by using a suitable filter layer that does not significantly absorb the wavelengths necessary to stimulate the fluorescent effect.

The effect of the above embodiment is that the light-emitting area of the cone or display (e.g. the border of a license plate) can be used in daylight, road lighting (if the fluorescent plastic is not red, it is not low pressure sodium), moonlight, and also in front or It shines brightly due to the light from other vehicles behind it. However, light from the vehicle's own headlights is brightly retro-reflected from the central area of the cone or display, similar to traditional cones and license plates.

In a preferred embodiment, the outermost layer of transparent material is sealed or otherwise bonded to the fluorescent plastic to prevent dust and moisture from significantly degrading the fluorescent plastic and the retroreflector during use. Provided on the retroreflector.

Alternatively, the retroreflector may be made by embossing corner cubes on a portion of the inner surface of the protective layer, or alternatively, a transparent sheet may be welded to the edges of the retroreflector.

When the above-described embodiments of the invention are used as cones or bollards, it may be advantageous to configure the object in the shape of a three-sided or four-sided pyramid rather than a true cone with circular geometry. It's possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view showing an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1: Upper part 2: Base part 3: Region of cone 4 Herring pole 5: Transparent plastic material 6: Fluorescent plastic element 7: Solvent welding

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A plastic material comprising at least a portion made of a plastic material containing a fluorescent dye and generating light by the fluorescent action of the material in response to incident light from an external light source; The plastic material carries a marking in the form of a symbol or sign conveying the desired information, the marking being such that at least a portion of the light generated by the fluorescent action is substantially focused on said symbol or sign. and a light-responsive signaling device adapted to be scattered or otherwise diverted from said plastic material. 2. The device of claim 1 adapted to constitute a freestanding traffic cone or bollard. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said plastic material is arranged and configured such that the majority of the light generated by the fluorescent action of said dye is confined within said plastic material, excluding said markings. 4. A device according to claims 1 to 3, wherein said symbol or sign is carved into or rises from a surface area of said plastic material. 5. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 3, wherein said symbol or sign is printed or otherwise provided on a surface area of said plastic material. 6. Disposed on at least a portion of the plastic material, it retro-reflects only the light incident at a predetermined angular range, and allows the light incident at angles outside the predetermined range to reach the plastic material. 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the device is adapted to stimulate the fluorescent action of a dye within the plastic material. 7. A device according to claims 1 to 6, comprising a layer of optically transparent material, said transparent material substantially overlying said plastic material.