JPH08277509A - Traffic sign - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a self-emission type traffic sign, in which an illuminant is difficult to be damaged and light from the illuminant is radiated in a surface shape and is easy to be viewed and which has an excellent ocular recognition effect. CONSTITUTION: In a self-emission type traffic sign having illuminants 3 emitted by electric conduction or emitted by emitting light projected from a light source and being installed to a road, the illuminants 3 are sealed into a molded body 1 consisting of a light-diffusing resin, and light from the illuminants 3 is diffused by the light-diffusing resin and radiated in a surface shape from the molded body 1 to the outside. The illuminants 3 are difficult to be damaged because the illuminants 3 are sealed into the molded body 1, and the traffic sign is made easier to be viewed than a conventional traffic sign emitted in a dotted manner and has an ocular recognition effect because the molded body 1 is formed of the light-diffusing resin and light from the illuminants 3 is diffused by the light-diffusing resin and radiated in the surface shape from the molded body 1 to the outside.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a road crosswalk display,
Outside line display, center line display, road studs, various signs such as rhombus marks and stop marks of pedestrian crossings are displayed on the road surface as road surface signs, and also separate the driving lanes of the road or separate lanes from sideways. The present invention also relates to a road sign suitably used as a traffic lane separation mark for performing a center line display, a lane guidance display, a construction area display, etc., in addition to the lane separation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a road sign used as a road sign, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As described in JP-A-33427, a light-emitting body such as electroluminescence having a surface exposed on the road surface is provided,
This light-emitting body is applied with a voltage to emit light, and as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-84710, light emitted from a light-emitting device is guided to a road display body by an optical fiber, and the road display body emits light. There are things.

In addition, concrete blocks are most often used as road signs designed to be used as lane separation blocks, but in recent years,
There are also blocks made of resin such as polyethylene, those in which a retroreflective material such as an acrylic plate is attached to such resin blocks, and those with self-luminous road tacks with built-in light emitting diodes etc. .

Further, as a road sign used as a lane marking, for example, a retroreflective material such as a reflective tape is attached to the outer peripheral surface of an upright hollow display body which is adapted to be attached and fixed to the road surface. Wearing and reflecting by the headlight of a passing vehicle to guide the line of sight, and as a self-luminous type, a hollow conical display body made of a semitransparent synthetic resin as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-34176. There is a lighting device provided on the outer surface of the display body, and a large number of light emitting diodes are attached to the outer surface of the hollow conical display body as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-76020.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned road signs used as road markings, which are provided with a light-emitting body such as electroluminescence, only the light-emitting body which is a point light source emits dots. There is a problem that it is difficult to see if the number of light emitters is small, and it becomes expensive if a large number of light emitters are provided. Also, in the case of using an optical fiber, the amount of light emitted is small because it is guided by a thin optical fiber,
Further, since the light is emitted in a dot shape, there is a problem that it is dark and difficult to see.

In the above road signs used as lane separation blocks, concrete blocks are difficult to see at night, during snowfall, during heavy fog, etc., and those with a retroreflective material attached are the heads of passing vehicles. Since it does not reflect unless it is illuminated by a light, it is difficult to see it on a vehicle traveling in a curve, and in the case where a road stud that self-luminesces is attached, the light emitting body that is a point light source only emits point-like light. So, this was also difficult to see.

Further, in the above-mentioned road signs used as lane markings, a display body to which a reflective tape is attached is difficult to see in a vehicle traveling in a curve, and the reflective tape There are problems such as deterioration of reflection performance due to deterioration, and in the self-luminous type with an illuminating device inside the display body or with a large number of light emitting diodes mounted on the outer surface of the display body, the point light source emits point-like light However, there are some things that are difficult to see, and there is also a problem that the illuminator and the light emitting diode are easily damaged when the vehicle is hit or stepped on.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a self-luminous road sign that is less likely to be damaged by the light-emitting body and that the light emitted from the light-emitting body is radiated in a planar shape for easy viewing and has an excellent visual effect.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution. That is, the road sign according to the present invention is a self-luminous road sign installed on a road, which has a light-emitting body that emits light when energized or emits light incident from a light source,
The light emitter is enclosed in a mold made of light diffusion resin,
The light of the light emitting body is diffused by the light diffusing resin and radiated in a planar manner from the mold body to the outside.

The light-emitting body which emits light when energized is, for example, a light-emitting diode or electroluminescence which emits light when energized by a commercial power source or a solar cell, and emits light by emitting light incident from a light source. The body is such as an optical fiber or a tube-shaped light emitter. The tubular luminous body includes a flexible tube and a core housed in the flexible tube and having a refractive index higher than that of the flexible tube. By emitting from the outer peripheral surface of the tube,
The light is emitted linearly.

According to this tube-shaped light emitter, another LE
Compared to light emitters such as D, it does not require electrical wiring, so it has excellent water resistance, is easy to maintain, and, compared to optical fibers that do not emit light from the outer peripheral surface, light incident from one end of the core from the light source. Is reflected at the boundary surface between the flexible tube and the core, and by repeating this reflection, while being transmitted to the other end of the core, a part of the light is emitted from the outer peripheral surface, so that the light is emitted uniformly and linearly. Moreover, since the tube-shaped light emitter can be made thicker (outer diameter of about 5 to 20 mm) incomparable to the optical fiber, a large amount of light is made incident and the amount of light emitted from the outer peripheral surface is increased. Therefore, the emission brightness can be increased. Furthermore, since this tube-shaped luminous body can be bent easily,
It is easy to attach, and it is hard to break due to its flexibility, and the color of light emitted can be changed by using a color filter.

The boundary surface where the core and the flexible tube are in contact with each other, that is, the inner wall surface of the flexible tube may be smooth, but if fine irregularities are formed, the incident light is irregular due to the fine irregularities. This is preferable because the amount of light reflected and emitted from the outer peripheral surface increases.

The material forming the flexible tube is not particularly limited as long as it is flexible and can be formed into a tube shape and has a low refractive index. Synthetic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, polystyrene-butadiene copolymer, butyl rubber, EPDM, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer, fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc. are used, and silicone having a particularly low refractive index is used. Polymers and fluoropolymers are preferably used, and these materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds, and may be a single layer or multiple layers.

The core is not particularly limited as long as it has a higher refractive index and a light transmitting property than the flexible tube, and a viscous liquid, a solid or a gel is usually used. . Examples of the viscous liquid or gel core include polyols such as polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide and glycerin, polyol esters, polyol ethers, phosphoric acid esters such as chloroethyl phosphate, dichloropropyl phosphate, liquid paraffin and fluoro oil. , Silicone oil, polyisobutylene, polysiloxane-modified polyether, an aqueous solution of an inorganic salt, a polymer solution obtained by diluting a polymer with a suitable solvent, and the like, and a solid core such as polymethylmethacrylate.

When the core is in the form of viscous liquid or gel, both ends of the flexible tube are made of a translucent material such as glass or quartz so as not to leak from the flexible tube. It is preferable that the solid core is accommodated in the flexible tube by inserting a monomer of synthetic resin into the flexible tube and polymerizing it in a properly shaped state. A preferable example of such a tubular luminous body is Ray Duck Light manufactured by Bridgestone Corporation.

A halogen lamp, a metal halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, a high-intensity discharge lamp, a light emitting diode, or the like is generally used as a light source for making light incident on the tubular luminous body, but is not particularly limited. . Further, the power supply device for making these light sources emit light may be a solar cell or a commercial power supply.

As the light diffusing resin forming the mold body, a resin material having a light-transmitting property such as epoxy resin, polycarbonate, methacrylic resin, acrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin or the like having a refractive index different from that of the resin material is used. A resin material (polymer fine particles, etc.) of which is dispersed to form an optically inhomogeneous structure, or a resin material having a light-transmitting property, for example, glass powder, beads, aluminum oxide powder, etc. are appropriately diffused. The substance is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance dispersion or the like and diffuses light and forms a molded body, and may be colorless or colored. Good.

[0018]

According to the road sign of the present invention, since the light emitter is enclosed in the mold body, the light emitter is less likely to be damaged, and the mold body is made of a light diffusion resin so that the light of the light emitter is Since the light is diffused by the light diffusing resin and radiated outward from the mold body in a planar manner, it is easier to see and has a better visual effect than a conventional road sign that emits light in a dot shape.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a road sign of the present invention adapted to be used as a road surface sign,
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view thereof, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part. A light-emitting body 3 made of a tubular light-emitting body 3a fitted in a transparent long protective tube 2 is enclosed in a mold body 1 made of a light-diffusing resin, and the mold body 1 is placed on a road surface display portion of a road. Is buried in a state of being exposed on the road surface G. Further, a light source box 4 is provided on the side edge of the road, and a light source 41 emitted by a power source device (not shown) such as a commercial power source or a solar cell is provided in the light source box 4, and the light source 41 emits light. A controller 42, which controls the light source 41 to be turned on and off, and a color filter 43, which changes the light from the light source 41 into colored light, are provided. One end of the tube-shaped light emitting body 3a is inserted into the light source box 4, and the end surface of the inserted tube-shaped light emitting body 3a faces the light source 41 with the color filter 43 interposed. Although the molded body 1 is housed and embedded in the case 5 and the two tubular light-emitting bodies 3a are enclosed, the number may be one or many. In addition, the transparent long protective tube 2 is not particularly limited in its cross-sectional shape as long as it is provided with the insertion hole 21 into which the tubular light-emitting body 3a is inserted in the longitudinal direction, and as a material,
It is generally formed from a hard material made of colorless or colored translucent glass or synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin. It is preferable that the transparent long protective tube 2 is partially supported on the case 5 by a mounting member 22 or the like.

In the present embodiment, the tubular luminous body 3a is a flexible tube 31 having an outer diameter of 16 mm, which is made of two layers of a fluororesin having translucency and a polyvinyl chloride having translucency. The viscous liquid core 32 is housed in
The one with both ends closed with quartz glass is used.

Then, the light source 41 is turned on and off by being supplied with power from the power supply device and controlled by the controller 42.
Light is transmitted through the color filter 43 and is incident on the core 32 of the tubular light-emitting body 3a as colored light, and the incident light is reflected by the boundary surface between the flexible tube 31 and the core 32, and By repeating the reflection, the incident light is linearly emitted from the outer peripheral surface while being transmitted to the other end of the core 32.
The emitted light passes through the transparent long protective tube 2, is diffused by the light diffusing resin, and is radiated as a diffused light from the mold body 1 to the outside in a planar manner.

As described above, the road sign according to the present embodiment adapted to be used as a road surface indication sign is used as a pedestrian crossing indication, an outside line indication, a center line indication, a road stud, a rhombus mark or a stop mark of a pedestrian crossing, etc. If used for various displays of
Since the light emitted from the tubular light-emitting body 3a enclosed in the mold body 1 made of a light diffusion resin is radiated to the outside as diffused light in a planar manner, it is easy to see from a distance and has a good visual recognition effect. Since it is not necessary to project the surface G higher than the surface G, and it is sufficient to project the surface slightly, it is less likely to be damaged even when the vehicle rides on the surface G, and the noise generated by the riding is reduced.

Next, FIGS. 3 to 4 show another embodiment of the road sign of the present invention adapted to be used as a road sign, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a construction state, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part. In addition, the solar cell 6 disposed on the upper surface, the charging device 61 including the controller, and the light emitting body 3 including the plurality of light emitting diodes 3b are enclosed in the mold body 1 including the light diffusion resin. They are housed in a case 5, and the molded body 1 is embedded together with the case 5 at appropriate intervals at a road surface display portion of the road with its upper surface exposed on the road surface G, and is formed of another display material. The markings 7 and the road markings are formed together with the markings 7. It is preferable that the case 5 is fixed and embedded with an adhesive such as an epoxy-based adhesive so that it does not rattle.

In this way, the electric power of the solar cell 6 generated by being irradiated with sunlight is controlled and charged in the charging device 61, and the power is supplied from the charging device 61 to supply the light emitting diode 3b.
Is emitted, and the light is diffused by the light diffusing resin, and is radiated as a diffused light from the mold body 1 to the outside in a planar manner.

According to the road sign according to the present embodiment, which is adapted to be used as the road surface sign, as shown in FIG.
2 and the light emitting diode 3b.
Since the above components are enclosed in the mold body 1 and housed in the case 5, rainwater is prevented from entering.
Further, if the outer surface of the molded body 1 is slightly projected so as not to be submerged in rainwater, the visual recognition effect in the rain at night will not be impaired.

Next, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the road sign of the present invention adapted to be used as a road surface indication sign. Compared with the embodiments of FIGS. The difference is that the mold body 1 made of a light diffusion resin in which the light emitting diode 3b is sealed is housed in one side, and the solar cell 6 and the charging device 61 including a controller are housed in the other side. , And others are almost the same.

Further, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing still another embodiment of the road sign of the present invention adapted to be used as a road surface display sign, which is different from the embodiments of FIGS. , A charging device 61 including a controller are attached to a power supply box 62 installed on the roadside, and the light emitting diode 3
The difference is that only the mold body 1 made of a light-diffusing resin in which b is encapsulated is embedded in the road, and the others are almost the same. This embodiment is effective when the solar cell 6 is made large to generate a large amount of electric power, or when a large display is made with a molded body made of a light-diffusing resin such as a "stop" mark on a stop line or a pedestrian crossing. is there.

Next, FIGS. 7 to 10 show an embodiment of the road sign of the present invention adapted to be used as a lane separation block. FIG. 7 is its plan view, FIG. 8 is a side view, and FIG. 9 is a cross section. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of another embodiment. In this embodiment, a mold body 1 made of a light diffusion resin is formed in a block shape having a trapezoidal cross section that is long in one direction so as to be installed along a lane of a road. A light-emitting body 3 including a light-emitting body 3a is enclosed, and bosses 11 for mounting on a road are provided so as to project near both ends of the lower surface. Then, when light is incident on the tubular light-emitting body 3a from another light source (not shown) installed, the incident light is linearly emitted from the outer peripheral surface of the tubular light-emitting body 3a. The emitted light is diffused by the light diffusing resin and is radiated as a diffused light from the mold body 1 to the outside in a planar manner. Therefore, if this block-shaped molded body 1 is installed along the lane of the road, diffused light is emitted from the entire molded body 1, so that it is easy for the driver to see and has an excellent visual recognition effect to further improve the driver's safe driving. It is what makes me. The cross-sectional shape of the molded body 1 may be a trapezoidal shape as shown in FIG. 9 or a trapezoidal shape with a recess formed in the bottom surface as shown in FIG.
Although a has the same form as that used in the examples of FIGS. 1 and 2, a light-emitting body 3 that emits light by energization of a light-emitting diode or the like may be used in addition to the tubular light-emitting body 3a. .

Next, FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway side view showing an embodiment of a road sign of the present invention adapted to be used as a lane marking, and a light in which a light emitting body 3 composed of a light emitting diode 3b is enclosed. The mold body 1 made of a diffusion resin is formed in an annular shape, and the annular mold body 1 is fitted and inserted into the lower end portion of the upright hollow display body 8. The upright hollow display body 8 is made of synthetic resin such as urethane resin by injection molding, extrusion molding, or the like, the display 81 is appropriately provided on the outer peripheral side surface with a reflective tape or the like, and the base portion 82 is provided at the bottom. The mounting bolt 83 is projected from the lower surface of the base portion 82, and the mounting bolt 83 is screwed into an anchor nut (not shown) fixed in the ground to be fixedly mounted on the road surface. Further, the mold body 1 is fitted and inserted so as to cover the base portion 82. A commercial power source may be used as the power source of the light emitting diode 3b, but a solar cell is generally used.

When a solar cell is used, the mold body 1 includes a solar cell (not shown) and a charging device (not shown) for controlling and charging the generated power of the solar cell. It may be enclosed in the body 1, or a solar cell, a charging device, or the like may be provided in a roadside power supply box (not shown) or the like. Although the molded body 1 may be inseparably integrated with the display body 8, the molded body 1 can be detached from the display body by screwing the four corners of the molded body 1 onto the road surface with bolts 12. It is preferable that the display 8 can be replaced when it is damaged.

If the road sign according to the present embodiment thus used as a lane marking is used for lane separation, center line display, lane guidance display, construction area display, etc., diffused light from the molded body 1 will be obtained. Is emitted in a plane, so
It is easy to see for a driver and the like, has an excellent visual recognition effect, and even when the vehicle is touched or stepped on, the light emitting diode 3b and the like are enclosed in a mold body 1 made of a light diffusing resin, and a lower end portion of the display body 8 is included. Since it is inserted into, it is hard to break and has excellent durability.

[0033]

According to the road sign of the present invention, since the luminous body is enclosed in the mold body, the luminous body is less likely to be damaged, and the mold body is made of a light diffusion resin, and the Is diffused by the light diffusing resin and radiated in a planar manner from the mold body to the outside, so that it is easier to see than conventional road signs that emit dots.
Excellent visual recognition effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a construction state of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG.

9 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway side view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Molded body 3 Light-emitting body 3a Tube-shaped light-emitting body 3b Light-emitting diode 31 Flexible tube 32 Core 4 Light source box 41 Light source 42 Controller 43 Color filter 5 Case 6 Solar cell 61 Charger 62 Power box 7 Marking 8 Indicator 81 Display 82 Base portion 83 Mounting bolt G Road surface

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A self-luminous road sign that is installed on a road and has a light emitting body that emits light when energized or emits light that is incident from a light source, wherein the light emitting body is a light diffusion resin. A road sign that is enclosed in a mold body made of, and the light of the light-emitting body is diffused by the light diffusion resin and radiated in a planar manner from the mold body to the outside. 2. The road sign according to claim 1, wherein the molded body is embedded in a road surface display portion of a road with its upper surface being exposed on the road surface and used as a road surface display sign. 3. The mold body is formed in a block shape having a trapezoidal cross section that is long in one direction so as to be installed along a lane of a road, and is used as a lane separation block. Road sign according to item 1. 4. The mold body is formed into an annular shape, and the mold body is fitted and inserted into a lower end portion of an upright hollow display body mounted and fixed to a road surface and used as a lane separator. Road sign described in 1.