JPS61138404A - Tunnel lighting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tunnel lighting device that makes it easier for a driver of a car to perceive obstacles on the road of a car tunnel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional tunnel lighting devices aim to detect obstacles with a height of up to 3° from the road surface by applying a cosine to the tunnel extension direction as shown in Figure 3. Lighting equipment with a light distribution approximating a curve is installed on the top of both tunnel walls at intervals of approximately 1 to 10 meters in the tunnel extension direction.
It was mainly used to illuminate the road surface (for example, Expressway Investigation Committee: Tunnel Lighting Design Guidelines (1982)).

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since such conventional lighting devices mainly illuminate the road surface, they do not illuminate the back of a large obstacle (the side that is visible to the driver), such as the object of a rear-end collision. There was a problem in that the rear of the approaching vehicle was hardly illuminated, making it difficult to perceive the vehicle's behavior. In addition, since the back of a relatively small obstacle, such as a parcel falling on the road, is illuminated along with the road surface, the difference in brightness between the parcel and the road surface,
That is, there is a problem in that the brightness contrast is small and it is difficult to perceive the presence or absence of small obstacles.

Therefore, the present invention aims to make it easier to perceive the behavior of a preceding vehicle that is approaching and the presence or absence of obstacles such as fallen objects on the road.

Page 3/Means for solving the problem The technical means of the present invention for solving the above problem is to change the light distribution of the lighting equipment according to the traffic volume.

Function: Tunnel lighting is originally installed for the purpose of making it easier for drivers to perceive the behavior and presence of obstacles on the road (such as preceding vehicles and falling luggage) that are dangerous to traffic safety. be. Perception of the behavior of the vehicle in front becomes particularly important here when traffic volume increases and the distance between vehicles decreases, and changes in the relative speed between your own vehicle and the vehicle in front can lead to rear-end collisions. Perception of the presence or absence of small-sized obstacles such as luggage becomes important when traffic volume decreases, the distance between vehicles increases, and vehicles are traveling at high speeds.

On the other hand, when constructing a tunnel, the average traffic volume per hour (7 hours per vehicle), that is, the planned time traffic volume, is set in advance, and then the design speed and road width are determined. The appropriate inter-vehicle distance is determined.

However, the traffic volume is not always constant and varies considerably over time, so the distance between vehicles may become longer or shorter.

If the hourly traffic volume in a certain tunnel is less than the planned hourly traffic volume, the inter-vehicle distance will be the appropriate value or longer, so obstacles with small dimensions, which are important in such cases, should be As shown in the figure, it will be viewed with the road surface in the background. In this case, the greater the brightness contrast between the obstacle and its background, the easier it is to perceive the obstacle. Now, assuming that the brightness of the obstacle is LO1 and the brightness of the background road surface is Lb, the brightness comparison C between the obstacle and the background road surface is expressed by equation (1).

As can be seen from equation (1), the luminance contrast C is Lb′″>>
The L9 is larger. Therefore, in this case, as shown in Figure 5, if the light from the lighting equipment is placed in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the car, the light will be reflected on the road surface in the direction of the own troops, so the background road surface brightness Lb will be Becomes a high 5 base. On the other hand, the back side of the obstacle is not illuminated, so the brightness is L.
O becomes lower. Therefore, the brightness contrast becomes large.

On the other hand, if the hourly traffic volume is greater than the planned hourly traffic volume, the inter-vehicle distance will be shorter than the appropriate value, and as shown in Figure 6, most of the driver's field of vision will be occupied by the rear of the vehicle in front. Therefore, for the behavior of the preceding vehicle, the brightness of the back of the preceding vehicle itself is more important than the brightness contrast between the preceding vehicle and its background. In this case, if the light from the lighting equipment is placed in the direction of travel of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 7, the brightness of the back of the preceding vehicle itself becomes high, making it easier to perceive the behavior of the preceding vehicle.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the tunnel lighting device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, when the hourly traffic detected by the hourly traffic detection device 1 exceeds the planned hourly traffic, a control signal from the hourly traffic detecting device 1 indicating this is sent. The light control unit 2 is activated, and the variable light distribution lighting fixture 3 distributes light in the direction of travel of the automobile. If the hourly traffic volume on page 6 is less than the planned hourly traffic volume, the light distribution control unit 2 is activated by a control signal from the hourly traffic volume detection device 1 indicating this, and the light distribution variable lighting fixture 3 is activated. The light is placed in the direction opposite to the direction the car is traveling.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the variable light distribution lighting fixture of the tunnel lighting device of the present invention. In Figure 2, 4,
4' is a lamp, 5.5' is a reflecting mirror, and 6 is a light distribution control section. 7 is the front glass, and 8 is the main body of the device.

Light distribution control unit 6 according to the signal from the hourly traffic detection device 1
is activated, and when the hourly traffic volume exceeds the planned hourly traffic volume, the lamp 4' lights up, and the reflector 6' emits light in the direction of travel of the vehicle indicated by 9'. When the amount is below, the lamp 4 is turned on and the reflector 6 emits light in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the automobile as indicated by 9.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, obstacles on the tunnel road can be easily detected regardless of the amount of traffic, and is extremely useful for safe driving in the tunnel.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a tunnel lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the variable light distribution lighting device, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional tunnel lighting device. Diagrams showing light distribution; Figures 4 and 6 are diagrams showing the inside of the tunnel as seen from the driver's direction; Figures 5 and 7 are diagrams showing the direction of light from the lighting equipment depending on the distance between vehicles. It is a figure which shows an example. 4.4'...Lamp, 5,5',...
...Reflector, 6...Light distribution control section, 9,9'
・・・・・・Direction of light. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 4
Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] It consists of a hourly traffic detection device, a tunnel lighting device that can vary the light distribution in the direction in which the car is traveling and the opposite direction, and a control section that controls this light distribution. A tunnel lighting device configured to distribute light in the traveling direction when the hourly traffic volume is greater than the planned hourly traffic volume, and to distribute light in the opposite direction to the traveling direction when the hourly traffic volume is less than the planned hourly traffic volume.