KR20010093783A - Traffic element with illumination and transparent plastic component therefor with illumination means - Google Patents

Abstract

The light emitting traffic sign includes at least a sign body 15 having a transparent plastic part 3 comprising light emitting means 4 encapsulated in plastic of the composition, wherein the transparent plastic part 3 is preferably sealed. It is produced by casting of elastic multicomponent plastics in molded molds. Traffic signs can be used on curves, traffic safety signs, detour signs, road surfaces, etc. The traffic sign according to the invention is used as a luminous sign.

Description

Traffic element with illumination and transparent plastic component therefor with illumination means

Such traffic signs are described in EP-658-655.

The traffic sign includes, for example, a curb in which the transparent plastic part is mounted in a recess. The transparent plastic part comprises a container in the form of a tray made of aluminum sheet with a bottom slightly raised from the wall of the container. The light emitting elements are fixed to the bottom in the form of LEDs (light emitting diodes), and the container is filled with plastic containing light-refractive particles. Optionally, the bottom space of the bottom can be filled as above.

An important drawback of the plastic part is, firstly, that the shape of the plastic part is very limited. The plastic portion can be made by casting a plastic comprising particles into a vessel on top of the LEDs. This means that the luminous surface in contact with the surroundings must always be flat. In practice, a large number of traffic signs of various shapes exist, and as a result, it is impossible to supply a light emitting sign in the form of a transparent plastic part provided with light emitting means, or a light emitting sign of a very small form.

Secondly, casting plastic in this type of open container is a technique that is not reliable and reproducible because bubbles and irregularities are likely to be introduced into the container. The prior art thus makes it impossible to reliably and reproducibly produce luminescent transparent plastics of various shapes and designs attached to traffic signs.

The present invention relates to a light emitting traffic sign, wherein the light emitting traffic sign includes at least a sign body having a transparent plastic component, and the transparent plastic portion includes light emitting means encapsulated by plastic.

1 a, b and c show various traffic signs according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A taken along II / II.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the curve including the transparent plastic part of the present invention.

4 a, b and c show various steps for producing a road surface comprising a transparent plastic part according to the invention.

5 shows a sectional view of a road surface as a traffic sign comprising a transparent plastic part.

6silver5In accordance The perspective view of the transparent plastic part is shown.

7 shows a partial cross section of the transparent plastic part according to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged detail of the cross section of FIG. 5 .

9 shows the wing ribs of the present invention.

10 shows a schematic side view of the transparent plastic part according to FIG. 6 .

11 shows a perspective view of a traffic sign of the present invention including a photoconductive cable and a light source outside the traffic sign.

12 shows an example of a combination of a photoconductive cable and a plug connecting the light source.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described the present invention in more detail.

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a bypass sign, FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of a shoulder marking block, and FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of a traffic safety zone.

The traffic sign 1 comprises a groove 2 on which the transparent plastic part 3 is mounted. The transparent plastic part 3 includes a light emitting means 4 in the form of an LED.

As can be seen from the figure, the outer surface of the transparent plastic part substantially coincides with the outer shape of the traffic sign body 5. 1a clearly shows the engagement means in the form of grooves 7 on one side and corresponding grooves on the opposite side. These coupling means also comprise suitable connecting means for electrically connecting the LED of one mark 1 with the other mark.

The transparent plastic part is preferably made from multicomponent plastics, in particular elastic multicomponent plastics, by vacuum casting techniques.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the cut traffic sign of II / II of FIG. 1A . There are a variety of components clearly identified, and the channel 8 is provided with a line 9 which connects the LED 4 with an external current source.

3 shows a curved cross section in which the transparent plastic part including the LED having a curved shape is clearly seen.

In the figure, all of the transparent plastic parts are attached to the grooves of the cover body. This is desirable but not necessarily. This plastic part can equally be attached to the label body.

Figure 4a shows the first step of fabricating the road surface using very open asphalt concrete (VOAC). On top of the base 10, which forms the bottom of the groove, an insulated electrical cable 11 is placed, which is electrically connected by a connecting terminal 12 in the transparent plastic part 13 and led in the plastic part 13. It serves to supply energy to (14).

The connecting terminal 12 has a sharp edge 15 made of an electrically conductive material, for example a metal, which allows it to penetrate the insulating material of the insulated electrical cable 11 and to contact the conductor there.

Reference numeral 16 denotes an adhesive layer for adhering the light emitting plastic part 13 to the base 10. The temporary protective film 17 attached to the plastic part 13 is removed after the VOAC is supplied and rolled.

4B shows a state where the VOAC 18 is applied and the pointed connector 15 is electrically connected to the conductor of the electrical cable 11. Longitudinal grooves 19 allow for excellent and durable mounting of VOAC concrete.

In FIG. 4B , the protective film 17 has been removed. For clarity, the connection between the LED 14 and the connection terminal 12 is not shown.

4C shows a transparent plastic portion 13 arranged in a milled groove 20 located on the VOAC road surface 21 and attached therein by an adhesive layer 22. Only the light emitting means can be electrically connected in the same manner as described above with the aid of an electrical supply lead 23 and a suitable sharp connection (not shown).

Reference numeral 24 denotes an anti-slip surface pattern. This prevents slipping in wet weather by the transparent plastic part.

4A and 4B and 4C , the adhesive may be black or other colored adhesive. As mentioned above, the black adhesive provides the advantage that the cover body becomes invisible if the light emitting means is not activated.

5 again shows a road surface 21 on which a transparent plastic part 25 having a substantially T-shaped cross section is mounted. The transparent plastic part 25 lies in the groove 26 of the road surface 21 and is again fixed by the adhesive 16. Reference numeral 27 denotes a wing rib extending in the force direction of the transparent plastic portion 5, which is explained in more detail in FIG.

The transparent plastic portion 25 includes a plurality of protrusions 28 comprising lens-like (convex) portions 29 at the ends of the light-conducting cable 30. These are more clearly shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5 . These protrusions comprising lenticular compounds can be cast directly during the manufacture of the transparent plastic part in a closed mold.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the transparent plastic part 25 of FIG. 5 . It is clearly shown that the plurality of protrusions 28 each comprise a lenticular portion 29 and is connected to the light-conducting cable 30.

FIG. 7 shows a partial longitudinal section of the plastic part 25 with the protruding part 28, showing the light-conducting cable 30 terminating near the lens-like part 29. In addition, the wing ribs 27 for securing the light-conducting cable while the transparent plastic part 25 is manufactured are clearly shown. The wing ribs 27 can have any shape possible, and fix the position of the light-conducting cable 30 in the molding when the transparent plastic part is cast in the mold.

Preferably, the light-conducting cable 30 ends at a short distance from the outer surface of the transparent plastic part 25. There may be optical means between the exit end of the light-conducting cable and the outer surface. It is preferable that the optical means is made of a material such as a transparent plastic part.

The angle α is preferably about 20 ° for the transparent plastic part for the road surface.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG . 5 , in which a groove 26 is shown, in which the vertical legs of the T-shaped transparent plastic part 25 already described are located there. Also shown is a light-conducting cable 30 connected to the LED 31. With the aid of the electrical supply lead 32, the LED 31 is in advance laid in the groove 26, with the aid of the connection terminal 12 with sharp edges, in the same way as has already been described in FIG. 4 . (11) can be connected.

The transparent plastic part designed for use on the road surface, as shown in the preceding figure, therefore comprises a light-conducting cable as light emitting means. The light-conducting cable can be emitted in a transparent plastic part with the aid of an LED. Alternatively, it is also possible to emit the light-conducting cable with the aid of a light source located outside the transparent plastic part. For example, the light-conducting cable may be connected to a plug and to another plug connected to a light source.

FIG. 9 shows a specific view of the wing ribs 27 with lugs 33 with fixtures 34 for securing the light-conducting cable when the transparent plastic part is manufactured in a mold by casting. An advantage when using such wing ribs 27 is that not only can the optical-conducting cable 30 be correctly positioned during the manufacture of the transparent plastic part 25, but also as described with reference to the preceding figures, the transparent plastic part ( 25) can be accurately positioned on the road surface or other traffic signs.

The vertical legs of the transparent plastic portion 25 provide very good stability against possible longitudinal stresses that the transparent plastic portion may face. Lateral stress is completely eliminated due to the presence of wing ribs 27 protruding partially from the transparent plastic portion 25 material. Therefore, it is advisable to provide a variety of transverse grooves for the wing ribs 27, as well as longitudinal grooves for the vertical T-shaped cross-sectional legs, before they are placed, for example on road surfaces or the like.

10 is a side view of the transparent plastic part 25 according to FIG. 5 . Reference numeral 35 denotes a replaceable LED assembly comprising a plurality of LEDs 31 in which all LEDs are connected to one or more light-conducting cables 30. An advantage of using an LED assembly is that, for example, even after casting of the transparent plastic part 25, the assembly 35 can be fixed and can be easily replaced even if it is damaged or damaged.

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the traffic sign of FIG . 1B , but the light emitting device comprises a light-conducting cable 30 which is terminated near the surface of the transparent plastic part 3 and can emit the traffic sign by scattering. The light-conducting cable 30 is all merged into the first connector, here indicated by plug 36. This plug 36 can be suitably engaged with the socket containing the light source.

An example of such a plug assembly is shown in FIG. 12 . This plug assembly includes a first connector 37 and a second connector 38 designed to properly engage the first connector 37. The first connector 37 is a plug comprising a housing 39 into which the photoconductive cable 30 is introduced. The second connector 38 comprises a plug comprising a housing 40 with an LED 41, which can be connected to an electrical supply via an electrical supply cable 42 and supplied with energy. Thus, the light-conducting cable 30 can be emitted by the LEDs 41, as shown in FIG. 11 , and thus can emit a traffic sign. It will be clear that it is also possible to use other light emitting means instead of LDEs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to the above mentioned drawbacks and also to provide an improved traffic sign in general, thus the present invention provides for the production of transparent plastic parts by casting multicomponent plastics in a closed mold. It is characterized by.

For the purposes of the present invention, the casting preferably comprises a method of standard injection molding and transfer molding, which forces the filling of the encapsulating material into the molding cavity with the aid of the transfer chamber.

Preferably, a vacuum multicomponent casting technique is used. Due to the low process temperature of the multicomponent casting technology, the transparent plastic parts made by the technology can include high temperature sensitive devices such as LEDs and photo-conductive plastic cables.

Traffic signs, and also transparent plastic parts for traffic signs, are aged by sunlight, in particular ultraviolet rays, and are particularly exposed to yellowing. Thus, the multicomponent casting compound is preferably selected from polyurethane or bioresin systems, since the material is substantially yellowing or otherwise opaque to maintain permanent transparency. Because.

The traffic signs must be able to withstand the frequent loads and deformations caused by traffic vehicles such as, for example, cars passing through them, therefore the multicomponent plastics used must have a consistent elasticity and toughness. Commercially available transparent multicomponent plastics are usually rigid and brittle, or may contain plasticizers to have elasticity, but are degraded by the effects of sunlight and consequently lose elasticity. Therefore, the transparent multicomponent plastic is preferably an elastic multicomponent plastic.

By using a casting technique in a closed mold, it is possible to manufacture the transparent plastic part reliably and reproducibly in virtually any form without any limitation. As a result, the traffic sign according to the present invention may have any form possible.

Preferably, the transparent plastic portion contains a reinforcing agent for the purpose of improving strength and loadability. More preferably, the reinforcing agent comprises one or more nonwoven polyesters.

In particular, the label body includes at least a groove on which the transparent plastic part is mounted. It is also possible that the transparent plastic portion is disposed on the cover body.

Preferably, the outer surface of the transparent plastic part substantially conforms to the outer shape of the label body.

In today's traffic, passive traffice channeling is often used, for example, white lines marking various lanes on the road surface and indicator lights displayed within lanes. Possible applications include lane markings, entry sections, and speed indications. At the same time, there are various forms of access markings, such as lines and ridges on the road surface. Traffic obstructions, such as curves and safety zones, include passive warning instructions in the form of colored lines and warning signs, or huge light emitting means such as light boxes and the like.

An important drawback of passive traffic signs is that they are always emitted by an external light source. This results in a very lack of visibility. Visibility may be very limited during the day, when the sun's altitude is low, it's raining, it's dark, it's snow or blizzard, it's fog and similar weather conditions.

An important advantage of the traffic sign according to the present invention is that the light emission can be detected by the observer during the traffic, and therefore can always be seen with the naked eye.

Preferably, the outer surface portion of the transparent plastic portion in contact with the label body and / or the surface portion of the label body in contact with the transparent plastic portion comprises a light absorbing material. For example, a single adhesive layer added with a light absorbing material or a multilayer adhesive layer added with a light absorbing layer may be used. The presence of the light absorbing material has the advantage that the traffic sign is substantially invisible when the power of the light emitting means is cut off.

In other words, when the switch is cut off, the transparent plastic part becomes the color of the light absorbing material, especially black. This embodiment is particularly important when the traffic sign is a road surface. When the road surface is made of various transparent plastic parts capable of marking the boundary of two- and three-lane roads, for example, the transparent plastic parts of the road surface cannot be visually recognized by the road user and thus have a very important meaning. Have

Preferably, the outer surface portion of the transparent plastic portion in contact with the cover body, and / or the portion of the surface of the cover body portion in contact with the transparent plastic portion comprises a light reflecting material colored in any color, wherein the one or more light emitting means Is in contact with the light-reflective material. In this case, for example, a single adhesive layer or various other adhesive layers may also be used, including colorants or optionally colored light reflecting materials.

In this way, for example, a particular color highlight can be provided in the transparent plastics section, highlighting point-to-point light emission by LEDs or the like, which will be explained in more detail by the following figures.

Of course, the transparent plastics part may also exhibit a particular color by means of a suitable plastic selected or colored by a suitable method. Apart from the use of colored plastics or light-reflective materials, the use of luminous, phosphorescent or fluorescent materials or such components is possible.

Naturally, the transparent plastic part should have a connecting means for connecting the light emitting means and an energy source for supplying energy to the light emitting means. The term "energy source" includes both an electrical supply and a photoconductive cable.

The connection means for the electricity source comprises, for example, a suitable connection terminal.

This type of electricity supply can be molded together in the plastic part when using a solar cell equipped with a storage battery. The capacitor is charged with sunlight during the day and supplies energy to the light emitting means at night.

It is also possible to combine the electrically activated light emitting means and the light-conducting cable.

The label body is preferably provided with a continuous groove (rkove) designed to install a line connecting the energy source and the light emitting means.

In a preferred embodiment, the label body comprises a coupling means designed to join one label body with another label body. Such coupling means may, for example, comprise a tongue-and groove joint or detail joint and the like.

Preferably, the coupling means also comprises a connecting means for connection with the light emitting means, wherein the light emitting means of the indicator bodies connected to each other can be energized by an energy source through only one connection (to be emitted Can be).

The traffic sign according to the invention is in no way limiting. For example, it may be selected from a curve, a traffic safety zone, a detour sign, a curved block mark, and a three-way traffic sign. In particular, the traffic sign is or is part of a road surface. The traffic sign according to the present invention has a special advantage when used on the road surface, for example, has a special advantage when used as a road boundary, a direction indication, or a speed indication.

For road surfaces, it is desirable for the marker body (road surface) to comprise one or more electrical supply leads and the transparent plastics portion to comprise connecting terminals which can interact with the leads. This type of connection will be described in more detail in the description of the drawings. It is therefore possible that the electrical supply leads are preferentially placed on the road surface. The plastic part can then be electrically connected there in a simple way.

In particular, in particular, the electrical supply leads are electrical cables insulated by an insulating sheath. And the connection terminal is composed of a sharp connection terminal made of an electrically conductive material, the connection terminal through the insulating cover of the electric cable to enable electrical contact. This embodiment will also be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

In particular, the light emitting means in the traffic sign according to the invention comprise one or more substantially flat illuminating elements. The flat light emitting device has the advantage that the transparent plastic part according to the present invention can be manufactured very thin. They can easily be encapsulated during the casting process in the mold. Before carrying out the casting process, the light emitting means can be introduced into the forming cavity having a suitable shape.

For example, the light emitting element is selected from the light-emitting foil portion, LEDs, which are electrically activated, and is preferably selected from the components emitted by the light-conducting cable or the light-conducting cable. According to the present invention, the light emitting means may be light emitting means capable of obtaining electrical energy from the outside of the transparent plastic part. The light emitting means may also be a means of emitting light with the aid of an external light source. The latter case, for example, relates to optically-conducting cables. There is also the possibility of combining both systems. For example, the light emitting means in the transparent plastic portion is powered by an electrical source located outside the transparent plastic portion, and the light emitting means then forms a light source for the light-conducting cable or the like present in the transparent plastic portion. .

The term "optical-conducting cable" is especially an optical-fiber quartz cable or a glass fiber cable. Preferably, however, plastic light-conducting cables with low cost, high light output efficiency and low absorption are used. Such plastic light-conducting cables can be chosen, for example, among PMMA or polyamide cables.

Preferably, the light emitting means comprise a light-conducting cable capable of emitting light, the light-outlet end of the light-conducting cable being located, in particular, within the outer boundary between the transparent plastic parts. This embodiment is particularly preferred for road surfaces, which will be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings below.

In the present invention, reference is made to French patent A-2 686 104 concerning traffic signs comprising optically-conducting cables. However, this is not related to transparent traffic signs. Furthermore, the ends of the light-conducting cables are on the surface of the plastic part and they can be easily damaged and / or contaminated. Thus, this provides a significant adverse effect on the light output efficiency of the light-conducting cable.

Preferably, the transparent plastic portion has a substantially T-shaped cross section. Thus, the transparent plastic part can be fixed simply by positioning a vertical leg of the T-shaped cross section in a groove introduced into the traffic sign. In this arrangement, it is preferable that the top of the traffic sign bend toward the sign. In particular, the groove located at the traffic sign is designed so that the load added to the traffic sign by the vehicle or the like is not amplified in the groove, so that light emitting means such as an electric source or a light source is mounted therein to enable sensitive electronics. do.

The T-shaped cross section prevents the transparent plastic from moving laterally within the traffic sign. Longitudinal migration can be properly and reasonably eliminated by providing wing ribs in the transparent plastic part. Such wing ribs are, in particular, partly located within the transparent plastic part and partly outside thereof. In order to fix such a transparent plastic part in a traffic sign, it is desirable to arrange not only long grooves but also a plurality of lateral grips to fix the wing ribs. This embodiment will also be described in more detail in the description of the drawings.

The traffic sign preferably has light-conducting cable fixing means near the exit end of the light-conducting cable. This is produced by casting the transparent plastic part in a closed mold, which provides the advantage that the fastening means can fix the light-conducting cable in place. For example, the fixing means of such wing ribs is a protruding lug with a hole, to which the end of the light-conducting cable can be fixed. When casting in a closed mold, it will be apparent that the light-conducting cable can be fixed in an appropriate manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the traffic sign according to the invention, the transparent plastic part comprises one or more optical elements near the exit end of the light-conducting cable. The optical element is made of the same material as the transparent plastic part. Such optical elements are not subject to any limitations, but may be selected from lenses, prisms, scattering compounds and the like.

In certain embodiments, a plurality of LEDs are combined in an LED assembly in a transparent plastic portion to emit light-conducting cables. This is made possible by the light-conducting cable of the traffic sign which is all guided in the direction of the assembly. This provides the advantage that the LED assembly can be easily replaced after manufacture of the transparent plastic portion described above if it is easily damaged or if other defects occur.

Light emission of the light-conducting cable can also be achieved by means other than the LED assembly of the transparent plastic part.

In particular, the light-conducting cable can be emitted by a light source located outside of the traffic sign. In the case of a low-cost plastic light-conducting cable, there is an advantage that the transparent plastic part can be replaced simply and inexpensively without changing the light source of the goja.

Preferably, for this purpose the light-conducting cable is connected to the first connector and connected to the light source. The light source can be selected from many light sources. However, it is preferable that the light source comprises an LED assembly present in the second connector, and the second connector preferably has a shape suitable for connecting to the first connector.

The connectors that can be used can take the form of, for example, a suitably designed plug, a light-conducting cable at one end of the plug, and a light source located at the other plug, or a plug connected to the light source. The plug of the light-conducting cable end may optionally be integrated into the plastic component.

It is clear that the fixation of the optically-conducting cable can be made by several methods; Preferably, however, the light-conducting cables are installed such that the light emitted from the photoconductive cable is at an angle of about 20 ° to the road surface. This angle is particularly desirable as the light emitting and transparent plastic parts can be easily sensed by the road user.

The invention also provides a transparent plastic part with light emitting means, obtained by casting a multicomponent plastic in a hermetically sealed mold, wherein the light emitting means is encapsulated by plastic in the component, the transparent plastic part being in accordance with the present invention. Used for traffic signs.

The transparent plastic part according to the invention is mounted on the groove of the label body, but can also be placed on the label body by, for example, glue or the like.

Finally, the present invention provides wing ribs that are specifically designed for use in the transparent plastic part of the present invention.

Claims (19)

A light emitting traffic sign comprising at least a cover body having a transparent plastic part including light emitting means encapsulated by plastic, A light traffic sign characterized in that the transparent plastic part is produced by casting a multi-component plastic in a sealed mold. A traffic sign according to claim 1, wherein the multicomponent plastic is selected from polyurethane or pure bioresin. The traffic sign according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the multicomponent plastic is an elastic multicomponent plastic. 4. A traffic sign according to claim 1, wherein the plastic part contains a reinforcing agent. 5. A traffic sign according to claim 4, wherein said reinforcing agent comprises one or more polyester nonwovens. Traffic sign according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer surface of the transparent plastic part substantially matches the outer shape of the sign body. Traffic sign according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the traffic sign is a road surface (18, 21) or part thereof. Traffic sign according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a light-conducting cable (30) for emitting said light emitting means. 9. A traffic sign according to claim 8, wherein said light-conducting cable comprises a light-conducting plastic cable. 10. Traffic sign according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the light exit end of the light-conducting cable (30) designed to emit light is within the outer rim of the transparent plastic part (25). Traffic sign according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transparent plastic part (25) has a substantially T-shaped cross section. 12. Traffic sign according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that fastening means of the light-conducting cable are present near the exit end of the light-conducting cable. 13. A traffic sign according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that said transparent plastic part comprises one or more optical elements for the end of the light-conducting cable. 14. A traffic sign according to claim 13, wherein the optical element present on top of the exit end of the light-conducting cable is made of the same material as the transparent plastic part. The traffic sign according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that a plurality of LEDs (31) are integrated in the LED assembly of the transparent plastic part (25) to emit a light-conducting cable. 16. Traffic sign according to any one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that the light-conducting cable (30) is emitted by a light source (41) located outside of the traffic sign. 17. The light-conducting cable 30 according to any one of claims 8 to 16, wherein the light-conducting cable 30 is lighted at approximately 20 degrees from the road surface 25 when the traffic sign is or part of a road surface. A traffic sign characterized in that it is positioned to be discharged. A plastic part comprising light emitting means, wherein the light emitting means is encapsulated by plastic in the plastic part, the plastic part is manufactured by casting a multicomponent plastic in a sealed mold, and any one of claims 1 to 17 or Transparent plastics, specifically designed for use in traffic signs according to further paragraphs, Wing ribs explicitly designed for use in the transparent plastic part according to claim 18.