WO2018029870A1

WO2018029870A1 - Heater-equipped signal

Info

Publication number: WO2018029870A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/089176
Authority: WO
Inventors: 深澤　彰彦
Original assignee: 株式会社村上開明堂
Priority date: 2016-08-12
Filing date: 2016-12-28
Publication date: 2018-02-15
Also published as: JPWO2018029870A1

Abstract

Provided is a heater-equipped signal capable of uniformly heating a heat generating area and improving the durability of a transparent member. In the heater-equipped signal, heat generating cells (30a) attached to the transparent member (20) are provided with a transparent heat generating layer which can generate heat by energization, and a pair of electrodes (35a), (35b) provided to the transparent heat generating layer. The pair of electrodes (35a), (35b) is formed such that a shape constituted by the pair of electrodes (35a), (35b) and a pair of line segments (La), (Lb) connecting both end sections of the pair of electrodes (35a), (35b) is a rectangle or square.

Description

Traffic signal with heater

The present invention relates to a traffic signal with a heater.

In a traffic light, in order to give a function such as snow melting, a heater is provided on a base body through which light from a lamp is transmitted (see Patent Document 1). As shown in FIG. 8, in the structure described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of strip-shaped ITO films 130 are attached to a circular base (transparent member) 120. The ITO film 130 is heated by being energized from a pair of

electrode portions

135a and 135b provided at both longitudinal ends of the ITO film 130.

JP 2007-220636 A

In the structure described in Patent Document 1, since the pair of

electrode portions

135a and 135b has an arc shape along the edge of the base (transparent member) 120, the distance between the electrodes of the pair of

electrode portions

135a and 135b is not constant. Absent. For this reason, the current flowing through the ITO film 130 tends to concentrate on the shorter electrode distance between the pair of

electrode portions

135a and 135b (see the arrow in FIG. 8). Thereby, in the heat generating area to which the ITO film 130 is attached, there are a portion where the heat generation amount is large and a portion where the heat generation amount is small. Thus, if the uniformity of the heat generation amount in the heat generation area is impaired, there is a problem that snow melting efficiency is lowered, for example, a large amount of electric power is required to realize suitable heating. Further, if the uniformity of the heat generation amount in the heat generation area is impaired, the thermal expansion of the base body (transparent member) 120 in the heat generation area may also vary, and the base body (transparent member) 120 may be cracked or cracked. is there. That is, when the uniformity of the heat generation amount in the heat generating area is impaired, there is a problem that the durability of the base body (transparent member) 120 is lowered.

This invention is made in view of the said point, and makes it a subject to provide the traffic signal with a heater which can improve the durability of a transparent member while heating a heat_generation | fever area equally.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a traffic signal with a heater according to the present invention includes a casing having an opening, a transparent member attached to the opening, and a heater having a heat generating cell attached to the transparent member. . The heat generating cell includes a transparent heat generating layer capable of generating heat by energization and a pair of electrodes provided on the transparent heat generating layer. Furthermore, the pair of electrodes is formed so that a shape formed by the pair of electrodes and a pair of line segments connecting both ends of the pair of electrodes is a rectangle or a square. .

According to the present invention, in a traffic signal with a heater, the heat generating area can be heated evenly and the durability of the transparent member can be improved.

It is a front view which shows the traffic signal with a heater which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale of Drawing 1, and is a front view showing a plurality of exothermic cells. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, showing a transparent member and a heat generating cell. It is a front view which shows the transparent member and heater of a traffic signal with a heater concerning 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the traffic signal with a heater which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 5 and a front view showing a plurality of heat generation cells. It is a block diagram which shows typically the signal apparatus with a heater concerning 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the conventional signal apparatus with a heater.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<First embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic light 1 </ b> A according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a heater as a snow melting function in order to prevent a decrease in visibility due to snow adhesion, formation of ice pillars, and the like in winter. It is a traffic light. 1 A of signal equipment with a heater is provided with the housing | casing part 10, the transparent member 20, and the heater 30. FIG.

<Case section>
The housing | casing part 10 is a metal member which exhibits the substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. In the housing 10, one or more (in this embodiment, a plurality (three) of) lighting units including LED light sources corresponding to blue, yellow, and red, a control for controlling the plurality of lighting units and the heater 30. The part etc. are accommodated. In the front surface (front wall portion) of the housing portion 10, one or more (three in the present embodiment corresponding to blue, yellow, and red) openings 11 corresponding to one or more lighting units are formed. In addition, one or more (three in this embodiment) hoods 12 corresponding to the plurality of openings 11 are provided upright.

The opening 11 has a circular shape when viewed from the front. The opening 11 is a part to which the lighting unit and the transparent member 20 are attached. The diameter of the opening 11 is set to 300 mm, for example.

The hood 12 has an arc shape along the upper edge of the opening 11 in a front view. The hood 12 is a part that prevents the transparent member 20 attached to the opening 11 from being exposed to direct sunlight, rainwater or snow.

<Transparent material>
The transparent member 20 is a transparent cover made of a resin member (for example, polycarbonate (PC) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) having a circular shape in a front view that closes the opening 11. In the present embodiment, the transparent member 20 contains an ultraviolet (UV) absorber. The transparent member 20 transmits the light emitted from the lighting unit accommodated in the housing unit 10. The diameter of the disk-shaped part of the transparent member 20 is set to 300 mm, which is the same as that of the opening 11, for example, and the thickness of the disk-shaped part is set to 2 mm, for example.

<Heater>
The heater 30 is attached to the inner surface of the transparent member 20 (the surface on the lighting unit side). The heater 30 generates heat by energization from a power source (not shown) by the control unit, and heats the transparent member 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 30 includes a plurality of heat generation cells 30a and a conductive wire 30b that electrically connects the adjacent

heat generation cells

30a and 30a. In the present embodiment, the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged in an arc shape along the edge of the transparent member 20 only below the central portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20 (see FIG. 1). Are connected in series by a conducting wire 30b. In the present embodiment, the heat generating cell 30a is not provided above the central portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20.

<Heat generation cell>
The heating cell 30a has a square shape with a side of 20 to 50 mm, for example, when viewed from the front. In the present embodiment, each heat generating cell 30a has the same shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the heat generating cell 30a includes, in order from the transparent member 20 side, an adhesive layer 31, a UV (ultraviolet) absorbing layer 32, a sheet 33, a transparent heat generating layer 34, and a pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b. And an insulating layer 36.

≪Adhesive layer≫
The adhesive layer 31 is a layer formed of an adhesive in order to adhere the inner surface of the transparent member 20 and the UV absorbing layer 32.

≪UV absorption layer≫
The UV absorption layer 32 is a transparent layer formed of a UV absorber. The UV absorption layer 32 is formed on one surface (outer surface) of the sheet 33 by a technique such as spraying or printing.

≪Sheet≫
The sheet 33 is a transparent base material of the heat generating cell 30a. The sheet 33 is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A UV absorbing layer 32 is laminated on one surface (outer surface) of the sheet 33, and a transparent heat generating layer 34, a pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b, and an insulating layer 36 are sequentially formed on the other surface (inner surface) of the sheet 33. Are stacked.

≪Transparent heating layer≫
The transparent heat generating layer 34 is a transparent layer that generates heat when energized. The transparent heat generating layer 34 includes a conductive resin layer (such as PEDOT / PSS), an oxide conductive film (such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide)), a metal wire (metal nanowire) using silver, copper, or the like. Etc. are available. The transparent heat generating layer 34 is formed on the other surface (inner surface) of the sheet 33 by a technique such as spraying or printing.

≪Electrode≫
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of

electrodes

35 a and 35 b are provided along the opposite sides of the transparent heat generating layer 34. That is, the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b are formed in parallel with each other with the same length. More specifically, the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b has a square shape (or a pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b and a pair of line segments La and Lb connecting both ends of the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b). (Rectangular). In other words, the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b are formed so that the heat generation area formed between the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b is square (or rectangular), so that the heat generation amount in the heat generation area is uniform. Has been. The pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b are formed on the inner surface of the transparent heat generating layer 34 by a technique such as printing using a silver paste. The resistance values of the

electrodes

35a and 35b are set to be smaller than the resistance value of the transparent heat generating layer 34, and are preferably 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or less. The electrode 35a is electrically connected to the electrode 35b of the heat generating cell 30a adjacent to the electrode 35a via the conductive wire 30b. The electrode 35b is electrically connected to the electrode 35a of the heat generating cell 30a adjacent to the electrode 35b via the conductive wire 30b. Note that the arrows between the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b in FIG. 2 schematically indicate that the current flow is uniform. 1 and 2 and FIG. 4 to be described later, the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b are drawn inward from the opposing sides of the heat generating cell 30a for convenience of illustration. However, in practice, as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b can be arranged and formed on the opposite sides of the heat generating cell 30a (transparent heat generating layer 34) with the same length as that side. .

≪Insulating layer≫
The insulating layer 36 is a transparent resin layer that covers and seals and protects the inner surface of the transparent heat generating layer 34 and the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b. The insulating layer 36 is formed on the inner surface of the transparent heat generating layer 34 on which the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b is formed by a technique such as spraying or printing.

In the present embodiment, the heating cell 30 a includes a sheet-like member in which the UV absorption layer 32, the sheet 33, the transparent heating layer 34, the

electrodes

35 a and 35 b and the insulating layer 36 are laminated in advance via the adhesive layer 31. It is formed by affixing on the inner surface. Here, the sheet-like member laminated in advance is a film having flexibility (that is, capable of bending deformation or the like), and the thickness of the sheet-like member is set to, for example, several μm. Such a sheet-like member can be suitably used even when the inner surface of the transparent member 20 has a curved shape.

<Heater specifications and control method>
Here, the sheet resistance of the transparent heat generating layer 34 is set to 100Ω / □, for example. The size of the heat generating cell 30a is 3 cm × 3 cm square, the number of the heat generating cells 30a is 25, the voltage applied to the heater 30 is 100V, the current flowing through the heater 30 is 0.04A, and the power consumption of the heater 30 is 4W. Is set to With this setting, the heat generation amount per unit area of the heater 30 is set to 178 W / m ² . Here, it is preferable that the amount of heat generated per unit area of the heater 30 is appropriately set to 150 to 300 W / m ² . The above specifications are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. The control unit of the signal device with heater 1A is configured to control ON / OFF of energization to the heater 30 based on detection results of a snowfall sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like provided on the upper surface of the housing unit 10, for example. May be.

<Action and effect>
Here, when the amount of heat generated in the heat generating area is not uniform as in a conventional traffic signal with a heater, the design (placement) of the heat generating area becomes difficult and a large amount of power is required, resulting in a decrease in snow melting efficiency. There's a problem.
On the other hand, in the signal device with heater 1A according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the heater 30 is configured to be divided into a plurality of heat generating cells 30a. The pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b in the heat generating cell 30a has a square shape formed by a pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b. (Or rectangular) is arranged and formed. Thereby, 1 A of signal devices with a heater can heat the attachment site | part (heat_generation | fever area) of the heat generating cell 30a in the transparent member 20 equally by supplying with electricity between a pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b.
Thus, since the heater-equipped signal device 1A can uniformly heat the heat generating cells 30a, the overall design of the heater 30 is high, and high snow melting efficiency can be realized with a small amount of power. That is, the heater-equipped signal device 1A changes specifications such as the input voltage to the heater 30 by changing the size of the heat generating cell 30a, the length and distance between the pair of

electrodes

35a and 35b, and the number of the heat generating cells 30a. It can respond suitably.
Moreover, since the signal device with heater 1A uniformly heats the transparent member 20 in the heat generation area, it is possible to prevent the transparent member 20 from being cracked or cracked due to variations in thermal expansion. That is, the signal device with heater 1 </ b> A can improve the durability of the transparent member 20.

Further, in the signal device with heater 1A, since the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are provided only below the center portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20, it is preferable to prevent the formation of ice pillars from the transparent member 20. Can do. Further, the traffic signal 1A with a heater can efficiently heat the entire transparent member 20 while realizing energy saving by utilizing the property that warm air rises.

In addition, the heater-equipped signal device 1A can be easily attached to the transparent member 20 because the heat generating cell 30a is formed in a film shape.

Further, in the heater-equipped signal device 1A, since the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged along the edge of the transparent member 20, the edge of the circular transparent member 20 can be suitably heated. Further, in the signal device with heater 1A, since the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged along the edge of the transparent member 20 only below the center portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20, the transparent member 20 It is possible to more suitably prevent the formation of icicles.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, the heater-equipped signal device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the heater-equipped signal device 1A according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in the heater-equipped signal device 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged in the lateral direction only below the center portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20. They are arranged in a plurality of rows (three rows in this embodiment).

The signal device with heater 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention can achieve substantially the same effect as the signal device with heater 1A according to the first embodiment. The heater 30 may be provided below the transparent member 20 as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, or may be provided above the transparent member as in a third embodiment to be described later. Also good. That is, the arrangement of the heater 30 may be set as appropriate according to the installation location (snow coverage) of the traffic signal with heater.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a heater-equipped signal device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the heater-equipped signal device 1A according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, in the signal device with heater 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the transparent member 20X for blue lighting, the transparent member 20Y for yellow lighting, and the transparent member 20Z for red lighting are in the vertical direction. Is arranged. In addition, in the signal device with heater 1C, the heater 30 is provided only on the transparent member 20Z for red lighting arranged at the top, and is not provided on the other

transparent members

20X and 20Y.

The heater 30 is provided only below the hood 12 corresponding to the transparent member 20Z for red lighting and above the central portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20Z. The hood 12 has an arc shape along the upper part of the peripheral edge of the opening 11 in front view, and protrudes from the peripheral edge of the opening 11 of the housing 10 above the

transparent members

20Z, 20Y, and 20X. As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged in a plurality of rows (three rows in the present embodiment) along the radial direction. In addition, each row of the plurality of heat generating cells 30a is arranged in a substantially arc shape along the upper part of the peripheral portion of the transparent member 20Z.

As an example, a design example of the heater 30 in which the transparent member 20Z having a diameter of 300 mm is 5 W at 100 V, that is, the resistance value is 2 kΩ will be described. The heat generating cell 30a has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and has a radial dimension of 15.0 mm and a circumferential dimension of 19.0 mm. The number of the heat generating cells 30a is set to 5 in the first row on the radial center side, 5 in the second row, and 6 in the third row on the radially outer side. Each heat generating cell 30a is connected in series via the conducting wire 30b. In the center above the transparent member 20Z,

terminals

37, 37 connected to a power source are formed.

<Control method of traffic signal with heater>
As shown in FIG. 7, the heater-mounted traffic light 1C includes a blue light 40X, a yellow light 40Y, and a red light 40Z, and a switching unit 50 that switches a power supply destination from the power source E to each light 40X, 40Y, 40Z. It is provided in the housing unit 10.

The blue light 40X, the yellow light 40Y, and the red light 40Z are each composed of a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diode). The yellow lamp 40Y is designed to have higher luminance than the blue lamp 40X and the red lamp 40Z in order to improve visibility. That is, the yellow light 40Y consumes more power when it is lit or blinking than the blue light 40X and the red light 40Z.

The switching unit 50 includes a timer, a switch circuit, and a control unit (CPU (Central Processing Unit)), and lights (lights or blinks) any one of the blue light 40X, the yellow light 40Y, and the red light 40Z. And control to turn off the rest.

Further, the switching unit 50 turns on the power to the heater 30 when the blue light 40X and the red light 40Z are lit (lighted and blinked), and turns on the heater 30 when the yellow light 40Y is lighted (lighted and blinked). Turn off. Here, for example, the total power consumption of the lighting or blinking of the blue lamp 40X and the energization of the heater 30 is set substantially equal to the power consumption of the lighting or blinking of the yellow lamp 40Y. Further, for example, the total power consumption of the lighting or blinking of the red lamp 40Z and the energization of the heater 30 is set substantially equal to the power consumption of the lighting or blinking of the yellow lamp 40Y. In the present embodiment, the total power consumption (power consumption) is set to be substantially equal to each other. However, the total power consumption (power consumption) may be appropriately set to be equal to or less than a predetermined specified power consumption. .

In the signal device with heater 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the heater 30 is provided only below the hood 12 of the transparent member 20Z corresponding to the red light 40Z and above the center portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20Z. Is provided. Therefore, the traffic light 1C with a heater can ensure the visibility of the red signal at a minimum even under bad weather such as a snowstorm by securing the visibility of the portion of the red signal that is most difficult to melt snow. Further, by providing the heater 30 only on the red signal (transparent member 20Z) as in the present embodiment, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment.

In addition, the heater-equipped signal device 1 </ b> C is configured to energize the heater 30 not only when the red signal is lit (lit and blinking) but also when the blue signal is lit.
Here, for example, if the heater 30 of the transparent member 20Z is energized even when the yellow signal is lit, the heater 30 is always energized, and thus the temperature drop of the transparent member 20Z can be suppressed. However, as described above, the yellow lamp 40Y consumes more power than the blue lamp 40X and the red lamp 40Z. Therefore, if the heater 30 is energized even when the yellow signal is lit, there is a possibility that it exceeds the preset specified power consumption. is there. However, the signal device with heater 1C of the present embodiment energizes the heater 30 at the time of the red signal and the blue signal and does not energize the heater 30 at the time of the yellow signal. Can be suppressed. Further, since the time for turning on or blinking the yellow light 40Y is relatively short, even if the power supply to the heater 30 is turned off during this time, the temperature drop of the heater 30 can be suppressed to a small level.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably. For example, instead of the configuration in which the heat generating cell 30a formed in a film shape is attached to the inner surface of the transparent member 20, the UV absorbing layer 32, the transparent heat generating layer 34, the

electrodes

35a and 35b, The insulating layer 36 may be formed directly by a technique such as spraying or printing.

Further, in the heat generating cell 30a, the UV absorption layer 32 can be omitted or another functional layer can be added. Further, the heat generating cell 30a may have other shapes such as a rectangular shape and a circular shape when viewed from the front.

Further, the present invention can be applied to various traffic lights such as a traffic light in which lights are arranged vertically and a pedestrian traffic light in which a transparent member has a rectangular shape in front view.

Further, a configuration in which the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged along the edge of the transparent member 20 may be employed. In this case, the degree of freedom of the shape of the transparent member 20 can be improved. In addition, when the plurality of heat generating cells 30a are arranged along the edge of the transparent member 20 only above the central portion C in the height direction of the transparent member 20, snow accumulation on the upper side of the transparent member 20 is prevented. be able to.

Further, the heater of the present invention may be composed of one heat generating cell. For example, when the present invention is applied to a pedestrian traffic light in which the transparent member has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, one heat generating cell has a horizontally long rectangular shape and is arranged along the lower side of the rectangular transparent member. It is possible. Moreover, when power consumption is permitted, the structure which arrange | positions the heater 30 over both the upper and lower sides of the transparent member 20 may be sufficient.

In addition, the control method in the heater-mounted signal device 1C according to the third embodiment can be applied to a different arrangement of the heater 30 on the transparent member 20Z corresponding to the red light 40Z. For example, in the traffic signal with a heater according to the first or second embodiment, it is possible to arrange the heater 30 only on the transparent member for red lighting and use the control method of the third embodiment.
In addition, the switching unit 50 is provided inside the signal device with heater 1C in the third embodiment, but may be provided outside the signal device with heater 1C (for example, a utility pole).

Also, the control method of the third embodiment can be applied to a pedestrian traffic light without a yellow signal. In this case, even during a green light, the heater provided on the transparent member for red lighting can be energized, so that the transparent member can be warmed up almost without interruption. Furthermore, the control method of the third embodiment can be applied to a traffic signal with an arrow signal. Also in this case, the heater 30 may be energized when a light other than the yellow signal is lit. That is, the heater 30 may be energized when the red signal, the blue signal, or the arrow signal is lit, and the heater 30 may not be energized when the yellow signal is lit. However, when the red signal and the arrow signal are lit simultaneously, it is desirable to control the heater 30 not to be energized so that the total power consumption does not exceed the specified power consumption.

1A, 1B, 1C Signal with heater 20 Transparent member 30 Heater 30a Heat generation cell 34 Transparent

heat generation layer

35a, 35b Electrode 40X Blue light 40Y Yellow light 40Z Red light

Claims

A casing having an opening;
A transparent member attached to the opening;
A heater having a heating cell attached to the transparent member;
With
The heating cell is
A transparent heating layer capable of generating heat when energized,
A pair of electrodes provided on the transparent heating layer;
With
The pair of electrodes is formed such that a shape formed by the pair of electrodes and a pair of line segments connecting both ends of the pair of electrodes is a rectangle or a square. traffic lights.
The traffic signal with a heater according to claim 1, wherein the heat generating cell is provided below a central portion in the height direction of the transparent member.
The heater signal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat generating cell is formed in a film shape.
The heater has a plurality of the heating cells,
The traffic signal with a heater according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of heating cells are arranged along an edge of the transparent member.
A hood protruding from the housing part above the transparent member;
The traffic signal with a heater according to claim 1, wherein the heater is provided below the hood and above the center in the height direction of the transparent member.
The said heater is provided only in the said transparent member for red lights. The signal apparatus with a heater of Claim 1 or Claim 5 characterized by the above-mentioned.
7. The traffic light with heater according to claim 6, wherein the heater for the red light is energized during a blue light and a red light.
When the blue and red lights are lit, the heater for the red lights is energized,
The traffic signal with a heater according to claim 6, wherein the heater for the red lamp is not energized at the time of a yellow lamp.