WO2002036887A1

WO2002036887A1 - Signalling means

Info

Publication number: WO2002036887A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/004787
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Edward Dicks
Original assignee: Astucia (Uk) Ltd.
Priority date: 2000-11-01
Filing date: 2001-10-29
Publication date: 2002-05-10
Also published as: GB0026677D0; AU2002212445A1; MY129230A; TWI225115B

Abstract

The invention relates to signalling means particularly for roads. The advantages provided by the presence of reflective or illuminated road studs has long been known. Conventional road studs stand proud of the road surface to enable the reflector or the illuminatable means to be seen, and are prone to damage by passing traffic, and particularly by the blades of snow ploughs. The object of the invention is to reduce substantially, or eliminate this disadvantage, an objective met by a construction comprising a socket, a domed lens mounted on the socket and reflective and/or illuminatable means mounted in the socket, the domed lens being of a material able to refract reflected light, or light from the illuminatable means, to allow it to be seen by drivers of oncoming vehicles.

Description

SIGNALLING MEANS

This invention relates to signalling means, and is particularly concerned with signalling means for roads.

The advantages to drivers of vehicles of the provision of road signalling means has long been recognised. A considerable variety of illuminated signals have been proposed in addition to the provision of reflective studs to reflect a vehicle headlight back to the driver, to provide a clear indication of the centre of ordinary roads and the positions of lanes on dual carriageways or multi- lane motorways.

Thus, on badly lit roads or where there is the complete absence of road lighting, and more particularly in inclement weather where mist and fog shroud the road, the presence of an illuminated or reflective road stud is of considerable benefit to the driver, in maintaining the vehicle correctly positioned on the road, and indicating to the driver the positions of bends and corners.

Conventionally, a reflector or e.g. an LED has a lens in a part of the signalling means standing proud of the road surface, to face an oncoming vehicle and either allow light from a vehicle headlight to be reflected back to the driver of the vehicle or allow the driver to see the illuminated e.g. LED. By standing proud of the road surface, it constitutes a hazard to cyclists and motorcyclists, and it is susceptible to damage from all traffic. To assist in mitigating damage, it is known for the upper part of the signalling means bearing reflectors or lenses to be compressible, or to mount it in a socket sunk into the road and be depressible into the socket, on contact by road vehicles.

There are considerable areas of the world, where snow is a significant hazard. Conventionally, snow is cleared from a road surface by a plough blade mounted on and located forwardly of a tractor vehicle. Because the bottom edge of a plough blade must be positioned close to the road surface if snow clearing is to be effective. As a direct result of this, conventional signalling means suffer catastrophic damage caused by the plough blade contacting the upstanding part of the signalling means, and pulling it from the road surface or the socket mounted in the road.

The object of the present invention is to provide road signalling means that avoids the above referred to disadvantages.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a road signalling means comprises a socket, a domed lens mounted on the socket and a reflective means mounted in the socket, said domed lens being of a material able to cause light to refract and be directed to the reflective means, from where it is reflected back through the lens and refracts to return towards its source.

In addition to serving the purpose of a simple reflector, other means may be located in the socket, in place of the reflector. Thus, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, a road signalling means comprises a socket, a domed lens mounted on the socket and illuminatable means mounted in the socket, said domed lens being of a material to cause light from the illuminatable means to refract and be directed in a required direction, such as towards and in the line of sight of a driver of an oncoming vehicle.

In accordance with a still further embodiment of the present invention, a road signalling means comprises a socket, a domed lens mounted on the socket, a reflective means mounted in the socket and illuminatable means also mounted in the socket, said domed lens being of a material to cause light or reflected light to refract and be directed in a required direction, such as towards and in the line of sight of a driver of an oncoming vehicle.

Preferably, the material of the dome and the curvature of its domed surface is such as to allow light of different angles of approach to be refracted onto the reflector, and returned along substantially the same path as its approach, the degree of refraction is such as to take into account the difference in height of a vehicle headlight and the line of sight of the driver, such that light from a headlight is reflected at an angle towards the driver's eyes. Similarly, the material of the domed lens and the curvature of its domed surface is such as to cause light emitted by the illuminatable means to refract in divergent manner to provide a spread of emitted light.

Thus, with the socket mounted in a road, with the domed lens standing slightly proud of the road surface, light from the headlight of an oncoming vehicle travels approximately parallel to the road surface and plays on the domed lens, some of that light being refracted by the lens to play on the reflective means, from where it is returned to the lens, refracted through the lens, and directed back to the vehicle driver, or light from the illuminatable means is similarly refracted. By being of domed shape, there is a considerable reduction in damage to the domed lens by oncoming vehicles, and a much reduced hazard to motorcyclists and cyclists. Equally, and when roads must be ploughed to remove snow, a plough blade rides over the domed lens, and the prospects of catastrophic damage are significantly removed. In addition to this, there is allowed the siting of signalling means across a road at such as pedestrian crossings, where, and hitherto, positioning of road reflectors was not practical because of the damage caused by passing traffic.

Contact by road vehicles and by snow ploughs can cause abrasion damage to the surface of the lens. It is therefore preferred that the material of the lens is a so-called "self-healing" plastics material, i.e. a material with a memory that results in scratches being self-eliminated. To assist in eliminating the possibility of catastrophic damage, the lens may be mounted in the socket, with an intervening resilient seal, that allows the lens to be depressed on contact by road wheels or a plough blade. Thus, the lens may be a solid block of an appropriate transparent, self-healing plastics material mounted for movement in the socket, and the reflective means or illuminatable means may be located on a mounting plate within the socket, the lower face of the lens being appropriately recessed to receive the reflective or illuminatable means.

By being slightly domed, the result is that the lens remains relatively clean, with dry dust tending to fall from the crown down to the periphery, and in wet weather, rain effectively washes the lens surface.

Whilst an angled reflector may be the reflective means mounted in the socket, it is preferred that the reflective means is a corner-cube reflector, able to reflect light back to the lens at a higher intensity than a simple mirror, or a prismatic lens, and the illuminatable means may be a bulb, but is preferably an LED.

Whilst the lens as a whole may be such as to ensure that light is turned through the correct angle to be directed at the reflective means, an insert may be incorporated in the lens to guarantee that light is turned through the required angle, to the reflective means from the vehicle and from the reflective means back to the vehicle. When an illuminatable means is employed, a similar insert in the lens can be employed.

When illuminatable means are in the socket, also present can be such as light sensitive cells and associated capacitors or batteries, plus circuitry to be driven by power from the cells and capacitors, or batteries, and associated sensors to enable the signalling means to serve a variety of other functions.

LED's when provided may serve as simple illumination means or can provide a trail and tailgate facility such as is described and claimed in British Patent No. 0578413. There can be provided a detection means for ice and standing water, with the illumination of LED's of an appropriate colour to warn oncoming drivers, and the detection of stationery vehicles, with again the illumination of LED's of an appropriate colour. In conditions of poor visibility, light sensitive switches can be provided to cause the illumination of LED's to provide a delineated path to be followed by a driver, and in foggy conditions, sensors may be provided on the lens surface to sense the build-up of moisture, and complete a circuit to light up the illuminatable means.

To give ample warning of such as ice, water, fog and standing traffic, transceiver means can be fitted in the socket, to signal and switch on LED's in sockets in advance of a hazard in the direction of oncoming traffic. The signalling means of the invention can readily be adapted for such as runway signalling means, by incorporating an upwardly focussing diamond shaped reflector to allow the lights of airborne vehicles to illuminate the signalling means, or be provided with upwardly directed light from illuminatable means

Particularly in its use on roads, the invention constitutes a significant advance on conventional road mounted signalling means, by its ability to avoid damage by oncoming vehicles and particularly snow ploughs, and by the provision of self-healing lens.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a signalling means in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of the signalling means of Figure 1 , indicating the light paths through the lens to the reflective means;

Figure 3 corresponds to Figure 2 but shows a prismatic reflector;

Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 2 but shows the presence of illuminatable means; Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 4, but shows a probe extending to the surface of the signalling means; and

Figure 6 corresponds to Figure 5 but shows an alternative form of moisture detector.

In a first embodiment of the invention as is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a road signalling means 1 has a domed lens 2 mounted in a socket 3 able to be located in an appropriate recess in a road surface 4. The domed lens is of a transparent plastics material able to refract light from, e.g. the headlight of oncoming vehicles and direct it to a reflector 5 located in the socket. The degree of refraction of received and reflected light is indicated by the arrows 6 and 7, and which is such as to take into account differences in headlight heights above the road. Whilst the reflector 5 may be a simple angled reflector, it is desirably so that it takes the form of a corner cube reflector.

Thus, and in its simplest form, a number of signalling means can be provided, strategically positioned along a length of road, able to reflect light received from a vehicle headlight back to the driver, to confirm to the driver where the line of the road, or edge of the road, is. There is a major advantage in confirming to a driver that there is oncoming traffic. Thus, in a second embodiment of the invention, as is illustrated in Figure 3 (where like parts have the same reference numeral) the reflector 8 is a prismatic reflector, to reflect part of received light back towards its source, and to project part of the light in the opposite direction. Incoming light is refracted by the domed lens 2 and gathered by a first semi-spherical prism 9 at one side of the reflector 8, to further refract incoming light and direct it to the multiple prism structure 10 at the base of the reflector 8. Part of the incoming light is reflected by the prismatic structure 10 and returned towards its source, and another part of the incoming light is oppositely reflected, refracted by a second semi-spherical prism 11 , further refracted by the domed lens 2, to direct light to the opposite side of the signalling means, as a warning to drivers travelling in the opposite direction that there is oncoming traffic.

In addition to, or as an alternative to, the presence of a reflector 5 or 8, the signalling means may be provided with illuminatable means such as LED's 12, and an accompanying circuit 13 comprising a solar panel 14, a capacitor 15 and a battery 16, as is shown in Figure 4. With a light sensitive switch in circuit, the solar panel 14 charges the battery 16 during the hours of daylight, which in turn charges the capacitor 15, and at dusk, the LED's are switched on. Here, light from the LED's is refracted by the domed lens 2 to be directed towards and be in the line of sight of drivers of vehicles approaching the signalling means from both directions. As is shown in Figure 5, the construction of Figure 4 can be adapted for different purposes, thus, two probes 17 may be provided, connected in the circuit, and extending to the surface of the domed lens. In the presence of fog, moisture gathers on the lens, and completes a circuit containing the probes, to switch on LED's to signal the presence of fog. Equally, the probes could sense the presence of standing water or ice, and cause the switch on of appropriate LED's to signal the sensed road condition.

As an alternative to the construction of Figure 5, a multiple light sensor 17 is provided. In the presence of fog, moisture gathered on the outer surface of the dome causes part of the light reflected by the reflector 5 or emitted by the LED 12 to be reflected internally of the domed lens 2, to be received by the multiple light sensor 17, to cause the illumination of a second LED 12 of a colour selected to signal foggy conditions.

Claims

CLAI S

1. A road signalling means characterised by a socket (3), a domed lens (2) mounted on the socket, and a reflective means (5, 8) mounted in the socket, said domed lens (2) being of a material able to cause light to refract and be directed to the reflective means (5, 8), from where it is reflected back through the lens (2) and refracts to return it to its source.

2. A road signalling means as in Claim 1 characterised in that other means (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17) are located in the socket.

3. A road signalling means characterised by a socket (3), a domed lens (2) mounted on the socket (3) and an illuminatable means (12) mounted in the socket, the domed lens (2) being of a material to cause light from the illuminatable means to refract and be directed in a required direction.

4. A road signalling means characterised by a socket (3), a domed lens (2) mounted on the socket (3), a reflective means (5, 8) mounted in the socket, and an illuminatable means (12) also mounted in the socket (3), the domed lens (2) being of a material to cause light or reflected light to refract and be directed in a required direction.

5. A road signalling means as in any of Claims 1 , 2 and 4, characterised in that the material of the dome (2) and the curvature of its domed surface is such as to allow light of different angles of approach to be refracted onto the reflector (5, 8), and returned along substantially the same path as its approach.

6. A road signalling means as in Claim 3, characterised in that the material of the domed lens (2) and the curvature of its domed surface is such as to cause light emitted by the illuminatable means (5, 8) to refract in divergent manner to provide a spread of emitted light.

7. A road signalling means as in any of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the material of the domed lens (2) is a so-called "self-healing" plastics material, that has a memory that results in scratches on its surface being self-eliminated.

8. A road signalling means as in any of Claim 1 to 7, characterised in that the domed lens (2) is mounted in the socket (3) with an intervening resilient seal that allows the lens to be depressed on contact by the road wheels of a vehicle or the blade of a plough.

9. A road signalling means as in any of Claims 1 to 8 characterised in that the domed lens is a solid block with a recessed lower face to accommodate a reflector (5, 8) or illuminatable means (12).

10. A road signalling means as in any of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the reflector (5, 8) and or illuminatable means (12) is moulded in the domed lens (2), along with circuitry (13) associated with the illuminatable means (12).

11. A road signalling means as in Claims 1 , 2 and any of Claims 4 to 10, characterised in that the reflector (8) has a prism base (10) and semi-spherical prism inserts (9, 11) on its angled surfaces, whereby incoming light is concentrated on the prism base by the insert (9) and, in part reflected back along the same path, the other part of the incoming light being reflected oppositely through the insert (11) and refracted to be directed oppositely.

12. A road signalling means of Claim 1 , 2 and any of Claims 4 to 11 , characterised in that the reflector (5) is a corner cube reflector.

13. A road signalling means as in any of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that additional sensor means in the form of probes (17) are provided to extend from the circuit (13) to the surface of the domed lens (2), at least two probes (17) being provided to be connected by moisture gathering on the surface of the domed lens (2), to signal the onset of fog and activate appropriate LED's (12).

14. A road signalling means as in any of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that a multiple sensor (17) is provided in the domed lens (2) to sense light reflected internally of the domed lens

(2) caused by moisture gathering on its surface, the sensor activating illuminatable means (12) to signal foggy conditions.