EP0542818B1 - Mobile device for indicating a lane closure and diverting traffic - Google Patents

Abstract

The mobile road marking device is designed to be brought into operation quickly either by stopping in a given lane or by moving slowly, in order for example to warn of an accident or of moving or stationary roadworks. The device is a kit which can preferably be fitted to a vehicle (1) or a trailer, and comprises a support (2) on which is hingedly fastened a motor-driven shaft (3), and a swinging arm (4) supporting a bowl (5) which may comprise a reflector (6) and is provided with a continuously-operating light source (7) defining a symbol such as an arrow.

Description

Mobile device for signaling the occupation of a road lane and diverting traffic.

The present invention relates to the road domain and more particularly to a separate carriageway and has for its object a mobile signaling device to inform road users as far upstream as possible of the occupation of a lane and to divert traffic.

In France, in particular, the signaling of the neutralization of a lane is traditionally done manually with about twenty panels of the order of a square meter of surface installed on the lane under traffic which is doubly annoying for motorists, long and excessively dangerous both for installation and removal for users and agents who come to refuse to perform this work.

Abroad, mobile systems are used composed of a truck and a special trailer carrying a retractable panel (US-A-3 883 846) with a large arrow marked by a dozen spots of the order thirty centimeters in diameter.

This second system is more efficient, however the trailer truck assembly is heavy, bulky, and the installation and fall-back maneuvers are delicate, more visibility can be impaired by the presence of heavy vehicles, the impact of information is not as effective as it would be desirable, and in the event of a collision the consequences can be disastrous.

The device according to claim 1 overcomes these drawbacks.

On the one hand, it is preferably mounted as a kit on a vehicle of 2 to 5 tonnes of total laden weight, or even on a trailer, and makes it possible to signal the neutralization of a lane on a road with separate carriageways and to bring the user gradually slow down first and then deviate.

On the other hand, it makes it possible to considerably minimize the consequences of rear or lateral buffering by protecting the equipment and the men of the bumper and buffered vehicles.

The device comprises a motorized arm, articulated at one of its ends provided at the other end with a preferentially parabolic reflector equipped with a preferentially halogen light source, capped with an external cover preferentially delimiting an arrow, the assembly can be seen at a distance of the order of a kilometer, the arm in operation is permanently animated by an alternating rotation movement oriented either on the right side to deviate to the right, or on the left side to deviate to the left, at the same time time the light source is lit, either continuously or discontinuously, during the descent of the arm, preferably with progressive switching on and off.

• du mouvement de haut en bas signifiant l'ordre de ralentir tel qu'il est pratiqué manuellement par les gendarmes
• du mouvement de gauche à droite ou vice versa
• de l'allumage continu voire discontinu

est un message d'information à la fois fort et tranquille, immédiatement compréhensible par les usagers qui gèrent alors beaucoup mieux leur stress.The triple cumulation defined below

• movement up and down signifying the order to slow down as practiced manually by the gendarmes
• movement from left to right or vice versa
• continuous or even discontinuous ignition

is a message of information at the same time strong and calm, immediately understandable by the users who then manage their stress much better.

According to an adaptation, the vehicle can be equipped at the rear with one or more fixed or removable shock absorbers, possibly one or more being liftable so, after recovery, to occupy a reduced place in the garage and during transport, to constitute a mask of the signaling system and to trivialize the vehicle.

The attenuators can be placed one above the other, the one above recessed from the one below, so that the lowest mitigates the shocks of light vehicles, the highest and the lowest reduce the impact of heavy vehicles.

According to another use, the device makes it possible to divert the traffic on either side of the carrier vehicle by creating the alternative oscillation of travel adjustable on either side of the vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation of the arm.

• d'une part latéralement hors du gabarit du véhicule généralement limité à 2,50 mètres et jusqu'à occuper au moins toute la largeur de la voie généralement limitée à 3,50 mètres ce qui autorise le montage d'un bras de distance entre axe et extrémité de l'ordre de 2,25 mètres.
• d'autre part au-dessus du gabarit de la route généralement limité à 4,50 m et alors sans limite latéral.

To increase efficiency at long and short distance, the arm and its reflector can move by construction

• on the one hand laterally outside the size of the vehicle generally limited to 2.50 meters and up to occupy at least the entire width of the track generally limited to 3.50 meters which authorizes the mounting of an arm of distance between axis and end of the order of 2.25 meters.
• on the other hand above the gauge of the road generally limited to 4.50 m and then without lateral limit.

According to a variant for signaling even higher, for example up to 7 meters, the axis of rotation of the arm can be mounted on a mobile column, for example telescopic, secured to the chassis and / or possibly translatable for example laterally.

According to another variant, the arm can be equipped with one or more forearms, which allows, by combination of movements, all types of positioning and displacement, for example a vertical alternating movement above the lateral track.

According to an improvement, an obstacle presence sensor, for example with ultrasound or infrared, preferably installed at the end of the arm, makes it possible to detect, for example, the apron of an overpass, or an electric wire and to automatically trigger the withdrawal column or arm to bring these elements inside the available templates while ensuring beyond these delicate passages the automatic or manual return to the initial positions.

• d'une part continu dans un sens ou dans l'autre pour dévoyer à droite ou à gauche avec synchronisation de la mise en fonction alternative de l'une des deux sources lumineuses dans tout ou partie du secteur balayé de droite ou de gauche,
• d'autre part alternatif par rapport à l'horizontale pour dévoyer aussi bien à droite qu'à gauche, avec une mise en fonction des sources lumineuses préférentiellement continue mais aussi alternativement synchronisée.

According to another variant, the arm can be split symmetrically, balanced, the two arms are then integral, driven in a rotational movement which can be

• on the one hand continuous in one direction or the other to deviate to the right or to the left with synchronization of the alternative activation of one of the two light sources in all or part of the swept sector on the right or on the left,
• on the other hand, alternative with respect to the horizontal, to deviate both to the right and to the left, with the light sources preferably being switched on, but also alternately synchronized.

According to another additional adaptation, the plane formed by the arm or arms which is perpendicular to the axis of the vehicle can be oriented around a vertical axis, for example the axis of the column so as to partially correct the parallax defect between the axis of the light source and the axis of vision of road users, in particular in the case of an installation at a bend in the road. This orientation can be carried out manually or automatically by a mechanical link connected to a connecting rod of the vehicle steering or any other system chosen by analogy with the servo systems used on vehicles with four steered, mechanical, electrical, electronic wheels.

According to another variant, the visibility of the arrow can be enhanced by the presence of a visor, this visor can be rotatable, for example around the free edge of the bowl containing the reflector for example by means of a ball crown and the position of the visor can be controlled by means of pinions or belt and teeth on the crown or by means of a parallelogram to a base fixed at the level of the axis of the arm so as to maintain the same orientation of the visor whatever the position of the arm.

Another way is to simply ballast the visor at its opposite low point.

These provisions relating to the visor can be extended to the external cover partially delimiting the arrow so as to maintain the arrow, for example horizontal whatever the position of the arm.

The device to be regulatory may include one or more type B panels 21, preferably placed on the low attenuator so as to retract them with the raising of the attenuators, thus trivializing the vehicle.

The adapted optics on the reflector can be flat, it can also be constituted by a Fresnel lens so as to improve identification by users.

The light source can be composed of several sources, in particular a flash source which will preferably be triggered automatically only when the visibility is questionable, all the sources being able to be synchronized using a PLC whose incrementation can be made by sensor or by a cam sector mounted on the axis of the arm making synchronization automatic while remaining adjustable by the displacement of the sensors whatever the stroke chosen for the beating of the arms.

Side rails surround the vehicle.

The arm can be equipped with spotlights synchronized with the lighting of the light source so as to reinforce the arrow effect.

Figure 1 shows, seen by the user, the device according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows, laterally this device.

The device shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a vehicle (1) equipped with a support (2) located behind the cabin provided in its upper part with a substantially horizontal axis (3) on which is articulated an arm (4 ) carrying at its end a bowl (5) of the order of 0.80 m in diameter, preferably of hemispherical, ovoidal and / or cylindrical shape provided with a reflector (6), one or more light sources (7 ), an optic (8), a cover (9).

The length between the axis of the arm and its end on the bowl is of the order of 1.25 m up to 2.25 m and more.

A not shown gearmotor or a not shown actuator drives the arm in one direction or the other via a controller and synchronization, for example by cam and rotary contacts.

On the chassis of the vehicle are adapted transverse axes (10) and (11) on which are articulated two attenuators (12) and (13) superimposed offset, a jack (14) not shown housed horizontally in the axis of the chassis ensures the simultaneous lifting by the tie rod (15) of the high attenuator secured to that of the arm by belts and lateral arms (16) articulated, consisting of simple plates so as not to transmit stress without shock.

The dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 are representative without exclusive significance of transport positions of the arm and of the attenuators.

• économie d'un filtre et surtout d'un gain lumineux très important de 25 à 100 % absorbé habituellement par le filtre,
• rendement exceptionnel du signal, par exemple une lampe sodium basse pression de 66 W fournit 10 700 lumens alors qu'une lampe halogène de 75 W fournit 1 130 lumens,
• visibilité sous tous les angles sans perte de rendement c'est dire que le dispositif est installable en courbe,
• visibilité à l'avant comme à l'arrière en plaçant les lampes sodium sans bol, sans enceinte ou dans une enceinte transparente, par exemple une sphère particulièrement aérodynamique et très design autorisant l'utilisation du dispositif sur chaussées bidirectionnelles,
• définition d'un tracé ou d'un contour rectiligne voire courbe par juxtapositions unitaires ou bout à bout, par exemple pour former une flèche, des sources lumineuses constituées par des tubes le plus souvent retournés sur eux-mêmes en forme de U donc linéraires,
• optimisation de l'épaisseur vue du tube en U en jouant sur son orientation par rapport à son axe,,
• faible puissance installée, une flèche de 1,50 mètres pouvant être par exemple composée de 7 lampes de 35 W de 50 centimètres de diamètre de 300 mm de longueur unitaire, soit 245 watts ou 30 000 lumens, visible à plus d'un kilomètre de distance.

According to another variant, not shown in a figure, the lamps usually used being halogen can be replaced by tubular sodium lamps preferably of low pressure which have the characteristic of being yellow rather orange in color, which provides very many advantages :

• economy of a filter and above all a very large light gain of 25 to 100% usually absorbed by the filter,
• exceptional signal performance, for example a 66 W low pressure sodium lamp provides 10,700 lumens while a 75 W halogen lamp provides 1,130 lumens,
• visibility from all angles without loss of performance, that is to say that the device can be installed in a curve,
• visibility at the front and at the rear by placing the sodium lamps without bowl, without enclosure or in a transparent enclosure, for example a particularly aerodynamic and very design sphere allowing the use of the device on two-way pavements,
• definition of a straight line or even curved outline by unitary or end-to-end juxtapositions, for example to form an arrow, light sources constituted by tubes generally turned over on themselves in a U shape therefore linear,
• optimization of the thickness seen from the U-shaped tube by adjusting its orientation relative to its axis,
• low installed power, a 1.50 meter boom that can for example be made up of 7 35 W lamps 50 centimeters in diameter, 300 mm in unit length, or 245 watts or 30,000 lumens, visible more than one kilometer from distance.

• un onduleur de tension alternative ou de signal sinusoïdal carré,
• un convertisseur de puissance adaptable,
• un dispositif de réduction d'intensité manuel ou automatique couplé à une cellule de mesure de la luminosité.

The ignition of sodium lamps is long on the order of 10 minutes, this is not a drawback since this period remains less often than travel time. Switching off for one to a few seconds and instantaneous re-ignition are possible by the following assembly from a 12 or 24 volt DC battery by combining:

• an alternating voltage or square sine wave inverter,
• an adaptable power converter,
• a manual or automatic intensity reduction device coupled to a brightness measurement cell.

The battery can be replaced by an alternating current generator eliminating the inverter.

According to an additional adaptation, preferably a single new light source can be mounted on a new independent telescopic column placing the said source very high above the vehicle to signal it.

According to other adaptations, preferably low-pressure sodium lamps can be used to signal places, for example construction site, accident zone, black spot, ...

This signage could be fixed or animated, which could represent symbols or simply be sufficient by its illuminating tube in particular positioned vertically asserting its singularity and offering a low wind resistance.

Claims (14)

1. Mobile means for indicating that a traffic lane is occupied and to divert traffic, the said device being preferentially mounted as a kit on vehicles, characterised in that: it comprises a motorised arm (4) supported by an axis (3) providing horizontal and longitudinal rotation with respect to the vehicle, hinged on a support (2), the said arm bearing a light source (17) forming a symbol and being continuously driven when signalling in an alternating rotary movement on either the left hand side or the right hand side of the vehicle, with the result that the light source (7), which can be seen from a distance of the order of one kilometre, is orientated transverse to the traffic lane and is caused to move in a movement similar to that performed manually by policemen,
2. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
   The light source (7) lights up while the arm descends (4), with the result that the light source (7) can be seen in an alternating fashion so as to reinforce the said similarity,
3. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
   The light source (7) is mounted in a dish (5) provided with at least one reflector (6),
4. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
   The vehicle (1) is equipped with at least one shock absorber (12, 13) which also provides a cover for the arm (4) and the light source (7) when the vehicle (1) is in motion, the said arm (4) being equipped with means to lower it behind the said shock absorbers,
5. Means according to claim 2, characterised in that:
   The lighting for the light source (7) is discontinuous with progressive phases of illumination and extinction synchronised with the position of the arm (4) by automated means,
6. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
   The support (2) comprises a telescopic column.
7. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
   It comprises at least a moving forearm on which the arm (4) is hinged.
8. Means according to claims 6 and 7, characterised in that:
   It comprises an obstacle sensor designed to control automatic retraction of the column and the arms.
9. Means according to claim 2, characterised in that:
   The arm (4) is divided symmetrically into two in a balanced fashion with respect to the axis of rotation (3), the movement of the double arm being continuous and the lighting alternately synchronised so that the light source is illuminated so as to be seen alternately while the arm continues its rotary movement.
10. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
    The support can move horizontally, the said mobility being subject to the driving control system of the vehicle by known means.
11. Means according to claim 3, characterised in that:
    The dish is equipped with a turning shade whose position with respect to the light source is linked to the axis of rotation of the arm.
12. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
    The light source comprises at least one low pressure orange-yellow tubular sodium lamp forming a symbol, and in that the lamps are supplied by:

    - direct current batteries

    - an alternating or square sinusoidal signal voltage inverter,

    - an adjustable power convertor,

    - means for reducing intensity coupled with a cell for the measurement of luminosity.
13. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that:
    it comprises an additional light source mounted on an independent telescopic column raising the said additional light source very high above the vehicle to provide a distant signal.
14. Means according to claim 3, characterised in that:
    The dish is formed of a transparent aerodynamic sphere in order that the light source can be seen from the front and rear of the vehicle so that the device can be used on roads with traffic in two directions.

Images