WO2005113897A1

WO2005113897A1 - A road line safety pillar

Info

Publication number: WO2005113897A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/001468
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeon Hoon Seo
Original assignee: Tbc Road Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-05-21
Filing date: 2005-05-19
Publication date: 2005-12-01
Also published as: KR200359983Y1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a road safety pillar assembly comprising a supporting body affixed to a road surface using an anchor bolt and an easily replaceable safety pillar separably coupled at its lower end to the supporting body. The supporting body includes a circular coupling recess defined in an upper portion of the supporting body so that the safety pillar is coupled therein, insertion openings symmetrically formed at opposite sides of the coupling recess to have a radius larger than that of the coupling recess, clamping grooves formed at a lower end of the coupling recess between the insertion openings to have the same radius as that of the insertion openings, and protruded clamping portions formed at upper ends of the coupling grooves. The assembly further comprises a socket to be fitted into the lower end of the safety pillar to prevent con¬ striction of the lower end of the pillar, insertion protrusions symmetrically formed around the lower end of the safety pillar at opposite positions to correspond to the insertion openings of the supporting body, and a locker fitted around the safety pillar to be inserted into the insertion openings for preventing rotation of the safety pillar after the pair of insertion protrusions is inserted into the insertion openings and is rotated to be clamped in the clamping grooves.

Description

Description A ROAD LINE SAFETY PILLAR Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an easily replaceable road safety pillar, and, more particularly, a road safety pillar assembly which comprises a safety pillar that is easily replaceable separately when it is damaged due car induced stress, and a supporting body that is able to function as a road stud while keeping the safety pillar in a securely coupled state therein, thereby being capable of functioning not only as a barrier for preventing cars from crossing the centerline, etc., but also as a road stud by virtue of reflective plates attached thereto. Background Art

[2] Accidents related to cars crossing the centerline cause the most devastating and fatal accidents among various motorway traffic accidents. For this reason, the centerline is referred to as the "lifeline". Crossing the centerline, that is, is a homicidal act taking person's life.

[3] Generally, a motorway is divided into two or more lanes by dividing lines so that traffic travels in a predetermined direction in the respective lanes. Among the dividing lines, especially, the center dividing line (hereinafter, simply referred to as centerline) is marked as a yellow solid line. Although the centerline is a mere slender line, it signifies an extraordinary promise and deep trust determining life and death. Therefore, it is a very important promise not to cross the centerline and keep his/her lane.

[4] However, as reported by the Korean Road Traffic Safety Authority, car accidents due to crossing the centerline are increasing by approximately 5.6% every year. In 2003, the death toll due to crossing the centerline made up 17.5% of fatal traffic accidents.

[5] The main causes of the traffic accidents due to crossing the centerline are drivers carelessness, such as illegal passing, speeding, and falling asleep while driving, and a shortage of safety equipment and facilities, such as median barriers. Also, traffic accidents in the night tend to increase when the lighting of motorways is inappropriate, and crossing the centerline or seceding from lanes is mainly caused by the absence of delineators. Invisibility of motorway dividing lines in the night falls drivers into a very inconvenient and dangerous situation, and a difficulty in discrimination of the lines in bad weather, such as on rainy days, especially, may cause large-scale traffic accidents. In a nutshell, the above-described problems are caused because the motorway dividing lines, including the centerline, fail in their reflexivity. [6] In a practical guide related to road safety facilities issued by the National Police Agency, it is clearly prescribed that reflectors, such as glass beads, have to be securely embedded in motorways to allow drivers to easily discriminate dividing lines even in the night under the absence of lighting and that the dividing lines must have a reflexive luminance satisfying a predetermined criterion required to eliminate driving inconvenience even in the night or on rainy days. Here, according to the predetermined criterion, the dividing lines must be white lines of 120 lux or yellow lines of 70 lux. However, most existing road markers, such as the dividing lines and the centerline, do not fulfill the above criterion. Therefore, it is necessary to mount road safety pillars and road studs for the puφose of compensating for a deterioration of visibility.

[7] Road safety pillars are mounted along the centerline or other dividing lines to prevent cars from crossing the centerline, etc. to thereby ensure smooth traffic flow and to reduce traffic accidents. Normally, such a road safety pillar consists of a body portion affixed to a road surface, and a pillar portion vertically extending from the body portion. Since the body portion and the pillar portion are integrally formed, conventional road safety pillars have a problem in that they have to be completely replaced even when only one of the body portion and the pillar portion is damaged by car induced stress.

[8] As a solution of the above problem, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 245965 discloses a road safety pillar assembly. The disclosed conventional road safety pillar assembly is designed such that a safety pillar is separably coupled to a base body. With this separable configuration, when only the safety pillar is damaged due to car induced stress, the safety pillar can be replaced separately without replacement of the base body, resulting in considerably reduced maintenance and repair costs. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the conventional road safety pillar assembly. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the road safety pillar assembly includes a cylindrical foamed pillar 1 made of recycled PE, fixing means fitted around a lower end of the foamed pillar 1, a coupler 20 configured to be inserted into the foamed pillar 1 from the lower end of the foamed pillar 1 fitted in the fixing means to allow the foamed pillar 1 to come into close contact with the fixing means, the coupler 20 having a longitudinal slot 21, coupling means integrally formed in a central top portion of a base body 5 affixed to a road surface to allow the fixing means to be fitted and coupled thereto, and a warning sheet 3 attached around the foamed pillar 1 to improve visibility.

[9] Referring to FIG. 8, the fixing means is a male screw 10 externally formed with threads, and the coupling means is a female screw 30 internally formed with threads to be screwed with the male screw 10. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the fixing means may be a fixing ring 40 having a pair of symmetrical fitting protrusions 41 formed at an outer circumference thereof, and the coupling means is a fixing recess 50 having a pair of insertion grooves 51 for allowing the fitting protrusions 41 to be respectively inserted thereinto and a pair of fixing grooves 52 formed at lower ends of the insertion grooves 51.

[10] In the case of the separable safety pillar as shown in FIG. 8, in order to separate the pillar from the body when the pillar is damaged due to car induced stress, the pillar must be repeatedly rotated plural times using separate tools, that securely grasp the remaining lower end portion of the pillar, to unscrew the firmly tightened female and male screws, resulting in an excessively long separation time. Admittedly, when car induced stress is applied to the pillar, a portion right above the male screw tends to be torn and destroyed, making it difficult to separate the lower end of the pillar screwed with the female screw of the body. As a result, it is impractical to replace only the pillar with a new one.

[11] In the case of the pillar as shown in FIG. 9, since the pair of small fitting protrusions 41 formed around the lower end of the pillar is fitted in the fixing grooves 52 of the body, a coupling force between the body and the pillar is relatively low, causing shaking and unintentional separation of the pillar. Thus, the pillar tends to be easily separated from the body even by slight rotation thereof. This increases the risk of robbery and damage of the pillar. Also, even if a minute shock is applied to the pillar as cars pass the pillar, the shock is concentrated upon the fitting protrusions, resulting in breakage of the fitting protrusions and separation of the pillar from the body. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[12] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a road safety pillar assembly which comprises a supporting body affixed to a road surface, a pillar having reflective sheets attached thereto and separably coupled to the supporting body with a sufficient coupling force to prevent unintentional separation or damage by external shock, and a locker to prevent the pillar from being easily separated from the supporting body by criminals, thereby eliminating the anxiety of robbery or damage of the pillar while ensuring easy replacement of the pillar by allowed persons when the pillar is damaged due to car induced stress, etc. Technical Solution

[13] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a road safety pillar assembly comprising a supporting body affixed to a road surface by means of an anchor bolt and an easily replaceable safety pillar separably coupled at a lower end thereof to the supporting body, wherein the supporting body includes: a circular coupling recess defined in an upper portion of the supporting body so that the safety pillar is coupled therein; a pair of insertion openings symmetrically formed at opposite sides of the coupling recess to have a radius larger than that of the coupling recess; a pair of clamping grooves formed at a lower end of the coupling recess between the insertion openings to have the same radius as that of the insertion openings; and a pair of protruded clamping portions formed at upper ends of the coupling grooves, and wherein the road safety pillar assembly further comprises: a socket configured to be fitted into the lower end of the safety pillar to prevent constriction of the lower end of the pillar; a pair of insertion protrusions symmetrically formed around the lower end of the safety pillar at opposite positions to correspond to the insertion openings of the supporting body; and a locker fitted around the safety pillar to be inserted into the insertion openings for preventing rotation of the safety pillar after the pair of insertion protrusions of the safety pillar is inserted into the insertion openings formed at opposite sides of the coupling recess of the supporting body and is rotated to be clamped in the clamping grooves.

[14] Preferably, the locker may include: a body having a ring or short tubular shape; and a pair of locking protrusions integrally protruded downward from opposite sides of the body to be inserted into the respective insertion openings. The supporting body may further include: a first coupling hole centrally formed at a bottom surface of the coupling recess of the supporting body to allow the anchor bolt to be fastened therethrough; and a second coupling hole formed around the first coupling hole to allow an additional fastener, such as a nail, to be fastened therethrough to prevent rotation of the supporting body.

[15] Preferably, the supporting body may further include: inclined four sidewalls foπning a periphery of the supporting body; and reflective plates attached to the respective inclined sidewalls to allow the supporting body to function as a road stud. Brief Description of the Drawings

[16] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[17] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a road safety pillar assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[18] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the road safety pillar assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[19] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the road safety pillar assembly of FIG. 2;

[20] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the road safety pillar assembly of FIG. 3, which is mounted to a road surface; [21] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a safety pillar according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is disassembled for replacement;

[22] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a locker according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

[23] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a supporting body according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

[24] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a conventional road safety pillar assembly; and

[25] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an alternative embodiment of t he conventional road safety pillar assembly of FIG. 8. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[26] FIGS. 1 and 2 are an exploded perspective view and a perspective view, respectively, illustrating a road safety pillar assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the road safety pillar assembly of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the road safety pillar assembly of FIG. 3, which is mounted to a road surface. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a safety pillar according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is disassembled for replacement. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a locker according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a supporting body according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[27] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the road safety pillar assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, designated as reference numeral 100, includes a supporting body 110 affixed to a road surface 200 by means of an anchor bolt 130, and a safety pillar 120 separably coupled at a lower end thereof to the supporting body 110. For the coupling of the safety pillar 120, a circular coupling recess 111 is defined in an upper portion of the supporting body 110. At opposite lateral sides of the coupling recess 111 are symmetrically formed a pair of insertion openings 112 to have a radius larger than that of the coupling recess 111. Also, clamping grooves 113 are formed at front and rear sides of a lower end of the coupling recess 111 to have the same radius as that of the insertion openings 112. A wall portion of the coupling recess 111 above the clamping grooves 113 is protruded inward as compared to the clamping grooves 113 to thereby form protruded clamping portions 114. The road safety pillar assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a socket 140 configured to be fitted in the lower end of the safety pillar 120 to prevent constriction of the lower end of the pillar 120, and a pair of insertion protrusions 121 symmetrically formed around the lower end of the safety pillar 120 at opposite lateral positions to correspond to the insertion openings 112 of the supporting body 110. After the pair of insertion protrusions 121 of the safety pillar 120 is inserted into the insertion openings 112 formed at opposite lateral sides of the coupling recess 111 of the supporting body 110 and is rotated to thereby be clamped in the clamping grooves 113, a locker 150 is fitted around the safety pillar 120 to be fitted in the insertion openings 112 in order to prevent unintentional rotation of the safety pillar 120.

[28] The locker 150 includes a body 152 having a ring shape or short tubular shape as shown in FIG. 6, and a pair of locking protrusions 154 integrally protruded downward from opposite sides of the body 152 to be inserted into the respective insertion openings 112.

[29] At least one tool-insertion hole 156 may be formed at an outer circumference of a lower portion of the body 152 to facilitate separation of the locker 150 from the supporting body 110. That is, as a flat tool, such as a linear driver is press fitted into the tool-insertion hole 156, the locker 150 can be easily separated from the supporting body 110 as occasion demands.

[30] The supporting body 110 has a coupling hole 115 centrally formed at a bottom surface of the coupling recess 111 for the fastening of the anchor bolt 130. Around the coupling hole 115 is formed a fastener coupling hole 116 for the insertion of an additional fastener 130', such as a nail, that serves to prevent rotation of the supporting body 110.

[31] The supporting body 110 has inclined four sidewalls 117, and reflective plates 118 are attached to the respective inclined sidewalls 117. With this configuration, the supporting body 110 is able to function as a road stud.

[32] Reference numeral 122 denotes a reflective sheet attached around the safety pillar 120, reference numeral 132 denotes a spring washer and flat washer to be fitted around the anchor bolt 130, reference numeral 134 denotes a nut, and reference numeral 136 denotes a sleeve having an incision. Upon fastening of the anchor bolt 130, the sleeve is outwardly expanded at the incision as the nut 134 is tightened, thereby serving to affix the anchor bolt 130 to the road surface.

[33] Now, the installation procedure of the road safety pillar assembly according to the present invention will be explained. First, an anchor bolt hole is drilled in the road surface at a position selected to install the road safety pillar assembly. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the anchor bolt 130 is embedded in the drilled hole to affix the supporting body 110 to the road surface.

[34] In this case, the fastener 130', such as a concrete nail, is also fastened through the fastener coupling hole 116 to prevent rotation of the supporting body 110.

[35] After mounting the supporting body 110 to the road surface, the safety pillar 120, which contains the socket 140 previously inserted in the lower end thereof, is inserted into the supporting body 110 so that the insertion protrusions 121 formed around the lower end of the safety pillar 120 are press fitted into the insertion openings 112 of the coupling recess 111 formed at the upper portion of the supporting body 110. After that, as the safety pillar 120 is rotated approximately 90 degrees, the insertion protrusions 121 are seated in the clamping grooves 113 and are caught by the protruded clamping portions 114 so as not to be unintentionally separated upward.

[36] Next, the locker 150 is fitted around the safety pillar 120 from an upper end of the safety pillar 120 so that the locking protrusions 154 protruded downward from opposite sides of the body 152 are press fitted into the insertion openings 112 of the supporting body 110. As a result, the safety pillar 120 can be coupled to the supporting body 110 without the risk of unintentional rotation thereof via the interaction between the insertion protrusions 121 and the clamping grooves 113.

[37] In summary, as a result of first coupling the safety pillar into the supporting body, and then, fitting the separate locker around the safety pillar, the road safety pillar assembly according to the present invention achieves a large coupling force between the safety pillar and the supporting body, and eliminates a risk of unintentional separation of the safety pillar from the supporting body before the locker is removed. This makes it impossible for criminals, who do not know this interior structure, to separate the safety pillar from the supporting body, thereby effectively preventing the safety pillar from being stolen or losing functions thereof due to unintentional separation.

[38] Meanwhile, with the above-described configuration of the safety pillar assembly according to the present invention, the large coupling force between the lower end of the safety pillar and the supporting body also prevents separation of the safety pillar even by slight external shock generated when cars pass the pillar. When the safety pillar is damaged by relatively large external shock, the safety pillar can be easily separated from the supporting body as the locker is first removed and the lower end of the safety pillar is slightly rotated by an allowed operator. By coupling a new safety pillar to the supporting body according to the above described mounting procedure, the road safety pillar assembly can recover its original function.

[39] The road safety pillar assembly of the present invention, as stated above, also functions as a road stud, thereby achieving a reduction of facility costs by virtue of elimination of a separate rod stud.

[40] In the case of the road safety pillar assembly according to the present invention, furthermore, since the supporting body is firmly and deeply coupled to the road surface by means of the anchor bolt, it can effectively resist shock applied by a car tire so as not to be unintentionally separated from the road surface, thereby eliminating the generation of secondary safety accidents due to the separated supporting body. Through the use of the fastener for more firmly fastening the supporting body to the road surface, moreover, it is possible to effectively prevent a change in the orientation of the supporting body under the influence of friction with the car tire. The supporting body can effectively function as a road stud, and is also economical because it can be recycled once being dismounted via removal of the anchor bolt. Industrial Applicability

[41] As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a road safety pillar assembly in which a safety pillar is separably coupled to a supporting body. Admittedly, once being coupled to each other, the safety filler and the supporting body achieves a large coupling force and a high strength at coupling regions thereof. Thus, there is no risk of shaking of the safety pillar and unintentional separation or damage to the coupling regions by minor external shock. Also, through the use of a locker that makes it difficult for criminals to separate the safety pillar from the supporting body, the robbery or loss of the safety pillar can be effectively prevented. According to the present invention, in addition to support the safety pillar, the supporting body can also serve as a road stud, thereby reducing installation costs of road safety equipment and doubling the utility of the safety pillar of the present invention. Since the supporting body is firmly mounted to the road surface by means of an anchor bolt and fastener so as not to rotate, furthermore, the supporting body can function as a road stud even if car induced stress is applied thereto, serving as practical safety equipment.

[42] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative puφoses, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

[43]

[44]

Claims

[1] A road safety pillar assembly comprising a supporting body affixed to a road surface by means of an anchor bolt and an easily replaceable safety pillar separably coupled at a lower end thereof to the supporting body, wherein the supporting body 110 includes: a circular coupling recess 111 defined in an upper portion of the supporting body 110 so that the safety pillar is coupled therein; a pair of insertion openings 112 symmetrically formed at opposite sides of the coupling recess to have a radius larger than that of the coupling recess 111 ; a pair of clamping grooves 113 formed at a lower end of the coupling recess 111 between the insertion openings 112 to have the same radius as that of the insertion openings 112; and a pair of protruded clamping portions 114 formed at upper ends of the coupling grooves 113, and wherein the road safety pillar assembly further comprises: a socket 140 configured to be fitted into the lower end of the safety pillar 120 to prevent constriction of the lower end of the pillar; a pair of insertion protrusions 121 symmetrically formed around the lower end of the safety pillar 120 at opposite positions to correspond to the insertion openings 112 of the supporting body 110; and a locker 150 fitted around the safety pillar 120 to be inserted into the insertion openings 112 for preventing rotation of the safety pillar 120 after the pair of insertion protrusions 121 of the safety pillar 120 is inserted into the insertion openings 112 formed at opposite sides of the coupling recess 111 of the supporting body 110 and is rotated to be clamped in the clamping grooves.

[2] The assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locker 150 includes: a body 152 having a ring or short tubular shape; and a pair of locking protrusions 154 integrally protruded downward from opposite sides of the body to be inserted into the respective insertion openings 112.

[3] The assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting body 110 further includes: a first coupling hole 115 centrally formed at a bottom surface of the coupling recess 111 of the supporting body 110 to allow the anchor bolt 130 to be fastened therethrough; and a second coupling hole 116 formed around the first coupling hole 115 to allow an additional fastener, such as a nail, to be fastened therethrough to prevent rotation of the supporting body 110. [4] The assembly as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supporting body 110 further includes: inclined four sidewalls 117 forming a periphery of the supporting body; and reflective plates 118 attached to the respective inclined sidewalls to allow the supporting body to function as a road stud.