JPH02235001A - Embedment type retroreflective road rivet - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the visual recognition of the rivet even a vehicle approaches the rivet and to enable a nearby third pedestrian to notice the approach of the vehicle in an early time by providing many flat surfaces which suppress the retroreflection of the light entering from the upper incident face to a lower reflection face and obtain the reflected luminous fluxes in the directions different from the retroreflection direction. CONSTITUTION:An embedding part 2 of the road rivet having the partially spherical incident face 31 in the upper part and the partially spherical reflection face 21 in the lower part is embedded below GL and an exposing part 3 is exposed above GL. This incident face 21 is provided with the many flat surfaces 4 which suppress the retroreflection of the light entering from the incident face 31 and obtain the reflected luminous fluxes in the directions different from the retroreflection direction on the partially spherical surfaces of the embedding part 2 from a base 20 up to a prescribed height H. The incident light 6 nearly parallel with the road surface passes the point B of the reflecting face 21 and the point C of the incident face 31 from the point A of the incident face 31 to form the reflected light 8 which returns toward the vehicle, but this light passes the point a, the point b, the points c1, c2, c3... to constitute the reflected luminous flux 10 so as to be recognized visually by the driver when the vehicle approaches the rivet body 1 and the incident light 9 enters the body at a large angle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is directed to buried retroreflective road studs, specifically, to reflect the light of automobile hesodolite to indicate the presence of obstacles or to mark traffic lanes. This invention relates to buried type retroreflective road studs that are semi-buried in roads, etc. in order to facilitate visibility and help improve the safety of automobile traffic.

(Prior art) In general, buried type retroreflective road studs absorb incident light from an automobile's hendlight at an angle close to parallel to the road.
The incident light is retroreflected in the direction of the light source.As shown in Figure 6, the structure of this road stud includes a partially spherical incident surface (31) at the top and a partially spherical incident surface at the bottom. It is mainly made of a transparent body such as glass provided with a reflective surface (21), and the outside of the reflective surface (21) is coated with a mirror finish. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the incident light (6) that enters the road surface (GL) at an angle close to parallel to the road surface (GL) is refracted at point A of the incident surface (31), and then is refracted by the reflective surface. It is specularly reflected at point B in (21), and the incident surface (
It is refracted at point C of 31) and retroreflected toward the driver of the car as reflected light (8).

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional retroreflective road studs embedded in the fence, the retroreflection is sharp, so that the reflected light (8) is not visible to the driver of the headlight, which is the light source. However, third parties such as bicycles or pedestrians in front of the car cannot see the reflected light (8) and may not notice that the car is approaching. As the driver approaches a road stud, the reflected light (8) is removed from the driver's line of sight, and the stud, which was visible from a distance, becomes invisible.
Particularly when turning right at an intersection onto a left-hand road with a median strip, studs placed on obstacles near the turning point that were clearly visible until entering the intersection may be lost as the turn approaches, resulting in an accident. There was a problem that caused it.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to notify pedestrians, bicycles, etc. passing nearby at night or during rainy days of the approach of a car, and to alert pedestrians and bicycles passing nearby at night or during rainy days, as well as to inform pedestrians and bicycles of the approaching car. Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a buried type retroreflective road stud that allows reflected light to enter the driver's line of sight and not become invisible.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a partially spherical incident surface (31) at the upper part and a partially spherical reflecting surface (21) at the lower part.
A buried type retroreflective road stud, wherein the light incident on the incident surface (3l) is reflected by the reflective surface (21) and retroreflected from the incident surface (31), The reflective surface (21) is provided with a large number of flat surfaces (4) that suppress the retroreflection of the light incident from the incident surface (31) and reflect light in a direction different from the direction of retroreflection. This is a characteristic feature.

Further, the plurality of flat surfaces (4)... are connected to the reflective surface (21).
) is preferably provided up to a predetermined height from the lower end.

(Function) The incident light incident from the outside is reflected by the numerous flat surfaces (4) provided on the reflective surface (21)... as a reflected light beam in a direction different from the direction of retroreflection, while being reflected by the stud. Even if a car approaches, it can be seen, and third parties such as pedestrians and bicycles passing nearby can also quickly notice that a car is approaching.

In addition, when a large number of the flat surfaces (4) are provided from the lower end of the reflective surface (21) to a predetermined height, sufficient retroreflection is achieved and the studs can be seen even when a car approaches. Furthermore, third parties such as pedestrians and bicycles passing by can be quickly notified of the approach of a car.

(Example) The present invention will be explained below.

The retroreflective road tack body (1) is a buried hemisphere with a radius (R) and a center (o1), as shown in Figure 1 with a cross section on the left half and a side view on the right half. Part (2) and
The buried part (2) and the exposed part (3) have a radius (r) smaller than the radius (R) of the buried part N(2'2) and have a hemispherical shape with the center (02). The centers (01) and (02) of the buried part (2) and exposed part (3) are made of a material that refracts and transmits light, such as recycled glass, for example.
) are located on the same axis line (5), and the buried part (2
) is integrally molded so that the center (01) of the exposed part (3) is located above the center (02) of the exposed part (3), and the surface of the buried part (2) is coated with a mirror finish or coated with aluminum. As shown in FIG. 3, a mirror layer (2 1 a) is provided on the surface of the buried portion (2) by vapor deposition of a metal such as
It forms a reflective surface (21) to be described later. Further, a spherical top surface (3a) having a large radius close to a flat surface is formed at the upper end of the exposed portion (3), while the buried portion (2)
), a bottom surface (20) is formed at the lower end of the bottom surface (20).
) is provided with a recessed portion (20a) in the center thereof.

The rivet main body (1) configured in this way is attached to the exposed mountain part (3).
is used by embedding the buried part (2) below the road surface (GL) so that it is exposed above the road surface (GL), and the surface of the exposed part (3) is partially spherical. The painted inner surface of the buried portion (2) serves as an incident surface (31) and a partially spherical reflective surface (21).

Therefore, the incident surface (31) is attached to the reflective surface (21).
A large number of flat surfaces (4) are provided to suppress the retroreflection of the light incident thereon and to make the reflected light beam in a direction different from the retroreflection direction.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the buried portion (2) extends from the bottom surface (20) to a predetermined height (H).
A prism diamond cut is applied to the partially spherical surface of 2), as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.
) A large number of flat surfaces (4) that suppress the retroreflection of the light incident from the surface and reflect the light beam in a direction different from the retroreflection direction.
The mirror layer (2 1 a) is formed on the surface of this flat surface (4). In this embodiment, the bottom surface (20) of the buried portion (2) is also cut with a prism diamond to provide a large number of flat surfaces (4).

The state of light reflection when the stud main body (1) configured as described above is used by being buried in a road will be explained.

The light from the headlights of a car is the main body of the car (1
), as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, the incident light (6) becomes almost parallel to the road surface (GL), is refracted at point A of the incident surface (31), and then It enters the rivet body (1) and is mirror-reflected symmetrically to the normal line (7) at point B of the reflecting surface (21) which is not provided with a large number of flat surfaces (4). ) is refracted at point C and reflected light (
8) and returns to the direction of the car, and the incident light (
6) and the reflected light (8) become parallel to each other, become retroreflected, and enter the driver's field of vision, making the beach itself (1) visible.

Then, as the car approaches the stud body (1), the incident light (6)
As the angle with respect to the road surface (GL) increases, this incident light (9) is refracted at point a of the incident surface (31), as shown by the arrow in FIG. ... is reflected at point b of the reflecting surface (21) provided with..., and refracted at point cI1c2... of the incident surface (31), as shown in Fig. 1, and is reflected in a direction different from the direction of retroreflection. Reflected luminous flux (10
), the reflected light beam (10) enters the field of view of the driver at a position higher than the headlights, and the driver sees the stud body (1).
can be visually recognized. It should be noted that Figure 1 illustrates the state of light reflection at a single cross-section, and since the reflected light beam (10) is reflected in directions other than this cross-section, the light beam (10) is reflected when passing near the stud body (1). Third parties such as pedestrians and bicycles can also see the reflected light beam (10) and recognize the approach of a car. Therefore, the stud body (1) that could be seen from a far position does not become unrecognizable due to a car approaching the stud body (1), especially when turning right at an intersection onto a left-hand road with a median strip. In this case, when the driver approaches an intersection and is about to make a right turn, he or she will not lose sight of the stud body (1) that indicates an obstacle near the turning point, thereby preventing accidents caused by losing sight of the object. . In addition, third parties such as pedestrians and bicycles will be able to notice the approach of a car sooner than with conventional retroreflective road studs, and will be prepared to take appropriate evacuation action, which will greatly help prevent traffic accidents. .

In addition, the height (H) of the area where the flat surface (4) is provided
is determined by the refractive index of the material used to construct the stud body (1), the positional relationship between the incident surface (31) and the reflective surface (21), and the relationship between the stud body (1) and the automobile. The distance varies depending on how far the car is approaching and whether pedestrians or bicycles passing by are to be notified of the approaching car.For example, if recycled glass with a refractive index of 1.52 is used The stud body (1) is cast, and the entrance surface (
31) radius to 3 2 "!J, the radius of the reflective surface (21) to 50 mm, and the height of the buried part (2) to 2 7 =,,, the height of the exposed part (3). When forming the stud body (1) so that the height is 20 mm and the total height of the stud body (1) is 47 mm, it is optimal to set the height (H) to 10 mm.

In this example, a prism diamond cut is performed from the bottom surface (20) of the buried portion (2) to a predetermined height (H) to form a large number of flat surfaces (4). , a large number of flat surfaces (4) may be formed on the entire partially spherical surface of the buried portion (2), and in this case, the prism diamond is cut to a predetermined height (H). Even if the distance between the car and the stud body (1) is long, pedestrians and third parties such as bicycles passing by can be notified of the approach of the car. This allows the safety of bicycles, etc. to be prioritized.

In addition, in this example, a large number of flat surfaces (4) were formed on the partially spherical surface of the buried portion (2) by performing prism diamond cutting, but as shown in FIG. , a large number of flat surfaces (4) extending vertically on the partially spherical surface.
)... may be formed. In this case, the incident light (6) also becomes a reflected light beam (10) and is reflected laterally in the direction of retroreflection, which is convenient for quickly informing pedestrians, bicycles, etc. of the approach of a car.

Further, the shape of the buried portion (2) may be a polyhedron having a large number of flat surfaces (4), as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.

In addition, there is a recessed part (
20a), when burying the rivet body (1), it is possible to bury the rivet body (1) straight and stably without tilting the axis (5) of the rivet body (1).

Further, by changing the mirror coating for providing the mirror layer (2 1 a) to a colored coating, a colored reflective surface can be obtained,
A colored reflected light beam (10) is obtained according to the purpose of use,
This makes it possible to obtain a road tack body (1) that is more suitable for the purpose of use.

Therefore, the buried section (21 )
Selecting whether to form a large number of the flat surfaces (4) on a predetermined portion of the surface or on the entire surface,
You can also choose whether to make a prism diamond cut or a cut extending vertically on the partially spherical surface.
All you have to do is select the color of the specular layer (2 1 a), and it greatly contributes to traffic safety.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the upper portion has a partially spherical incident surface (31) and the lower portion has a partially spherical reflecting surface (21), and the light incident on the incident surface (31) A buried type retroreflective road stud in which light is reflected by the reflective surface (21) and retroreflected from the incident surface (31),
．． The reflective surface (21) is provided with a large number of flat surfaces (4) that suppress the retroreflection of the light incident from the incident surface (31) and make the reflected light beam in a direction different from the direction of retroreflection. The incident light entering from the outside is reflected by the many flat surfaces (4) provided on the reflective surface (21) as a reflected light beam in a direction different from the direction of retroreflection, so that the studs can be seen from a far away position. However, when a car approaches the stud, it does not become invisible, and especially when turning right at an intersection onto a road with a median strip for left-hand traffic, the turning point is notified when a right turn is about to be made after entering the intersection. This will prevent accidents caused by losing sight of the rivets. In addition, third parties such as pedestrians and bicycles passing by can quickly learn of the approach of a car, and can be prepared to take appropriate evacuation actions, which is of great help in preventing traffic accidents. Moreover, a large number of the flat surfaces extend from the lower end of the reflective surface (21) to a predetermined height depending on the refractive index of the material used for manufacturing the stud and the positional relationship between the incident surface (31) and the reflective surface (21). (4) When installing ..., sufficient retroreflection will occur until a car approaches the stud, and the stud will be visible even when a car approaches, and pedestrians and bicycles passing nearby will be able to see the stud. It is possible to quickly notify other third parties of the approach of a vehicle, further contributing to traffic safety.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially sectional side view of a buried type retroreflective road stud according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of a road stud with a prism diamond cut, and Fig. 3 is a side view of a buried retroreflective road stud according to the present invention. Figure 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the reflecting surface formed by prism diamond cutting, and Figure 5 is the first cross-sectional view of the buried part when it is made into a polyhedral shape.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along line 1 and FIG. 6 is a partially sectional side view showing a conventional example. (21)・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
... Partially spherical reflective surface (31) ...
・・・・・・・・・・・・Partial spherical entrance surface (4)
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
...flat surface applicant Reinhard Kogyo Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) It has a partially spherical incident surface (31) at the top and a partially spherical reflecting surface (21) at the bottom, and the light incident on the incident surface (31) is directed to the reflecting surface (21). ) and is retroreflected from the incident surface (31), wherein the retroreflective road stud is configured such that the light incident on the reflective surface (21) from the incident surface (31) is retroreflected. A large number of flat surfaces (4
)... A buried type retroreflective road stud. 2) A large number of the flat surfaces (4)... are connected to the reflective surface (2).
2. The buried retroreflective road stud according to claim 1, which is provided up to a predetermined height from the lower end of item 1).