Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic director
Patent
1993-08-16
1995-06-20
Britts, Ramon S.
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic director
49 49, 49131, E01F 9011
Patent
active
054255953
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The control of vehicular traffic often requires that certain lanes be closed to traffic and that traffic be redirected to other lanes temporarily during peak traffic hours or as a result of repair work being done. Control can be accomplished by setting warning and redirection markers by hand in the roadway but this method suffers from the disadvantages of requiring a substantial implementation time and posing hazards to the personnel placing the markers.
An automatic system of raising traffic control devices up from storage positions beneath the pavement in response to remote control signals is much more desirable. Pneumatic devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,530,775 and 3,447,429, have been used but require close clearance tolerances within their construction to prevent excessive air leakage and are also subject to problems of contamination by dirt, sand, ice, snow, oil, and other materials often found on the roadway. The installation of pneumatic lines in the road is also costly and time consuming.
An improved traffic control device operated mechanically by remote control was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,363 to Roper, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The control device is attached to a follower which is engaged in the thread of a screw member caused to rotate by a remote signal, thus affecting the elevation of the control member above its storage position flush with the ground.
It would be a great advance in traffic control technology if a pop-up traffic control device similar to the one disclosed in the patent to Roper could be provided with the following features: (1) a system of sealing the device so that the interior of the storage chamber is not contaminated by foreign matter from the outside; (2) a removable tube connector system so that the traffic marker can be changed easily; (3) a modular collar with integral electrical connector; (4) a unit for signalling the up-or-down status of the device; (5) a heating unit component; (6) a slope adjustment device; (7) a lubrication and brush device; (8) a lighting unit; (9) a watertight assembly; and (10) a variable-speed feature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention disclosed herein overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and possesses all of the advantages listed above by providing a simple mechanical device which can be actuated by a variety of power sources. A coarse lead screw is rotated by a power source to raise a traffic marker tube by means of a follower tube socket to which the traffic marker tube is attached. The follower tube socket is constrained from rotating and advances along the screw as the screw is rotated to raise the traffic marker into its proper place in the roadway. The traffic marker is retracted by reversing the direction of the power source and the direction of rotation of the screw.
A notched flange on the outside of the follower tube socket has an outer diameter matching the inside diameter of the shell. An antirotation strip along the inside of the shell is provided on which the notch of the flange rides as the lead screw rotates.
A collar assembly comprises upper and lower collar caps fastened together with collar assembly bolts and attached to a cartridge shell to create a hollow unit into which various functional rings can be installed.
The upper collar cap has a tapered face which forms a seat into which a flared top portion of the traffic marker tube descends as the tube is lowered into its retracted position so that the device is sealed from the intrusion of water, silt, and grit. The lower collar cap also has a tapered face which forms a seat into which a tapered upper edge of the follower tube socket ascends when the tube is advanced into its raised position, again sealing the device in a similar manner.
The traffic marker tube is equipped with studs which fit into slots in the follower tube socket and lock the tube into the socket when rotated into place. When the studs are rotated in the opposite direction, the tube is released from the soc
REFERENCES:
patent: 2610502 (1952-09-01), Carlson
patent: 3086430 (1963-04-01), Emmel
patent: 3660935 (1972-05-01), Boots
patent: 3698135 (1972-10-01), Boots et al.
patent: 3963363 (1976-06-01), Roper
patent: 4203686 (1980-05-01), Bowman
patent: 4576508 (1986-03-01), Dickinson
patent: 4666331 (1987-05-01), Riley
patent: 4713910 (1987-12-01), Quante
patent: 4715742 (1987-12-01), Dickinson
patent: 4919563 (1990-04-01), Stice
Britts Ramon S.
Lisehora James A.
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