Signals and indicators – Street traffic – Portable
Patent
1990-10-31
1992-12-08
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
Signals and indicators
Street traffic
Portable
116 63C, 40612, 404 10, E01F 904
Patent
active
051688271
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
At road construction sites, in particular at sites on highways and freeways, the traffic flows often have to be led past a section of road which departs from the usual lane markings. The remaining lane width is usually too small to keep the traffic flows heading opposite each other apart by broad medians with quite high lane dividers. Therefore, usually signaling devices of a small overall height are used, such as for example signaling studs with and without reflectors. In addition, there are also signaling devices of somewhat greater height of about 25 to 30 mm. These are usually used in addition to the signaling studs, to be precise usually at somewhat greater intervals than the signaling studs, in alternation with the latter. These signaling devices have a sheet-shaped signaling body, on the lower edge of which two tongues are molded-on, each of which is angled off to one of the two sides perpendicularly to the wide side of the sheet-shaped signaling body. Adhesive is applied to the underside of this tongue and the signaling device is thereby stuck on the roadway at the place it is put to use.
These signaling devices are so low that they can scarcely perform their function as a signaling device. A further disadvantage is that, due to its small wall thickness, the sheet-shaped signaling body has only a relatively small moment of resistance to bending about a horizontal bending line. Therefore, when driven over, the signaling bodies are usually permanently deformed to such an extent that afterwards they can no longer right themselves completely to the vertical. Consequently, their signaling function is likewise diminished.
A similar diminution of the signaling function is noticeable with these signaling devices if in summer they are exposed to quite a strong heat effect in the blazing sun. This often causes the material to soften to such an extent that the sheet-shaped signaling body leans to the side even without the effects of external forces, due to its own weight alone. What is particularly unfortunate about this is that, after cooling down, the signaling bodies retain this leaning shape forever.
The invention in a first aspect is based on the object of providing a signaling device which, although on the one hand considerably lower than a beacon stand, on the other hand has a better signaling effect and in particular a greater righting capability than the conventional signaling devices with a sheet-shaped signaling body.
Due to the fact that in the signaling device of the invention the signaling body is designed as a hollow body having two wall regions on the wide side spaced from each other by the horizontal extent of the wall regions on the narrow side, a signaling body with a given wall thickness is from the outset provided with a significantly greater moment of resistance to bending than is the case with the sheet-shaped signaling body of the known signaling devices. The design of the wall regions on the narrow side in the form of a cylindrical shell or a conical shell likewise contributes to increasing the dimensional stability of the signaling body.
In the case of the signaling device according to a further embodiments, adding to this is the fact that the two recesses present on the lower part of the signaling body above its foot, on the two wall regions on the narrow side, make it easier for the signaling body to bend over when it is driven into or even driven over by a vehicle. Since the two remaining wall regions along the wide side have a certain distance from each other, the elastic restoring forces in these wall regions produce a relatively great righting moment. As a result, the signaling body rights itself again quickly and completely after it has been pressed down completely onto the ground. This restoring moment also ensures that the signaling body does not lean to the side even under a strong heat effect, for example due to strong sunlight.
Due to the relatively large surface area of each of the two wall regions on the wide side of the signaling body, a relatively good visual signalin
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Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Worth W. Morris
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