(19) |
|
|
(11) |
EP 3 092 343 B1 |
(12) |
EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
(45) |
Mention of the grant of the patent: |
|
30.01.2019 Bulletin 2019/05 |
(22) |
Date of filing: 16.09.2014 |
|
(51) |
International Patent Classification (IPC):
|
(86) |
International application number: |
|
PCT/IB2014/064551 |
(87) |
International publication number: |
|
WO 2015/059587 (30.04.2015 Gazette 2015/17) |
|
(54) |
ROAD SAFETY DEVICE
EINRICHTUNG FÜR VERKEHRSSICHERHEIT
DISPOSITIF POUR LA SÉCURITÉ ROUTIÈRE
|
(84) |
Designated Contracting States: |
|
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL
NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
(30) |
Priority: |
22.10.2013 GB 201318646
|
(43) |
Date of publication of application: |
|
16.11.2016 Bulletin 2016/46 |
(73) |
Proprietor: Pauwels, Donat |
|
1410 Waterloo (BE) |
|
(72) |
Inventor: |
|
- Pauwels, Donat
1410 Waterloo (BE)
|
(74) |
Representative: Thurston, Joanna et al |
|
Withers & Rogers LLP
4 More London Riverside London SE1 2AU London SE1 2AU (GB) |
(56) |
References cited: :
WO-A1-2011/050511 LU-A1- 86 582 US-A1- 2010 098 488
|
FR-A1- 2 697 364 US-A1- 2004 067 105 US-B1- 6 556 147
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
|
Field of Invention
[0001] The invention relates to road safety devices, specifically, to solar powered road
safety devices, kits and road furniture including these, and to methods of attachment.
Background to the Invention
[0002] Road accidents cost lives. Road accidents can occur when cyclists or drivers do not
have the ability to clearly determine the direction that the route ahead is taking.
Such a situation may or will typically occur when it is dark or when there are poor
weather conditions such as fog or heavy precipitation. In many cases, roadside or
central reservation barriers have been deployed to assist in keeping a vehicle on
the road in any such accident, but a better solution is to prevent the vehicle from
deviating from the correct course in the first place.
[0003] One solution is to illuminate the route. Active lighting such as street lighting
is effective, although installation is a major project and maintenance and electricity
costs are high. Passive lighting, such as retroreflective cat's eyes, are highly beneficial
in that there is no electrical infrastructure to install and no electricity costs.
Reflective systems are, however, highly dependent on the originating light beam being
shone in a direction incident to the reflector. Furthermore, reflectors are typically
only effective over a limited distance ahead of the driver.
[0004] Whilst street lighting illuminates an area of ground around the light, other examples
disclose the use of lights of a lower power to simply identify the position of the
light. A sequence of such lights placed along a road barrier, for example, can effectively
communicate the position of the road barrier to a driver without the driver needing
to see the road barrier itself.
[0005] DE202010017031U (Doellken) is one such example, disclosing the use of LED lights placed along the length of
a road barrier. However, providing electrical power to such a system is problematic,
particularly for roads that travel through remote areas. Connecting to mains electricity
requires an electricity transmission infrastructure that extends to a mains connection.
The nearest mains connection may be quite some distance from many roads. The requirement
for frequent replacement of batteries makes them an impractical and expensive solution.
In a similar way, the use of any type of combustion-driven electricity generator would
be impractical for all but short term lighting.
[0006] Solar panels have been used in an attempt to circumvent the need to connect to inconvenient,
impractical or expensive electricity sources. For example,
BR101021971B (Hwang) discloses a system where a solar panel is installed on a post and connected to a
lighting system installed on a roadside barrier.
[0007] In another example,
US2012120640A (Graham) discloses a free-standing construction drum modified to bear a strip that has both
a reflective element and battery-powered light-emitting diode (LED) lights. This strip
can either be riveted or adhesively attached to the drum, with the battery and other
components located in the interior of the drum. Optionally, a solar-panel may be included
on the drum to charge the battery. A free-standing construction drum is not a practical
solution for roadside lighting along long sections of road and, furthermore, is not
a long-term solution. Graham suggests further embodiments that can be attached to
roadside barriers but provides no details regarding installation.
[0008] US 2010/098488 A1 discloses a solar powered road marker that is for bolting on to road furniture.
LU 86 582 A1 discloses low-cost collision dampers for protecting cars and road safety barriers
during collisions.
FR 2697 364 A1 discloses a system for mounting at the roadside that detects vehicle speed and displays
a signal.
WO 2011/050511 A1 discloses a traffic sign device that is for bolting on to road furniture.
[0009] While solar powered lighting systems provide answers to many of the problems faced
in bringing lighting to the roadside, the installation and maintenance of such systems
can be prohibitively inconvenient. Most significantly, it takes time to install such
systems, which would mean extended periods of working under dangerous roadside conditions
or extended periods of time where the road must be closed to protect the workers.
These solar powered lighting systems are not as robust as street lighting or reflectors,
and will require frequent maintenance. Multiple electrical connections may succumb
to the weather, batteries may fail or bulbs may burn out. Again, during maintenance,
the operators will be exposed to dangerous roadside conditions or roads will be inconveniently
closed.
[0010] A lighting system that is cost effective, robust, and easy to install and maintain
at the roadside would lead to increased deployment and therefore road safety. The
invention is intended to provide a lighting system that can be rapidly installed on
road barriers in order to provide a clear visual indicator of the barrier location,
particularly in the dark or in bad weather conditions.
Summary of the Invention
[0011] According to a first aspect, the invention provides a road safety device comprising
a solar powered lighting unit and a retaining member for attaching the road safety
device to road furniture such as guard rails, road barriers, lamp posts and sign bearing
poles according to claim 1.
[0012] By road safety device, we mean a device that can be installed on or near to a road,
cycle route, or pedestrian walkway to aid in preventing accidents caused by the user
of the road or cycle route, or pedestrian, straying from the correct course. Specifically,
the road safety device of the invention comprises a solar powered lighting unit that
allows the road safety device to be seen. Solar power is well known in the state of
the art, and is provided by means of an electricity-generating solar panel known in
the state of the art. The electricity generated is used to power a light.
[0013] In traditional solar powered road safety device systems a solar power source is provided
for a sequence of light sources installed along a section of road furniture. The invention
instead focuses on a system in which each individual light source, whether a single
bulb or cluster of bulbs, is powered by its own solar power source. Moving to a system
of providing a solar power source for each and every light source may seem counterintuitive,
but it has cleverly and surprisingly solved a number of problems facing the more traditional
solar-powered roadside lighting systems.
[0014] Most significantly, the road safety device of the invention is a discrete component
that is independent from needing any additional electrical installation. The invention
may provide a compact and self-contained solar-powered lighting unit. By this, we
mean that any solar panels and any lights are housed in, or on, the same construction.
In this way, the solar powered lighting unit may be considered as self-contained.
It is desirable that the unit be self-contained because only a single component needs
to be installed on the road furniture, with no need for additional electrical installation
at the roadside.
[0015] The road safety device also comprises a retaining member, thereby allowing for rapid
attachment to an item of road furniture, such as a guard rail, road barrier, lamp
post or sign bearing pole. By this, we mean that the construction that comprises a
solar powered lighting unit also comprises a retaining member. By retaining member,
we mean a part of the road safety device that allows for attachment to road furniture
at least by clipping, optionally in addition also by strapping, interference fitting,
or any other means. The retaining member may be attached to the solar powered lighting
unit, or, alternatively, may form an integral part of the structure of the solar powered
lighting unit.
[0016] Road furniture, also known as street furniture, includes objects and devices installed
on or near to roads, for reasons including safety, the provision of information and
aesthetics. The road safety device of the invention can be installed on road furniture
that is already in place. That is, the road safety device of the invention can be
retrofitted to road furniture that is already in place.
[0017] The road safety device of the invention is used to mark road boundaries, and therefore
benefits from being installed at frequent points along a road boundary. Road furniture
that provides such an opportunity for frequent attachment includes guard rails or
road barriers that run alongside roads or along central reservations of roads. Lamp
posts or other sign bearing poles also offer opportunities for attachment.
[0018] The invention therefore takes advantage of any pre-existing road furniture infrastructure.
With the invention, installation workers will no longer have to spend extended amounts
of time at the roadside installing components such as separate solar panels and electrical
wiring. The installation of the road safety device of the invention can be rapidly
achieved by a worker driving along a road and attaching a road safety device to pre-existing
road furniture using the retaining member. Importantly, very little training is needed
to be able to install the road safety device and no special tools are needed. If work
does need to be done at the roadside, it can be conducted from the side of the barrier
away from the road. A number of such road safety devices can thus be installed along
extended sections of road, at frequent intervals, in a short space of time.
[0019] Moreover, when a light fails, the maintenance workers are not required to spend time
at the roadside troubleshooting and repairing each problem. Instead, a worker can
simply drive along the road and detach each faulty device and return the faulty devices
to a safer location away from the road for repair. The worker may even switch each
faulty road safety device with a working device as part of the same journey.
[0020] Most importantly, the time that workers will need to spend working under hazardous
roadside conditions is dramatically reduced. The length of time that any road closures
need to be imposed for will also be reduced. Furthermore, fewer workers will require
specialist training in electrical wiring and so forth. The installation and maintenance
at the roadside will require only basic training and larger teams of workers can therefore
be trained and deployed than if specialist training was required. The faulty road
safety devices can then be returned to central facilities where workers with the necessary
skills can repair the devices.
[0021] Optionally, the road safety device may also comprise at least one reflective member,
such as a cat's eye retroreflector, other reflector, or a reflective strip. In the
case of an electric failure, the reflective member acts as a backup, still providing
a level of safety to the driver.
[0022] The road safety device may be complementary in shape to any given item of road furniture.
By this, we mean that a road safety device may be designed to have a complementary
shape to a specific item of road furniture. This includes fitting against the edge
of road furniture or against specific features of the road furniture such as grooves,
bumps or recesses. For example, roadside guardrails often have a recessed channel
that runs along the length of the guardrail, and the road safety device can be designed
to fit substantially inside this channel. This allows for secure installation, for
example, when the road safety device is slotted into any recesses in the road furniture.
The secure installation allows for benefits such as enhanced protection from the weather,
and also helps to ensure that in the event of a collision the road safety device does
not detach from the road furniture. This helps to prevent further damage to the road
safety device, but moreover, helps prevent further damage to vehicles, drivers, passengers
or other bystanders. The road safety device may be further secured using a fixing
lug and/or a security thread.
[0023] An important feature of the invention is the ability to attach to an item of road
furniture. In accordance with the invention, this is done using one or more clips.
Such clips are located so that the retaining member is easily attached to the road
furniture. Specifically, the road safety device may be designed to be complementary
to a specific item of road furniture, and any clips will be placed in an arrangement
that is complementary to a section of the road furniture that can be clipped to. Such
clips and clipping mechanisms are already well known in the state of the art. Such
clips may be an extension of the material of the retaining member or an extension
of the material of a part of the retaining member. Alternatively, such clips may be
attached to the retaining member.
[0024] According to the invention, the material of the clip is resiliently deformable. That
is, the material may be flexible enough to distort, for example, when force is exerted
during installation, but returns to its original conformation when such force is removed.
Again, such clips are well known in the state of the art.
[0025] Additionally, the attachment mechanism may include fastening the road safety device
to the item of road furniture by using one or more strap fastening members, selected
from hook-and-loop straps, ratchet locking straps, cable tie straps, buckle straps,
snap-fit connectors and combinations thereof. By this, we mean that the retaining
member of the road safety device has straps attached to it and these straps can be
fastened around a part of the road furniture. The retaining member may be fixed with
two complementary straps that can be wrapped around a part of the road furniture,
tightened, and fastened. The retaining member may have one strap that connects to
the retaining member in at least two locations, wherein at least one connection to
the strap can be reversed, for example by unthreading. Such strap fastening means
are well known in the state of the art.
[0026] The retaining member may comprise an interference fit member. By interference fit,
we mean that one or more sections of the retaining member can form an intimate fit
with the item of road furniture. Friction and/or physical blocking then holds the
retaining member and the rest of the road safety device in position.
[0027] Any of the means of attaching a retaining member to an item of road furniture may
be used alone or in combination with one or more other means.
[0028] The attachment mechanisms described include, above all, retaining members which offer
fast and easy to installation, and can result in a secure connection, minimising the
amount of time that the installation worker has to spend installing each road safety
device. Additional security may be provided by using a combination of more than one
means of attachment.
[0029] Optionally, the means of attaching a retaining member to an item of road furniture
may be reversible. By this, we mean that as well as providing the capability of easily
and rapidly installing the road safety device, the invention may also provide the
capability of easily and rapidly detaching the road safety device.
[0030] The road safety device may also be further secured to the item of road furniture
using a fixing lug and/or a security thread. These further security measures help
ensure that the road safety device remains attached to the item of road furniture
in the event of a collision.
[0031] Optionally, the whole or part of the road safety device is weatherproof. By this
we mean that the materials that the road safety device are made from are corrosion-resistant
and resistant to being compromised by hot or cold conditions or sunlight. Any electrical
components may be shielded from water by housing in waterproof compartments or other
waterproof shielding.
[0032] Solar powered lighting units may comprise components well known in the state of the
art. For example, a rechargeable battery is often included to store power generated
during daylight for use in powering the light when dark.
[0033] The light of the solar powered lighting unit may be a low power light such as a light
emitting diode (LED). Optionally, more than one such light may be included in a solar
powered lighting unit. The light or lights may be coloured.
[0034] A lighting control component may be included to prevent wastage of power by turning
the light off when it is not needed. Such control components are well known in the
art. As an example, the control component may operate by turning the light off during
daylight hours, either through light detection means or by using a timing mechanism.
The timing mechanism may optionally be dependent on the light detection means, for
example by having a time delay built in. Light detection means may include detecting
a signal from a light dependent resistor, or detecting the power output of the solar
panel, and turning the light off when ambient light is above a set threshold. Use
of such a control component will allow any batteries to charge more rapidly during
daylight hours, and will help prevent the unnecessary drain of any batteries.
[0035] In accordance with the invention, the solar panel is directionally adjustable. This
means that the solar panel is mounted to be directionally adjustable, using a flexibly
deformable mounting for example. This means that the solar panel can be adjusted to
an orientation wherein maximal sunlight can be harvested.
[0036] Optionally, the light may be directionally adjustable. By this, we mean that the
light may be mounted to be directionally adjustable, using a flexibly deformable mounting
for example, or the entire road safety device may be directionally adjustable. This
means that the light can be adjusted to an orientation where it directs maximal light
in the required direction, towards oncoming traffic for example.
[0037] Optionally, the road safety device may additionally comprise at least one reflector.
In the event that the light of the road safety device fails, a reflector may still
provide a level of visibility. As such, the reflector is present as a backup to the
active lighting system.
[0038] Optionally, the reflector may include a retroreflector. A retroreflector is a device
that reflects light back substantially in the direction of the incident light beam.
Such devices are well known in the state of the art, in particular in the form of
cat's eyes.
[0039] According to a second aspect, the invention provides a kit comprising one or more
road safety devices according to the first aspect of the invention. By this, we mean
that a kit can be made that comprises one or more road safety devices that are finished
and ready for installation simply by attaching to an item of road furniture. This
kit allows the installation worker to perform the installation simply using the contents
of the kit.
[0040] Optionally, the kit may contain reflector units. By this, we mean a unit similar
to the road safety device according to the first aspect of the invention, but without
the solar powered lighting unit. The kit may therefore optionally comprise at least
two types of road safety device, wherein one type of road safety device provides active
lighting and a second type of road safety device provides passive lighting. These
two types of road safety device can then be installed in an alternating pattern, or
other pattern, as the installation requirements demand.
[0041] The reflector unit may be of similar to the road safety device in terms of shape
and retention mechanism, for instance, the reflector unit may optionally comprise
a retaining member, and this retaining member may incorporate a clip mechanism, strap
mechanism, interference fit mechanism, or any combination thereof, for attaching to
an item of road furniture. The reflector unit may be further attached using a fixing
lug and/or security thread. The reflector unit may optionally be of a complementary
shape to the item of road furniture. The reflector unit may be reversibly attached
to the road furniture.
[0042] The reflector unit may comprise a directionally adjustable reflector. By this, we
mean that the reflector may be mounted such that its direction can be adjusted, or
the entire reflector unit may be directionally adjusted. This allows the reflector
to be positioned in a desired direction, such as facing oncoming traffic.
[0043] Optionally, the kit may comprise an item of road furniture with one or more road
safety devices according to the first aspect of the invention and/or reflector units
attached. This allows installation of the road furniture with such safety devices
already installed.
[0044] According to a third aspect, the invention provides road furniture that has one or
more road safety devices according to the first aspect of the invention installed.
By this, we mean that the road safety device has already been installed on the item
of road furniture through use of the retaining member.
[0045] According to a fourth aspect, the invention provides for a method of attaching a
road safety device according to the first aspect of the invention to road furniture.
This means clipping, preferably additionally strapping, and/or interference fitting
the road safety device to the road furniture. The road safety device may then be further
secured using a fixing lug and/or security thread. Optionally, the method may use
a road safety device that is of a complementary shape to the road furniture. Once
installed, the direction of the solar panel is adjusted, and preferably direction
of a light and/or reflector may be adjusted.
[0046] Unless otherwise stated each of the integers described in the invention may be used
in combination with any other integer as would be understood by the person skilled
in the art. Further, although all aspects of the invention preferably "comprise" the
features described in relation to that aspect, it is specifically envisaged that they
may "consist" or "consist essentially" of those features outlined in the claims. In
addition, all terms, unless specifically defined herein, are intended to be given
their commonly understood meaning in the art.
[0047] Further, in the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure
of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter,
is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter,
lying between the smaller and greater of the alternatives, is itself also disclosed
as a possible value for the parameter.
[0048] In addition, unless otherwise stated, all numerical values appearing in this application
are to be understood as being modified by the term "about".
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0049] In order that the invention may be more readily understood, examples of road safety
devices will be described further with reference to the figures and to the specific
examples hereinafter However, the flexibly deformable mounting of the solar panel
according to the invention is not shown.
Figure 1 relates to a cross-section of an embodiment of the invention, a road safety
device ready for installation;
Figure 2 shows a cross section of the road safety device of Figure 1 installed on
a road-side guardrail;
Figure 3 shows two of the road safety devices of Figure 1 installed at two locations
along a road-side guardrail;
Figure 4 relates to a different embodiment of the invention, a road safety device
that has been installed using an interference fit mechanism;
Figure 5 relates to a different embodiment of the invention, a road safety device
that is ready to be installed using an interference fit mechanism;
Figure 6 relates to a different embodiment of the invention, a road safety device
with poles installed; and
Figure 7 shows a pole of Figure 6 ready for installation.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
[0050] Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a road safety device 10 that can be installed on
a road-side guardrail. The road safety device 10 comprises a retaining member 12.
The retaining member 12 has a solar panel 14 attached to one side and a compartment
16 on the other side. The compartment 16 is used to house the light or lights (not
shown) and any batteries (not shown), control components (not shown) or other components.
[0051] The retaining member 12 also has two clips 18 that can be used to attach to a road-side
guardrail.
[0052] Figure 2 shows a cross section of the road safety device 10 of Figure 1 after installation
on a road-side guardrail 20. This figure shows in detail how the road safety device
10 is of complementary shape to the road-side guardrail 20.
[0053] Figure 3 shows two road safety devices 10 installed at two different points along
a road-side guardrail 20. Each road safety device 10 comprises a retaining member
12 with a solar panel 14 attached to the side that faces away from the road-side guardrail
20. The retaining member 12 also has a compartment 16 attached and this compartment
16 fits into the channel that runs along the road-side guardrail 20. The compartment
16 houses the light or lights (not shown) and any other electrical components (not
shown). The compartment 16 has a wall 22 that allows light to pass through, allowing
the light to be stored in a waterproof environment but that allows light to be transmitted
out of the waterproof environment. One of the road safety devices 10 also has a cat's
eye retroreflector 24 attached and the other road safety device 10 shows an embodiment
with a retroreflective member 25 around the compartment 16. In these embodiments,
the retroreflectors 24 and 25 are present as a backup in case the light inside the
compartment 16 fails.
[0054] Figure 4 shows three embodiments of the invention that can be secured to a wall.
These road safety devices 26, 27 and 28 are installed using different lengths and
shapes of an interference fit retaining member 29. Again, the road safety devices
26, 27 and 28 have a solar panel 14 and a compartment 16 for housing the light or
lights (not shown) and any other electrical components (not shown). The compartment
16 has a wall 22 that allows light to pass through, allowing the light to be stored
in a waterproof environment but that allows light to be transmitted out of the waterproof
environment.
[0055] Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the invention, a road safety device 30 that
can be installed using an interference fit retaining member 32 and 34. The retaining
member is made of two components, a main body 32 and an interference fit retaining
member 34 that is attached. The coupling between the main retaining member 32 and
the attached retaining member 34 can be rotated to change the orientation of the main
retaining member 32 relative to the attached retaining member 34. The main retaining
member 32 also has a solar panel 14 and a compartment 16 for housing a light or lights
(not shown) and any other electric components (not shown). The compartment 16 has
a wall 22 that allows light to pass through, allowing the light to be stored in a
waterproof environment but that allows light to be transmitted out of the waterproof
environment. The compartment 16 also has a cat's eye retroreflector 24 attached. In
this embodiment, the retroreflector 24 is present as a backup in case the light inside
the compartment 16 fails. The solar panel 14 may be installed on any of the sides
of the road safety device 30 so that, for example, it faces away from the road or
faces the predominant direction of incident sunlight.
[0056] Figure 6 shows an example of a road barrier 20 that has a number of poles 36 in place.
[0057] Figure 7 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention 37 that
can be attached to the poles 36 of Figure 6. This embodiment shows a solar panel 14
and an LED light source 40. A retroreflective cat's eye 24 is incorporated as a backup
in case of failure of the LED light source. A control box 42 is provided that can
be inserted into the structure, within a space that is not occupied by the pole 36
when fully installed. This embodiment 37 is secured to the pole 36 by means of one
or more snap-fit connectors 38. Securing this embodiment to a pole 36 also secures
the control box 42 in such a way that it will not be possible to take it out without
breaking the system.
1. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) comprising a solar powered lighting
unit (14, 16) and a retaining member (12, 29, 34) for attaching the road safety device
(10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) to road furniture selected from a guard rail (20), road
barrier, lamp post or sign bearing pole, characterised in that the retaining member (12, 29, 34) comprises at least one resiliently deformable clip
(18) consisting of such material flexible enough to distort when a force is exerted
thereon during installation, the material of the at least one clip (18) returning
to its original conformation when said force is removed, wherein the clip (18) is
located to attach the road safety device to the road furniture and wherein the solar
powered lighting unit (14, 16) comprises a solar panel mounted to be directionally
adjustable with a flexibly deformable mounting.
2. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according to claim 1, wherein the
solar powered lighting unit (14, 16) comprises a light mounted to be directionally
adjustable with a flexibly deforming mounting.
3. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according to any preceding claim,
additionally comprising at least one reflector (24, 25).
4. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according to any preceding claim,
wherein the solar powered lighting unit (14, 16) is self-contained.
5. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according to any preceding claim,
wherein the road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) is of complementary shape
to the road furniture and wherein the road furniture is a guard rail (20).
6. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according to any preceding claim,
wherein the retaining member (12, 29, 34) can be reversibly attached to the road furniture.
7. A road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according to any preceding claim,
wherein the solar powered lighting unit comprises at least one battery, a lighting
control mechanism, and/or at least one light emitting diode.
8. A kit comprising one or more road safety devices (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according
to any preceding claim.
9. A kit according to claim 8, further comprising road furniture selected from a guard
rail (20), road barrier, lamp post or sign bearing pole.
10. Road furniture comprising the road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) of any
of claims 1 to 7.
11. A method for attaching a road safety device (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) according
to any of claims 1 to 7 to road furniture, the method comprising clipping the road
safety device to the road furniture and adjusting the direction of the solar panel.
12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising adjusting the direction of a light,
and/or reflector.
1. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37), eine mit Sonnenenergie
betriebene Leuchteinheit (14, 16) aufweisend und ein Tragorgan (12, 29, 34) zur Befestigung
der Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) an einer Straßeneinrichtung,
ausgewählt unter Leitplanke (20), Straßensperre, Laternenpfahl und Verkehrsschild
tragendem Pfosten, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Tragorgan (12, 29, 34) mindestens eine elastisch verformbare Klammer (18) aufweist,
die aus derartigem, ausreichend elastischem Werkstoff besteht, um sich bei der Anbringung
zu verformen, wenn eine Kraft darauf ausgeübt wird, während der Werkstoff der mindestens
einen Klammer (18) seine ursprüngliche Form wieder annimmt, wenn diese Kraft nicht
mehr ausgeübt wird, wobei die Klammer (18) dafür angeordnet ist, die Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung
an der Straßeneinrichtung zu befestigen, und wobei die mit Sonnenenergie betriebene
Leuchteinheit (14, 16) ein Solarpaneel aufweist, das mit einer flexibel verformbaren
Befestigungsvorrichtung derart angebracht ist, das es ausrichtbar ist.
2. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) nach Patentanspruch 1,
in der die mit Sonnenenergie betriebene Leuchteinheit (14, 16) ein Licht aufweist,
das mit einer flexibel verformbaren Befestigungsvorrichtung derart angebracht ist,
dass es ausrichtbar ist.
3. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) nach irgendeinem der vorangehenden
Patentansprüche, außerdem mindestens einen Reflektor (24, 25) aufweisend.
4. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) nach irgendeinem der vorangehenden
Patentansprüche, in der die mit Sonnenenergie betriebene Leuchteinheit (14, 16) unabhängig
ist.
5. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) nach irgendeinem der vorangehenden
Patentansprüche, in der die Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36,
37) eine zur Straßeneinrichtung komplementäre Form hat und wobei die Straßeneinrichtung
eine Leitplanke (20) ist.
6. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) nach irgendeinem der vorangehenden
Patentansprüche, in der das Tragorgan (12, 29, 34) abnehmbar an der Straßeneinrichtung
befestigt werden kann.
7. Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) nach irgendeinem der vorangehenden
Patentansprüche, in der die mit Sonnenenergie betriebene Leuchteinheit mindestens
eine Batterie, einen Lichtsteuermechanismus und/oder mindestens eine Leuchtdiode aufweist.
8. Bausatz, eine oder mehrere Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtungen (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36,
37) nach irgendeinem der vorangehenden Patentansprüche umfassend.
9. Bausatz nach Patentanspruch 8, außerdem eine Straßeneinrichtung, ausgewählt unter
Leitplanke (20), Straßensperre, Laternenpfahl und Verkehrsschild tragendem Pfosten,
umfasst.
10. Straßeneinrichtung, die Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37)
nach irgendeinem der Patentansprüche 1 bis 7 aufweisend.
11. Verfahren zur Anbringung einer Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung (10, 26, 27, 28, 30,
36, 37) nach irgendeinem der Patentansprüche 1 bis 7 an einer Straßeneinrichtung,
wobei das Verfahren darin besteht, die Verkehrssicherheitsvorrichtung an die Straßeneinrichtung
zu klammern und die Richtung des Solarpaneels auszurichten.
12. Verfahren nach Patentanspruch 11, außerdem die Einstellung der Richtung eines Lichtes
und/oder eines Reflektors umfassend.
1. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) comprenant une unité
d'éclairage fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire (14, 16) et un élément de maintien (12,
29, 34) permettant de fixer le dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30,
36, 37) à un mobilier routier choisi parmi une glissière de sécurité (20), une barrière
routière, un mat d'éclairage ou un support de signalisation,
caractérisé en ce que
l'élément de maintien (12, 29, 34) comprend au moins un clip élastiquement déformable
(18) réalisé en un matériau suffisamment flexible pour se déformer lorsqu'une force
est exercée sur lui au cours de l'installation, le matériau du clip (18) reprenant
sa forme d'origine lorsque la force est supprimée, le clip (18) étant positionné pour
permettre d'attacher le dispositif de sécurité routière au mobilier routier et l'unité
d'éclairage fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire (14, 16) comprenant un panneau solaire
monté de façon à pouvoir être orienté avec un organe de montage flexible.
2. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) conforme à la revendication
1,
dans lequel, l'unité d'éclairage fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire (14, 16) comporte
une lampe montée de façon à pouvoir régler son orientation avec un organe de montage
flexible.
3. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) conforme à l'une quelconque
des revendications précédentes,
comprenant en outre au moins un réflecteur (24, 25).
4. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) conforme à l'une quelconque
des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel, l'unité d'éclairage fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire (14, 16) est autonome.
5. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) conforme à l'une quelconque
des revendications précédentes,
ayant une forme complémentaire à celle du mobilier routier et le mobilier routier
est une glissière de sécurité (20).
6. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) conforme à l'une quelconque
des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel, l'élément de maintien (12, 29, 34) peut être fixé de façon réversible
au mobilier routier.
7. Dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37) conforme à l'une quelconque
des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel, l'unité d'éclairage fonctionnant à l'énergie solaire comporte au moins
une batterie, un mécanisme de commande d'éclairage et/ou au moins une diode électroluminescente.
8. Kit comprenant au moins un dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36,
37) conforme à l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes.
9. Kit conforme à la revendication 8,
comprenant en outre un mobilier routier choisi parmi une glissière de sécurité (20),
une barrière routière, un mat d'éclairage ou un support de signalisation.
10. Mobilier routier comprenant un dispositif de sécurité (10, 26, 27, 28, 30, 36, 37)
conforme à l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 7.
11. Procédé permettant de fixer un dispositif de sécurité routière (10, 26, 27, 28, 30,
36, 37) conforme à l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 7, à un mobilier routier,
ce procédé comprenant des étapes consistant à clipser le dispositif de sécurité routière
sur le mobilier routier et à régler l'orientation du panneau solaire.
12. Procédé conforme à la revendication 11,
comprenant en outre une étape consistant à régler l'orientation de la lumière et/ou
du réflecteur.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description