WO2000007845A1

WO2000007845A1 - Hazard signalling device

Info

Publication number: WO2000007845A1
Application number: PCT/EP1999/005531
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vittorio Capraro; Alessandro Muraro
Original assignee: Vittorio Capraro; Alessandro Muraro
Priority date: 1998-08-04
Filing date: 1999-08-02
Publication date: 2000-02-17
Also published as: ITVI980147A1

Abstract

The invention produces a hazard signalling device (1; 100) for road use including a frame (2; 7) made up of strips (21, 22, 23) set as the perimeter of a triangle, provided with reflector surfaces (31, 32) and a support base (4). It has means of illumination (5) fixed to the frame (2; 7) beneath the reflector surfaces (31; 32) and supplied by an electrical circuit connected to an electric power source.

Description

HAZARD SIGNALLING DEVICE

The invention refers to a hazard signalling device provided with lights, especially suited for use on top of a vehicle or on the road carriageway.

It is known that current law requires that vehicles keep on board a hazard signalling triangle ready at hand in case of accidents that obstruct the road course.

Triangles currently in use consist of a structure with hinged or separate strips, which make up a triangular form with one side provided with reflector surfaces.

Every known signalling triangle also includes a base piece designed to become the triangle's stand on the road carriageway, positioned to the rear of the vehicle facing the direction of oncoming traffic.

The efficacy of signalling supplied by the aforesaid triangles often results somewhat limited, or even dubious.

In fact, during darkness or fog the triangle's visibility, when illuminated by reflection of oncoming vehicles travelling on the same side of the road obstructed by the stopped vehicle, is very limited and nevertheless arises too close to the triangle to always allow an ample margin for braking.

What's more the triangles currently supplied cannot perform their function as a hazard signalling for vehicles that are driving in the opposite direction to the blocked carriageway.

It is manifestly clear that the same problem arises in accidents that involve several vehicles covering the road course in both directions.

All known triangles moreover have a support base that does not ensure sufficient stability to the triangle, especially in a wind. The invention intends to overcome all these inconveniences and said limitations.

In particular, the first scope of the invention is to produce a triangular shaped hazard signalling device to carry on board of vehicles that can be clearly seen at a distance, even under conditions that limit visibility. Another scope is that the invention device can be seen in both directions on the carriageway.

The scope of invention device is to have a greater visibility than known equivalent signalling devices.

Last but not least the scope of invention device is to have a greater stability than known equivalent devices. The aforementioned scopes and advantages are achieved by a hazard signalling device for road use that, in accordance with the main claim, includes a frame made up of strips set as the perimeter of a triangle, provided with reflector surfaces and a support base, characterised in that it has means of illumination fixed to said frame beneath said reflector surfaces and supplied by an electrical circuit connected to an electric power source. According to a preferred form of execution, the reflector surfaces are set on both sides of the frame and each of its strips has a central hole that holds a lamp. The signalling device is thereby made visible by both directions of traffic. The three strips that make up the frame should preferably be separate from one another and can be assembled by means of mechanical couplings to define the triangular form of the frame and have means of electrical contacts connected to an electrical circuit supported by the frame itself. The electrical circuit supplies the lamps that are connected together in parallel and is hooked up to the cigar lighter socket of the vehicle by means of a cable fitted with a plug.

A support base fixed to the frame and having a magnetic plate, making it possible to attach the signalling device to the vehicle's roof so that it is visible at a greater distance and by both directions of traffic. Said scopes and advantages shall be better illustrated during the description of a preferred form of execution of the invention given as a guideline but not a limitation and that refers to the attached diagrams, where:

- fig. 1 illustrates a front view of the signalling device invention;

- fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the device in fig. 1 ; - fig. 3 illustrates a vertical, longitudinal section of a blown up detail of the invention device illustrated in fig. 2;

- fig. 4 illustrates the device in fig. 1 partially assembled;

- fig. 5 illustrates the frame of the device in fig. 1 without the reflector surfaces;

- figures 6 to 8 illustrate different components that make up the frame in fig. 5; - fig. 9 illustrates a prospective view of the frame's support base fitted with magnetic plate;

- fig. 10 illustrates a detailed prospective view of the mechanical and electrical junctions between two of the strips that make up the frame, seen from one of its tips; - fig. 11 illustrates a variant in the execution of the invention device; - fig. 12 illustrates a prospective view of the signalling device applied to the roof of a vehicle;

- fig. 13 illustrates an aerial view of fig. 12;

- fig. 14 illustrates a prospective view of the signalling device standing on the ground to the rear of a vehicle stopped next to a bend;

- fig. 15 illustrates an aerial view of fig. 14.

With reference to figures 1 and 2 the signalling device of the finding, generally indicated by 1 , includes a frame 2 made up of three strips 21 , 22, 23 basically flat with rimmed longer edges 21', 22', 23' along the perimeter of a triangle. Reflector plates 3a, 3b and 3c are applied to both, opposite sides of each strip of the frame 2 to create on the latter two triangular shaped surfaces 31 and 32 one against the other and both reflective.

A support base 4 fixed to the bottom of the frame 2, keeps the signalling device upright. As seen in fig. 3, the reflector plates 3a, 3b and 3c are batten shaped and along their longer edges they have lips 310, 320 that run lengthways and parallel to one another, designed to slide into their relative slots 20, 20' made in the frame 2 along the longer rimmed edges 21 ', 22', 23' of each strip that makes it up. It is evident that these lips and their corresponding slots can have any kind of shape whatsoever and their cross section can therefore differ to the shape shown by the section in fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 4 the reflector plates 3a and 3b, applied to the side strips left 21 and right 22 respectively of the frame 2, are identical and shorter that their corresponding strips, while the reflector plates 3c, applied to the bottom strip 23, differ in shape to the other previous plates and each of them extends along the whole length of the actual bottom strip 23. This helps prevent the two side reflector plates 3a and 3b from sliding downwards after they have been fully inserted into the frame by sliding the lips 310, 320 into the slots 20, 20' of each respective strip.

Each of the strips 21 , 22 and 23, as seen in figures 5 to 8, has a central hole, 211 , 221 and 231 respectively designed to receive means of illumination 5 that consist of lamps 51 , 52 and 53 respectively, preferably of the incandescent tubular type. Said lamps are inserted beneath their respective reflector plates and so that the light that they emit is visible through both reflector surfaces 31 , 32 set against each other.

The strips 21 , 22 and 23 that form the frame 2, are joined by overlapping in two's at their ends by means of couplings, generally indicated by 24, of the "male" type indicated by 241 in fig.'s 6 to 8 and of the "female" type indicated by 242 in the same figures.

As best seen in the blow up in fig. 10, said male-female couplings are joined together by overlapping the parts and exerting pressure by hand on the tips of the triangle. Next to the aforesaid mechanical couplings there are electrical contacts generally indicated by 25 and consisting of two contact elements 251 acting together and each belonging to one strip of the frame 2, designed to create an electrical continuity of the supply circuit to the lamps. This circuit includes conductors represented by the dot-dash lines and generally indicated by 61 , which supply the lamps 51 , 52 and 53 in parallel and by means of the plug 65 and supply cable 62, leading to plug 6, having a flasher 6' and fuse that is hooked up to the cigar lighter 60 of the vehicle.

In other executions, the electric power source may also be a battery fitted to the frame 2 or in the base 4. For quick and easy application of the signalling device to the bodywork, the support base 4 has a magnetic plate 41 as seen in fig. 10. The signalling device can thereby be stood on the vehicle's roof and the plug 6 can easily be hooked up to the cigar lighter 60. In this way, as seen in fig.'s 12 and 13, the signalling device, illuminated by a flashing lamp and located well above ground level, is more easily visible at a great distance by vehicles coming from both directions.

The signalling device can however also be used without electric power for instance if the broken-down vehicle's electrical plant is out of order. When the car has stopped on a bend and the triangle has to be placed before the beginning of the actual bend, as seen in fig. 14, to increase the base area of the signalling device on the ground, a metal plate 42 is attached to the magnetic plate 41 of the base 4 before standing it on the road. It is evident that even in this application the device can be equally illuminated if the connecting cable is long enough to reach the cigar lighter. A variant in the execution of the signalling invention device, generally indicated by 100, is illustrated in fig. 11 that shows the frame, indicated by 7 and without reflector surfaces, made in a single solid block. The reflector surfaces can also be produced in a single piece and be permanently applied to the frame by means of couplings 200, screws for instance, uniformly distributed along the edges.

Alternatively, the reflector surfaces can also be made from the same reflector plates separated from each other as previously described, which are attached to the frame 7 by sliding them into their relative slots. Even if the invention has been described with reference to the figures included in the attached diagrams, it is clear that the invention may receive numerous changes and variants in its execution, all of which should fall under the invention's concept expressed by the attached claims.

Claims

1 ) Hazard signalling device (1 ; 100) for road use including a frame (2; 7) made up of strips (21 , 22, 23) set as the perimeter of a triangle, provided with reflector surfaces (31 , 32) and a support base (4), characterised in that it has means of illumination (5) fixed to said frame (2; 7) beneath said reflector surfaces (31 ; 32) and supplied by an electrical circuit connected to an electric power source.

2) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 1 ) characterised in that said means of illumination (5) consist of lamps (51 , 52, 53) supplied by said electrical circuit, each being set in a hole (211 , 221 , 231 ) made in a basically central position on each strip (21 , 22, 23) of said frame (2).

3) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 2) characterised in that each of said lamps (51, 52, 53) is an incandescent tubular lamp.

4) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 2), characterised in that said electrical circuit includes conductors (61) connected to said lamps (51 , 52, 53) and to a supply cable (62) external to the frame (2), provided with a plug (6) to hook it up to a power socket.

5) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 4) characterised in that said power socket is the cigar lighter (60) of the vehicle (A). 6) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 4) characterised in that said socket (6) also includes a flasher (6') and a fuse.

7) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 1 ), characterised in that each of said reflector surfaces (31 ; 32) is defined by three reflective plates (3a, 3b, 3c) separated one from another, each having lips (310, 320) sliding into corresponding slots (20, 20') made in the rimmed edges (21', 22', 23') of each strip (21 , 22, 23) of the frame (2).

8) Device (1 ) according to claim 1 ), characterised in that said strips (21 ; 22; 23) are three and are joined together in two's at their ends by means of couplings (24) of the male (241)-female (242) type. 9) Device (1 ) according to claim 8), characterised in that each of said strips (21 ; 22; 23) has, at each end and next to said couplings (24), elements for electrical contacts (25) each of which including a pair of contact elements (251 ) each belonging to a relative strip (21 , 22, 23) of the frame (2), acting together to create an electrical continuity of the supply circuit of said means of illumination (5). 10) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 1 ), characterised in that it includes a support base (4) fixed to the frame (2; 7) to stand the device on a support surface.

11 ) Device (1 ; 100) according to claim 10), characterised in that said support base (4) has a magnetic plate (41 ).

12) Device (100) according to claim 1), characterised in that said frame (7) is produced in a single piece and includes means of coupling (200) designed to permanently fasten each reflector surface.