WO2007007934A1

WO2007007934A1 - Road sign

Info

Publication number: WO2007007934A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/003563
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hea-Young Kim
Original assignee: Hea-Young Kim
Priority date: 2005-07-12
Filing date: 2005-10-26
Publication date: 2007-01-18
Also published as: KR200398245Y1

Abstract

Disclosed is a road stud having a core part including a support column having a plurality of tooth-like projections on the outer surface thereof, and a flange having an anchor part at an upper surface thereof and disposed on an upper portion of the support column, a reflective tape holding part inserted into the anchor part and having a cone shape with a trench into which reflective tape is disposed, and a body part provided at a lower portion and a part of a circumferential outer surface of the flange, and provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the reflective tape holding part, the body part implemented into a single object manufactured through an extrusion method. The road stud is advantageous in that, first, since the reflective tape is disposed over an entire body part, the road stud can be easily installed because the orientation of reflective tape is not considered when installing the road stud. Second, thanks to the tooth-like projections, the road stud is secured in installation holes in the surface of a road. Third, since the core part installed in ground and the body part disposed on the ground and receiving impact from tires of vehicles are implemented as separate objects, materials of the core part and the body part can be differently and optimally selected.

Description

ROAD SIGN

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a road stud, and more particularly to a road stud installed on a road for providing drivers with a variety of information. Background Art

[2] Road studs, road safety reflective markers, guardrails, and road indication studs are means that enable people to easily identify halfway lines, guide lines, and safety lines even at night and means to protect drivers and vehicles from accidents.

[3] A road stud comprises a cast support installed in installation holes in the surface of a road, so that the road stud is secured on a road. The cast support is manufactured through a cast molding method. Road studs are generally made of cast metals that can be processed through a cast molding method.

[4] A road stud comprises a main body for indicating a center line of a road, support projections protruding from the outer surface of the main body and buried in respective installation holes in the surface of a road for supporting the main body, and light emitting devices provided on the front surface and the back surface of the main body for helping drivers better identify the road studs.

[5] Generally, in the case that road studs are installed in the surface of a road in the hot summer or cold winter, since the support projections are fixed in installation holes in ground of a road by being pressed against the surface of the ground, it is difficult to stably secure them on a road because the support projections are thermally deformed.

[6] Since the metal support projections are crammed into installation holes in the ground of a road at a pressure higher than that required to put a concrete nail into a concrete structure, great stress must be applied to the road stud. Accordingly, it is difficult to install the road studs into the surface of a road.

[7] Further, general road studs develope cracks after a long period of use due to their own properties originating from their materials, and rupture or break locally due to the change in ambient temperatures.

[8] In order to solve the above described problems, a road indication stud is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2001-49767.

[9] The road indication stud comprises a vertical hollow bar prepared by admixing 10 to 40 wt% of luminous stone powder in urethane, which is a synthetic resin, grooves formed at respective opposite circumferential surfaces of the vertical hollow and having a depth of 0.2 to 0.3 times the thickness of the vertical hollow bar, and reflection mirrors respectively mounted into the grooves by means of an adhesive. [10] A further conventional road indication stud comprises a flat main body 1 prepared by admixing 10 to 40 wt% of luminance stone powder in urethane emitting light at night, grooves 2 formed on opposite surfaces of the main flat main body 1, and reflection mirrors respectively mounted into the grooves 2.

[11] The above-described road indication studs have the following advantages. First, drivers can identify the road indication studs in the distance even at night because they emit soft light. The road indication studs can support the vision of drivers driving at high speed, and they help drivers clearly identify lanes of a road.

[12] However, the conventional road indication studs also have the following disadvantages. First, it is difficult to install them into installation holes in the ground through a conventional installation method due to an elastic deformation characteristic, and they cannot solve all of the above-described problems because reflection mirrors are mounted in grooves formed only at left and right side surfaces thereof.

[13] Second, since the road indication stud has reflection mirrors only at side surfaces thereof like general road indication studs, the role of the reflection mirror is limited. Further, since the surface of the reflection mirror and the surface of an edge of the groove into which the reflection mirror are in the same plane, the reflection mirror can easily break or can be separated from the groove when external impact is applied thereto. Still further, since the road indication studs must be installed one by one in consideration of the installation direction of the reflection mirrors and the running direction of vehicles, a lot of effort and trouble is required.

[14] Third, since the road indication stud may be thermally deformed, reflection mirrors thereof are easily separated or detached from grooves of the road indication stud.

[15] Fourth, since the road indication stud has the same diameter along an axial direction thereof, it is difficult to securely fix the road indication stud in installation holes in a road, which has a rough surface and stone powder generated when digging the installation holes.

[16] Fifth, since the road indication stud has a single color or a metal color, the appearance thereof is not good. Accordingly, the road indication stud does not work well for bike lanes, pedestrian sidewalks, and safety zones.

[17] Sixth, since the road indication stud or metallic road indication stud has an upper plane having corners, tires of vehicles are easily worn, and can locally break or rupture because impact applied to the tires is concentrated at the corners. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[18] Accordingly, the present invention has been devised in consideration of the aforementioned problems and situations, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a road stud having high visibility, and capable of being secured on a road through a simple installation method. Technical Solution

[19] In order to achieve the above objects and advantages, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road stud, comprising a core part including a support column having a plurality of tooth-like projections on the outer surface thereof, and a flange having an anchor part on an upper surface thereof and disposed on an upper portion of the support column, a reflective tape holding part inserted into the anchor part and having a cone shape with a trench into which a reflective tape is disposed, and a body part provided at a lower portion and a part of a circumferential outer surface of the flange, and provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the reflective tape holding part, the body part implemented as a single object manufactured through an extrusion molding method.

[20] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road stud, comprising a core part including a support column having a plurality of tooth-like projections protruding from the circumferential outer surface of the support column, and a flange disposed at an upper portion of the support column and having an anchor part on an upper surface thereof, a reflective tape fixing part inserted into the anchor part, and having a cone shape with an outer surface on which a reflective tape is attached, a reflective tape protective ring disposed on an outer surface of the reflective tape fixing part, and a body part provided at a lower portion and a part of a circumferential outer surface of the flange, and an upper and lower portion of the reflective tape fixing part and the reflective tape protective ring, the body part implemented as a single object manufactured through an extrusion molding method.

[21] The road stud is advantageous in that the road stud can be easily installed because the orientation of reflective tape is not considered when installing the road stud since the reflective tape is disposed over an entire body part. Further, thanks to the tooth-like projections, the road stud is secured in installation holes in the surface of a road. Still further, since the core part installed in ground and the body part disposed on the ground and receiving impact from tires of vehicles are implemented as separate objects, materials of the core part and the body part can be differently and optimally selected so as to perform their respective roles adequately. Yet further, since reflective part is sloped with respect to the surface of a road, the road stud receives relatively less impact because tires of vehicles move along the sloped surface, and has enhanced visibility.

[22] The projection may have a slit extending in the length direction of the support col umn. [23] The body part may be made of urethane.

Advantageous Effects

[24] The road stud having the above-mentioned construction according to the present invention has the following advantageous effects. Since the reflective part is disposed on the entire surface of the body part instead of being disposed at a local position, the road stud can be easily installed because the road stud can be installed without consideration of direction of the reflective part. Further, the road stud according to the present invention can be securely fixed into installation holes in the surface of a road due to the tooth-like projections. Still further, since the core part installed in the surface of a road and the body part which is exposed outdoors and receives impact from tires of vehicles are implemented as separate objects, materials of the core part and the body part can be differently and optimally selected so as to play different roles thereof. Yet further, since the reflective part is slanted at an incline with respect to the surface of ground, and tires of vehicles move along the slanted surface, impact applied to the road stud is alleviated and visibility of the road stud is enhanced.

[25] Further, colors of the body part and the reflective tape can be differently selected, thus discrimination and visibility of the road stud are enhanced. Brief Description of the Drawings

[26] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional road indication stud;

[27] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a road stud according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[28] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the lower surface of the road stud shown in

FIG. 2;

[29] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the coupling state between a core part and a reflective tape holding part;

[30] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the reflective tape holding part of the road stud shown in FIG. 2;

[31] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the reflective tape holding part shown in FIG.

5;

[32] FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating an object corresponding to the reflective tape holding part shown in FIG. 5, according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and

[33] FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the reflective tape fixing part and the fixing ring shown in FIG. 7. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[34] Hereinafter, a road stud according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [35] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a body part 100 and a reflective tape holding part

120 are exposed above the surface of a road when the road stud is installed. The body part 100 has a round shape. An outer skirt 102 of the body part 100, which is in contact with the ground surface of a road, has thickness decreasing from an upper portion to a lower portion thereof. The reflective tape holding part 120 is made of transparent material to permit light to pass therethrough. Reflective tape is attached on the inner surface of the reflective tape holding part 120. Referring to FIG. 2, the reflective tape holding part 120 has a cone shape, in which the diameter thereof decreases in a direction from a lower portion to an upper portion thereof. Thanks to this structure, in which the diameter of the reflective tape holding part 120 varies in an axial direction thereof, when the road stud is installed on the ground surface of a road, the road stud has a sloped profile with respect to the ground surface. Accordingly, light from headlights of a vehicle is reflected from the sloped side surface of the road stud and is directed to drivers, so that drivers can easily identify the road stud.

[36] Further, since the reflective tape holding part 120 has a circular shape, light is reflected in all directions from the road stud. Accordingly, the road stud can be installed on a road without consideration of the direction.

[37] The body part 100 and the skirt 102 of the body part 100 are manufactured through an extrusion molding method, implemented into a single body, and formed of urethane. The body part 100 and its skirt 102 can have a variety of colors by the addition of dyes to raw material thereof. For example, the body part 100 and its skirt 102 may have a yellow color having high visibility.

[38] A core part is disposed in the skirt 102 under the body part 100. The core part comprises a support column 110 buried in a road, and a flange 114 (shown in FIG. 4) disposed in the skirt 102 of the body part 100. The support column 110 has a cylindrical shape and is installed in a vertical direction in the center of the skirt 102. The support column 110 has a plurality of tooth-like projections 112 on the outer surface thereof. The projections 112 are installed and directed toward the edge of the support column 110. Accordingly, thanks to this arrangement, the projections 112 are directed toward the center of the support column 110 at a first place when the support column 110 is installed, but they are directed outward the support column 110 when installation of the support column 110 is finished. Accordingly, the support column 110 can be secured to the ground surface of a road. Further, when force for pulling out the support column 110 is applied to the support column, the road stud is not easily removed from the ground surface of a road since the support column 110 resists being pulled out of the ground.

[39] The projection 112 has a slit 114 extending in a length direction of the support column 110. The slit 114 serves as a vent hole so that air in installation holes of the road stud can be vented therethrough when the road stud is installed on a road, thereby facilitating installation of the road stud.

[40] Referring to FIG. 4, the flange 116 of the core part serves as a base when extruding the skirt 116. The flange 116 has an anchor part 118 at an upper portion thereof and the reflective tape holding part 120 is inserted into and fixed in the anchor part 118. The anchor 118 has a diameter the same as an inner diameter of the reflective tape holding part 120. Reflective tape 130 is provided in the reflective tape holding part 120.

[41] Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the reflective tape holding part 120 has a light transmissible part 122 at the outermost portion thereof, and has a support part 124 therein. The light transmissible part 122 and the support part 124 are connected at their respective first ends, and a trench 128 having a "V" shape section is provided between the light transmissible part 122 and the support part 124. Further, the reflective tape 130 is disposed in the trench 128. A rib 126 is formed on the outer surface of the coupling portion of the light transmissible part 122 and the support part 124. The rib 126 has a rectangular section and protrudes from the outer surface of the coupling portion of the light transmissible part 122 and the support part 124. The rib 126 serves to maintain the overall shape of the reflective tape holding part 120 and help the body part 100 and the reflective tape holding part 120 remain stably coupled stably when extruding the body part 100 and the reflective tape holding part 120.

[42] Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a road stud according to a further embodiment of the present invention will be described. Almost all elements of the road stud according to this embodiment are identical to those of the road stud shown in FIG. 2, except for an object corresponding to the element of the reflective tape holding part 120. As a matter of convenience, the differing elements between the road studs shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7 will be described below, but identical elements will not be described repetitively.

[43] When manufacturing the reflective tape holding part 120 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.

6 through an extrusion method, an undercut phenomenon occurs due to the angle between the light transmissible part 122 and the support part 124. Accordingly, the reflective tape holding part 120 cannot be extruded through a mold. Accordingly, the road stud shown in FIG. 2 incurs high cost for preparation of a mold. In order to solve this problem, the road stud shown in FIG. 7 includes a reflective tape protective ring 220 and a reflective tape fixing part 230 to substitute the reflective tape holding part 120.

[44] The reflective tape protective ring 220 has a light transmissible part 222 similar to the light transmissible part 122. A support part 224 is installed to be perpendicular to the ground surface of a road. Accordingly, undercut does not occur when it is manufactured through an extrusion method. A rib 226 is formed next to the border between the support part 224 and the light transmissible part 222. [45] The reflective tape fixing part 230 is inserted into the empty space between the light transmissible part 222 and the support part 224. The reflective tape 230 has a section having the same shape as the space between the light transmissible part 222 and the support part 224. Reflective tape is attached to the inclined surface 232 in the space.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the reflective tape can be securely attached, and there is no problem of the reflective tape being displaced during an extrusion process. [46] Further, according to the embodiments of the present invention, since the road stud includes reflective tape instead of a reflection plate, a reflective part having a variety of colors can be implemented. [47] Accordingly, it is readily understood that a variety of variations and modifications of the road stud according to embodiments of the present invention can be made within the scope of the present invention by people skilled in the art.

Claims

[1] A road stud, comprising: a core part including a support column having a plurality of tooth-like projections on the outer surface thereof, and a flange having an anchor part at an upper surface thereof and disposed on an upper portion of the support column; a reflective tape holding part inserted into the anchor part and having a cone shape with a trench into which reflective tape is disposed; and a body part provided at a lower portion and part of a circumferential outer surface of the flange, and provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the reflective tape holding part, the body part implemented as a single object manufactured through an extrusion method.

[2] A road stud, comprising: a core part including a support column having a plurality of tooth-like projections protruding from a circumferential outer surface of the support column, and a flange disposed at an upper portion of the support column and having an anchor part on an upper surface thereof; a reflective tape fixing part inserted into to the anchor part, and having a cone shape with an outer surface on which reflective tape is attached; a reflective tape protective ring disposed on an outer surface of the reflective tape fixing part; and a body part provided at a lower portion and part of a circumferential outer surface of the flange, and an upper and lower portion of the reflective tape fixing part and the reflective tape protective ring, the body part implemented as a single object manufactured through an extrusion method.

[3] The road stud according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the projection has a slit extending in a length direction of the support column.

[4] The road stud according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the body part is made of urethane.