TRANSVERSELY SLOTTED DELINEATOR
A traffic delineator comprises a tubular body having first and second ends, the first end being configured as a base or being adapted for affixing to a base. The delineator may also include a slotted region to enhance flexing of the tubular body in response to vehicle impacts. The slotted region may include slot(s) formed transversely in the tubular body. In some embodiments, the slot(s) may include one or more discrete slot, each of which may define a hinged section of the tubular body. In some embodiments, the slot(s) may include a continuous transverse slot having a helical configuration. In some cases, the slotted region may be disposed proximate the first end, and a second slotted region or other window region may be disposed elsewhere on the tubular body so as to expose a reflective sheet that may be applied to an inner core disposed within the tubular body.
This invention relates generally to delineators that are used to control vehicle traffic on roadways and the like. The invention also relates to associated articles, systems, and methods.
BACKGROUNDTraffic delineators are known. Delineators are typically used on or near roadways or other paved or unpaved surfaces where automobiles, trucks, or other motorized or unmotorized vehicles travel. Often a series of delineators are arranged along a road, lane, or path so as to highlight or increase its visibility for the benefit of vehicle operators.
In some cases, delineators may be used in applications where visibility from only one direction is considered important. In other cases, e.g., when placed between lanes of traffic that move in opposite directions, it may be important for the delineator to exhibit high visibility from both such directions. In still other cases, such as at intersections, it may be important for the delineator to exhibit high visibility from four or more different directions, e.g., north, south, east, and west.
An example of a known delineator design is simply a post attached to a base. For improved visibility, the post may comprise high visibility materials. For daytime visibility, the post may be fabricated from bright diffuse materials, such as white or orange paint. For nighttime visibility, retroreflective sheeting may be wrapped around a portion of the post. Retroreflective sheeting has the characteristic of directing incident light back in the general direction from which it came, regardless of the angle at which the light impinges on the surface of the sheeting. Thus, as a vehicle approaches a roadway sign or other structure on which a retroreflective sheet is mounted, light from a vehicle headlamp may impinge on the sheeting, which then reflects the light back in the general direction of the headlamp. The retroreflection occurs in a small but finite angular cone, which cone encompasses the eye of the vehicle operator so that the operator perceives the sign as being conspicuously bright and highly visible.
Some delineators are designed to be oriented in an upright position but are not designed to withstand an impact from a moving vehicle. If an automobile or other vehicle collides with or runs over such a delineator, the delineator will break or bend, but it will typically not return to its upright position. Such a delineator may be completely acceptable for applications in which the delineator will be mounted a significant distance from lanes of traffic, or where the delineator will be mounted atop a Jersey barrier or similar structure.
Other delineators are designed to be oriented in an upright position, and are also designed to withstand an impact from a moving vehicle. If an automobile or other vehicle collides with or runs over such a delineator, the delineator “bounces back” or otherwise restores itself to a substantially upright position. These delineators may be referred to as self-uprighting delineators.
BRIEF SUMMARYMany of the designs for self-uprighting delineators use complex mechanisms involving bellows, springs, cables, or the like. We have developed a design feature for delineators that can, in at least some cases, be used to provide self-uprighting delineators of simplified and robust construction.
The present application therefore discloses, among other things, traffic delineators that include a tubular body and a transversely slotted region that enhances flexing of the tubular body in response to vehicle impacts. The tubular body has first and second ends, the first end being configured as a base or being adapted for affixing to a base. The slotted region includes one or more slots formed transversely in the tubular body. In some embodiments, the one or more slots may include one or more discrete slot, each of which may define a hinged section of the tubular body. In some embodiments, the one or more slots may include at least one continuous transverse slot having a helical configuration. In any case, the slotted region may be disposed proximate the first end of the tubular body. In some embodiments a second slotted region or other window region may be provided, and disposed elsewhere on the tubular body so as to expose a reflective sheet that may be applied to an inner core disposed within the tubular body.
Related methods, systems, and articles are also discussed.
These and other aspects of the present application will be apparent from the detailed description below. In no event, however, should the above summaries be construed as limitations on the claimed subject matter, which subject matter is defined solely by the attached claims, as may be amended during prosecution.
In the figures, like reference numerals designate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTSIn
The first end 412a of the body 412 is shown as being adapted to fit tightly within an opening of the base 414. Alternatively, the end 412a can itself be configured as a base. The base, which can be of any known design, has a sufficient weight and/or is provided with sufficient attachment mechanism(s) to the pavement or ground so as to keep the delineator in an upright position after installation. In some cases, the base may be integrally formed with the tubular body, while in other cases the base may be press-fit, adhered, or otherwise permanently, semi-permanently, or releasably attached to the body 412. If the delineator is not omnidirectional, i.e., if it is designed to have one or more preferred viewing orientation, then the base 414 may be provided with a distinctive shape, marking, or other alignment feature that indicates to an installer how to properly orient the delineator relative to the direction of traffic or another characteristic of the surroundings.
In exemplary embodiments, the delineator 410 may comprise high visibility materials and components. For example, the tubular body may be made of a brightly colored (e.g., white, orange, or other color) polymer or other suitable material, or brightly colored paints or other substances, including fluorescent materials or films, may be applied to the body for enhanced visibility. In
The reflective sheets 422a, 422b, 422c may be wrapped around the entire circumference of the body 412, or they may be applied to only a portion of the circumference. If they are wrapped around the entire circumference, the delineator may be said to be omnidirectional, since the delineator maintains high visibility for all viewing directions in or near the x-y (horizontal) plane. Alternatively, one or more of the sheets 422a, 422b, 442c may be applied to only a portion of the circumference of the body 412, such that high visibility is provided along only one viewing direction or range of viewing directions (unidirectional delineator), or along only two distinct viewing directions or ranges of viewing directions (bidirectional delineator), for example.
Significantly, the delineator is provided with a slotted region 416 which includes at least one transverse slot. In the embodiment of
By selectively removing or otherwise omitting material from the tubular body 412 in the form of the transverse slots, remaining portions of the body 412 become easier to move and flex. For example, each of the discrete transverse slots 418 allows a portion of the body 412 proximate the slot to flex in a manner analogous to a hinge or cantilever, the amount of flexing being dependent on material properties of the body and on the slot gap (or width), the slot depth, and other slot geometry. Each transverse slot 418 can thus be said to produce a corresponding hinged section, the hinged sections being indicated in
-
- p1, p2, p3, and p4, which represent approximate pivot points or pivot axes of the hinged sections.
- γ, which represents the angle of inclination of the slots.
- s01, which represents the vertical distance (along the z-axis or longitudinal axis 413 of the delineator) from the base of the delineator to the lowest slot on the left hand side, and s02 is the analogous parameter for the lowest slot on the right hand side.
- s1, which represents the vertical distance between adjacent slots on the left hand side, and s2 represents the analogous parameter for adjacent slots on the right hand side.
- w1, which represents the width (or gap dimension) of the left-side slots as measured along the z-axis, and w2 represents the analogous parameter for the right-side slots.
- w1′, which represents the width of the left-side slots as measured along an axis perpendicular to the slots, and w2′ represents the analogous parameter for the right-side slots.
- d1, which represents the depth of the left-side slots as measured along the x-axis (perpendicular to the z- or delineator longitudinal axis), and d2 represents the analogous parameter for the right-side slots.
- t, which represents the wall thickness of the tubular body 412 of the delineator.
- D, which represents the outer diameter of the tubular body. Note that the tubular body as depicted in
FIGS. 4 c-4d has a circular cross-sectional shape. For non-circular shapes, the outer diameter D can be considered to be the maximum transverse dimension of the cross-sectional shape. Alternatively, in some cases the outer diameter D for non-circular cross-sectional shapes may be considered to be the transverse dimension of the shape of the tubular body in the horizontal plane in the vicinity of the slot, measured along an axis associated with the direction of the slot as projected in the horizontal plane. For example, for the slots depicted inFIGS. 4 c and 4d, the axis associated with the direction of the slot as projected in the horizontal plane is an axis parallel to the x-axis.
These design features and parameters, in addition to the total number of discrete transverse slots and their placement along the circumference of the tubular body or the azimuthal angle θ (as measured relative to the x-axis or relative to some other desired reference direction associated with the delineator, see generallyFIG. 4 c), may be selected as desired to provide a multitude of different designs for the slotted region. The reader will also understand that a plurality of different slotted regions may be provided in a given tubular body, if desired.
Without wishing to be limited, in embodiments such as that shown in
In the embodiment of
These design principles may be important depending on the desired properties of a particular delineator. For example, if a delineator is intended to be mounted close to vehicle traffic that moves along a particular direction of traffic, the delineator may be provided with a slotted region characterized by a preferred bending plane that is oriented parallel to the direction of traffic. Such preferred bending plane may be the only preferred bending plane associated with such slotted region, or it may be one of multiple preferred bending planes. If the delineator is omnidirectional or bidirectional, such that reflective sheeting is exposed on only one side or on only two sides of the delineator, the one or two directions of enhanced visibility may be configured to have a specific orientation relative to the preferred bending plane. For example, the one (omnidirectional) or two (bidirectional) directions of enhanced visibility may be configured to be substantially aligned with the preferred bending plane. Other orientations and relationships between direction(s) of enhanced visibility, direction(s) of enhanced bending, and/or direction(s) of traffic are also contemplated.
Turning now to
In
In
A wide variety of delineator embodiments are contemplated herein. In some embodiments, such as that of
Turning now to
In addition to the slotted region 916a disposed proximate first end 912a, delineator 9 also comprises another slotted region 916b disposed proximate second end 912b. As shown, the slotted region 916b may have a substantially similar design to that of region 916a, except that it includes additional transverse slots. Alternatively, slotted region 916b may have substantially the same design as that of region 916a, or it may have a completely different design. In any case, the delineator 910 also includes a second inner core 922, which is substantially shorter than the body 912, and inserts into only the upper portion of such body. For example, the inner core 922 may have a length (height) that is less than half that of the tubular body, or less than one-fourth that of the tubular body, for example. A reflective sheet 924 is applied to an outer surface of the inner core 922, e.g. by an adhesive or other suitable means. As applied to the core, the sheet 924 has an upper edge 924a, a lower edge 924b, and an axial edge 924c. A cap or cover 926 is bonded or otherwise attached to one end of the inner core 922. After the inner core 922 is inserted into the end 912b of the body 912, portions of the sheet 924 are exposed by the slots of region 916b, which region can be considered to also constitute a window region. Other suitable window region designs can be found in copending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/288,581, “Delineator With Core/Shell Construction” (Attorney Docket No. 65819US002), filed on even date herewith and incorporated herein by reference, the teachings of which may be used in combination with the teachings of the present application. In the embodiment of
The tubular body 912 may be tapered or otherwise narrowed in central region 912c as shown, or at another place on the body 912. Such a narrowing may impart a distinctive appearance to the delineator, or may serve other purposes. Alternatively, such a narrowing feature may be omitted. Depending on the method of construction, the wall thickness of the tubular body 912 may be less than, greater than, or substantially equal to the wall thickness elsewhere in the body 912.
Delineator 1010 also comprises reflective sheets 1022a, 1022b wrapped around an upper portion of body 1012 as shown. The sheets may have high daytime visibility, high nighttime visibility, or both. One or both of the sheets may be retroreflective. The sheets may have the same color, or be of different colors. Similar to delineator 910, delineator 1010 is tapered in a central region 1012c of the tubular body 1012.
Some suitable cross-sectional shapes for the disclosed tubular bodies and delineators are provided in
To the extent a tubular body having any of the shapes of
Preferably, the delineator is designed to be flexible so that it can bend by 90 degrees or more in response to a vehicle strike, and then rebound or recover to a vertical orientation, and one or more slotted regions as disclosed herein (not shown in
The reflective sheets 1332, 1334 may comprise the same type of reflective sheeting, or they may comprise different sheeting. In exemplary embodiments, the sheet 1332 may comprise white (clear) retroreflective sheeting, and the sheet 1334 may comprise red-colored retroreflective sheeting. Sheetings of other colors may also be used, as desired. Although retroreflective sheeting from any vendor may be used, retroreflective sheeting sold by 3M Company is preferred. Such sheeting may include 3M™ Diamond Grade™ DG3 Reflective Sheeting Series 4000, 3M™ Diamond Grade™ Conspicuity Markings Series 983, and/or 3M™ Diamond Grade™ Flexible Prismatic School Bus Markings Series 973, for example.
In cases where the delineator includes at least two distinct retroreflective sheets, which may correspond to at least two distinct window regions, it may be advantageous for one of the retroreflective sheets to have a first optical characteristic, and for the other retroreflective sheet to have a second optical characteristic that differs from the first optical characteristic. The optical characteristics may relate to the color of the retroreflective sheets, and/or to the retroreflective coefficient or range of retroreflectivity of the sheets. In one case the sheet 1332 may comprise white 3M™ Diamond Grade™ DG3 Reflective Sheeting Series 4000, and the sheet 1334 may comprise red 3M™ Diamond Grade™ Conspicuity Markings Series 983, for example. The latter sheeting (series 983) may be considered to provide enhanced retroreflectivity at long ranges, because its retroreflectivity is particularly high at very small observation angles α, which generally correspond to observation at large distances. The former sheeting (series 4000), even though it also provides very good retroreflectivity at large distances, may be considered to provide enhanced retroreflectivity at shorter ranges, because its retroreflectivity decreases less than that of the series 983 sheeting as the observation angle α increases. Note that in addition to viewing distance, the observation angle α can also be affected by the vehicle size: in small vehicles, the distance from the vehicle headlamp to the vehicle operator's eye is generally smaller than for larger vehicles. Thus, at any given viewing distance, the operator of a small automobile, for example, will typically have a smaller observation angle α than the operator of a large truck or bus, for example.
In addition to exhibiting differences as a function of observation angle α (
The dimensions of an exemplary delineator such as that shown in
The disclosed delineators and components thereof can be made using known manufacturing methods, such as injection molding, extrusion, roto-molding, sheet metal fabrication, and/or similar low cost fabrication processes.
The disclosed delineators, and components thereof, can be made of any suitable materials, including weatherable materials capable of long term use in outdoor environments. For example, thermoplastic polyurethanes, such as such as Desmopan™ 392LS/LE material sold by Bayer, or other suitable flexible materials such as flexible rubber-like plastics or other plastics, may be used. In some cases the delineator may include one or more rigid component, made of a harder plastic or material, such as polycarbonate 15% glass filled, polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) glass filled, nylon glass filled, sheet metal, or other suitable rigid materials.
If a core/shell construction is used, the inner core and outer shell can be made of the same material, or different materials. The materials may both be rigid, or both be flexible, or one material may be rigid and the other may be flexible. For example, the inner core may be rigid and the outer shell may be flexible. Further, the inner core of such an embodiment may be substantially the same length as the outer shell, or it may have a length that is a fraction, e.g., ½ or less or ¼ or less, of the length of the outer shell or otherwise less than the length of the outer shell. An inner core of an elastic material such as rubber may be used with an outer shell composed of a flexible material or other suitable material.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, measurement of properties, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that can vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings of the present application. Not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, to the extent any numerical values are set forth in specific examples described herein, they are reported as precisely as reasonably possible. Any numerical value, however, may well contain errors associated with testing or measurement limitations.
Various modifications and alterations of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, and it should be understood that this invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein. For example, the reader should assume that features of one disclosed embodiment can also be applied to all other disclosed embodiments unless otherwise indicated. It should also be understood that all U.S. patents, patent application publications, and other patent and non-patent documents referred to herein are incorporated by reference, to the extent they do not contradict the foregoing disclosure.
Claims
1. A delineator, comprising:
- a tubular body having a tube axis and opposed first and second ends, the first end being configured as a base or being adapted for affixing to a base; and
- a first slotted region including at least one slot formed transversely in the tubular body, the first slotted region adapted to enhance flexing of the tubular body in response to a vehicle impact.
2. The delineator of claim 1, wherein the first slotted region extends over a portion of the tubular body proximate the first end.
3. The delineator of claim 1, wherein the tubular body is hollow, the delineator further comprising:
- a first inner core disposed within the tubular body at the first slotted region, the first inner core composed of an elastic material.
4. The delineator of claim 3, wherein the first inner core extends along only a fraction of the tubular body, the fraction being less than ½.
5. The delineator of claim 4, wherein the fraction is less than ¼.
6. The delineator of claim 1, wherein the at least one slot comprises a first discrete transverse slot defining a first hinged section of the tubular body, the hinged section having a first pivot axis.
7. The delineator of claim 1, wherein the at least one slot comprises a plurality of discrete transverse slots that define a plurality of hinged sections of the tubular body, each hinged section having a pivot axis.
8. The delineator of claim 7, wherein the plurality of hinged sections comprises a first and second hinged section having first and second pivot axes respectively, and wherein the first and second pivot axes are substantially parallel.
9. The delineator of claim 7, wherein the pivot axes for all of the discrete transverse slots are substantially parallel to each other.
10. The delineator of claim 7, wherein the plurality of discrete transverse slots include at least a first and second transverse slot disposed on opposite transverse sides of the tubular body.
11. The delineator of claim 7, wherein the plurality of discrete transverse slots include transverse slots that alternate between a first transverse side and a second transverse side of the tubular body.
12. The delineator of claim 7, wherein the discrete transverse slots are each oriented at an angle of inclination α relative to a horizontal direction.
13. The delineator of claim 12, wherein α is greater than zero degrees.
14. The delineator of claim 12, wherein α is less than 45 degrees.
15. The delineator of claim 1, wherein the at least one slot comprises a first continuous transverse slot having a helical configuration.
16. The delineator of claim 15, wherein the first continuous transverse slot defines a helix having at least 360 degrees of rotation.
17. The delineator of claim 1, further comprising a first retroreflective sheet mounted in or on the tubular body.
18. The delineator of claim 17, wherein first retroreflective sheet is disposed on an outer surface of the tubular body.
19. The delineator of claim 17, wherein the tubular body is hollow, the delineator further comprising:
- a second inner core disposed within the tubular body, the first retroreflective sheet being disposed on an outer surface of the second inner core.
20. The delineator of claim 19, wherein the tubular body has a window region adapted to expose at least a portion of the first retroreflective sheet.
21. The delineator of claim 20, wherein the window region comprises a second slotted region.
22. The delineator of claim 21, wherein the first slotted region is disposed proximate the first end of the tubular body, and the second slotted region is disposed proximate the second end of the tubular body.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 16, 2010
Publication Date: May 2, 2013
Inventor: Blessen K. Philip (Karnataka)
Application Number: 13/518,024