Ramp Guard to Prevent Wrong-Way Driving

Abstract

Ramp-guard for placement on roadways preventing wrong-way travel. Includes a base having a center cutout, and screw holes utilized to attach base to concrete frame. Extending upward from the base is tensioning spring having horizontal section lying flat upon base at traffic entering end. Spring is bent upward at angle which angular section passes through base cutout. The end of angular section of spring contacts ramp and applies upward force forcing ramp up when not under vehicular weight. A warning sign is oriented vertically on the side of ramp guard device when spring is not compressed and rotates pivotally when spring becomes compressed. Ramp guard is positioned so that end with horizontal aspect of spring faces traffic entering direction. If vehicle travels onto ramp in correct direction, spring is compressed and ramp is flattened, permitting traffic flow. If vehicle enters from wrong direction, driver sees ramp and warning sign and turns around.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a ramp-guard device to prevent wrong-way driving on highways or other roadways. More specifically, the ramp-guard device of the present invention is a spring loaded ramp for placement at the entrances and exit ramps of roadways to prevent drivers from entering the roadway driving in the wrong direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Driving the wrong way is a persistent problem on the nation's roads. The problem is particularly acute on the highways where the high rate of speed makes wrong-way driving especially dangerous and unfortunately often fatal.

One study showed that, on average, about 350 people are killed annually in the United States due to wrong-way freeway crashes. A large percentage of these wrong-way driving incidents occur on the highway where the driver enters into the exit ramp of the highway going in the wrong direction, instead of the entrance ramp. In some cases, drivers get on the highway the wrong way and are able to right themselves and go in the correct direction before an accident occurs. Tragically, all too often, the drivers do not correct themselves leading to wrong-way crashes and devastating results. Due to the high speed of the cars traveling in opposite direction on the highway in such wrong-way crashes, unfortunately the end result is a head-on collision and all too often the results are fatal.

In many of these wrong-way crashes, the cause of the wrong-way driving can be linked to alcohol consumption by the wrong-way driver. However, sometimes drivers get going in the wrong direction on the highway even when sober.

Prior art methods to address this problem of wrong-way driving on highways are numerous. These including installing signage on the exit ramps of highways to warn drivers that they are about to enter the highway on the exit ramp and travel in the direction opposite to traffic. All too often, these signs are missed by drivers, particularly those who are intoxicated.

As such, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved device that more effectively alerts drivers when they are about to enter a highway traveling in the wrong direction and to prevent them from doing so.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a ramp-guard device for placement at the exit ramps of roadways to warn drivers and to prevent them from entering a highway on the exit ramp and traveling in the wrong direction. The ramp guard is to be employed in pairs, although one larger heavier unit could be use. The ramp guard of the present invention has a base formed from a rectangular sheet of steel having a cutout center section, and a plurality of screw holes. The screw holes are utilized to attach the base to a concrete frame. Extending upward from the base and attached to it is a tensioning spring formed from a flat piece of steel. The spring has a horizontal section which is attached to the base and lies flat upon it at the traffic entering end. The spring is bent upward at an angle which angular section passes through the cutout on the base. The end of the angular section of the spring contacts the underside of the ramp and applies upward tensioning force forcing the ramp up when the ramp is not under the weight of a vehicle. The tension of the spring is chosen so that it will support the weight of a heavy truck and yet will compress under the weight of a light vehicle. A warning sign is provided which is oriented vertically on the side of the ramp guard device when the spring is not compressed and rotates pivotally when the spring becomes compressed under the weight of a vehicle. The ramp guard must be positioned so that end with the horizontal aspect of the spring faces the traffic entering direction. When a vehicle travels onto the ramp in the correct direction, the spring is compressed and the ramp is depressed downward, thereby flattening the ramp so that it is parallel to the base, and permitting traffic to flow smoothly over it. If a vehicle attempts to enter the roadway from the wrong direction, hopefully the driver will see the ramp and its warning sign and turn around. If not, the vehicle will bump jarringly into the vertical aspect of the spring damper and the warning sign, thereby alerting the driver and preventing him from wrong-way driving on the highway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following is a brief description of the several views of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention ramp guard.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the base of the present invention.

FIG. 3a is a top view of the spring of the present invention.

FIG. 3b is a side view of the spring of the present invention.

FIG. 4a is a top view of the spring damper of the present invention.

FIG. 4b is a side view of the spring damper of the present invention.

FIG. 5a is top view of the spring spacer of the present invention.

FIG. 5b is side view of the spring spacer of the present invention.

FIG. 6a is a front view of the warning sign of the present invention.

FIG. 6b is a side cross-sectional view of the warning sign of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the concrete frame of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the present invention ramp guard as seen from the traffic exiting direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a ramp guard to prevent wrong way driving. More specifically, the ramp guard of the present invention is a ramp device for placement at the entrance, or more likely the exit ramp of a highway to prevent a driver from entering the roadway traveling in the wrong direction. The intent of the present invention ramp guard is to allow automobile, truck or other motor vehicle travel in the correct direction on the roadway, but to prevent the entrance of traffic onto the highway in the opposite, wrong direction. In other words, the ramp guard serves to prevent wrong-way drivers from entering a highway at an exit ramp. The ramp guard, as shown in the accompanying figures is approximately 4 feet in width, and is to be used in pairs at highway ramp. Alternatively, the ramp could be fabricated in wider configuration, but would be heavier and bulkier to transport and more difficult to install.

Looking at the figures, the ramp guard of the present invention is depicted generally as reference number 10. Although other rigid materials could be utilized, the ramp guard is fabricated from steel for strength and to prevent corrosion. As can be seen best in the side view of FIG. 1, the ramp guard consists generally of the base 12, the spring 20, the ramp 30, and the spring damper 40.

The ramp guard 10 is built upon a base member 12 which is best seen in FIG. 2. The base member is a generally rectangular flat piece of steel and in the embodiment shown in the Figures, the base has a lengthwise dimension of 58.75″ and a widthwise dimension of 54.00″. A cutout 14 in the center of the base having dimension 36.50″ by 25″ is formed into the base, thereby reducing its overall weight, and permitting the spring to pass therethrough. A plurality of screw holes 16 along the top and bottom of the base (the top and bottom are the edge of the rectangle with the larger dimension) are provided which are employed to screwably attach the base to the concrete frame seen in FIG. 7.

Looking back at FIG. 1, extending upward and angularly from the base is the spring 20. The spring, depicted individually in the top view of FIG. 3a and in the side view of FIG. 3b, has a horizontal component 22, which horizontal component is welded to the bottom of the base 12. The horizontal component, in the embodiment shown, has a length of 12″ from its end to the point of the bend 24. The spring thereupon bends upward as seen in the Figures and extends 36″. As such, its full length is 48″ in the embodiment shown, and due to the angle of its bend rises 6″ above the height of the horizontal component. Moreover, the angular section 26 of the spring traverses through the cutout portion of the base. Choice of spring tension for the spring is also important with regard to the functionality of the invention. The spring must be flexible enough to flex when a lightweight vehicle such as a motorcycle or compact car goes over the ramp. On the other hand, the spring must be strong enough to support the weight of a heavy tractor trailer or other such weighty vehicle. As such, the spring is manufactured from high carbon steel, with a thickness of 0.375″ and a minimum yield of 60,000 psi.

Now, the end of the angular section of the spring makes contact with the underside of the ramp 30 and the spring applies tensioning force thereby forcing the ramp upward when there is no vehicle on the ramp and thus the spring is not compressed. The ramp is a flat piece of steel or other rigid material. One end of the ramp is flexibly anchored to the top surface of the base through use of hinges. This end of the ramp and the base will be referred to as the “traffic entering end.” As the ramp is flexibly attached to the base, it has a range of motion ranging from flat and parallel to the base when under the weight of a vehicle to an angular position relative to said base when not weighted down by a vehicle. The ramp then extends upward angularly from the base and the spring forces the ramp upward. As can be seen, the opposite end of the ramp from its end attached to the base is substantially above the corresponding end of the base (this end of the base and the ramp will be referred to as the “traffic exiting end”) and approximately 6″ above it.

At least one spring damper 40 (FIGS. 4a and 4b) is provided which constrains the height of the ramp. As shown, a pair of spring dampers is employed and they are located at the end of the base and the end of the ramp as show in FIG. 1. Each spring damper includes a bottom horizontal element 42, and vertical component 44 and a top horizontal element 46 configured as shown better in the top view of FIG. 4a and the side view of FIG. 4b. Specifically, the bottom horizontal component in the embodiment shown extends out from the vertical component a distance of 2″, the vertical component has a height of 5.50″ and the top horizontal component extends out from the vertical 1.00″. Two screw holes 48 are formed into the top horizontal which screw holes are used to screwably attach the spring damper to the ramp. As seen best in the side view of FIG. 1, the bottom horizontal of the spring damper extends under the base without being attached to it. Thus, the upward motion of the ramp is damped when the bottom horizontal of the spring damper makes contact with the bottom of the base. Thus, the vertical component presents a vertical façade facing into traffic traveling in the wrong direction.

A spring spacer 50 is attached to the bottom side of the spring in the area where the horizontal aspect of the spring is attached to the base. The purpose of the spring spacer is to provide extra stiffness at the base of the spring, to minimize flexure of the base when the spring is loaded. The configuration of the spring spacer is best seen in FIGS. 5a and 5b. The spring spacer consists of a 0.375″ thick steel plate 52. Attached to the steel plate is a pair of L-shaped angle brackets.

As seen in FIGS. 6a and 6b, one additional element of the present invention is a warning sign 60 which is intended to warn wrong-way drivers that they are about to enter the highway in the wrong direction. The warning sign should contain a written warning in bold, contrasting and highly visible writing, preferably 4″ high black lettering on a yellow background all painted onto a sheet metal substrate. The warning sign is attached to the spring dampers. The warning sign is thus substantially vertically mounted (when the spring is not compressed) on the façade of the spring dampers and facing toward traffic which is trying to enter the highway in the wrong direction, i.e. it is mounted in the traffic exiting direction. The warning sign is thus oriented vertically between the traffic exiting end of the ramp and the traffic exiting end of the base and mounted on the spring dampers. As such, hopefully, the wrong way driver will notice the sign before entering the highway in the wrong direction. When a vehicle enters the roadway in the correct direction, and the vehicle compresses the spring flattening the ramp, the sign rotates about the pivot point 62 as shown in cross-sectional view of FIG. 6b thereby causing the sign to rotate to a horizontal position and out of the way of traffic. Specifically, the sign is attached to a shaft 64, which rotates inside the pipe 66.

The concrete frame 70 is shown in FIG. 7. The base 12 is screwed to the concrete base. The screw holes 72 are positioned into the concrete frame in positions that match up with the screw holes on the base 16 so the base can be suitably attached to the concrete frame with screws.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the present invention ramp guard as seen from the traffic exiting direction.

The ramp guard of the present invention is positioned onto the roadway. It will be understood that it is important to the proper functionality of the invention for the ramp guard to face in the correct direction for it to work properly. The ramp guard must be positioned so that end with the horizontal aspect of the spring (this is the end with the spring spacer) is closer to the direction from which traffic is exiting. Thus, when a vehicle travels onto the ramp in the correct direction, the spring is compressed and the ramp is depressed downward, thereby flattening the ramp so that it is parallel to said base, and permitting traffic to flow smoothly over it. Conversely, if a vehicle attempts to enter the roadway from the wrong direction, hopefully the driver will see the ramp and its warning sign and turn around. If the driver does not, the vehicle will bump jarringly into the vertical aspect of the spring damper and the warning sign, thereby alerting the driver and preventing him from wrong-way driving on the highway.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles and preferred embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to one skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, operation and embodiment shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A ramp guard, said ramp guard utilized for preventing vehicles from entering a roadway in the wrong direction, comprising:

a base, said base formed from a flat piece of rigid material, said base having a center portion, a top and a bottom, a traffic entering end and traffic exiting end, said base having a cutout at said center portion;

a spring having a traffic entering end and traffic exiting end, said spring having a horizontal portion at said traffic entering end attached to said bottom of said base at the traffic entering end of said base, said spring having a bend and extending angularly upwards from said bend and through said cutout of said base;

a ramp having a traffic entering end and a traffic exiting end, said ramp hingedly attached to said top of said base at said traffic entering end of said base, said ramp having an underside which rests on top of said spring;

said traffic exiting end of said ramp being positioned vertically above said traffic exiting end of said base;

at least one spring damper positioned vertically between said traffic exiting end of said ramp and said traffic exiting end of said base; and

a warning signed positioned vertically between said traffic exiting end of said ramp and said traffic exiting end of said base;

whereby said spring compresses when a vehicle enters the ramp at said traffic entering end, thereby causing the ramp to be forced downward to a position parallel to said base.

2. A ramp guard, said ramp guard utilized for preventing vehicles from entering a roadway in the wrong direction, comprising:

a base, said base formed from a flat piece of rigid material having a top and bottom and having a traffic entering end and traffic exiting end;

a spring having a traffic entering end and traffic exiting end, said spring having a horizontal portion at said traffic entering end attached to said base at the traffic entering end of said base, said spring having a bend and extending angularly upwards from said bend;

a ramp having a traffic entering end and a traffic exiting end, said ramp hingedly attached to said top of said base at said traffic entering end of said base, said ramp having an underside which rests on top of said spring; and

a warning signed positioned vertically between said traffic exiting end of said ramp and said traffic exiting end of said base;

whereby said spring compresses when a vehicle enters the ramp at said traffic entering end, thereby causing the ramp to be forced downward to a position parallel to said base.