Road surface signal light capable of failure notification

Abstract

To provide a road surface signal light that can take prompt action and provide quick before-service (proactive service), and to contribute to traffic safety for pedestrians by detecting failure in the road surface signal light that is divided into multiple parts, and transmitting a failure notification to a remote integrated control center or a designated smart device such as a mobile phone.SOLUTION: In a road surface signal lights (10) installed on a road surface respectively on both ends of a crosswalk in a crossing direction and operating in conjunction with traffic lights. parallelly connected unit road surface signal lights (11, 12, 13, 14) are arranged at a certain interval sized through division according to a width of the crosswalk and operate independently. The unit road signal lights (11, 12, 13, 14) are equipped respectively with failure notification units (15; 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) that each detect failure and transmit a failure occurrence signal to a remote integrated control center (50) or an administrator's smart device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a road surface signal lamp capable of giving a fault notification. More specifically, it senses a fault in a road surface signal lamp formed by being divided into a plurality of parts and transmits it to an integrated control center in a remote location or a smart device such as a designated mobile phone, etc., enabling quick measures and a prompt before service, and relates to a road surface signal lamp capable of giving a fault notification that contributes to the traffic safety of pedestrians.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, pedestrian signal lamps are installed at both ends of a crosswalk and are one of the traffic safety means for guiding whether pedestrians can enter or exit through a red light and a green light. Therefore, pedestrians can safely cross the crosswalk by not entering the crosswalk when the red light is on and only entering the crosswalk when the green light is on.

[0003] Recently, as the use of smart phones has increased, the number of people who look down to concentrate on the smart phone screen and do not pay attention to the surrounding environment has been increasing. Such people are called "Smombies" (Smart phone + Zombie). Smombies do not check the signal even when crossing the crosswalk, which has become a cause of inducing traffic accidents.

[0004] Therefore, signal lamps are also installed at both ends of the crosswalk so as to prevent traffic accidents of Smombies and enable people who do not raise their heads to recognize the current crosswalk signal. This is called a "road surface signal lamp". That is, the road surface signal lamp is installed at both ends of the crosswalk and enables people who are looking down to recognize the crosswalk signal, thereby minimizing the occurrence of traffic accidents. Such a road surface signal lamp installs an LED for generating a signal inside a transparent or semi-transparent case and emits red or green light from the LED to indicate the current stop signal or walk signal of the crosswalk.

[0005] In addition, an acoustic generator may be installed on a signal pole so that people with poor eyesight or the elderly can safely cross a crosswalk. Such an acoustic generator provides, by sound, the changes in a traffic signal along with information about the direction of travel.

[0006] In this way, a signal light system equipped with a road surface signal light and an acoustic generator in addition to the traffic signal installed on the signal pole is called a smart signal light system. However, if a failure occurs in the road surface signal light in such a smart signal light system and no prompt action is taken, pedestrians will not be able to safely cross the crosswalk.

[0007] However, the conventional smart signal light system has a problem in that even when a failure occurs in the road surface signal light, the administrator cannot take measures unless the fact of the failure is confirmed upon the report of the person who discovered it, resulting in a delay in measures.

[0008] Therefore, it is necessary for traffic safety administrators to periodically inspect the smart signal light system for failures, which also poses another problem of requiring a large amount of cost and time.

[0009] On the other hand, as a result of investigating the prior art related to the present invention, a number of patent documents were searched, and the explanations of some of them are as follows.

[0010] Patent Document 1 discloses a smart AI signal lamp stem installed at the roadside where a crosswalk is formed, having a column part where a traffic signal lamp is installed; a pedestrian waiting area set with a predetermined width on the road surface where the column part is installed so that pedestrians can wait during the signal waiting before crossing the crosswalk; an audio output unit installed on the column part to send guidance information to pedestrians waiting in the pedestrian waiting area by voice; an information display unit installed on the column part to display guidance information to pedestrians waiting in the pedestrian waiting area using a display; a detection unit installed on the column part to detect the presence of pedestrians in the pedestrian waiting area; an illumination unit installed on the column part to irradiate light on the pedestrian waiting area; and a control unit to control the driving of the traffic signal, the audio output unit, the information display unit, the detection unit, and the illumination unit, which embodies the ability to automatically recognize pedestrians waiting for the signal and activate the walk signal.

[0011] Patent Document 2 discloses a pedestrian safety system in cooperation with a crosswalk signal lamp that includes a signal lamp determination unit that receives a signal from a signal control unit and determines whether the pedestrian signal lamp is a walk signal, a stop signal, or a flashing signal. When the signal lamp determination unit determines that it is a stop signal or a flashing signal, it is installed at the upper part of the pedestrian signal post of the crosswalk, and irradiates a large number of laser surfaces on the safety line area of the crosswalk to sense pedestrians with a laser irradiator, a pedestrian direction determination unit that receives a pedestrian detection signal from the laser irradiator and determines the walking direction of the pedestrian, and a control unit that outputs a corresponding guidance broadcast or warning sound through an acoustic output unit when the pedestrian direction determination unit determines that the walking direction of the pedestrian is from the sidewalk to the roadway, which guides pedestrians to comply with traffic signals and prevent traffic accidents.

[0012] Patent Document 3 discloses a smart traffic signal warning device for managing the walking safety of smartphone users at crosswalks. The device includes an alarm device main body case installed on either one of the stop lines of the crosswalk, a pedestrian detection sensor unit installed on the side surface of the alarm device main body case for detecting pedestrians when they cross the stop line and providing a detection signal to the main control unit; a main control unit for obtaining the walking signal provided from the signal control panel to the pedestrian signal, and when the obtained walking signal is a walking stop signal, providing a warning sound operation signal to the voice output unit installed around the crosswalk and a danger warning light operation signal to the light-emitting lamp installed on the road surface of the crosswalk when it obtains a detection signal from the pedestrian detection sensor unit; a voice output unit installed around the crosswalk for outputting a set warning sound when receiving a warning sound operation signal from the main control unit and outputting a set walking sound when receiving a walking sound operation signal from the main control unit, and a light-emitting lamp installed on the road surface of the crosswalk for turning on the danger warning light when receiving a danger warning light operation signal from the main control unit and turning on the walking light when receiving a walking light operation signal from the main control unit. The smart traffic signal warning device for managing the walking safety of smartphone users can prevent traffic accidents of pedestrians caused by being engrossed in the smartphone and support the walking of visually impaired persons.

[0013] Patent Document 4 includes a number of blocks whose upper surfaces are embossed so as to rub against the sole of a pedestrian's shoe and generate frictional noise; a number of sensors formed on the upper surfaces of the number of blocks to sense the frictional noise generated by rubbing against the pedestrian; a number of amplifying units that amplify and output the frictional noise sensed by the number of sensors; a number of level limiters that output a signal by limiting the level of the frictional noise output from the number of amplifying units so as to confirm that what is located on the number of blocks is a pedestrian; a number of pilot speakers that generate a pilot signal to check for abnormalities in the number of sensors; a number of pilot signal amplifying units that amplify and input the pilot signal to the number of pilot speakers; a warning speaker that generates a warning sound for a pedestrian attempting to cross the road, and a warning signal amplifying unit that amplifies and outputs the warning signal to the warning speaker; a control unit that receives the signal output from the number of level limiters, outputs a control signal to a traffic signal control unit that confirms the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road and controls the lighting of the traffic signal, outputs a pilot signal to the number of pilot signal amplifying units, and outputs a warning signal to the warning signal amplifying unit, and discloses a traffic signal control device that senses this and controls the traffic signal when a pedestrian waits to cross the road.

[0014] Patent Document 5 discloses a directional speaker having a number of piezoelectric ceramic cells, which are respectively provided in each of the piezoelectric ceramic cells, and can improve the directivity and output by preventing interference from the wave output parts of the plurality of piezoelectric ceramic cells through an adjusting part for adjusting the output direction of the acoustic wave generated from the piezoelectric ceramic cell, and can output an improved sound quality with a small number of piezoelectric ceramic cells, so that the installation number of the piezoelectric ceramic cells can be reduced and the cost can be saved.

[0015] Patent Document 6 discloses a surface-emitting signal lamp comprising: an LED module that generates light for signals; a lower case and an upper case that house the LED module therein; a case seal configured at a position where the lower case and the upper case are clamped for waterproofing the LED module; a signal lamp body; a protective housing made of aluminum die-casting that protects the signal lamp body. The protective housing is configured in a well shape surrounding the side and bottom surfaces excluding the upper surface of the signal lamp body, and the protective housing is characterized by preventing the signal lamp body containing polycarbonate from directly contacting the ground, thereby improving visibility and durability.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0016]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0017] The present invention was devised to solve the problems of the prior art. By detecting the failure of a road surface signal lamp formed by being divided into a plurality of parts and transmitting it to an integrated control center in a remote location or a smart device such as a designated mobile phone, it enables quick before service together with prompt measures, and its object is to provide a road surface signal lamp capable of failure notification that can contribute to the traffic safety of pedestrians.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0018] The road surface signal lamp capable of failure notification of the present invention for achieving the above object is a road surface signal lamp installed on the road surfaces at both ends in the crossing direction of a crosswalk and operating in conjunction with the signal lamp. It is formed by being divided into a certain size according to the width of the crosswalk, and unit road surface signal lamps that operate independently are connected in parallel. Each unit road surface signal lamp is provided with a failure notification unit that detects a failure and transmits a failure occurrence signal to an integrated control center in a remote location or a smart device of a manager.

[0019] Also, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of failure notification of the present invention, the integrated control center or the smart device includes a display on which a map showing a number of smart signal lamp systems is displayed, a communication unit that receives the signal of the failure notification unit, and a main control unit that receives signals from a number of smart signal lamp systems and displays them on the display.

[0020] Also, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of failure notification of the present invention, the application of the integrated control center or the smart device is characterized by including an alarm generation unit that issues an alarm when receiving a failure occurrence signal by the communication unit.

[0021] Also, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of failure notification of the present invention, the integrated control center is characterized by including a failure notification unit that sends the position information of the road surface signal lamp where the failure has occurred to the manager when receiving a failure occurrence signal by the communication unit.

[0022] In addition, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention, the failure notification unit of the road surface signal lamp transmits a failure occurrence signal to an integrated control center or a smart device through a communication unit provided in a control unit of a smart signal lamp system.

Advantages of the Invention

[0023] The road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention senses failures of a plurality of divided road surface signal lamps and transmits them to an integrated control center at a remote location or a smart device of an administrator. Therefore, the fact of the failure can be quickly recognized and prompt follow-up is possible. Through such prompt before-service, it is possible to contribute to the traffic safety of pedestrians and save the costs and time that humans have to periodically check for the presence or absence of failures.

[0024] In addition, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention, the road surface signal lamp is formed by being divided into a plurality of parts and connected in parallel, and each road surface signal lamp is provided with a failure sensing unit. Therefore, even when a failure occurs only in a part rather than the whole of the road surface signal lamp, it is of course possible to cope with this, and even when a failure occurs in a part of the road surface signal lamp, it is possible to guide pedestrians looking down with the remaining road surface signal lamps and safely cross the crosswalk.

[0025] In addition, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention, when a failure occurs in the road surface signal lamp of the smart signal lamp system, the position of the smart signal lamp system including the road surface signal lamp is displayed on a display provided in a smart device such as an administrator's mobile phone, enabling prompt dispatch and initial response.

[0026] In addition, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention, an alarm generation unit is provided in an integrated control center or an app of a smart device. When a failure occurs in the road surface signal lamp of the smart signal lamp system, it can be quickly recognized and dealt with.

[0027] In addition, according to the road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention, the integrated control center is provided with a failure notification unit, and when a failure occurs in the signal lamp or the road surface signal lamp of the smart signal lamp system, early countermeasures can be taken by quickly notifying the administrator of the relevant information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure of the present invention will be described as follows.

[0030] The terms used in the present invention are terms defined in consideration of the functions in the present invention, and since these may vary depending on the intentions or customs of users and operators, the definitions of these terms must be interpreted according to the meanings and concepts consistent with the technical matters of the present invention.

[0031] At the same time, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the scope of the rights of the present invention, but are merely exemplary matters of the components presented in the claims of the present invention, are included in the technical idea throughout the specification of the present invention, and are embodiments including components that can be replaced as equivalents from the components of the claims.

[0032] And the optional terms in the following embodiments are used to distinguish one component from another component, and the component is not limited by the said terms.

[0033] Therefore, in describing the present invention, a detailed description of related known technologies that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention is omitted.

[0034] For explaining a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an integrated control center of a road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing different examples of a road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure according to the present invention.

[0035] The road surface signal lamp capable of notifying a failure according to the present invention is installed on the road surfaces at both ends in the crossing direction of a crosswalk and operates in conjunction with a traffic signal. As shown in FIG. 1, it is formed by dividing into a certain size according to the width of the crosswalk and connecting in parallel unit road surface signals (11, 12, 13, 14) that operate independently. Even when a failure occurs in some of the unit road surface signal lamps, the remaining unit road surface signal lamps are configured to operate normally.

[0036] At this time, each unit road surface signal lamp (11, 12, 13, 14) is provided with a failure notification unit (15; 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) that senses a failure and transmits a failure occurrence signal to an integrated control center (50) at a remote location.

[0037] Thereby, when a failure occurs in each unit road surface signal lamp (11, 12, 13, 14), the failure notification unit (15; 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) transmits a failure occurrence signal to the integrated control center (50), so that prompt measures can be taken.

[0038] And as shown in FIG. 2, the integrated control center (50) includes a display (51) on which a map showing a number of smart traffic signal systems is presented on the screen, a communication unit (52) that receives signals from the failure notification units (15; 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d), and a main control unit (55) that receives signals from a number of smart traffic signal systems and displays them on the display (51). Thus, when a failure occurs in the road surface traffic signal (10) of the smart traffic signal system, the position of the smart traffic signal system including the corresponding road surface traffic signal is presented on the display, enabling prompt dispatch and initial response.

[0039] At this time, when the integrated control center (50) receives a failure occurrence signal at the communication unit (52), it is preferable to be provided with an alarm generation unit (53) that generates an alarm so that the staff of the integrated control center (50) can quickly recognize the occurrence of the failure. Further, when the integrated control center (50) receives a failure occurrence signal at the communication unit (52), it is more preferable to be provided with a failure notification unit (54) that transmits the position information of the road surface traffic signal (10) where the failure has occurred to the administrator so that the administrator can quickly dispatch to the failure occurrence position.

[0040] In the above, it has been described that a failure occurrence signal is directly transmitted to the integrated control center by a plurality of unit road surface traffic signals constituting the road surface traffic signal. However, in the smart traffic signal system equipped with the control unit (20) as shown in FIG. 3, the failure notification unit (15) of the road surface traffic signal (10) can be configured to transmit a failure occurrence signal to the integrated control center (50) through the communication unit (25) provided in the control unit (20) of the smart traffic signal system.

[0041] In this way, by integrally managing the signals of the failure notification units provided in each unit road surface traffic signal by the control unit (20) of the smart traffic signal system, the system can be easily configured.

[0042] Further, it is also possible to directly transmit the failure occurrence signal of the unit road surface signal lamp to a smart device such as a mobile phone or a smartphone possessed by the administrator without transmitting it to the integrated control center (50). In this case, it is preferable that the application of the smart device is equipped with an alarm unit similar to that of the integrated control center.

[0043] Regarding the road surface signal lamp capable of failure notification of the present invention described above, the presence or absence of failure of each unit road surface signal lamp is judged by using the failure notification units respectively provided in the plurality of divided unit road surface signal lamps. When a failure occurs in the internal components, the failure notification unit transmits a failure signal to the integrated control center, so that the administrator can quickly take measures according to the instructions of the integrated control center. In particular, through a quick before-service, it is possible to contribute to the traffic safety of pedestrians and improve the satisfaction of citizens.

[0044] The present invention has been described above, but this is for explaining the invention. Those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains will understand that various modifications or equivalent embodiments are possible from the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, the true scope of rights of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0045] 10... Road surface signal lamp 11, 12, 13, 14... Unit road surface signal lamps 15(15a, 15b, 15c, 15d)... Failure notification unit 20... Control unit 25... Communication unit 50... Integrated control center 51... Display 52... Communication unit 53... Alarm generation unit 54... Failure notification unit 55... Main control unit

Claims

【Claim 1】 It is formed by connecting in parallel unit road surface signal lights (11, 12, 13, 14) that are divided and formed in sizes determined corresponding to the width of the crosswalk and operate independently, and is provided with a failure notification unit (15; 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) that senses a failure in each of the unit road surface signal lights (11, 12, 13, 14) and transmits a failure occurrence signal to an integrated control center (50) in a remote location or a smart device of an administrator. A road surface signal light (10) installed on the road surfaces at both ends in the crosswise direction of the crosswalk capable of failure notification and operating in conjunction with the signal lights.

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