Luminous indicator

Abstract

To provide a light-emitting sign that exhibits high visibility and enables traffic participants to recognize an arrow when a light-emitting module is illuminated. [Solution] The luminous sign 1 comprises a mountain-shaped base plate 2 with an arrow 14 displayed on the front surface 5, a reflective sheet 3 covering the front surface of the base plate, and a plurality of luminous sheets 4 affixed to part of the front surface of the base plate, with the arrow 14 being formed by the plurality of luminous sheets 4.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to luminous signs. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, luminous signs are known that display arrows to guide vehicles and pedestrians passing through traffic-controlled areas. It is desirable for such luminous signs to be recognizable by traffic participants regardless of day or night. For this reason, a reflective sheet and a light-emitting module may be provided on the surface of the luminous sign so that traffic participants can easily recognize the luminous sign at night. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a road sign in which multiple LEDs are arranged in an arrow-shaped light-reflecting member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3217780 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the arrow of the light-emitting sign is illuminated by multiple LEDs emitting point light. Therefore, depending on the number and arrangement of the LEDs provided on the light-emitting sign, it may be difficult for traffic participants to recognize that the object shown on the light-emitting sign is an arrow.

[0005] In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide an illuminated sign that has high visibility when the light-emitting module is illuminated, allowing traffic participants to recognize the arrow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is an illuminating sign (1) comprising a mountain-shaped base plate (2) with an arrow (14) displayed on its front surface (5), a reflective sheet (3) covering the front surface of the base plate, and a luminescent sheet (4) affixed to a portion of the front surface of the base plate, wherein the arrow is formed by the luminescent sheet.

[0007] According to this aspect, the arrow is illuminated by the illuminating sheet, which is a planar illuminating module, so that traffic participants can easily recognize that the object shown on the illuminating sign is an arrow.

[0008] In the above aspect, the luminescent sheet may have a plurality of regions (4a to 4d) arranged side by side in the direction of the arrow, and the arrow may be displayed as luminous in a flowing manner by the plurality of regions illuminating in the order in which they are arranged.

[0009] According to this aspect, by displaying the arrow with light so as to flow in the direction of the arrow, which is the traffic guidance direction, traffic participants can easily recognize the traffic guidance direction.

[0010] In the above aspect, the luminous sign may further include a plurality of protective members (16, 17) fixed near the upper end (2a) and two lower end portions (2b) of the back surface of the base plate to protect the luminous sheet when stacked.

[0011] According to this aspect, when the luminous signs are stacked, it is possible to prevent the reflective sheet from being rubbed or the luminous sheet from being damaged due to the luminous signs coming into contact with each other. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the above aspect, it is possible to provide an illuminated sign that exhibits high visibility when the light-emitting module is illuminated, allowing traffic participants to recognize the arrow. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 3 is a front view of the light-emitting sign according to the present embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 3 is a side view of the light-emitting sign according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view of the main part of the luminous sign shown in Figure 2 [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a light-emitting display method for a light-emitting sign according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a light-emitting display method of a light-emitting sign according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the luminous sign 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, up / down, left / right, and front / rear will be defined as shown by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2. However, this definition of directions is for the convenience of explanation and is not limited to this.

[0015] The luminous sign 1 of the present invention is a so-called arrow board that is installed at road construction sites and the like to guide traffic participants, such as drivers of traveling vehicles and pedestrians, in the left and right directions. First, the luminous sign 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a front view of the luminous sign 1 according to this embodiment.

[0016] The luminous sign 1 comprises an aluminum base plate 2, a reflective sheet 3 covering the front surface 5 of the base plate 2, and an LED sheet 4 (an example of a luminous sheet). The base plate 2 is formed into a mountain shape by known bending processing or the like, and has a front surface 5 and a rear surface 6 (see FIG. 2). The front surface 5 and rear surface 6 of the base plate 2 have the same configuration except that the direction of the arrow 14 is opposite when viewed from the front, so only the front surface 5 will be described below and the rear surface 6 will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 1, the front surface 5 of the base plate 2 is a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and two handle holes 7 for carrying the luminous sign 1 are provided at the bottom of the front surface 5.

[0017] A rubber foot 10 is provided on the lower end 2b of the base plate 2 to prevent slipping and damage to the base plate 2. The rubber foot 10 is formed to the same length as the left-right length of the base plate 2 and is arranged so as to cover the lower end 2b of the base plate 2. The rubber foot 10 is fastened and fixed to the base plate 2 by bolts 11 and nuts 12 via an aluminum flat bar 13.

[0018] The reflective sheet 3 is attached to the base plate 2 with a transparent adhesive (not shown) so as to cover the entire front surface 5 of the base plate 2. The reflective sheet 3 is a retroreflective sheet that reflects light incident from the front side toward the direction in which the light is incident, and is made of a light-transmitting resin. The reflective sheet 3 may be a high-brightness color such as yellowish green or orange, or may be colorless. The reflective sheet 3 may have the same size as the front surface 5 of the base plate 2, or may have the size of the base plate 2, i.e., the combined size of the front surface 5 and the rear surface 6.

[0019] Further, an LED sheet 4 is attached to the front surface 5 of the reflecting sheet 3, that is, the front surface 5 of the base plate 2. The LED sheet 4 is a planar light-emitting module, and includes a flexible resin sheet, a plurality of LED chips arranged on the surface of the resin sheet, metal wiring for supplying power to the plurality of LED chips, and a transparent protective film. The resin sheet is made of a thermoplastic resin that is transparent and has high heat resistance and insulation properties. The LED chips are arranged in a lattice pattern in a planar view. The number and arrangement of the LED chips can be appropriately set. The color of the LED chips may be a single color, or a combination of similar colors or different colors (for example, red, green, and blue). The metal wiring is joined to the LED chips by soldering, and electrically connects the LED chips to a power supply unit (not shown) via a control device 22 and a connector 26 (described later). The protective film is a resin film that is waterproof and physically protects the LED chips and the metal wiring during bad weather and the like. In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3, the components of the LED sheet 4 are omitted.

[0020] The LED sheet 4 is formed in the shape of an arrow 14. The LED sheet 4 has an arrowhead region 4a, a first intermediate region 4b, a second intermediate region 4c, and an arrowhead region 4d. The four regions 4a to 4d are aligned from right to left as shown in Fig. 1, and a plurality of LED chips are arranged in each of the regions 4a to 4d.

[0021] The LED sheet 4 is attached to the base plate 2 with a transparent adhesive. The adhesive for attaching the reflective sheet 3 and the LED sheet 4 may be a known resin-based adhesive, such as a urethane-based, polycarbonate-based, silicone-based, ester-based or epoxy-based adhesive.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a side view of the luminous sign 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, a plate-shaped reinforcing plate 15 and a shock-absorbing upper end protection member 16 are provided on the back surface of the upper end portion 2a of the base plate 2, i.e., the back surface of the portion bent in a mountain shape. The reinforcing plate 15 is disposed near the left and right ends of the base plate 2 so as to be in close contact with the base plate 2, thereby increasing the strength and rigidity of the base plate 2. The upper end protection member 16 is disposed on the left and right inner sides of the reinforcing plate 15. In this embodiment, the upper end protection member 16 is formed of two members, but it may be formed of one member.

[0023] A bottom end protection member 17 having cushioning properties is provided near the bottom end 2b on the back surface of the base plate 2. Each bottom end protection member 17 is disposed above the leg rubbers 10 so as to extend in the left-right direction of the base plate 2. Because the light-emitting sign 1 has the top end protection member 16 and the bottom end protection member 17, it is possible to prevent the reflective sheet 3 from being rubbed and the LED sheet 4 from being damaged due to the light-emitting signs 1 coming into contact with each other when the light-emitting signs 1 are stacked.

[0024] The base plate 2 and each reinforcing plate 15 are provided with mounting holes (not shown) that penetrate in the vertical direction. Weights (not shown) are attached to the mounting holes. This makes it possible to prevent the light-emitting sign 1 from shifting or falling over due to wind pressure when the light-emitting sign 1 is installed on a road or the like.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the light-emitting sign 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the base plate 2 and the reflective sheet 3 are provided with through-holes 20 penetrating in the front-rear direction. The wiring 21 of the LED sheet 4 is arranged in the through-holes 20 so as to extend from the front to the rear of the front surface 5 of the light-emitting sign 1. The other end of the wiring 21 is connected to a control device 22. The control device 22 is also connected to a power supply unit via a cable 25 and a connector 26. This electrically connects the LED sheet 4 and the power supply unit to each other. The control device 22 and the connector 26 are fixed to the back surface of the front surface 5 of the base plate 2.

[0026] The LED sheet 4 emits light when power is supplied from the power supply unit. That is, when power is supplied from the power supply unit, the arrow 14 is illuminated and displayed on the light-emitting sign 1. By making the arrow 14 illuminate and displayed by the LED sheet 4, which is a planar light-emitting module, traffic participants can easily recognize that what is displayed on the light-emitting sign 1 is an arrow. In addition, the supply of power from the power supply unit to the LED sheet 4 is controlled by the control device 22. This allows the LED sheet 4 to emit light in a desired time period, with a desired illuminance, and in a desired light-emitting mode (continuous light emission, intermittent light emission (blinking), etc.). The four areas 4a to 4d of the LED sheet 4 may be individually controllable by the control device 22. A connector 26 may be provided at the other end of the wiring 21 of the LED sheet 4. In this case, the connector 26 may be connected to the control device 22, and the control device 22 may be connected to the power supply unit.

[0027] The through holes 20 may be provided in the portions of the base plate 2 and the reflective sheet 3 that are covered by the LED sheet 4. This prevents the wiring 21 of the LED sheet 4 from being exposed on the front surface 5 of the light-emitting sign 1, thereby preventing the arrow 14 of the light-emitting sign 1 from being blocked by the wiring 21 of the LED sheet 4. The LED sheet 4 may also have wiring 21 in each of the four regions 4a to 4d. In this case, the front surface 5 of the base plate 2 may be provided with four through holes 20 in which the four wirings 21 extending from the four regions 4a to 4d of the LED sheet 4 can be disposed, respectively, or a single through hole 20 in which the four wirings 21 can be disposed may be provided.

[0028] Next, referring to FIG. 4, a method of displaying the arrow 14 of the light-emitting sign 1 will be described. In this embodiment, the traffic guidance direction will be described as the right direction as viewed in FIG. 4. The arrow 14 of the light-emitting sign 1 according to this embodiment is displayed by illuminating the four regions 4a to 4d in order from left to right, so that the arrow flows toward the right. Specifically, after the arrowhead region 4d emits light (FIG. 4(A)), the second intermediate region 4c emits light after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the arrowhead region 4d goes out (FIG. 4(B)). Next, the first intermediate region 4b emits light after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the second intermediate region 4c goes out (FIG. 4(C)). Similarly, the arrowhead region 4a emits light after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the first intermediate region 4b goes out (FIG. 4(D)). By repeating this, the arrow 14 of the light-emitting sign 1 is displayed by illuminating and going out at predetermined intervals, so that the arrow flows toward the right, which is the traffic guidance direction, in the order of arrangement. Therefore, traffic participants can easily recognize the light-emitting sign 1 installed on a road or the like, and can easily recognize the traffic guidance direction when they see the light-emitting sign 1. The timing when the regions 4a to 4d light up and turn off is not limited to the same time. Specifically, the arrowhead region 4d may turn off after the second intermediate region 4c lights up, or the arrowhead region 4d may turn off before the second intermediate region 4c lights up.

[0029] Next, referring to FIG. 5, a method for displaying an arrow 14 according to another embodiment will be described. In another embodiment, the arrow 14 of the light-emitting sign 1 is displayed as if it flows to the right by illuminating the areas 4a to 4d so as to expand the area from left to right. Specifically, first, the arrowhead area 4d emits light (FIG. 5(A)). Next, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the second intermediate area 4c emits light. At this time, the arrowhead area 4d remains illuminated (FIG. 5(B)). Similarly, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the first intermediate area 4b (FIG. 5(C)) and the arrowhead area 4a emit light in sequence (FIG. 5(D)). Thereafter, the areas 4a to 4d are turned off. By repeating this, the arrow 14 of the light-emitting sign 1 is displayed as if it flows to the right, which is the traffic guidance direction. Therefore, traffic participants who see the light-emitting sign 1 can easily recognize the traffic guidance direction.

[0030] Although the description of the specific embodiment has been completed above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and its modified examples, and can be widely modified and implemented.

[0031] For example, in this embodiment, the LED sheet 4 is attached to the reflective sheet 3, but in other embodiments, the LED sheet 4 may be attached to the base plate 2. In this case, a part of the reflective sheet 3 may be cut out so as to match the shape of the LED sheet 4 so that the LED sheet 4 can be attached to the base plate 2. Alternatively, after the LED sheet 4 is attached to the base plate 2, the reflective sheet 3 may be attached so as to cover the LED sheet 4 and the front surface 5 of the base plate 2. In this case, it is preferable that the LED sheet 4 and the front surface 5 of the base plate 2 have a high-contrast color scheme, such as red and yellow-green, respectively, and the reflective sheet 3 is colorless.

[0032] In addition, the specific configuration, arrangement, quantity, material, etc. of each member or part can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention. The shape, number, and arrangement of the areas of the LED sheet 4 are not limited to those shown in the above embodiment, and for example, the LED sheet 4 may have eight areas. The arrow 14 may be formed by multiple LED sheets 4. The light-emitting sheet is not limited to the LED sheet 4, and a sheet-shaped organic EL element may be used. The rear surface 6 of the base plate 2 does not have to have the same configuration as the front surface 5. In addition, the above embodiment may be combined with some or all of the configurations. On the other hand, all of the components shown in the above embodiment are not necessarily required, and can be selected as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1: Illuminated sign 2: Base plate 2a: Upper end 2b: Bottom end 3: Reflective sheet 4: LED sheet (an example of a light-emitting sheet) 4a:Arrow head area 4b: 1st intermediate area 4c: 2nd intermediate area 4d:Arrowhead area 5:Front 14: Arrow 16: Upper end protection member 17: Bottom end protection member

Claims

1. A luminescent sign, A mountain-shaped base plate with an arrow on the front, A reflective sheet covering the front surface of the base plate; a light-emitting sheet attached to a portion of the front surface of the base plate; The arrow is a luminous sign formed by the luminous sheet.

2. The light-emitting sheet has a plurality of regions arranged side by side in the direction of the arrow, The illuminating sign according to claim 1 , wherein the arrow is illuminated in a flowing manner by the plurality of regions illuminating in the order of their arrangement.

3. The luminous sign according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of protective members fixed to the rear surface of the base plate near the upper end and two lower ends thereof to protect the luminous sheet when stacked.

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