Road sign rope connector

Abstract

To provide a new and useful rope connector for road signs, which can be integrally provided with a delineator. [Solution] The holder d2 is inserted and fitted into the socket fitting portion 11 of the road sign rope connector while the locking protrusion d3 on the holder d2 side of the delineator D slides into the slit on the socket fitting portion 11 side. The locking protrusion d3 passes through the vertical slit 13a and reaches the horizontal slit 13b. When the holder d2 is further rotated circumferentially relative to the socket fitting portion 11 until it abuts against its inner end, the holder d2 is locked in an attached state that prevents it from moving axially relative to the socket fitting portion 11. The socket fitting portion 11 is coaxial with the pole outer fitting portion 5, so the reflector d1 of the delineator D faces perpendicular to the pole. Therefore, when the pole is placed upright, the counter body d1 automatically faces horizontally.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a road sign rope tie used when temporarily installing road signs. [Background technology]

[0002] There are cases where road signs need to be installed for a specified period of time, such as when traffic restrictions are implemented for a certain period of time.In such cases, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes using a temporary device to fix road signs to guardrails. This temporary device is equipped with a pair of upper and lower clamping members, a receiving member, and a clamping member integrated into the support material.The guardrail is clamped by the pair of upper and lower clamping members, connecting the temporary device to the guardrail, and the pole attached to the road sign side is inserted into the receiving member and further clamped with the clamping member to secure it in place.

[0003] Many road signs are flat and are attached to the upper end of the outer periphery of a pole with the plate surface facing horizontally. Therefore, when road signs are installed in places with no buildings around, such as on expressways, if a strong wind blows, the road signs are directly hit by the strong wind and are blown around, causing the poles to swing, and repeated swinging can cause the poles to break in the middle.Furthermore, swinging of the poles can also cause the road signs to become loosened from the temporary installation devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-125135 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3243659 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To prevent this, the applicant has previously proposed in Patent Document 2 the use of a rope connector for road signs, which increases the number of connection points between the pole and a fixed object such as a guardrail, thereby preventing the road sign pole from swinging even in strong winds. Meanwhile, delineators are used on roads, parking lots, facilities where vehicles enter and exit, and other areas to support driving by guiding the driver's line of sight. Conventionally, delineators have been installed separately from road signs, with the support poles set underground (in the ground) or in concrete, or the base plates fixed to the concrete surface with anchor bolts. However, if delineators can be integrated with road signs, it would be preferable because it would reduce the component that occupies a part of the road landscape.

[0006] The present invention was made with a focus on the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a new and useful rope connector for road signs that can be equipped with a delineator as an integral part by taking advantage of the shape characteristics of the rope connector for road signs proposed in Patent Document 2. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a road sign rope connector used to connect a pole with a road sign attached to a fixed object such as a guardrail when the lower part of the pole is in an upright position and the pole is fixed to the fixed object with a rope. The road sign rope connector is characterized by having a cylindrical pole outer fitting portion and a closing surface portion that closes one opening of the pole outer fitting portion, a cap that is fitted from above onto the upper end of the pole with the closing surface as the top surface, a pair of rope locking portions that protrude outward from the pole outer fitting portion of the cap, a cylindrical socket fitting portion that is connected to the cap and into which a delineator socket is fitted from above, and a releasable locking means provided on the socket inner fitting portion that locks the socket while it is fitted into the socket inner fitting portion, allowing the delineator to be temporarily attached as a single unit.

[0008] In a preferred example, the socket fitting portion is provided above the top surface portion of the cap. In another preferred embodiment, the socket inner fitting portion is provided outside the pole outer fitting portion of the cap. More preferably, the socket internal fitting portion is connected to the pole external fitting portion of the cap via a relay portion.

[0009] Preferably, the pole outer fitting portion and the socket inner fitting portion are cylindrical and are provided in a positional relationship such that their axes are coaxial or parallel to each other. Preferably, the locking means is composed of an L-shaped slit extending from the upper edge of the socket fitting portion, and is locked by a locking protrusion protruding from the outer surface of the socket on the delineator side engaging with the slit at a position where it cannot move vertically. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The rope connector for road signs of this invention has a simple shape, but even in strong winds it prevents the pole from swinging, and not only can it stably maintain the road sign in its original position, but it can also be equipped with a delineator as an integral part. In addition, the work of connecting the pole to a fixed object using the road sign rope connector of this invention and the work of attaching the delineator can be easily done on site. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a road sign rope connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2A and 2B are side views of the road sign rope connector (with a delineator attached) of FIG. 1 in two directions that are perpendicular to each other. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a road sign pole and a guardrail are connected with a rope using the road sign rope connector of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a perspective view of a road sign rope connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 6A and 6B are side views of the road sign rope connector (with a delineator attached) of FIG. 5 in two directions that are perpendicular to each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] As shown in Figure 3, road sign A is a signboard installed beside or above the road to provide necessary information to users, and is attached to the upper end of the outer periphery of an upright pole (support) B. The lower part of pole B, to which road sign A is attached, is fixed to guardrail G via temporary device 21 in an adjusted orientation so that its display surface faces the road, and pole B is in an upright position. Temporary device 21 has a configuration as shown in Patent Document 1, and is connected to the guardrail G side by a pair of upper and lower clamping members 21a, 21a, and pole B is attached by a receiving member and a clamping member.

[0013] The upper end of the pole B fixed to the guardrail G in this way is further connected to the guardrail G by a rope using the road sign rope connector 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the road sign rope connector 1 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0014] The road sign rope connector 1 is made of aluminum. Reference numeral 3 denotes a cap. This cap 3 consists of a straight cylindrical pole fitting portion 5 and a closing surface portion that closes one opening of this pole fitting portion 5. The pole fitting portion 5 is designed to be used with its axial direction in the up-down direction, and the closing surface portion forms a top surface portion 7. The top surface 7 is in the form of a cover, and is fitted onto the pole outer fitting portion 5 from above to form a single unit, forming the cap 3. It has a short, straight cylindrical side surface 7a. The top surface 7b, which is connected to the upper edge of the side surface 7a as its outer periphery, is a gently sloping spherical surface. Hereinafter, the orientation with the top surface 7 facing upward is used as a reference, and the up, down, front, back, left and right directions are indicated based on this reference.

[0015] Reference numeral 9 denotes a U-shaped member serving as a rope anchor. This U-shaped member 9 is made by bending a round bar into a U-shape, and both axial ends of the member are welded and fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the pole fitting portion 5 of the cap 3. The U-shaped member 9 is fixed with the U-shape facing sideways, and its fixing portions are aligned vertically. The inner surface of the U-shape is open in the front-to-rear direction. A pair of U-shaped members 9 are provided at radially opposite positions, and each protrudes outward from the pole fitting portion 5.

[0016] The socket inner fitting portion 11 is connected to the cap 3 configured in this manner. The socket internal fitting portion 11 is a straight cylinder, and one axial end edge is welded and fixed to the center of the upper surface portion 7b that contacts the upper side of the cap 3. The socket internal fitting portion 11 is positioned coaxially with the pole external fitting portion 5. The outer circumferential surface of the socket internal fitting portion 11 has a smaller diameter than the outer circumferential surface of the pole external fitting portion 5 on the cap 3 side. A slit 13 that penetrates the wall thickness of the tubular portion and is open to the inside and outside in the circumferential direction is formed in the socket fitting portion 11. This slit 13 extends straight downward from the upper edge, then changes direction at a right angle around the middle and extends horizontally, with the vertical slit 13a and horizontal slit 13b continuing together to form an L shape overall.

[0017] The dimensional relationships between the cap 3, U-shaped member 9, and socket fitting portion 11 of the road sign rope connector 1 are as shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the socket fitting portion 11 has an outer diameter of Φ45 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm.

[0018] A delineator has a pole on the upper side of the fixed side, which is installed underground or on a concrete surface or fixed to a base plate, and a reflector that reflects light is attached to the top of this pole. In the delineator D, which is intended to be attached integrally to a road sign rope connector 1, the reflector d1 is composed of a reflector plate inside a square cylindrical case with a top and a solar panel on its top. A battery box is fixed to a holder d2 attached to the underside of the reflector d1. The holder d2 has a cylindrical shape, partially cut along a plane parallel to the axial direction, but approximately three-quarters of a circle remains when viewed from the axial direction. The holder d2 and reflector d1 are connected coaxially, with the outer periphery of the holder d2 having a smaller diameter than the outer surface of the reflector d1, creating a step at the boundary between them. A convex locking projection d3 is provided on the arcuate outer peripheral surface of the holder d2.

[0019] This Delineator D is sold by T-Cube Co., Ltd. as the "Santo Moon Solar Construction Light TCS-88RG." However, it is recommended that it be installed by inserting it into a cut cone. The above-mentioned numerical dimensions of the socket internal fitting portion 11 are designed to fit this type, and the holder d2 is fitted inside. At that time, the locking protrusion d3 is slidably fitted into the slit 13 with some looseness, so the holder d2 is fitted inside within the range where the locking protrusion d3 can move within the slit 13.

[0020] Next, a method of using the road sign rope connector 1 will be described. First, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the delineator D is attached to the road sign rope connector 1. Specifically, the holder d2 is inserted and fitted into the socket fitting portion 11 while the locking protrusion d3 on the holder d2 side of the delineator D slides into the slit 13 on the socket fitting portion 11 side. Because the reflector d1 has a larger diameter than the holder d2, when the underside of the reflector d1 abuts against the upper edge of the socket fitting portion 11, it cannot be inserted any further and is inserted as far as possible and fitted in. At this time, the locking protrusion d3 passes through the vertical slit 13a and reaches the horizontal slit 13b. When the holder d2 is further rotated circumferentially relative to the socket fitting portion 11 and abuts against its innermost end, the holder d2 is locked in an attached state where it cannot move axially relative to the socket fitting portion 11. The socket internal fitting portion 11 is positioned coaxially with the pole external fitting portion 5, so the orientation of the reflector d1 of the delineator D is perpendicular to the pole B. Therefore, by standing the pole B upright, the reflector d1 automatically faces horizontally.

[0021] In this state, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, one end of the ropes R, R is tied to a pair of U-shaped members 9, 9, and then the cap 3 is placed over the upper end of the pole B from above and fitted onto the outside. Next, the pole B is fixed to the guardrail G using the temporary device 21 as described above. Thereafter, the ropes R, R tied to the U-shaped members 9, 9 are pulled and tensioned, and the other ends are tied to the guardrail G to connect them. Because the cap 3 can rotate circumferentially relative to the pole B, the cap 3 automatically rotates and stops at a position where the pair of U-shaped members 9, 9 are aligned with the guardrail G, so that the rope R is connected to the guardrail G at the shortest distance while maintaining tension.

[0022] Because they are connected in this manner, the ropes R, R are in a tensile state and the cap 3 is pressed against the pole B, making it difficult for the cap 3 to fall off the pole B. Furthermore, because the pole B and the guardrail G are connected via the ropes R, R, even in strong winds, the pole B is prevented from swinging, and the road sign can be stably maintained in its original position. The delineator D can be attached to the road sign rope connector 1 so that it will not easily fall off, which is placed over the pole B whose posture is maintained stably in this way. Furthermore, the work of connecting the pole B side to the guardrail G using the road sign rope connector 1 and the work of attaching the delineator D can be easily carried out on-site.

[0023] Next, the configuration of a road sign rope connector 15 according to a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The same components as those in the road sign rope connector 1 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described. In this road sign rope connector 15, a socket internal fitting portion 17 corresponding to the socket internal fitting portion 11 is connected to the outside of the pole external fitting portion 5 of the cap 3 via a relay portion 19.

[0024] The relay portion 19 has a straight cylindrical shape. The relay portion 19 is oriented with its axial direction lying horizontally, with one axial end welded and fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the pole outer fitting portion 5, and the other axial end welded and fixed to the socket inner fitting portion 17. The socket inner fitting portion 17 and the pole outer fitting portion 5 are positioned so that their axes are parallel. The relay portion 19 is fixed at the center position between the U-shaped members 9, 9 on the pole outer fitting portion 5 side. The relay portion 19 is held up by the socket internal fitting portion 17 and the pole external fitting portion 5, and is higher than the lower ends of the socket internal fitting portion 17 and the pole external fitting portion 5.

[0025] The dimensional relationships between the cap 3, U-shaped member 9, socket fitting portion 17, and relay portion 19 of the road sign rope connector 15 are shown in Figures 5 and 6. The socket fitting portion 17 has an outer diameter of Φ45 mm, a thickness of 2 mm, and an axial length of 80 mm, while the relay portion 19 has an outer diameter of Φ30 mm. The distance between the axial centers of the socket fitting portion 17 and the pole fitting portion 5 is set to 100 mm. These numerical dimensions are designed to fit the above-mentioned type of delineator D, and road sign rope connector 15 can be used instead of road sign rope connector 1. The method of using the road sign rope connector 15 is the same as the method of using the road sign rope connector 1.

[0026] The above has described in detail the embodiment of the present invention, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the invention. For example, while the above embodiment shows a U-shaped member as the rope anchoring portion, the present invention is not limited to this and ring-shaped members, hook-shaped members, etc. may also be used. Furthermore, the number of rope anchoring portions and their fixing positions relative to the cap may be optimized as appropriate depending on the type of object to be fixed. Furthermore, the road sign rope connector can be made of materials other than aluminum, such as stainless steel or synthetic resin. Furthermore, the size of the road sign rope connector may be optimized appropriately depending on the size of the pole or delineator to which it is attached. [Industrial Applicability]

[0027] The present invention is applicable to the manufacturing and sales of rope connectors for road signs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1...Road sign rope connector (first embodiment) 3...Cap 5...Pole outer fitting part 7...Top section 7a...Side section 7b...Upper surface portion 9...U-shaped member 11...Socket fitting portion 13...Slit 13a...Vertical slit 13b...Horizontal slit 15...Road sign rope connector (second embodiment) 17...Socket fitting portion 19...Relay portion 21...Temporary device 21a...Clipping member A...Road sign B...Pole R...Rope G...Guardrail D... Delineator d1... Reflector d2... Holder d3... Locking protrusion

Claims

1. A road sign rope connector used to connect a pole with a road sign attached to a fixed object such as a guardrail with a rope when the lower part of the pole is fixed to the fixed object in an upright position, A cap is comprised of a cylindrical pole outer fitting portion and a closing surface portion that closes one opening of the pole outer fitting portion, and is fitted from above onto the upper end of the pole with the closing surface portion as the top surface, and a pair of rope hooks that protrude outward from the pole outer fitting portion of the cap, The cap is provided with a cylindrical socket fitting portion connected to the cap and into which a delineator socket is fitted from above, and a releasable locking means is provided on the socket fitting portion side and locks the socket in a state where it is fitted into the socket fitting portion, A rope connector for a road sign, characterized in that the delineator can be temporarily attached integrally thereto.

2. 2. The road sign rope connector according to claim 1, A rope connector for a road sign, characterized in that the socket fitting portion is provided above the top surface portion of the cap.

3. 2. The road sign rope connector according to claim 1, A rope connector for a road sign, characterized in that the socket inner fitting portion is provided outside the pole outer fitting portion of the cap.

4. 4. The road sign rope connector according to claim 3, A rope connector for road signs, characterized in that the socket inner fitting portion is connected to the pole outer fitting portion of the cap via a relay portion.

5. The road sign rope connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A rope connector for road signs, characterized in that the pole outer fitting portion and the socket inner fitting portion are cylindrically configured and are arranged in a positional relationship in which their respective axes are coaxial or parallel.

6. 6. The road sign rope connector according to claim 5, The locking means is composed of an L-shaped slit extending from the upper edge of the socket fitting portion, and a locking projection provided on the outer surface of the socket on the delineator side engages with the slit at a position where it cannot move vertically. This is a rope connector for road signs, characterized in that the locking means is composed of an L-shaped slit extending from the upper edge of the socket fitting portion, and the locking is achieved by a locking projection provided on the outer surface of the socket on the delineator side engaging with the slit at a position where it cannot move vertically.

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