Buried LED Pedestrian Crossing Lighting with Sandblasted Glass Lid

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current pedestrian crossing lighting solutions are inadequate due to low visibility at night, snow cover, and insufficient signaling, leading to increased accidents, and existing technologies breach safety standards by creating slippery surfaces and lacking robustness for heavy traffic.

Innovation Solution

An automatic lighting system using metallic bodies with LED illumination, buried under the road and connected to a reinforcing steel net, featuring a sandblasted glass lid and asphalt bitumen coating, activated by sensors and laser barriers to provide clear visibility and safety markings that comply with European standards.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If plastic boards are used as lids for lighting devices, then transparency and lighting effectiveness are improved, but surface slipperiness and lack of resistance to heavy traffic increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting effectivenessVSAvoidresistance to heavy traffic
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies composite materials by combining sandblasted glass with metallic structures. The glass provides transparency for effective lighting while the metallic composite construction ensures resistance to heavy traffic and eliminates slipperiness, thus resolving the contradiction between lighting effectiveness and structural reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to sandblasted glass, which fundamentally alters both the optical properties (maintaining transparency) and mechanical properties (increasing durability and eliminating slipperiness). This parameter change resolves the contradiction by selecting a material that simultaneously satisfies both requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If sandblasted glass is used as lid material, then road traction and safety are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroad tractionVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the lid into a metallic structural component and a sandblasted glass covering component. This segmentation allows the glass to be manufactured separately with standard sandblasting techniques and then mounted on the metallic structure, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining road traction benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If metallic bodies with sandblasted glass are used, then durability and safety are improved, but installation time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidinstallation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-assembling the metallic body with the sandblasted glass lid in a factory setting before installation. This pre-assembly ensures proper sealing and structural integrity, reducing on-site installation time while maintaining the durability benefits of the metallic-glass construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Illumination intensity

If the lid is made from transparent plastic material, then visibility through the lighting device is improved, but adherence for vehicles decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovevisibilityVSAvoidadherence
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a composite of sandblasted glass and metallic structure. The glass provides the necessary transparency for visibility while the sandblasted surface and metallic construction provide adequate adherence for vehicle tires, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and adherence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system enhances pedestrian and vehicle safety by providing clear, automatic lighting of transversal markings, ensuring compliance with safety standards, easy installation, and reduced maintenance costs while maintaining road traction and durability.

Implementation Method 1

Each light device is formed of a box with LED-s inside

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight Emitting Diode: Light Emitting Diode

Implementation Method 2

the lighting of the transversal marking is performed through the cut of the lid and through the sandblasted glass

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight: Light

Implementation Method 3

sandblasted glass (to prevent the reflection of the light during the sunny days)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Implementation Method 4

sandblasted glass (to prevent the reflection of the light during the sunny days)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectScattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentEP3221520B1Automatic lighting system of the transversal marking for crossing of the pedestrian walkways
Publication Date: 2023.05.31 TRIFAN ADRIAN IONUT
  • EP3221520B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3221520B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3221520B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention refers to a lighting automatic system for pedestrian crossing and to a method of making the markings for the pedestrian crossings. The system comprises several lighting units sank in the asphalt made of a box (2) welded by a netting (11) fixed on the bottom of the hole made for the mounting of the lighting units, the box (2) having an external frame (5) and being closed with a detachable cap (4) equipped with a window in which a protection frame is fixed (6) of a piece made of safety glass (8), the cap representing the transversal marking of the pedestrian crossing, in the interior of the box (2) being a LED lighting unit (1) powered by a net or a photovoltaic plant (14) mounted on a pile (17) in the proximity of the pedestrian crossing, on the surface of the cap (4) being poured bitumen subsequently painted with reflecting painting, so that the glass (8) in the mounted state of the system, to be at the level of the roadway (10).