JP7836343B2 - Expansion box for traffic signal control system - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an expansion box for a traffic signal controller that can be retrofitted to an existing traffic signal controller installed on a pole or the like at an intersection.

Patent Document 1 discloses a signal control system comprising a traffic signal controller for controlling traffic signals such as signal lights, and a wireless device connected to this traffic signal controller. This wireless device is installed above the pole on which the traffic signal controller is mounted, via a cable.

Existing traffic signal controllers already contain various devices, and therefore may not have enough space inside the enclosure to install wireless equipment. Furthermore, because the enclosure is sealed with metal, even if antennas could be installed internally, they may not be able to receive radio waves of sufficient strength.

Therefore, in order to add wireless functionality to a traffic signal controller as an add-on, it was sometimes necessary to install a separate wireless device at a location separate from the traffic signal, as in the signal control system described in Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-67255

However, as shown in the signal control system of Patent Document 1, when a separate wireless device is installed at a location away from the traffic signal controller, power and communication cables must be routed along the pole. Even with protective materials, these cables can be damaged due to aging or other factors. If damage occurs, such as a break in the wire or a short circuit, problems such as the inability to use wireless communication functions may arise.

Furthermore, if other equipment is already installed on the pole, it may not be possible to secure space for installing the wireless device, or existing equipment may obstruct the laying of cables to the wireless device.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an expansion box for a traffic signal controller that integrates with the housing using pre-installed mounting holes for pole mounting.

The extension box for a traffic signal controller according to the present invention, which achieves the above objective, comprises a horizontally elongated rectangular first box body, a vertically elongated rectangular second box body hanging down from the corner of the first box body and communicating internally with the first box body, and a rectangular fixing plate portion flush with the inner surface of the second box body and continuous with the bottom surface and inner surface of the first box body. This extension box for a traffic signal controller can be attached to the traffic signal controller so as to be integrated with it, and the fixing plate portion is provided with through holes that can communicate with mounting holes for column mounting provided on the left and right sides of the traffic signal controller.

According to the present invention, the expansion box for a traffic signal controller utilizes the unused mounting hole on the left and right mounting holes for the pole body of an existing traffic signal controller, allowing it to be attached integrally with the housing. This enables the cables extending from the traffic signal controller to be housed and protected internally, making them less susceptible to damage.

Furthermore, even if other devices are already attached to the column, if there is some space outside the traffic signal controller, an expansion box for the traffic signal controller can be installed, and because it is integrated with the traffic signal controller, it also looks aesthetically pleasing.

Furthermore, even if the traffic signal controller is mounted on either the left or right side of the pole, the extension box for the traffic signal controller can be easily attached and secured from the right or left side, which are the outside of the traffic signal controller.

This is a perspective view of the traffic signal controller before the expansion box for the traffic signal controller is attached. This is a perspective view of a traffic signal controller with an expansion box for the traffic signal controller attached. This is a perspective view of the expansion box for the traffic signal controller, as seen from the opposite side. This is a block diagram showing the traffic signal controller with an expansion box for the traffic signal controller attached.

The present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the traffic signal controller before the expansion box for the traffic signal controller is attached to it. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the traffic signal controller with the expansion box attached to the right side of the traffic signal controller. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the expansion box for the traffic signal controller as seen from the opposite side. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the expansion box for the traffic signal controller attached to the left side of the traffic signal controller.

The expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller is not made of metal, which constitutes the housing of the traffic signal controller S (main body S10 and main door S20), but rather of a durable and rigid synthetic resin material, such as polycarbonate. By using such a synthetic resin material, which is less likely to shield radio waves, it becomes possible to ensure sufficient reception strength when the internally installed equipment is, for example, an antenna.

The traffic signal control unit expansion box 10 is a device that can be retrofitted to an existing traffic signal control unit S installed on a pole at an intersection, etc. It consists of a horizontally elongated rectangular first box body 11, a vertically elongated rectangular second box body 12 that hangs down from the corner portion 11a of the first box body 11 and communicates internally with the first box body 11, and a rectangular fixing plate portion 13 that is flush with the inner surface portion 12a of the second box body 12 and continuous with the bottom portion 11b of the first box body 11 and the inner surface portion 12a of the second box body 12.

The first side surface 11c of the first box body 11, which is on the side facing the second box body 12 and parallel to the fixing plate portion 13, and the outer side surface 12b, which is parallel to the inner side surface 12a of the second box body 12, are flush and continuous, forming an inverted L-shape as shown in Figure 1. This inverted L-shaped first main body side surface 10a is parallel to the short side 11d of the bottom surface 11b of the first box body 11.

A pair of side surfaces perpendicular to the first side surface 11c of the first box body 11 are provided with openings (not shown), and opening/closing doors 11e and 11f are provided to seal these openings. When these opening/closing doors 11e and 11f are closed, they are parallel to the long side 11g of the bottom surface 11b of the first box body 11.

These opening and closing doors 11e and 11f have hinges 11h mounted vertically on the right side when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the opening and closing door 11e is provided with a locking mechanism 11j in the mounting hole 11i.

This locking mechanism 11j is attached only to the mounting hole 11i of the opening/closing door 11e, which is located directly above the main door section S20 of the traffic signal controller S, when the expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller is attached to the traffic signal controller S. A sealing mechanism is attached to the mounting hole 11i of the opening/closing door 11f on the rear side to seal the mounting hole 11i. Therefore, the opening/closing door 11f on the rear side does not have a keyhole and cannot be opened or closed.

Furthermore, the opening/closing door 11f on the rear side and the second side portion 12c, which is perpendicular to the outer surface portion 12b of the second box body 12, are flush and form an inverted L-shape, thus forming the second main body side portion 10b.

The fixing plate portion 13 has multiple through holes 13a arranged vertically, which can communicate with the mounting holes S12 provided on the left and right side surfaces S11 of the main body portion S10 of the traffic signal control unit S for attachment to the column.

The fixing plate portion 13, which is fixed to the traffic signal controller S via the through-hole 13a, may be made of metal because it requires a certain degree of strength. Similarly, the second casing 12 may also be made of metal. In such cases, at least the first casing 11 will be made of a material that does not easily shield radio waves.

The traffic signal controller S is a metal box-shaped structure consisting of a main body S10 having an opening on one side, and a main door S20 that seals this opening and can be opened and closed via a hinge S13.

A window (not shown) is provided at the lower center of the main door section S20, communicating with the interior of the main body section S10. A rectangular sub-door section S21, which opens and closes around a vertical axis (not shown), is provided to cover this window.

The main door section S20 and the sub-door section S21 are provided with a locking section S22 that can be locked and unlocked with a common key. The locking section 11j of the traffic signal controller expansion box 10 may also be locked and unlocked using the same key as these locking sections S22.

As shown in Figure 4, the traffic signal controller S contains a control unit S30 that controls the lighting of the signal lights L installed at the intersection, a transmission unit S40 connected to the control unit S30 and communicating with a wireless communication unit 14 housed in the first enclosure 11, and a power supply unit S50 that is powered by an external AC power supply P and outputs DC power to the control unit S30, transmission unit S40, and wireless communication unit 14. The control unit S30 includes a processing unit that performs the lighting process for each signal light L, and a storage unit that stores constants for the timetable of the signal lights L.

Furthermore, although not shown in Figures 1 to 3, a wireless communication unit 14 is provided inside the first enclosure 11, as shown in Figure 4. The wireless communication unit 14 consists of, for example, a GPS communication unit 14a, a mobile communication unit 14b, and a BLE communication unit 14c for Bluetooth®. In addition to the wireless communication unit 14, other internal equipment such as a battery unit for supplying backup power to the traffic signal controller S can also be installed inside the first enclosure 11, and these appropriate devices can be combined and installed.

The GPS communication unit 14a, the mobile communication unit 14b, and the BLE communication unit 14c, installed in the first enclosure 11, are connected to the transmission unit S40 within the traffic signal controller S via communication cables C1, C2, and C3, respectively. Furthermore, the GPS communication unit 14a, the mobile communication unit 14b, and the BLE communication unit 14c are connected to the power supply unit S50 via power cable C4.

These communication cables C1, C2, C3 and power cable C4 are wired from the lower end of the traffic signal controller S and routed inside the second enclosure 12. Furthermore, if the wireless communication unit 14 is an antenna, such as a GPS antenna, BLE antenna, or mobile communication antenna, then the power cable C4 does not need to be wired.

When attaching the expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller to an existing traffic signal controller S, the bottom portion 11b of the first box body 11, which can be placed on the top surface S14 of the traffic signal controller, is placed on the top surface S14. After aligning the box, the mounting holes S12 on the side surface S11 of the traffic signal controller S and the through holes 13a of the fixing plate portion 13 are secured with bolts B as shown in Figure 2.

Furthermore, internal equipment is pre-installed in the first enclosure 11, fixed to the bottom surface 11b and the back surface of unused opening/closing doors 11e or 11f. Communication and power cables C connected to these internal devices are then inserted into the second enclosure 12.

Then, after securing the expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller to the traffic signal controller S with bolt B, it is inserted into the second box body 12. The communication and power cables C extending from the lower end of the second box body 12 are then connected to the transmission unit S40 and power unit S50 of the traffic signal controller S, respectively, completing the installation of the expansion box 10 to the traffic signal controller S.

When the expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller is attached to the traffic signal controller S, the opening/closing door 11e and the second main body side portion 10b of the expansion box 10, which are made to match the external dimensions of the traffic signal controller S, become flush with the front and rear sides of the traffic signal controller S.

Furthermore, Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the traffic signal controller S when it is mounted on a column (not shown) on the left side, viewed from the front where the main door section S20 is visible. Therefore, although the diagrams show the expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller fixed to the right side of the traffic signal controller S, it is possible to fix the expansion box 10, with its front and back reversed, to the left side of the traffic signal controller S mounted on the column on the right side.

Thus, when the traffic signal controller S is fixed to the left side of the extension box 10 for the traffic signal controller, the locking part 11j is attached to the mounting hole 11i of the opening/closing door 11f, which is located directly above the main door section S20, and a sealing part that seals the mounting hole 11i is attached to the opening/closing door 11e on the back side.

Furthermore, the traffic signal controller S, to which the expansion box 10 for the traffic signal controller is fixed, allows for maintenance of internal equipment such as the wireless communication unit 14 through the openable/closable door 11e or door 11f located directly above the main door section S20.

Thus, according to the present invention, the expansion box 10 for traffic signal controllers allows for the attachment of the expansion box 10 to the existing traffic signal controller S by utilizing the unused mounting holes S12 on both sides of the existing traffic signal controller S, so as to integrate it with the housing. This protects the cable C connecting the traffic signal controller S and the internal equipment, making the cable C less susceptible to damage. Furthermore, the length of the cable C can be shorter than in conventional designs.

Furthermore, even if other devices are already attached to the column, the traffic signal control unit expansion box 10 can be installed if there is some space outside the traffic signal control unit.

Furthermore, even if the traffic signal controller S is mounted on either the left or right side of the column, the extension box for the traffic signal controller can be easily attached and secured from the right or left side, which are the outside of the traffic signal controller S. Also, the traffic signal controller S integrated with the extension box 10 has a flush front, rear, and one side surface, resulting in a visually pleasing and aesthetically pleasing appearance.

10 Expansion box for traffic signal controller 11 First box body 11a Corner section 11b Bottom section 11e, 11f Opening/closing door 12 Second box body 12a Inner side section 13 Fixing plate section 13a Through hole 14 Wireless communication section S Traffic signal controller S11 Side section S12 Mounting hole S14 Top section S40 Transmission section

Claims (7)

A horizontally elongated rectangular first box,
A second box, which is vertically elongated and rectangular in shape, hangs down from the corner of the first box and communicates with the interior of the first box,
An extension box for a traffic signal controller, which is flush with the inner surface of the second box body and consists of a rectangular fixing plate portion that is continuous with the bottom surface and the inner surface of the first box body, and can be attached to the traffic signal controller so as to be integrated with the traffic signal controller,
An expansion box for a traffic signal controller, characterized in that the fixing plate portion is provided with through holes that can communicate with mounting holes for attaching a column body, which are provided on the left and right sides of the traffic signal controller. The first enclosure is capable of being mounted on the top surface of the traffic signal controller, and internal equipment connected to the traffic signal controller is installed inside, as described in claim 1. The expansion box for a traffic signal controller according to claim 2, characterized in that the internal equipment is a wireless communication unit. The expansion box for a traffic signal controller according to claim 3, characterized in that the wireless communication unit includes at least one of the following: a GPS antenna, a BLE antenna, and a mobile communication antenna. The second enclosure is characterized in that a cable connected to the internal equipment is inserted through it, and the cable extending from the lower end of the second enclosure is connected to the transmission section of the traffic signal controller, as described in any one of claims 2 to 4. The expansion box for a traffic signal controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the first box body are each provided with an opening/closing door. An expansion box for a traffic signal controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least the first enclosure is made of a material that is difficult to shield from radio waves.