FR3034009B1 - LUMINOUS PODOTACTILE NAIL - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a nail (C) which is light-sensitive, of the type which accommodates in its volume at least one light source (200), remarkable in that it accommodates in its volume a control unit (300) of said at least one light source (200). Applications: nails tactile.

Description

LUMINOUS PODOTACTILE NAIL

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of tactile nails and especially to adaptations to improve its visibility.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Podotactile nails are devices for awakening vigilance which, by forming means of tracking on the ground, allow the blind and the visually impaired to be informed of the presence of an obstacle, a passage, etc. by offering a volume projecting from the surface of the ground, projecting volume likely to be marked by the touch of the foot, the cane, etc ... These nails are often placed grouped.

In addition to these conventional functions, the Applicant has proposed in FR2957944 that such equipment can provide a visual guidance function, that is to say it can transmit direction information to a person with a visual acuity no decreased. A solution for implementing this proposal lies in a tactile nail having a visual element installed at least on its head prior to its installation, said visual element is a painting, of a color distinct from that of the raw head, the head having a curved outer surface on which has been formed a plurality of ribs, remarkable in that the head of the nail is formed of a hollow core accommodating a light emitting diode. This referenced nail was preformed with a hollow core through, cylindrical and coaxial with the axis of the nail. This hollow core hosted a light emitting diode called "LED" whose light portion led into the head to be visible from the outside and whose power plugs came out of the stem at its distal end. Such an LED could also be powered by means of a photovoltaic sensor integrated into the nail.

The Applicant has found that the proposed configuration could be improved. Indeed, the sealing and the protection of the LED can be optimized.

In addition, simple power supply or simple management in a marohe / stopping mode of a lighting means inside a tactile nail, makes the commercial exploitation of such a device is very limited.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

What the Applicant has found has been research to improve existing solutions to better exploit a bright tactile nail by solving the disadvantages of the prior art.

This research led to the design and the realization of a light tactile nail, of the type of that welcoming in its volume at least a light source and remarkable in that it accomodates in its volume a control unit of said at least a light source. The reception of a control unit in each nail makes it possible to obtain an intelligent light tactile nail. This intelligence gives the possibility of a plurality of modes of operation of the light source going beyond the simple management of an on / off mode. Thus, not only the start or stop but also the color, the intensity and / or the light sequence. Likewise, thanks to this intelligence, this operation can be controlled from a plurality of parameters such as the light intensity of the place where the nail is installed, the information of a sensor, data of an associated device, etc. ..

It will be understood that the smart nail of the invention brings new advantages with regard to the state of the art, advantages which will contribute to a better diffusion of the light tactile nails.

According to a preferred embodiment but not limiting, said light source is a LED said LED. According to a preferred embodiment but not limiting, said LED is multicolor RGB type. A single controlled light source makes it possible to manage a lighting slab lighting in adequacy with a traffic light management device equipping a road crossing.

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic, the nail is preformed with a hollow core which passes axially therethrough and which accommodates at least one light source and its control unit. The nail can be with stem or without stem. The reception of this control unit and its implementation led the applicant to design other characteristics.

Thus, according to another particularly advantageous feature, the end of said hollow core opening to the upper surface of the nail has a lower section than that opening on the lower surface by creating a shoulder. This section change reduces the opening opening to the outside and therefore the risk that the components housed in the hollow core are exposed.

In addition, it creates by the shoulder formed at least one bearing surface for said components. To optimize this reception and the retention of said components, said hollow core has a flat. According to another particularly advantageous feature, the end of said hollow core opening on the upper surface of the nail is closed by a cap of translucent material for the diffusion of light. In addition to its light scattering function of the light source being positioned just below, this plug ensures the sealing of the hollow core. It also ensures the filtration of ultraviolet rays guaranteeing the lifespan of the characteristics of the light source. The insertion of such a plug also ensures the establishment of an additional positioning surface for the reception of the components.

According to another characteristic, the plug has a flange and is introduced into the hollow core so that the flange comes to bear on the shoulder created by the section change of the hollow core. It thus helps to close from the inside, the hollow core before insertion of the other components (light source and control unit) and before their resination. Indeed, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic, the nail accommodates different components held in position by the introduction of a resin in said hollow core.

The nail can be made of a plurality of materials and a plurality of methods. However, according to a preferred embodiment but not limited to, the nail of the invention is metallic and obtained by a cold forming type of forming process which gives it a very high strength despite its recess. The material used can be then in this case galvanized steel or stainless steel.

Indeed, a nail according to the invention constitutes a housing for electronic components that must be protected from all the stresses to which the nails are subjected during their operation. According to the functions of a tactile nail, the upper surface of the latter is according to another preferred embodiment but not limited to, grooved and / or grooved.

In order to implement the control unit, the applicant has carried out research which, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic, led to the use of a microcontroller. Thus, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic, said control unit equipping the nail comprises a microcontroller attached to an electronic card. A microcontroller is an integrated circuit bringing together the essential elements of a computer but capable of being sufficiently miniaturized to be accommodated in the hollow core defined in a tactile nail. The selection of the microcontroller depends on the standards related to tactile nails that define the dimensions but also the final cost of the nail because the cost of a microcontroller depends on its capabilities. Thus, depending on the desired light functions, the microcontroller and thus the nail can be more or less expensive. For example, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic, said microcontroller comprises a memory, part of which is allocated to the storage of a unique identifier. This unique identifier will make the nail individually addressable that is to say that it can be connected, identifiable and individually configurable on a network where its operation can be synchronized or not with that of other nails. Such a feature extends the possibilities of operation by allowing individual management of its brightness. Said microcontroller is programmed according to a programming protocol dedicated to the assembler-type microcontroller in order to control the light source.

In order to guarantee safety but also to avoid any disturbance, the control unit is connected to earth. To do this, according to another particularly advantageous feature of the invention, said electronic card to which the light source is connected, is equipped with a blade metal profile coming into contact with the inner surface of said hollow core for the purpose of contact with the earth. This contact is optimized by the preformation of a flat in the hollow core proposed above.

According to this feature, the nail of the invention accommodates in its hollow core a light source and an electronic card supporting a microcontroller. The association between a control unit and a light source also makes it possible to consider superimposing a control signal on the power supply for both powering and controlling the light source. Thus, according to another characteristic, the electronic card to which the light source is connected, is equipped with a control signal filtering module and a filtering module of the power supply in order to allow its power supply and control by the same circuit where the control signal is superimposed on the power supply signal.

It may also include means for controlling the current (in particular when the LED has several components such as an LED of the RGB type).

The connection and feeding of this nail have also been the subject of the studies of the applicant which, according to another particularly advantageous feature of the invention has devised a remarkable nail in that said electronic card is equipped with a module of connection to a power source constituted by a connection spring extending from the end of the hollow core opening at the free end of the rod. The elastic properties of the connection spring make it possible to ensure the contact despite the variations in depth or thickness that the holes or nail receiving structures may have. Connectivity can be provided by any type of connection. According to a preferred embodiment, this spring is constituted by a helical spring.

The basic concepts of the invention having been described above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with reference to the appended drawings, giving non-limiting example, an embodiment of an intelligent tactile tactile nail according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of an exterior front view of an embodiment of a nail according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a sectional side view of said nail of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of a sectional front view of the nail of Figure 1 without its equipment;

Figure 4 is a schematic drawing of a top view of the nail without its equipment;

Figure 5 is a schematic drawing of a bottom view of the nail without its equipment;

Figure 6 is a schematic drawing of the electronic card equipping the nail. DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As illustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 5, the podotactile nail referenced C as a whole has a hollow body 100 whose outer surface is a surface of revolution about the axis A. This body 100 is equipped with a head 110 which is projected a rod 120. This body is further preformed with a hollow core 130 which accommodates an LED 200 and a plurality of components for the operation of the latter and in particular a control unit comprising a microcontroller 300.

This nail 100 and its recess are made by cold stamping a galvanized steel and serves, in addition to its tactile function, protective housing to the "signal light" function. As illustrated, ribs 111 are preformed on the head 110 to optimize the roughness of the head 110.

As illustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 2 to 5, said hollow core 130 passes axially through the nail 100 with a first end 131 opening at the free end of the rod 120 and a second end 132 opening at the upper surface of the head 110. As shown, the latter end 132 having a lower section at the head 110 so that a frustoconical section 133 forming a shoulder is created.

This shoulder 133 will serve as a bearing surface. Indeed, the end 132 of the hollow core opening on the upper surface of the head 110 is closed by a stopper 400 made of translucent material permitting the diffusion of the light of the led 200.

This plug 400 adopts a shape that closes the hollow cylinder of small section formed in the end 132 of the hollow core 130. This plug 400 has a flange 410 so that it enters the hollow core 130 through the end 131 opening at the free end of the rod 120, the collar 410 bears on the shoulder 133 created by the section change of the hollow core 130.

The larger section portion of the hollow core opening at the free end 131 adopts a non-cylindrical profile being preformed with a flat portion 134.

This flat 134 serves to position the components and to help maintain them in position, it also serves to provide a flat bearing surface to the leaf spring 510 of the ground equipping the electronic card 500 hosting the microcontroller 300. As illustrated said electronic card 500 is equipped with a connection module to a power source constituted by a helical spring 520 extending from the end 131 of the hollow core 130 opening at the free end of the stem.

FIG. 6 illustrates the different elements constituting an embodiment of the card 500 which supplies the power supply and the control of the light source 200 while being itself powered and driven by a supply current and a signal of command superimposed on the electrical signal.

This electronic card accommodates said led 200 as well as the microcontroller 300. The led 200 is of the RGB type and groups together three diodes 210, 220 and 230. The electronic card 500 also accommodates passive components including the following: the associated resistors R1, R5 the capacitor C2 form a filtering module of the control signal 530, the capacitor C1 forms a filtering module of the power supply 540, the resistors R2, R3 and R4 form a current control module 550 for the three components 210 respectively. , 220, 230 of the RGB 200 led.

The various components accommodated in the hollow core are held in position by the introduction of a resin R (not shown) in said hollow core 130.

It is understood that the nail, which has just been described above and shown, has been for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements may be made to the example above, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (13)

1. Nail (C) luminous podotactile type of one welcoming in its volume at least one light source (200), CHARACTERIZED BY THE fact that it accommodates in its volume a control unit (300) of said at least one light source (200), the nail being metal preformed by cold stamping a hollow core (130) which passes through it and which accommodates said at least one light source (200) and its control unit (300). 2. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the end (132) of said hollow core (130) opening on the upper surface of the nail (C) has a lower section than that (131) opening on the surface lower by creating a shoulder. 3. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT that said hollow core (130) has a flat (134). 4. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the end (132) of the hollow core (130) opening on the upper surface of the nail (C) is closed by a cap (400) of translucent material . 5. Nail (C) according to claims 2 and 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the cap (400) has a flange (410) and is introduced into the hollow core (130) so that the flange (410) comes take bearing on the shoulder (133) created by the section change of the hollow core (130). 6. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said control unit (300) comprises a microcontroller attached to an electronic card (500). 7. Nail (C) according to claims 1 and 6, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the electronic card (500) to which the light source (200) is connected, is equipped with a blade metal profile (510) coming into contact. with the inner surface of said hollow core (130). 8. Nail (C) according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the electronic card (500) to which the light source (200) is connected, is equipped with a control signal filtering module (530) and a filtering module of the power supply (540), in order to allow its supply and control by the same circuit where the control signal is superimposed on the power supply signal. 9. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT that it accommodates various components held in position by the introduction of a resin in said hollow core (130). 10. Nail (C) according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said electronic card (500) to which is connected the light source (200), is equipped with a connection module to a power source consisting of a connecting spring (520). 11. Nail (C) according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said microcontroller (300) comprises a memory, a portion of which is allocated to the storage of a unique identifier. ~ 12. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said light source (200) is a led. 13. Nail (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT its upper surface is ridged and / or grooved.