The present invention concerns a strip, suitable for example to be used as speed humps (bumps) and the like, in accordance with the claims. Background of the Invention

Speed humps (speed bumps) are already known in many different variations. One problem with speed humps is the difficulty involved in adapting the speed hump's (speed bump's) properties in accordance with the weight of the vehicles that drive over it, so that a heavy vehicle such as a bus, truck, fire engine or similar will not be caused to jog (jolt, bob) by the hump whilst a light vehicle such as a passenger car is caused to jog (jolt, bob) by the hump.

A strip with resilient (springy, elastic) intermediate walls (such as a rubber strip with resilient partitions) that is compressed completely and repeatedly causes the springy intermediate walls (partitions) to lose their elasticity and not return to their original shape (position).

A strip with resilient intermediate walls (such as a rubber strip with resilient partitions) that is compressed completely also means that the springy intermediate walls are subjected to great strain (stress) concentrations at the connection point (transition) of the intermediate wall (partition) to the rubber strip's top part and bottom part. This gives rise to fatigue failure (wear and tear) at the stated positions.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved strip for road humps (speed bumps). This purpose is achieved by a strip in accordance with the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

With reference to the following drawings, the present invention will be described in greater detail.

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the strip. Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the strip. Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of the strip. Fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the strip. Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of the strip when it is utilized in a speed hump (speed bump) where the strip is attached to a groove in a concrete profile (base, foundation) when the strip is not affected by the weight of a vehicle.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-section of the strip in a speed hump (speed bump) when the wheel of a relatively heavy vehicle is on the strip.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-section of the strip in a speed hump (speed bump) when the wheel of a relatively light vehicle is on the strip.

Fig. 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the strip.

Fig. 9 shows a sixth embodiment of the strip. Fig. 10 shows a seventh embodiment of the strip.

Fig. 1 1 shows an eighth embodiment of the strip.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to variants of a strip (profile) 1 primarily intended to be used in speed humps (or speed bumps) 2, where a need exists for long wear and tear timespans and also where the strip (profile) does not lose its elasticity (springy effect).

Referring to the figures, a strip (rubber profile) 1 comprised of a top part (or roof part) 3 and a bottom part 4 and an intermediate space between the top part 3 and bottom part 4 is shown. The strip 1 preferably has an elongated shape with a length, a width and a height. The bottom part 4 and the top part 3 are in the edges of the strip connected to each other. The strip's 1 length may be arbitrary but the length is adjustable to the applications where the strip is used.

The strip's 1 bottom part 4 in the exemplifying embodiment, has a flat (plane), or essentially flat outer surface. The strip 1 has a cross-section where the top part's 3 distance to the bottom part 4 (the height of the strip) increases along all or at least a portion of the distance from the one edge toward the strip's middle and at least a distance where the distance between the top part and the bottom part (the height of the strip) subsequently decreases in the direction towards the other edge. The distance between the top part and the bottom part (the height of the strip) may, for at least a stretch of the top part's distance in the strip's transverse direction, be constant or decrease slightly such as shown for example in several of the embodiments. The strip 1 has at least one intermediate wall 5 (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) and several intermediate walls 6 (shown in Figs. 3 and 4) that extend perpendicularly from the strip's top part 3 or bottom part 4 but do not reach the opposite top part 3 or bottom part 4 in the strip 1. The distance 7 between the intermediate wall 5 and the strip's top part 3, or alternatively the distance between the intermediate wall 5 and the bottom part 4, is the distance that the rubber strip may be compressed when subjected to an external pressure load. The rubber strip is thereby prevented from depressing completely.

The strip 1 also has four oblique, canted (slanted) and resilient (springy) intermediate walls 8 that extend between the strip's top part 3 and bottom part 4. The term canted (oblique) refers to a slanted, angled position, relative to the vertical direction. The canted intermediate walls 8 contribute to the strip's springiness. A heavy vehicle such as a bus, truck or fire engine and other heavy vehicles will compress the strip according to distance 7, which will in turn not cause the heavy vehicle to bob (jolt, judder) or essentially not bob (jolt, judder). A light vehicle such as a passenger car, will not cause the design to compress to the same extent as a relatively heavier vehicle, which in turn means that the relatively lighter vehicle will bob (jolt, judder).

The strip 1 is preferably made of an elastic material with a resilient effect. With resilient effect is meant that the strip after it is compressed springs back to its original shape, or essentially original shape. The strip 1 may for instance be made of rubber, such as natural or synthetic rubber. Alternatively, the strip 1 may be made of another resilient material suitable for the purpose. The strips in the exemplifying embodiments are made in one piece. This does not prevent the strip in alternate embodiments from being manufactured in two or more sections.

Referring to Fig. 1, a strip (profile) is shown having a centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 starting from the strip's bottom part 4 and extending towards the strip's top part 3. An intermediate space is formed between the vertical intermediate wall's 5 free end and the strip's top part 3. The free end of the intermediate wall 5 is placed at a distance 7 from the bottom part 4. The strip 1 has four resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 extending between the rubber strip's top part 3 and bottom part 4. Two of the canted intermediate walls 8 are preferably placed on one side of the vertical intermediate wall 5 and two of the canted intermediate walls 8 are placed on the other side of the vertical intermediate wall 5. Referring to Fig. 2, a strip (profile) is shown having a centrally placed intermediate wall 5 starting from the strip's top part 3 and extending down toward the strip's bottom part 4. An intermediate space is formed between the vertical intermediate wall's 5 free end and the strip's bottom part 4. The free end of the centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 is thereby placed at a distance 7 from the bottom part 4. The strip 1 has four resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 extending between rubber strip's top part 3 and bottom part 4. Two of the canted intermediate walls 8 are preferably placed on one side of the vertical intermediate wall 5 and two of the canted intermediate walls 8 are placed on the other side of the vertical intermediate wall 5. Referring to Fig. 3, a strip is shown which is comprised of two vertical intermediate walls 6 starting from the strip's bottom part 4 and stretching in the direction of the top part 3. An intermediate space is formed between the vertical intermediate wall's 6 free ends and the strip's bottom part 4. The vertical intermediate walls' free ends are thereby placed at a distance 7 from the top part 3. The strip 1 is comprised of four, two inner and two outer, resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 that extend between the rubber strip's top part 3 and bottom part 4. The vertically placed intermediate walls 6 that extend up toward the strip's top part 3 are placed between the two inner of the canted intermediate walls 8.

Referring to Fig. 4, a strip is shown which is comprised of two intermediate walls 6 that do not reach up to the strip's top part 3. An intermediate space is formed between the vertical intermediate wall's 6 free ends and the strip's 1 top part 3. The vertical intermediate walls' 6 free ends are thereby placed at distance 7 from the top part 3.

The strip 1 has at least four, two inner and two outer, resilient (springy) and canted

intermediate walls 8 that extend between the strip's top part 3 and bottom part 4. One of the vertical intermediate walls 6 is placed between the inner and the outer of the resilient

(springy) canted intermediate walls 8 on the one half (in the cross direction) and the other of the intermediate walls 6 is placed between the inner and the outer of the resilient (springy) canted intermediate walls 8 on the other half (in the cross direction) of the strip.

With reference to Figs. 5 to 7, use of the strip (profile) 1 in a road hump, speed bump or the like is shown. The strip (profile) 1 in Fig. 5 is placed in a groove 9, a recess in a foundation (base) 10 or the like. The base 10 may be a profile of concrete, or of another for the purpose suitable material, which includes the mentioned groove 9, recess, in which the strip 1 is placed during use. Fig. 6 shows that a heavy vehicle such as a bus, truck, fire engine and other heavy vehicles compress the strip (profile) 1 down to the intermediate walls 6 (1 or 2) and thereby the strip is compressed down to the same level/horizontal plane, or essentially the same level as the upper surface of the foundation (base, concrete profile or the like). This is achieved partly thanks to the weight of the vehicle relative to the strip's (profile) elasticity/resilience/hardness and partly thanks to the total/complete material thickness of the strip (the sum of the outer shell and all springy parts) and the intermediate walls (1 or 2) height having the same size/height that the concrete foundation's (base, profile) groove depth has. When a heavy vehicle drives over the strip (profile), the whole design, the rubber parts and the concrete base parts, lie in the same horizontal plane without a level difference. The effect being that heavy vehicles do not bob/vibrate (jolt, judder).

Fig. 7 shows that when relatively lighter vehicles such as passenger cars roll/drive over the strip, it is compressed to a lesser extent and the existing level/height difference between the rubber strip and the concrete foundation essentially remains the same providing for an effective speed limiting effect for light vehicles being achieved.

Referring to Fig. 8, an alternative embodiment of the strip 1 is shown where it is comprised of a first centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5, and a second centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5. The first centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 extends from the top part 3 a distance in the direction toward the bottom part 4. The second centrally placed intermediate wall 5 extends a distance from the bottom part 4 in the direction toward the first centrally placed intermediate wall 5. The free ends of the centrally placed intermediate walls 5 do not extend the entire distance toward each other, the free ends are instead, in the strip's unactuated position, placed at a distance 7 from each other, wherein an intermediate space is formed between the intermediate walls' 5 free ends. The strip 1 in this embodiment is comprised of at least two and preferably four resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 that extend between the rubber strip's top part 3 and bottom part 4.

Referring to Fig. 9, an alternative embodiment of the strip 1 is shown which is comprised of a first centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 which extends in the direction from the top part 3 in the direction toward the bottom part 4. The strip 1 in the embodiment is comprised of at least two and preferably four resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 that extend between rubber strip's top part 3 and the rubber strip's bottom part 4. Referring to Fig. 10, an alternative embodiment of the strip 1 is shown where it is comprised of a first centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 which extends from the top part 3 in the direction toward the bottom part 4. The centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 does not extend the entire distance between the top part and the bottom part, but instead the

intermediate wall's free end is placed at a distance 7 from the bottom part, thereby creating an intermediate space between the free end and the bottom part. The strip in this embodiment is comprised of at least two resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 that extend between the rubber strip's top part 3 and the rubber strip's bottom part 4.

Referring to Fig. 1 1, an alternative embodiment of the strip 1 is shown where it is comprised of a first centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 which extends from the top part 3 in the direction toward the bottom part 4. The centrally placed vertical intermediate wall 5 does not extend the entire distance between the top part 3 and the bottom part 4, but instead the intermediate wall's 5 free end is placed at a distance 7 from the bottom part 4, thereby creating an intermediate space between the free end and the bottom part. The strip 1 in this embodiment is comprised of at least two, in the figure six are shown, resilient (springy) and canted intermediate walls 8 that extend between the strip's top part 3 and the strip's bottom part 4.

Referring to Fig. 11, an alternate embodiment of top parts outer surface is also shown, which during use of the strip (profile) in a speed bump is engaged by a vehicle's wheel. In the alternative embodiment, the outer surfaces of the top part are straight or essentially straight (when these are not affected by vehicle wheels). The straight surfaces extend from each respective edge (the edge which extends in the strip's longitudinal direction) towards the central part of the strip. The straight surfaces form a mutual angle, in relation to each other. The size of the angle may vary within the scope of the invention. In the exemplifying embodiment, the elongate edge is vertically directed and has a height equal to the depth of the groove. In alternative embodiments, the edge is not vertical (perpendicular to the foundation part's lower surface) in the unactuated position, but is instead angled inward toward the center so that an intermediate space is formed between the edge of the groove and the edge. When the strip is compressed, the edge will be moved so that the angle approaches a perpendicular angle. A heavy vehicle will cause the design to compress and the heavy vehicle will not bob (jolt, judder). A light vehicle will not cause the design to compress, or be compressed to a lesser extent than in the case of a heavy vehicle, and the light vehicle will bob (jolt, judder).

Advantages of the Invention The present invention achieves several advantages. The present strip allows speed bumps (speed humps) to achieve a function in which relatively heavier vehicles do not bob (jolt, judder) whilst relatively lighter vehicles bob (jolt, judder). The design of the present strip achieves the advantage of extending the strip's durability (life span) considerably by not allowing the rubber strip to be compressed completely when subjected to repeated external loads.