FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical sectors regarding transport infrastructures for the circulation of land vehicles, and especially wheeled vehicles, and to the methods for controlling vehicular traffic. In greater detail the present invention relates to the management of temporary obstructions to transit in a tunnel typically due to accidents or vehicle breakdown.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Shared use is known of a carriageway in the case of temporary obstructions to transit which occur in the opposite carriageway. Between two opposite carriageways, i.e. which run functionally parallel but which have different directions, connections are commonly provided to enable passage between the carriageways, especially useful in a case of emergency. The road safety barrier that delimits the carriageway usually comprises, at the position of these connections, emergency openings, i.e. a movable part which in the open position enables vehicular traffic and in the closed position restores the continuity of the barrier. With the aim of reducing the number of operators in place during an emergency, motorised emergency openings have been developed, which can be controlled remotely, for example documentEP1451411A1 describes a movable part which is moved by actuators with respect to fixed parts of the road safety barrier.

In the case of carriageways that pass through tunnels an emergency passage is usually provided on both sides of the tunnel, i.e. in entry and exit. In a case of an accident, or any other obstruction, in a first carriageway inside the tunnel it is possible to open the emergency openings and manage the other carriageway as a two-way carriageway, so as to allow movement of the vehicles in arrival and limit the impact of the accident on the traffic. This also facilitates the reaching of the location of the accident by the operators or vehicles coming from the first carriageway.

These operations are usually manage by operators in sit , also in the case of motorised emergency openings, operators are employed for the management of the vehicular circulation.

In the infrastructures of known type, the vehicles remaining between the emergency passage and the accident must wait for the problematic condition in the tunnel to be removed, while hampering the operations and increasing the risks to themselves and others.

The present invention intends to obviate one or more drawbacks of the solutions of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aim of the present invention is to provide an infrastructure and a method able to deal with obstructions to circulation which take place in a tunnel, minimising inconvenience and reducing the risks for the staff on duty and the people involved.

A second aim is to provide an infrastructure which is operable simply and effectively.

An aim of some embodiments is to guarantee as much as possible the continuity of the lateral guards for contacting and redirecting errant vehicles.

A still further aim of some embodiments is to limit or eliminate the intervention of operators for the management of the circulation.

These and other aims, which will be obvious to the expert in the sector from a reading of the following text, are attained by means of an infrastructure for land vehicles and a control method of the vehicular traffic in an infrastructure according to the claims.

In accordance with the teachings of the present document, the infrastructure comprises a first tunnel, a second tunnel, a first carriageway, a second carriageway, connections between the first carriageway and the second carriageway, each configured for vehicular traffic, and at least a road safety barrier. The first carriageway crosses the first tunnel from a first side to a second side; the second carriageway crosses the second tunnel and which has at least two drive lanes.

A first connection is arranged outside the first tunnel and the second tunnel, on the first side, a second connection is arranged outside the first tunnel and the second tunnel, on the second side, and a third connection connects the portion of the first carriageway inside the first tunnel and the portion of the second carriageway inside the second tunnel.

The at least a road safety barrier comprises actuators and parts for contacting and redirecting an errant vehicle which is transiting in the first carriageway which are arranged by a side of the first carriageway. The parts comprise fixed parts which are fixed to the ground and movable parts which are movable with respect to the fixed parts and which are arranged at a respective connection. Each actuator moves a respective movable part between an open position in which it enables vehicular transit through the connection and a closed position in which it prevents vehicular transit through the connection and is functionally continuous with the adjacent fixed parts.

A first movable part is advantageously arranged at the first connection, a second movable part is arranged at the second connection and a third movable part is arranged at the third connection inside the first tunnel.

The method comprises steps of:

- providing an infrastructure according to the invention;

- identifying an obstruction to transit in at least a lane of the first carriageway inside the first tunnel;

- limiting the transit in the second carriageway in such a way that at least the lane nearest to the third connection is free between the second connection and the third connection;

- activating the actuators in order to move the second movable part and the third movable part into the open position; - signalling, in the first carriageway, the viability of the portion between the third movable part and the second movable part through the third connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the invention will be described in the following part of the present description, according to what is set down in the claims and with the aid of the accompanying figures, in which: figure 1 is an axonometric view of an embodiment of an infrastructure according to the invention with a schematic representation of an obstruction to the transit in a position further back to enable viewing thereof; figures from 2 to 13 illustrate steps of embodiments of a method according to the invention actuated by the infrastructure of figure 1; figure 14 is an axonometric view with a partial removal of a further embodiment of an infrastructure according to the invention that is substantially similar to the embodiment of figure 1 ; figure 15 is a detail of figure 14 in which the connection between the carriageways to the left of the tunnels can be observed; figure 16 is a detail of figure 14 in which the connection between the carriageways internally of the tunnel can be seen in a view with a partial removal.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the appended figures, reference numeral 100 denotes a transport infrastructure for land vehicles (A).

An embodiment of the infrastructure (100) comprises a first tunnel (10), a second tunnel (20), a first carriageway (1) which crosses the first tunnel (10) from a first side (10a) to a second side (10b), a second carriageway (2) which crosses the second tunnel (20) and which has at least two drive lanes, connections between the first carriageway (1) and the second carriageway (2) and at least a road safety barrier (6). A first connection (3), between the first carriageway (1) and the second carriageway (2), is configured for vehicular transit and arranged outside the first tunnel (10) and the second tunnel (20), on the first side (10a).

A second connection (4), between the first carriageway (1) and the second carriageway (2), is configured for vehicular transit and arranged outside the first tunnel (10) and the second tunnel (20), on the second side (10b).

A third connection (5) is between the portion of the first carriageway (1) inside the first tunnel (10) and the portion of the second carriageway (2) inside the second tunnel (20), configured for vehicular transit.

The at least a road safety barrier (6) comprises parts (61, 62a, 62b, 62c) for contacting and redirecting an errant vehicle (A) which is transiting in the first carriageway (1) and actuators (63). The parts (61, 62a, 62b, 62c) are arranged by a side of the first carriageway (1) and comprise fixed parts (61) which are fixed to the ground and movable parts (62a, 62b, 62c) which are movable with respect to the fixed parts (61) and which are arranged at a respective connection (3, 4, 5). Each actuator (63) moves a respective movable part (62a, 62b, 62c) between an open position in which it enables vehicular transit through the connection (3, 4, 5) and a closed position in which it prevents vehicular transit through the connection (3, 4, 5) and is functionally continuous with the adjacent fixed parts (61).

A first movable part (62a) is advantageously arranged at the first connection (3), a second movable part (62b) is arranged at the second connection (4) and a third movable part (62c) is arranged at the third connection (5) inside the first tunnel (10).

In the case of a temporary obstruction to one or more lanes of the first carriageway (1 ), typically an obstruction which prevents transit through the first tunnel (10), it is possible to reduce the inconvenience and risks due to the presence of the third movable part (62c) inside the first tunnel (10). It is in fact possible to operate the actuators (63) so as to move the third movable part (62c) and the second movable part (62b) in the respective open positions so as to enable circulation from the first tunnel (10) to the second connection (4) via the third connection (5) and the second carriageway (2), generally after the appropriate specifications on normal circulation in the second carriageway (2).

Figure 1 illustrates an articulated lorry which transversally invades both lanes and prevents the vehicles (A) which are in arrival to pass through the first tunnel (10); note that the articulated lorry is represented in an external position in order to enable it to be viewed, but is in fact in the first tunnel (10) between the third connection (5) and the second connection (4).

In the appended figures the first carriageway (1) and the second carriageway

(2) have opposite circulation directions, but this condition is not strictly necessary.

The possibility of reducing the build-up of vehicles (A) inside the first tunnel (10) reduces the risks for all the vehicles (A) and the people internally of the first tunnel (10), facilitating the operations required for the removal of the obstruction.

The at least a road safety barrier is preferably continuous, i.e. it is configured to contact and redirect an errant vehicle (A) from the first side (10a) to the second side (10b) as well as from the first connection

(3) to the second connection (4) when the movable parts (62a, 62b, 62c) are in a closed position, so as to guarantee maximum safety.

The infrastructure (100) preferably comprises a road safety barrier (7) which comprises portions (71, 72) for contacting and redirecting an errant vehicle (A) which is transiting in the first carriageway (2), the portions being arranged by a side of the second carriageway (A), and an actuator device (73). The portions (71 , 72) comprise fixed portions (71) which are fixed to the ground and a movable portion (72) which is movable with respect to the fixed portions (71) and which is arranged at the third connection (5). The actuator device (73) moves the movable portion (72) between an open position in which it enables vehicular transit through the third connection (5) and a closed position in which it prevents vehicular transit through the third connection (5) and is functionally continuous with the adjacent fixed portions (71). To increase road safety it is preferable for the third connection (5) to be protected by a movable portion (72) also in the second tunnel (20); this can also enable operations in the second carriageway (2), the operations being those described in the present description with reference to the first carriageway (1), so as to obtain the advantages of the invention in both traffic movement directions. This is for example possible with reference to the embodiments of the infrastructure (100) in figures 1 and 14.

More preferably, the at least a road safety barrier (6) continuously delimits the first carriageway (1) from the first connection (3) to the second connection (4) and the road safety barrier (7) continuously delimits the second carriageway (2) by meeting the at least a road safety barrier (6) outside the first tunnel (10) and the second tunnel (20) on both the first side (10a) and the second side (10b), respectively between the first tunnel (10) and the first connection (3) and between the first tunnel (10) and the second connection (4).

The above-described configuration enables delimiting the first carriageway (1) and the second carriageway (2) and, at the same time, the space between them also in the portions that cross the first tunnel (10) and the second tunnel (20) so as to increase the safety of the vehicles (A).

It is also preferable for the first movable part (62a) and the second movable part (62b) both to be configured for contacting and redirecting an errant vehicle (A) which is transiting in the second carriageway (2), i.e. they are part of a central barrier so that even in the open positions thereof there are not openings towards the space between the first tunnel (10) and the second tunnel (20).

The first connection (3) and the second connection (4) are preferably respectively in proximity of the entry and exit, or vice versa, of the first tunnel (10) and the second tunnel (20) so as to reduce the distance with the third connection (5) and the number of vehicles (A) which have to cross in the case of an obstruction. The infrastructure (100) of the invention can be realised with different levels of automation, for example the invention can be operated with an intervention in situ by the operators, with remote control or automatically with a possible supervision from a remote position.

The infrastructure (100) preferably comprises means for sending signals (8) to the vehicles (A) and/or to the drivers of the vehicles (A) and a control unit (9) which controls the actuators (63), the means for sending signals (8), and, possibly, the actuator device (73). In the case of signals destined to drivers, the signals are typically of a visual type while in the case of signals directed to the vehicles, for example with autonomous drive or semi-autonomous drive, the signals are typically, though not necessarily, electromagnetic waves. For example, the means for sending signals (8) of the embodiment of figure 1 are directed at informing the drivers of the vehicles (A).

The control unit (9) is configured to control the means for sending signals (8) including on the basis of the position of the second movable part (62b) and of the third movable part (62c), i.e. it communicates the possibility of crossing the second connection (4) or the third connection (5) only after the second movable part (62b) and the third movable part (62c) are detected in the open position. A like operating logic is usually applied also to the first movable part (62a) and the movable portion (72).

In a preferred embodiment, the means for sending signals (8) comprise luminous indicators (81a, 81b) activatable by the control unit (9), with at least a first luminous indicator (81a) being configured to internally illuminate the lane of the first carriageway (1) close to the first connection (3) so as to guide the vehicular traffic towards the first connection (3) and/or with at least a second luminous indicator (81b) which is configured to internally illuminate the lane of the second carriageway (2) close to the second connection (4) so as to guide the vehicular traffic towards the second connection (4).

Figures 1, 7 and 8 enable observation of the light sources sunken in succession into the asphalt of the lane in a transversal direction to the drive direction and activated by the control unit (9). The means for sending signals (8) can also comprise panels having variable messages, traffic lights, drive lane indicators, active road signals, etc. as shown in the accompanying figures.

The luminous indicators (81a, 81b) facilitate the management of the infrastructure, especially in the case of vehicles (A) having semi-autonomous or manual drive, by facilitating automatic management or remote control.

The infrastructure (100) can comprise detectors of the presence of vehicles (A) in a portion of one or more lanes so as to be able to allow verification of the behaviour of the vehicles (A) in the implementation of the method described in the following.

The actuators (63) and the actuator device (73) can be of known type, for example of the type for sliding gates. An actuator (63) for sliding gates is illustrated in figure 16 by way of example. In a preferred embodiment, each from among the actuators (63) and the eventual actuator device (73) comprise an electric motor or an electric gear reducer which moves a pinion that engages a rack fixed respectively to the first movable part (62a), to the second movable part (62b), to the third movable part (62c) and, possibly, to the movable portion (72).

The invention also relates to a control method of the vehicular traffic in an infrastructure (100) according to the invention. As indicated in the following, figures from 2 to 13 illustrate, by way of example, steps of the method, some of which are optional.

An embodiment of the method comprises steps of:

- identifying an obstruction to transit in at least a lane of the first carriageway (1) inside the first tunnel (10), as schematically illustrated in figure 2 in which the articulated lorry is arranged in a position further back as described in the foregoing with reference to figure 1;

- limiting the transit in the second carriageway (2) in such a way that at least the lane nearest to the third connection (5) is free between the second connection (4) and the third connection (5), as illustrated in figure 3 with the variable message panel and the light sources informing the vehicles (A) of the narrowing and to keep to the right-side lane;

- activating the actuators (63) in order to move the second movable part (62b), as illustrated in figure 8, and the third movable part (62c) into the open position, as illustrated in figure 5;

- signalling, in the first carriageway (1), the viability of the portion between the third movable part (62c) and the second movable part (62b) through the third connection (5), as illustrated in figure 5.

The viability of the portion between the third movable part (62c) and the second movable part (62b) takes place via the third connection (5), the at least the lane closest to the third connection (5) and the second connection (4), as illustrated in figures 5 and 8. It may be necessary also to activate the actuator device (73) to move the movable portion (72) into the open position during the step of activating the actuators (63).

The step of limiting the transit in the second carriageway (2) can for example include a signal of the following type: “use only the right lane” and/or “road narrowing” and/or “two-way road”. At the same time, in the first carriageway (1), the drivers of the vehicles (A) can be informed with messages such as: “warning: accident in the tunnel” and/or “drive slowly”.

The step of limiting the transit preferably comprises the step of signalling a narrowing and checking that the at least a lane nearest to the third connection (5) is free for a predetermined time, as illustrated in figures 3 and 4. The predetermined time interval could be, for example, five minutes.

The method preferably comprises steps of:

- commanding the actuator (63) to move the first movable part (62a) into the open position, as illustrated in figure 7;

- sending signals in the first carriageway (1) of the viability of the portion between the first movable part (62a) and the second movable part (62b) through the first connection (3), as illustrated in figure 7. The viability of the portion between the first movable part (62a) and the second movable part (62b) is realised via the first connection (3), the at least the lane closed to the first connection (3) and the second connection (4), as illustrated in figures 7 and 8. The viability can be signalled using messages of the following type: “use only the left-side lane”. Clearly the transit in the second carriageway (2) will have to have been limited at least up to the first connection (3).

More preferably, before the step of commanding the actuator (63), the method comprises a step of:

- verifying the presence of vehicles (A) stationary in the first carriageway (1) before the first connection (3), as illustrated in figure 6, and if this is verified, proceeding with the steps of commanding the actuators (63) and sending signals into the first carriageway (1).

Once the obstruction in the first tunnel (10) has been removed, as illustrated in figure 9, it is possible to proceed with the operations in reverse to reset the normal vehicular arrangement as illustrated in figure 13. The removal of the obstruction can also be detected by special detectors arranged inside the first tunnel (10).

The method typically comprises a step of resetting normal circulation; this step varies according to the embodiment and in any case includes signalling normal circulation in the first carriageway (1) and in the second carriageway (2) and activating the actuators (63) in order to move the second movable part (62b), as illustrated in figure 11, and the third movable part (62c) into the closed position. If necessary the actuator device (73) can also be newly activated, as illustrated in figure 12.

If required, the step of resetting normal circulation can include newly commanding the actuator (63) to move the first movable part (62a) into the closed position, as illustrated in figure 10.

The resetting of the two normal drive lanes in the second carriageway (2) can be subordinated to the verification of absence of vehicles (A) in the lane closest to the third connection (5) for a predetermined time interval, for example five minutes.

It is understood that the above has been described by way of non-limiting example and that any constructional variants are considered to fall within the protective scope of the present technical solution, as claimed in the following.