HINDRANCE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is related to an arrangement and a system for traffic control and traffic hindrance. Further, the invention relates to a traffic obstacle which enables a traffic diversion or which provides a temporary obstacle on traffic practicing courses or the like.

BACKGROUND

Obstacles for e.g. controlling traffic on roads with many lanes, for marking that a through fare is closed or for simulating an obstacle, a man or an animal on a traffic practice course are today well known and used to a large extent.

US-A-4121356 shows an installation at a traffic practice course where obstacles are folded up out of the ground when a vehicle approaches. The driver's task is to steer away from the obstacle to avoid a collision. In this installation the obstacle is folded down into the ground before the vehicle risks colliding with the obstacle. This known obstacle consists of a wall which is hinged in one of the corners. The

arrangement demands a large effort when it is being installed into the ground since a lot of road surface must be broken open, so that a big hole can be dug, which will be filled when the installation is ready. The obstacle is big and unwieldy to transport and assemble, and it demands many parts to make it work. When the obstacle gets worn out and needs to be changed the whole course must be shut down during the time when the obstacle is being repaired. The obstacle is substantially made of a net material which is fixed in a frame, i.e. if the mechanism would get caught when the obstacle should be folded down and the vehicle does not manage to steer away from the obstacle it might cause great damage on both the vehicle and obstacle.

GB-A-2247266 shows a parking post which is mounted in the ground and which among other things consists of a vertically moveable post. When the post protrudes upwards it shows the driver that it is not possible to drive past or park at the obstacle. The parking post consists of one massive part which protrudes from the ground and which, despite its weight and its bump resistant material, may be affected in a negative way if a vehicle hits it. A collision may lead to great damages on both the vehicle and the parking post. There is then the risk that the parking post has to be replaced or repaired which leads to increased costs. Parking posts like this often have a robust construction to be able to resist bumps from vehicles which makes them heavy and unwieldy to handle during installation and reparation.

Further, US-A-3086430 shows a traffic control arrangement for, e.g. changing the relation between the numbers of driving lanes in both directions of a freeway. The arrangement comprises a marker, similar to a pole, which moves up and down in an opening. One disadvantage with the arrangement is that it forms a complex system with many different components which all need maintenance work at different points of time. The arrangement demands a motor and a number of rotating components so that the marker may be able to move up and down in the opening, which leads to great working efforts when the arrangement has to be maintained of replaced.

One additional example of prior art is described in FR-A-9801212 which relates to a similar arrangement with a protruding part.

The prior art which is known today fulfills the purpose to prevent vehicles from driving in certain directions or to simulate a practice situation of a traffic practicing course, but as has been mentioned above there are many problems with the prior art, especially when a collision may involve great and costly damages to both vehicle and obstacle.

SUMMARY

One object of the invention is to provide a system for traffic hindrance or traffic control which constitutes an improvement in relation to prior art. One particular object is to provide a system which is easy to install in environments where it shall be used.

These and other objects, which will be clear after the following description, have been achieved by means of the technology defined in the following independent claims, wherein preferred embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims. According to a first aspect of the invention an arrangement for traffic control or traffic obstacle which is arranged to be placed in the ground and which comprises an elongated pipe extending down into the ground; an elongated element which is axially displaceable along the pipe between an inactive state and an active state; and a fastening means provided with a flange whose upper side is arranged flush with or below the ground surface so that the arrangement as a whole, in its inactive state, is located flush with or below the ground surface. In said inactive state the element is located entirely below the ground surface and in said active state entirely or partly above the ground surface. The arrangement is so constructed that it fulfils its purpose in many different environments, e.g. on bridges with several driving lanes, traffic practicing courses or at terminals. An advantage with the arrangement is that it is not noticeable for the driver of the vehicle when it is in its inactive state and totally visible to the driver when it is in its active state. Another advantage is that the wear of the arrangement decreases since the arrangement is not an obstacle in its inactive state, which leads to less costly and time consuming maintenance efforts.

In one embodiment the element may be flexible, at least in the portion which in the active state protrudes above the ground surface. This is an advantage when a possible collision between the obstacle and the vehicle happens and neither the arrangement nor the vehicle is damaged, which then leads to lower repairing costs.

Further the element may comprise an oblong tube with an open lower end and a closed upper end. This embodiment makes it easier to fix the obstacle to the attachment member while the arrangement at the same time is protected from water and dirt which may fall down into the arrangement and cause damage.

In an alternative embodiment the arrangement may comprise a control device which is arranged on the outside of the pipe and intended to provide the movement of the element, and an attachment member which is in engaged with said control device. The control device and the attachment member are axially displaceable along the pipe between an inactive and an active state with the result that the element may be controlled along the pipe so that it does not deviate from the pipe and risks to hit the head when it protrudes. Further, the attachment member may comprise two separate parts in the form of an upper part and a lower part, which is a great advantage at the manufacturing and mounting since the arrangement has to be size optimized and not take up unnecessary volume within the arrangement.

The upper part may comprise a base portion and a fastening portion, wherein the base portion includes means for connecting the upper part with the lower part, and said fastening portion includes one or several periphery grooves along its outer side/sides for fastening the element. The lower part may comprise a base portion and a top portion, wherein the top portion includes means for connecting with said means of the base portion of the upper part. The means in the top portion and base portion together with screws make the attachment of the two portions simple and uncomplicated despite a limited working area. A great advantage with this embodiment is that the manufacturing process and mounting process gets easier and less complex.

The element may further comprise protruding parts located on its inside, at its open end, and be connected to the attachment member by means of its protruding parts and the periphery grooves of the attachment member. This makes the element easy to slip on and attach to the attachment member, since the protruding parts on the inside of the element easily slide over the grooves of the attachment member when the element is slipped on. At the same time the protruding parts are locked to the grooves when someone is trying to pull the element off.

In one embodiment the fastening means may comprise at least one heating device, with which ice formation that may cause damage to the arrangement, when it is installed at location with a cold climate, may be avoided.

The heating device may include a heating coil which makes the installation in or on the head easy. The heating coil is preferably contained in the head.

The arrangement may further comprise at least one pneumatic system configured to move the control device, the attachment member and the element axially back and forth between the inactive and the active state. A pneumatic system is advantageous to use since it may endure the environment below ground, e.g. water and cold. The arrangement may alternatively or additionally comprise at least one electrical or hydraulic system. In a practical embodiment the ground placed traffic control arrangement comprises a foot; a head; an elongated frame which is at least partly hollow and which extends between the foot and the head; an elongated pipe which is contained within the frame and arranged between the foot and the head; a control device which is arranged on the outside of the pipe and configured to achieve a movement of an obstacle; and an attachment member which is in engagement with said control device and which is connected to the obstacle. The control device, the attachment member and the obstacle are together axial displaceable between an inactive state and an active state along the pipe, and wherein the obstacle in said inactive state is located entirely below the ground surface and in said active state located entirely or partly above the ground surface.

According to another aspect of the invention a system which comprises at least two arrangements described above, installed at a distance from each other, is provided. The system works excellent when a traffic control over a distance is needed or a larger obstacle shall be visualized. Since many vehicles shall pass and there is a risk of collisions with the obstacle it is an advantage to use this system since the element, i.e. the obstacle, is flexible and does not cause any damage to the vehicle.

The arrangements may be driven by at least one pneumatic system, which makes it easy to install and handle the entire system since it may be run from one and the same central. Further the arrangement may also be driven by at least one electrical or hydraulic system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described in the following with reference to the appended drawings which show embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an arrangement according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a section through the arrangement in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a part belonging to the arrangement seen from above.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the part in Fig. 3 seen from below. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of yet another part belonging to the arrangement seen from below.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the part in Fig. 5 seen from above.

Fig. 7 is a top view of the arrangement.

Fig. 8 shows a section through the arrangement in Fig. 1 installed below ground.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the arrangement in its active state.

Fig. 10 is a front view of the arrangement in its active state in collision with a vehicle.

Fig. 11 is a view from above of a contemplated field of application of a traffic control system, in this case between three driving lanes.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the system in Fig. 11 when traffic obstacles on one side of the road are in their active state while the others are in their inactive state.

Fig. 13 is the same perspective view as in Fig. 12 but where the traffic obstacles in their active state now are located on the other side of the road.

Fig. 14 is a view from above of a field of application on a traffic practicing course for simulation and visualization of an obstacle.

Fig. 15 shows a section through an arrangement according to an alternative embodiment of the invention in an inactive state.

Fig. 16 shows a section of the arrangement in Fig. 15 in an active state.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of an arrangement according to yet an alternative embodiment of the invention in an inactive state.

Fig. 18 shows a section through the arrangement in Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of an arrangement provided with a drainage system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 20 shows a section through the arrangement in Fig. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

One exemplifying arrangement 100 for traffic control or traffic hindrance is shown in Fig. 1. The arrangement 100 comprises a lower part in a shape of a foot 110, supporting body or a frame 120 and a fastening means which is provided with a flange and which below is called a head 130. The shape of the foot 110 preferably corresponds to the shape of the frame 120 at its lower end, wherein Fig. 1 shows a square execution and Fig. 19 shows a cylindrical execution. The foot 110 is mounted in the lower end of the frame 120 by means of e.g. screws (not shown) and includes two through recesses 111a, 111b where compressed air tubes (not shown) of a pneumatic system may be connected.

The frame 120 which is shown in Fig. 1 is a hollow, elongated, extruded piece which preferably is made of aluminum and which extends from the foot 110 along a centre axis C up to the underside of the head 130. The frame 120 is mounted to the underside of the head 130 preferably by means of screws (not shown) or by means of welding and has a square outer profile in the shown embodiment.

The head 130 is detachable and arranged so that its upper side is flush with or just below, preferably between 1 and 20 mm below, the ground surface M when the arrangement is mounted into the ground which is shown more clearly in Fig. 8.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the arrangement 100 according to Fig. 1 which further comprises an inner pipe 140, a control device 150 and an attachment member 160. In this embodiment the inner pipe 140 is an aluminum profile which extends along the centre axis C and which has a outside surface provided with grooves (not shown) so that the control device 150 and the attachment member 160 may be able to move along the pipe 140. The grooves (not shown) extend along the entire length of the pipe 140 from the attachment in the foot 110 to the attachment in the head 130 and are so shaped that the control device 150 and the attachment member 160 simply may move vertically without losing hold of the pipe 140. The pipe 140 is attached with its lower end to the foot 110 and its upper end to the head 130 by means of screws.

The control device 150 may be compared to a carriage or a sled which displaces the attachment member 160 up and down along the outside of the pipe 140 and is attached to the pipe 140 by means of protruding parts (not shown) which are shaped to match the grooves on the outside surface of the pipe 140 when the control device 150 is displaced by gliding. Thus the control device 150 is movable along the pipe 140 together with a pointer (not shown) which is arranged within the pipe 140. The pointer belongs to the pneumatic system and moves up and down the pipe 140 when compressed air is supplied to one of the compressed air tubes which are connected to the two through recesses 111a, 111b. The pointer may e.g. be magnetic with the result that the control device 150 follows the pointer. In this embodiment the control device 150 is not mechanically connected to the pointer but may be so in other embodiments.

In turn the control device 150 displaces the attachment member 160 up and down the pipe 140. The attachment member 160 consists of two parts, an upper part 161 and a lower part 162 which are assembled by means of screws (not shown) and which are shown in Figs 3-6. A purpose with the two-parted attachment member 160 is to optimize its manufacturing process and assembly. The parts are preferably made of plastic but may also be made of metal, rubber or any other suitable material.

The upper part 161 comprises a circular base portion 163 with a number of openings 169a for fastening to the lower part 162, and a circular fastening portion 165 with grooves 167. The grooves 167 extend along the periphery of the outside of the fastening portion 165 and have a shape which makes it easy to slip an obstacle member 170 on to the fastening portion 165 but difficult to pull it off since protruding parts (not shown), which are shaped to match the grooves 167, are located on the inside of the obstacle 170 that is slipped on. The base portion 163 and the fastening portion 165 are preferably made in one piece but may also be made in two different pieces. Both the base portion 163 and the fastening portion 165 have circular cross sections but with different radius where the fastening portion 165 has a smaller radii than the base portion 163. Both portions 163, 15 have a lead-through which is shaped after the outer profile of the pipe 140 so that the portions 163, 165 easily may be displaced along the pipe 140. The two lead-throughs are centered above each other by means of a centre axis C which runs through the lead-throughs. The centre axis C is located at a distance from the axis C when the entire attachment member 160 is mounted on the control device 150 which in turn is mounted in one side of the pipe 140. The two axes C, C are in the longitudinal direction parallel to each other and located at a distance from each other where the distance preferably is less that 30 mm. The axis C, C may also be arranged in such a way that they are aligned with each other.

The lower portion 162 comprises a square base portion 164 which makes it easy to slip the attachment member 160 onto the pipe 140 and the control device 150 and which stabilizes the attachment member 160 around the pipe 140 for a more stable movement when it moves along the pipe 140. The base portion 164 may further comprise a sealing (not shown) in its lower end to make sure that dirt and damp do not enter the system and cause damage.

Further, the lower part 162 comprises a circular top portion 166 which includes a number of openings 169b matching the openings 169a which are provided on the base portion 163 of the upper part 161. Also, the shape of the top portion 166 is the same as the one for the base portion 163. By means of screws and the openings 169a, 169b which are located on the base portion 163 and the top portion 166, the upper part 161 is mounted to the lower part 162. Further, the top portion 166 comprises two through mounting holes 168a, 168b located next to each other along the periphery side. The mounting holes 168a, 168b and screws allow the attachment of the attachment member 160 to the control device 150 as the corresponding holes (not shown) are located on the control device 150. The square base portion 164 and the top portion 166 are also preferably made in one piece but may also be made in two pieces. Other attachment methods may also be used.

Also the top portion 166 and the square base portion 164 have lead-throughs which are adapted after the outer profile of the pipe 140, and as for the upper part 161, are centred above each other by means of the centre axis C. Thus, the lead-throughs end up above each other with a common centre axis C when the upper part 161 and the lower part 162 are mounted together as the attachment member 160. The lead-through of the attaching device 160 which forms when the two parts 161, 162 are mounted together has a shape that matches the outer profile of the pipe 140. As the space within the frame 120 is limited the shape and size of the attachment member 160 and its lead- through have been optimized such that no unnecessary space occurs within the arrangement 100, while at the same time the best possible endurance may be achieved when as little material as possible needs to be removed at hollowing out the lead- through.

In an alternative embodiment the attachment member may consist of one of more parts and be shaped in a different way depending on the purpose and the size allowance of the arrangement, manufacturing costs and the current environment of installation.

Fig. 7 shows the arrangement from above where the head 130 further is provided with at least one heating device in the shape of a heating coil 131 which is arranged on a radial distance from the centre axis C of the head 130 or partly above the surface of the head 130 to prevent ice formation in cold environments. The heating coil 131 may be mounted under the head or in a recess (not shown) on the underside or upper side of the head or be completely integrated in the head.

In Figs 2 and 9 the arrangement is in a state where a member in the shape of a protruding obstacle 170, which is located above the ground surface M, is shown. The obstacle 170 is mounted to the above described attachment member 160 and moves according to the movement of the attachment member 160, up and down along the pipe 140. The obstacle 170 may in the embodiment resemble an oblong tube with a circular cross section which has an open lower end and a closed upper end and which is made of a flexible material, such as rubber, which gives the obstacle 170 a low weight and is therefor easy and light to handle. The attachment of the obstacle 170 to the attachment member 160 is achieved by sticking the open end of the obstacle 170 over the attachment member 160 so that the grooves 167, which are located around the periphery of the fastening portion 165 of the upper part 161 of the attachment member 160, grip with protruding parts (not shown) located on the inside of the obstacle 170 at its open end. This makes it easier to attach the obstacle 170 to the attachment member 160 but more difficult to pull it off from there. The upper end of the obstacle 170 is closed which means that parts of the arrangement are protected from rain and dirt that may fall down into the arrangement and cause damage.

The arrangement 100 has two states, a first state which among others is shown in Figs 1 and 8, where the control device 150, the attachment member 160 and the obstacle 170 are located in an inactive state, i.e. in a state where the obstacle 170 does not show above the ground surface M so that a vehicle may drive over the arrangement without the driver noticing it. That is why it is also an advantage to make sure that the upper side of the head 130 is flush with or just below the ground surface M so that vehicles driving over the arrangement shall not be disturbed when the arrangement is in its inactive state.

A second state of the arrangement 100 is shown in Figs 2, 9 and 10, which is when the control device 150, the attachment member 160 and the obstacle 170 are located in an active state, i.e. in a state where basically the whole obstacle 170 is located above ground surface M and visible to a driver. When the arrangement 100 is in its second state only the obstacle 170 is exposed above ground, i.e. both the control device 150 and the attachment member 160 are still well protected below ground. This means that if a vehicle were to drive over the arrangement 100 neither the control device 150 nor the attachment member 160 would be damaged. However, the arrangement 100 is so constructed that when a vehicle approaches the obstacle the obstacle 170 is pulled down into the ground again to prevent a collision. This is a desired feature of an obstacle 170 since it may fulfill its purpose on a traffic practicing course where vehicles often have high speed and at the same time are located on a slippery traffic course.

To pull down the obstacle 170 into the ground again it may be connected to e.g. sensors (not shown) placed on the ground along the traffic course, which measure the speed of the vehicle. Thus, the obstacle 170 may receive a signal when it should be pulled down into the ground. The arrangement 100 may also be constructed in such a way that it is controlled from a central, which sends a signal to the arrangement 100 to protrude the obstacle 170 when e.g. it is desired to re-control the traffic for a while.

If a collision would happen between the obstacle 170 and a vehicle, then the obstacle 170 has the advantage of being made of a flexible material which means that the obstacle 170 would then bend and not cause any damage on the vehicle, which is shown in Fig. 10. Since the obstacle 170 is made of a flexible material, it is also allowed to be deformed and then return to its normal shape and be used again. The mounting of the obstacle 170 and the flexible material make it possible for the obstacle to be detached from the attachment member 160 at a collision, which means that neither the attachment member 160 nor the obstacle 170 at the time is being damaged, which in turn means that the obstacle 170 may be mounted onto the attachment member again and be re-used. This means that fewer reparations have to be done to the arrangement 100, which is both cost and time efficient. The obstacle 170 may also be made of other flexible materials, such as textiles, semi-rigid plastic or combinations of different materials, and have different colors to efficiently fulfill its purpose with its function. Further the obstacle 170 may have another shape which matches the shape of the attachment member 160, which also may vary.

In Fig. 8 the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 is shown lowered into the ground in its intended environment. Fig. 2 shows the arrangement in a lowered state, i.e. when the arrangement to a user only looks like a disk in the ground surface M. In order to install the arrangement 100 in the ground a hole must be dug where the arrangement will be placed. In the hole a lining material or a well 200 is mounted which consists of walls 201, a bottom 202 and a top 203. The components of the well 200 may consist of plastic or metal which withstand the environment that it is exposed to below the ground so that it may protect the arrangement from e.g. rain, frost, etc. The size of the well 200 does not have to be a lot bigger than the one of the arrangement, which means that the mounting does not require that large areas of the possible already existing paving have to be torn up and then replaced. The well 200 may also have a square or circular cross section, or any other desired shape to make the installation as efficient as possible.

At its lower end the wall/walls 201 of the well 200 is either mounted to the bottom 202 or made in one piece with the bottom 202. In the upper end of the wall/walls 201 the top 203 is mounted, which is arranged at a distance, preferably 2-4 cm below the ground surface M. The top 203 is an attaching device provided with a flange in the shape of a circular disk which extends radially a distance outside the wall/walls 201 In the middle of the top 203 there is a recess (not shown) which is adapted by its size to the frame 120 of the arrangement 100. When the arrangement 100 is placed in the well 200, the head 130 of the arrangement 100 is fixed by means of e.g. four screws, on top of the top 203 of the well 200 so that the upper side of the head 130 is arranged flush with the ground surface M.

The execution of the attachment between the arrangement 100 and the well 200 simplifies when the arrangement needs to be maintained or replaced, since the arrangement 100 may easily be lifted out of the well 200 after the screws have been loosened and the compressed air tubes have been removed from the two recesses 111a, 111b. Immediately a new arrangement 100 may be connected and mounted so that the traffic control will not be interrupted for a longer time while the old arrangement may be taken to a repair shop.

The attachments between e.g. the arrangement and the frame may in other embodiments have another appearance and i.e. depend on the environment in which the arrangement is placed. In one embodiment there is a certain gap between the parts so that water and gravel may be allowed to run down into the well. Alternatively, there may be a drain system arranged in the bottom of the well which makes sure that the gravel and the water are lead away from the arrangement. Since the arrangement may be made of different materials the arrangement also becomes variously sensitive to wetness and dirt.

In one embodiment the elongated frame which is shown in i.e. Fig. 1 is replaced by a number of rods, preferably at least three. The rods make the

manufacturing cost of the arrangement decrease without its performance being deteriorated. This arrangement may advantageously be placed in an environment where a lot of vibrations arise in the ground or when the arrangement is made in materials which are not sensitive to wetness and dirt. The arrangement according to this embodiment is like the other embodiments arranged in a well, like the one in Fig. 8, which protects the arrangement from the surrounding soil, etc.

In yet another embodiment, which is shown in Figs 15 and 16, an arrangement

300 comprises as before a foot 310, an elongated frame 320, a head 330, an elongated pipe 340, a control device 350 and an attachment member 360. Also, the arrangement 300 comprises an obstacle 370 which has a telescopic form. The form of the obstacle 370 enables a shorter arrangement which may be an advantage in an environment with a limited depth, e.g. a bridge. In an inactive state which is shown in Fig. 15 all the parts of the arrangement 300 are located either flush with or under the ground surface, so that the traffic which passes over the arrangement is not bothered. The obstacle 370 is the folded according to a telescopic principal. When the arrangement 300 is activated to take its active state parts of the obstacle 370 protrude up until the obstacle 370 is fully expanded which is shown in Fig. 16. As in previous embodiments the arrangement 300 may be controlled by pneumatics, hydraulics or electricity depending on the desire and demands.

In an alternative embodiment, which is shown in Figs 17 and 18, an

arrangement 400 comprises a foot 410, a fixedly elongated supporting means 420a, two adjustable elongated supporting means 420b, a head 430, an elongated pipe 440, a control device 450, an attachment member 460 and an element or an obstacle 470. The big difference from previous embodiments is the construction of the frame or the supporting means. In Figs 17 and 18 the supporting means consists of a number of rods 420a, 420b which may be fixed or adjustable. The construction may resemble a cage construction which comprises at least three rods 420a, 420b, where e.g. one rod 420a may be fixed and the other two rods 420b be adjustable so that the installation of the arrangement 400 becomes as good as possible. Independent of the number of rods these may be arbitrarily arranged around the pipe 440 and the element 470 or equidistantly located on an arc.

In the above described embodiments it is also possible to install a draining system 500 for wetness and dirt, close to the foot of the arrangement, which is shown in Figs 19 and 20. The draining system 500 may e.g. comprise a sloping tube so that water and gravel, which may fall down into the arrangement from above, efficiently will be lead away to prevent it from remaining around the lower parts of the arrangement.

In order to re-direct traffic efficiently or to visualize/simulate an object or animal a number of arrangements 100/300/400 may be placed on a desired distance from each other, to simulate a line, a curve or an obstacle which quickly may appear. When it is intended for a number of arrangements 100/300/400 to co-operate, one and the same pneumatic system may be connected to all the arrangements 100/300/400. This may be provided by arranging one or several inlets and outlets 204 in the well 200 for the pneumatic system, which is shown in Fig. 8. The inlets and outlets 204 are preferably placed in the wall 201 of the well 200 and/or in the bottom 202 and extend below ground between the arrangements 100/300/400, from the pneumatic main central. The inlets and outlets may also, like the well, comprise walls 205 which protect from the environment in the ground. The pneumatic system may be re-placed by an electrical system, a hydraulic system or a manual system. The system may also be an optional combination of the said systems.

The parts of the arrangement, like the frame, the pipe and the attaching device are in the exemplified embodiments made of aluminum but may also be made in other material such as plastic, other material, etc.

The arrangement 100/300/400 or a number of arrangements 100/300/400 may be installed in many different traffic environments. The definition of traffic in this application is a network of similar or different types of vehicles, such as e.g. cars, motorcycles, forklifts or airplanes. Some examples are:

- On a traffic practicing course, where the purpose of the arrangement is to simulate or visualize a moment of surprise where the driver shall practice on quickly reacting and deviate a collision with e.g. a animal running out. One example of the installation is shown in Fig. 14.

- On bridges with a number of driving lanes, where the purpose is to control the traffic so that the space for the vehicles is suitable for the traffic at a particular moment. For example, there are large bridges which lead to many working sites which means that there are many vehicles going in one direction in the morning and less going in the opposite direction. It would be optimal to have more driving lanes open in the direction with the most traffic. At the end of the work day it would then be more optimal to have more driving lanes in the opposite direction. The arrangement 100 may in those situations be used as a simple traffic controller and is shown in Figs 11-13.

- At ferry terminals, where the purpose is to control the vehicles to and away from the ferry, wherein the way to the ferry may be changed depending of e.g. the size of the ferry, the docking site of the ferry, the number of vehicles, etc.

- At airports where the traffic, such as airplanes baggage carriers or busses for passengers, must be controlled between different places without compromising the safety of everyone working within the area.

- At car parks, where the vehicles often circulate around-the-clock and where it is important that the vehicles drive in the right direction with regard to the narrow space existing between the parking spots. The arrangement could also be an obstacle at every parking spot which is activated when a car is parked.

- At logistic terminals, where different goods are being transported between different locations by different types of vehicles and where pedestrians also are common. To provide a safe working environment it has to be clearly marked where the vehicles and the pedestrians are allowed to be to avoid collision and thereby possible injuries.

- At toll stations, where the vehicles shall be led into a toll station.

- At fast food restaurants which has a drive through where the vehicles need to be led around a course to undergo all the step of an order.

- In other environments where the daily traffic needs to be controlled in different ways.