Overhead barrier warning system for trucks or buses

Abstract

An overhead clearance warning includes an over the road horizontal member with several spaced apart depending chains carrying cylinders. The cylinders are preferably hollow plastic or aluminum and are provided with reflective stripes. The chains and cylinders are arranged so that the distance from the road surface to the bottoms of the cylinders is substantially the same as or slightly less than the overhead clearance of which the system is warning. When a vehicle which is taller than the overhead clearance approaches the warning system, the reflective stripes on the cylinders provide a visual warning of the low clearance condition. If the visual warning is ignored, the tall vehicle will strike the hollow cylinders and a relatively loud audible warning will result without damaging the vehicle. The preferred embodiment of the invention provides both alphanumeric and iconic warning signs which are mounted at locations where they are easy to see, are protected from elements and vandalism, and require little or no maintenance. The invention may be mounted on existing roadside lamp posts or may be mounted on its own post or posts. Several different embodiments of mounting the system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the warning system is mounted for rotation about a vertical post and includes frangible links to prevent serious damage to a tall vehicle which strikes the warning device. In another embodiment, the system is mounted on a wall over a garage or tunnel entrance as a fail safe final warning.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.