Patent Application
20220162817
The present disclosure relates generally to the creation of vibrations or musical notes on a road as a car is traveling across the road.
A musical road is a creation of sound caused by placing a series of ridges or gaps on a road surface in the wheel path of an automobile. In its crudest form, this is commonly found as “rumble strips” which alert the driver to slow down or correct their course when they veer off the road. Through dutiful calculation of the width and number of strips, this sound phenomenon can recreate a series of tones that mimic a melody, verily “hummed” aloud by the tires of the vehicle as they are induced to vibrate at specific frequencies by the ridges or gaps of the road surface.
The first known musical road was created by a pair of Danish artists in 1995. This “asphaltophone” was created using raised pavement markers, seemingly placed painstakingly by hand, to produce a short melody. Since then, many others have been created in Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands and the United States. With the exception of the original “asphaltophone”, all other musical roads appear to have been created by cutting or pressing grooves into the surface of the road.
These roads have been successful in attracting attention from tourists and local drivers, but also have been proven to help safely control driving speeds in previously dangerous locations. Unfortunately, many reports exist that these musical roads deteriorate in short time, likely due to wear on the road surface as well as impairment from dirt and debris.
What is needed then are improvements in musical road apparatuses and methods.
This Brief Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
One aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus including a varied selection of one or more strips of DOT-approved material utilizing a durable polymer backed with a strong adhesive designed for installation on a standard road surface. The apparatus can be manufactured and assembled in numerous variations with high precision to recreate any musical note of the standard scale. Such notes can be sequenced to create a desired melody in some embodiments. Ordered to length, the one or more strips with corresponding notes can be laid out on a road in a short and easy installation process and can last for many years under normal driving and weather conditions.
Having such an apparatus can help provide for the quick and efficient creation of a musical road on a road surface as individual raised sections and/or recesses do not need to be created or installed manually on the road surface. Instead, strips of polymer material with defined recesses in them can be prefabricated offsite, with computer-controlled technology in some embodiments, which can help increase the accuracy of the placement of the individual recesses in the strips and reduce human error during installation. An apparatus manufactured in this manner can help increase the accuracy and quality of sound generated by a musical road. Additionally, having a raised structure placed on the road can help reduce the amount of dirt and debris deposited in the recesses formed, which can help increase sound quality and longevity of the musical road.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus for creating one or more notes as a car drives over the apparatus on a road surface, the apparatus including a first strip of durable material having a length and a width. A first plurality of recesses can be defined in the first strip, each of the first plurality of recesses extending across a portion of the width of the first strip. The first plurality of recesses can be spaced along the length of the first strip a first distance from one another, or spaced with a first distance between successive recesses. The first plurality of recesses can produce a first note when the first strip is placed on the road surface and the car drives over the length of the first strip. In some embodiments, the first strip can have a thickness, and the first plurality of recesses can be a plurality of apertures, each aperture extending through the thickness of the first strip. In some embodiments, the first strip can be made of a flexible durable polymer material.
In some embodiments, the apparatus can include a second strip of durable material having a second length and a second width. A second plurality of recesses can be defined in the second strip, each of the second plurality of recesses extending across a portion of the second width of the second strip. The second plurality of recesses can be spaced along the second length of the second strip a second distance from one another, or spaced with a second distance between successive recesses of the second plurality of recesses, the second plurality of recesses producing a second note when the second strip is placed on the road surface and the car drives over the second strip. The first and second strips can be affixable to the road surface in an end-to-end fashion. In some embodiments, the apparatus can be installed on a road surface by affixing the first strip to the road surface and affixing the second strip to the road surface such that a rest spacing is formed between the first and second strips.
In some embodiments, each of the first plurality of recesses has a first recess width, each of the second plurality of recesses has a second recess width, and the ratio of the first recess width to the first distance is equal to the ratio of the second recess width of the second plurality of recesses to the second distance. In some embodiments, the first group of recesses each have a first recess width that is substantially equal to the first distance, and the second plurality of recesses each have a second recess width that is substantially equal to the second distance. In some embodiments, the first recess width and the second recess width are not equal to one another.
In some embodiments, the first strip includes a second plurality of recesses defined in the first strip, each of the second plurality of recesses extending across a portion of the width of the first strip, wherein the second plurality of recesses is spaced along the length of the first strip a second distance from one another, the second plurality of recesses producing a second note when the first strip is placed on the road surface and the car drives over the length of the first strip. As such, both pluralities of recesses can be defined on a single strip. In some embodiments, the first plurality of recesses and the second plurality of recesses are spaced apart from one another along the length of the first strip by a resting spacing.
In some embodiments, the first and second plurality of recesses can be alternatingly repeated along a length of the first strip such that alternating first and second notes are produced when the first strip is placed on the road surface and the car drives over the length of the first strip. In some embodiments, the first and second notes correspond to different notes on a diminished fifth chord or a diminished fifth internal.
In some embodiments, the first strip can include a bottom side, and the apparatus further includes an adhesive layer disposed on the bottom side of the first strip. The adhesive layer can include a strong but removable and non-destructive adhesive which can removed readily from the road surface without causing damage to the road surface. As such, the musical roads created by the apparatus disclosed herein can be temporary installations if desired.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of creating a musical road or musical notes on a road surface including the steps of providing one of the various embodiments of the apparatus disclosed herein and affixing the apparatus to a road surface. A car can be driven over the apparatus at a desired speed to produce a one or more musical notes or tones. In some embodiments, a series or melody of notes can be produced as the car is driven over the apparatus. In some embodiments, all recesses are pre-formed in the apparatus prior to affixing the apparatus to the road surface, which can help reduce on-site installation time.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus including a first strip of polymer material, the first strip including a first plurality of recesses defined in the strip, the first plurality of recesses spaced equally apart by a first distance which creates a first frequency corresponding to a musical note to be replicated by a car driving across the first plurality of recesses at a constant, predetermined speed. In some embodiments, the apparatus can include multiple strips of polymer material, each polymer strip having a corresponding plurality of recesses spaced apart by a corresponding distance to create a corresponding frequency for a musical note to be replicated by the car driving across the corresponding plurality of recesses. The strips can be placed in a desired succession or sequence to replicate a desired melody when a car passes over the entirety of the apparatus.
One objective of the present disclosure is to help provide an apparatus and method to create a musical road that can be less expensive, more durable and long-lasting, and can produce a cleaner, more refined sound when used. Certain improvements have been made in materials, design, and installation which can help scientifically enhance the quality of the sonic phenomenon. Such improvements can be utilized separately in different embodiments or in combination with one another. The apparatus disclosed herein can be used to quickly and conveniently create a musical road on the stretch of roadway.
Whatever the desired goal of a musical road—creating safer driving conditions, tourist attraction, celebration of local civic or corporate culture and traditions—a musical road can provide a unique, exciting, safety, and/or useful feature to a user or community. The apparatus described herein can help promote installation of a musical road with less cost, less labor, less waste, a smaller environmental impact and can be more accurate and more durable than previous musical roads.
Numerous other objects, advantages and features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon a review of the following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment.
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that are embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific apparatus and methods described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.
In the drawings, not all reference numbers are included in each drawing, for the sake of clarity. In addition, positional terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” etc. refer to the apparatus when in the orientation shown in the drawing. A person of skill in the art will recognize that the apparatus can assume different orientations when in use.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the apparatus 10 can include a second strip 36 of durable material having a second length 56 and a second width 60. In some embodiments, the width 52 of the first strip 52 and the second width 60 of the second strip 36 can be substantially equal. A second plurality of recesses 22 can be defined in the second strip 36, each of the second plurality of recesses 22 extending across a portion of the second width 60 of the second strip 36. The second plurality of recesses 22 can be spaced along the second length 56 of the second strip 36 a second distance 26 from one another, or spaced with a second distance 26 between successive recesses of the second plurality of recesses 22, the second plurality of recesses 22 producing a second note when the second strip 36 is placed on the road surface 12 and the car drives over the second strip 36. The first and second strips 16 and 36 can be affixable to the road surface 12 in an end-to-end fashion as shown in
In some embodiments, each of the first plurality of recesses 20 has a first recess width 30, each of the second plurality of recesses 22 has a second recess width 32, and the ratio of the first recess width 30 of the first plurality of recesses 20 to the first distance 24 is equal to the ratio of the second recess width 32 of the second plurality of recesses 22 to the second distance 26. In some embodiments, the first plurality of recesses 20 each have a first recess width 30 that is substantially equal to the first distance 24, and the second plurality of recesses 22 each have a second recess width 32 that is substantially equal to the second distance 26. In some embodiments, the first recess width 30 and the second recess width 32 are not equal to one another.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Referring now to
A car 14 can drive across the apparatus 10 affixed to the road surface 12, the apparatus 10 positioned on a normal wheel path of a vehicle on a road (see
In still other embodiments, as shown in
The phenomenon of sound is created by a vibration reaching the ear. The qualities of the sound depend on the size of the vibration (aka, amplitude or volume) and the frequency of the vibration (aka, pitch or tone). The frequencies of different musical notes are measured in Hertz (number of vibrations per second) where the modern “equal tempered scale” is set by A=440 Hz (e.g., the string of a violin playing an A note will vibrate 440 times every second). The frequencies for a 2-octave selection of a common range of musical notes are featured in the table included herein.
Vibrations are made when a vehicle drives over a bump in the road. This may be a groove cut into the road or a ridge affixed to the surface of the road. Approximating the pitch of each note is based on manipulating the interval between the road features to replicate the corresponding frequencies for various notes.
For example, calculating values for a constant velocity of 45 mph (converted to 20.1168 meters/sec), with each desired note having a given frequency, the space between road features (or, “interval”) is calculated as the wavelength using the formula: wavelength=velocity/frequency. See the following table:
/D
/E
/G
/A
/B
/D
/E
/G
/A
/B
indicates data missing or illegible when filed
As stated above, the table shows the distance between the road features or successive recesses (wavelength or interval) determined for replicating a desired musical note calculated here for a car travelling at a constant speed of 45 mph. For example, to create a middle-C (“C4”) at a vehicle speed of 45 mph, ridges or grooves would be put on the road every 7.689 cm, vibrating the tire at the desired frequency of 261.63 Hz. Should a different speed be desired for the vehicle, then these wavelength calculations would be recalculated and found to be proportional to the vehicle speed; the slower the car speed, the shorter the interval to achieve a desired frequency, the faster the car speed, the longer the interval needed to achieve a desired frequency.
One significant improvement to previous musical roads researched is the optimization of a ratio of the width of recesses to the distance between such recesses in a given plurality of recesses designed to create a desired note. Other musical roads use ridges or grooves of a fixed width spread out in different intervals or with different spacing between the recesses to produce different musical notes. In such prior art devices, the ratio of the recess width to the spacing distance between the recesses varies from note to note and plurality of recesses to plurality of recesses, as the width of the recesses stays the same for all notes but the spacing between the recesses changes from note to note. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ratio of the recess widths 30 or 32 and the spacing distance 24 or 26 respectively between successive recesses can be maintained substantially constant across different pluralities of recesses replicating various notes. As such, in some embodiments, the widths 30 and 32 of the recesses in various plurality of recesses 20 and 22 respectively can vary proportionally to spacing distances 24 and 26 between successive recesses in different plurality of recesses 20 and 22 respectively.
According to the results of a detailed analysis of signal-to-noise ratio tests under differing variables, a road feature or recess that is exactly half of the width of the desired interval or wavelength for a designated note (aka, “half-interval”) can help generate a more refined sound and can require a smaller amplitude to achieve a quality sound. In a half interval configuration, the recess width in a given plurality of recesses is equal to the spacing distance between the recesses for the given plurality of recesses. The increase in the quality of sound at this configuration may be due to the physical resemblance of a sound wave. Significantly, this improvement in sound quality allows for a smaller amplitude that is greatly beneficial to the “environmental noise” sometimes associated with musical roads. In some embodiments, the ratio between the recess width and the spacing distance between successive recesses can be maintained between 3:4 and 5:4 for all plurality of recesses in the apparatus 10. Improved Musical roads incorporating the benefits of the optimization of the ratio between the recess width and the spacing distance between recesses, and particularly the half-interval configuration, can help produce a quality, localized sound and therefore may not require as large of an amplitude or be as loud as prior conventional musical roads while still producing a quality sound. Incorporating these results into the design of the apparatus, in some embodiments each plurality of recesses in the apparatus 10 can be manufactured in a “half-interval” configuration wherein corresponding pairs of widths and spaces (24,30 and 26, 32) of recesses 20 and 22 respectively can be equal to each other and both adding up to the value of the corresponding wavelength for the corresponding musical note designated for that plurality of recesses 20 and 22.
For example, to create a strip of material that will generate an “A3” note, the recesses repeat in the interval or wavelength from the previous table of 9.144 cm (where: wavelength/2=half-interval). Therefore, a 4.572 cm recess is cut into the material, repeating itself after every 4.572 cm of material. This produces an equal, alternating pattern of material and recesses that closely resembles a sound wave. An additional benefit of this half-interval dimension is an increased strength and stability across the length of product, stronger and less flimsy during handling and application. In other embodiments, the recess width can range from 3.429 cm to 5.715 cm and vice versa for the distance between the recesses to produce width to distance ratios ranging from 3:4 to 5:4. This calculation could be repeated for other plurality of recesses design to produce varying notes having varying wavelengths.
The recesses 18 in one embodiment can be formed in the strip 16 using a high-powered laser cutter (See
In embodiments utilizing individual strip segments, once the recesses have been cut into the material, it can be relatively easy to lay the strip segments into place on the road surface 12 with the appropriate distance or rest spacings 40 between strips calculated as the musical “rests” between notes of the melody. Affixing the adhesive on each strip segment to the road, the strip segments are laid in the normal wheel path of the passenger-side tires of the vehicle. A short melody of just a few notes may have as many as 500 individual road features to create the musical road, so the accuracy of the manufacturing process and the ease of installation can help save a substantial amount of time, labor and potential for error. In some embodiments, there can be practically no cleanup and very little time required for cooling, curing or other processes, regular traffic can be resumed as soon as the apparatus installation is complete, which drastically reduces the time required to close the road for installation.
The apparatus disclosed herein can be produced by various other manufacturing techniques, including cutting, milling, extrusion, or injecting molding processes, including manual and automated manufacturing processes. The recesses, as opposed to being formed by cutting recesses into the strips, can also be formed by producing or forming raised ridges along the length of the strip of durable material to form recesses having widths and spacing between the recesses as previously described herein to form desired notes.
The process detailed above results in a long roll of material with a high-precision layout of road features that will create a sonic “hum” when driven over by any standard vehicle at a constant speed. Utilizing the fixed ratio measurement for recess width and spacing distance for each desired note and frequency, this process can be repeated to manufacture strips of material that will recreate any musical note required. Once a melody has been selected by the consumer, the only information required is the duration of each note and the space between notes. This is calculated simply by analyzing the melody and translating the timed duration of notes and rests into the lengths of road the vehicle will travel during that time. For example: 1 second@45 mph=66 feet. So, if the melody required an “F4” note that lasted one second, the customer could simply purchase 66 feet of product that was manufactured with a 2.88 cm “half-interval” or other fixed ratio interval of alternating material and recesses.
Repeating this method for every note in the song, a consumer could easily purchase strips corresponding to any musical note in any length required for that note's duration and lay them out on a road surface as instructed. Empty spaces between the notes are achieved by the normal road surface and the length required for the duration of those “rest notes” is calculated in the same manner as above. This value is measured as the distance between strips of product creating each note. In embodiments using a single strips 16 with numerous pluralities of recesses, the rest spaces can be lengths of the strip where no recesses are formed reduces vibrations made by the strip as the car travels over the resting spaces.
With the ability to create musical notes using different, corresponding fixed ratio and/or half-intervals, anyone with a short melody and a length of road at their disposal can now create a musical road. All the complicated mathematical equations have been done and there is no need for a large crew with lots of expensive and messy machinery to modify the road surface. This product is easy to install, low waste, environmentally friendly and manufactured using material already approved by the Department of Transportation.
One such application is worth detailing for its potential as a widespread safety product. A series of repeating intervals (for example, F# and C) could be arranged such that a vehicle driving across them would create a sonic phenomenon that closely mimics a siren. Similar to the alert system of many types of emergency and safety vehicles, most sirens around the world use a unique musical structure (tritone) of a diminished fifth (aka, an augmented fourth) that was originally called “the Devil's interval” in classical music of the Renaissance for its intentional dissonance and dark, discomforting sound. In other words, the first note produced by the first plurality of recesses and the second note produced by the second plurality of recesses when the car drives over the strip could produce notes corresponding to a diminished fifth chord or diminished fifth interval.
Most modern sirens use a tritone sound, although many countries use different notes. Fortunately, the design of this musical road application would allow variances in speed to retain a relative “diminished fifth” variance between notes regardless of speed, remaining effective at alerting drivers with the universally recognized sound of a siren. There is the potential for such a commercialization of the application to be utilized for use in both permanent settings (e.g., traffic alerts, school or hospital zones) and making use of the temporary, non-destructive characteristics of the application (eg, construction zones and special events).
Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of creating one or more notes as a car drives over a road surface, the method comprising the steps of preforming at least one plurality of recesses into a first strip of durable plastic, the first strip of durable plastic having a length and a width, each of the first plurality of recesses extending across a portion of the width of the first strip, the first plurality of recesses spaced along the length of the first strip at a first distance between successive recesses of the first plurality of recesses; and affixing the first strip to the road surface such that as the car drives over the length of the first strip, the first plurality of recesses produces a first note.
In some embodiments, the method can further include preforming a second plurality of recesses into the first strip of durable plastic, each of the second plurality of recesses extending across a portion of the width of the first strip, the second plurality of recesses spaced along the length of the first strip at a second distance between successive recesses of the second plurality of recesses. The first and second pluralities of recesses can be separated from one another on the first strip.
In some embodiments the method can further include preforming a second plurality of recesses into a second strip of durable plastic, the second strip of durable plastic having a second length and a second width, each of the second plurality of recesses extending across a portion of the second width of the second strip, the second plurality of recesses spaced along the second length of the second strip at a second distance between successive recesses of the second plurality of recesses; and affixing the second strip to the road surface in an end to end fashion with the first strip such that as the car drives over the length of the second strip, the second plurality of recesses produces a second note.
Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CREATING A MUSICAL ROAD, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/840,053 filed Apr. 29, 2019 entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CREATING A MUSICAL ROAD, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2020/030489 | 4/29/2020 | WO | 00 |
