APPLICATION OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC METHOD TO STUDY THE LUMINANCE DISTRIBUTION GOVERNING VISIBILITY IN NIGHT DRIVING

APPLICATIONDE'UNE METHODE PHOTGRAPHIQUE A L'ETUDE DE LA DISTRIBUTION DE LA LUMINANCE VISUELLE EN RAPPORT AVEC LA CONDUITE DE NUIT

A photographic method is described which provides qualitative and quantitative records of the low luminance distribution of a highway and different arrangements of obstacles in a program of studies on automobile headlighting. For the unopposed vehicle on a dark night, the shadows cast by an obstacle are not necessarily negligible as part of the contrast detection condition. The interaction of other sources of illumination such as opposed headlights, dusk skylight and moonlight alters the luminance distribution and leads to a null contrast condition. Pavement factors are discussed and a critical low reflectance condition is described. The studies used a multiple target substitution experiment which demonstrated that a photographic ccamera could still be used to obtain pavement (and obstacle) intrinsic reflectance values when adequately chosen targets of known reflectance values were positioned in the field in immediate proximity with the pavement stretch (or obstacle) whose reflectance is to be measured. The basis is also outlined of a computer controlled scanning method for extracting the scene luminance information contained in a negative. Application examples are presented.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Research Council of Canada

  Division of Mechanical Engineering, Montreal Road
  Ottawa, ONo K1A 0R6,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • Pinkney, HFL
  • Ayad, A A
  • Walker, A C
• Publication Date: 1976-4

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 27 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Driving; Hazards; Headlamps; Highways; Information processing; Luminosity factor; Night visibility; Obstructions (Navigation); Pavements; Photography; Reflectivity; Scanners
• Uncontrolled Terms: Reflectance
• Old TRIS Terms: Luminosity; Scanning
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00142191
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: NRC No. 15250, MS-138
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 16 1977 12:00AM