MOBILE SYSTEM FOR MEASURING THE RETROREFLECTANCE OF TRAFFIC SIGNS

A practical system is needed to evaluate the nighttime visibility of existing signs and provide data for making decisions about sign replacement or refurbishment. Laboratory methods and portable instruments are available for measuring the retroreflectance of traffic signs, but easy-to-use mobile systems are not. Research is currently under way to develop a system that can measure the average retroreflectance of sign legend and background, irrespective of color, size, and placement, and that can be operated during daylight from a moving vehicle. Based on the use of a charge-coupled device video camera to acquire sign images, a xenon flash as a source of light, and a portable personal computer to analyze the images, experiments and analyses indicate that such a system is feasible, is well suited for making measurements from a moving vehicle, and can be built from commercially available components.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1247/1247-009.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=MOBILE+SYSTEM+FOR+MEASURING+THE+RETROREFLECTANCE+OF+TRAFFIC+SIGNS&author=J.+Lumia&publication_year=1989
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309049725
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1247, Visibility Criteria for Signs, Signals, and Roadway Lighting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Lumia, John J
• Conference:
  • Symposium on Visibility Criteria for Signs, Signals, and Roadway Lighting, 1988, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 69-78
• Monograph Title: Visibility criteria for signs, signals, and roadway lighting
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1247
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Days; Measurement; Portable equipment; Retroreflectivity; Traffic signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mobile equipment
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495506
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309049725
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 31 1990 12:00AM