Enhanced Night Visibility Volume XVIII Overview of III
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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Research, Development, and Technology
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296
FOREWORD
The overall goal of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Visibility Research Program is to enhance the safety of road users through near-term improvements of the visibility on and along the roadway. The program also promotes the advancement of new practices and technologies to improve visibility on a cost-effective basis.
The following document provides an overview of the series of studies conducted under Phase III of the Enhanced Night Visibility (ENV) project. The ENV project provided a comprehensive evaluation of evolving and proposed headlamp technologies in various weather conditions. The individual studies within the overall project are documented in an 18-volume series of FHWA reports, of which this is Volume XVIII. It is anticipated that the reader will select those volumes that provide information of specific interest.
This report will be of interest to headlamp designers, automobile manufacturers and consumers, third-party headlamp manufacturers, human factors engineers, and people involved in headlamp and roadway specifications.
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Michael F. Trentacoste
Director, Office of Safety
Research and Development
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Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the
U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The
U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.
The
U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.
Quality Assurance Statement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.
TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE
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1. Report No.
FHWA-HRT-04-149
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2. Government Accession No.
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3. Recipient's Catalog No.
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4. Title and Subtitle
Enhanced Night Visibility Series Volume XVIII: Overview of Phase III
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5. Report Date
December 2005
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6. Performing Organization Code
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7. Author(s)
Jonathan M. Hankey, Shane B. McLaughlin, Ronald B. Gibbons, Vicki H. Williams, Jason Clark, Thomas A. Dingus
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8. Performing Organization Report No.
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9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
3500 Transportation Research Plaza
Blacksburg, VA 24061
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10. Work Unit No.
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11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-98-C-00049
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12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Office of Safety Research and Development
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296
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13.Type of Report and Period Covered
Final Report
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14. Sponsoring Agency Code
HRDS-05
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15. Supplementary Notes
Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR): Carl Andersen, HRDS-05
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16. Abstract
This volume provides an overview of the three studies that compose Phase III of the Enhanced Night Visibility project. The first study compared two prototype near infrared (NIR) vision enhancement systems (VESs), an infrared thermal imaging system (IR–TIS), and three headlamp-only systems in terms of drivers' nighttime detection and recognition of 17 objects. The objects included pedestrians on both sides of straight and curved sections of the road, roadway signs, and obstacles. A subset of the VESs and objects also were tested in rain conditions. The results indicated that both NIR and IR–TIS, if correctly implemented, provided additional detection benefit over headlamps alone for pedestrians in clear conditions. In rain conditions, the NIR also benefited object detection. A disability and discomfort glare study was also conducted with four high intensity discharge lamps and one halogen low-beam lamp. The results indicated that maximum illumination was the best predictor of driver discomfort and disability.
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17. Key Words
Detection, Disability Glare, Discomfort Glare, Halogen, Headlamp, High Intensity Discharge, Illuminance, Infrared, Night Vision, Pedestrian, Rain, Recognition, Visibility, Vision Enhancement System
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18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service; Springfield, VA 22161.
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19. Security Classif. (of this report)
Unclassified
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20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified
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21. No. of Pages
27
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22. Price
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Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors
ENHANCED NIGHT VISIBILITY PROJECT REPORT SERIES
This volume is the last of 18 volumes in this research report series. Each volume is a different study or summary, and any reference to a report volume in this series will be referenced in the text as "ENV Volume I," "ENV Volume II," and so forth. A list of the report volumes follows:
| Volume |
Title |
Report Number |
| I |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Executive Summary |
FHWA-HRT-04-132 |
| II |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Overview of Phase I and
Development of Phase II Experimental Plan |
FHWA-HRT-04-133 |
| III |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 1: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-134 |
| IV |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 2: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Rain |
FHWA-HRT-04-135 |
| V |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 3: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Snow |
FHWA-HRT-04-136 |
| VI |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 4: Visual
Performance During Nighttime Driving in Fog |
FHWA-HRT-04-137 |
| VII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 5: Evaluation of
Discomfort Glare During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-138 |
| VIII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Study 6: Detection of
Pavement Markings During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-139 |
| IX |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Characterization of
Experimental Objects |
FHWA-HRT-04-140 |
| X |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Visual Performance
Simulation Software for Objects and Traffic Control Devices |
FHWA-HRT-04-141 |
| XI |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase II—Cost-Benefit Analysis |
FHWA-HRT-04-142 |
| XII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Overview of Phase II and
Development of Phase III Experimental Plan |
FHWA-HRT-04-143 |
| XIII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Study 1: Comparison
of Near Infrared, Far Infrared, High Intensity Discharge, and Halogen Headlamps on Object Detection in Nighttime Clear Weather |
FHWA-HRT-04-144 |
| XIV |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Study 2: Comparison
of Near Infrared, Far Infrared, and Halogen Headlamps on Object Detection in Nighttime Rain |
FHWA-HRT-04-145 |
| XV |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Study 3: Influence of
Beam Characteristics on Discomfort and Disability Glare |
FHWA-HRT-04-146 |
| XVI |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phase III—Characterization of
Experimental Objects |
FHWA-HRT-04-147 |
| XVII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Phases II and III—
Characterization of Experimental Vision Enhancement Systems |
FHWA-HRT-04-148 |
| XVIII |
Enhanced Night Visibility Series: Overview of Phase III |
FHWA-HRT-04-149 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION TO PHASE III
CHAPTER 2—PHASE III VISUAL PERFORMANCE STUDIES
CHAPTER 3—DISCOMFORT AND DISABILITY GLARE STUDY
CHAPTER 4—CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES
LIST OF FIGURES
- Diagram. Detection distance diagram key.
- Diagram. IR–TIS mean detection distances.
- Diagram. NIR 1 mean detection distances.
LIST OF TABLES
- The 17 objects used in the clear study.
- Detection distances for pedestrians dressed in black compared to pedestrians dressed in blue.
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
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