Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Lighting Research and Technology
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rea, M.S.
Right arrow Articles by Bullough, J.D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Making the move to a unified system of photometry

M.S. Rea, PhD

Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA, ream{at}rpi.edu

J.D. Bullough, PhD

Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA

As presently practiced and applied, photometry does not reflect the response of the human visual system at many light levels commonly used for nighttime lighting. Vision and photometry have never been synonymous, but this disconnect could obscure prudent light source specification for outdoor illumination. The unified system of photometry, which links photopic and scotopic luminous efficiency at nighttime light levels, provides a framework for communicating information about light sources considered for exterior lighting. Despite methodological differences, work from a recent research consortium closely matches the system of unified photometry and exactly matches its framework. This correspondence should encourage decision-making bodies as they move toward a consensus basis for specifying and communicating luminous quantities.

References

  • Taylor BN Guide for the use of the International System of Units. Washington, National Institute of Standards and Technologies: 1995.
  • Alman DH Errors of the standard photometric system when measuring the brightness of general illumination light sources. J. Illum. Eng. Soc. N. Am. 1977; 7: 55—62.
  • Guth SL, Lodge HR Heterochromatic additivity, foveal spectral sensitivity, and a new colour model. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 1973; 63: 450—62.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Ware C., Cowan WB Specification of heterochromatic brightness matches: a conversion factor for calculating luminances of small stimuli which are equal in brightness, No. 26055. Ottawa: National Research Council Canada, 1983.
  • Sagawa K., Takeichi K. System of mesopic photometry for evaluating lights in terms of comparative brightness relationships. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 1992; 9: 1240—6.
  • Lennie P., Pokorny J., Smith VC Luminance. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 1993; 10: 1283—93.[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. CIE Proceedings 1924. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1926.
  • Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. Light as a true visual stimulus, No. 41. Paris: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 1978.
  • Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. CIE 1988 2° Spectral luminous efficiency function for photopic vision, No. 86. Vienna: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 1990.
  • Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. CIE 10 degree photopic photometric observer, No. 165. Vienna: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 2005.
  • Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. CIE Proceedings 1951. New York: Bureau Central de la CIE, 1951.
  • Rea MS, Bullough JD, Freyssinier JP, Bierman A. A proposed unified system of photometry. Lighting Res. Technol. 2004; 36: 85—111.[CrossRef]
  • Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage. Mesopic photometry: history, special problems and practical solutions, No. 81. Vienna: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 1989.
  • Wyszecki G., Stiles WS Color science: soncepts and methods, quantitative data and formulae. New York: Wiley, 1982.
  • McGowan T., Rea MS Visibility and spectral composition, another look in the mesopic: Proceedings of the CIE Symposium on Advances in Photometry, Vienna. Vienna: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 1994.
  • Rea MS, Boyce PR, Ouellette MJ On time to see. Lighting Res. Technol. 1987; 19: 101—3.
  • Rea MS, Ouellette MJ Visual performance using reaction times. Lighting Res. Technol. 1988; 20: 139—53.
  • Rea MS Essay by invitation. Light. Design Appl. 1996; 26(10): 15—6.
  • Freyssinier JP, Rea MS, Bullough JD Brightness contrast perception in the mesopic region. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2006; 26: 300—12.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • He Y., Rea MS, Bierman A., Bullough J. Evaluating light source efficacy under mesopic conditions using reaction times. J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 1997; 26: 125—38.
  • He Y., Bierman A., Rea MS A system of mesopic photometry. Lighting Res. Technol. 1998; 30: 175—81.
  • Bierman A., He Y., Rea MS Visual reaction times: method for measuring small differences. Lighting Res. Technol. 1998; 30: 169—74.
  • Rea MS, Ouellette MJ Relative visual performance: a basis for application. Lighting Res. Technol. 1991; 23: 135—44.
  • Rea MS, Bullough JD, Freyssinier JP, Bierman A. Response to discussion by SM Berman of ``A proposed unified system of photometry ''. Lighting Res. Technol. 2006; 38: 267—72.
  • Bullough JD, Rea MS Simulated driving performance and peripheral detection at mesopic and low photopic light levels. Lighting Res. Technol. 2000; 32: 194—8.
  • Lingard R., Rea MS Off-axis detection at mesopic light levels in a driving context. J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 2002; 31: 33—9.
  • Akashi Y., Rea MS Peripheral detection while driving under a mesopic light level. J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 2002; 31: 85—94.
  • Akashi Y., Rea MS, Bullough JD Driver decision making in response to peripheral moving targets under mesopic light levels. Lighting Res. Technol. 2007; 39: 53—67.[CrossRef]
  • Rea MS, Bierman A., McGowan T., Dickey F., Havard J. A field study comparing the effectiveness of metal halide and high pressure sodium illuminants under mesopic conditions: Visual scales—photometric and colorimetric aspects, Teddington. Vienna: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, 1997.
  • Van Derlofske J., Bullough JD Spectral effects of high-intensity discharge forward lighting on visual performance. Society of Automotive Engineers 2003 Transactions Journal of Passenger Cars — Mechanical Systems 2004; 112: 670—7.
  • Van Derlofske J, Dyer D., Bullough JD Visual benefits of blue-coated lamps for automotive forward lighting. Society of Automotive Engineers 2003 Transactions Journal of Passenger Cars — Mechanical Systems 2004; 112: 933—40.
  • Bullough JD, Rea MS Driving in snow: effect of headlamp colour at mesopic and photopic light levels. Lighting technology developments for automobiles. Warrendale, SP-1595, Society of Automotive Engineers, 2001: 67—75.
  • Le Grand Y. editors. In Jameson D, Hurvich LH. editors. Handbook of sensory physiology Vol. VII/4, Berlin, Springer-Verlag, 1972: 413—33.
  • Schanda J., Morren L., Rea MS, RositaniRonchi L., Walraven P. Does lighting need more photopic luminous efficiency functions?. Lighting Res. Technol. 2002; 34: 69—78.[CrossRef]
  • Eloholma M., Halonen L. New model for mesopic photometry and its application to roadway lighting. Leukos 2006; 2: 263—93.[Web of Science]
  • Varady G., Bodrogi P. Mesopic spectral sensitivity functions based on visibility and recognition contrast thresholds. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2006; 26: 246—53.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Eloholma M., Ketomaki J., Orrevetelainen P., Halonen L. Visual performance in night-time driving conditions. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2006; 26: 254—63.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Alferdinck JW Target detection and driving behaviour measurements in a driving simulator at mesopic light levels. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2006; 26: 264—80.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Szalmas A., Bodrogi P., Sik-Lanyi C. Characterizing luminous efficiency functions for a simulated mesopic night driving task based on reaction time. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2006; 26: 281—7.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Walkey HC, Harlow JA, Barbur JL Changes in reaction time and search time with background luminance in the mesopic range. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2006; 26: 288—99.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  • Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. Spectral Effects of Lighting on Visual Performance at Mesopic Light Levels, TM-12-06. New York: Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 2006.

Lighting Research and Technology, Vol. 39, No. 4, 393-408 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1477153507077395
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Lighting Research and TechnologyHome page
M. Rea, Z. Yuan, and A. Bierman
The unified system of photometry applied to remote airfield lighting
Lighting Research and Technology, March 1, 2009; 41(1): 51 - 70.
[Abstract] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rea, M.S.
Right arrow Articles by Bullough, J.D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?