JBS Special

Publication

80-16

A111D3 Tm7M

NATL INST OF STANDARDS & TECH R.I.C.

A1 1103091474

Howett. Gerald Leona/Emergency vehicle vv QC100 .U57 NO.480-, 16, 1978 C.1 NBS-PUB

Emergency

Vehicle

Warning Lights:

State of the Art

Law Enforcement

Equipment

Technology

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

COMMERCE

National Bureau of

Standards

h8G-15
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This report was prepared by the Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards under the direction of Jared J. Collard and Avery T. Horton, Program Managers for Selected Systems, and Jacob J. Diamond, Chief of LESL.
480-16

J- NOV (978

NBS Special Emeraencv

Publication Vehicle

Warning

State of tlie Art

prepared by

Gerald L. Howett

with Kenneth L. Kelly, and

E. Thomas Pierce

Center for Building Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

and the

Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory

Center for Consumer Product Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

prepared for National Institute of Law

Enforcement and Criminal Justice

Law Enforcement Assistance Administration

U.S. Department of Justice

Washington, D.C. 20531

Issued

September 1 978

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary

Dr. Sidney Harman, Under Secretary

Jordan J. Baruch, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Acting Director
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Howett, Gerald Leonard, 1931- Emergency vehicle warning lights. (NBS special publication ; 480-16)

Supt. of Docs, no.: 013.10:480-16

1. Emergency vehicles--lighting. I. Kelly, Kenneth Low, 1910-

joint author. II. Pierce, E. Thomas, joint author. III. National

Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. IV. Title. V. Series: United States. National Bureau of Standards. Special

publication , 480-16. QC100.U57 no. 480-16 [TL235.8] 602 .Is [629.271] 78-9503

Library of Congress Catalog Number:

National Bureau of Standards

Special Publication 480-16

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U S ), Spec. Publ. 480-16, 167 pages CODEN;XNBSAV

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON:

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,

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(Order by SD Catalog No. CI 3.10: 480-1 6.) Stock No. 003-003-01901-1 Price $3.50

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FOREWORD

The Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory (LESL) of the National Bureau of Standards

(NBS) furnishes technical support to the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal

Justice (NILECJ) program to strengthen law enforcement and criminal justice in the United States. LESL's function is to conduct research that will assist law enforcement and criminal justice

agencies in the selection and procurement of quality equipment.

LESL is: (1) Subjecting existing equipment to laboratory testing and evaluation and (2) conducting research leading to the development of several series of documents, including national voluntary equipment standards, user guidelines, state-of-the-art surveys and other reports. This document is a law enforcement equipment report developed by LESL under the sponsorship of NILECJ. Additional reports as well as other documents are being issued under the LESL program in the areas of protective equipment, communications equipment, security systems, weapons, emergency equipment, investigative aids, vehicles, and clothing.

Technical comments and suggestions concerning the subject matter of this report are

invited from all interested parties. Comments should be addressed to the Law Enforcement

Standards Laboratory, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. 20234.

Jacob J. Diamond

Chief, Law Enforcement

Standards Laboratory

iii
PREFACE

The present report is meant to provide an overview of the entire field of emergency vehicle warning lights, exclusive of our own experimental work, which will be reported separately. It is hoped that the report will prove useful to a broad class of readers. Some readers will probably use

it as a reference source, browsing through selected chapters. At the other extreme, those with a requirement for detailed technical knowledge of the subject, such as engineering consultants to large police departments, may find it helpful to read the entire document through, from beginning

to end.

Part I is concerned with the present realities of the situation, and includes a discussion of the kinds of lights now available and the bases on which the many warning light configurations now in use are chosen. Part II contains background material on the perception of signals from

emergency vehicle warning lights, and prepares the technically oriented reader for the discussions of conspicuity in part III. Part III reviews the factors that make signals more or less conspicuous,

the methods for measuring conspicuity, the physical measurements necessary for adequate

characterization of a warning light unit, and the relations of perceptual and physical measures to performance standards for lights.

Limited portions of the report—namely chapter 11 and five of the other figures (10.2-1,

10.2-2, 10.4-1, 10.4-2, and 10.4-3)—have been excerpted with some editing from a preliminary

report, "Emergency Vehicle Warning Devices: Interim Review of the State of the Art Relative to Performance Standards" (NBS Report 10478; also LESP-RPT-0501.00), which covered both

warning lights and sirens. The siren work will be documented separately. Note that the version of chapter 11 included in NBS Report 10478 was adapted by Robert L. Booker from NBS Technical Note 198, "Photometry at the National Bureau of Standards," by L. Chemoff (December 1963).

The authors are grateful to Mr. Charles A. Douglas, for many helpful discussions of both

physical and perceptual matters; to the late Mr. I. Nimeroff, for contributing information on

physical measurements; and to Miss Sharon Rippeon, who typed repeated drafts of the manuscript.

iv
CONTENTS

Page

Foreword iii Preface iv Chapter 1. General Introduction 1 Part I. The Present Chaos

Chapter 2. The Basis of Warning Light Configurations 3

2.1. Introduction 3

2.2. Factors To Be Considered 3

2.3. Specifying a Configuration 4

2.4. What Should the Message Be? 4

2.5. How Many Different Signals? 5

2.6. Nonuniformity Among State Laws 6

Chapter 3. Some Major Types of Warning Lights 8

3.1. Scope of the List 8

3.2. Rotating Warning Lights 8

3.3. Oscillating Warning Lights 9

3.4. Flashing Warning Lights 9

3.5. Combination Units 9

3.6. Spotlights, Floodlights, and Searchlights 10

Part II. Background Material Chapter 4. Theory of Warning Signals 37

4.1. Scope of This Treatment 37

4.2. The Stage Model of Reacting to a Signal 38

Chapter 5. The Visual Situation in Driving 40

5.1. Overall Stimulus-Response Pattern 40

5.2. Visual Stimulation from Emergency Vehicle Warning Lights 42

Chapter 6. Peripheral Functioning of the Eye 45

6.1. Introduction 45

6.2. Luminous Efficiency 46

6.3. Color Perception 50

6.4. Color Discrimination 52

6.5. Flicker Perception 54

6.6. Movement Perception 55

Part III. Perceptual and Physical Analysis of Warning Signals and Devices

Chapter 7. Effectiveness of Signals: Perceptual Variables 56

7.1. Primary Role of Effective Intensity 56

7.2. Flash Rate 56

7.3. Duty (On-Off) Cycle 57

7.4. Pulse Shape (Waveform) and Flash Duration 58

7.5. Spatial Sweep of the Beam 59

7.6. Color 60

7.7. Number and Spatial Pattern of Lights 61

7.8. Illuminated Area 63

7.9. Motion of the Light Source 75

7.10. Temporal Phase Relations Among Lights 76

V
CONTENTS—Continued

Page

Chapter 8. Influence of the Background 77

8.1. Characterization of the Background 77

8.2. ControUing the Background 78

8.3. The Crucial Role of the Background 78

Chapter 9. Assessing Conspicuity 79

9.1. Introduction 79

9.2. Sources of Differences in Effectiveness: A Caution 79

9.3. Basic Experimental Approaches 81

Chapter 10. Physical Characterization of Lights and Light Signals 85

10.1. Physical Measures, Conspicuity, and Standards for Warning Lights 85

10.2. Angular Intensity Distribution 87

10.3. Flash Rate 93

10.4. Temporal Pulse Shape and Flash Duration 94

10.5. Interrelationships of Basic Variables for Devices

Employing Rotation 97

10.6. Effective Intensity 100

10.7. Color Ill

Part IV. Supplementary Material Chapter 11. Appendix: NBS Photometry Facilities and Procedures 120

Chapter 12. Glossary 133

Chapter 13. References 164

vi
EMERGENCY VEHICLE WARNING LIGHTS:

STATE OF THE ART

C. L. Howett, with K. L. Kelly and E. T. Pierce

Center for Building Technology, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. 20234

Information is presented concerning many aspects of emergency vehicle warning lights (EVWLs). A

survey of the present situation includes: the nonunifonnity of state EVWL laws; the factors entering into the choice of an EVWL configuration; and a list and photographs of a variety of EVWL devices. Background material relating to the perception of EVWL signals includes: an analysis of general warning

signal perception; a description of the visual stimulus pattern confronting a driver being approached by

an emergency vehicle from various directions; and a summary of the characteristics of peripheral vision (including luminous efficiency, color perception and discrimination, and flicker and movement

perception). Perceptual factors affecting the conspicuity of EVWL signals are discussed, including:

effective intensity; flash rate; on-off ratio; pulse shape and flash duration; spatial sweep of beam; color; number and spatial pattern of lights; cross-sectional area; motion; temporal phase relations; and the role of the background. Physical measurements on EVWL units are described, including: angular intensity distribution and beamspread; flash rate; pulse shape and flash duration; effective intensity; color; and

variables in rotating devices. A glossary, extensive enough to be helpful in reading the technical

literature, is included.

Key words: Color; conspicuity; emergency vehicle; flashing light; lights; motor vehicle; photometry;

signal light; standards; vehicle, emergency; vision, peripheral; warning Ught.

CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The operator of an emergency vehicle such as a police cruiser is frequently required to make his way through traffic at the greatest speed consistent with safety. In accomplishing this often critically important goal, he depends on his warning devices, both auditory and visual, to alert drivers to his approach. Drivers given adequate warning of the approach of a police car are

less likely to involve the emergency vehicle in an accident, and less likely to impede its progress toward the scene of the emergency.

Until the present time, the acquisition of emergency signaling equipment has been largely a haphazard procedure, in which each police department must do the best it can in the absence of

standards. Many law enforcement and other emergency-oriented personnel have personally

experienced the ineffectiveness of many of the presently popular warning devices in attracting the

attention of motorists. With respect to warning lights, the need for standards—or at least generally

accepted technical guidance—exists at two levels. First, there is a clear need for some agreement on what the best color combination and general configuration is for emergency vehicle warning

lights. As things stand now, drivers are exposed to a great profusion of different warning light

systems and often are unable to interpret the signal beyond an awareness that the vehicle producing the signal is not an ordinary pleasure car. Once the basic characteristics of a warning light signal are agreed upon, the second need

for guidance arises in connection with the performance of hardware. The police procurement

officer wants to be able to judge how well a given piece of equipment will perform its desired

function.

1
In this report, attention is paid in considerable depth both to the perceptual principles that must be understood if an effective warning light system is to be specified, and also to the kinds of

physical measurements that permit informed prediction of perceptual effectiveness. An attempt is made to clarify some of the issues that beset the field of warning light effectiveness, and also, wherever possible, to suggest ways in which established scientific knowledge about human visual processes can be used to improve the design of overall warning light systems.

2
PART I. THE PRESENT CHAOS

CHAPTER 2. THE BASIS OF WARNING LIGHT CONFIGURATIONS

2.1. Introduction

There are many different types and colors of warning lights presently used on emergency

vehicles. The greatest variety appears on police cars, but, depending on the locality, the same

devices and colors may also be used on fire engines, ambulances, tow trucks, and many other emergency and semi-emergency vehicles. There is currently no single standard or recognized form

of marking for emergency vehicles in this country as there is, for example, in Great Britain. This situation has led to a great deal of confusion among motorists and pedestrians, be- cause of the proliferation of lights having a similar appearance, yet calling for different behaviors

depending on the particular vehicle on which they are mounted, and the particular locality in which they are used. The driver of an emergency vehicle is also in an unenviable position. He is in constant danger because he does not know whether or not the driver ahead of him will be aware of

his signal and react properly to it. Moreover, since the meaning of the signal (coding) varies among

different states and localities, an out-of-town driver may react to a local emergency signal

inappropriately, thus endangering himself, and other nearby vehicles, as well as the emergency

vehicle.

2.2. Factors To Be Considered

The profusion of current emergency vehicle warning light configurations in the various

state and local jurisdictions around the U.S.A. is symptomatic of the fact that there are quite a few

different factors that are considered in arriving at a standard configuration, and different groups

(or individuals) assign different relative importances to these various factors. Among the factors (some of them interrelated) that the authorities of a particular jurisdiction would think about in choosing a warning light configuration are:

A. Color

1. Relative visibilities of different colors; differences between day and night viewing

conditions; the effect of weather on relative visibilities of colors.

2. Meanings, in a signal context, currently attached to different colors by the residents of

the jurisdiction.

3. Warning light practices in other jurisdictions.

B. Duration of Flash

1. Possible difficulty in locating source of very brief flash.

2. Possible lessening of effectiveness of stretched-out flash with long rise and fall times.

C. Situation of Use

1. Emergency vehicle action: high-speed movement through traffic; slower than normal

movement in traffic; slow movement off road; full stop in traffic; full stop off road.

2. Emergency vehicle identification (police, fire, ambulance, other category).

3. Type of road: number of lanes, speed limit, median strip or not, visual median barrier or not.

3
4. Reaction desired from drivers: pull to right and stop; proceed in lane at reduced speed;

proceed and prepare to stop in lane; make way for emergency vehicle by any safe maneuver; etc.

D. Hardware

1. Commercial availability of units.

2. Initial cost of units.

3. Maintenance cost of units: frequency of replacement; labor and material costs for replacement and repair; tangible and intangible costs arising from incidents of unit failure. 4. Power consumption: availability of batteries and alternators (generators), and

connecting cables of suitable capacity.

5. Power consumption cost: extra initial cost of heavy-duty batteries, alternators, and

cables.

6. Power-supply maintenance costs: frequency of replacement; labor and material costs for replacement and repair; tangible and intangible costs arising from incidents of battery or alternator

failure.

2.3. Specifying a Configuration

The term configuration is used here to refer to the principal characteristics of the warning

light devices used on a particular vehicle, or prescribed for all the vehicles of a particular type in a

specified jurisdiction. Functionally, the warning light configuration determines the nature of the

light signals that will be emitted by the vehicle in various directions. Structurally, the essentials of a "configuration" are: (a) the number of lights; (b) the type(s), i.e., rotating, oscillating, steady,

flashing, alternate flashing, etc.; (c) the color(s); (d) the synchronization pattern; (e) the mounting

position(s) on the vehicle; (f) the direction of peak intensity (beam axis), relative to the vehicle, for each light not uniform over 360°; and (g) the angular spread of each beam, horizontally and

vertically. Debates about the configuration to adopt within a given jurisdiction are usually based on consideration of some or all of the factors outlined in the preceding paragraphs (sec. 2.2), and

possibly also on other factors in special cases. When a particular configuration is chosen for formal adoption, there are two additional

specifications that are usually included in the requirements: the flash rate of the lights, and their minimum intensities, actual or "effective" (see sec. 10.6). The prescribed flash rate or range of

rates does not vary much among jurisdictions, and generally follows accepted signal practice

(almost always between 60 and 120 flashes per minute). The setting of a minimum intensity is important in determining the visual effectiveness of the lights, but the value specified must be

consistent with the state of lighting technology at the time of adoption of the law or ordinance. It

is usually set at a level considered currently practical in an economic sense (see the hardware

factors listed under D in sec. 2.2). The fundamental minimum requirement with respect to intensity is that the emergency vehicle warning lights be brighter than such routine flashing lights as turn signals and fixed-hazard flashers by a margin sufficient to make the emergency lights

clearly distinguishable from the routine lights when they are seen at a comparable distance. Moreover, on a road carrying substantial traffic, there is an ever-shifting sea of steady lights such

as headlights and taillights. It is not practical to require warning lights to be brighter than a headlight seen head-on, but if the warning light is to attract attention at long enough distances, it

is desirable for it to be at least comparable in intensity to headlights seen from typical off-axis viewing angles.

2.4. What Should the Message Be?

The most fundamental choices in selecting an appropriate warning light configuration for a

particular jurisdiction are based on the situation-of-use factors listed under C in section 2.2. In

practice, one of two basic approaches has usually been taken in the selection of warning light

configurations. The approaches differ with respect to the category of message to be conveyed by

the signals. The first type of message is meant to communicate to the receiver of the signal that

4
some particular behavior is expected of him. For example, in some jurisdictions, the correct response to a flashing red light on a moving vehicle is always to pull as far over to the right as possible and then to stop. In the other common approach, the characteristics of the warning signal are meant to call attention to the presence of an emergency vehicle and to identify the type of

vehicle. It is quite common for police, fire departments, and ambulance corps—and other groups

as well—to desire distinctive warning light configurations for identification purposes. If an attempt

is made to combine several categories of desired driver reaction with several categories of vehicle

identification, the number of distinct warning light configurations that drivers must learn to recognize can become excessive. A fundamental question is: should the driver reactions appropriate to the rapid approach of a police car, fire engine, or ambulance differ for the different vehicle types, or should the required reaction be the same? If the object is simply to clear a path

for the emergency vehicle, regardless of category, then an appropriate solution might be to have a single set of warning light configurations and to confine the identifying markings of the different types of vehicles to the colors and patterns painted on the vehicles. In this way, the target driver knows at long distances what is expected of him (if he notices the lights), and can also identify the emergency vehicle category at shorter ranges.

2.5. How Many Different Signals?

Particularly because people become flustered in emergencies, it is important to keep the number of different warning light configurations that must be remembered to a minimum.

Severely limiting the number of possible signals will tend to reduce the time required for a target driver to recognize any one of the signals and to recall the appropriate reaction. (See the

discussion of "reaction time" in sec. 4.1.) Information that does not affect the reaction required of the driver (such as emergency vehicle category, in many cases) can be delayed in its presentation

until after the primary message has been communicated. Restriction of identification markings to paint, rather than lights, is one means of accomplishing this goal. In order to avoid a significant percentage of delayed or incorrect reactions, a warning light

system should incorporate a very small number of different signal patterns, probably no more than

three or at most four. Examples of 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-signal systems are as follows, with the signal

patterns identified by the meanings or messages they are meant to convey:

1 signal.

(1) "Something unusual is happening. Be alert and take appropriate action."

2 signals.

(1) "A rapidly moving emergency vehicle is approaching. Pull over to the right and

stop."

(2) "There is an obstruction or slow-moving vehicle ahead. Slow down."

3 signals.

(1) and (2) Same as in 2-signal system.

(3) "There is a serious obstruction ahead. Prepare to come to a full stop before proceeding."

4 signals.

(1), (2), and (3) Same as in 3-signal system.

(4) "There is an obstruction or slow-moving vehicle off the road. Use caution as you pass, but maintain the flow of traffic." Signal definitions other than those given above are possible, but the meanings listed reflect typical actual or proposed systems, except for the 4-signal system which is a speculative idea only.

Some reflection on the above systems suggests that a fourth signal could well be a counter- productive luxury not only in terms of cost, but also with respect to effectiveness. The 33 percent

increase in configurations to be remembered, relative to a 3-signal system, might outweigh the

5
rather marginal importance of the additional message. In the absence of contradictory empirical

evidence, then, it would appear reasonable that the ideal system in any particular jurisdiction (or, most desirably, in all jurisdictions), should include only one to three distinct signal light patterns, each requiring a different reaction from the target drivers.

2.6. Nonuniformity Among State Laws

The desirability of having a single set of traffic rules throughout the United States has

been clear since the automobile became a common mode of transportation. A group called the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances (in Washington, D.C.) has been

working since the 1920's to develop a Uniform Vehicle Code and Model Traffic Ordinance that would be voluntarily adopted, in whole or in part, by more and more State and local jurisdictions.

Their hope is that ultimately all governmental levels within the entire country will subscribe to a

single set of rules that has evolved through years of practical experience. The Committee has made

progress over the years, and issues revised versions of its proposed Code and Ordinance from time

to time. Among the many issues considered by the Committee is the problem of emergency vehicle warning lights. At a meeting of the Committee in November 1971, the Committee staff presented a

report which set forth the lack of uniformity among State laws governing warning lights on

"authorized emergency vehicles." The report describes the situation as it existed in about 1968.

Although there have been some changes since then, the trend has not been clearly toward greater

uniformity and the present situation is still approximately as confused as it was then. With the permission of the Committee, an excerpt from the staff report is reproduced below as an indication of how much of an improvement a single nationwide system of emergency vehicle warning lights

would be. (References in this quotation to "UVC" denote the Uniform Vehicle Code promulgated

by the Committee.)

"Twenty-one states have special lighting provisions for 'authorized emergency vehicles.' In

addition, eleven states have laws comparable to UVC §§12-227(b), (c), but have no other special

lighting provisions.

"Ten states provide for alternately flashing red lights, like the Code. Six of the ten require two red to the front and two red to the rear; however, three expressly allow rotating lights in lieu of or in addition to alternately flashing lights. Three of the ten require two lights to the front but have no requirements for rear lights—one allows a rotating light in lieu thereof. The District of Columbia requires at least one alternately flashing light [sic]. In addition, one state requires

alternately flashing lights but does not specify a color. Three states require or permit an

oscillating, rotating or flashing red light; one state permits a red and white light in lieu thereof. One state permits a flashing or rotating red or red and white light. One state provides for a

flashing red light. "Four states have unique provisions: Alaska requires a flashing red light visible to three

sides; California requires a rotating, flashing or steady red light and also permits flashing amber

warning lights and a flashing white light; Colorado requires a red light visible to the front and

rear, but does not specify the type of light and South Dakota requires one rotating red light or two

front red lights, but does not specify the type of light for the latter. "Two states authorize flashing lights for emergency vehicles, but include no description of the authorized lighting device in the statute; a second provision in one state authorizes a red light, but makes no reference to a flashing light. "Eleven states have a provision in substantial conformity with UVC §12-2 18(c), permitting, but not requiring, police vehicles to have lights required on authorized emergency

vehicles generally. In three cases, this provision is in addition to special lighting provisions

applicable to law enforcement vehicles only.

"Many states have lighting provisions specifically applicable to one or more types of authorized emergency vehicle, as that term is used by the Code, either in addition to or instead of

lighting requirements for 'authorized emergency vehicles.' Twenty-one states have provisions for police vehicles, twenty-three for fire vehicles and fifteen for ambulances and rescue equipment.

6
"Sixteen states provide for blue lights on police vehicles: four permit oscillating, rotating or flashing blue—in Illinois, this is for Chicago only; three permit rotating or flashing blue; two

permit flashing blue; one permits alternately flashing blue and six permit blue lights, but do not

specify the type of light. One state permits red and blue oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.

Eight states permit red lights on police vehicles: Three permit oscillating, rotating or flashing red; one permits flashing or rotating red; one permits flashing red; one permits rotating red; one

permits alternating, flashing or blinking red and one permits a red signal lamp, but does not

specify the type of light. One state permits police vehicles to have an oscillating, rotating or

flashing red and white light. "Six states permit blue lights on certain fire department vehicles: three permit flashing

blue; one permits flashing or rotating blue; one permits alternately flashing blue and one state permits a blue light on the vehicles of fire chiefs and marshals, but does not specify the type of

light. Eighteen states permit red lights on fire department vehicles: four permit oscillating,

flashing or rotating red; two permit rotating or flashing red; one permits alternating, flashing or blinking red; seven permit flashing red—one state limits this to fire police and one state to fire captains; one permits alternately flashing red and three states permit red lights, but do not specify the type. Two states permit oscillating, rotating or flashing white lights and one state permits

rotating or flashing white lights. One state permits oscillating, rotating or flashing red and white

lights and one state permits rotating red and white lights.

"One state permits alternately flashing blue lights on ambulances. Eleven states permit red

lights on ambulances: three permit oscillating, rotating or flashing red; two permit rotating or

flashing red; one permits alternating, flashing or blinking red; two permit flashing red and three permit red lights, but do not specify the type of light. Three states permit oscillating, rotating or

flashing white lights. Two states permit oscillating, rotating or flashing red and white lights, but one statute applies to local ambulances only.

"New Hampshire requires emergency lights on police, fire and rescue vehicles, but

authorizes the commissioner to establish the type of light. "Thirty-nine states have a provision comparable to UVC §12-227(b), prohibiting the use of

a red light visible to the front, except on certain vehicles. Four of the 39 also prohibit blue lights; three also prohibit green lights (as did early editions of the Code) and one state prohibits the use

of any colored lamp. In addition to these 39 states, one state provides expressly that only white,

yellow or amber light may be shown to the front, except on certain vehicles. Similarly, one state permits only white or amber and one state permits only white or yellow lights."

It should be noted that "authorized emergency vehicles," as defined in the Uniform

Vehicle Code, include in general (unless otherwise defined by the State) only publicly owned police

and fire vehicles and ambulances. The Committee staff report quoted above also contains comparable statistics on existing State rules concerning lights on other categories of vehicles. These

include: (a) school buses; (b) snow removal vehicles; (c) other highway maintenance vehicles; (d) tow trucks; (e) mail vehicles; (f) volunteer firemen's vehicles; (g) public utility emergency or repair

vehicles; (h) public service vehicles; (i) funeral home vehicles; (j) vehicles towing buildings; (k) pilot cars for oversized loads; (1) the oversized loads themselves; (m) mobile units of news media;

(n) Civil Defense vehicles; (o) Civil Air Patrol vehicles; (p) State medical examiners' and coroners'

vehicles; (q) doctors' cars in general; (r) State's attorneys' vehicles; (s) pest-abatement vehicles; (t) levee-maintenance vehicles; (u) sanitation vehicles; (v) church buses; (w) pet ambulances; (x) armored cars; and (y) forest wardens' vehicles. No single state has regulations separately covering all or even most of these "semiemergency" categories, so that within some particular states, the number of different emergency

light configurations to be memorized may be quite limited. On the other hand, there are states that permit some of their cities and counties to maintain separate emergency light codes. A driver making a long nonroutine trip, moving through many jurisdictions with different light codes, cannot be expected to be familiar with all the warning light configurations he encounters. As a

result, such drivers must limit themselves to noting the approach of vehicles bearing any rotating,

flashing, or otherwise unusual pattern of lights, and they will often pull over or proceed cautiously

7
without knowing what type of vehicle is being encountered. In effect, then, for the considerable

volume of traffic traversing jurisdictions with unfamiliar warning light rules, a one-signal system

of emergency vehicle lighting (as described in sec. 2.5) is now operative.

The only way to increase the number of signal categories reliably recognized by all inter- jurisdictional drivers is to move to a system that is nationally accepted. It would be more effective

to go to a signal system in which each distinct signal was nationally agreed upon in every detail; but in the absence of such agreement, national consistency could also be achieved with respect to two or more general categories of signals. For example, if a two-category system were desired, all jurisdictions might be able to agree that yellow lights always indicate danger due to a slow-moving

or standing vehicle, while the lights used to indicate danger from a rapidly moving vehicle could be of any other color desired locally. It would be easy enough for all drivers to learn a "yellow/other" system, but it is likely that drivers could react a bit more quickly to a specific

system such as yellow/red, or yellow/blue, etc. (See sec. 4.1 for a discussion of reaction time.)

CHAPTER 3. SOME MAJOR TYPES OF WARNING LIGHTS

3.1. Scope of the List

Anyone charged with the responsibility for purchasing warning lights for emergency

vehicles is faced with a situation of considerable complexity. There is available a wide and

confusing variety of such lights, with different optical, mechanical, and electrical characteristics. They are produced by a number of manufacturers, and sold by a considerably larger number of

distributors. The catalogs of many of these manufacturers and distributors were reviewed and a

sizable selection of warning lights was purchased for exploratory physical and perceptual study at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). These lights, which were not acquired for the purpose of

routine product testing, were meant to cover a variety of available types, regardless of manufacturer, within the limitation of the budget set aside for these purchases. The set of lights

acquired by NBS was not meant to be a statistically representative sample of the total warning

light market, and is certainly not a complete collection. This section lists some of the major types of warning lights. The list is not known to be

exhaustive; there may be other types of units that have not yet come to our attention. Moreover,

there are certainly specific units available that are of one of the types on the list, but differ from

the description given in some details. In particular, the possibilities for variation in combination

units (sec. 3.5) are almost limitless, since some manufacturers will supply roof bars containing any

desired grouping of the various units they produce. It should be kept in mind that even a list as general as this one tends to become outdated as time passes. This is due to the increasing number

of innovative changes being made in emergency vehicle warning light products, as well as the manufacturer's supply and demand considerations. Emergency vehicle warning lights consist of four main types—rotating, oscillating,

flashing, and steady (spotlights and floodlights)—and each of these categories is further divided as indicated in the classification scheme that follows.

3.2. Rotating Warning Lights

(a) Rotating base carrying one, two, three, or four sealed beam incandescent lamps; dome or

faces of lamps are colored (figs. 3.2al, 3.2a2, 3.2a3, 3.2a4).*

(b) Unit of basic type of figure 3.2a4 (four sealed beam lamps) with alternate lamps clear, one

tilted up (spot), the other tilted down (flood); other lamp faces colored; dome clear (fig. 3.2b).

(c) Rotating base carrying two or three sealed beam incandescent lamps; one clear lamp also

oscillates vertically through 90°; other lamp faces colored; dome clear (fig. 3.2c).

(d) Single incandescent bulb with three or four concentrating lenses rotating around bulb; lenses or dome colored (figs. 3.2dl, 3.2d2).

^The figures are collected at the end of this chapter.

8
(e) Single incandescent bulb with parabolic reflector rotating around bulb; dome colored (figs. 3.2el, 3.2e2, 3.2e3).

(f) Rotating base carrying two incandescent bulbs, each with its own external reflector; dome

colored (fig. 3.2f).

(g) Single quartz halogen incandescent lamp with parabolic reflector rotating around bulb; dome

colored (fig. 3.2g).

(h) Other.

3.3. Oscillating Warning Lights

(a) Base with three or four sealed beam incandescent lamps turns through 95°-110°, then returns

faster; lamp faces or dome colored (fig. 3.3a).

(b) Vertical oscillation combined with horizontal rotation. See 3.2c.

(c) Sealed beam incandescent lamp moves to make "figure 8" patterns (synchronized vertical and

horizontal oscillation); lens colored (fig. 3.3c).

(d) Multi-lamp oscillation. See 3.5d.

(e) Other.

3.4. Flashing Warning Lights

(a) One, two, three, or four stationary sealed beam incandescent lamps flash by current

interruption; lamp faces or dome colored (fig. 3.4a).

(b) Sealed beam incandescent lamp flashes by current interruption; hand-held; lens colored (fig. 3.4b).

(c) Single incandescent bulb flashes by current interruption; one or two concentrating Fresnel

lenses (front or front and back); lenses colored (figs. 3.4cl, 3.4c2, 3.4c3).

(d) Single incandescent bulb flashes by current interruption; parabolic reflector; dome colored

(fig. 3.4d).

(e) Single incandescent bulb flashes by current interruption; dome consists of 360° cylindrical Fresnel lens (horizontal ridges), supplemented by vertical ridges that diffuse the light over the full width of the dome; lens colored (fig. 3.4e).

(f) Gaseous capacitor-discharge flash lamp (e.g., xenon); different types of colored domes with

integral or separate 360° Fresnel lenses (figs. 3.4f, 3.5e middle).

(g) Gaseous-discharge flash lamp, dome clear or colored; separate "bull's-eye" Fresnel lens (360°, but concentrating light in forward and rearward directions) (fig. 3.4g).

(h) Pair of gaseous-discharge lamps, flashing alternately; domes clear or colored, with integral

360° Fresnel lenses (fig. 3.4h).

(i) Ring-shaped xenon flash tube coinciding with focal circle of mirror in the form of paraboloid

of revolution; dome clear or colored (fig. 3.4i).

(j) Sealed beam bulb with gaseous-discharge flash tube source; face of lamp colored (fig. 3.5e

ends).

(k) Gaseous-discharge lamp, emitting double flashes (the second flash somewhat less intense than

the first), thereby providing a signal more prolonged than the brief duration of a single strobe

flash; dome clear or colored, with integral 360° Fresnel lens (fig. 3.4k).

(1) Other.

3.5. Combination Units

(a) Roof bar with two 3.2a2 units (2 sealed beam lamps in each) at opposite ends, rotating

synchronously in the same direction, beam directions offset 90°; lamp faces or dome colored (fig. 3.5a).

(b) Roof bar with two 3.2a2 units (2 sealed beam lamps in each) at opposite ends, with opaque

separation (siren unit) in the middle; units rotate in opposite directions, beams in phase; three mirrors set just inboard of each unit to reflect forward the waste light directed from each lamp

toward the siren; the three mirrors in each group are offset angularly to produce a supplementary

9
triple flash as light rotates (fig. 3.5b). Newer model uses four mirrors on each side to provide

supplementary double flashes both forward and backward.

(c) Roof bar with a 3.2a2 (2-lamp) or 3.2a4 (4-lamp) unit in middle, lamp faces or dome colored;

at each end a forward-directed 3.4cl or 3.4c2 unit; lenses colored.

(d) Roof bar with array of five sealed beam incandescent lamps; locations: two clear at front middle, one red lamp face at rear middle, one red at each end (side); the two clear lamps oscillate around forward direction with mirror-image relationship with respect to midline; one red side lamp

oscillates around to rear, the other around to front; rear-facing red oscillates around direct rearward direction; all 5 oscillations synchronous; clear dome (fig. 3.5d).

(e) Roof bar with a 3.4f unit in middle, dome clear or colored; at each end a forward-directed

3.4j unit, lamp faces colored; switch permits flashing of center unit only, or both end units, or all three. End units, when operated alone, flash alternately. With all three units operating, end units

flash in unison and center unit flashes in alternation with end units (fig. 3.5e).

(f) Extensible roof platform, electrically raiseable from roof level to a height of 4 to 7 feet above

the roof; platform may be narrow or full width of roof; unit may contain a variety of lights,

typically including one or two rotating beacons and two or more floodlights.

(g) Other.

3.6. Spotlights, Floodlights, and Searchlights

(a) Remotely operated (electrically or mechanically); steady-burning plain incandescent or tungsten quartz halogen lamp.

(b) Hand-adjusted, on universal mount; steady-burning plain incandescent or tungsten quartz

halogen lamp.

(c) Hand-held; steady-burning plain incandescent, tungsten quartz halogen, or continuously

operated gaseous-discharge lamp.

(d) See 3.4b. Flashing spotlight.

(e) Other.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF EMERGENCY VEHICLE WARNING LIGHTS

Thirty-one photographs of warning light units in our possession follow, constituting the

figures of chapter 3. The figures are meant to illustrate unit types, not specific commercial units. Accordingly, an attempt has been made to retouch the photographs to remove all visible brand

names, trademarks, corporate logos, and other identifying marks. Because of various unique

characteristics, many of the units depicted in the photographs will still be recognizable to those

familiar with the warning light market. Note that these units were selected for acquisition as part of an attempt to collect a group of lights representative of the major available types, regardless of manufacturer. Inclusion of a specific unit in this set in no way implies any kind of positive or

negative valuation of the unit by the National Bureau of Standards; nor does absence of a unit from the set imply such valuation. NUMBERING OF THE FIGURES CORRESPONDS TO THE

PARAGRAPHS WITHIN CHAPTER 3 IN WHICH THE DEPICTED UNITS ARE DESCRIBED.

10
Figure 3.2a2. Rotating base carries three sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamps. Unit shown has three lamps with colored dome. Substitutable colored dome also shown on the left.

11
Figure 3.2a3. Rotating base carries three sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamps. Unit shown has three lamps withcolored

faces under a clear dome.

12
13
lud,Ml,niK,lii,l,„lM.lHii

Figure 3.2b. Rotating base carriesfour sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamps shown under a clear dome. Two opposite lamps with

colored faces are directed horizontally. Two alternate lamps are clear, and one (rear right lamp) is tilted upward, the other downward.

14
O 1 2

Figure 3.2c. Rotating base carries three sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamps shown under a clear dome. Two lamps have

colored faces and are directed horizontally. The other (right lamp) is clear and oscillates vertically as it rotates.

15
Figure 3.2dl. Rotating base carries three lenses around a fixed, nonreflectorized, clear incandescent lamp with its axis vertical. Unit shown has three clear lenses rotating around a lamp suspended downward from above, under a clear dome.

Substitutable colored dome also shown on the left.

16
Figure 3.262. Rotating base carries four lenses around a fixed, nonre/lectorized, clear incandescent lamp with its axis vertical. Unit shown has four colored lenses rotating around an upright lamp, under a clear dome.

17
O 1 2

lililiiiiiillm\lil\iiilnil»A

Figure 3.2el. Parabolic minor rotates around a fixed, nonreflectorized, clear incandescent lamp with its axis vertical. Unit shown has the lamp suspended downward from above, under a clear dome. Substitutable colored dome also shown

on the left.

Figure 3.2e2. Parabolic mirror rotates around a fixed, nonreflectorized, clear incandescent lamp with its axis vertical. Unit shown has an upright lamp under a teardrop-shaped substitutable dome (colored dome also shown on the right) that is presumably meant to cut air resistance at high speeds.

18
Figure 3.2e3. Parabolic mirror rotates around a fixed, nonreflectorized, clear incandescent lamp with its axis vertical. Unit shown has an upright lamp under a colored dome (shown removed for clarity) containing a Fresnel lens (ridges) that further adjusts the vertical spread of the beam.

19
C) 1 Z

lu,hi,linluilluUnlulliiJ

Figure 3.2f. Rotating base carries two nonreflectorized incandescent lamps with attached external parabolic reflectors. Unit is shown with colored dome removed for clarity. This low-profile unit is intended for use on the dashboards of part- time emergency vehicles (plugging into the cigarette lighter).

Figure 3.2g. Parabolic mirror rotates around a fixed, nonreflectorized, clear, tungsten quartz halogen lamp with its axis

vertical. Unit shown has an upright lamp under a teardrop-shaped colored dome (shown removed for clarity) that is presumably meant to cut air resistance at high speeds. This unit is similar to that shown in figure 3.2e2, except for the lamp type.

20
Figure 3.3a. Base canying four outward-facing sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamps oscillates horizontally back and forth

over about 90°. Return sweep is much faster than initial sweep. Unit shown has lamps with colored faces, under a

clear dome.

21
Figure 3.3c. Single sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamp oscillates synchronously in both the horizontal and vertical

directions, around a fixed horizontal axis. The result is a double "figure 8" pattern ( oooo : four full up-and-down

vertical oscillations to each full back-and-forth horizontal oscillation). Bullet-shaped housing is oriented

horizontally, with clear (or interchangeably, colored) lens in front.

22
O X z

(lliJlulllillllllllllllllllllll'

Figure 3.4a. Four stationary, horizontally directed sealed beam (PAR) incandescent lamps are flashed by current interruption. Unit shown has clear lamps under a colored dome.

23
Figure 3.4b. Hand-held, pistol-grip, single-lamp warning spotlight. Lamp is incandescent sealed beam (PAR) type, and flashes by

current interruption. Unit shown with clear front lens. Colored lens shown on the left can be snapped on over the clear

lens.

24
O 1 2

liuljiiliiihuliiiliiiluiluli

Figure 3.4c1. A single stationary, upright, nonreflectorized incandescent lamp is /lashed by current interruption. Housing is enclosed by two colored "bull's-eye" Fresnel lenses that concentrate the light from the lamp around the forward and rearward directions. Front and rear views of the same unit are shown. The unit is optically the same on both

sides; only the metal housing shows differences in detail. Flasher circuitry is inside the unit.

25
iuiLuLialuilu

Figure 3.4c2. An electrically flashed incandescent unit having an optical layout similar to the light shown in the preceding

figure (fig. 3.4cl), but considerably larger in diameter. Requires external flasher circuitry.

26
Figure 3.4c3. Two small, upright, nonreflectorized incandescent lamps, side by side, flash with independent phases, by current

interruption. Fresnel lenses fore and aft contain not only a "bull's-eye" pattern for concentrating the beams in the forward and rearward directions, but also superimposed straight "ribs" that diffuse the light over the entire surfaces of the lenses. One lens is red and the other yellow (amber). Dual flasher circuitry is built in. Unit plugs

into cigarette lighter socket, and has no attachment hardware on the base. It is intended for occasional use as a stopped-vehicle signal, and possibly also for occasional use as an internal, normally concealed, emergency-warning

Ught.

27
Figure 3.4d. Single, upright, nonreflectorized, stationary incandescent lamp at the focus of a fixed parabolic reflector is flashed by current interruption. Gear dome (substitutable colored dome also shown on the right) is teardrop shaped, presumably to lower air resistance at high speeds.

28
O 1 2

liidiiiliuliijliukuiiiiiiul

Figure 3.4e. Single, upright, nonrefUctorized, stationary incandescent lamp is electrically flashed by current-interruption

circuitry included in the unit. G>lored dome contains built-in Fresnel lens (horizontal ridges) that acts as a uniform, wrap-around cylindrical lens, concentrating the light around the horizontal plane evenly over a full 360°. Dome also features superimposed straight vertical "ribs" that diffuse the light over the entire width of the dome.

29
Figure 3.4f. Single xenon flashtube is energized through built-in, high-voltage, condenser-discharge circuitry, under base. Clear dome contains built-in Fresnel lens (horizontal ridges) that acts as a uniform, wraparound cylindrical lens, concentrating the light around the horizontal plane evenly over a full 360°. Dome also features superimposed

straight vertical "ribs" that diffuse the light across the entire width of the dome. Substitutable colored dome is also shown on the left. A single, small, upright, nonreflectorized incandescent lamp is also mounted under the dome and

is burned steadily to permit continuous visibility of the unit at close ranges at night.

30
Figure 3.4g. Single xenon flashtube is energized through built-in, high-voltage, condenser-discharge circuitry, in base. Inner

clear dome is flattened, with "bull's-eye" Fresnel lenses on both front and rear surfaces. Light emerges over 360°,

but these lenses concentrate the light more strongly around the front and rear horizontal directions. The narrow

side surfaces of the inner dome contain cylindrical Fresnel lenses (horizontal ridges) that concentrate the light emitted sideways around the horizontal plane. Smooth outer dome is clear, with substitutable colored outer dome

also shown on the left. Also mounted under the inner dome are two small, upright, nonreflectorized incandescent

lamps, one on each side. These are burned steadily to permit continuous visibility of the unit at close ranges at night.

31
Figure 3.4h. A pair of small flashtube units, each containing one xenon lamp. Each dome—one clear and one colored

contains a built-in Fresnel lens (horizontal ridges) that acts as a uniform, wrap-around cylindrical lens, concentrating the light around the horizontal plane evenly over a full 360°. Separate external power supply (box behind domes) contains high-voltage condenser-discharge circuitry, and may be located at some distance from the

optical units. The power supply fires the units alternately, producing alternating colored and white flashes.

32
Figure 3.4i. Single ring-shaped xenon flashtube is energized through built-in, high-voltage, condenser-discharge circuitry, in

base. Flashtube ring coincides with the focal circle of a mirror in the shape of a paraboloid of revolution, thus

concentrating the light around the horizontal plane, over 360°. Qear dome is shown for clarity.

33
Figure 3.4k. Single xenon flashtube emits double flashes (two in quick succession}, energized through high-voltage, condenser- discharge circuitry contained within an external power supply (not shown). The second flash of each pair of flashes is somewhat weaker than the first, and occurs after a time lag sufficient to provide a signal that is perceived as lasting longer than the very brief duration of individual gaseous-discharge flashes. The colored dome, shown removed for

clarity, contains a built-in Fresnel lens (horizontal ridges) that acts as a uniform, wraparound cyhndrical lens, concentrating the light around the horizontal plane evenly over a full 360°. The dome also features superimposed

straight vertical "ribs" that diffuse the light across the entire width of the dome. (The markings on the lamp base were added during laboratory tests and are not part of the commercial product.)

34
Figure 3.5a. Roof bar with two 2-bulb rotating incandescent units (resembling fig. 3.2a2), one at each end, rotating synchronously with 90° offset ofphase (one unit oriented sideways when the other is fore-and-aft). Length of bar is 4

1/2 ft (about 1.37 m).

Figure 3.5b. Roof bar with two 2-bulb rotating incandescent units (resembling fig. 3.2a2), one at each end, rotating synchronously in opposite directions, in phase (lights point forward at same time). Siren is in the middle. Three mirrors mounted inboard of Ughts on each side produce a supplementary triple flash forward on each side as lights turn in toward siren. Newer model than that shown uses four mirrors on each side to provide supplementary double flashes both forwards and rearwards. Qear rectangular domes shown on both sides. Length of bar is 4 1/2 ft (about 1.37

m).

35
Figure 3.5d. Wide stationary base supports array offive sealed beam (PAR) outward-facing incandescent lamps, horizontally

oscillating in synchrony, with beams horizontal under a clear dome. Pattern: two clear lamps at front oscillate around

the forward direction with mirror-image relationships with respect to the midline; single colored lamp oscillates around the rearward direction; one of the two sidefacing colored lamps oscillates around to the rear, the other around to the front.

Figure 3.5e. Roof bar with 360° xenon flasher (sec. 3.4f) in the center and forward-directed sealed-beam xenon flashers (sec. 3.4]) at the ends. The center lamp is covered with a clear cylindrical Fresnel lens-dome (see fig. 3.4f) inside a smooth, colored outer dome. A small, steady-burning 360° incandescent lamp is also mounted under the inner dome, permitting continuous visibility at close ranges at night. High-voltage condenser-discharge power-supply

circuitry is built into the base of the center unit. A separate, external control box includes a dial for selecting flashing of: (1) center unit only; (2) end units only, flashing alternately; or (3) all three lights, with simultaneously

flashing end units alternating with center unit. Length of bar is 4 ft 8 in (about 1.42 m).

36
PART II. BACKGROUND MATERIAL

CHAPTER 4. THEORY OF WARNING SIGNALS

4.1. Scope of This Treatment

The flashing lights, sirens, and horns of an ordinary emergency vehicle are meant to serve

as general alerting signals. Their purpose is to make drivers (and pedestrians) aware that an emergency vehicle is approaching, but not to communicate instructions concerning what action is to be taken to facilitate the safe passage of the emergency vehicle. In many jurisdictions, the

correct action is prescribed by law or regulation. Frequently, the required behavior is fixed in nature (for example, pulling over to the right and stopping), and is not a function of the direction of approach of the emergency vehicle or the category of the vehicle (police car, fire engine, or ambulance). All licensed drivers in such jurisdictions are presumed to know what the prescribed

action is and are legally responsible for acting appropriately as soon as the emergency signal is noticed. In this report, the essential concern is the effectiveness of light signals in being noticed. Considerations of using different signals to prompt different actions on the part of the

driver and of methods of training drivers to make appropriate responses to signals will not be

dealt with in detail. It is worth noting, however, that when a person must be ready to expect any

one of two or more different signals, each one requiring a different response, the amount of information processing the person's brain must perform at each occurrence of one of the signals is greater than when he must deal with a single response to a single signal.

This extra processing is manifested outwardly by an increase in the observer's reaction time—the time between the occurrence of the signal and the making of the appropriate response.

It has been repeatedly demonstrated in laboratory studies (Woodworth and Schlosberg, 1954, ch. 2) that reaction time increases with the number of alternative signal-response pairs for which the observer must be prepared. Moreover, when the signal occurs unexpectedly, and under stressful conditions, such as heavy traffic, some people completely forget what the appropriate response is to whichever signal has occurred. This failure can take place even when there is only one signal

and one response, but it becomes increasingly likely the more signal-response combinations there

are to be remembered. Consequently, a set of signals consisting of otherwise meaningless events

that have only arbitrary connections with the expected responses, can be quite dangerous. A

multisignal, multiresponse system should employ signals that suggest the response desired either by their very form or by previous familiarity; as for example, flashing arrows or direct voice commands.

Our attention will be restricted largely to the general alerting function of light signals as they affect the driver, with little consideration of the pedestrian. This decision is based on the fact that the problem of unresponsive drivers has proven to be far more serious, in terms of both

accidents and delays of emergency vehicles, than the problem of unresponsive pedestrians. When,

as is common, a sound signal is being used in addition to lights, the pedestrian has the marked

advantage over the driver of not being in a sound-attenuating and noise-generating enclosure, and

he should consequently hear the siren or horn well before the driver. Moreover, pedestrians

crossing the street, or about to do so, often look down the street in both directions (or, at a comer,

in three or four directions) and hence are fairly likely to notice even a far-off light signal. The

pedestrian is also often free to observe in any desired direction for lengths of time that would be

dangerous for a driver, and even to stop walking and continue to observe if he thinks he might be

detecting an approaching emergency signal or other attention-compelling event.

37
Although we will be considering lights basically as general alerting signals, it must be

realized that lights and sounds do carry information more specific than the fact that an emergency

vehicle is nearby, such as an indication of the direction of the emergency vehicle relative to the

target automobile. One advantage of light signals over sound is that the ability of human beings to

localize the sources of sounds is greatly inferior to their ability to perceive the direction of visual

stimuli. Under any ordinary conditions, to see anything at all is to know at least roughly where the seen object is relative to oneself. For example, the relative location of a flashing light is easy to discern when the driver sees it in his rearview mirror, or through a side window or the windshield.

It is only when he does not see the source of the light directly, but rather the pattern created by

the light's shining on objects (such as the interior surfaces of his car, or the roadway) that light detection without knowledge of its direction sometimes occurs. Knowledge of signal direction is of least importance in jurisdictions in which a single response to any emergency vehicle approach is mandatory, but even there it may be crucial in properly timing the response (as when the emergency vehicle passes on the right). Even in such

jurisdictions, the behavioral fact is that some motorists either do not choose to or are not in a

position to make the legally prescribed response. Instead, they note the direction of approach of

the emergency vehicle and make the response (including "no response"—maintaining course and

speed) that they judge will make it easiest for the emergency vehicle to get through the traffic. The

driver, in short, "uses his common sense," and it may sometimes be beneficial for him to do so, although incompatible "ad lib" maneuvers begun by neighboring drivers in a heavy traffic stream

obviously can lead to accidents. In any event, the alerting function of the light signal is by far the most important, and the problem of detecting its direction will be dealt with only briefly.

Although the basic purpose of an emergency vehicle warning signal is to be noticed by

drivers, there is an obvious secondary function: to communicate that the signal that has been

observed is associated specifically with an emergency vehicle. In other words, the signal must not only attract attention, but must be distinctive; it must not greatly resemble other lights or sounds

that occur with significant frequency in the environment. Keeping emergency vehicle warning

signals different from other deliberate signals is a matter of establishing a convention with some

legal force and seeing to it that the convention is made known to the public. Although

psychological factors are involved in choosing a convention that will be easily remembered, this problem will not be dealt with here. However, choosing a light signal that stands out from the

pattern of lights that occurs naturally in traffic is a perceptual problem and will be discussed later.

4.2. The Stage Model of Reacting to a Signal

A signal may be defined as a sensory stimulus that is emitted with the intention of conveying information. In the specific case of a warning signal, the information being transmitted

is that a condition of some kind of danger exists in the vicinity. Frequently, the information

conveyed to an observer familiar with the signal system also includes a request or demand for action of a particular sort, meant to reduce the danger of the situation. This action is sometimes

outwardly visible (for example, slowing of a vehicle), and sometimes internal to the observer (for example, staying alert). A successful signal must be detected by the sensory system of the observer

at which it is directed, must be properly interpreted, and must lead to the desired response. In this section, the processes intervening between the emission of a warning signal and the carrying out of

the correct response by the observer are analyzed and, with particular application to warning hght

signals, a specific set of processes or stages is postulated. In order for a light signal to be detected visually, it is clearly necessary that some of the

light enter the eye. Some of that light must reach the light-sensitive back surface of the eye (the

retina), where it must stimulate some of the photoreceptors—the light-absorbing nerve cells that generate the first stage of the visual response. In order for the photoreceptor system to be

triggered into producing a large enough response to result in a sensation of seeing a visual event, a

certain minimum number of the photoreceptors, within a certain maximum area of the retina, must

be triggered by the incoming light within a certain maximum period of time. The exact numbers

are still not known with certainty, but the critical number of receptors, the critical area within

38
which they must lie, and the critical time within which the receptors must be stimulated, all vary

with the prevailing light level, or background, against which the light signal is appearing; and they

vary, too, with the level of light to which the eye has been exposed in the recent past—the adaptation level. Under the best pos^sible conditions, in which a light signal is presented to a fully

dark-adapted eye against a completely black background, the minimum detectable amount of light energy (the absolute threshold) is extremely small. On the other hand, if the eye has been looking

at a very bright surface and the light signal appears against a bright background, the amount of

additional energy needed for the visual system to just make out the signal against the background

(the differential threshold) can be enormously higher than the absolute threshold. Let us assume, then, that the light signal has produced enough stimulation within the

critical time and critical area associated with the given background level and state of adaptation of

the eye to produce a seeing response. We can say that under these circumstances the signal

provides an adequate stimulus for seeing. If the signal contained too little energy, or if the energy was spread over too large an area of the retina, or if the energy arrived over too long a period of

time, the stimulus is inadequate for seeing and seeing cannot take place, even though some

response in one or more photoreceptors may have occurred. However, even though a stimulus is adequate for seeing, it may not in fact be seen. The

photoreceptors feed back to higher-level nerve cells, which in turn feed back to still higher-level nerve cells, and so on, until connection is made with cells in the visual area of the highest level

(cortex) of the brain. Although there is some evidence that simple detection of light can take place

at lower levels in the brain, the recognition of objects and interpretation of a visual scene take

place at the highest (cortical) level. The interconnections of the cells within the brain are almost

incomprehensibly complex, and things can happen in other parts of the brain that will cause the nerve impulses corresponding to the light signal to be intercepted and suppressed, so that the neural signal never arrives at the visual cortex and the light is not seen. In more everyday terms, we say that we failed to see the light, even though it did register at the outer end of the visual system, because we were "paying attention" to something else. We do not know in terms of brain physiology what attention is, but we all know from direct experience that one can fail to see something that is in plain sight. Not only can one visual pattern keep us from noticing another less compelling but perfectly adequate visual stimulus, but a sound pattern (such as a radio program)

can keep us from noticing a visual stimulus that is in fact registering on our outer visual system.

Indeed, we can fail to see anything whatever in our entire visual field because of dominating

interference from stimuli generated completely internally; we often refer to such an event as "daydreaming."

Let us assume, then, that a light signal has adequately stimulated the visual system and

that the observer was paying attention and actually senses the presence of the light. He must then

recognize and interpret the specific pattern that he has perceived in the signal. Every aspect of the stimulus will influence the interpretative process: the sizes and shapes of the illuminated areas,

their colors, brightnesses, and the way in which each of the preceding factors changes (or fails to change) with time, for each area within the signal pattern. The observer's ability to recognize this signal, or to deduce its probable significance, obviously is strongly a function of his entire past

experience. Moreover, the interpretation made also depends on the context—the overall situation

in which the observer perceives himself to be. Thus, the detailed characteristics of the entire present environment—not only the visual aspects—as well as the characteristics of and changes in the environment over the recent past, will all influence the interpretation chosen for any particular

signal. For example, the sudden appearance of a simple red light against a largely dark

background is given one interpretation when the observer is out on the lake in a boat, and another

interpretation when he is driving a car. In the latter case, the interpretation will differ depending

upon the location of the light relative to the driver's automobile—whether it is directly ahead and

below eye level, for example (brake lights of the car ahead), or off to the right and well above eye

level (red traffic light). Once the observer has decided that a visual event that he has noticed is a deliberate signal of some kind, and has also decided exactly what message the signal was meant to convey, he must

39
then make a decision about whether to make any overt response, and, if so, what it should be. The

final step is for him to actually carry out the planned response. To a scientist studying the

reactions of an observer to signal lights, the only directly observable events are the first—the occurrence of the signal; and, if it takes place, the last—the occurrence of the observer's outward

reaction. All the intervening mental activity discussed above can only be inferred. Science does not yet really know very much about these intervening processes. There may

be stages that have not been listed above, and some of the stages that have been listed may not

really occur as independent activities at all, but may instead be part of the processing that occurs

within other stages. Regardless of what the realities of brain functioning eventually are found out

to be, it will be convenient in discussing the effectiveness of light signals to refer to the various processes that have been described above. In summary, these processes are as follows:

(a) Reception—The adequate stimulation of the outer portions of the visual system by

the light stimulus.

(b) Noticing—The result of paying sufficient attention to the stimulus to allow the message to get all the way up to the visual perception area in the brain.

(c) Interpretation—This stage may have at least two substages: the recognition of the stimulus as a deliberate signal of some kind; and the recognition of the specific meaning or intent of the signal if it is familiar from past experience, or the reasoning out of the most likely meaning

if the exact form is not familiar.

(d) Decision—The determination of whether an outward reaction to the signal is to be

made; if so, what the reaction will be and when it is to be carried out.

(e) Reaction—The actual carrying out of the planned reaction.

It should be understood that the above sequence of stages represents a summary of the processes that occur when everything goes smoothly. In practice, the sequence can be interrupted

within any stage, or in the transition between any of the consecutive stages. Thus, "freezing"

might be interpreted as an inability to carry through the decision stage to completion, despite every effort to do so. Stepping on the accelerator, when application of the brakes was intended, can be thought of as difficulty in making the transition from decision to reaction. In such

situations, the breaking of the above chain may be due to disruption by powerful emotional

reactions ("panicking"), or to competition from other perceptually insistent stimuli ("distraction") or other sequences of internal processings ("confusion").

Some of the phrases used in describing the above stages suggest conscious, deliberate reasoning and decision making. When enough time is available, some degree of controlled analysis of the situation may actually occur. However, the entire sequence from signal to reaction may take

place in less than a second, and most or all of the steps may be carried out automatically, without

conscious volition. The stages listed here represent conceptually familiar intermediate results in an

information handling process, the detailed workings of which cannot currently be described in

detail. CHAPTER 5. THE VISUAL SITUATION IN DRIVING

5.1. Overall Stimulus-Response Pattern

The driver of a moving automobile is faced with a continuously changing, quite complex

pattern of sensory stimulation, especially visual stimulation. Critically important visual information

passes from the external environment to the driver's eyes through the window of the vehicle and

also through whatever mirrors the vehicle is equipped with. Visual stimulation, usually of somewhat less urgency, comes from the dashboard of the car. Naturally, all stimulation in an

automobile is not conveyed by vision; sounds, too, are of some importance. The smoothness of the mechanical operation of the vehicle is monitored by awareness of the engine noise, tire noise, and

body rattles and squeaks; and between glances at the speedometer, the wind noise and tire noise supply information about vehicle speed. External sounds not generated by the vehicle itself often provide information about the movements and planned movements of other nearby vehicles.

Finally, the sense of touch also supplies significant information to the driver. Upward and

40
sidewards pressures on "the seat of the driver's pants," on his back, the soles of his feet, and all of his postural muscles, provide clues to the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle and the curvature and tilt of the roadway. Vibrations also provide information about the road surface and

the tires.As a result of the inputs through all of these senses, but principally through the visual sense, the driver is kept informed of the position, velocity (speed and direction), and acceleration of his vehicle relative to the roadway and to other vehicles and fixed objects on or near the roadway. The driver has a certain notion at each moment of what his position, velocity, and

acceleration ought to be, relative to all the external objects. Very frequently throughout a ride the

deviation between the actual values of these variables and the values considered desirable by the

driver wiU rise above an acceptable level. He then takes the action that he expects will reduce the deviation to an acceptable level: he turns the steering wheel a bit, eases up on the accelerator pedal, or performs other control-related activities. Very shortly after he has taken corrective

action, the driver will see evidence of the action in the stream of his sensory impressions. For

example, if he has turned the wheel somewhat to the left, he may observe that the vehicle is getting closer to the white line on the left side of his lane. As a result of this sensory feedback, he

knows whether his corrective action was about right, too much, or not enough. In the latter two

situations, he will make a new corrective adjustment and will again note the results by observing

the motion of the vehicle relative to outside objects.

Thus, a driver's sensory input affects his motor (muscular) reactions, and vice versa. In engineering terminology, we would describe the situation as a continuous feedback loop. Only

experience can properly match up the magnitudes of the corrective reactions to the magnitudes of

the observed errors. Prolonged undercorrection may lead to an ever-increasing error and,

eventually, an accident. Prolonged overcorrection may lead to an oscillation between errors in one

direction and in the other; in the case of steering, this oscillation is familiar as the "weaving"

characterizing some inexperienced or drunk drivers. An important part of the process of learning to be a competent driver consists of discovering which kinds of stimuli within the incoming stream of sensory impressions should be

selected for attention as important cues to required action, and which kinds can be safely

disregarded. External light stimuli are of fundamental importance, of course. A driver who does

not quickly recognize traffic lights, and vehicle head, tail, brake, and turn lights, is going to have

trouble. At night on a city street, many extraneous lights are present in the environment, some

having the same red, green, and yellow colors that characterize the critical signals, and some

moving or blinking on and off. Under these conditions, the ability to select out only the relevant

lights must be well developed, and it is not suprising that some beginning drivers find such a

visual environment overwhelming and are very hesitant about driving at night. On a dark road at night, many of the familiar visual cues that a driver is accustomed to from daytime driving

experience are missing, and it is necessary to learn how to get along with a reduced level and

different pattern of visual feedback. This experience, too, can be frightening to a beginner and

hence even suburban or rural drivers may dislike night driving.

The complexity of the visual stimulation reaching the driver of a moving vehicle is often not fuUy appreciated, because we tend to perceive the world not in terms of changing clumps of

visual stimuli, but in terms of fixed objects that retain stability despite our motion relative to them. Actually, all the visual stimuli that we pick up through the windows of a vehicle are flowing

by in a continuous moving stream within which the rate of flow varies greatly, depending upon the

distance from the vehicle of the object producing each visual stimulus. At night, objects become

harder to make out, and to an inexperienced observer, the visual input consists of a shifting maze

of unorganized lights that come flashing by in a partly meaningless jumble.

Every driver must continually scan his visual field, interpreting the pattern in one

particular direction as quickly as possible and then shifting his line of gaze—or, sometimes, only

his attention—to another part of the field. The line of gaze and the focus of attention do not always coincide. Thus, it is not unusual for a driver to keep his eyes fixed on the car directly

ahead, and yet to be aware at times of cars moving by in neighboring lanes, through peripheral

41
vision. There is a continued scanning of attention, as well as of direction of gaze, and although the

focus of attention is often coincident with the direct line of sight, there are frequent temporary

divergences of the two. In the context of home or office, the discrepancy is often made evident by

an inability (usually momentary) to find an object over which the seeker's eyes may pass

repeatedly.

If a visual event intended as a signal occurs in a part of the visual field to which a driver

is not currently paying attention, even if he is looking in that direction, it will not be noticed until the driver's attention passes again over that portion of the visual field. Of course, attention is not an all-or-nothing matter. Some parts of the visual field rarely receive more than a minimal level of

attention, while other parts are focused on more often and more fully. Thus, a visual signal in a portion of the field currently being assigned a low level of priority may not be seen even when

some portion of the driver's attention does move back to that area. It takes a signal with an

unusual degree of "impact" to overcome a low attention level and intrude itself into the driver's consciousness. One of the determinants of how much time the observer will give to a particular

part of the visual field on a given scan, and how much attention he will pay to what is seen during

that time interval, is the degree of unexpectedness of the pattern of stimulation detected during

the early moments of the time interval. If everything there seems to be as it should be, the

inspection interval will be terminated relatively quickly and what is seen will "register" in the

observer's awareness at only a low level or not at all. If something is noted in the area that is not

consistent with recent past experience—if some unexpected change has occurred—the attention

will be focused longer and more fully in that direction until the unexpected change has been

interpreted and a decision made on whether action is required.

The attention phenomena discussed above may be of particular importance when the "unexpected change" in the visual field is a deliberate signal. The purpose of issuing a signal is to communicate some kind of information to the observer, and obviously no information transfer can

occur until the observer has noticed the presence of the signal. The effectiveness of the signal in achieving the desired goal of information transfer is therefore strongly a function of the ease with

which the signal can intrude itself into the conscious awareness of the observer. The ability to intrude is known by various names: conspicuity, noticeability, perceptual insistence, attention- attracting power, or simply effectiveness. In this report, the term "conspicuity" will be favored, but some of the other terms may occasionally be used interchangeably.

5.2. Visual Stimulation From Emergency Vehicle Warning Lights

The nature of the visual stimulus reaching the "target" driver (that is, any of the drivers

for whom the signal is intended) depends strongly on the direction from which the emergency

vehicle is approaching. The most important general observation that can be made is that in most

instances the image of the warning light does not first appear directly in the line of sight of the

driver, but rather it usually appears well away from the central direction—in the periphery of the

visual field. As soon as the presence of the light has been noted "out of the corner" of the driver's eye, he will usually shift his gaze to look directly at it, provided traffic conditions in his immediate

vicinity safely allow a momentary glance away from the straight ahead direction. The critical event

is the driver's noticing the light with his peripheral vision; the direct inspection of the signal,

which is partly involuntary, is for purposes of confirmation and planning a reaction. The first and

later direct glances help to verify that the signal is associated with an emergency vehicle. They

also provide the basis for estimates of the route of approach, the time remaining before the moment of closest approach, the distance at closest approach, and the need for (and nature of) a

protective reaction. The considerable implications of the fact that the critical alerting function of an emergency

warning signal usually occurs in peripheral vision will be detailed in chapter 6. Here, we will merely examine the patterns of stimulation associated with the three basic directions of approach:

from a) the rear, b) the side, and c) the front. Because approach from the rear is the most

troublesome case, that pattern of stimulation will be examined first, in considerable detail. In this discussion, some general facts about illumination will be introduced.

42
(a) Approach from the rear. When a driver is being overtaken by an emergency

vehicle exhibiting a warning light, his only opportunity to detect the light at a safe distance comes

through reflection in one of his rearview mirrors. The inside mirror is the one that most frequently transmits the signal, since it is the only mirror present in some cars, while in others it is the only one properly positioned for use and/or the only one habitually used. When the driver is looking

straight ahead, the inside mirror is usually somewhat above the driver's line of vision and quite

far off to the right (in angular terms). Safe driving practice includes frequent direct glances at the

inside mirror to monitor the positions and relative movements of vehicles to the rear. However,

many drivers neglect such monitoring and even a conscientious driver may have to let quite a few

seconds go by between glances if traffic is heavy and driving conditions are difficult. Fairly frequent use is made of the left outside mirror by some drivers. In comparison with

the range of locations of inside mirrors, placement of these mirrors is quite variable. Most are below the mean straight ahead line of vision, but the type attached to the molding above the window is above or at the same level as this direction of view. The type mounted far forward on

the left fender is somewhat to the left of the forward line of gaze, and the other types are considerably further to the left. The presence or use of right outside mirrors is not very common,

and need not be discussed beyond pointing out that they are approximately level with or a little below the straight ahead direction and very far off to the right.

Whichever mirror may be used, and wherever it may be placed, the essential point is that the image of a signal from the rear will not be located near the center of the driver's visual field, except during the small fraction of the time during which he is looking directly at the mirror. Thus

these signals are delivered peripherally most of the time.

If traffic is light, the overtaking emergency vehicle has little problem getting through,

except on very narrow roads. The problems occur when traffic is medium or heavy. In those

situations, while the emergency vehicle is still far from the target driver, there is a considerable

probability that intervening vehicles will be physically blocking the image of the emergency

vehicle's warning light. Moreover, even if the light is not being blocked at a given moment, there

are enough lights (at night) and motions (day or night) being imaged in the target driver's mirror(s) that it becomes harder for the image of the warning light to attract his attention, particularly when

it is being viewed peripherally.

The brightness that any object is seen to have is determined essentially by the amount of luminous power (flux) per unit area impinging on the retina of the observer's eye (technically, the illuminance of the retina). At long distances, the image of the warning light is seen as a point with no perceptible area. In this case, the illuminance of the observer's retina is inversely proportional

to the square of the distance between the light and the observer (if the air is clear), so that the

light at long distances is not only tiny but is also not very bright. When the emergency vehicle has come close enough to the target vehicle to permit the image of the warning light to appear as a

disc (an extended source), rather than a point, the observer's retinal illuminance ceases to increase

as rapidly as the inverse square law would imply, and it increases less rapidly as the disc grows

larger (the limit being no change at all for an infinitely large disc). Even when the emergency

vehicle has come up directly behind the target vehicle, the image of a warning light in a rearview

mirror is not extremely large in an angular sense. Moreover, because many lights are covered by

lenses that are not perfect diffusers of light, a small "hot spot" corresponding to the filament or plasma arc (in "strobe" lights) is seen superimposed on the disc of the lens. Thus, even a nearby

warning light has characteristics intermediate between a point source and an extended source, and some degree of brightening continues to occur even as the light approaches the target vehicle very

closely. At night, when the emergency vehicle is very close behind the target vehicle, either

directly to the rear or off to one side in a neighboring lane, another effect may occur. Instead of

directly observing the image of the light in a mirror, the target driver may notice a perceptible

brightening of nonmirror surfaces either inside or outside the car. If the light is a rotating beacon,

the driver may see a broad, diffuse patch of light sweep across the interior roof of the car, the dashboard, the windshield pillars, or the dirt layer on his windshield. If the light is a flash lamp,

43
the effect will be for some or all of these surfaces to be lit with a diffuse light that flashes on and

off. It is also possible for the driver to notice illumination from the light falling on the road ahead

of him, on buildings a short way down the street, or on the surface of vehicles not far ahead. Shiny surfaces, either inside or outside the car, although not necessarily good image-forming

mirrors, may flare up momentarily with bright specular reflections of the light.

It is only when no direct image of the warning light is seen—when only surface illuminations are noted—that there may be confusion about the direction from which the warning

light is approaching. Drivers in this situation will usually make repeated rapid scans over as much

of the visual field as they feel safe in examining, in an attempt to locate a direct or mirror image

of the source. They can thereby establish the direction of approach of the warning light and also

verify that it is indeed issuing from an emergency vehicle. Since nearby drivers may be slowing,

stopping, or maneuvering in response to the same warning signal, this visual searching behavior

has the potential of leading to collisions. Drivers who have first heard the sound of a siren will often look around for the image of a warning light in this way, before even indirect illumination from the light has been observed. Because the zone of noticeable illumination of diffuse surfaces does not extend very far in front of the emergency vehicle, especially in the daytime, a driver who has first noticed an emergency vehicle warning light by surface illuminations will frequently be too late to take evasive

action allowing the emergency vehicle to pass without slackening speed. In fact, it is not unusual

for a warning light noticed in this indirect way to be coming from an emergency vehicle that is "tailgating" the target driver, waiting for him to notice its presence and get out of the way.

(b) Approach from the side. In this situation, the target and emergency vehicles are approaching an intersection at about the same time at right angles to one another. This is an

especially dangerous situation, or course, particularly if the target driver does not hear the emergency vehicle siren or horn. The light signal from the emergency vehicle will not be seen

until the emergency vehicle is very close to the intersection. At night, the illumination by the warning light of street objects, described in (a) above,

might allow the emergency vehicle's approach to the intersection to be sensed before the vehicle

itself is visible. If this illumination extends far enough in front of the emergency vehicle, some of

it may be picked up on objects more or less directly in front of the target driver. Once the emergency vehicle clears the comer building line and enters the actual

intersection, the warning light itself becomes visible, but it is located about 90° from the target

driver's straight ahead Une of sight. If the emergency vehicle enters the intersection first and is moving faster than the target vehicle, the warning Ught—and the body of the emergency vehicle

itself—will move rapidly from the side to a position directly ahead of the target driver. By the time the emergency vehicle and light are close enough to the target driver's line of sight to be

noticed, it may be too late to avoid a collision. If the target vehicle enters the intersection before the emergency vehicle, and at a greater

speed, the warning light will start out about 90° to the side and will move to larger and larger

angles of deviation until, with luck, it passes behind the target vehicle (180°). If the target driver does not notice the light at the moment it first becomes visible off to the side, he may well not

notice it at all, unless he happens coincidentally to glance far to the side, or happens to see the

illumination of street objects produced by the warning light.

(c) Approach from the front. This is rarely a difficult situation. The emergency

vehicle is normally on the other side of the road in the first place, so that even if it is never

noticed, there may be no problems. Greater danger arises when the stream of traffic ahead of the emergency vehicle is much more crowded than the traffic in the direction that the target vehicle is moving. The emergency vehicle may then move over onto the wrong side of the road and it is then

vital that its presence be noted. Fortunately, most drivers are constantly scanning the scene in front of them, taking in at least a moderate angle on all sides of the forward direction. If, as the emergency vehicle approaches, it is not hidden by other vehicles (or, as sometimes happens, by the

glare of oncoming headlights), most drivers will notice it at quite a long distance, especially at

44
night. In the daytime, however, lights of any kind are harder to see, and some target drivers may

fail to notice the emergency vehicle until it is fairly close. Cases intermediate to the three that have been distinguished above [(a), (b), and (c)] can

arise when the roadway is curved or when an intersection at other than right angles is approached.

A rough rule for separating the situations is that (a) applies when sighting is through a mirror, (b) applies when sighting is through a side window, and (c) applies when sighting is through any part of the windshield.

It is important to realize that in any large, relatively unselected group of people—such as drivers—all abilities will vary over a considerable range. Thus, there are usually at least a few

people on the road with seriously impaired peripheral vision, either permanently, due to age, eye

disease or brain damage, or temporarily, due to emotional state, sleepiness, inattention, or

intoxication with alcohol or other drugs. Such people can sometimes fail to see even the most

obvious object directly in front of them. We must, therefore, resign ourselves to the fact that no

light signal, no matter how visually effective—and, of course, no sound signal either—can be

expected to serve its purpose 100 percent of the time. Some warning lights in use today are undoubtedly more effective than others, and perhaps new lights somewhat more effective than any now in use can be designed, but a totally effective warning light system is an unattainable goal.

CHAPTER 6. PERIPHERAL FUNCTIONING OF THE EYE

6.1. Introduction

As we noted in section 5.2, detecting an emergency warning light is, except in the

relatively unimportant straight ahead case, a matter of detection in the periphery of the visual

field. Many of the standard measures of visual functioning were determined for visual fields about

2° in diameter centered around the line of direct gaze. This central part of the retina is known as the fovea. Our ability to see color and fine detail are at a maximum there. The photoreceptor cells in the fovea are called cones (because of their shape), and are the cells that perform best at reasonably high levels of illumination ("day vision"). A few degrees away from the very center, the density of cone cells begins dropping off and the density of another type of photoreceptor

cell—the rods, begins to increase. The rods have no color vision and poor detail vision, but the rod system responds to much lower levels of light than does the cone system: they are the

receptors for "night vision." The density of cones is greatest in the central fovea, where there are no rods at all. The

cone density then drops off very rapidly outside the fovea, although there are still a few cones out near the edges of the visual field. Starting at the edge of the central fovea, the rod density rises rapidly from zero, exceeds the density of cones only a few degrees from center, and continues

rising until about 20° out, where the rod density is highest. Further still into the periphery, the rod density drops off again, but remains much higher than the cone density all the way out. The

distribution of the two classes of photoreceptors is shown in figure 6.1-1, taken from Brown

(1965a, p.49). In the daytime, when we want to see something clearly, we move our eyes until the image is formed on the central fovea, where the cones are most dense; in other words, we look

directly at the object. On a dark night, however, a faint light can be seen best by looking about 15

or 20 degrees away from the light, so that the image is formed on the most rod-rich area. Astronomers, sailors, and other night observers are familiar with this effect. The cone system is able to mediate color vision because, according to the most popular

current view, there are three different kinds of cones, one absorbing long wavelength light (red) more strongly than other colors, one absorbing medium wavelength light (green) most strongly,

and one absorbing short wavelength light (blue) most strongly. The fall-off in cone density from

the fovea out toward the periphery is apparently somewhat different for the three different classes of cones. As a result, the characteristics of our color vision change as we go from the fovea out toward the periphery.

As a general rule, most visual functions vary strongly with the retinal location. They vary

also with other factors, three of the most important being the size of the stimulated area, the level of retinal iUuminance, and the duration of the stimulation. To review all the ways in which various

45
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Figure 6.1-1. Distribution of rods and cones along a horizontal meridian of the retina of a human right eye. "Nasal" refers to the half of the retina lying toward the nose; "temporal" to the half lying toward the temple. The vertical strip centered around 15° in the nasal retina represents the blind spot, in which there are no photoreceptors, and

consequently no vision. The dot-dash curve representing relative visual acuity ("resolving power" or "sharpness of

vision") is seen to follow the density of the cones fairly closely. [Figure (modified) from Brown (1965a), taken from Woodson (1954).]

visual functions change with these parameters would require covering a good portion of the voluminous literature on vision research. We will limit ourselves here to a discussion of some

aspects of those visual functions that are most relevant to the detection of emergency vehicle warning signals.

6.2. Luminous Efficiency

The eye is not equally sensitive to different wavelengths of light. Many experiments have

been carried out to determine how much physical radiant energy (or power, or areal density of power, or whatever measure is appropriate) of each wavelength of light is necessary to achieve a constant visual effect. The constant effect is often taken to be absolute threshold (bare visibility in darkness), but other experiments are based on various techniques of brightness matching at levels well above threshold. The sensitivity of the eye at each wavelength is then usually defined as the

reciprocal of the amount of energy needed to achieve the criterion visual effect. (If you need a lot of energy, sensitivity is low; if you need little energy, sensitivity is high). The curve showing the

sensitivity of the eye as a function of wavelength—the spectral sensitivity—has been known by

various names. Usually, it is only the relative values of sensitivity that are of interest, the peak of the curve being frequently set equal to unity. In that case, the curve is known as the luminous

efficiency function, but the terms visibility, luminosity, and relative luminous efficiency are also to be found in the literature.

46
There are two different standardized luminous efficiency functions: one, the photopic,

applying to day vision (the cones in the fovea), and the other, the scotopic, applying to night vision

(the rods in the periphery). Unfortunately, many important situations (such as night driving) involve levels of illumination that are lower than the true photopic range, but not so low as to be

truly scotopic. Such intermediate levels are referred to as mesopic. The key distinction between

photopic and scotopic is that the cones see color, but the rods do not. Therefore, in any situation where there is enough light to distinguish any color at all, the level is not truly scotopic. It is rare

for night driving to involve strictly scotopic levels, since an automobile's own headUghts normally

Uluminate the road to a level in which some color can be seen, up to a certain distance. With respect to flashing lights, the factors determining whether the cone system or the rod

system will respond to a particular flash are: (a) the light level to which the eye is adapted at the time of the flash; (b) the backgroimd light level surrounding the flash at the instant it occurs, where this differs from the longer-term adaptation level; and (c) the limiinous energy content of the flash itself. If the eye is adapted to relatively bright light (or ]£, by coincidence, the background against which the flash is seen happens to suddenly become bright as the flash

occurs), the effect is to "overload" the sensitive rod system and leave any possible response to the

flash to the less sensitive cone system. If a flash containing insufficient energy is delivered to a

light-adapted eye, the cones will not be activated and the flash will not be seen at all. On the other hand, if the energy content of the flash is sufficiently high, the cones will respond, regardless of whether the rods are highly sensitized through dark (or low-level) adaptation or "knocked out of

action" by Ught adaptation. Thus, pure rod response occurs only for weak flashes delivered to an

eye adapted to a low level of illumination or to complete darkness. Readers having some famiUarity with units of light measurement may be interested in a

quantitative statement of the limits of the different phases of visual response. The unit of luminance in the standard International System (SI) is the candela per square meter (cd/m*), also known as the nit. The most common luminance unit based on EngUsh (customary) units is the footlambert (fL), which is equal to about 3.43 cd/m*. Another frequently used metric (but non-SI)

unit, based on the centimeter instead of the meter, is the miUilambert (mL) which happens to be

very nearly the same size as the footlambert. Photopic vision occurs when the eye is adapted to a field with a luminance level exceeding

several candelas per square meter (nits), or about one fL (or mL). Scotopic vision may occur, for

sufficiently weak test stimuli, when the eye is adapted to a field with a luminance level below a few hundredths of one cd/m*, or about 0.01 fL (or mL). (Estimates of these limiting luminances

vary, the preceding being those given by the CIE, the International Commission on Illumination.) Between these adaptation luminances, vision is mesopic, for stimuli that are not too strong. The

effects of sudden changes in background luminance at the time of the flash, to levels far from the adaptation limiinance, are still being explored in vision laboratories and cannot be summarized

here in quantitative terms. Mesopic vision, since it involves response by a mixtiire of rods and cones, should be

characterized by a luminous efficiency function intermediate between the photopic and scotopic

curves, the relative weightings being a function of the level of illumination. No series of such

mesopic luminous efficiency functions has been standardized as yet, but experimental

determinations have been made (Kinney, 1958).

Both the photopic and scotopic curves are characterized by maximum sensitivity toward

the middle of the visible spectrum, and minimum sensitivity towards the ends. The wavelength of maximum photopic sensitivity is about 555 nm; and of maximum scotopic sensitivity, is about 507

nm. [The nanometer, abbreviated nm, is a billionth (10~®) of a meter, or about 40 biUionths of an

inch.] This shift of the eye's sensitivity toward shorter wavelengths as the level of illumination drops is called the Purkinje shift. Figure 6.2-1 (Wyszecki and Stiles, 1967, p. 383) illustrates the two standard response functions. It is important to notice that these are relative functions, each one normalized to be unity at its peak, and give no information on the sensitivity of the rods

relative to that of the cones. The fact is that at all except long wavelengths (the red end of the spectrum), rod vision is much more sensitive than cone vision. This is illustrated in figure 6.2-2

47
400 500 600 700

WAVELENGTH, A (nm)

Figure 6.2-1. Standard (CIE) spectral luminous efficiency functions for photopic and scotopic vision. The peak of each

function is assigned the value 1.0. [Figure (modified) from Wyszecki and Stiles (1967).]

(Graham, 1965a, p.72), which shows threshold energies (reciprocally related to sensitivity) on a more or less absolute basis. The figure caption explains that the exact vertical positioning of the

scotopic curve relative to the photopic curve is a function of all the viewing conditions. The experiments on which the standard luminous efficiency functions are based were done

with fairly large fields, about 2° of visual angle in diameter (about four times the angular size of

the moon). There are, of course, many cones or rods in such a sizable area of the retina; the photoreceptors have diameters of only a few micrometers (microns). It should not be assumed that the thresholds shown in figure 6.2-2 reflect the absolute sensitivities of a single rod and a single cone; rather they represent the sensitivities of the rod and cone systems over an area containing

thousands of receptors. Some vision scientists believe that individual rods and cones have

approximately equal sensitivities; the greater responsiveness of the rod system is due to the richer neural interconnections among rods. In determining thresholds for rods, it is necessary either to use very large central fields extending out into the periphery, or else to use fields located entirely in the periphery, since there

are no rods in the central fovea. The second procedure is more common, and was used by Kinney

(1958) in determining her mesopic luminous efficiency functions. At low light levels, the periphery

shows pure rod luminous efficiency, but with enough increase in the retinal illuminance, the luminous efficiency function begins to show changes in the direction of the photopic sensitivity curve.

It is to be expected that the detailed shape of the luminous efficiency function would vary

with the area (in angular terms) of the stimulus. Bedford and Wyszecki (1958) have shown that area has an effect, but a small one, in foveal vision. We have not yet located data on the effect of area on peripheral luminous efficiency, but the greater degree of neural interconnection of rods would suggest that the effect of area in the periphery would be more marked than in the fovea. The fundamental point that needs to be stressed here is that the conditions applying to the perception of emergency vehicle warning lights at a distance include peripheral vision and small

area, and we do not really know in detail what the sensitivity of the eye is under those conditions.

48
400 500 600 700

WAVELENGTH,A(nm)

Figure 6.2-2. Relative radiance required for threshold rod and cone vision at different wavelengths. The absolute radiance

required, the detailed shapes of the two curves, and their relative positioning on the radiance axis, all vary with the duration of exposure, the area, and the retinal position of the stimulus. The particular curves in this figure apply to conditions that give minimum thresholds for each type of receptor. [From Graham (1965a), taken from Hecht and

Hsia (1945).] Since sensitivity is inversely related to the amount of light needed to see, sensitivity in regard to these data (call it 5) is conveniently defined as the reciprocal of the threshold radiance (Z); that is, 5 = 1/i or i =

1/5. Therefore, the ordinate of the graph, which is log L, is equal to log(l/5) = -log 5. Thus, to obtain a graph of

log sensitivity against wavelength, to be compared to figure 6.2-1, it is only necessary to turn the above graph (fig. 6.2-2) upside down. The resulting figure is not fully comparable to figure 6.2-1 because the ordinate of the latter is sensitivity, rather than log sensitivity, as here.

49
In the formula [eq. (10.6-4)] for the "effective intensity" of a flashing light (see sec. 10.6), the intensity that is integrated over time is not a physical (radiant) measure, but rather a visual (luminous) measure.* The luminous intensity is obtained from the radiant intensity by multiplying

the radiant intensity, wavelength by wavelength, by the luminous efficiency function, and adding

the results for all the wavelengths together to obtain a single overall measure of total luminous

intensity.^" The standard unit for luminous intensity is the candela (formerly, the "candle"). The

spectral radiant intensity—the intensity of the light at each wavelength—can be measured by a

photoelectric device (in an instrument called a spectroradiometer), and is related to the energy impinging on the observer's eye. The luminous intensity, being based on the radiant intensity and

the spectral response of the eye, is related to the energy absorbed by the eye (in the photoreceptors) and hence available for creating sensations of seeing in the brain. Calculations of effective intensity for light signals are normally carried out using the standard photopic luminous efficiency curve (fig. 6.2-1) because no better information is available.

It might be worthwhile to determine experimentally a luminous efficiency function for the specific conditions we consider typical of emergency vehicle warning light perception. Such a study would

necessarily be a long-term activity, but it might be worth the cost to develop a luminous efficiency function more realistically suitable for calculating the effective intensities of flashing lights seen in the periphery as point sources.

6.3. Color Perception

The intensity of a light can be specified by a single number, but it takes three numbers to specify color. The necessity for three specifying numbers is a reflection of the fact that color is a three-dimensional attribute. There are infinitely many ways of choosing the three single variables

into which color can be analyzed. One common breakdown is into hue, saturation, and lightness.

Another perspective, equally valid, arises from the fact that light of any color can be matched by a mixture of three fixed lights, called primary lights or simply primaries. Actually, there are always some very strong (saturated) colors that cannot be matched if the primaries are physically

realizable lights. The range of colors that can be matched by real primaries is maximized by

choosing one primary as a spectral red, one as a spectral green, and one as a spectral blue. By

mathematical techniques, however, it is possible to use data on the matching of mixtures of real

lights to calculate how much of three super-saturated ("imaginary") primaries would need to be

mixed to match any real color. There are many conceptual and mathematical complications that

arise in a full explanation of the details of color measurement, and no such exposition can be

attempted here. We will simply point out the computational procedure.

Instead of the single spectral weighting function used to convert spectral radiant intensity into spectral luminous intensity, three different weighting functions are appUed to the spectral radiant intensity to derive a color specification. These weighting functions, which are

internationally standardized (by the CIE, the International Commission on Illumination), are denoted ic^, yr^, and z,^ the subscript X indicating wavelength. Figure 6.3-1 (Wyszecki and Stiles, 1967, p. 270) is a graph of these three weighting functions, which are known as the CIE 1931

color-matching functions, and also by other names such as tristimulus values of the spectrum,

distribution coefficients, and color-mixture functions. For any given light, when the spectral radiant intensity is weighted by % and the products

summed across the entire spectrum, the resulting quantity—following adjustment by a constant

factor to be described later—is denoted X and can be thought of in an approximate way as the amount of the red primary required in a match of the light. Similarly, the adjusted sum of the y,^- weighted intensities is Y, the amount of the green primary required in a match of the light; and the adjusted sum of the r^-weighted intensities is Z, the amount of the blue primary required in a match

'The term "intensity" is often used in a careless way to refer to almost any measure of the physical, psychophysical, or perceived "strength" of a light. Technically, however,

"intensity" refers speciflcally to the output of a light in terms of power (flux) per unit solid angle. "Radiant intensity" is raw physical intensity (measured, for example, in

watts per steradian), while "luminous intensity" is intensity weighted unequally over different wavelengths in a pattern corresponding to the relative sensitivity of a typical human eye to light of different wavelengths. An attempt has been made to include in the Glossary (ch. 12) definitions of most of the technical terms used in this report. The

most widely recognized authoritative source for strict technical deflnitions ofterms used in the fields of lighting and color is the CIE lotematioDal Lighting /ocahulary (CIE,

1970). ^ Final multiplication by a constant factor is usually necessary, in order to allow for the difference between the radiant and luminous units.

50
400 500 600 700

WAVELENGTH, X(nm)

Figure 6.3-1. The CIE 1931 color-matching functions. The ("red") curve does not quite reach zero in the neighborhood

of 500 nm and has a secondary peak in the blue wavelength region. [From Wyszecki and Stiles (1967).]

of the light. The three quantities X, Y, and Z are called the tristimulus values of the light and

constitute a full specification of the color of the light. The same constant adjustment factor is applied

to all three tristimulus values. Its size can be chosen arbitrarily to convert the physical units used in the spectral radiant intensity distribution into whatever units or absolute number sizes are desired

for the tristimulus values. A comparison of figures 6.2-1 and 6.3-1 reveals that the function is precisely the same as the photopic luminous efficiency function. Consequently, a suitable choice of a

fixed adjustment constant can make Y directly equal to the luminous intensity, while the size of Y

relative to the sizes of X and Z remains a measure of the percentage of the green primary in a match

of the color. Note that the technical meaning (that is, the CIE definition) of the word "color"

includes the intensity (or whatever other measure of the "amount of light" may be appropriate) as well as the aspects usually referred to in the everyday usage of the term, so that two lights that have

the same color in this sense are a complete match. However, in the field of signal lighting, color and

intensity are traditionally treated separately, as in everyday usage. To avoid conflict with other

signal light literature, we will therefore sometimes use "color" in this report in the sense that excludes the intensity. When color is so defined, it is common to choose the adjustment factor for the tristimulus values of a light such that Y is made equal to 100. Two lights match each other perfectly if, and only if, the lights have the same tristimulus

values. Hence the basic information embodied in the functions \^ is the answer to the question of what lights—as measured by the spectral radiant intensity distributions—match each

other and what lights do not match. This is the reason for the name "color-matching functions." Personal color-matching functions can be determined for any given observer, by means of very time-consuming experiments carried out with very elaborate apparatus. The standard functions of

figure 6.3-1 represent an adopted average of a number of such personal sets of functions.

51
We have presented the color-matching functions above as a logical extension of the luminous efficiency function—an extension of a one-dimensional concept to all three dimensions of

color. In an analogous fashion, it is tempting to propose (for the first time, as far as we know) the extension of the concept of the effective intensity of a flashed light (detailed in sec. 10.6) to the

effective color of such a light. Just as the perceived brightness of a steady light changes when the

light is briefly flashed, the chromatic (color) appearance of the light similarly changes (Ball and

Bartley, 1971). In close analogy with the definition of effective intensity, we might define effective tristimulus values by the expressions:

h ta tt f Xdt f Ydt / Zdt

tl tl tl Xe = , Ye — , Ze = . Ox -\- t2-h Oy + h-h Oz + t2- tl (6.3-1) We have allowed above, through the use of subscripts, for the possibility that different values of the constant a (which has the dimension of time) will be found appropriate for the three

different color channels. It is in fact believed (Cohen and Gordon, 1949) that the red, green and

blue cone systems do have different temporal response characteristics for transient stimulation. In order for these equations to predict an effective color for a brief flash of light that is different from the color of the same light shown steadily, the algebra of the equations actually requires that

at least one of the a constants must differ from the others. It should be noted that no effort has yet

been made to determine whether the form of eq. (6.3-1) allows for realistic predictions of the

colors of short flashes of light. Note that the quantities X, Y, and Z in the expressions (6.3-1) above represent the instantaneous, time-varying tristimulus values of the flashed light, in analogy with the meaning of / [sometimes written explicitly as I{t)] in the usual definition of effective intensity. As indicated

earlier, a suitable choice of the final adjustment constant can make Y = I for a light. With that quality assumed, the equation for Ye above is, except for notation, the customary expression for

effective intensity le [eq. (10.6-1)]. The quantity Y(= I) can be measured directly by a photocell in front of which has been placed a filter (a piece of colored glass or plastic) having a spectral

transmittance curve which, when multiplied by the spectral response curve of the photocell, gives the (luminous efficiency) function. With this arrangement, the electrical response of the filtered photocell to any light is proportional to the spectral radiant intensity of the light weighted by the

function and integrated over wavelength; in other words, to the total luminous intensity. For a brief

flash of light, the fluctuating electrical output of the photocell is a more or less faithful representation of the changes in the luminous intensity during the course of the flash (provided the

photocell and the associated circuitry possess a rapid, linear response characteristic). By using other

filters to give the filter-photocell combination a spectral response curve mimicking the X)^ function and the function, the quantities X and Z can be similarly studied as a function of time during the

light pulse.

Color-matching functions have been measured for 10° fields centered on the fovea. The

outer portions of such a field contain a great many rods as well as cones and the color-matching

functions obtained differ somewhat from the CIE 1931 2° functions. It would certainly be

expected that if color-matching functions were obtained for a field of any size centered at a retinal location out in the periphery, these functions, too, would differ from the 1931 curves. In order to best predict color perceptions for emergency vehicle warning lights, it would be highly desirable

for data to be collected on the color-mixture functions in very small peripheral fields.

6.4. Color Discrimination

The term "discrimination" in the psychophysical context refers to the ability to distinguish

differences between stimuli. With regard to color, there are people who have no abilitj' at all to distinguish chromatic aspects of color; they can discriminate colors only on the basis of light-dark

52
differences. Such people are usually referred to as being "totally color-blind." More technically,

their vision is called monochromatic (one-color). Normal color vision is, as has been mentioned earlier, trichromatic. There is a group of

"color-defective" people whose vision is dichromatic. Both of the two most common types of dichromats have trouble discriminating colors over the range that a normal person sees as red- yellow-green. These persons, in fact, do not perceive the qualities of redness or greenness at all; aU colors appear to them to be blues or yellows of varying degrees of strength or paleness

(technically, saturation). One of these two classes of dichromats, the deuteranopes (popularly, the

"green-blind"), despite their color-discrimination difficulties, have normal luminous efficiency

functions, or, in some cases, show somewhat less than normal sensitivity to green and blue light. The other class of red-green defectives is the protanopes (popularly, the "red-blind"). They have a marked loss of luminous efficiency in the red. Thus a colored object that looks vivid red to a normal observer may look medium brown (brown being dark yellow) to a deuteranope and

brownish-black to a protanope.

The color qualities of brownness and blackishness are ordinarily associated only with

objects that reflect or transmit light, as opposed to self-luminous (light-generating) bodies. In the viewing of colored lights against a dark background, these qualities do not appear. Thus, both

deuteranopes and protanopes see a red signal light in the dark as yellow, but the protanope sees a much dimmer yellow light. However, because they have grown up among people who use the words "red" and "green," as well as "yellow," these dichromats have learned to associate the terms "red" and (in some occurrences) "green" with perceptions that people with normal color

vision would describe as yellows of different saturations and brightnesses. Therefore, although we know they are seeing some kind of yellow, a deuteranope or protanope confronted with an isolated red light might say "red" or "green" or "yellow." It is interesting that the actual perceptions of

color-defective people are known because a few rare cases have been uncovered of people with

color deficiency in only one eye. Such a person knows what red, green, and yellow look like to a normal observer because of his good eye, and by closing the good eye, he can tell that his defective eye sees yellow when looking at red or yellowish greens. In the Caucasian population of the United States, only about 1 percent of males are protanopic and 1 percent deuteranopic. There are also people who have trichromatic vision that

differs from normal in ways tending more or less toward protanopia or deuteranopia. Such people

are known as anomalous trichromats. The most common form of color blindness, affecting 5

percent of males, is deuteranomaly, the type of anomalous trichromatic vision that tends toward

deuteranopia. A deuteranomalous observer, unlike a deuteranope, can see red and green as

qualitatively distinct hues, but his ability to discriminate different shades of color is inferior to normal in the red-yellow-green range of hues and he may show a very slight loss of luminous

efficiency in the green-blue spectral range. Protanomaly affects about 1 percent of males and

involves the same basic features listed above for deuteranomaly, except that the luminous

efficiency loss is in the red and is quite definite, being similar to the loss in full protanopes.

The four types of color defects listed in the preceding paragraph affect a total of about 8

percent of males. Only about 0.5 percent of females have these color defects. AU other types of

color vision impairment are rare, even in males, but a third type of dichromatism, called

tritanopia, is important despite its rarity. Tritanopes cannot perceive the qualities of blueness or

yellowness, and to them all colors are red or green, the only variations being in lightness (or brightness) and saturation. Their luminous efficiency curve is nearly normal, but may show some

loss of sensitivity in the blue. The significance of tritanopia, and its associated form of anomalous

trichromatism, tritanomaly, is that normal human vision becomes tritanomalous and, finally,

tritanopic, as the size of the stimulated area of the retina becomes smaller and smaller. This effect

is known as small-field tritanopia. Moreover, it appears to be true that if the total energy delivered

to a spot on the retina (up to a certain critical size) by the visual stimulus is low enough, normal

vision will tend toward tritanopia regardless of what factor is causing the energy to be low.

Specifically, the effect has been found not only in connection with steady lights seen in small

fields, but also when the retinal illuminance is low or the presentation time of the stimulus is

53
restricted to a brief flash (Weitzman and Kinney, 1967). On the other hand, some theorists regard

the small-field effect as a distinct phenomenon, caused by a paucity or total absence of blue cones

in the central fovea. Most of the experimental work establishing these effects has been for viewing in the

central fovea, but several experimenters have obtained similar results in the periphery. The

application to the perception of flashing signal lights at a distance is clear: unless the lights are extremely intense, the small areas and quick flashes should lead to somewhat tritanomalous color responses in the observer. Tritanopes confuse certain shades of blue and green, so one problem

that might be anticipated is that some blue and green signal lights would be difficult to distinguish even for perfectly normal observers. Tritanopes also confuse yellow and white, so again we might

anticipate a problem with using both yellow and white in a signal light system for color normals. The confusion of yellow and white is in fact familiar to those concerned with long distance signal

lighting, and both colors are used in the same signal system only when the difference between

them can be emphasized by having them appear close together in space or in time (Breckenridge,

1967).

6.5. Flicker Perception

The eye cannot follow the ons and offs of a flickering light to very high frequencies of

flashing. Instead, as the frequency increases beyond a certain point, the on portions of the cycle

(the light flashes) do not seem to go all the way on (that is, look dimmer than slower flashes), and

the off portions do not seem to go all the way off (that is, look brighter than complete darkness).

Thus, the difference between the light and dark phases appears to grow less and less, and finally, at a high enough rate of flicker, they appear the same; that is, the light appears to be steady. The

frequency at which fusion—the disappearance of flicker—first occurs is called the critical flicker frequency or sometimes the critical fusion frequency; in any case, the abbreviation CFF is standard.Among many other variables, CFF depends on the area of the stimulus, the luminance

level (the intensity measure that is used for stimuli large enough to be seen as having a definite

area), and on the portion of the retina on which the area is imaged. Unfortunately, as is true for many sensory functions, the effects of these variables on CFF show interaction; that is, the effect of one variable differs depending on the values of the other variables. As a result, when two

experimenters both study the effect of systematically changing the values of one variable—for example, retinal location—while keeping the other variables fixed at particular values, they may

get startlingly different results if they happen to select different particular combinations of fixed values of the other variables. As a result of strong interaction among the variables affecting any

sensory function, the earlier publications on the subject may seem to contradict each other, and

only later, when the interaction effect has been realized, does it become possible to encompass all the different results in a unified description.

The situation described above did in fact arise in the study of the effect of retinal location on CFF (Brown, 1965b). It is now understood that for large areas, having angular diameters of more than a degree or two, the periphery can see flicker up to higher frequencies than the fovea. Thus, even though a relatively large area may look quite steady when gazed at directly, flicker may be detected when looking off to one side. Some people have been annoyed by fluorescent

lights in this way, especially near the ends of old lamps, where the rate of flicker may be slower than the 60 cycles per second of the alternating current. On the other hand, it is now known that for small areas, less than a degree in diameter,

the fovea is better than the periphery at seeing flicker. In a small area seen well into the periphery—as, for example, in the image of an emergency vehicle warning light appearing in the rearview mirror of a driver looking straight ahead—sensitivity to flicker is far poorer than in the center of the eye. This is another reason, in addition to the reduced retinal illuminance, that a flashing emergency light may not be noticed at long distances when the emergency vehicle is approaching from the rear. As the emergency vehicle comes up close to the target automobile, the angular size of the flashing light grows (as well as the illuminance striking the driver's retina) and

54
so the "comer of the target driver's eye" becomes more and more sensitive to the flickering taking

place in the mirror.

6.6. Movement Perception .

Sensitivity of the eye to movement has been subjected to less systematic analysis than has

flicker sensitivity, and much of the work is old. Interaction effects between variables appear to be

significant with respect to movement, too, but explorations of these effects have been sketchy. The

existing evidence indicates that movement perception in the periphery is inferior to that in the

fovea. Two different types of movement thresholds have been studied: sensitivity to speed changes,

and sensitivity to position changes. The periphery appears to be inferior in both aspects of movement perception. A study by Aubert in 1886 (discussed by Graham, 1965b, p. 575) found

that the lowest speed at which any motion can be noticed (the absolute threshold) is 20 times

higher, 9° out in the periphery, than in the fovea. The popular notion that the "comer of the eye" is exceptionally sensitive to movement is, according to the evidence, a severe misconception. One possible reason for this false impression is that the motion sensitivity of the periphery may be relatively better than other kinds of peripheral

sensitivity, such as the ability to make out fine detail (visual acuity). The fact that movement can

be clearly detected in retinal regions in which vision is generally very foggy may give us the impression that the movement sensitivity is absolutely good. The acuity and most other visual functions of the fovea are so good that we are not especially impressed by the movement

sensitivity there, even though it is in fact unequalled elsewhere in the retina. A second factor that probably contributes to the mistaken impression that the periphery is more sensitive than the fovea to the perception of movement is the simple fact that much more of the retina's area is periphery than fovea, so that on a probabilistic basis most motions would first appear in and be detected by the "comer of the eye." It may be useful to point out that high as it

is relative to the foveal threshold, the just noticeable speed of motion 9° in the periphery was

found by Aubert to be 18 minutes of arc per second of time, so that many movements familiar in everyday life are quite visible in the periphery. (A cloud that drifts across the moon in a second

and a half, for example, is traveling at an angular speed greater than 20 minutes of arc per

second.)

55
PART III. PERCEPTUAL AND PHYSICAL ANALYSIS OF WARNING

SIGNALS AND DEVICES

CHAPTER 7. EFFECTIVENESS OF SIGNALS: PERCEPTUAL VARIABLES

7.1. Primary Role of Effective Intensity

There is no question about what single variable plays the greatest role in determining the

conspicuity of a light signal: it is the effective intensity. It is obvious that if a light is so weak that

it lies below the observer's detection threshold, it will not matter what its color, flash rate, etc., might be; it will not be seen at all. At the other extreme, a light so intense as to bum out the

observer's eyes (such as from a high-powered pulsed laser or a hydrogen bomb explosion) will certainly be noticed, again regardless of the value of any of the other variables. The effective intensity measure (discussed in sec. 10.6) relates to the output of a light source, the quantity with which we have to be concerned in setting standards for warning light

hardware. Visually, however, the relevant variable is effective retinal illuminance: the areal density of effective luminous power reaching the retina. An ideal point source putting out a million candelas of intensity at a distance of one mile from an observer is visually outshone (even in a

perfectly clear atmosphere) by an ideal point source putting out only one candela at a distance of

five feet from the observer. (This is a simple consequence of the inverse square law.) If we specify

that for adequate effectiveness a warning light must put out at least some particular number of

candelas, we are setting this floor under the intensity because we want to insure that at some

particular distance (selected on the basis of giving a target driver enough time to maneuver after he notices the light), the light should deliver to the target driver's retina at least a certain amount

of illuminance that corresponds to a selected reasonably high probability of detection. Although effective intensity is the dominant variable in determining conspicuity, a number

of other parameters of the light signal have definite importance. The role of these other parameters becomes increasingly important as the background against which the signal is viewed

becomes more complex. When the background is filled with lights of various colors, moving and

flashing, the role of the noticing and interpretation stages (see sec. 4.2) becomes more important

relative to the reception stage. The problem becomes one of distinguishing the signal light from all the other lights in the background. The conspicuity of the signal light is maximized by making it as perceptually different as possible from some kind of average of the background lights. Every

aspect that can be varied can contribute to establishing this distinctiveness. These other aspects are discussed in the remaining sections of chapter 7.

7.2. Flash Rate

As pointed out in section 6.5, the human eye is not capable of following the individual

flashes in a train of flashes occurring at a high enough frequency. At sufficiently high frequencies, no impression of flashing remains at all, and the light is seen as steady. The flash rate at which

this complete fusion of the individual flashes occurs—the critical flicker frequency (CFF)—is a

strong function of luminance, area, retinal location, and other variables, but values of 20-50 Hz

(hertz: cycles per second) are fairly typical in the midranges of these variables. At extremely low

flash frequencies, if the light is on half the time and off half the time, the appearance is of a

steady light that bums for a while and is turned off for a while. Thus, the impression of conspicuous flicker is maximum at some intermediate frequency within the range 0-20 Hz.

56
Interestingly, several visual effects connected with flickering lights have their peaks at about 9 or 10 Hz. It has been known for a long time that lights flickering at frequencies from

about 2 to 20 Hz appear brighter than the same lights shone steadily; this phenomenon is known

as brightness enhancement. Much of the modem work on this effect has been done by Hartley and

coworkers (see Bartley, 1961) and it is often referred to as the Hartley effect, although Hartley was

not the discoverer of the phenomenon. The greatest degree of brightness enhancement occurs at frequencies near 10 Hz, although the frequency yielding maximum effect depends on luminance

and other variables. There might be good reason to use frequencies near 10 Hz to maximize conspicuity, but

unfortunately there is another effect that peaks in the same frequency range. The electrical activity of the human brain has certain characteristic frequency components. Most prominent among these components is the alpha rhythm, which has a frequency in the neighborhood of 10 Hz. It is found

that when a human subject looks at a light flickering at a frequency of about 9-12 Hz, the alpha

component of his brain waves is increased; this effect is known as photic driving. The subjective

experience that accompanies photic driving is usually unpleasant, and may include dizziness, nausea, nervousness, and strong urges to escape the situation. The essential nature of the disease known as epilepsy is an instability of the brain's electrical activity. When epileptics are exposed to

lights flickering near the frequency range of 9-12 Hz, it is common for the resultant photic driving

to trigger an attack, including convulsions in the more serious cases. The use of light signals flickering at frequencies anywhere near 10 Hz (600 flashes per minute—abbreviated fpm) is thus not practical because of the unpleasantness of photic driving to almost everyone and the dangerous (especially in traffic) triggering of epileptic attacks in those

susceptible to such seizures. Above 15 Hz, flicker may begin to blur toward fusion, particularly

with dim lights. It was necessary, therefore, for warning signal designers to turn to frequencies

below the disturbing range, and most flashing signals have been designed for operation at flash

rates inside the range 1-3 Hz (60-180 fpm). For psychological reasons, speed and urgency are

associated in most people's minds, and it is found that very slow flash rates up to about 1 Hz do

not communicate a sense of warning to many people. In aviation, the frequencies that have proved most popular are in the range of 1.2-1.5 Hz (72-90 fpm). The popularity of the lower end of the range of frequencies that are high enough to transmit a sense of urgency but low enough to avoid

the dangers of photic driving—as opposed to the middle range of 4-6 Hz, for example—is not due

to any established visual superiority of the 1-3 Hz flash rate, but simply to the desire to conserve

power.

7.3. Duty (On-Off) Cycle

This parameter is also known by a variety of other names such as light-time fraction,

pulse-to-cycle fraction, and light-dark ratio. What is meant is either the fraction of a complete

cycle or period of a flashing light during which the light is on; or, in many other cases, the ratio of

the time within the cycle that the light is on to the time that it is off. Unfortunately, there is no

generally accepted convention about which of these two measures is preferable. Readers of the

technical literature must therefore be prepared to encounter either of them (or sometimes both) in the work of different authors.

It will be useful to introduce distinct symbols for the two measures. If we let

a = time on / time off, (7.3-1)

and

b = time on / (time on + time off), (7.3-2)

corresponding (in reverse order) to the two definitions above, then a and b are expressible in terms

of each other in accordance with the relationships

57
When the periods of light and dark are equal, then a = 1 and b = 1/2, and it will be

seen that these values check in the interconversion eqs. (7.3-3) above. This particular duty cycle

represents the middle of the scale. At one extreme, there are flashes consisting of extremely short pulses of light, followed by a dark interval; the duty cycle (a or b) approaches 0. At the other extreme, there is a light that remains on most of the time, and "negatively flashes" off for a brief period within each cycle {a very large, b almost unity). Such lights are called occulting lights and

are used in some marine aids to navigation. Their use for signaling on land has been confined

largely to electrically flashed incandescent lights.

It has been alleged (Symposium, 1971, pp. 163-165) that at least under some

circumstances, the visual effects of occultations—negative flashes—are quite similar to the effects of positive flashes with the inverse duty cycle. That is, a flashing light with a light-dark ratio of a

has a visual effect (in terms of threshold or of conspicuity) equivalent to that of an occulting light

with light-dark ratio 1/a. (In terms of the light-time fraction b, the equivalence is between b and

1-b.) Perceptually, then, a 1:1 light-dark ratio is actually at one extreme, with the other extreme

being ratios approaching either 1:0 or 0:1. It may be of some use to define an actual scale

reflecting this perceptual symmetry between light and dark flashes. One possibility, presented here

for the first time as far as we know, is a quantity c we might call light-dark symmetry. We define c as 4 times the light-time fraction multiplied by the dark-time fraction, or, explicitly, as:

c =^X , '"^IZ X , ^^"^f, . (7.3-4) time on + time oii time on + time oii

The relationships of a and ^> to c are specified by

^ = TTtV" ' ' = - b). (7.3-5a,b)

(1 +

It is easy to check algebraically that the quantity c is unchanged if a is replaced by 1/a or 6 by

1-b, as required.

The intuitive significance of the name "light-dark symmetry" for c can be appreciated by

noting that for a 1:1 on-off ratio—the case of perfect symmetry—c=l; and for both the on-off

ratios 0:1 and 1:0—the cases departing maximally from light-dark symmetry—c =0. Whether c or any similar measure will prove useful in the representation of actual visual data is not yet known.

Some consideration should be given to the possible usefulness of occulting lights as emergency warning signals. It is worth finding out whether the symmetry in the visual effects between flashing and occulting lights might not break down when the signals are presented against

visually complex backgrounds. It is conceivable that an occulting light differs more from the average of the other lights in a night urban street scene than does a corresponding flashing light, in which case the occulting light may be more conspicuous.

7.4. Pulse Shape (Waveform) and Flash Duration

The eye integrates light input over short periods of time, which range from about 0.01 sec

at high levels of light adaptation to 0.1 sec at low levels. Within the critical duration, as these

integration times are known, it does not matter how the light is distributed in time; it is only the

total luminous energy that counts in determining whether the flash will be seen by the eye. These

considerations hold rigidly for single brief presentations of light. When the light presentations are repeated cyclically, however, new factors appear to enter the picture and the matter becomes

rather complicated. Early flashes in the train affect the response to later flashes, even when the

cycle time is shorter than the critical duration for a single flash. When the repetition period is longer than the critical duration, as it is for flashing slower than 10 Hz (as in warning lights), still further complications arise. Experiments on critical flicker frequency have shown that for some

viewing conditions, the detailed waveform of the stimulus is of no consequence—only the

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fundamental frequency is significant. However, for other viewing conditions, effects from the temporal shape of the light pulse have been detected. Brown (1965b) has reviewed

comprehensively the data and theory on waveform effects. In general, it can be stated that considerable further work will be necessary to clarify the matter fully and permit predictions

applicable to practical questions such as the conspicuity or even the visibility of emergency

warning lights. In the case of flashing emergency lights, the primary consideration in the pulse shape

aside from the total flash duration—is the rise time of the light flash and possibly also the fall time. The facts concerning the rise and fall times and total durations of the light flashes produced

by the different basic types of lights are summarized briefly below.

(a) Caseous discharge lamps. Gaseous discharge lamps have extremely rapid rise times and fall times, with the fall times comparatively prolonged with respect to the rise times. However, since the entire pulse from such a source usually lasts much less than the critical duration (well under a thousandth of a second), the waveform can be presumed with confidence to be irrelevant to the visual effect. (b) Flashed incandescents. An electrically flashed incandescent lamp has a considerably slower rise time than a gaseous discharge lamp, and the fall time is about twice as rapid as the rise time. A flashed incandescent lamp usually produces light pulses lasting on the order of 0.1-0.2 sec, longer than the critical duration, so that the detailed pulse shape could well have some effect. Some authorities on flashing lights have the informal impression that among lights of equal effective intensity, a rapid rise time increases conspicuity. The more sudden shock to the eye

relative to the dark condition caused by a rapidly rising flash might intuitively be thought to increase conspicuity, but experimental tests are called for. (c) Rotating incandescents. A rotating incandescent beacon usually produces at a given point in space a relatively symmetric light pulse with smooth, rather prolonged rise and fall, relative to the total flash duration. The duration of the flash from a rotating lamp depends on

several factors (discussed in sec. 10.5), but typical values for emergency vehicle warning beacons

are in the range 0.01 to 0.05 sec. If the eye is adapted to a bright enough level of light, these times may just exceed the critical duration, so that pulse shape may or may not be a factor. With respect to both types of incandescent warning lights, new experimental work will be

necessary to answer the decisive question: If all other variables besides the pulse shape

(particularly color and effective intensity) are kept the same, are there differences in conspicuity

among different waveforms?

7.5. Spatial Sweep of the Beam

When a stationary, electrically flashed lamp of any type sends out a light pulse, the illuminance it produces at a given point in space has a course of variation with time (the pulse

shape), but there is no actual spatial movement taking place (other than the propagation of the

light beam). On the other hand, a continuously burning, rotating beacon light not only produces a comparable variation of illuminance with time, but also a directional sweep through space. As the edge of the beam of light from one of the rotating lamps moves past the point of observation, the illuminance rises from zero (or from some minimal level if the edges of the beams from, say, four lamps in the beacon overlap somewhat), reaches a peak at the center of the beam, and drops again

to the minimal level as the beam's other edge moves by. If the beacon is close enough to have a perceptible area, it may be possible to notice that, let us say, the right side of the area begins

brightening while the left side is still dark. The right side remains brighter as the entire area

increases in brightness, but decreasingly so. As the peak of brightness is reached, the area appears homogeneous; and after that point, the left side becomes brighter and continues increasingly so

until the bright crescent disappears at the left edge and the whole area reaches the minimal

brightness level. In such a case, we interpret the spatio-temporal pattern as a right-to-left sweep of a beam.

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If the beacon is far enough away to appear as a point source, the spatial cues described

above are lacking, and the rotating light may be indistinguishable from a flashed light. Frequently,

however, even at long distances, other spatial cues are present that permit recognition of the

spatial sweep taking place. If the haziness of the atmosphere is sufficient, the entire length of the

light beam may be visible as a long cone, and the motion of the beam can be seen directly by the

scattered rays even when the point of observation is entirely outside the beam itself. For bright rotating lights seen at night, a second source of information about beam rotation comes from the observation of nonmirror surfaces near the observer, illuminated by the beam. The

circular or elliptical patch of light representing the intersection of the surface with the cone of the beam can be seen, moving from one side of the surface to the other, if the motion is not extremely

rapid. The surface can be a somewhat diffuse (light-scattering) reflector, or a somewhat diffuse

transmitter. An example of the latter that sometimes does serve to reveal the sweep of a light

beam is a dirty or scratched automobile windshield.

When a rotating beacon comes close enough to the observer, it is sometimes possible to make out the internal structure of the unit, provided that the dome is not a very good diffuser. The rotating of the turntable and lamps within the dome may then be directly observable. Since rotational motion is still another dimension in which a warning light may differ from

the lights in the background, it would be expected that, everything else being equal, such rotation would increase conspicuity relative to a stationary flashing light. Unfortunately, everything else is rarely - equal; for example, if the effective intensity of a gaseous discharge lamp considerably

exceeds that of a rotating incandescent lamp viewed at the same distance, then the flash lamp

would be expected to be more conspicuous. It would be useful to compare experimentally for conspicuity two lights that produce identical variations of illuminance with time at a given point in space, but only one of which is rotating.

7.6. Color

It is frequently alleged that one color is more visible or more conspicuous (attentionattracting) than another. For example, it might be claimed that a red light having an intensity of 1000 candelas can be seen further away than a blue light of equal intensity. As was pointed out in the last paragraph of section 6.2, the calculation of the intensities of the lights in candelas will most likely be carried out with the use of the standard CIE photopic luminous efficiency function

that applies to vision in fields of about 2 degrees diameter. We can anticipate, however, that for

lights seen in much smaller fields, approaching visual point sources, a somewhat different luminous efficiency function will actually apply (Bedford and Wyzecki, 1958).

In order to give the two lights an equal chance in a visibility comparison, we naturally

have to present equal luminous intensities of the two colors. We must therefore use the luminous

efficiency function appropriate to the specific viewing conditions to be used. How do we determine

the luminous efficiency function for pure spectral (single-wavelength) lights appearing as point sources? By one of several methods of comparison, we determine the relative visibilities of the various wavelengths, either by determining absolute thresholds or by equating brightnesses at levels above threshold. Thus, by definition, if we are using the correct luminous efficiency

function, steady lights of equal luminous intensity (or luminance, for extended sources) must

appear equally visible. Actually, it has been discovered that some methods of comparing visibility lead to different

results than other methods. Thus, the only meaning that can be attached to a claim that light of one color is more visible than light of another color, is that the method of comparing visibility

used in the determination of the luminous efficiency function (employed in the calculation of luminous intensity) differs from the method of visibility judgment used in the final test. On the other hand, the conspicuities of colored lights properly equated in simple visibility

need not necessarily be equal. Again, it depends on the specific operational test we establish for determining conspicuity. If we decide to test conspicuity by measuring reaction times to sudden

presentations of various lights, then it is conceivable that we may get different reaction times

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despite equality of the luminous intensities, since the luminous efficiency curve used in calculating the intensities will probably not have been derived using an equal reaction time criterion. Here, too, we must allow for the possibility of interactions among variables. Thus,

although steady-burning lights of the same, properly calculated luminous intensity would be

equally visible at a distance regardless of color, if those same lights were flashed we could no

longer be sure that the visibilities or the conspicuities would remain equal. The existing evidence on this particular question, incidentally, is contradictory (Sharma and Yorke, 1971).

When special backgrounds are introduced, conspicuity can depart sharply from simple

visibility. For example, if the background consists mostly or entirely of red lights, with no blue background lights present, it would certainly be expected that a blue signal light would be more

conspicuous than a red signal light if the luminous intensities of the two were at all comparable. In such a case, obviously, it is not really the color of the blue light as such—its bluenesss—that makes it more conspicuous, but rather its difference from the background.

Although it is not properly a perceptual problem, it is important to point out that there are physical effects that may arise in long distance viewing that depend strongly on color. Tiny

particles suspended in the air—and, in fact, the gas molecules comprising the air, themselves

tend to scatter light rays that strike them away from the directions they were originally traveling.

The degree of this scattering is a strong function of wavelength, when the particles are small enough, with short-wavelength (blue) light being scattered most and long-wavelength (red) light

being scattered least. The clear sky in daytime is seen entirely by light scattered out of the sun's

rays, and as a consequence of the wavelength dependence just mentioned, it appears blue. (Above

the atmosphere, in space, where there is no scattering, the sky is invisible; that is, it appears as black as the night sky.) Larger particles, such as the water droplets that make up clouds, scatter

all wavelengths equally; hence clouds and fog often appear white. In a hazy or foggy atmosphere, scattering will divert portions of the beam from an emergency warning light in directions away from the location of the observer. Since many hazes and some mixed haze-fogs (smogs) contain particles of a variety of sizes, some wavelength

dependence often characterizes the average scattering, and the loss of apparent intensity under

these circumstances will be greatest for a blue light, and least for a red light. That is, if the actual luminous-intensity outputs of a red and a blue light are equal, the illuminance of the observer's

retina by the red light seen through a haze containing fine particles will be greater than the retinal illuminance produced by the blue light. Since, as pointed out earlier, the retinal illuminance

determines the brightness seen, it is clear that red lights have an advantage over blue lights of the same intensity when the viewing is through an atmosphere that scatters significantly over the

distance of view. If the use of a blue light is considered desirable in any particular situation, it is only necessary to use a light of higher intensity in order to allow for the delivery of the desired

level of illuminance to the retina of an observer viewing through haze. It will generally take a

greater consumption of current to produce a higher intensity, so economic considerations enter into the situation.

7.7. Number and Spatial Pattern of Lights

If we have available several identical lights, it is obvious that a display consisting of two of

the lights, presented simultaneously, will be more conspicuous than a display consisting of only one of the lights. If the lights are so far away as to appear as point sources, and if the lights within the two-light display are close enough together to be unresolvable visually, then the twolight display is optically equivalent to a single light of double intensity, which is certainly more

conspicuous (although there is no reason to believe that it is twice as conspicuous as a light of the

original intensity).

When the two identical, simultaneous lights are presented with considerable angular

separation—far enough apart that the retinal areas on which they are imaged have negligible neural interconnection—then the lights will act independently as far as the probability of simple

detection is concerned. If the chance of detecting a single light within a given period of observation is 1/2, for example, then the chance of detecting one or both of the lights in a two61
light display with wide angular separation between lights is given by the rules of probability as 3/4 [calculated: l-(l/2)']. When the simultaneous lights are close enough together that some neural interaction can be expected—and this is likely to be the situation for a real warning light display—then the simple detectability will be greater than that associated with independent probabilities, but less than that associated with complete fusion of the lights into one double-intensity light. Experimental data exist bearing on all these relationships (sometimes indirectly) when the criterion

is simple detection. The data suggest that the separation necessary for independent detection

varies over a wide range, depending on the viewing conditions. Location on the retina seems to have the largest effect, and the critical angular separation may vary from a small fraction of a degree in the fovea to perhaps 10° in the periphery.

When the criterion, however, is conspicuity—the rapidity of noticing when a signal above

the detection threshold appears at an unexpected point in both space and time—then nothing very

quantitative can be said. The two-light display will surely be more conspicuous than the one-light

display, but not only because of the extra stimulation reaching the eye. Instead, there is the

additional factor of the geometric form of the total display. In most ordinary environments, the occurrence of two equally intense lights in rather close proximity is a considerably more

improbable event than the occurrence of a single light, and the spatial pairing would be expected

to contribute to the likelihood of the display being noticed. If the two lights are arranged in a

precisely vertical or precisely horizontal line, the event becomes still more improbable and hence more striking. Automobile headlights (white) and taillights (red) constitute horizontal two-light

displays, with fairly wide separation between the lights (in terms of number of diameters of the

separate lights). The distinctiveness of such displays helps night drivers pick out other automobiles

from the non-automotive background lights, even at rather long distances. When the display consists of three, four, or more lights, the geometrical figure in which

the lights are arranged would reasonably be expected to affect the conspicuity, everything else being equal. Moreover, when the lights are close enough to the observer for each one to have a

definite shape, this shape, and its relationship to the pattern of the total display, would

presumably also affect conspicuity.

The guiding principle, as noted earlier in this report, is that conspicuity is maximized by

making the display differ as much as possible, in as many ways as possible, from some kind of average of the background. Now that the concept of improbable events has been introduced, we

can take the principle a step further. In vehicular traffic, it is not only the background that is visible at a given moment that counts, but some type of weighted average of the ever-changing background scene over some

period of time. More than that, the conspicuity of a signal is also clearly affected by some type of average of other similar backgrounds that the driver has encountered on past occasions. In the last analysis, it seems evident that what counts is the expectation of the observer—the probability that he assigns to the appearance of a given stimulus pattern at a given time and place. His estimate of

probabilities wiU of course be strongly influenced by what he sees in the background at the present moment and what he has seen in the past few moments, as well as by his entire previous

experience with comparable situations. The goal, then, is to make a signal a maximally improbable

event, in a specified context. In the case of emergency vehicle warning devices, the context is the vehicular traffic scene, in its various phases such as daytime driving, nighttime country driving,

and nighttime city driving. In regard to shape, we might speculate that triangular lighting configurations or triangular

lights, for example, are rarely encountered in any context, so perhaps a triangular cluster of three

lights, each itself triangular in shape (achievable by masking) might prove exceptionally

conspicuous. The only way to determine the actual conspicuity of this or any other such complex

arrangement is by empirical test, since no data, theory, or model is available to permit prediction. In terms of practical application, it should be noted that masking a light involves hiding some illuminated area from view, thereby reducing the intensity, as seen at long range. Tests would be needed to determine whether the loss in intensity, trading off against the novelty of the

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shape, results in a net gain or loss of conspicuity. However, if additional power consumption can

be tolerated, the installation of higher wattage lamps can restore the intensity to the original level, thereby permitting whatever conspicuity is contributed by the triangular shape to be added—at a price—to the conspicuity of the unmasked light.

7.8. Illuminated Area

Lights. If a signal consisting of a uniformly illuminated patch is increased in area, with

the luminance remaining fixed, the signal will be more easily detected (at least up to a large

limiting area), and will surely also be more conspicuous in any reasonable context. In short, everything else being equal, the larger the signal the better (but with diminishing returns beyond some large area). In practice, increasing the area of a light requires either a compensatory drop in the luminance, or the expenditure of additional power to maintain the same luminance over the

larger area. If luminance must be sacrificed in order to achieve a larger area, then the net effect on conspicuity cannot be predicted with confidence. Even for simple detection, the relative importances of changes in luminance and area are functions of the initial area, the retinal location,

and other variables. Surfaces. It appears impractical to expect the warning lights carried by emergency

vehicles to be made much more than a foot in diameter. However, the surface of the emergency

vehicle itself can be regarded as an auxiliary visual signal, and in bright sunlight the surface

signal "ould under some circumstances prove more potent than any light signal used. Esthetic considerations presumably have had a strong influence in the past on the colors and patterns used

in the painting of emergency vehicles. Another factor has been the desire for distinctiveness among different categories of emergency vehicles (fire engines red, ambulances white, etc.) In any

event, visibility and conspicuity have not been the exclusive concerns of those responsible for the decoration of emergency vehicles. At night, and against dark backgrounds such as earth or foliage in the daytime, light colors such as white or yellow are more visible, and some fire departments have started painting

their engines white or yellow for that reason. (Night visibility of emergency vehicles is of some

concern, because the vehicles sometimes do not use their warning lights, as when returning from

emergency runs.) Unfortunately, with snow on the ground a white vehicle is all but invisible, and

the noticeability of a light yellow vehicle at long range is not much better. Only dark colors show

up really well against snow. Objects not illuminated by direct sunlight similarly need to be dark in order to contrast well with bright (lightly overcast) sky. (When objects are illuminated by direct sunlight, and are viewed against a background of a darker sky—clear blue or heavily overcast—

a

light object can be so much brighter than the sky that it may stand out better than a dark object. Note that if the sunlight is bright enough, and the background sky dark enough, the luminance of a sunlit dark object may be as high as or higher than the sky luminance, so that the object will not appear dark and may be all but invisible.) A vehicle of intermediate reflectance, such as medium

gray or tan, is not strikingly visible against either light or dark backgrounds, and is poorly visible against backgrounds of intermediate lightness, such as the road surface itself, on many occasions. The solution appears to be to make the vehicle both very light and very dark

simultaneously. Obviously, there is no way of arranging this for the vehicle as a whole, but it is certainly possible to make half the vehicle light and half dark. It would be wrong to paint the left half light and the right half dark, or the front half light and the rear half dark. It is important that

large areas of both light and dark be visible regardless of the direction from which the vehicle is viewed. A fine checkerboard pattern would not serve well; although certainly conspicuous at close range, a checkerboard vehicle would appear to have a uniform, medium lightness at distances beyond which the individual squares could be resolved. The optimum arrangement would appear

to be a "harlequin" pattern in which each major surface of the car (sides, rear, hood, roof) is divided into two to four rectangles painted alternately light and dark; in other words, an extremely

coarse checkerboard. A harlequin-painted vehicle, regardless of the angle of view, contains a large area that contrasts maximally in lightness with any background whatever. If the background is dark, the

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light area of the vehicle has maximum contrast with it; if the background is light, the dark area of

the vehicle has maximum contrast with it; and if the background is medium, both the light and

dark areas of the vehicle contrast with it about as much as anything can. Moreover, regardless of

the background, the internal contrast between the light and dark areas of the vehicle gives the eye

high-contrast edges to detect. As the vehicle approaches the observer, the sheer oddity of the

progressively more visible pattern contributes increasingly to the conspicuity. Considerations

similar to those listed above have led to the painting of large obstructions around airports in checkered or striped patterns, and to the use of black and white stripes on railroad crossing gates, and yellow and black diagonal stripes on the backs of some trucks. Since our goal is to make

emergency vehicles stand out visually at the greatest possible distance, we need to keep the light

and dark areas visually separable (unfused) at the longest possible range. The most useful pattern

therefore would be one in which the light and dark areas are as large as possible. Because the

total area of the vehicle is fixed, the way to achieve the largest light and dark areas is to have as few such areas as will still provide a view of both light and dark surface from any direction of

view. Sketches of several harlequin-type patterns were produced, and in figures 7.8-1 to 7.8-3, there are presented six views of an automobile painted according to the one best pattern so far discovered. The pattern is simple, follows the natural divisions of the vehicle, and exhibits substantial areas and edges of both black and white regardless of the angle of view. Since the pages are white, the view simulates the appearance of the harlequin-painted car in snow. Immediately following figures 7.8-1 to 7.8-3 are duplicate copies. Readers wishing to examine the appearance of such a vehicle on various backgrounds are invited to cut out the images of the cars from the duplicate figures and place them on black, gray, forest green, and other backgrounds of

interest. Note that the pattern shown in figures 7.8-1 to 7.8-3 may be slightly preferable to the

inverse (negative) pattern, in that the black area of the hood may somewhat reduce glare in the

driver's eyes during driving in sunny weather.

It should be noted that the presumed conspicuity of harlequin patterns in general, and of the illustrated pattern in particular, is based on known principles of vision and color perception. Direct tests, either in the form of laboratory simulations or full-scale field trials, have not yet been

conducted. An extremely important fact about color contrast, to which designers of all kinds should pay much more attention, is that for many practical purposes, lightness contrast is much more

important than chromatic contrast. Particularly when one or both of the contrasting areas subtends

a small angle at the observer's eye, differences in hue and saturation do not add as much to the

overall impression of difference between colors, as does a substantial lightness difference. At very

long viewing distances, the contribution of the hue and saturation differences fades toward zero, leaving only the lightness difference visible. (At sufficiently long distances, of course, even the

lightness difference fades away, resulting in complete visual fusion—that is, disappearance of the

border.) As a result of this rule, it is possible to retain color coding for close-up identification on

harlequin-painted vehicles. For example, ambulances could be painted black and white, fire engines dark red and reddish white, and police cars navy blue and pale blue. In each case, the presence of the basic hue (or its absence, in the black-white combination) will permit the same

kind of identifiability of function that we have now, but the chromatic content of the colors will not significantly affect the ability of any of these vehicles to stand out against any background. As

a rough rule of thumb, an effort should be made to find a dark paint having a daylight reflectance under 10 percent, and a light paint having a daylight reflectance over 70 percent. For some hues,

it may be necessary to fall a little short of one or the other of these goals in order to achieve an

acceptable saturation (strength) of the color, but at least a 7-to-l reflectance ratio should be

preserved if at all possible.

Particularly because of the difficulty of seeing lights in the daytime, it is a definite waste

not to make use of the vehicle's large surface as a signal. If there were any objection at all to painting emergency vehicles in a harlequin pattern, it would probably come from the crews of the

vehicles, who might at first feel somewhat self-conscious about riding around in such conspicuous

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Figure 7.8-3. Diagonal views of a harlequin-painted automobile, showing contrast with a white background. Upper view, from

below the roof line; lower view, from above the roof line. This series of illustrations is presented twice in order to allow the cutting out of the second set of car outlines to test appearance on black and other backgrounds.

vehicles. The conspicuousness, of course, is just what is needed for safety. Moreover, the light- heartedness traditionally associated with a harlequin pattern might possibly make a small

contribution toward having members of the public accept the presence of the vehicles in good

humor. Needless to say, the principle of maximum contrast with the background requires that if harlequin painting becomes customary or standard for emergency vehicles in any jurisdiction, the use of such a pattern on any other vehicle should be forbidden. There are instances in which the police authorities in a given jurisdiction prefer to have some or all of their police cars painted inconspicuously, in order to permit covert surveillance

activities. The suggestion for harlequin patterning naturally is meant to apply only to vehicles for which high noticeability is desired. On the following pages, figures 7.8-1, 7.8-2, and 7.8-3 are presented again in order to allow interested readers to cut out the car outlines and view them against black, gray, and

chromatic backgrounds, while still leaving a full set of figures in the report.

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7.9. Motion of the Light Source

Electrically flashed lamps contain no visible moving parts; they simply go on 'Wnd off. Rotating beacons, on the other hand, involve actual motion. Either the lamp is rotated or oscillated on a turntable or else the lamp is left tixed and a lens is moved in front of the lamp or a mirror in back of it. At long distances, when the entire unit is seen as only a point, the rotating beacon may

be indistinguishable from a flashed lamp. However, when the unit is close enough to be seen as having a definite size and shape, the motion of the moving parts or of the light beam itself may

become noticeable. The increased noticeability of a moving steady-burning light in circumstances when most

lights in the environment are fixed in position has always been well known. People signaling to boats offshore traditionally swing their lanterns back and forth, and railroad workers also swing

their signal lanterns at night. Even when there are people and vehicles bearing lights moving

across the background, a swung lantern is relatively conspicuous because its localized, repetitive

motion is markedly different from the steady, undirectional motion of a man or vehicle progressing

in a particular direction. Once again, we see that the best signal is one that differs as much as possible, in as many

ways as possible, from the normal background stimuli; that is, one that is as improbable as possible under the total set of circumstances in which it appears. Several designs that apply this principle through the use of light-source motion are feasible. An auxiliary, steady-burning

emergency vehicle warning light might be made more conspicuous by oscillating it back and forth across the width of the vehicle, or bobbing it up and down a few feet, or both together. Another

approach might be to impart some even more complicated but repetitive motion, such as moving

the light around and around a large triangular track standing upright on the roof in an orientation corresponding essentially to that of the windshield (but straight up, like old-fashioned

windshields).

The larger the excursions of the moving light (as for example, across the entire width of the vehicle's roof), the greater will be the distance at which the motion will be visible and will contribute to conspicuity. Such gross motion of the entire unit would be conspicuous at a far longer range than the small internal motions characterizing most of the present rotating beacons. As is most often true, a price must be paid for conspicuity added through gross motion. The cost of the unit would increase, there would be more frequent mechanical failures, air resistance might

be increased, and if vertical motion were included, there would be some possibility of collision with low-hanging tree branches. Fortunately, as will be discussed in the immediately following

section (7.10), actual mechanical motion can often be replaced by illusory motion produced by

flashing lights in sequence with proper timing.

It might at first appear tempting to consider combining flashing with mechanical motion

two kinds of difference from the background instead of one. The visual effect of combining these two cyclical processes would depend on the relative frequencies of the two periodic events, and on

the flash duration. With the very brief flashes of a "strobe" light, the effect would always be

visually indistinguishable from flashing some sequence of fixed lights with proper timing—a kind

of reverse motion illusion. With a relatively long-duration light flash, and a motion within the speed range that allows a movement of several inches during each flash, the appearance could be

of a dashed line painted slowly by a "paintbrush" of light—around and around, or back and

forth—with each "dash" fading away before the next one appears. When the mechanical motion is rapid enough to permit exactly one full transit around the motion circuit during a single flash, the appearance would suggest what is actually happening: a moving light that goes off between

"swings." Finally, if the motion is fast enough to permit somewhat more than one full transit around the motion circuit during the course of a flash, the visual effect would suggest a slow motion combined with a more rapid motion; the slow motion being the progressive shift on

successive flashes of the points where the light appears and disappears. All of these longer-flash

effects can be visually approximated, with somewhat less than perfect smoothness, by sequential

flashing of fixed lights, as will be explained in the following section, 7.10.

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7.10. Temporal Phase Relations Among Lights

Some emergency vehicle warning light displays consist of two or three separated lights

mounted across the width of the roof. If, in the case of two lights, both lights are flashing with the same frequency, is it more conspicuous for the lights to flash on and off together (in phase) or for one to go off as the other comes on (out of phase)? With a center light and two side lights, should

all the lights have the same frequency, and, in any case, what should the phase relationships be

among the three lights to maximize conspicuity?

In some situations, people's perceptions correspond closely to the objective physical

pattern. For example, suppose that an observer is watching a display consisting of two lights

flashing at the same frequency with a 1:1 on-off ratio, but with one light lagging a little behind the other in phase. What is seen might be as follows: left light comes on and stays on (for a while);

right light comes on a moment later and stays on; left light goes off and stays off; right light goes

off a moment later and stays off; then repeat. Now suppose that we leave everything else as above, but change the timing to put the two

lights fully out of phase. Now what is occurring is objectively as follows: left light comes on and

stays on; left light goes off and stays off, and simultaneously right light comes on and stays on;

right light goes off and stays off and left light comes on and stays on; then alternate the last two

steps. Human perception being as complex as it is, the observer may now see something quite

different from the reality of the situation: he may see a single, continuously burning light that hops suddenly back and forth from side to side. In other words, he may see motion that is apparent or illusory.

Apparent Motion. This particular illusion is not very surprising, for consider what the observer would see if there were in fact a continuously burning light that hopped very quickly

from side to side with a regular rhythm: He would see precisely the pattern of stimulation described above, except that in addition, he might see a faint blur of light along the path of the rapid motion. When the motion is quite rapid, the blur of light as the lamp passes from one

position to the other is quite faint; the principal events are the alternate appearances of the bright

light on the left and on the right. Thus, the perceived patterns for a single light jumping back and

forth and a pair of lights blinking alternately are very similar, and it is not difficult to believe that the two could be confused. Since we do tend to expect the faint intervening blur when we interpret our perception as a moving light, it is common for observers to see the blur even when it is not

there; that is, when the motion is illusory. In the illusion of motion described above, it is not necessary that the flashing of the two

lights be repetitive; a single flash of each light with a suitable time lag between the flashes may be

enough to trigger the illusion. The appearance or nonappearance of the illusory motion is a function of a number of variables. Among these variables are the durations of each of the flashes and of the dark interval between them. If there is no dark interval—that is, if the flashes overlap

temporally—then the relevant variable is the interval between the starting times of the flashes. Other factors that have been shown to influence the perception of illusory motion are the

intensities, colors, sizes, and shapes of the two lights, and the spatial separation between them.

Finally, the attitude ("set") of the observer, including his guess as to what he is looking at and his expectations concerning whether movement is to be anticipated, can influence whether he will in

fact see movement.

In its crudest form, the type of apparent motion discussed above is seen in the sequential turn signals used on the rear of some automobiles. What is actually the repeated sequential

lighting or brightening of, usually, three lights, is seen as the movement of something—perhaps a blob of light—in the direction of the later brightenings. In more elaborate form, the phenomenon

is seen on older theater marquees in the strings of incandescent bulbs that produce sensations of a flow of light around and around or back and forth. In still more elaborate form, the phenomenon

is seen in Times Square-type traveling message signs or animated advertising signs. In the

ultimate forms of illusory motion, namely movies and television, real and apparent motions are combined. The images in both media actually consist of a succession of still pictures. There is real

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motion in the sense that the image corresponding to a particular moving object shifts its position on the screen from one still shot to the next. The image, however, never actually occupies any of

the intervening positions; they are filled in perceptually by the observer so that the motion is seen

as smooth and continuous in most instances. Apparent motion of this kind could quite possibly be made to play an important part in improving the conspicuity of a multi-light unit. The real motion discussed in the preceding section

(7.9) can probably be replaced advantageously by apparent motion, with fewer of the disadvantages associated with real motion.

CHAPTER 8. INFLUENCE OF THE BACKGROUND

8.1. Characterization of the Background

When a signal light appears against a background of other lights, the characteristics of the background Lights influence the conspicuity of the signal. The same variables discussed in chapter

7 for the signal lights are also the relevant ones for the lights appearing in the background. A

reasonably complete specification of a particular background viewed from a fixed vantage point

would include the following: (a) the position of each light within the field; (b) a statement of the

intensity, color, size, and shape of each light; (c) a statement of the flash rate, on-off ratio, and

pulse shape, for each flashing or sweeping light (rotating or oscillating around a point); (d) for each moving (position-changing) light, a statement of the path of motion and the time course; (e) if there is more than one flashing or sweeping light, a statement of the phases of all such lights at a

specified moment in time; and (f) where there is more than one moving light, a statement of the phases of all such motions at a specified moment in time. In city driving, the background does not ordinarily consist of a set of isolated lights seen

against an overall curtain of blackness. There is usually enough prevailing light to illuminate ordinary objects, so the background consists of a gigantic mosaic of small patches of light, each

patch representing a more or less uniform portion of an object. For such a background, the same

type of specification would serve as was described above for the case of isolated lights embedded

in darkness; there would simply be enormously more stimuli to specify.

The discussion of background specification to this point has been based on the idea of a

stable background viewed from a single observing position. In moving traffic, however, the background is continuously changing. It is clear that no adequate description of the actual background encountered in driving can be supplied in the form of a few or even many numbers.

The closest thing to an adequate statement of a real traffic background would consist of a roll of

color movie film or videotape shot from an actual moving vehicle. Despite the practical impossibility of accurately specifying the background encountered in the driving situation, some of the more important aspects of real backgrounds could be abstracted out and quantified in a statistical sense. For example, it would be helpful to know the relative frequencies of occurrence of lights of different colors. Also directly relevant to the emergency

vehicle warning signal problem would be a specification of how many flashing lights of different colors are encountered per minute.

One possible procedure for actually generating the required information would involve repeatedly snapping color photographs of the rearview mirror of an automobile driving through

actual traffic, at intervals of about 20 or 30 seconds. In order to identify lights that are changing

in intensity with time, each photographic record could actually consist of two pictures, snapped in very rapid succession. Statistical counts of colors and time-varying lights could then be made from

the photographs. Photographs made through the windshield in the forward direction would also be

useful, and would presumably lead to somewhat different counts from the rearview mirror photos,

since the rearward view would pick up many white headlights from following traffic, while the forward view would include the red taillights of preceding traffic. In order to obtain information of really general national applicability, it would be

necessary to make counts, such as those described above, in many different locations within many

different cities across the country. Quite possibly, the knowledge gained would not add enough to

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what can be learned from the overall subjective impressions of experienced drivers to warrant the considerable expense of the objective measurements.

8.2. Controlling the Background

To a considerable extent, the visual background currently encountered by motor vehicle

drivers is an aspect of the environment that must be taken into account in the design of optimum

light signals. Fortunately, affecting the visual environment is not totally beyond our capacity. Because most emergency signal lights are flashing, some jurisdictions have banned from the

streets all flashing lights other than emergency signals. The emergency signals are thus made to differ more from the background, and this increases conspicuity.

Similarly, in a jurisdiction that uses red emergency lights, their conspicuity can be

increased by banning all red lights on the streets that are not emergency or traffic signals.

Banning anything is a serious step for which society pays some price, and the gain in emergency

signal conspicuity must be weighed against the loss of freedom, if nothing else. Some jurisdictions that have become concerned with "visual pollution" have banned all garish, flashing, or moving

commercial signs. Although it may not have been intended in every case, the same ban that reduces unpleasant visual clutter also contributes to the conspicuity of most of our present warning

lights.

One step that can be taken without the need for legal proceedings is to improve the immediate backgrounds of signal lights. The background that differs most from any sufficiently

bright light is total darkness. Consequently, instant improvement in at least the daytime

conspicuities of all warning and traffic lights could be obtained by surrounding the lights with

areas that are painted black. We are unaware of any actual realization of this principle in connection with vehicle-borne emergency warning lights, but black backgrounds are being used

around some schoolbus flashers, and some jurisdictions have begun a program of installing black backgrounds around their traffic signals. (Black traffic signal backgrounds are already standard in the Netherlands.) Note that the black background will not be helpful unless it provides a border

broad enough to be visible at the distances at which response to the signal lights is normally

desired. A safe rule of thumb is to make the black border on each side of the light at least equal

in width to the diameter of the light aperture (lens). Then all parts of the border will be visible whenever the light itself is visible as an extended disk.

8.3. The Crucial Role of the Background

In a series of laboratory experiments studying reaction times to peripherally viewed lights,

Gerathewohl (1953, 1957) established that under some circumstances, a flashing light is more

conspicuous as a signal than the same light left burning steadily. In Gerathewohl's studies, the

signal lights appeared against a background of steady "distraction" lights. Some time later, Crawford (1962, 1963), in a generally similar series of experiments, introduced various percentages of flashing lights into his backgrounds. No one who has read the earlier sections of

this report should be surprised to learn that Crawford found flashing light signals to be less conspicuous when some of the background lights were flashing than when the background lights were all steady. What is surprising in Crawford's findings, however, is that if even a single one of the background lights was flashing, the advantage of a flashing signal light over a steady signal

light was lost; and if at least 10 percent of the lights in the background were flashing, steady

signal lights became unequivocally superior to flashing signal lights. Of course, Crawford's results apply when all aspects of the signal lights other than interruption are more or less the same.

Against a background of steady lights, for example, a steady signal light many times brighter than

the background lights would be more conspicuous than a flashing light that is dimmer than the background lights. Because there were quite a few differences in the detailed conditions of the Gerathewohl

and Crawford studies, the two sets of results may or may not be directly comparable. Moreover,

both series of studies used configurations highly simplified with respect to the real-life traffic

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situation (although resembling it more than the configurations in any other laboratory studies of which we are aware), so that the direct, quantitative applicability of the findings to the design of emergency vehicle warning lights is open to some question. It is nevertheless quite clear, even from the internal results of the Crawford experiments, that the nature of the background plays a

critical role in determining the conspicuity of a signal light. CHAPTER 9. ASSESSING CONSPICUITY

9.1. Introduction

In this chapter, attention will be paid to the problems of conspicuity assessment both for existing warning light devices and for light signals produced as part of laboratory experiments. In many attempts to evaluate the perceptual effectiveness of hardware of one kind or another, some

experimenters have produced useless results because variables that have a major influence on

effectiveness have been left uncontrolled. The following section, 9.2, is included as a caution to those interested in experimenting not only on emergency warning lights, but on any category of sensory devices.

9.2. Sources of Differences in Effectiveness: A Caution

Lights are used on all types of vehicles, and in some fixed installations such as lighthouses

and airport runways, to indicate presence and also to signal the occurrence of important events, such as the application of brakes in a motor vehicle. Lights that are maximally effective in one of

these situations need not necessarily be best in any of the other contexts, so repeated attention has

been given to the problem of conspicuity by investigators working with each of these specialized contexts in mind.

One problem that arises in almost every case is the question of which color is most

effective. There are three different classes of variables that contribute to the final answer to such a question. These will be reviewed now with respect to the specific issue, used as an example, of whether red or blue lights are more effective. Actually, there is no meaning at all in the unqualified question: which is more effective, red or blue lights? It is necessary to specify exactly what red and blue lights are to be compared,

and exactly what is to be meant by "effectiveness." In what follows, we will be discussing an

attempt to assess the relative conspicuities of red light and blue light, without regard for practical considerations such as the power consumption or monetary cost associated with the actual production of flashes of red and blue light. It is necessary to have techniques available for

collecting data on the purely perceptual matter of conspicuity before estimates can be given of such derived measures as degree of conspicuity per watt of electrical power consumed, or degree of

conspicuity per dollar spent per year, over the lifetime of the device. The kind of effectiveness to be discussed in this section may be thought of as degree of conspicuity per candela of effective intensity of the light fiash. Turning these measures around, we may say that we are concerned in this section with the question of whether red lights or blue lights of the same intensity are more conspicuous. A

procurement officer ordering warning lights for police vehicles, whose electrical systems are already being overloaded by various other devices, may be concerned with the question of whether

red or blue lights, drawing equal power, are more conspicuous. A budget official might be

interested in whether equal dollar expenditures for red lights or for blue lights, averaged over the years to include initial cost plus upkeep plus replacement costs plus costs associated with electrical system improvements, yield more conspicuity. It should be pointed out that it is impossible to state in advance, without knowledge of the individual situation, what measure is most appropriate to use. Unfortunately, many reports of tests of lights or other sensory devices do not make clear which measure was used as the criterion of comparison, and a good deal of confusion has arisen because of the resulting seemingly contradictory conclusions contained in different reports. In

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some such reports, it appears that the authors were not entirely clear in their own minds about

exactly what they were getting at in their tests. The discussion that follows is intended to call attention to several types of factors that do affect the outcomes of experiments comparing

conspicuities, but which seem sometimes to be overlooked.

(a) Physical outputs of devices. If we are concerned only with the effect of color, it is clearly necessary to give the lights an equal chance at being effective in every respect other than

color. In particular, the intensities of the lights are crucial. No one could believe that a fair test was being conducted if a blue glass were installed as the lens of an anti-aircraft searchlight and

that beam was compared in effectiveness to the beam from a pocket flashlight with a red lens. As

a first step in making an unbiased comparison, we might use two identical pocket flashlights, one equipped with a red lens, and one with a blue lens. For a test of how much conspicuity can be obtained for a fixed power input, such a comparison would be appropriate. However, for the pure conspicuity investigation that we are concerned with here, this comparison would in all probability still not be fair. In fact, it would not be fair even if a representative selection of different commercially available blue glasses and

plastic filters were tested against a similar selection of red filters. The problem has to do with the

typical characteristics of commercial blue and red filters. A blue filter, in order to appear strongly

blue, must transmit light within the fairly narrow band of wavelengths that appear blue, and must

not transmit very much light of other wavelengths. As a result, only a small percentage of the total energy emitted by a white source such as an incandescent lamp passes through strongly blue glass or plastic. The percentage of incandescent lamp light passed by a typical blue glass filter is about

3 percent, in luminous (visibility-weighted) rather than radiant (energy) terms; this fraction is known as luminous transmittance. On the other hand, the entire long-wave end of the spectrum appears red, so that a glass can appear strongly red by passing all wavelengths beyond a certain point in the spectrum, and no

wavelengths below that point. As a result, a typical red filter passes a broader band of wavelengths

than a saturated blue filter. Moreover, incandescent lamps emit more long-wave (red) than short- wave (blue) energy. The combination of a broader range of transmitted wavelengths and a greater

level of energy within that waveband leads to a typical luminous transmittance of about 20 percent

for red filters transmitting incandescent lamp light. Thus, even if identical light sources are used for comparisons carried out with a selection of red filters and a selection of blue filters, there will be typically seven times as much luminous

power in the red light as in the blue light. In order to be fair to the blue light, then—in an

investigation of the relative conspicuities of the two colors, with everything else being equal—the lamp used with the blue filters should have about seven times the luminous intensity of the lamp

used with the red filters. Comparisons made using several commercial red-light units and several commercial blue-light units reveal only the performance of those specific red units relative to those

specific blue units. If the issue is the generic question of the relative effectiveness of redness and

blueness as qualities of a signal, then the requirement is that the units tested should deliver to the

retina of the observer equal illuminances of red and blue light, regardless of what kinds of light sources and filters are used to produce the lights.

(b) Sensitivities of the observers. Usually it is some measure of observer sensitivity alone that is really sought in comparisons of conspicuity. The "physical" output discussed in (a) above cannot properly be considered independently of observer sensitivity. It is retinal illuminances that must be equated for a fair visual comparison, and illuminance is obtained by

weighting irradiance—a physical energy-related measure—wavelength by wavelength by the luminous efficiency function of the observer. The luminous efficiency function appropriate to the viewing conditions (the angular size of the lights, the irradiance level of the light entering the eye, and the portion of the retina on which the light is imaged) should ideally be used, as discussed

earlier in sections 6.2 and 7.6. In practice, lack of standardized luminous efficiency functions for each of these special conditions leads to almost universal use of the function associated with the CIE 1931 colorimetric system, even when the viewing conditions are known to be inappropriate for the use of that

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standard. The numerical values of transmittance, luminous intensity, etc., used in this section and

throughout this report are based on the CIE 1931 values. What we need to do, for an ideal comparison, is to deliver to the observer's eye red and

blue lights that appear to him, under the viewing conditions being used, to be equally bright. Any

differences in conspicuity that may exist between red and blue light must then be a function of aspects of the observer's response other than his impression of simple brightness. For example, it

is conceivable that differences in the rapidity of response of the different color channels of the

visual system might make flashing red lights attract attention to a greater or lesser extent than

flashing blue lights, even though the lights are equally bright when steady.

(c) Familiarities. Many people live in jurisdictions in which red and perhaps yellow

lights are used for all emergency signals, and blue lights are not used at all for signaling. When

such people serve as observers in an experiment in which they are asked to respond to red and

blue lights in some manner, it is possible that the quickness or strength of their responses will be

influenced by their long familiarity with red as an emergency warning and stop-signal color and

their unfamiliarity with blue in the same contexts. Since there are now jurisdictions in which blue is widely used as an emergency warning

color, people from those areas would be expected to yield results showing less of an advantage for red relative to blue as a signal color. A test of whether familiarity does in fact contribute

significantly to the measured effectiveness of a signal can be arranged by using two (or more)

groups of observers with different histories of exposure to the classes of signals being tested. Thus,

in the example we are using, we might use two large groups of observers, chosen randomly from

among long-term residents of jurisdictions using mainly red and no blue warning lights, and of

jurisdictions using mainly blue and a minimum of red warning lights. Perhaps more efficiently, we

might use two smaller groups chosen not at random but by matching pairs of members on

characteristics such as age, sex, driving experience, and other variables that might affect the

results of a study of effectiveness or conspicuity.

Although in a comparison of red and blue the role of familiarity may be in sufficient doubt

as to require a direct test, there are other comparisons in which it is obvious that familiarity plays a major role, at least comparable to the contribution of the perceptual variables. An example is the question of the relative effectiveness of pictorial road signs as opposed to verbal signs (those

conveying information by words only). Unfamiliarity with the language in which a highly visible verbal sign is written will render the sign totally ineffective. Similarly, unfamiliarity with the accepted meaning of one of the less self-explanatory pictorial signs will also render it ineffective,

regardless of how clearly it can be seen.

9.3. Basic Experimental Approaches

There is at present no generally accepted quantitative method for measuring the conspicuity (as opposed to the simple visibility) of a light. In this section, three different types of observer responses that seem to show reasonable potential for providing the basis for the development of such a measure are discussed.^" Other classes of response that have not been as extensively explored as have these three, in previous perceptual work of various kinds, certainly

exist and could prove more fruitful in the long run. One example is the measurement of any

changes in the electrical waves generated in the visual areas of the brain that may result from the appearance of visual stimuli. The hope would be that greater brain-wave changes would be

associated with stimuli that make a stronger impression on the observer—that is, which are more

conspicuous. This type of measure, usually called visual evoked response (VER) in the psychophysiological literature, is now under active laboratory investigation.

(a) Direct subjective ratings. In this type of experiment, each observer is asked to look at the signals and give some kind of rating corresponding to his or her impression of how

effective the signals would prove to be in actual use. Several variations are possible. The signals can be presented one at a time and the rating might then be in the form of a number representing

the observer's subjective scale of effectiveness. Alternatively, the signals can be presented in pairs,

The three types of procedures described below apply not ooly to single lights, but to any visual displays, of any degree of complexity in space and/or time. Thus, if properly developed, these methods would allow for comparisons of single lights to multi-light arrays, or of lights to patterned surfaces (in the daytime). 81
and the rating might take the form of a simple judgment as to which of the two signals being

simultaneously judged appears to be more effective. With the latter procedure, the numerical

ratings of effectiveness for each signal would be derived by established statistical techniques

(Guilford, 1954).

When the comparison is specifically of the conspicuities of emergency vehicle warning

lights, it would obviously be important to present the lights with viewing conditions as comparable

as possible to the conditions under which real lights are seen on the road. Thus, the lights should

be viewed from a distance giving the test lights an angular size at the observer's eye comparable to the angle subtended by a typical commercial unit at a distance long enough to allow a normal

driver to take necessary action. (Note that an 8-inch dome seen at 382 feet subtends an angle of 1/10 of a degree—6 minutes of arc.) There is little importance in conspicuity ratings made from

close up, because the practical interest is in maximizing the probability of the signal's being

noticed at distances that will allow the emergency vehicle to move smoothly through traffic. Even more important is the fact that, in this context, there is relatively little interest in direct (foveal) viewing of the signal lights, because the difficult situation is attracting a driver's attention when the signal light image is coming from the rearview mirror, through the right side of the windshield, or through a side window. It is not unusual for the center of the rearview mirror in a full-sized American automobile to be 35° or 45° to the right of the driver's straight-ahead line of

sight, and for the right edge of the windshield to be about 70° away. One basic format of a "comparison-within-pairs" experiment might therefore involve having the observer fixate (steadily look at) a relatively unobtrusive target directly ahead, while

the two lights to be compared in conspicuity appear symmetrically perhaps 35°-45° to the right

and left of the fixation target. The lights are thus separated from each other by something on the order of 70°-90°. As we have discussed in earlier sections, an observer can see little detail 35° or 45° into the periphery of his field of view, but some color discrimination and a good deal of

sensitivity to flicker and motion are retained, so that the observer is quite capable, with a bit of

practice, of focusing his attention on the conspicuities of isolated lights very far from his direct

line of sight.

A final variable important in these conspicuity comparisons (see sec. 8.3) is the background against which the signal lights appear. A black (dark) background is of some interest as an approximate representation of conditions on low-traffic unlighted roads at night. More useful

is a background that is basically dark but which contains a selection of "distraction" lights of various colors and intensities. Ideally, the distraction lights should move and an occasional one or more should flash on and off. This background represents a city street at night or a road with

heavy traffic. Perhaps the most critical test is with a high-brightness background, corresponding to the condition of driving in either daylight or sunlight, which strongly interfere with the

noticeability of light signals.

Recently, a laboratory experiment of the direct-rating "paired" comparison type was

carried out by Edwards (1971). Edwards explored the relative conspicuities of lights having

different combinations of flash rate and on-off ratio. The viewing conditions were not ideal from

the point of view of emergency vehicle warning lights because each light of the pair being

compared was only 2°50' to the side of the fixation point. Also, the particular choice of stimuli used might be criticized from a signaling standpoint, since the flashes compared were not of the same effective intensity, or even of the same total energy content, but instead had the same peak

intensity and different durations. Thus, the results confound the influences of flash rate and on-off

ratio with the influence of effective intensity. Nevertheless, the Edwards study does establish the

basic soundness of the method of paired comparisons of flashing lights with subjective judgment

of conspicuity.

Any method of testing conspicuity other than collecting real-life statistics involves some

assumptions relating the measure used experimentally to the kind of conspicuity that operates in the practical situation. The direct-rating method involves the rather strong assumption that an

observer examining lights in a static viewing situation can correctly estimate from what he sees the degree to which the different lights would be able to attract his attention if he were not expecting

their appearance and was concentrating on other matters (that is, if he were driving a car). If it

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could be established that this assumption is realistic, then confidence in direct-rating studies would

be justified. It would consequently be desirable to show a high correlation between direct ratings

and other measures of conspicuity that are more objective or closer to the real-life situation. Two

such measures are discussed in (b) and (c) below. Exploration of the latter two measures will require a relatively long-term experimental program. In the absence of ample resources of time

and funds, the direct subjective rating method appears to be the procedure of choice. (b) Eye movemente. There now exist devices, known as "eye movement recorders,"

that can make an accurate record of the positions of both of an observer's eyes over a period of

time. Suppose an observer is fixating a foveal target and comparing the conspicuities of two lights located in symmetrical positions in the periphery, as described in (a) above. The observer is trying

to fixate the foveal target rigidly, but there will inevitably be small involuntary movements of his eyes to one side or the other of the fixation point. An eye movement recorder sufficiently sensitive

to pick up the small involuntary eye excursions might well show that, for two particular lights, the

observer's gaze has a significant tendency to start to move slightly toward one light more than

toward the other. It would be necessary to show that the same tendency was retained when the two

lights were interchanged left for right, since the tendency for the eyes to move to one side could be a positional bias of the observer rather than a genuine preferential attraction toward one of the

lights. The same precaution is necessary in a direct-rating experiment or any other procedure

involving comparisons within pairs. (Such procedures are known in the jargon of experimental

psychology as either pair or paired comparisons.)

Another precaution that is desirable in studying eye movements with two flashing lights

present simultaneously is to avoid having one light consistently flash before the other, since the eyes may tend to turn toward the earlier light, rather than the more conspicuous one. The only

sure solution, where feasible, is to synchronize the lights to flash simultaneously. If the lights have

different flash rates that cannot be adjusted, it may be possible to average out the effect of flash •ordering by simply running the eye-movement recorder for a long enough time. It must first be

established, however, that in a long series of flashes of the particular lights being compared, each

light flashes first very nearly half the time, regardless of the times of occurrence of the initial flashes when the units are turned on. Even when unbalanced flash ordering cannot be avoided, the eye-movement method could still prove informative if it turns out that the average magnitudes

not simply the frequencies—of involuntary eye movements are related to conspicuity.

The basic assumption of an eye-movement study is that if an observer is paying attention

to the stimuli of the experiment (see sec. 5.1), his gaze is drawn more strongly toward a more

conspicuous light. This is an assumption that many people would consider less risky than the assumption underlying the direct-rating approach [see (a) above]. It would not be unreasonable,

therefore, to use eye-movement recording as a method for validating, at least partially, the direct- rating procedure. Fortunately, since the experimental arrangements are the same, it is easy to combine the two procedures; the eye movements are recorded while the observer considers which

light to rate more conspicuous.

A considerable amount of preliminary work would probably be necessary in order to make

the eye-movement method practical. We know of no experiments applying eye-movement recording

to the specific problem of signal light conspicuity. An important element of the preliminary work

would be finding a suitable measure, derivable from the recordings, that correlates well with gross

differences in conspicuity (that is, conspicuity differences so obvious as not to require assessment through another type of experiment). For example, it might be that the fraction of the time that the observer's gaze lies on one side of the fixation point is a better or a worse measure than the average size of the eye excursions in that direction. It might even be found that rigid fixation is not the best condition to use in studying eye movements. A simpler procedure would be to tell the observer to fixate only before the test lights appear and then to look freely back and forth at both

lights as soon as they come on. It might turn out that the light toward which the observer first turns his gaze is, with high probability, the more conspicuous. It could conceivably be found that some aspect of the eye-movement statistics measured when only one light was presented at a time

(still peripherally, of course) would correlate better with obvious differences in conspicuity than

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any measure obtainable with paired presentation. Finally, it could unfortunately turn out that no eye-movement measure at all could be found that had any significant assocation with differences in conspicuity, but that result seems unlikely.

Both the eye-movement method, if it proves feasible, and the direct-rating method are applicable either to the testing of actual commercial warning light units, or to simulated laboratory

displays. There might be occasions when the effectiveness of commercial units is of specific

interest. For example, a poUce or fire department contemplating the purchase of new warning light units would undoubtedly like to see a graph showing some reliable measure of effectiveness as a

function of the selling price of the unit, for all units on the market. However, if the factors determining conspicuity are ever to be explored quantitatively in such a way that the conspicuity of a unit will be accurately predictable from physical measurements made on it, it will be

necessary to use simpUfied, fully controllable lights in the laboratory. The building of a

quantitative predictive model for conspicuity will require the use of equipment permitting variation of each of the relevant variables separately over a considerable range of values, and such control is not available when only commercial units are studied.

(c) Reaction time. In studies based on reaction time, a signal light is turned on at randomly chosen moments, and the time that the observer consumes in reacting to the signal

that is, carrying out the required response—is measured. This procedure is not well suited to comparisons between lights presented simultaneously in pairs, but provides an absolute measure

for lights presented one at a time. The hghts should still be presented peripherally, and each light

should be presented at least twice: once to the left of the fixation point and once equally far to the

right (preferably a number of times on each side), thus averaging out any tendency the observer may have toward greater sensitivity on one side or the other. With flashing lights, the reaction time should be measured from the moment the first flash occurs, not the moment that the "on"

button is pressed.

When a single light is presented at a location known to the experimental subject, and a

single reaction is always expected, and there are no distracting stimuli deliberately introduced,

then the situation is referred to as a simple reaction time study. Reaction times are minimal under

these conditions; for lights, the times are typically in the neighborhood of 1/5 of a second for reasonably bright lights viewed foveally. Thus, very accurate measurement of time is necessary in a reaction time study. An electric clock capable of measuring to the nearest millisecond

(thousandth of a second) is desirable.

It is impossible to measure simple reaction times to low-frequency flashing lights, because

the subject reacts to the onset of the first flash and the second flash occurs too late to affect the outcome. The solution is to abandon simple reaction time and to go, instead, to disjunctive (also known as discriminative or choice) reaction time, in which the subject does not know which of

several stimuli will occur on each presentation, and must make a different response depending on

which stimulus appears. Other complications can be introduced, such as distracting stimuli and

randomization of the place as well as the time of appearance of the stimuli. As described in section

8.3, Gerathewohl (1953, 1957) and Crawford (1962, 1963) studied the reaction times to steady

and flashing lights with this sort of complex experimental procedure, and Gerathewohl refers to the method by the name "complex reaction time." With sufficiently complicated patterns of background lights and ongoing demands on the observer's attention, reaction times of several full seconds were achieved by these experimenters, so that the later flashes of the flashing stimulus

lights had a chance to affect the observer's reaction. Although considerably simplified, the type of experimental configurations used by

Gerathewohl and by Crawford have an obvious resemblance to the real-life situation. There are

still assumptions involved in extrapolating their results to the real situation, however. Their

patterns of background lights were much simpler than the background seen on the road; in particular, no "flowing past" motion was simulated. Moreover, the observers knew they were

experimental subjects and were braced for the regular appearance of stimulus lights at random,

but relatively brief, intervals of time. The practical emergency vehicle warning light situation involves the unexpected appearance of the warning light at time intervals that may run to hours or even days.

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We know of one attempt, in France (Boisson and Pag^s, 1964), to keep the attention of

the observers occupied with an ongoing task that was more like actual driving than the task used

by Gerathewohl or by Crawford. The latter investigators occupied their experimental subjects with

either reacting differently, or not reacting at all, to the appearance of "irrelevant" background

lights. Boisson and Pages, however, in a continuing series of studies, seat their subjects in an

actual automobile standing stationary in the laboratory. An upright rod some distance in front of

the subject moves randomly from side to side, and the subject is required to "track" (follow) the moving rod with a nearer rod linked to the steering wheel of the automobile. Although this "distraction" task has some resemblance to driving, the pattern of background lights used by

Boisson and Pages in their work up to this time is a less realistic approximation to the road

environment than the patterns used by Gerathewohl or Crawford.

With enough time and money, the real-life situation can be simulated even more closely

than Gerathewohl, Crawford, or Boisson and Pages represented it. The subjects can be seated in a

driver trainer or even a real automobile, surrounded by optical equipment capable of presenting

lights that flow past, as when a car is in motion on a road. The visual scene can be made to change in response to the subject's manipulation of the steering wheel, brake, and accelerator. The

subject can be left in the experimental situation for hours, with random appearances of dynamically changing ("approaching") warning lights at intervals of minutes rather than seconds. Unfortunately, the cost of a highly realistic dynamic vehicle simulator can be extremely high.

Some such devices exist, but they were primarily constructed for special training purposes and

would not be likely to be released for research on warning light conspicuity. It may be a long time,

therefore, before any experimenter goes very much beyond a combination of the GerathewohlCrawford and Boisson-Pages approaches in achieving realism.

CHAPTER 10. PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LIGHTS AND

LIGHT SIGNALS

10.1. Physical Measures, Conspicuity, and Standards for Warning Lights

The ultimate purpose of the research effort of which this report is a part is to propose

standards for emergency vehicle warning lights that will assure that lights meeting the standards

will have a certain minimum level of conspicuity. A relatively traditional approach to deriving such

standards would be to test a variety of lights for conspicuity, and also to measure all the relevant physical values characterizing the outputs of the lights. From an analysis of such data, the hope is that those physical aspects of the light signal that affect conspicuity can be identified, and a function of all these variables derived such that it correlates highly with conspicuity. In other words, we would like to learn how to quantitatively describe and then predict conspicuity from a knowledge of the purely physical characteristics of a light. A standard for warning lights derived on the basis of physical measurements would be

phrased in terms of permissible limits on each of the relevant variables. For example, it would be

required that the intensity be above some minimum level for conspicuity purposes, and that the

intensity (more properly, the luminance) be below some maximum level for the purpose of preventing excessive glare that would temporarily interfere with the vision of nearby drivers and

pedestrians. Such a physical performance standard would similarly impose upper and/or lower

limits on the flash rate, the flash duration, and other instrumentally measurable aspects of the output of the light units. In former times, these physical requirements might have been translated

into specific restrictions on hardware; that is, detailed specifications of light sources, lenses,

domes, circuitry, mounting brackets, etc. Today it is becoming increasingly accepted that performance standards, which prescribe the functions that the device must perform, but not how

the performance is to be achieved, are desirable because such standards encourage the continuing

development of new technology. A complete physical performance standard for warning lights

might include not only limiting values for the basic parameters of the light signal, but also

85
minimum requirements for the service life of the device—of whatever kind—and for its ability to function under adverse environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity extremes,

precipitation, and perhaps the presence of atmospheric pollutants such as dust, sand, and salt. Perceptual Performance Standard. A still more performance-oriented approach to writing a standard for signal lights is possible but, as will be seen, it has some definite disadvantages. This is the specification of a perceptual performance standard, in which we indicate the ultimate function we expect the light units to perform, and how well we demand that the units perform this function. The physical means used to achieve the required level of performance are not mentioned in such a standard; any configuration of lights that meets the behavorial criterion is acceptable. The primary function we are interested in having the lights perform is, of course,

attracting attention; more specifically, being conspicuous when seen away from the direct line of gaze—that is, in peripheral vision. In a signal system in which different colors have different meanings, it is necessary that the observer of the signal not only notice it, but also identify it as a

signal and recognize its color. However, it can be presumed that a signal bright enough to attract attention in the visual periphery under distracting conditions will be recognizable in color as soon

as the alerted observer looks directly at it. A highly simplified example of how the key part of a perceptual performance standard for warning lights might be phrased is as follows: An emergency vehicle warning light, viewed at a distance of 1000 feet in bright

daylight, must be visible at least 60° into the periphery of the (binocular) visual

field by 85 percent or more of a group of observers statistically representative of the population of licensed drivers. An intermittent light shall be deemed visible when each individual flash can be perceived.

NOTE THAT THE ABOVE EXCERPT FROM A SAMPLE STANDARD IS A

SIMPLIFIED EXAMPLE ONLY AND IS NOT BEING PROPOSED AS AN ACTUAL

PERFORMANCE STANDARD FOR LIGHTS.

The specific numerical values used in the above sample standard may be reasonably

appropriate, but should not be taken too seriously. Moreover, a complete perceptual performance

standard would have to spell out in considerable detail a number of additional requirements, such

as the viewing conditions under which the visibility test is to be conducted (the illuminance level, against what background, etc.); the procedure to be used; how large a group of observers is demanded; how they should be selected; what the instructions given them should be; and so on. (The number and type of observers selected must be such as to assure with high probability that the test group is representative of all the licensed drivers in the jurisdiction concerned; the problem is similar to choosing the sample for poll-taking.)

The preceding excerpt from a sample standard is an indirect perceptual performance

requirement; that is, a type and a level of performance are demanded that are not in themselves

the end result desired, but which are believed to guarantee that end result. What is really desired

in an emergency vehicle warning light is that it be noticed sufficiently soon by some specified

fraction of drivers when it appears in the rearview mirror, or off to the side, during a time when

the driver is in a traffic situation requiring a specified high level of attention in the forward

direction. The development of a direct perceptual performance standard would involve creating a driving simulator that permits a standardized test to be run that closely approximates the conditions just described. The use of a perceptual standard presupposes that a practical and acceptably accurate technique has been developed for measuring performance in the perceptual variable in terms of which the basic criterion of the standard is expressed. Even when the standard adopted is based on

an indirect perceptual requirement, such as the one exhibited earlier, a similar assumption is implicit, because unless the ultimate criterional variable (conspicuity) can be measured, it cannot be established that some simpler perceptual variable (peripheral visibility) correlates highly with

it. The measuring technique for conspicuity could, however, be elaborate and expensive, in the case of an indirect standard, since the technique would be used only in research and not on a

86
routine production basis; the indirect test must then be the practical one. A significant disadvantage applying to any perceptual performance standard arises from

the variable behavior of human beings. Physical measurements can often be made easily and quite

repeatably by a relatively unskilled -technician. Perceptual measurements, however, may vary among different people to the point that only a very large group of observers will yield stable

results representative of the overall population. Moreover, people are highly sensitive to apparently minor changes in the environment, such as the words used or the attitude exhibited by

the experimenter. Therefore, only a carefully trained technician can be expected to run perceptual

tests consistently without introducing bias or extra variability into the results. For these and other

reasons, perceptual tests have not been popular in practice.

Actually, the very earliest standards for warning lights were perceptual performance

standards. Those standards required nothing more than that the lights be visible at particular

distances. Such standards were excessively vague, since they did not specify what the viewing

conditions were to be, who was to do the viewing, or what the exact criterion for "being visible" was to be. These standards were replaced by physical hardware standards and physical

performance standards as soon as the important physical variables determining the visibility or conspicuity of lights had been identified. Clearly, valid physical standards for a perceptual device can be written only when a substantial body of psychophysical experimentation and practical

experience have been accumulated.

It should be noted that even if a perceptual performance standard for the conspicuity of

lights should eventually prove feasible and economically acceptable, a complete standard for emergency vehicle warning lights would still be expected to place restrictions on the service life and harsh-environment performance of the physical device, even though the standard did not

otherwise discuss the device. Moreover, if the lights were to serve secondary functions beyond the primary function of attracting attention, such as identifying the vehicle type or indicating the

action expected of the target drivers, some arbitrary physical codings might than have to be

written into the standard; for example, requiring the light to be red on a fire engine, or to have a greater intensity in the forward direction than to the rear or sides. A pure perceptual performance

standard is, therefore, not realistic; the question is whether some items of perceptual performance

could eventually be mixed in with the physical performance requirements. At least some experts in signal lighting would not now be optimistic about this prospect, nor be favorably inclined. No

recommendations concerning standards will be made in this report; the purpose of this section is to call attention to some possible alternative approaches.

10.2. Angular Intensity Distribution

A star of the ordinary variety, viewed from far away, is a source of light that is essentially

uniform, to within a practical margin of accuracy; that is, the intensity of the light is the same

regardless of the direction in which the observer is located relative to the center of the star. Except

perhaps as an expensive and impractical stunt, no artificial source of light can possess this degree

of uniformity. Thus, an incandescent lamp obviously delivers less light directly below its opaque

base than in other directions, and fluorescent lamps, gas glow tubes, matches, kerosene lanterns, natural gas mantles, and other sources suffer from similar nonuniformities, caused mainly by the

necessities for physical support and for delivery of energy to the actual luminous element. The

nonuniformity is often not thought of as undesirable, and in many situations—such as those in which spotlights or floodlights are used—the concentration of the light output in a limited range of

directions is desirable. For any light source, a complete statement of the intensities in all directions from the

center of the source is referred to as the intensity distribution. Since the directions from the center

are usually specified by a pair of angles measured from two reference directions (such as latitude and longitude on the surface of the earth), the more specific phrase is angular intensity

distribution. Because intensity is a concept applicable to a point source, the observer—or, actually, the photoelectric measuring device (photometer) used by the observer—must be carried far enough

away from the lamp so that the lamp is effectively a point source at the "viewing" distance used.

87
The quantity measured directly by an ordinary photocell is flux: the light power striking the photosensitive surface. Since the area of the photometer's receiving aperture is fixed, the flux detected is proportional to the illuminance (flux per unit area) of that aperture (the "entrance window"). The inverse square law of illumination states that the illuminance of a surface produced

by a point source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source to the

surface. Thus, when the intensity of a point source is determined by measuring illuminance, the distance from the source to the receiving surface must be known. Moreover, when the intensities of a source in different directions are compared by measuring the illuminances produced by the source on receiving surfaces located in those directions, it is usually convenient to keep the

distance from the source to the receiving surface the same in each of those directions, so that no

correction of the illuminance values for viewing distance is necessary. Ideally, then, the photocell

used to measure the intensity distribution of a light source would be carried around to different positions on the surface of a sphere centered at the source. In practice, it is easier—and fully

equivalent—to leave the photocell and source in fixed positions and to vary the direction of view

by rotating the source around its own center point. In these measurements, the line joining the center of the light source to the center of the

active area of the photosensitive surface is referred to as the photometric axis. The light source is mounted in an instrument, called a goniometer, that allows the source to be independently rotated about two perpendicular axes, and that permits accurate measurement of these angles of rotation. Goniometric measurements are made in the following way. In many measurements, the lamp or complete lighting device ("light") is intially aimed directly along the photometric axis; that is, the

axis of the light is aligned with the photometric axis, which is often approximately horizontal. This

is the reference position (0°, 0°). One axis of rotation of the goniometer permits up and down

tilting of the light (corresponding in some instruments to latitude angle or elevation angle), and the second axis permits sideways swings (corresponding to longitude angle or azimuth angle). A typical

procedure is to set the vertical ("latitude") angle to some fixed value, and then to rotate the light

horizontally through a series of "longitude" angles, making measurements at each of these

positions. When that series of measurements, called a traverse, is completed, the goniometer is tilted up or down to a new "latitude" setting, and another traverse is carried out. If the readings

in each traverse are made at the same fixed set of horizontal (longitude) angles, the complete

results can be represented in the form of a matrix, in which each row represents a vertical angle

setting, and each column a horizontal angle setting; this is known as an (angular) intensity distribution matrix. Since the interest in the case of a signal light is normally in luminous (visible) rather than

radiant (physical) intensity (see sec. 6.2), the photocell used has a filter in front of it having a

spectral transmittance curve designed to make the spectral response of the filter-photocell

combination closely match the CIE luminous efficiency function. The readings are thus

automatically corrected for the (standardized) sensitivity of the human eye to light. The readings

obtained from the photocell output constitute a set of relative intensity values. If absolute

intensities in candelas are desired, the system must be calibrated by replacing the test light by a

special standard lamp of known luminous intensity. Chapter 11 is an appendix describing in detail the equipment and the measurement and calibration procedures used at the National Bureau of Standards for determinations of angular intensity distribution, during the years that such measure- ments were made at NBS. (See italicized paragraph opening ch. 11.) The measurements described above apply to steady-burning lights. When the light of

interest flashes on and off, as many warning lights do, the intensity in any direction varies

cyclically as a function of time. However, it is convenient to be able to specify a single number to represent an equivalent fixed intensity for a flashing light in a given direction. The quantity most commonly used for this purpose is the so-called effective intensity, discussed in detail in section 10.6. Essentially, the effective intensity assigned to a flashing light is meant to represent the

actual intensity of a steady light that has the same visual range; that is, that can just barely be

seen at the same distance. The intensity distribution matrix for a flashing hght can then be

specified in terms of effective intensities.

88
The two most significant traverses made in determining the angular intensity distribution of a light are the horizontal traverse at 0° vertical position, which indicates how the intensity varies when the direction of observation is moved off axis sideways only; and the vertical traverse

at 0° horizontal position, which indicates how the intensity varies when the direction of observation is moved off axis in only the up-down sense. References to the "horizontal intensity distribution" of a light denote a curve representing the first type of traverse; and "vertical intensity distribution" refers to a curve representing the second type of traverse.

(a) Incandescent Lights

Figure 10.2-1 shows the horizontal and vertical intensity distributions of an incandescent

"sealed beam" floodlamp. Such lamps have parabolic reflectors built into the rear of the bulb, and

are also known as PAR lamps for this reason. The front face of the bulb may also have a built-in pattern of multiple ridges, lenses, or prisms, to spread out or redistribute the light beam. The

intensity values in figure 10.2-1 are not absolute—that is, are not given in candelas or other units of liuninous intensity—but are relative values determined by taking the peak intensity of the

horizontal distribution as unity. There is frequently little interest in the faint intensities that exist

-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 DOWN OR LEFT DEGREES '-"^ '"^^

Figure 10.2-1. Variation of the light intensity from a "sealed beam" (PAR) floodlamp as a function of direction. The curves

are examples of horizontal and vertical angular intensity distributions. Intensity values on both curves are normalized relative to the maximum value in the horizontal plane (taken as unity). These distributions are shown

for illustrative purposes only; the PAR lamps used in emergency-vehicle warning lights have much narrower beamspreads (as in fig. 10.6-2).

89
at angles far from the beam axis, so curves of this sort are often not carried all the way down to zero intensity. It is clear from the figure that the useful spread of this beam (the beamspread) in the horizontal direction is broader than the vertical spread. It is convenient to be able to refer to the useful beamspread in quantitative terms, and one of the most common conventions concerning

the end of the useful core of the beam is that the points at which the intensity has dropped off to 10 percent of the peak intensity delimit the edges of the portion of the beam in which there is practical interest. Since the peak of the horizontal distribution in figure 10.2-1 is set at 1.0, the beamspread

is determined by the angle range within which the intensity is greater than 0.1, according to the 10-percent-point convention. For this lamp, the shape of the horizontal distribution curve is quite

symmetrical about the beam axis, and the 10 percent points are at about ±35°. Thus the

horizontal beamspread is approximately 70°. This symmetry of intensity distribution curves is common (being typical of single-filament clear-bulb lamps), but small deviations from symmetry

are not unusual, and, in fact, can be seen to exist in the vertical distribution curve in figure 10.2-

1. From that curve it can be seen that the peak of the vertical distribution is slightly above the

direction taken as the center of the beam (0°), and also that the intensity at the vertical peak is slightly higher than the intensity at the horizontal peak. Both of these features result simply from

the common circumstance that in doing the distribution measurements, the direction taken as the

axis of the bulb or the beam (0°,0°) did not happen to coincide precisely with the direction in which the intensity of the beam is maximum. The 0°,0° direction is the only direction included in both of the traverses determining the horizontal and vertical intensity distributions, so that the two

distributions must always show the same intensity at 0°. If, in addition, the true peak of the beam's intensity were exactly in the 0°,0° direction, both the horizontal and vertical distributions would have their (equal) peaks at 0°. The horizontal line representing the 10-percent-of-peak intensity for the vertical distribution in figure 10.2-1 should be a bit higher than the line used for the horizontal

distribution, but for rough estimation there is little difference, so we note that the points at which

the line at intensity 0.1 cuts the vertical distribution curve lie at about -20° and at +21° or +

22°. The total beamspread of the slightly asymmetrical vertical distribution is thus about 41° or 42°. A beamspread on the order of 70° horizontal by 40° vertical is not unreasonable for a floodlamp that is meant to provide general illumination over a broad but limited area, but much

narrower beams are appropriate for use in emergency vehicle warning units. The most typical PAR

lamp (PAR-36, #4416) used in such units has a beamspread of only 4.5° horizontal by 11°

vertical.Intensity distributions can be measured either for an isolated lamp, as in the example

described above, or for a complete light unit, including a lamp with surrounding optical elements

such as lenses, mirrors, or domes. In the case of rotating incandescent warning lights, the unit is tested with the rotation stopped (by disconnecting the motor). If the rotating elements are lamps

with attached (internal or external) reflectors, one of the lamps is tested as described above. If there is a fixed, central, 360° lamp, and the rotating elements are lenses, the distribution of the

light passing from the lamp through one of the lenses is measured. If a mirror rotates around a central lamp, the distribution of the light within the beam reflected from the mirror—including

unreflected light proceeding directly from the lamp—is measured.

(b) Gaseous Discharge Lights

Another type of light source used in some kinds of emergency vehicle warning units is the gaseous discharge lamp, or strobe light. Figure 10.2-2 shows the horizontal and vertical distributions of effective intensity for a common type of flash lamp containing xenon gas. Such

lamps cannot be operated continuously, but are flashed at regular intervals, so that the intensities specified in the distributions are "effective" and not actual. As in figure 10.2-1, the intensities are

relative, and are normalized to the peak of the horizontal distribution as 1.0. For the flash lamp

that yielded the measurements in figure 10.2-2, the beamspread both horizontally and vertically is in the neighborhood of 40°. The two distributions are very nearly the same, with the vertical

90
DOWN OR LEFT UP OR RIGHT DEGREES

Figure 10.2-2. Variation of the effective (Blondel-Rey-Douglas) intensity of the light pulses from a xenon flMsh lamp as a

fri/iction of direction. The curves are examples of horizontal and vertical angular (effective) intensity distributions. The effective intensity values on both curves are normalized relative to the maximum value in the horizontal plane

(taken as unity).

beamspread being a few degrees wider than the horizontal. Unlike the continuously operating

incandescent lamp on which figure 10.2-1 is based, the flash lamp characterized by figure 10.2-2 does not have a single direction of maximum intensity, with a smooth drop-off from the peak in all directions. Instead, the curve exhibits "structure" around the beam axis; that is, there are

signiticant variations of intensity in the immediate neighborhood of the axis. Although these

variations are rather irregular, the fact that both distributions have approximately equal peaks

about 8° or 9° on either side of the axis suggests that the peak intensities of the overall angular

distribution lie on an approximately circular ring surrounding the center of the beam about 8° or 9° out. The lamp on which figure 10.2-2 is based is a sealed beam (PAR-type) flash unit of the general type shown on the ends of the bar in figure 3.5e. The center light in that figure is a 360°

gaseous-discharge source for which the horizontal distribution curve would be approximately at a constant level all the way across—that is, from -180° all the way around to +180° (the two

angles ±180° denoting the same direction—namely, directly backward).

(c) Notation

In graphical or tabular presentations of angular intensity distributions, angles on one side of the beam axis (0°) are regarded as positive, and on the other side as negative, both in the

horizontal and vertical directions. Normally, up and right are taken as the positive directions, with

down and left taken as negative. There is, of course, an ambiguity regarding which direction should be regarded as right and which as left. A viewpoint could be adopted corresponding either

91
LEFT VERTICAL RIGHT

2° (2U)

1° (lU)

0°

(H)

-1°

(ID)

-2°

(2D)

-2°

(2L) -r

(IL)

0°

(V)

I 1

7° -2° 2° -1° 9° 0

° 2° —

\^ (2U- 2L) (2U- IL) (2U- v) (2U- IR) (2U- 2R)

1° -2° -1° 1 ° 0° 1° 1 ° (lU- 2L) (lU- IL) (lU- V) (lU- 'iR) (lU- 2R)

0° -2° 0° -1° 0°, 0° 0°

,

1° 0°

,

2°

( H- 2L) ( H- IL) ( H- V) ( H- IR) ( H- 2R)

-1°

i M - -1° ,0° (ID- 2L) (ID- IL) (ID- V) (ID- (ID- 2R)

-2° -2°,, -1° -2°,, ,0° -2%, r -2%,|2°

(2D- 2L) (2D- IL) (2D- V) (2D- IR) (2D- 2R)

1° (IR)

2° (2R)

Figure 10.2-3. Notation of angular directions in the specification of intensity distributions. The upper notation is that used in general photometric work; the lower notation is common in automotive applications (SAE). In the SAE system, the

vertical coordinate is given first, and the photometric notation in the figure has been reversed to correspond to this convention. (Ordinarily, the first of two unlabeled coordinates would be the horizontal one.) The symbol in the middle of each SAE notation is not a minus sign, but a dash, which is sometimes replaced by a double dash, blank

space, or some combination of spaces and dashes. The directions are not as seen by an observer looking at the light source, but as seen by an observer behind the source looking at a wall illuminated by the light beam.

to that of an observer looking at the lamp from a point along the beam axis, or to the reversed viewpoint of an observer located behind the lamp, looking out along the beam in the opposite

direction. In this report, and in other documents stemming from the same project, the latter convention has been adopted. In everyday terms, the point of view is that of the driver of an

automobile looking out at the pattern of intensity made by his headlights on a wall in front of the

vehicle. The SAE, and many of the police and traffic codes based on SAE practice, observe this same directional convention but use a different notation for the four primary directions. In SAE

terminology, U denotes up, D denotes down, L denotes left, and R denotes right. A direction that

is neither upward nor downward is denoted H for horizontal; and a direction that is neither left nor right is denoted V for vertical (that is, lying along the vertical axis of the beam's cross-section).

Thus, in most automotive lighting literature, the direction that would be referred to in a photometry laboratory as -3° vertical, -2° horizontal, is denoted 3D-2L, and the direction 0°,0°

(the beam axis) is denoted H-V. Figure 10.2-3 illustrates the two systems of notation, with the SAE notation given in parentheses. The SAE notation gives the vertical angle before the horizontal

92
angle, but no confusion should arise, because the direction associated with each number is explicity indicated by the appropriate letter. (When two unlabeled numbers are presented as a pair of coordinates, mathematicians and most scientists and engineers—such as photometrists—would

ordinarily expect the first number to be the horizontal coordinate.)

10.3. Flash Rate

Many warning light units produce a regular series of identical flashes, with a constant time

interval between flashes. Other units produce more complicated patterns, such as regularly spaced

flashes of two alternating types, which often differ in color and intensity and sometimes in other

characteristics, such as location or duration. We will conflne attention here to the simple type of

unit with regularly repeating identical flashes. The flash rate for such a light is the number of flashes that occur within some specified

interval of time. The most convenient units for expressing the flash rate of warning lights is the number of flashes per minute (fpm). The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommends

rates between 60 and 120 fpm (SAE Standard J595b; SAE, 1972). A flash rate is, of course, a

special case of a frequency, for which the internationally accepted (SI) unit is the hertz (Hz), formerly referred to as the cycle per second. The rates of 60-120 fpm correspond to 1-2 Hz. For flash rates in the rather slow range indicated above, it is possible to time the interval between two successive flashes with considerable accuracy, by means of electronic timing circuitry

acting on the output pulses of a photocell exposed to the flashes. This is the method of choice

when high accuracy is important. For many practical purposes, however, a good stopwatch is accurate enough. All that is necessary is to measure the time required for a substantial number of complete flash cycles, and then to divide the number of cycles counted by the total time, to obtain

the mean flash rate. For example, if a light is flashing at 90 fpm, the time between flashes (the period of the light) is 2/3 sec. To time—let us say—30 flash cycles will then require measuring a time interval of 20 seconds. If the stopwatch can be used to an accuracy of 1/10 sec, the 20-sec

period, and the flash rate, can thus be measured to within 1/2 percent. An incorrect elapsed time

of 19.9 sec or 20.1 sec for the 30 flash cycles will lead to respective flash-rate estimates of 90.45

fpm (1.508 Hz) or 89.55 fpm (1.493 Hz) instead of the correct value of 90.00 fpm (1.500 Hz). Note that in order to time 30 inter-flash periods, with the starting point taken as the moment of the peak of one flash, 31 flashes must be observed. The simplest technique is to start the stopwatch as a flash occurs, counting that flash as number 0, and to stop the watch as flash number 30 occurs. Counting the number of flashes within a fixed period of time, as opposed to measuring the amount of time for a fixed number of flashes, is a significantly less accurate technique and should

be resorted to only when a stopwatch is not available and a rough estimate is satisfactory. The

source of the difficulty is that the count of flashes changes by whole units only. The count within a

specified interval of time for a particular flashing light may vary by 1, on repeated attempts,

depending upon where in the flash cycle the timing period is started on each occasion. Conversely,

lights flashing at somewhat different rates can produce the same count within a particular interval of time, if the time interval begins at suitable, different points (phases) within the respective flash

cycles.

As a numerical example, consider a light with an inter-flash period of 0.6453 sec. The

flash rate of this hght is 92.98 fpm (1.550 Hz). Assume the clock is started for a 20-second timing

period and the first flash occurs 0.6421 sec later, the preceding flash having been just missed, by

0.0032 sec. The 30th flash will then occur 19.3558 sec (=0.6421 + 29 X 0.6453) into the timing period and will be counted, but the 31st flash will be just after the end of the timing

period, at 20.0011 sec ( =0.6421 + 30 X 0.6453), and will not be counted. On other hand,

consider a light with a longer period of 0.6896 sec. This light has a flash rate of only 87.01 fpm

(1.450 Hz). Assume the clock is started for a 20-second timing period and the first flash occurs only 0.0013 sec later. In this case, the 30th flash occurs just inside the timing period, at an

elapsed time of 19.9997 sec ( = 0.0013 + 29 X 0.6896). Both lights have produced a count of 30 flashes within a period of 20 seconds, and both would be taken, on the basis of the

93
measurement, to have equal flash rates of 90 fpm (1.5 Hz). Since the actual flash rates are 3 fpm

off above and below this measured rate, it is seen that the error can be as much as 3 1/3 percent

when, as here, the worst possible cases occur, even with absolute accuracy in both the timing and

counting.

It can be shown in general that if the number of flashes counted during a fixed interval of time is ra, the flash rate calculated (as n divided by the length of the time interval) can, in the worst cases, be off by the percentage lOO/re. This result is independent of the time interval used.

In the numerical example given above, n was 30, so the lOO/ra formula gives a maximum percent

error of 3 1/3, coinciding with the result exhibited. Obviously, the accuracy of the measurement

can be increased by making n larger. For a f/iven light, this is accomplished by extending the timing period appropriately. Similarly, Vwieu the method involving measuring the time for a fixed number of flash cycles is used, the accuracy ''an oe improved by lengthening the timing period, a

result achievable for a given light by appropriately extending the number of flash cycles. Both

measurement procedures are subject to errors in the watch accuracy and in the performance of the human timer (who in one case must synchronize his pushing of the stopwatch button with a light

flash, and in the other must decide whether a flash occurred inside or outside the timing interval), but only the flash-count-for-fixed-time procedure is subject additionally to the uncertainty due to phase described above.

10.4. Temporal Pulse Shape and Flash Duration

(a) Flashed Incandescent Lamps

No light source can be turned on or off instantaneously. The filament of an incandescent

lamp that is electrically flashed on and off has to heat up from a relatively low temperature (well above the ambient temperature, after the first few flashes) to white heat (about 3000 K or 4900° F), and when turned off, has to cool down to the lower temperature again. These thermal processes, known as incandescence and nigrescence respectively, require time, on the order of a tenth of a second. Figure 10.4-1 illustrates the typical time course (variation of intensity with time) of the

light pulse from a flashed incandescent lamp. The phrase "pulse shape" is often used to refer to the form of the curve representing the temporal variation, and does not connote the geometric

shape of the light source or light beam.

(b) Gaseous Discharge Lamps

In gaseous discharge lamps, on the other hand, there is no solid element being heated and

cooled. The applied surge of voltage serves to propagate a wave of ionization across the gas in the

tube, permitting the pulse of current to flow across the resultant plasma arc, thus exciting the ionized gas into emitting visible light. Both the initial ionization process and the decay of the

excitation of the gas once all current flow has stopped, are very rapid. Since the on and off processes consume negligible time (for most practical purposes), the duration of the light pulse

emitted by a gaseous discharge lamp is determined essentially by the duration of the pulse of

electrical current. By choosing suitable electrical circuitry (including, for example, a choke or self- inductor), the duration of the light flash from ordinary discharge lamps of the type used in warning signals can be varied from the order of microseconds (millionths of a second) up to the order of milliseconds (thousandths of a second). The total energy in the emitted light pulse is determined by (but is of course less than) the total energy in the electrical pulse, which is usually

generated by charging up a large capacitor (condenser) and then permitting all the stored energy to discharge suddenly. It can be seen, therefore, that the longer the time over which the discharge of

a given quantity of electrical energy is spread, the lower will be the rate of electrical current flow during the discharge, and hence the lower will be the instantaneous intensity of the light during

the course of the light flash. Figure 10.4-2 illustrates a typical pulse shape for the flash of a gaseous discharge lamp.

94
0 Ql 0.2

TIME, SECONDS

Figure 10.4-1. Example of the time variation of light intensity from an incandescent lamp flashed on and off by current

interruption. The intensity values on this curve are normalized relative to the maximum value (taken as unity), which occurs at the moment the current is shut off.

(c) Rotating Incandescent Lights

The third common method of producing emergency warning flashes is rotation, either of one or more outward-beamed, reflectorized (often PAR-type) lamps around a central point, or of one or more mirrors or lenses around a stationary 360° lamp in the center. In such devices, the

intensity of the beam rises smoothly as the moving component rotates toward the observer's line of view, reaches a maximum when the moving component is pointed directly at the observer, and

drops off smoothly as the moving component rotates past the observer's line of view. (See fig. 10.4-3.) The duration of the flash produced by the rotating beam at the eye of the observer is a function of the angular spread of the beam and the rate at which the rotation is occurring. The

duration of the flashes produced by rotating incandescent warning lights is typically in the range

of hundredths of a second.

In a unit producing flashes by rotation, the curve indicating temporal pulse shape at an

observation point on the axis of the beam is identical to the horizontal angular intensity

distribution, if the scales of angle and time are suitably adjusted. The mathematical details of the adjustment will be discussed in the next section (10.5), but the basic fact of the equivalence ought

to be intuitively clear from a physical point of view. The sweep of the beam past the eye of the observer is precisely a horizontal traverse in the context of measuring the angular intensity distribution (sec. 10.2), with the observer's eye serving as the photosensitive device. As a

particular lamp (to use units with rotating reflectorized lamps as an example) rotates across the

line of sight of the observer, he or she is progressively exposed to successive angular directions of

the lamp's output, and the changes in intensity over these different directions are the source of the changes in intensity over time at the fixed position of the observer's eye. The intensity of the lamp

at its maximum value in the time course of the pulse is the same as the maximum (on-axis)

95
0 20 40 60 80

TIME, MICROSECONDS

Figure 10.4-2. Example of the time variation of light intensity from a krypton flash lamp. The intensity values on this curve are normalized relative to the maximum value (taken as unity).

intensity of the stationary beam, since the instant when the intensity of the flash is at its maximum

is precisely the moment when the lamp is in the on-axis position with respect to the line of sight

from the observer to the unit. Figure 10.4-3 shows a typical pulse shape for the common type of incandescent lamp (PAR) used in rotating warning lights, with a symmetrical angular intensity distribution such as that shown in figure 10.2-1.

(d) Measuring Instrumentation

In order to obtain graphs of the intensity of a light pulse as a function of time, such as figures 10.4-1 to 10.4-3, it is necessary to use a photocell and associated circuitry with a very

rapid response capability, and also a recording device that can follow comparably rapid

fluctuations in electrical current. Any recorder using a mechanical arm bearing the writing device

is slowed by the inertia of the arm, and by the relatively sluggish response characterizing the

electrical circuitry ordinarily used to produce mechanical motion. A certain amount of time is consequently required to accelerate or decelerate even the relatively small mass of a recorder arm, and most ordinary "strip-chart" or "X-Y" recorders cannot follow extremely rapid signal

variations. The customary solution is to use an oscilloscope as the output device. An oscilloscope

beam consists of electrons, which, because of their almost negligible mass, can be electrically or electromagnetically deflected with extreme rapidity. Ordinary oscilloscopes have phosphors that

96
TIME, SECONDS

Figure 10.4-3. Example of the time variation of light intensity from an incandescent lamp, rotated past the detector. The

intensity values on this curve are normaUzed relative to the maximum value (taken as unity).

decay quite rapidly; that is, the image remains on the screen for a very brief period of time. In order to capture a permanent record of the trace on the oscilloscope screen corresponding to the pulse shape of a light flash, the face of the screen is usually photographed by a camera arranged

so as to have its shutter open during a time interval that includes the very brief period during

which the trace is on the screen.

10.5. Interrelationships of Basic Variables for Devices Employing Rotation

The most common type of rotational unit is that in which several outward-facing

reflectorized lamps are equally spaced around the periphery of a rotating turntable, all at the same

distance from the center of rotation. The other type of rotational device, in which a verticallymounted stationary central lamp has mirrors or lenses rotating symmetrically around it, is optically

equivalent to the rotating-lamp type, and can be replaced conceptually by a rotating-lamp unit with

suitably designed angular intensity distributions for the lamps. For simplicity, the following

analysis will be phrased in terms of a device using rotating reflectorized lamps. References to "lamps" in what follows can be interpreted as abbreviations for the phrase "reflectorized lamps,

lenses, or mirrors."

97
Table 10.5-1 below lists the four quantities characterizing the device as a whole, the symbols to be used here for those quantities, and the customary units for specifying the quantities.

Table 10.5-2 lists the same information for the two quantities characterizing the individual

rotating lamps, or the beam or signal issuing from each of them.

The three following equations give the interrelationships of the device variables of table 10.5-1:

^ Vmin/

\min/ = 60

/ sec \

ymin/

vmrn^'

"(-) • Vrev /

/ sec \ _

Vrev /

0) (—

)

vmm /

60 C-^) »(-) Vrev /

(10.5-1)

(10.5-2)

(10.5-3)

The units of the quantities in eqs. 10.5-1 to 10.5-3 have been included above in order to

(a) stress that the numerical constants in the equations apply only when the variables are measured

in these particular units; and (b) to prove the dimensional balance of the equations. Note that n, the number of lamps on the turntable, would normally be considered a dimensionless quantity, but

this number is necessarily the same as the number of flashes that hit a fixed observer during one

revolution of the device. The dimensional balance of the equations is clearly visible, as above, only

if (a) n is given explicit units of fl/rev; and (b) the number 60 is identified as being a factor expressing the number of seconds in a minute.

The units of horizontal beamspread, cr, are usually given simply as degrees, but again to make the dimensional balance of some equations evident, the units are given in table 10.5-2 more

precisely as degrees per flash.

Table 10.5-1. Quantities characterizing rotational warning-light devices

Abbreviated

Quantity Symbol Uniu» units

Flash rate 4> flashes per minute fl/min (fpm) Number of lamps D [flashes per revolution''] fl/rev Period of rotation T seconds [per revolution*"] sec /rev Turntable speed 0) revolutions per minute rev/min (rpm)

* The units in brackets are usially regarded as dimensionless and are customarily omitted.

' Of the turntable.

Table 10.5-2. Quantities characterizing individual rotating lamp:! or beams

Abbreviated

Quantity Symbol Units" units

Beamspread

(horizontal) cr degrees [per flash] deg/fl Flash duration t seconds [per flash] sec/fl

" The uDits in brackets are usually regarded as dimensionless and are customarily omined.

98
Three equations that relate the quantities of tables 10.5-1 and 10.5-2 to each other are: - (r) — (^) - (^) • ' (r) <>»=-^' m » (£7) =

« (^) ' (^) 0 a) •

The number 360 in eq. (10.5-4) is idenljified for dimensional purposes as representing the number of degrees in one complete revolution; and the number 6 in eqs. (10.5-5) and (10.5-6) is the result of dividing the constant 360 of eq. (10.5-4) by the constant 60 of eqs. (10.5-1) and

(10.5-3), with the corresponding dimensions preserved. For convenient reference purposes, the six preceding equations, which appear cluttered with the dimensions attached, are rewritten without dimensions as follows:

TO) = 60 (10.5-7)

</> = no) (10.5-8)

4>T = 60n (10.5-9)

CTT = S60t (10.5-10)

cr = 6o)t (10.5-11)

crn = 6t4> . (10.5-12)

THE CONSTANTS IN THESE EQUATIONS ARE CORRECT ONLY IF THE UNITS USED ARE

AS GIVEN IN TABLES 10.5-1 AND 10.5-2, WHERE THE SYMBOLS ARE ALSO DEFINED.

These six equations permit convenient calculation of the values of whichever of the basic

variables one needs to determine, from the values of whichever variables are known.

In order to demonstrate a little of the utility of eqs. (10.5-7) to (10.5-12), let us suppose we

are given a device containing lamps each having a horizontal beamspread cr equal to 6°. Then eq. (10.5-11) tells us immediately that

t = - (foror=6°); (10.5-13)

0)

that is, for the particular beamspread cr=6°, the duration of each flash in seconds and the

turntable speed in rpm are simply reciprocals of each other (regardless of how many lamps are on

the turntable). Equation (10.5-11) shows that for any beamspread, the relationship is always one of

inverse proportionality, the constant of the proportionality being cr/ 6.

If we now assume further that the flash rate <f> is 90 fpm, in addition to the beamspread <r being 6°, then eq. (10.5-12) reveals that

t = 0.01 lira (for or =6°, <^ =90 fpm); (10.5-14)

that is, with the flash rate kept fixed, the duration of each flash is proportional to the number of lamps on the turntable (always), and for these specific values of beamspread and flash rate, the duration is 0.0111 sec ( = 1/90 sec) multiplied by the number of lamps. Since the values assumed

above are not far from typical for actual rotational warning-light devices, we see from eq. (10.5-14)

that the duration of the flashes produced by such devices is approximately equal to as many

hundredths of a second as there are lamps in the device. (If <|) = 100 fpm instead of the more common 90, the relationship is exact, with cr=6°.) The lamp most commonly used in rotating

99
warning units (PAR-36, #4416) has a horizontal beamspread of 4.5°, rather than 6°, so at 90 fpm

the most representative numerical version of equation (10.5-12) is

t = 0.008333/1 (for (r=4.5% <>=90 fpm). (10.5-15)

With a beamspread as narrow as 4.5°, the flash rate necessary for the relationship f=0.01re to hold exactly is 75 fpm, a value toward the lower end of the range covered by commercial units. As another illustrative application of the equations of this section, we can now be more

specific concerning the fact mentioned in the discussion of pulse shape (sec. 10.4) that for rotating

lights, the curves defining pulse shape and angular intensity distribution are the same, if the

scales of time and angle are suitably adjusted. Each of the eqs. (10.5-10) to (10.5-12) can be

solved for O"/ 1, and the results written in the combined form

or 360 , 6d> - = =60) = 10.5-16)

t T n

The expressions in eq. (10.5-16) give us the value of the equivalence factor we seek,

expressed as degrees of beamspread per second of flash duration (cr/t). The equation expresses

this factor in three different but equivalent ways: (a) as 360 divided by the rotation period in seconds; (b) as 6 times the rate of rotation in rpm; and (c) as 6 times the flash rate in fpm divided

by the number of lamps on the turntable. The derivation of eq. (10.5-16) establishes that the last three expressions in the equation are all equal to cr/t, and consequently are equal to each other as

well. That these three alleged equalities are really correct can be verified directly in eq. (10.5-7), relating the first and second of the last three expressions (variables T and ct)); in eq. (10.5-8), relating the second and the third of these expressions (variables <f), n, and o)); and in eq. (10.5-9), relating the first and third of these expressions (variables <|>, n, and r). In establishing an equivalence between a beamspread and a flash duration, we are necessarily restricting the definition of flash duration. Just as "beamspread" usually does not mean the total angular width of the beam, but only—according to one common definition—the width out to the angles at which the intensity is 10 percent of the peak intensity, similarly we

have to redefine "flash duration" not as the total duration of the flash, but as the length of time

between the instants at which the intensity first rises above 10 percent of the peak, and first falls below 10 percent of the peak. Equation (10.5-16) is also valid when interpreted as applying to total beamspread and total flash duration, or effective beamspread and effective flash duration (see

sec. 10.6); it holds for any case in which the limits of beamspread and flash duration are defined

in corresponding ways, and, of course, does not hold otherwise.

10.6. Effective Intensity

In the perception of emergency vehicle warning lights, the problem is often separation of a

fairly bright signal from all the other lights in the background. In most earlier signaling work,

particularly in connection with marine aids to navigation, the background was totally black and the problem was catching sight of the faint signal light at the greatest possible distance. Thus, the

central interest in that situation—and still in much sea and air signaling work today—is in comparing the detectability of lights close to the absolute threshold. A convenient numerical

specification of the visual effectiveness of a flashing light with respect to simple detection, when

the light is seen foveally as a point source against a black background, is the intensity of a steady

light that reaches threshold visibility at the same viewing distance (visual range) as the flashing

light. A partially self-explanatory name for this quantity might be something like "equivalent

fixed-light intensity," but the less cumbersome name "effective intensity" has become standard. Because effective intensity is the only widely used measure of the visual impact of flashing lights,

it will be discussed in considerable detail in this section. Comments will be included relating to the discrepancy between the viewing conditions listed above and those that apply to the noticing of emergency vehicle warning lights.

100
Blondel and Rey, working in France in the early years of the twentieth century, proposed

as a formula for effective intensity the equation

f I (t) dt

le =

,

,

' (10.6-1)

where h is the effective intensity of the flashing light; I{t) is the instantaneous actual intensity of the light at the time t during the course of a single flash; h and t2 are the beginning and ending

times of the useful, higher intensity portion of the flash; and a is a constant (having the dimensions of time) that Blondel and Rey found to have a value of about 0.21 when t, h, and h

are measured in seconds. The integral in the numerator of eq. (10.6-1) represents the total luminous energy content of the flash (per unit solid angle of the beam) between the times h and tt; that is, the area under the temporal pulse-shape curve between the limits ti and t^. The calculation of areas under curves can be accomplished numerically by a computer, but for practical purposes,

the use of an area-measuring instrument called a planimeter on the pulse-shape graph is quick and

reasonably accurate. Counting of graph paper squares under the pulse-shape curve is another

technique that is commonly used. The major difficulty with the Blondel-Rey formula (10.6-1) is the vagueness of the

definitions of h and ti. At least partly because of this uncertainty, not much attention was paid to the formula for many years. Blondel and Rey themselves worked mostly with pulse shapes that they treated as reasonable approximations to rectangles; that is, flashes having neglible rise and

fall times and constant intensity throughout the duration of the flash. For such flashes, ti and

are chosen unambiguously as the beginning and ending times of the total flash, and with the constant intensity denoted by /, formula (10.6-1) reduces to simply

a +(t2-h)

If t is used as an abbreviation for the total flash duration {=h-t\), eq. (10.6-2) can be written in the form most commonly used in the technical literature:

/. = (10.6-3)

Blondel and Rey empirically derived eq. (10.6-3) on the basis of actual threshold experiments with flashing lights having virtually rectangular waveforms. The formula (10.6-1) was

proposed by them as a generalization of eq. (10.6-3) suitable for application to flashing lights with

significantly long "tails" at the beginning and /or end of the flash, and nonconstant intensity in between. As seen in figures (10.4-1) to (10.4-3), all of the common types of emergency warning

lights have such non-rectangular pulse shapes.

The Blondel-Rey formula was given new life by Douglas (1957), who proposed defining t\ and ti unequivocally as those times within the flash that made the effective intensity le of eq. (10.6-1) as large as possible. Douglas showed mathematically that the values of ti and ti that yield the maximum le are, for ti, the time during the brightening phase of the flash at which the instantaneous intensity I{t) rises to this maximum h value; and, for fe, the time during the dimming

phase of the flash at which I{t) drops back to the maximum le value. The use of this criterion may

at first appear to be hopelessly circular, since the calculation of le depends upon the choice of ti and ti, and the choice of t\ and ti requires knowledge of the maximum value of le. Fortunately, by means of a simple iterative procedure (successive approximation) described by Douglas (1957), it

is possible to converge simultaneously on the values of the maximum U and the corresponding t\ and ti. The method is also described in a guide put out by the Illuminating Engineering Society

(1964).

101
Douglas' proposed definition and calculation procedure made the Blondel-Rey equation a

practical tool at last, and the Blondel-Rey-Douglas formula has been widely accepted and used in the field of signal lights. Although the formula is still frequently written in the incomplete form

(10.6-1), the actual current definition of effective intensity is

le = max

where

I mdt

0.2 + (t2-ti) (10.6-4)

max

tut2

denotes the maximum value obtainable through variation of both ti and 12', and the specific value 0.2 has been used for the constant a. The time t2-ti, during which the flash intensity exceeds the effective intensity, is known as the effective duration of the flash. In the field of signal lighting, the nonspecific term "flash duration" can be interpreted as referring to the effective flash duration, unless some other

definition (such as total duration) is stated explicitly or clearly called for by the context. When the

flash is produced by a rotating light, a coordination between angle within the light beam and time

during the flash can be set up, as described in the last three paragraphs of section 10.5, and the

difference between the angles corresponding to t2 and ti is then the effective beamspread. The

unmodified term "beamspread" can not be taken as always referring to effective beamspread,

which has no meaning for non-rotating lights. A common definition of beamspread for stationary

lights is the angle between the directions in which the beam intensity is 10 percent of the peak

intensity of the beam; and also common is the analogous definition with 10 percent replaced by 50

percent.In a companion article to Douglas' 1957 paper. Projector (1957) points out that the constant 0.2 (approximately) applies to lights near conditions of absolute threshold only, and that the value of a becomes smaller—and, correspondingly, the value of le becomes larger—as the

lights become significantly brighter than threshold. As a result, when a flashing light and the steady light that matches it for threshold detectability are approached by an observer, the flashing

light becomes noticeably brighter than the steady light. A similar effect, again corresponding to a decrease in the applicable value of a, occurs if the background departs from total darkness, as it does for daylight signaling. Although the constant a is sometimes erroneously thought of as corresponding to the integration time (critical duration) of the eye at threshold levels of

illumination, Projector correctly notes that the threshold-level critical duration is only about 0.1 second, rather than 0.2 (see sec. 7.4 of this report). Thus, the physiological significance, if any, of a is not really clear at this time. Projector's (1957) paper is a helpful summary of the history,

meaning, and implications of the Blondel-Rey-Douglas formula for effective intensity and, together

with the Douglas (1957) paper, should be consulted by anyone interested in the fine details of the

subject.

Unfortunately, the term "effective intensity" is now used ambiguously with at least the three distinct meanings of: (a) steady-light equivalent intensity, for threshold foveal viewing of

point sources against a dark background; (b) steady-light equivalent intensity for whatever viewing

conditions are being considered; and (c) the le value calculated from the Blondel-Rey-Douglas

(BRD) formula (10.6-4), which is intended to be a prediction of the intensity defined in meaning

(a) above. Some signal lighting scientists are now becoming interested in separating these meanings by the coining of new names, but at present a reader of the technical literature is expected to judge the intended meaning of "effective intensity" from the context. Because no alternative formula is currently available—or, at least, none has found

widespread acceptance—the effective intensity of signal lights is commonly calculated by the BRD

102
eq. (10.6-4), even when the viewing conditions depart significantly from those for which the

calculated h value is expected to be valid. It is important to note that the conditions under which

emergency vehicle warning lights are viewed frequently depart in every particular from those to which the BRD formula is thought to apply, and almost always differ from the latter in at least one respect. In the emergency vehicle warning light situations of greatest interest, viewing is peripheral rather than foveal; the background is usually spotted with other lights at night and in the daytime may be dazzlingly bright, rather than totally dark; noticing of the signal rarely occurs when it is anywhere near the dimness characterizing dark-background thresholds; and, because the

increase of the brightness of an approaching emergency vehicle warning signal is accompanied by

an increase of the angle subtended by the light source at the target driver's eye, detection often takes place when the light is no longer a perceptual point source, but has a visible disk. Moreover, in the classical Blondel-Rey situation, the viewer knows the lights are out there and is looking for them, often in an at least approximately known direction; while, in contrast, a driver is rarely expecting the approach of an emergency vehicle, is usually concentrating on other

matters, and is obliged to monitor a fairly wide cone of directions that may cover a full 180° at intersections. Some day, undoubtedly very far into the future, sufficient psychophysical data may

have been collected to permit the "constant" a in the BRD formula to be replaced by a function of

all the relevant viewing variables, so that realistic estimates of equivalent steady-light intensity can be made regardless of viewing conditions. At the present time, however, it is not even known

whether the basic form of the BRD equation applies to viewing conditions departing as drastically

from the Blondel-Rey situation as those associated with the detection of emergency-vehicle

warning lights; the problem of calculating equivalent intensity for purposes of peripheral

conspicuity may go beyond merely finding an appropriate value for a. In the meantime, there is no

obvious practical alternative to BRD effective intensity as a quantitative specification of the luminous output of a flashing light, and eq. (10.6-4) is commonly used because it is an agreed

upon formal measure, even when it is known that the flashing light being described will be used

under conditions to which the value of a =0.2 does not apply, and to which even the basic form of

the equation may not apply.

Another basic assumption underlying all the various forms of the Blondel-Rey equation is that it is sufficient to deal with the temporal profile of a single flash; that is, it is assumed that the

flash rate is slow enough that the visual effectiveness of each flash is not significantly influenced

by earlier or later flashes. With brief flashes (under a hundredth of a second) and long dark

intervals between flashes (several tenths of a second), the assumption is probably justified. When

the flash duration becomes extended and the dark period shortened, significant interactions between flashes may arise and the BRD formula may give inaccurate predictions. Projector (1957)

has discussed some of the earlier experimental work bearing on this problem. The approximate

visual equivalence of inverse flash cycles—in which the durations of the light and dark phases are interchanged (see sec. 7.3)—obviously is not predicted by a formula such as (10.6-4) that is influenced only by the profile of the light phase. Effects related to flash rate, such as brightness

enhancement (see sec. 7.2), similarly cannot be encompassed by any such formula. It would

appear reasonable to expect that a more widely valid formula for effective intensity might be based on the temporal profile of a complete cycle, including both the light and dark phases.

Unfortunately, no all-inclusive formula of that kind has yet been developed.

When the light flash is extremely brief, as is, for example, the output of a gaseous

discharge lamp (usually under 0.001 sec), the term tir-ti in the denominator of formula (10.6-4) is, for practical purposes, negligibly small compared with the constant 0.2. Therefore, the expression

being maximized becomes

/ I{t)dt/0.2,

or

5 / I{t)dt.

(10.6-5)

103
With t gone from the denominator, the maximum value of the integral (area) in the expression (10.6-5) is obtained by choosing ti as small as possible and t2 as large as possible; in other words, as the beginning and ending times of the total flash, respectively. Thus, for very brief

flashes, the ambiguity associated with the time limits in the original Blondel-Rey formula (10.6-1)

is eliminated and, to a practical degree of approximation.

Since the integral in formula (10.6-6) represents the total luminous energy (per unit solid angle) contained in the entire brief flash, the possibility suggests itself of using a photoelectric

device that responds to total energy rather than flux, in order to measure directly and instantly the

effective intensity of gaseous discharge lights. Douglas (1958) worked out the design of equipment

for achieving the same end by measuring average intensity over the complete flash cycle, rather than total energy in the flash, and such equipment is used in practice for the measurement of the

effective intensities of lights with sufficiently brief flashes. When the flash duration increases beyond about a millisecond (0.001 sec), the duration term t2-ti in the denominator of formula

(10.6-4) becomes large enough to be no longer entirely negligible. Correspondingly, the times

yielding the maximum le move in somewhat from the beginning and end of the flash. As indicated by Douglas (1958), the increasing error of formula (10.6-6) as flash duration increases can be

approximately compensated for mathematically, for flashes up to about 0.01 sec in duration; but

for still longer flashes, this convenient instrumental method breaks down and a much slower procedure such as the direct application of formula (10.6-4) to a graph of the temporal profile of

the flash becomes necessary. The process of measuring areas under a curve with a planimeter and carrying out Douglas'

(1957) iterative procedure for obtaining effective intensity is fairly time-consuming, although the

iteration converges to an adequate approximation of the true answer with only a few repetitions.

When the curve representing I(t)—the pulse shape of the flash—can be closely approximated by

an explicit mathematical function, then the maximization process included in the BRD formula

(10.6-4) can be carried out directly by the methods of calculus, instead of by a successive approximation process. Since the pulses produced by rotating incandescent lights often have a smooth, symmetrical time course approximating the bell-shaped curve known as the normal

distribution curve, and because the areas under various portions of the normal distribution curve have been published widely in the form of tables (in almost any book on statistics or probability),

Wohlers and Leupp (1959) worked out the necessary mathematics and published a graph

permitting immediate approximate determination of effective intensity for rotating lights having

bell-shaped temporal pulse profiles. (They actually worked in terms of the error function, which is closely related to the more widely familiar normal distribution curve.) The essentials of how to use

the Wohlers-Leupp (WL) method are also included in the Illuminating Engineering Society's

(1964) "lES Guide for Calculating the Effective Intensity of Flashing Signal Lights," a useful general summary of practical information about effective intensity.

There are several slightly awkward aspects of the WL method, in the form in which it has

been presented in the existing literature (Wohlers and Leupp, 1959; Illuminating Engineering

Society, 1964). These can be classified as minor annoyances, except for one feature of the method:

the fact that the quantity that must be known in order to apply the WL curve is the ratio of a

rotation rate to a beamspread. Expressing the key quantity in these terms limits the application of the method to rotating lights. Although the pulse shape of a light rotating at uniform speed can

typically be more closely approximated by a normal distribution curve than can the pulse shape of a flashing light (see figs. 10.4-1 to 10.4-3), a flashing-light pulse shape can be symmetrical enough

to warrant application of the WL method. Wohlers and Leupp (1959) showed by graphical

examples that their curve gives acceptably accurate results even for moderately asymmetrical

intensity profiles.

It can be seen from eq. (10.5-11) that a rotation rate (to, in the notation of sec. 10.5 of this report) divided by a beamspread (o") has the dimensions of the reciprocal of flash duration {1/t). If

le = 5 / I{t)dt.

(10.6-6)

total

104
effective intensity can be given as a function of \/t, it can more conveniently be presented as a

direct function of the flash duration, t. This has been done in figure 10.6-1, which has not been

previously published. The curve shown is mathematically equivalent to the WL curve, as applied

to an ideal normal distribution curve.- The dependent variable (vertical scale or ordinate of the graph) is, as with the original WL curve, the ratio of the effective intensity h to the peak intensity

lo of the temporal pulse profile. The use of the ratio h/Io instead of simply le allows a single curve

to serve for lights of any absolute intensity level. The independent variable (horizontal scale or abscissa of the graph) in figure 10.6-1 is ho, the flash duration measured between the 10-percent-of-peak points of the pulse-shape curve. This is the useful flash duration corresponding to one common definition of the useful extent of the beamspread—specifically, the horziontal beamspread of an individual rotating lamp. (See sec. 10.2 and the last paragraph of sec. 10.5.) If we are not given direct information on the temporal flash

profile or flash duration, we can calculate tio from other quantities. Solving eqs. (10.5-10) to 10.5- 12) for t gives, respectively, the three formulas

. =^ (10.6-7a)

t = ^ (10.6-7b)

6a)

t = S (10.6-7C)

6<p

The above equations furnish three alternate ways of calculating flash duration if t is not

given directly. For flashing lights, the temporal information must necessarily be available, but for rotating lights, we see that the flash duration can be calculated as: (a) 1/360 of the product of the

horizontal beamspread in degrees and the period of the turntable rotation in seconds; (b) the

horizontal beamspread in degrees divided by 6 times the turntable speed in rpm; or (c) the product

of the horizontal beamspread in degrees and the number of lamps on the turntable, divided by 6

times the flash rate in fpm. These equivalences, symbolized in eqs. (10.6-7 a, b and c) are predicated on consistent definitions of the limits of useful beamspread and useful flash duration. In the case of beamspread, there is no obvious rational measure of where the useful core of the beam ends, so that arbitrary limits such as the 10-percent-of-peak points or 50-percent-ofpeak points can be used as custom or convenience dictate. With respect to flash duration, on the

other hand, the effective intensity measure, with its associated times ti and t2, provides an

unequivocal basis for delimiting the useful duration of the flash. In signal lighting, therefore, the unqualifled term "flash duration" can be taken to mean the effective duration of the flash (h-ti). The duration tio on which figure 10.6-1 is based is a rough approximation of h-ti, for flashes produced by some rotating emergency warning lights, but the accuracy of the graph does not depend on this correspondence.

(a) Rotating Incandescent Lights

As an illustration of how to find effective intensity using figure 10.6-1, consider a lamp

having the angular intensity distribution shown in figure 10.6-2. The lamp is a PAR-36 "sealed beam" (internally reflectorized) unit of the type (designated #4416) most commonly used in rotating emergency vehicle warning lights. The lamp, operated at its design voltage of 12.8, draws

30 watts and has a peak intensity, as seen in the graph, of 35 kcd (= 35 kilocandelas = 35,000

candelas). The beamspread is delimited by the angles at which the intensity is down to 10 percent

of the peak, or 3.5 kcd in this case. As shown in figure 10.6-2, the angular intensity distribution

is very nearly symmetrical, and the beamspread is about 4.5°.

If we now assume that the lamp is being used in a two-lamp rotating unit that produces 90

flashes per minute, we can calculate from eq. (10.6-7c) that

«io = "^f = 2^ = 0.0167 sec = 16.7 msec. (10.6-8)

6 X 90 60

105
(The subscript 10 on it should be recalled, simply indicates that the lO-percent-peak points are being used to define both the useful beamspread and the useful flash duration.)

As explained toward the end of section 10.5, we can set up a general correspondence

between angle and time, for rotating lights, and the lower abscissa scale in figure 10.6-2 can be

read when the curve is to be interpreted as a temporal pulse profile. There is no need to do this extra work in calculating effective intensity, but for the present illustrative purposes it is helpful to see directly on the lower scale that the flash duration, tio, is indeed 16.7 msec.

All that is necessary now is to find 0.0167 sec on the abscissa of figure 10.6-1 and read

off an approximate le/Io value of 0.044. In short, the effective intensity of the lamp is 4.4 percent

of the peak intensity, or

le = 0.044 lo = 0.044 X 35 kcd = 1.54 kcd = 1540 cd.

This calculation indicates that a steady-burning lamp of only 1540 cd intensity would have the same visual range (in darkness) as the flashes from the lamp of our example, which has a peak

intensity of 35,000 cd during its 16.7 msec flash.

o

u 0.1

0 I 1 '--'^1 1 1 1 1 .0001 .001 .01 0.1 i.O 10 100 1000

FLASH DURATION BETWEEN 10%-PEAK POINTS, t|o (sec)

Figure 10.6-1. Variation with flash duration, tio, of the effective (Blondel-Rey-Douglas) intensity of a flash expressed as a

fraction (\J\o) of the peak flash intensity, lo. This function is based on the assumption that the flashes have a temporal pulse shape that is reasonably well approximated by a normal distribution curve (or the derivative of the error function) and is equivalent to the Wohlers-Leupp (1959) function.

106
If the same lamp is rotating on a 4-lamp turntable, with the unit still producing 90 flashes per minute, the value of n in eq. (10.6-7c) is doubled, and the flash duration is correspondingly

doubled to 33.3 msec. Looking in figure 10.6-1 at tio = 0.0333 sec, we find that le/Io is now

about 0.081, so that

le = 0.081 lo = 0.081 X 35 kcd = 2.83 kcd = 2830 cd,

somewhat less than double what the effective intensity was with the same pulse profile compressed

into half the time. The fact that the curve of figure 10.6-1 is ever-increasing shows that for a fixed peak

intensity lo, the effective intensity le increases with increasing flash duration. This result is hardly

surprising, since with a fixed peak, the shorter a flash is, the less energy it contains. However, a

less obvious result can also be seen by inspection of figure 10.6-1: even at its steepest, namely for flash durations between 0.1 and 1.0 sec, the effective intensity does not increase by as great a

10% of Peak

40 —

Io=35 kcd

las) lOKJ—

a> TJC

O

o

o

>- j 20-

COz

Ui

z

/ 10-

-V — 3.5 kcd

1-"^^— Ie=l.5 i

1

1 1

1 ® LEFT -3 1-2-10 I 2| 3

h6rIZ0NTAL angle (degrees)

I I

I ^—'—'—'—'

\—I—I——I—

r

2 4 6 8 10 12

RIGHT

I I T I I I r -12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0

TIME (msec)

Figure 10.6-2. Angular intensity distribution of a rotating jf4416 PAR lamp, with a 4.5° horizontal beamspread. By using the lower abscissa scale, the same curve can be interpreted as a temporal pulse-shape curve for a turntable rotation rate of 45 rpm, with two lamps on the turntable (yielding 90 fpm).

107
factor as the flash duration does. For example, a tenfold increase in flash duration from 0.1 to 1.0

sec produces an increase in le from 19 percent of lo to 60 percent of lo, only a little over threefold. In other words, what we found for the #4416 lamp is true in general: short flashes have an

advantage over long flashes with respect to gaining visually effective light output for a given

electrical power input to the lamp.

(b) Luminous Efficacy

The ratio of the total luminous flux (power) put out by a lamp, or a complete light unit, to the total electrical power put in is known technically as luminous efficacy. The standard units of luminous power and of electrical power are the lumen and the watt, respectively, so efficacy is measured in lumens per watt (Im/W). If we are concerned with the variation of the efficacy of a

fixed light under different operating conditions, or are comparing the efficacies of different lights that have the same geometrical characteristics (that is, which radiate the same proportions of their luminous flux outputs in corresponding directions), then we can obtain relative ratings of efficacy

by measuring intensity instead of total luminous flux. Intensity is flux per unit solid angle

(steradian), and the candela, the standard unit of intensity, is equal to one lumen per steradian. With constant lamp geometry, then, we can state relative values of luminous efficacy in candelas per watt. The latter ratio has no recognized name, so we will refer to it here as "relative efficacy." In the calculations above for the #4416 lamp, which has a rated electrical power

consumption of 30 W, we found that a two-lamp rotating unit, drawing 60 W (since the lamps

bum continuously), produces flashes with an effective intensity of 1540 cd. In units of candelas per watt (cd/W), therefore, the relative luminous efficacy of the two-lamp unit is 1540/60 =

25.67 cd/W. The four-lamp unit draws 120 W and produces flashes (at the same rate as the two- lamp unit) with an effective intensity of 2830 cd. The relative efficacy of the four-lamp unit is thus 2830/120 = 23.58 cd/W. In short, the efficacy of the two-lamp unit with its 16.7 msec flashes is 8.9 percent higher than that of the four-lamp unit with its 33.3 msec flashes. This approximately 9 percent difference in efficacy could in some cases be canceled out by

the extra power drain from the motor rotating the two-lamp turntable, which has to run twice as

fast as the four-lamp turntable to produce the same flash rate. On the other hand, this increased

power drain due to motor speed might be partly compensated by the decrease in the weight load on the two-lamp turntable (namely, the weight of two lamps). All in all, it does not appear that the question of efficacy has much importance in terms of selecting among warning lights using the same type of rotating incandescent lamps; for example, in deciding between the use of a single

four-lamp unit or a pair of two-lamp units. Spatial factors, such as those described in section 7.7, probably should form the primary basis of such decisions. In grosser comparisons between types of warning lights, as for example between gaseous

discharge lamps and incandescent lamps, the question of luminous efficacy may be of greater

significance. It is generally claimed that gaseous discharge lamps have twice the efficacy of incandescent lamps. In an emergency vehicle with a limited supply of current available for the warning lights, this efficacy difference could provide one argument—not necessarily decisive—in favor of using gaseous discharge lamps. The matter of efficacy, as such, will not be pursued any

further here, but some properties of the signals produced by gaseous discharge lamps will now be

discussed, with reference to figure 10.6-1.

(c) Gaseous Discharge Lights

It should be noted that the shortest flash duration included in figure 10.6-1 is 0.0001 sec, or 100 jiisec, the order of magnitude of the duration of the flashes from gaseous discharge lamps.

As shown on the graph (which, it should be recalled, applies strictly to symmetrical pulse shapes

that can be closely fitted by a normal distribution curve), the effective intensity of any such flash

is essentially zero compared to the peak intensity of the flash. The actual value of le/Io at fio =

0.0001 sec is 0.0003, or 3/100 of 1 percent (determined by computer). Therefore, as calculated by the Wohlers-Leupp approximation—which would be expected to apply only roughly to the

108
asymmetrical pulses of a discharge light—such a light with a peak intensity of a million candelas

in a 100 ju-sec flash could be seen no further away than a steady light of only 300 cd. It is clear from these considerations that statements of peak candlepower for gaseous discharge lights are not very informative in themselves, and in particular must not be thought of as being in any way

comparable to candlepowers of long-duration flashes or steady lights. The figure that permits an immediate intuitive appreciation of how "powerful" a discharge light is, is the BRD effective

intensity.

The computer calculations from which figure 10.6-1 was generated indicate that for short durations—below a millisecond—the value of Ullo is very nearly simply proportional to the flash duration, with a proportionality constant of about 3 (actually, slightly more than 2.92). That is,

7- = 3 fio (for fio < 0.001 sec); (10.6-9) or h = 3/ofio (for fio < 0.001 sec). (10.6-10)

The approximate proportionality expressed by eq. (10.6-10) is closely valid over the same

range of brief flash durations for which eq. (10.6-6) is accurate. These proportionality

relationships apply accurately to brief flashes with pulse shapes that are nearly symmetrical and

can be closely approximated by a normal distribution curve. However, the pulses from a gaseous

discharge light typically have a rapid rise and a slower (exponential) fall-off (as shown in fig. 10.4-

2), so that the normal distribution curve is not a very accurate approximation. The constant 3 (or 300) in eqs. (10.6-9) to (10.6-12) is therefore subject to an unknown degree of error when applied

to such lights, but a numerical trial suggests that the effective intensities predicted by those equations do give a rough, order-of-magnitude estimate, as applied to real discharge lights. If fio for a gaseous discharge light is assumed to be about 100 jLlsec (it is-^requently less), then eq. (10.6-10) yields the following simple rule of thumb for estimating effective intensity from

peak intensity for such lights:

/, = /o X 3 X 10-" (for discharge hghts). (10.6-11)

If lo is measured in millions of candelas (Med), then eq. (10.6-11) becomes

le = 300 lo {le in cd; lo in Med; ho =; 100 ju-sec). (10.6-12)

The simple relationship (10.6-12) allows an immediate rough mental estimate of effective intensity for discharge lightr. for which a peak intensity is known. Thus, such a lamp with an

impressive peak intensity of 10,000,000 cd (10 Med) should be visible at night at about the same

distance as a steady light of 3000 cd intensity. If the actual value of the flash duration ^lo for the

particular lamp is known, then eq. (10.6-10) will supply a more accurate estimate of the effective

intensity. Unfortunately, although it is not rare for manufacturers to advertise peak intensities for discharge flashers, the flash duration is less often specified, and when it is, the figure given is usually not ho- (It is more likely to be ta?, the interval between the times when the intensity is down to 1/e—about 37%—of the peak intensity, e being the base of natural logarithms. For a normal distribution curve, fio is about 1.5 times fe?.) Because of these various uncertainties,

equations such as (10.6-10) or (10.6-12) should be applied to gaseous-discharge lights only for order-of-magnitude estimates.

(d) Fixed-Energy Flashes

As a conclusion to the discussion of effective intensity, it will be useful to consider a type

of comparison among light pulses that cannot be made directly by using figure 10.6-1. Suppose we

have a certain fixed amount of luminous energy to put into a flash. Is it best to squeeze this energy into a very brief pulse, or to spread it out over a long time? Or is there some optimum

intermediate duration for the flash?

109
The total luminous energy (per unit solid angle) in a flash is equal to the area under the

entire temporal pulse profile (intensity versus time). Let this total area under the curve be A (in units of candela-seconds). For pulses of various durations, with the same total energy content A,

how does the effective intensity vary with the flash duration? Projector (1957) has published

graphs answering this question for rectangular light pulses. The curve of figure 10.6-3 (not previously published) gives the answer on the basis of the Wohlers-Leupp assumption that the pulse shapes can be well approximated by normal distribution curves. In analogy with figure 10.6-

1, to permit one curve to serve for all possible values of the total energy A, we plot h/A on the ordinate instead of simply le. This curve shows that to get the greatest possible effective intensity

from a given total luminous pulse energy, it is necessary to squeeze the energy into a brief pulse.

However, nothing significant is gained by using flash durations below a tenth of a millisecond

(100 microseconds), and nothing of much practical importance is gained by going below a millisecond (the loss of effective intensity at 1 millisecond being less than 1%). Extending the

flash to a duration of a hundredth of a second causes an effective intensity loss of 6.6 percent, and

spreading the pulse over a full tenth of a second causes a drastic loss of 34.6 percent of the maximum possible le for the given amount of total luminous energy. For flash durations of 15 to

,0001 .001 .01 0.1 I 10 100 FLASH DURATION BETWEEN 10%-PEAK POINTS,t,o(sec)

Figure 10.6-3. Variation with flash duration, tio, of the effective (Blondel-Rey-Douglas) intensity of a flash expressed as a

fraction (\Jk) of A, the total energy (per unit solid angle) contained in the flash. This function is based on the assumption that the flashes have a temporal pulse shape that is reasonably well approximated by a normal

distribution curve (or the derivative of the error function). The curve shows that for fixed energy A, squeezing the energy into a shorter pulse yields a higher effective intensity.

110
35 msec, the range that we have just seen (in sec. 10.6a) includes typical cases of rotating

incandescent emergency vehicle warning lights, the loss is from about 9 to 18 percent.

If gaseous discharge and incandescent lights were otherwise equal with respect to generating conspicuous signals, this intensity loss could be considered an argument in favor of the gaseous discharge light. However, an intensity difference of 9 to 18 percent is not very significant

visually, and could easily be outweighed by some other variable in which incandescent lights

might be superior to gaseous discharge lights. The problem of what type of emergency vehicle warning light unit is most visually effective is going to require perceptual experimentation to find a solution; the issue cannot be settled by effective intensity computations alone. Moreover, in arriving at a final procurement decision, a user of warning lights would be expected to give some

weight to such practical factors as luminous efficacy ("energy efficiency"), initial cost, and upkeep

expenses. Here again, both types of lights have their strong points and weak points. This report

makes no recommendations as to the overall superiority of one type or the other.

10.7. Color

A statement that a light should be, for example, "red," is not a very precise specification.

There is a considerable range of colors that would be called "red," in the sense that they are more

red than anything else, but these colors may differ quite noticeably from each other. For example,

a red light can have yellow added to it, to the point where the light appears to be somewhat

orangish. At first, this slight yellow admixture might be of little concern, because the light is still predominantly red, and would not be thought of as any other color. With enough yellow added,

however, the light may appear orange rather than red. Although red and yellow are widely used

colors for emergency vehicle warning lights, orange is not frequently assigned such a role. Consequently, a motorist seeing a pure orange warning light—appearing equally yellow and red

would be confused because he would not be able to decide whether a red or yellow was intended.

It is accordingly necessary, in a signal system using both yellow and red, for reds to be kept from

having too much perceived yellow in them, and yellows to be kept from having too much perceived

red in them.

It is not sufficient to choose an intermediate orange color and specify that any color redder

than the orange is to be regarded as red, and any color yellower than the orange is to be regarded

as yellow. Warning lights are sometimes seen when they are rather faint and subtend a very small angle at the eye. The ability to tell colors apart is considerably reduced under such unfavorable viewing conditions, and then an observer could not be sure if he were viewing a very yellowish red

or a very reddish yellow. There may be additional problems in color discrimination caused by

color-distorting hazes or fogs, or by a non-neutral state of visual adaptation of the observer, as when he is driving on a road illuminated by yellow sodium vapor lights. The requirement,

therefore, necessary to permit easy discrimination of red from yellow under most circumstances is that reds be permitted to have no more than a small amount of perceived yellow in them, and

yellows be permitted to have no more than a small amount of perceived red in them.

The quantitative specification of color—in the sense that excludes the intensity aspect—is commonly expressed in terms of the chromaticity coordinates x,y based on the CIE 1931 standard

color-matching functions (see sec. 6.3). The usual procedure in indicating the range of colors acceptable for a particular purpose is to box off an area on the CIE x,y chromaticity diagram, by a

set of limit lines. There are two basic types of color-limit specification: namely, with and without a

particular color in the interior of the chromaticity region being designated as an ideal standard. A

standard color is often singled out when the specification applies to limits for a surface color, such

as the yellow color of school buses, or the red color of stop signs. When a particular standard color

is designated, each of the limit lines indicates how far off from the standard it is permissible to go

in some particular color direction. With a yellow standard, for example, there would be a red limit (keeping the yellow from appearing too orangish); a green limit (keeping the yellow from

appearing too greenish); and a white (formerly, weak or pale) limit (keeping the yellow from

appearing too whitish). In the case of signal light colors, no specific standard or ideal color is

111
assigned. Any color lying within the limit lines for yellow, for example, is regarded as being an

acceptable yellow, with no particular yellow color being designated as an ideal that should be

matched as closely as possible.

Some systems of color tolerances also include a strong limit, that keeps the color from

being too saturated (pure, vivid, unwhite), but in many applications, including signal lights, the higher the saturation of the color, the better. There is, of course, a natural "strong limit," namely

the saturation of the ultimately pure spectral colors such as come from a prism dispersing white

light. In actual practice, the limit on saturation is often indirectly imposed by the requirement

for minimum intensity. Signal colors are normally produced by passing white light through a color

filter that absorbs a considerable fraction of the white light, letting through mostly light within a

restricted range of wavelengths that corresponds to the desired color. The purer (more saturated) the colored light coming through the filter is, the narrower the passed wavelength band must be

(with the exception of yellow and red, for which there are limiting bandwidths below which no

further increase in saturation occurs.) Thus, as the light getting through the filter is required to be

progressively purer, more and more of the illuminating white light is being absorbed, so that the

total amount of light coming through—and therefore the intensity or luminance—becomes lower

and lower. Because blue light corresponds to a quite narrow band of wavelengths near the shortwave end of the spectrum, where the eye is relatively insensitive, a filter that passes saturated blue light has to absorb most of the luminous energy coming from the illuminating white light. In other words, a good blue filter has a low luminous transmittance. To a lesser degree, the same is true of saturated red filters, which pass only the longwave end of the spectrum. This is a considerably wider wavelength band than saturated blue filters can pass, but the eye is also insensitive in this region. On the other hand, green covers a fairly broad wavelength band in the

part of the spectrum to which the eye is most sensitive, so a green filter that passes a fairly strong green can still have a somewhat higher transmittance than a good red filter. It happens that a mixture of red and green light appears yellow to the eye, so a yellow filter can pass not only the yellow band of the spectrum, but considerable portions of the neighboring green and red bands as

well. Therefore, saturated yellow filters can transmit a good portion of the white light that illuminates them.

The total luminous transmittance of a filter is partly determined by the spectral transraittances—the fraction of light of each wavelength that the filter passes. However, it is also determined by the spectral power output of the source used to illuminate the filter. Ordinarily, the

total transmittance of a filter is specified with respect to a light source that has a substantial amount of output at all wavelengths within the visible spectrum; that is, a "white" source. There is considerable variation, however, in the detailed spectrum of the many different types of sources

that are thought of as providing "white" light. In modem emergency vehicle warning lights, there are basically two types of white sources: incandescent (tungsten-filament) and gaseous discharge

(most commonly, xenon). In the range of temperatures at which the filaments of incandescent

lamps are normally maintained by imposing the rated voltage, the light produced by these lamps is biased toward longwave output; that is, the light is relatively rich in red and relatively low in blue. On the other hand, xenon arc lamps and flashtubes produce a much "cooler" light, with

considerably more blue content, relative to the red, than incandescent lamps provide. As a result, the transmittance of red filters is somewhat higher for incandescent light than for xenon-discharge

light, while the reverse is true for blue filters. Table 10.7-1 shows typical transmittances, for both

types of sources, of colored plastic filters that meet the chromaticity restrictions to be given later in this section. These values are intended as a rough indication of the transmittances of plastic

emergency vehicle warning light domes and colored lamp faces that meet the chromaticity

restrictions. It should be noted, however, that the transmittances in the table are not necessarily

typical of currently used domes and lamp face coatings, many of which do not meet the chromaticity restrictions. It should also be noted that green and blue glass filters, now used in emergency warning light domes much less frequently than plastic, often have lower transmittances than plastic filters representing the same nominal signal color.

112
Table 10.7-1. Transmittances of typical plastic filters (colored domes and

lamp faces) meeting the chromaticity restrictions described in this section

Filter color

Transmittance

for incandescent lamp light

Transmittance'

for xenon

discharge light

Red

Yellow Green

Blue Gear

0.20 0.50

0.30

0.03" 0.90

0.13 0.40

0.40

0.05" 0.90

This column shows the transmittances of the same colored filters typically used with incandescent sources. In

practice, different filters would frequently be used with a xenon source, and the transmittances would be somewhat higher.

^ These values are for a ClE-specified blue, and are not characteristic of most blue filters or domes now used

ID commercial warning lights. The latter are typically whitish and/or greenish blues and have higher

transmittances.

As can be seen in table 10.7-1, placing a blue dome or face coating over an incandescent

lamp—as is often done in jurisdictions that use blue lights—results in a loss of something like 97

percent of the light supplied by the lamp. This loss of intensity is perceptually serious, and should

be compensated for by increasing the output of the lamp. An extremely high-wattage incandescent

lamp would be needed to bring the intensity passing through a blue filter up to a level comparable

with the intensity passed through a white (clear) or yellow (amber) filter by a low-wattage lamp. Because the use of such high-wattage lamps introduces problems of power drain on the electrical system of the vehicle and heat accumulation in the lamp housing (which could melt the dome or other plastic elements of the unit), this method of compensation for intensity loss is not popular in

practice. Instead, what has happened is that many of the manufacturers of domes and lamp-face

filters have degraded the purity of the blue color of the filters by broadening the transmission

band to include significant amounts of nonblue wavelengths. The result is blue signals that are

either pale (whitish), or greenish, or both.

It can be seen in table 10.7-1 that the use of a xenon flashlamp instead of an incandescent

lamp, in a blue warning light unit, is of some help in combatting the intensity loss problem. Even

with xenon flashers, however, the intensity through a blue filter is sharply lowered, so impure blue

filters are commonly used with flashlamps, too. There are a number of different sets of standards for signal light colors that are used by

various groups with specialized requirements. The International Commission on Illumination (CIE)

has a general purpose standard. Colors of Light Signals (CIE, 1975), that is widely accepted

throughout the world. The CIE standard establishes chromaticity limits of the sort described

earlier in this section, for red, green, yellow, white, blue, and violet signal colors. These limit regions were set on the basis of experiments in which observers stated the colors they perceived

when viewing flashes of many different chromaticities. Thus, if the flashes emitted by a signal

light have a chromaticity lying within the CIE blue limits, for example, there is a high probability

that observers with normal color vision will see the flash as blue, under reasonably favorable viewing conditions. The probability that a flash will be identified as blue if its chromaticity lies on

the CIE limit boundaries for blue is less than 100 percent, and drops off fairly rapidly as the chromaticity moves further and further away from the boundaries. Analogous considerations apply

to all the CIE chromaticity limit areas. In situations where a pair of neighboring colors—such as white and yellow, or yellow and

red, etc.—are both used in a system of signals, and where it is especially important to distinguish

between the colors of the pair, it is necessary to cut back one or both of the chromaticity limit regions in order to increase the probability of correct color identification. The CIE standard

includes a number of these "restricted boundaries" as options.

113
Within the United States, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which publishes

voluntary standards concerning most aspects of automotive equipment and materials, has a standard that sets limits on the colors of lights used on automobiles. SAE Standard J578c, Color

Specification for Electric Signal Lighting Devices (SAE, 1977), covers the same set of nominal

colors included in the CIE standard, except for violet. Almost all of the chromaticity limits imposed by the SAE standard essentially coincide with CIE boundaries, either unrestricted or

restricted. The equations of the SAE boundary lines are published with the coefficients specified

to only two decimal places, as opposed to the three places used by the CIE. With two exceptions, the coefficients of the SAE and CIE boundary-line equations differ by no more than 0.005. For

the red boundary of yellow, the SAE y-value is 0.008 greater than the CIE value; and for the purple boundary of white, the slope of the SAE limit line is 0.012 less than the CIE slope.

Figure 10.7-1 shows, on the CIE 1931 x,y chromaticity diagram, the CIE boundaries to which the SAE boundaries correspond. The boundaries for red, yellow, and blue (solid lines) are the unrestricted CIE boundaries. All three limit lines for the CIE green area represent restricted boundaries, for better discrimination from yellow, from white, and from blue. The SAE boundaries

for all of these same colors are virtually indistinguishable from the CIE boundaries on the scale to which the diagram is drawn, and are not shown separately.

With respect to white, the yellow limit is the CIE restricted boundary, permitting improved

discrimination between white and yellow signals. The CIE also recognizes that in some situations a

restricted blue boundary of white is desirable, but the CIE (1975) standard indicates that the

available data do not yet permit a recommendation of where the restricted boundary should be

placed. In recognition of the fact that the chromaticities of xenon discharge lights lie near the blue edge of the CIE white area, the SAE (1977) decided that restricting the blue boundary of white

would assist in the discrimination of these lights from blue signals. The solid line at the left end of the white area in figure 10.7-1 is the unrestricted CIE blue boundary, shown for reference purposes; the dotted line is the SAE's choice of a suitable restricted boundary.

The situation with respect to the blue limit area is a bit complicated. The solid lines delimit the CIE unrestricted blue area. The SAE recognized essentially the same area during the years 1974-1977, and still does. However, the problem of low transmittance through blue filters, described following table 10.7-1, has now led the SAE (1977) to sanction an additional, extended

blue limit area for use in signal systems in which blue-green and blue-white confusions are not

critical. The extension, which adds onto, rather than replaces, the area outlined by the solid lines,

is shown in figure 10.7-1 by dashed lines. The SAE distinguishes their two blue limit areas by

different names, which depart from the established CIE terminology. The CIE unrestricted blue

area is labeled "SAE restricted blue." The extended blue area is called "SAE signal blue." The typical transmittance values given in table 10.7-1 apply to filters which, when used

with the light sources indicated, satisfy the CIE /SAE chromaticity restrictions shown with solid

lines in figure 10.7-1. When the SAE extended blue limit area (as shown in dashed lines in the

figure) is applied, the intensity of blue lights can be increased, but there is a corresponding

lowering of the probability of identification of the color as blue. In the chromaticity diagram of figure 10.7-1, roughly speaking, x represents the fractional red content in each color, and y the fractional green content. The assumption underlying the diagram is, in intuitive terms, that any light can be matched in color by some mixture of three

fixed ("primary") lights, usually chosen as a red, a green, and a blue. Thus, the fractional blue

content, denoted by z, is whatever is left in a color other than the fractional red or green content; that is, by definition,

a; + J + z = 1. (10.7-1)

Thus, because the value of z is fully determined by the values of x and y, it is possible to represent any color on a two-dimensional plot of y against x. The point at the upper tip of the horseshoe-shaped region in figure 10.7-1 has a high y (green) value and a low x (red) value, and

therefore represents a strong green color. The right-hand comer is the reverse: high in red (a;) and

low in green (y), and therefore represents a strong red. The lower left-hand comer is low in both

114
red and green, and therefore is a strong blue (high z). Points near the center of the diagram

represent colors containing substantial amounts of all three primary colors, and such colors are near-white. It should be noted, finally, that chromaticity diagrams are completely independent of

the dimension of intensity.

The "horseshoe" curve in the figure is the spectrum locus, the track of the chromaticities associated with spectrally pure (single-wavelength, monochromatic) light of all visible wavelengths.

Figure 10.7-1. Chromaticity boundaries for warning lights, on the CIE 1931 x, y diagram, according to the standard of the CIE (1975). Except for white light, the boundaries required by the standard of the SAE (1977) are

indistinguishably different from the CIE limits shown (some of which are restricted CIE boundaries chosen here to match the SAE limits). The SAE, unlike the CIE, has adopted a restricted blue boundary for white (dotted line). The corresponding solid line shown is the unrestricted CIE boundary. The current SAE (1977) standard prescribes two different limit regions for blue. Their "SAE restricted blue" coincides with the CIE unrestricted blue limit area

(solid Unes). The extension of this region that includes also the area within the dashed Unes constitutes "SAE signal blue," for which there is no CIE analog. For an explanation of chromaticity diagrams, see the text. The symbol +

near the 6500 K point on the Planckian locus marks the chromaticity of a white light with equal energy

concentration at all wavelengths.

115
Some wavelengths, in nanometers, are marked along the locus. The straight line across the bottom

of the horseshoe is known as the purple boundary (sometimes called the line of purples or the

locus of purples). This line is the track of colors (purples) that can be formed by various mixtures

of two fixed wavelengths—one a red at the longwave end of the spectrum, and the other a violet (reddish blue) at the shortwave end. No color can exist physically that has a chromaticity outside the region enclosed by the spectrum locus and purple boundary.

The curve in figure 10.7-1 labeled "Planckian locus" shows the range of chromaticities taken on by a certain kind of ideal glowing (incandescent) body (known as a "blackbody" or "full radiator") as it heats up from low temperatures to high temperatures. Tungsten filaments show

color changes closely following this blackbody locus, although they are not perfect blackbodies.

The numbers along the locus are absolute temperatures in kelvins (K, formerly known as "degrees

Kelvin" or "degrees Absolute"). It will be seen that at comparatively low temperatures (1000 K), a glowing body is quite red. As it heats up, it becomes yellower and then whiter. Finally, at extremely high temperatures (designated oo in fig. 10.7-1), the body becomes bluish-white. (The

colors of stars are correlated with their temperatures in the same fashion.)

An incandescent lamp burned at rated voltage usually gives off a yellowish light similar in color to the light emitted by a blackbody in the temperature range of about 2800-3000 K. Such a lamp is said to have a color temperature of 2800-3000 K. In figure 10.7-1, the unfiltered light

from such a tungsten lamp is exemplified by the 2856 K blackbody point. Unfortunately, xenon

flashlamps have a color temperature in the neighborhood of 6500 K (about the same color as natural daylight), and, as the figure shows, such light is rather far over toward the blue, close to the restricted SAE blue boundary of white. The bluish white flash of an unfiltered xenon lamp can be confused—particularly at night—with the whitish blue flash that results when an unusually

pale blue filter is used with an incandescent source. When a xenon flashlamp is employed as the white component of a warning light configuration, and it is regarded as important to identify its light output as white rather than blue, some consideration could be given to placing a light

yellowish filter over the xenon lamp. The appearance of the emitted flashes can thereby be

brought closer to pure white, but the further in from the blue boundary of white the chromaticity

is carried by the use of progressively yellower filters, the more intensity will have to be sacrificed. For reference purposes, the detailed specifications of the limit areas in figure 10.7-1 are given numerically in table 10.7-2. Only the white area is fully delimited by straight limit lines. The yellow and blue areas have the spectrum locus as one limiting curve, and the red area is bounded by both the spectrum locus and the purple boundary.

In order to test whether the chromaticity of a given light does or does not fall within the areas shown in figure 10.7-1 (and characterized numerically in table 10.7-2), it is necessary to measure the color of the light. The measurement of color can be accomplished in several different ways, of varying degrees of precision.

The simplest procedure is a visual method that determines only whether the light is inside or outside the acceptable area. In order to use this method, there must be available a set of

limiting filters having chromaticities that lie near the midpoints of the limiting line segments in figure 10.7-1. For example, a filter representing the red limit of the yellow area would appear to be a slightly reddish yellow when illuminated by an incandescent lamp having a color temperature

of 2856 K. (An incandescent lamp burning at 2856 K is one standard for colorimetric work; it is referred to as CIE Source A.) The chromaticity of the light from the Umit filter should have a y

value of 0.382 (as shown in table 10.7-2 for CIE yellow) and should have an x value lying

somewhere between that of the comer {x = 0.612) and that of the intersection of the line y =

0.382 with the spectrum locus {x = 0.617). Any yellow light that is seen as no redder than this illuminated red limit filter is acceptable, as far as deviations in the red direction are concerned. For yellow lights, there would also be a green limit filter and a white (pale) limit filter. In addition

to lying within the red limit, an acceptable yellow light would also have to appear no greener than

the green limit and no whiter than the white limit. In order to maximize the sensitivity of the

visual color judgments, the light from the unit under test should be collected by an optical

instrument that also separately collects light from a limit filter transUluminated by Source A. The

116
Table 10.7-2. Limiting regions on the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram for signal colors, according to the C/E" and SAE^

CIE limit description

Boundary condition' Comer points of limit area' Wavelength (nm)"

0>Ior CIE SAE CIE SAE CIE SAE

Red

Yellow limit Purple limit y < 0.335 y > 0.980 - X

{z < 0.020)

y < 0.33 / > 0.98 - X

(z < 0.02)

(0.665, 0.335)

(0.721, 0.259)

(0.735, 0.265)

(0.645, 0.335)

(0.670, 0.330)"

(0.721, 0.259)«

(0.735, 0.265)"* ''

(0.650, 0.330)

609.69 611.31

830.00 BSO.OO"

YeUow

Red limit White limit Green limit

y > 0.382 y > 0.790 - 0.667 x y <.x- 0.120y > 0.39 y > 0.79 - 0.67 x y <.x- 0.12

(0.617, 0.382)'

(0.612, 0.382)

(0.560, 0.440)

(0.546, 0.426)

(0.609, 0.390)"

(0.597, 0.390)

(0.560, 0.440)"

(0.545, 0.425)

597.94 596.29

587.41 587.41

White

Yellow limit

(restricted) Red limit Purple limit Blue limit' Green limit

X < 0.500 / > 0.382 y > 0.047 + 0.762 x

X > 0.285

J / < 0.150 + 0.640 X \y< 0.440

X < 0.50 y > 0.38 y > 0.05 + 0.75 x

X > 0.31 jy < 0.15 + 0.64 ;t; \y < 0.44

(0.500, 0.382)

(0.440, 0.382)

(0.285, 0.264)

(0.285, 0.332)

(0.453, 0.440)

(0.500, 0.440)

(0.500, 0.380)

(0.440, 0.380)

(0.310, 0.282)

(0.310, 0.348)

(0.453, 0.440)

(0.500, 0.440)

SAE Restricted Blue

Violet limit Green limit White limit

X < 0.133 + 0.600 jK y < 0.065 + 0.805 x

X < 0.400 - /

(z > 0.600)

X < 0.13 + 0.60 J

y < 0.07 + 0.81 X

X < 0.40 - y

(z > 0.60)

(0.14«, 0.025)

(0.090, 0.137)

(0.186, 0.214)

(0.233, 0.167)

(0.146, 0.027)"

(0.088, 0.141)"

(0.182, 0.218)

(0.231, 0.169)

457.08 458.40

4B0.39 480.75

Blue SAE Signal Blue

Violet limit Green limit (extended) White limit (extended)

X < 0.13 + 0.60 y

y < 0.32 lx<, 0.40 -y

\x< 0.16

(0.146, 0.027)"

(0.040, 0.320)"

(0.160, 0.320)

(0.160, 0.240)

458.40

491.13

Green

Yellow limit

(restricted) White limit

(restricted) Blue limit

(restricted)

/ < 0.726 - 0.726 x

X < 0.625 / - 0.041

y > 0.500 - 0.500 x

y < 0.73 - 0.73 x

x < 0.63 y - 0.04

y > 0.50 - 0.50 X

(0.009, 0.720)

(0.284, 0.520)

(0.013, 0.494)

(0.207, 0.397)

(0.009, 0.723)"

(0.288, 0.520)

(0.013, 0.494)"

(0.209, 0.395)

508.24 508.44

498.22 498.22

j " CIE (1975). Restricted CIE limits shown are those matchiDg the corresponding SAE limits,

i "SAE (1977).

' 'The equations of the boundary lines can be obtained by replacing the inequality signs in these boundary conditions by equality signs. These points (CIE and SAE) lie on the spectrum locus. The wavelengths and the coordinates of the points were obtained by linear interpolation in *he table comprising the current official derinition of

the CIE 1931 standard colorimetric system (CIE, 1971), which covers a wavelength range of 360 to 830 nm at 1-nm intervals.

]| " These points (CIE and SAE) lie on the purple boundary. Based on the current defmition described in footnote d above, the equation of the purple boundary is: y = 0.465 043 908 x — 0.076 353

] 109.

j 'The CIE (1975) signal-light standard gives the x coordinate of this point as 0.618, apparently as a result of interpolation rounding error. The 5-place interpolated value is 0.61749. The SAE blue limit shown is restricted, relative to the unrestricted CIE blue limit given for comparison. The CIE does not recommend a specific restricted blue limit for while.

^ For both the CIE and SAE» this point is the intersection of the purple boundary with the longwave end of the spectrum locus. As explained in footnote d, the wavelength corresponding to this point is 830 nm. Note, however, that according to the official uble (CIE, 1971), all wavelengths from 699 to 830 nm have the same chromaticity to 5 decimals: (0.73469, 0.26531).

' The coordinates of each point (identified by superscript d) that represents the intersection of a limit line with the spectrum locus have been placed in the row of the table corresponding to the limit line on which the point lies. (Note that the third red comer point does not lie on a limit line; see footnote h.) Otherwise, the rows of the point side of the table have no correspondence with the rows of the

I line side.

I

I

117
two beams of colored light are seen in the instrument as illuminating adjacent fields of comparable

area, with as fine a dividing line between the fields as possible. In section 6.3, the tristimulus values X, Y, and Z were defined, and it was explained how

they can be measured physically by using suitable combinations of photocells and filters. An

instrument that operates on that principle is called a filter tristimulus colorimeter. The accuracies of the X, Y, Z readings depend on how closely the spectral responses of the filter-photocell

combinations match the CIE x.^^ y^^, and z^^ color-matching functions (also described in sec. 6.3). The relationship between the chromaticity coordinates x, y, and z, and the tristimulus values X, Y, and Z is quite simple, namely,

^ X+Y+Z' ^ X+Y+Z' ^ X+Y+Z' (10.7-2)

The chromaticity coordinates are thus nothing more than tristimulus values expressed on a

fractional basis. Because of the relationships expressed by eq. (10.7-2), which actually comprise

the definitions of the chromaticity coordinates, it is clear why the latter sum to unity, as expressed

in eq. (10.7-1). Most tristimulus colorimeters use a single photocell and a group of filters placed

sequentially in front of the photocell. By simply mounting a set of the proper filters in a wheel

that can be rotated in front of the entrance port of a photometer, any photometer can be used as a

tristimulus colorimeter. Some of the modern photometers today have a set of tristimulus filters available as an option. A photometer thus employed as a colorimeter is able to measure the color of an incoming light beam, as is required for checking warning lights. The prospective purchaser

of equipment should be aware that many of the instruments that bear the name "tristimulus colorimeter" use an internal source of light and are capable of measuring the colors only of

reflecting surfaces or transmitting filters, not of external light beams.

The most accurate—and correspondingly most expensive—method of measuring color is the spectral method. When the question at issue is whether a given color lies inside or outside a detlned chromaticity limit region, resort to this method ordinarily is called for only if the test color

lies very close to a boundary of the region. For directly measuring the color of an external light

beam, such as the beam put out by a warning light unit, the necessary instrument is called a spectroradiometer. The incoming light is split into its component wavelengths by a prism or

diffraction grating inside the spectroradiometer, and the amount of energy at each wavelength is measured sequentially by an unfiltered photocell. The result is the spectral power distribution of

the incoming light. From that information, the tristimulus values and chromaticity coordinates are obtained by computation, as described in section 6.3. In the spectral method, the actual values of

the color-matching functions X)^, j^, and Z)^, are used numerically, eliminating the error of approximating these functions by the spectral response of a filter-photocell combination.

A more indirect spectral method involves the use of a spectrophotometer, an instrument

that splits the light from an internal light source into its component wavelengths, and uses the

light of the various wavelengths in turn to measure the spectral reflectance of a surface or the

spectral transmittance of a filter. A spectrophotometer could be used to measure the spectral

transmittances of a set of warning light domes of various colors. Then the colors obtained by using

these domes over a particular white light source can be obtained by computation, provided the

spectral power distribution of the white source is known. It is common to assume that the white

source, if it is an incandescent tungsten lamp burned at rated voltage, has in the visible spectrum

the relative spectral power distribution of a blackbody of the same color. Tables of the blackbody

spectral distribution for different temperatures are available (see, for example, Wyszecki and

Stiles, 1967, pp. 16-28), so the color of the light from the source-dome combination can be

calculated without using a spectroradiometer on the white source. It is necessary only to determine

the color temperature of the incandescent lamp. For rough calculations, a color temperature of 2856 K (Source A) can be assumed.

118
Unfortunately, the light from a real incandescent lamp does not actually match the relative spectral power distribution of a blackbody exactly. There is also usually some error in determining

the color temperature of the lamp. Moreover, each "colorless" optical element that operates on the

light—such as the reflector of a PAR .lamp, the glass in the front of the bulb, and any lenses in the unit—changes the spectral distribution slightly because of the slight wavelength selectivity that almost all "colorless" objects possess. Another source of error in applying the spectrophotometric

method arises from the fact that most of these instruments are designed to measure flat filters, but warning light domes are usually curved. Not only are many of the domes curved, but also many of

the lenses and domes are patterned by a series of grooves, zones, facets, etc., that make the thickness of the glass or plastic vary considerably from point to point over the surface. A

spectrophotometric measurement made through any particular small region of the surface may not

yield a result typical of the complete lens or dome as a whole.

In addition to these generally small errors in the specifications of the spectral properties of

the individual optical components, more serious errors may arise when the spectral output of the

total system is predicted by assuming that light from the source simply passes through or bounces

off each of the optical components in turn. In a real optical system, some light usually gets through the system by undesired pathways such as multiple interreflections back and forth between parallel glass surfaces, or leakage of stray light into the beam by a sequence of reflections that bypasses one or more of the optical components entirely. All of the preceding errors may be

rather small, but the total final error may be significant. It is more satisfactory to use a

spectroradiometer, where available, so that the light being measured in the instrument is the

actual light sent out by the complete warning light unit, with no assumptions being necessary.

119
PART IV. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

CHAPTER 11. APPENDIX: NBS PHOTOMETRY FACILITIES AND PROCEDURES

This chapter describes equipment that was in operation at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, during the periodfrom 1966 to 1976. It is presented as a guide for

those wanting to carry out their own photometry or to better understand the procedures used by

qualified photometric testing laboratories. The acquisition, construction, and use of the described equipment was funded over the years primarily by the Naval Air Systems Command and by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Late in 1976, these programs at NBS were discontinued, and most of

the equipment was rnoved to several Navy research and development facilities. The version of this chapter that follows was prepared prior to the cessation of the aviation lighting program at NBS, and

in order to avoid distracting circumlocutions, has been left in the present-tense form, as if the equipment were all still in place at NBS.

11.1. Introduction

An emergency warning light consists of a light source and an optical system which

together produce a beam of light. In the photometry of these devices, the intensity of the device as a function of angle of viewing is measured. A variety of techniques and equipment have been

developed for tests on various types of sources. Photometric testing is carried out on a photometric range by comparison of device output

with a standard lamp of known luminous intensity in a specified direction. These comparisons are made with photosensors which are color corrected by filters so that the spectral response is similar

to the CIE luminous efficiency function. Considerable care is required to keep the experimental

errors within the desired limits. A common example of an emergency warning light source is the PAR-type lamp which is a sealed beam lamp consisting of a filament placed at the focus of a parabolic reflector with a glass cover. Another example is a light source placed at the focus of a Fresnel lens. For measuring the luminous intensity of such a device, a photometer employing an

electrical photosensor is used. The response of the photosensor is read or recorded on an electrical measuring device such as a self-balancing recording potentiometer. This response is a function of the illuminance on the face of the photosensor, and the illuminance is expressed by the inverse- square law as follows:

i: = ^, (11.1-1)

where

E is the illuminance at the photosensor,

/ is the luminous intensity of the light source, and

d is the distance between the light source and the photosensor.

The photometer is calibrated against a standard lamp of known luminous intensity in a

specified direction, oriented in that direction at a known distance from the photosensor.

The emergency warning lights are mounted at one end of a photometric range. There are two ranges for the photometric measurement of these devices at the National Bureau of Standards. On the shorter range, the distance between the source and the photosensor can be varied to a maximum of 100 meters. On the longer range, this distance is a fixed 363 meters.

120
NBS has made photometric measurements of various kinds of sources, particularly those

units used in airfield and aircraft lighting. Since these sources have been of many sizes, shapes,

beam characteristics and intensities, a variety of corresponding procedures, techniques and

equipment have been developed for their measurement. When photometric measurements are to be

made, each source must be considered individually, and it is not possible to put forth any one

general method for testing them. The intent of this appendix, therefore, is first to describe the photometric equipment most commonly used, with emphasis on its application to particular types of sources. Next, the theory and practical considerations of the various calibration procedures are

discussed. Finally, there is a general description of the procedures used in these measurements. The information and data contained herein have been obtained from many photometric

tests of sources at NBS. Although this appendix deals specifically with photometry of emergency

warning lights, the techniques and equipment mentioned are also adaptable to the photometry of other kinds of light units.

11.2. Equipment

11.2.1. Ranges

100 Meter Range

The 100 meter range is located in the basement of the NBS Metrology Building. The

photosensor and standard lamp for calibrating it are mounted on a movable "photometer bar,"

shown in figures 11.2.1-1 and 11.2.1-2. By moving the photometer bar, a maximum distance of 100 meters can be obtained between the unit under test and the photosensor. The standard lamp

can be moved in and out of the calibration position by remote control. Test units are mounted on a goniometer, a device which can rotate the unit through known

angles about a horizontal and a vertical axis. The test unit can then be set at a given angle with

respect to one axis, and when photometric measurements are made, a traverse can be taken at this angle by rotating the goniometer about the other axis, thus obtaining an intensity distribution. The goniometer which is located at one end of the 100-meter range is shown in figure 11.2.1-3. Units mounted on it can be rotated about a horizontal axis through two pivot points on

the U-shaped inner frame. There are two rotary tables for horizontal traverses which permit the goniometer to be used as either a class A or class B goniometer as described by Projector (1953).

The inner table on which the test unit is mounted is used almost exclusively, however. This table provides rotations about a secondary axis corresponding to the vertical, perpendicular to the

horizontal axis which in this case is fixed. When the goniometer is operated in this manner, it is a

class A goniometer.

Horizontal traverses obtained by rotating the larger table on which the outer frame is mounted result in rotations about a fixed vertical axis. When the goniometer is operated in this manner, it is a class B goniometer.

The goniometer is gear-driven in the horizontal and vertical directions and is usually

turned by means of synchronous motors. When a self-balancing recording potentiometer is used to record the output of the photosensor, the recorder chart of the potentiometer is driven by another

synchronous motor which is powered from the same source as is the goniometer motor. Gear ratios for the recorder and the goniometer can be varied to make available several choices of speed of

rotation and chart speed, and hence provide a range of angular scales (degrees per division) on the

chart. One source of error in goniometry is the backlash of the driving gears. For horizontal

traverses, the errors caused by backlash are minimized by running traverses in only one direction. In the vertical direction, backlash can result from inconstant torque and from the goniometer

cradle passing through a balance position in the course of the traverse. To minimize these effects, with the test unit mounted on the goniometer the pinion gear on the vertical drive is disengaged,

and the inner frame is balanced by means of the counterweights at the top of the goniometer.

After this balancing, a constant torque is applied by means of a small weight at the end of a cable.

121
Figure 11.2.1-1. The Photometer Bar of the NBS 100-meter Range which can be utilized for photometric testing of emergency warning lights. Mounted on the bar is the equipment used in calibrating; however the shielding for stray light between the standard lamp and the photocell has been removed and a white background has been substituted for the normally black one. [Note: Please see the italicized paragraph introducing this chapter.]

Figure 11.2.1-2. Dimensional diagram of the photometer bar in the NBS 100-meter Range. This bar supports the photosensor, and the standard lamp for calibrating it, which can be used to measure the output of emergency

warning lights. [Note: Please see the italicized paragraph introducing this chapter.]

122
which passes over a pulley connected to the vertical drive shaft (Projector, 1953). The pulley and

weight are seen to the left of the goniometer (fig. 11.2.1-3). In order to minimize the errors caused by stray light from spurious reflections, the photometer bar is provided with a series of baffles. One of these baffles is seen in figure 11.2.1-1. In addition, there are adjustable baffles situated along the range between the goniometer and the photometer bar. The walls behind and around the goniometer and the background of the photometer bar are black. Additionally, there is a black curtain behind the goniometer that is pulled across when testing revolving or double-ended lamps.

Figure 11.2.1-3. The Goniometer of the NBS 100-meter Photometry Range. This unit can be utilized to rotate an emergency

warning light through known angles about a horizontal and vertical axis, to enable determination of the angular

variation of light intensity. [Note: Please see the italicized paragraph introducing this chapter.]

123
The minimum test distance in photometry of these sources is called the "minimum inverse- square distance" (Illuminating Engineering Society, 1972, p. 4-23). The illumination from the

light source, measured at distances greater than this minimum, obeys the inverse-square law which

is a necessary criterion for the determination of luminous intensity. The photometric distance is made greater than this minimum distance. The minimum inverse-square distance is determined by

the type and size of the light source, lens, reflector, etc., and must be considered individually for each unit. If this distance is more than 100 meters (approximately 328 feet), a range larger than

100 meters must be used. The photometry of a searchlight with a finite-sized light source and emitting a coUimated

beam is illustrated schematically in figure 11.2.1-4. For this light source, the angle subtended by

the optic (reflector) of the searchlight at the photosensor must be less than the angle subtended at the point on the reflector farthest from the light source by the smallest projected dimension of the

light source. If the reflector is viewed through a telescope at the position of the photosensor, the

reflector will then appear bright over all the aperture.

From these considerations, the minimum inverse-square distance, Lo, is given by

Z. (11.2.1.1)

where

Lo is the minimum inverse-square distance (in meters), a is the distance from the point on the reflector that is farthest from the light source to the

axis of the searchlight (in centimeters),

d is the distance from the light source to point "a" (in centimeters), and

5 is the smallest projected dimension of the light source as viewed from point "a" (in centimeters).

If all lengths in the formula had been expressed in the same units, there would have been

a factor of 2 in the numerator. The factor 50 in the denominator of eq. (11.2.1-1) results from

dividing 2 by 100, the number of centimeters in a meter. Accordingly, when customary (English)

units are used, with a, d, and 5 measured in inches, and Lo in feet, the factor 6 would replace 50 in the denominator of eq. (11.2.1-1). To illustrate, these considerations may be applied to the photometry of two different sealed

reflector lamps of the PAR-64 type, one with a 300 watt, 6.6 ampere (45 volt) filament, and the other with a 120 watt, 20 ampere (6 volt) filament. These lamps have the same overall dimensions

and differ only in the size and construction of the filaments. Both lamps have clear covers and

parabolic reflectors, and both emit collimated beams of light. For both lamps, the dimension a is 9.4 cm and the dimension d is 9.7 cm.

INT "a"

Figure 11.2.1-4. Diagram for the determination of the "Minimum inverse square distance. " The dotted lines subtend equal

angles. This diagram assists in determining how far one must be from an emergency warning light in order to make

measurements of light intensity which can confidently be extrapolated to still longer distances.

124
The filament of the 300 watt lamp is of the CC-6 type (Illuminating Engineering Society,

1972, p. 8-3). That is, the filament wire is wound in a helix, and the helix is again wound into a

larger helix. The axis of the larger helix is perpendicular to the axis of the reflector. The smaller

helix is wound so tightly that its diameter can be considered the smallest dimension of the light source, and its projected dimension, dimension 5, is this diameter, 0.084 cm. Lo is therefore 22

meters, which permits the lamp to be photometrically measured on the 100 meter range. The filament of the 120 watt lamp is of the C-6 type. The filament wire is wound into a

single helix. This helix is wound so loosely that the single turns of the coil can be discerned. Therefore, the diameter of the filament wire itself, 0.051 cm, is considered its smallest projected

dimension. Lo is 36 meters, and on this basis this lamp also could be tested on the 100 meter

range. The above discussion for the determination of the minimum inverse-square distance is exact only for axial measurements. For measurements off the axis, test distances of two or three times these computed minimum inverse-square distances are sometimes required but are often

impractical. Measurements near the axis are usually the most important in the testing of these

sources; test distances only slightly greater than the computed minimum inverse-square distances

are necessary for most practical purposes (Walsh, 1953, ch. XIV).

363 Meter Range

As discussed above, a longer range may be required where the device to be tested has a broad source. Larger lights are usually tested on the 363 meter range. The detector and standard lamp are located in the attic of the NBS Polymers Building. The goniometer, recording

potentiometer and all electrical controls are located in the attic of the Chemistry Building. The

distance between the photocell and the goniometer is fixed at 363 meters (approximately 1191

feet).

11.2.2. PAR Lampholder

A special holder for PAR-type lamps is used to facilitate the mounting of lamps of this type. The holder has been designed to be mounted easily on the goniometer on the 100 meter

range and is shown in figure 11.2.2-1. A set of removable mounting rings makes it possible to mount any of the several sizes of PAR lamps on the holder. The holder contains a telescope which is used to align the holder with a mark at the other end of the range so that the axis of the PAR lamp reflector will coincide with the photometric axis.

It is therefore possible to remove the holder from the goniometer and to replace it at some future

time, aligned as before.

11.2.3. Photosensors

The photosensors used in the photometric measurements are constant current devices which produce currents proportional to the illuminance on their faces. All photosensors used are

color corrected by means of optical filters in order to make their spectral response similar to the CIE spectral luminous efficiency function. Two different types of photosensors are in general use, the barrier layer photocell and the vacuum phototube. Although photomultiplier tubes have a higher signal-to-noise ratio at low illuminance levels and a fast photo-optical response, the present

detectors are superior, on balance, within their limits of operation. This superiority is based on a combination of stability, simplicity of power supply circuitry, and relative ease of correcting their color response to correspond closely to the CIE luminous efficiency function.

Barrier Layer Photocell The barrier layer photocell, a solid state photoelectric device, is used in most of the photometric measurements. In the selection of a photocell for photometric testing, several cells which have been color corrected by means of color-correcting filters are checked for linearity and

similarity of spectral response to the CIE luminous efficiency function. In order to check the adequacy of the color correction, the luminous transmittances of several colored filters for light of

125
Figure 11.2.2-1. A rear view of the PAR Lamp Holder used to facilitate mounting of PAR-type lamps for testing in the NBS

100-meter Photometry Range. Seen are the telescope used for alignment, the mounting ring, and the back of a PAR56 lamp which has been mounted on the holder. [Note: Please see the italicized paragraph introducing this chapter.]

a specified color temperature are measured with these photocells. These transmittances are compared with those obtained from spectrophotometric measurements. The results of one such

series of measurements, using a lamp operating at Source A (color temperature 2856 K) ^ are given in table 11.2.3-1. The photocells with good color response are then tested for linearity, and the one most

nearly linear in its response is selected for use. The photocell chosen for use following the measurements shown in table 11.2.3-1 was cell number 3. This cell was found to be linear to better than 0.1 percent in the most useful range. This is sufficiently linear for photometric testing. The

linearity was tested using several standard lamps of known horizontal intensity in turn, at distances from 1 to 30 meters from the photocell. The results of the linearity measurements of this photocell are shown in figure 11.2.3-1. The barrier layer photocell is used with two different circuits. For most photometric work

with this type of photocell, an external shunt is used. The voltage drop across the shunt is amplified by means of a linear amplifier, and the output of the amplifier is recorded on the

'At the dme these measurements were made, and until 1968, the color temperature assigned to Source A was 2854 K. In that year, a redetermination of the value of a fundamental physical constant resulted in a correction of the assigned color temperature to 2856 K, but the numerical values of the spectral power distribution corresponding

to Source A have not been changed.

126
Table 11.2.3-1. Color response of a group of barrier-layer photocells with filters

G)lor Filter characteristics for source A Transmittance ratio' y' Cell 1 Cell 2 Cell o Cell 4 Cell o Cell 6

rt ] Ked .725 .275 .0410 1.17 1 CiCi l.UU 1.20 1.16 .98 .687 .313 .222 1.07 1.00 1.00 1.07 1.05 1.03 .648 .351 .324 .97 .95 .94 .94 .96 .94

Yellow .630 .370 .427 1.02 1 C\(\ 1.02 l.Ui 1.00 .578 .421 .612 1.02 1.01 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.01 .554 .444 .725 .97 .97 .97 .97 .96 .95

Gieen .233 .679 .0370 l.Ul .96 .yi .96 .310 .573 .201 .97 .97 1.00 .96 .94 .96 .ooU 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.00 .99 1.00

Blue .160 .080 .020 1.01 .98 .99 .95 .96 1.00

.162 .293 .140 .90 .90 .92 .87 .88 .97 .320 .329 .250 .87 .88 .88 .88 .87 .87

* Ratio of transmittaace measured by photocell to transmittance determined from spectrophotometric measurements.

^ x-coordinate on the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram.

^ y-coordinate on the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram.

^ Luminous transmittance of the filter as determined by spectrophotometric measurements.

.880

" .860

=! .840

.820

S 800 -

J I I

I ] I I 1 1

J I I I'll J I I

I I J I 1 1

J I I

I I ] 1 1 1

-I I I

I I I

1 10 100 ILLUMINANCE, fc

Figure 11.2.3-1. Linearity of response for a selected harrier-layer photocell of the type used as a detector in photometric testing of many types of lights. Note—Voltage drop across photocell did not exceed 1 millivolt.

recorder chart of a self-balancing potentiometer. This circuit is shown in figure 11.2.3-2. However,

when greater precision is required in the measurements, or when the illumination of the face of

the photocell is either very large or very small, a "zero resistance" circuit is employed, and

intensity measurements are made using a Kohirausch potentiometer (Barbrow, 1940; Projector,

Laufer, and Douglas, 1944).

127
LESS THAN

O.Smv.

LINEAR

AMPLIFIER 0-5 mv.

RECORDING

POTENTIOMETER

Figure 11.2.3-2. Block diagram of a barrier-layer photometer such as that used for measuring the output of many types of

lights.

Vacuum Phototube For flashing lights of short flash duration, such as gaseous discharge lights, and for lights of very low intensity, a G.E.* type PJ-14B vacuum phototube is used (Douglas, 1958). In the photometry of flashing lights, it is desirable to compute the effective intensity of the flash, which,

for short-duration flashes, is determined from a measurement of the average intensity of the flash. The effective intensity of a flashing light is equal to the intensity of a steady-burning light of the same color which will produce the same visual effect under identical conditions of observation.

1 1.3. Calibration of the Photometric System

1 1 .3. 1 . Introduction

Lamp standards of luminous intensity are used to calibrate the photometric testing

equipment. A separate calibration is made before each test, and a record is kept of the photometer

sensitivity in order to detect any irregularities. The illumination of the photosensor produced by

the standard lamp is adjusted to some typical value of the illumination produced by the test light, usually in the range of 75 to 100 percent of the peak illumination produced by the test light. This

procedure minimizes errors resulting from nonlinearity of the response of the photosensor. The

adjustment of the illumination of the standard lamp on the photosensor is accomplished by varying

the distance of the standard lamp from the photocell and by using optical attenuators. The

photometer is usually calibrated so that it is direct reading in luminous intensity.

11.3.2. Standard Lamps

The standard lamps used are "working standards" whose luminous intensity in a given

direction has been determined at a given voltage. Standard lamps are available ranging in intensity

from about 8 to 900 candelas. When a colored light is being tested, a filter is placed between the standard lamp and the photosensor, which results in a standard lamp-filter combination having

approximately the same spectral characteristics as those of the light to be tested. This procedure

minimizes errors resulting from inadequate spectral correction of the photosensor. In this procedure, a standard lamp of known color temperature as well as of known luminous intensity is needed.

* Certain trade names and company products are identified in order to adequately specify the experimental procedure. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Bureau of Standards, nor does it imply that the products are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

128
11.3.3. Attenuators

Sector disks are almost always used for light attenuation, although neutral filters are also

available. A sector disk is usually placed between the standard lamp and the photosensor to calibrate the photometer for the proper range of illumination. However, when the intensity of the

light being photometrically measured is unusually high, the sector disk may be used to attenuate the illumination from the test light. The range of sector disks available is from 1 percent to 80

percent transmittance. When a sector disk is used, it is placed within a few inches of the photocell in order to reduce error from stray light. The disk is rotated at a few hundred revolutions per minute, which

is fast enough to minimize error from apparent flicker. When a high illumination is attenuated by

a sector disk of low transmittance, there is an error which results from only one part of the

photocell being illuminated at a time; this error is successfully eliminated by placing a condenser

of about 4 microfarads across the output of the photocell. [In utilizing this technique, one must be

careful to obtain a capacitor which does not itself generate an emf (electromotive force)].

1 1 .3.4. Calibration Procedure

The calibration involves illuminating the photosensor with light from a standard lamp

placed at a given distance from the photosensor, and then adjusting the sensitivity of the photometric system to some desired value. If

i is the photosensor current, / is the intensity of the light illuminating the photosensor, and

D is the distance from the test unit to the photosensor,

then, since the photosensor produces a current proportional to the illuminance on its face,

i = kl/D^, (11.3.4-1)

where k is the sensitivity of the photosensor.

It is usually convenient to calibrate the photometer to be direct reading, so that

/ = TVS, (11.3.4-2)

where S is the reading of the potentiometer of the measuring circuit, and where N is an integral

power of 10 or the product of an integer, usually 2 or 5, and an integral power of 10. The photometer is then calibrated with a standard lamp of known horizontal luminous

intensity. If h is the luminous intensity of the standard lamp, Ds is the distance of the standard lamp from the photosensor,

Ss is the potentiometer reading, and

is is the photosensor current when the photosensor is illuminated by light from the standard lamp placed at the distance Ds from the photosensor, then

is = k Is/Ds"; (11.3.4-3)

and since the potentiometer reading is proportional to the photosensor current,

is/6, = i/d. (11.3.4-4)

Combining equations (11.3.4-1) through (11.3.4-4) yields

S, = IsD^/NDs^. (11.3.4-5)

Calibration is accomplished by the following procedure: 1$ and Ds are chosen so that Is/Ds"

will be approximately equal to where / is some typical value of the intensity of the light to be tested. A suitable value of N is then selected. Calibration to make the photometer direct reading

is completed by one of the three following procedures, depending on the photometer circuit used. ^ 129
a. External Shunt Circuit

A diagram of this circuit is shown in figure 11.2.3-2. In this circuit

8s = (11.3.4-6) Us where S is the sensitivity of the photometer circuit and Rl is the resistance of the shunt. Calibration requires that, with the photocell illuminated by light from the standard lamp,

the external shunt resistance is set so that the potentiometer indicates the value 8s given in eq.

(11.3.4-5). The other parameters of the calibration are usually chosen so that the shunt resistance

will be of the order of a few ohms. This order of resistance is used as it is large enough to be set accurately, and small enough so that the voltage developed across the photocell will not cause the

photocell to respond nonlinearly. The practice is to maintain the sensitivity of the recorder at a

fixed value of 5 millivolts for full-scale deflection. The sensitivity of the preamplifier is therefore

set so that this recorder sensitivity and desired range of resistance may be used.

b. Phototube with Electrometer Amplifier Circuit

The procedure for calibration is the same as that for procedure a, above. The load resistor on the phototube and the controls of the amplifier are adjusted for the optimum performance

range of the amplifier. Also, the output of the amplifier should not exceed 5 milliamperes. Hence,

other parameters are adjusted so that Rl is greater than 1 ohm and is less than 5 ohms.

c. Zero-Resistance Circuit

A diagram of this circuit is shown in figure 11.3.4-1. In this circuit, if the photometer is balanced so that no current flows through the galvanometer, then

/ = iaa/rx, (11.3.4-7)

where

I is the photocell current,

ia is the current through the slidewire between 0 and A, a is the resistance of the slidewire between 0 and A, and

7x is the resistance of the resistdr, r^.

Equation (11.3.4-7) is an approximation which depends on ia being much greater than i. In

practice, ia is kept at about 10 milliamperes, and the range of i is from 1 to 20 microamperes. If i

is 20 microamperes, the error resulting from the use of this approximation will be 0.3 percent. For

larger values of i, a correction in the calibration can be made (Douglas, 1958).

Assuming the slidewire is graduated from 0 to 100, the reading of the indicator of the

slidewire is

8 = o/oo (11.3.4-8)

where Oo is the total resistance of the slidewire. Then, combining eqs. (11.3.4-1), (11.3.4-7), and (11.3.4-8) gives

In the calibration of the zero-resistance circuit, ia is usually kept constant and rx is varied. When the photocell is illuminated by light from the standard lamp, rx is adjusted to obtain

a zero reading of the galvanometer when the slidewire is set at the value 8s of eq. (11.3.4-5) for a given test distance, D. With the photometer thus calibrated, the intensity of the test light is given

by eq. (11.3.4-2).

130
Figure 11.3.4-1. "Zero-resistance" photometer circuit, n: 100-ohm rheostat; rj: 5-ohm rheostat; 13 (OAB): lO-ohm precision potentiometer or slidewire; r4: galvanometer sensitivity control, resistance equal to critical damping resistance of galvanometer; r,: 4-decade resistance box 0-100,000 ohms; Ei: iVa-volt dry battery; Mi: milliammeter, lOma full scale, 30 ohms resistance; G: galvanometer, sensitivity about 0.004 /iamp/mm.

d. Special Procedures

While photometric data are usually presented for a test light operating under a particular

"design" (reference) condition, photometry of the test light under operating conditions other than

the design condition is often desirable. Equation (11.3.4-5) can be generalized, taking into account

this special condition as well as the transmittance of any filters or sector disks used in calibrating, so that

8, = ycysFIs (11.3.4-10)

where yc is the transmittance of the color filter at the color temperature of the standard lamp, ys

is the transmittance of the sector disk, and F is the ratio of the output of the light under test when

it is operated under the design condition to the output of the light when it is operated under test conditions. This ratio may be, for example, the ratio of the rated lumen output of the test lamp to the output of the lamp at the test voltage. It also may be the ratio of the intensity in a given

direction at the operating voltage to the intensity in this direction at the test voltage. For lights which are flashed in service, but on which photometric measurements are made

with the light burning steadily at a selected voltage, the factor F is the ratio of the effective intensity of the flash in a given direction to the steady intensity at the selected voltage in this direction of view.

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11.4. Testing Procedures

The photometer is calibrated as described above (sec. 11.3.4, Calibration Procedure) to an

illuminance range determined by the intensity of the light being tested, the test distance and the information desired. The test unit is mounted on the goniometer and is aligned. The angular

settings of the goniometer are adjusted so that the origin of the goniometer settings will correspond to the desired axis. This axis usually is chosen with respect to either the seat plane of

the unit or some characteristic of the beam, such as its peak.

The baffling for stray light is put into place. The eye is placed in the position normally

occupied by the photosensor. Examination can then be made to insure that the baffling is properly

placed so that no obstructions exist between the light and the photosensor and that reflections from the walls, floor, and ceiling of the range are intercepted before they reach the photosensor.

If a sealed reflector lamp is being measured photometrically, the lamp is usually operated

at either rated voltage or rated current. Other lamps, such as those used in combination with an

optical system, are usually operated at or corrected to rated lumen output. Power for the test and

standard lamps is usually obtained from storage batteries, which are periodically recharged.

Voltage and current are measured on a potentiometer, and photometric measurements are not made until the lamp has reached stability. If the goniometer is to be motor driven, the gear ratios are chosen so that the traverse will be slow enough to insure the accurate recording of the characteristics of the light.

132
CHAPTER 12. GLOSSARY

Note: a capitalized word or phrase in these definitions is defined elsewhere within this glossary.

Abbreviations, symbols, words, and phrases are combined in a single alphabetic sequence. For

unfamiliar words not defined within the glossary, see an ordinary dictionary.

a—Symbol used in this report for LIGHT-DARK RATIO.

ABSCISSA—The horizontal coordinate in the common type of graph in which two variables are

plotted at right angles to each other, one vertically and one horizontally. The vertical coordinate is the ORDINATE.

ABSOLUTE THRESHOLD—For any perceptual variable corresponding to the quantity of some

stimulus variable, the smallest amount of the stimulus variable that can just barely be

detected by an observer under optimum conditions, including no background. In signal detection terms, the smallest signal that can just barely be distinguished from a background containing no signal and no external noise. ADAPTATION—The process whereby an observer's sensory system adjusts to a new pattern of

stimulation, tending toward a new steady state. ADAPTATION LEVEL—The level of stimulation, in a particular sensory or perceptual dimension,

to which an observer is currently ADAPTED.

ADEQUATE STIMULUS—A stimulus or class of stimuli capable of generating a perception

within a particular sensory system of an observer who is paying attention, under a

specified set of conditions. Frequently used in the psychological literature in the misleading sense of the class of stimuli that are ordinarily thought of as adequate. For

example, light is referred to as "the adequate stimulus" for vision, even though electricity

and pressure can also lead to visual perceptions under the proper conditions. In this usage, the term "appropriate stimulus" would be better. ALPHA RHYTHM—A component of the brain's electrical wave activity, having a frequency of 9-12 Hz. It is most prominent when the eyes are closed. ANGULAR INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION—The variation of the INTENSITY of a lamp or lighting

device with changes in the direction of view. The direction is often specified as a pair of angles, both measured with respect to a fixed reference direction (the BEAM AXIS).

Ordinarily, one angle varies horizontally (like longitude on the earth), and the other varies

vertically (like latitude). ANGULAR INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION MATRIX—A rectangular array of numbers (a MATRIX) representing the ANGULAR INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION of a lamp or lighting

device, measured in a grid of directions determined by combinations of a fixed set of vertical angles with a fixed set of horizontal angles.

ANOMALOUS TRICHROMAT—A person whose color vision contains the normal three dimensions of variation, but whose detailed color sensitivity deviates significantly from

normal. AREAL DENSITY—Amount (of some physical or PSYCHOPHYSICAL quantity) per unit area of

a surface. For example, the IRRADIANCE of a surface is the areal density of the RADIANT FLUX striking the surface. ATTENTION-ATTRACTING POWER—Synonym for CONSPICUITY.

AXIS—A reference line or direction. Frequently, the axis is in some sense the central line of a bundle of lines; particularly, the line around which a symmetrical geometric figure is symmetric.

6—Symbol used in this report for LIGHT-TIME FRACTION.

133
HARTLEY EFFECT—Synonym for BRIGHTNESS ENHANCEMENT. The effect was not discovered by Bartley, but has been extensively investigated by him. The discovery is generally credited to Briicke, and the phenomenon is sometimes also known as the Briicke- Bartley effect, or the Briicke effect. BEAM AXIS—The AXIS of a light beam, frequently defined either as the direction in which the INTENSITY of the beam is highest, or as the direction of the central ray (axis of symmetry) for a beam of symmetrical cross-section. Lighting devices producing a beam

with a symmetrical cross-section, such as a circle or ellipse, are often aligned so that the

direction of maximum intensity coincides closely with the beam's axis of symmetry (that is, the line through the centers of all the cross-sections).

BEAMSPREAD—A measure, usually expressed in terms of angle, of the width of the beam of

light produced by a LAMP or lighting device, within a specified plane passing through the center of the unit. Most commonly, the beamspread is measured in a horizontal plane

(HORIZONTAL BEAMSPREAD) or in a vertical plane (VERTICAL BEAMSPREAD). The

spread specified is usually not the full extent of the beam (out to the points where the

intensity drops off to zero), but is more commonly a partial width thought of as representing the useful core of the beam. One widely applied definition specifies

beamspread as the width between the points at which the intensity has dropped off, on

either side, to ten percent of the peak intensity. As an alternative to the angular measure,

the beamspread is sometimes equivalently specified as the (useful) diameter of the spot

produced by the beam when shone perpendicularly onto a wall at a specified distance from

the unit. BLACKBODY (also BLACK BODY)—An ideal object that absorbs all light and other electromagnetic radiation that falls on it. It can be shown theoretically that such a body,

when heated to a given temperature, emits as much light (radiation) at every wavelength as can be emitted (through heating alone) by any body at that temperature. Because of the

latter property, a blackbody is also known as a FULL RADIATOR. The theoretical analysis of blackbody radiation was based on Max Planck's quantum theory, so still another alternate name is PLANCKIAN RADIATOR. As temperature varies, the SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTION characterizing the radiation from a blackhody

changes both in the relative power at different wavelengths, and in the absolute amounts

of power radiated. BLONDEL-REY-DOUGLAS FORMULA—A widely used formula for EFFECTIVE INTENSITY,

given in this report as eq. (10.6-4). BRD FORMULA—Abbreviation used in this report for BLONDEL-REY-DOUGLAS FORMULA,

eq. (10.6-4), for EFFECTIVE INTENSITY.

BRIGHTNESS—Attribute of visual sensation according to which an area appears to emit more or

less light (CIE definition). Brightness is a subjective measure referring to the perceived

amount of light. This concept is called LUMINOSITY in English-speaking countries other than the U.S.A. The emission of light may involve light generated directly by a self- luminous body, or light from another source being reflected from or transmitted through

the surface in question. Not the same concept as LIGHTNESS. Should also not be

confused with "photometric brightness," an obsolete synonym for "LUMINANCE." The

relationship between brightness and luminance, like the relationship between most

psychological variables and their corresponding PSYCHOPHYSICAL or physical variables,

is non-linear. An approximate guide is that brightness is a linear function of the cube root

(or, in a formerly popular view, the logarithm) of the luminance.

BRIGHTNESS ENHANCEMENT—The phenomenon of a flashing light, over a certain range of frequencies (2-20 Hz), appearing brighter than the same light shone steadily. Also called the BARTLEY EFFECT, the BrUcke effect, or the BrUcke-Bartley effect.

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CANDELA—The internationaUy recognized (SI) unit of LUMINOUS INTENSITY. Formerly

called the "candle" in the United States. Abbreviated cd. c—Symbol used in this report for LIGHT-DARK SYMMETRY.

cd—The official (SI) abbreviation for CANDELA or candelas. CFF (or cff)—Abbreviation for CRITICAL FLICKER FREQUENCY or CRITICAL FUSION

FREQUENCY.

CHOICE REACTION TIME—Synonym for DISJUNCTIVE REACTION TIME.

CHROMATIC—"Colored" (in the popular sense); having HUE; having SATURATION greater

than zero; non-neutral. Refers to the aspects of perceived COLOR other than

BRIGHTNESS (or LIGHTNESS), namely hue and saturation. All colors not seen as white,

gray, or black are chromatic.

CHROMATICITY—synonym for COLOR (PSYCHOPHYSICAL), in the sense excluding the

intensitive aspect; the quality of a color STIMULUS specified by the CHROMATICITY

COORDINATES. The chromaticity associated with a patch of light can be calculated from

strictly objective physical measures, and does not depend on what is perceived by a

particular observer under particular viewing conditions. CHROMATICITY COORDINATES—Numbers specifying CHROMATICITY. They are calculated by dividing each of the TRISTIMULUS VALUES by their sum, and consequently there

are three chromaticity coordinates, summing to unity. Two chromaticity coordinates are enough to specify any chromaticity, because the value of the third coordinate is determined

by the values of whichever two are specified. For any given COLOR

(PSYCHOPHYSICAL), the chromaticity coordinates can be interpreted as the fraction of

the red PRIMARY, the fraction of the green primary, and the fraction of the blue primary

needed in a mixture of the primaries that matches the given color. The chromaticity

coordinates associated with the CIE 1931 COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS—the most

widely used standard—are denoted x, y, and z. Most commonly, chromaticities are

specified by the coordinates x and y, indicating fraction of the red primary and fraction of the green primary, respectively.

CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM—A graph in which one of the three CHROMATICITY

COORDINATES is plotted against one or the other of the remaining two, so that every

point on the graph corresponds to a unique CHROMATICITY. Usually, the plot is of the green coordinate against the red. Thus, the CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram is a graph of j

(ORDINATE) against x (ABSCISSA). The diagram is used to show the relationships among

the chromaticities associated with various series of COLORS. One particularly useful feature of chromaticity diagrams is that when a light is formed by the mixture of two othei

lights, the point representing the chromaticity of the mixture lies on the line joining the

points representing the chromaticities of the two lights that are mixed.

CHROMATICITY LIMITS—The region on the CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM within which the CHROMATICITY of a COLOR (PSYCHOPHYSICAL) must lie in order for the color to be

considered acceptable for some defined purpose; sometimes, the intersecting lines or curves forming the boundary of such a region, or a selection of points lying on the boundary.

CIE—Abbreviation for COMMISSION INTERNATIONALE DE L'fiCLAIRAGE, the French name for the International Commission on Illumination, which sets international standards

in the fields of light and color. COLLIMATED—With respect to a beam of light, having all of its component rays parallel (zero angular BEAMSPREAD). CoUimation is an ideal that can be approximated to an extent

satisfactory for some practical purposes, but any real beam (even a laser beam) has some of

its rays diverging and/or converging to some extent. In the context of practical optical

135
instrument design, a weaker definition of the term is sometimes adopted. CoUimation is then said to occur when the hght source—which necessarily has some extent—is located in the focal plane of a converging lens or mirror. The light from each point of the source is then, to a practical extent, collimated in the first sense, but the parallel ray bundle

originating from each point of the source progresses in a different direction, so that the

entire beam passed by the lens or mirror has some divergence.

COLOR—[This term has two different usages that should be carefully distinguished, as follows.]

1. COLOR (PERCEIVED)—Those aspects of a visual perception not related to space (size, shape,

position, texture) or time (motion, flicker, sparkle, changes in size or shape); HUE,

SATURATION, and BRIGHTNESS (or LIGHTNESS) taken together; the perceptual response to a patch of light determined by the SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTION of the light. In the popular application of the term "color" in perception, and in the field of

signal lighting, the intensitive dimension (brightness for lights or lightness for objects) is not included; only hue and saturation are considered. As applied to SURFACE COLORS,

however, the technical use of the term includes all three dimensions, so that a change in only

the lightness is said to be a change in the (perceived) color. Note also that white, gray, and

black are perceived colors ("neutral" or "achromatic" colors); whereas color perceptions

involving saturation greater than zero (that is, perceptions having some hue) are designated

CHROMATIC. Where the context is clear, color perceptions may be referred to simply as "colors."

2. COLOR (PSYCHOPHYSICAL)—The aspect of a patch of light, determined by the SPECTRAL

POWER DISTRIBUTION, that leads to a color perception. In technical (CIE) usage, this

is what is meant by the unmodified word "color." Two spectral power distributions that would be seen to match in perceived color by the "standard observer" (as represented by

the CIE COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS) are defined as having the same color; that is, color is measured by the TRISTIMULUS VALUES. Note that color is a function only of the spectral power distribution associated with the light patch in question, but the color perception associated with that light depends also on the colors of all the other light

patches present in the visual field at the time of viewing, and for some time before. (Example: two pieces of the same yellow paper have the same color, but if one is viewed

against a vivid red background and the other against a vivid green background, the perceived colors will be different, the former piece appearing greenish yellow and the

latter orangish yellow). The technical (CIE) usage of "color" in the psychophysical sense,

like the usage of "color" in the perceptual sense, differs from everyday and signal-lighting usage in encompassing the third, intensitive dimension. Hence the LUMINOUS

INTENSITY, LUMINANCE, receiving-surface ILLUMINANCE, LUMINOUS

REFLECTANCE, or LUMINOUS TRANSMITTANCE (depending on the type of colored

object) are part of the color, in this sense. When the two-dimensional meaning is used, the term "spectral power distribution" in the definition above should be replaced by "relative spectral power distribution," since the absolute power level no longer counts. COLOR-BLIND—Having some defect of color perception. Embraces MONOCHROMATS,

DICHROMATS, and ANOMALOUS TRICHROMATS. The term "blind" is not to be taken

literally; a more accurate term is "color-defective." Note that in this expression, "color" is used in the everyday sense; people who maintain normal CHROMATIC characteristics in their vision, but who need more than the normal amount of light to see well, are not spoken of as being color-blind. COLORIMETER—An instrument for measuring COLOR. There are two classes of colorimeters:

visual and photoelectric. In the visual colorimeter, a human observer uses colors generated

within the apparatus to match perceptually the color being measured; and in the

photoelectric colorimeter, PHOTOCELLS generate electrical outputs in response to the colored light. The final output of most colorimeters is a set of three numbers which either

136
comprise the TRISTIMULUS VALUES of the measured color, or are related to the

tristimulus values by a known mathematical transformation; all such colorimeters are

called TRISTIMULUS COLORIMETERS.

COLORIMETRY—The measurement of COLOR; or, more broadly, the body of instrumental and

computational techniques comprising the technology of color measurement, specification,

and production. The adjectival form is "colorimetric." COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS—A set of three weighting functions, which, when applied to the SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTION of a light, generate a numerical specification

(TRISTIMULUS VALUES) of the COLOR of the light. Since objects of the same color generate the same color perceptions, provided they are viewed under fully equivalent

conditions, these functions can be thought of as constituting a specification of which

spectral power distributions are seen as matching by the observer for which the functions

hold. COLOR-MIXTURE FUNCTIONS—Synonym for COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS.

COLOR TEMPERATURE—A measure of the color—actually the CHROMATICITY—of a light, along a continuum ranging approximately from red to orange to yellow to white to blue- white (the PLANCKIAN LOCUS). The concept strictly applies only to lights having the same chromaticity as a BLACKBODY at some temperature, and the color temperature is defined as the absolute temperature (in KELVINS) of the matching blackbody. Lights

having chromaticities close to but not actually on the Planckian locus are sometimes

loosely spoken of as having the color temperature corresponding to the closest blackbody

chromaticity, but the formal name for the measure in that case is "correlated color temperature."

COLOR TOLERANCES—The range of colors considered acceptable for a colored product or light for which an ideal ("aim" or "design") color has been defined, or which is meant to give

rise to a specified color perception (for example, "blue"). The colors defining the tolerance

limits and the aim color, if there is one, may be specified either in the form of material samples or by numerical definition (such as by sets of TRISTIMULUS VALUES). Colors

lying within the defined tolerances are regarded as acceptably matching the aim color or as

satisfactorily yielding the required color perception; colors outside the tolerance limits are regarded as unacceptably differing from the aim color, or as not yielding the required color perception. The tolerances for signal colors are usually defined in terms of the color perception, and there is no specific aim color. COMMISSION INTERNATIONALE DE L'ECLAIRAGE—The French name for the INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ILLUMINATION. The organization is usually

referred to by the initials "CIE" of the French name. COMPLEX REACTION TIME—REACTION TIME measured in a complex situafion involving

different responses to a variety of different stimuli, the presence of distracting stimuli, and

randomization of the place as well as the time of appearance of the stimuli. The phrase was used by Gerathewohl (1953,1957), and is not a standard term in the literature of

reaction time. CONES—One of two classes of light-sensitive receptor cells in the eye. The cone system mediates

"day" vision, including color, and, in the central FOVEA, where there are only cones,

vision for fine details is extremely good. (The other class of PHOTORECEPTOR cell is the RODS.)

CONSPICUITY—The ability of a signal to attract attention or be noticed, relative to a specific

background and a specific condition of the observer (his "SET").

CORTEX—Specifically, the cerebral cortex, the outer shell of the brain in which higher functions of thought, memory, perception, and motor patterning take place.

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CRITICAL DURATION—With reference to seeing, the integration time of the visual system; the time interval within which no TEMPORAL changes in a visual stimulus can be

distinguished. Below the critical duration, the total energy contained in a light flash determines its perceptibility; above the critical duration, longer exposure does not improve

perceptibility, the controlling variable being the INTENSITY (or LUMINANCE) alone. Under most viewing conditions, there is in reality no sharp break corresponding to a

specific critical duration, but rather there is a range of durations within which there is a smooth transition from dependence on energy to dependence on luminance.

CRITICAL FLICKER FREQUENCY—The FLASH RATE at which a repetitively flashing light

makes the transition from appearing to flicker to appearing to be steady. When

distinguished from CRITICAL FUSION FREQUENCY, the highest flash rate at which

flicker can just barely be detected according to some criterion. If the criterion is detectability of flicker 50 percent of the time, and the same criterion is used for the

critical fusion frequency, the concepts become synonymous. Abbreviated CFF or cff. CRITICAL FUSION FREQUENCY—Usually, a synonym for CRITICAL FLICKER

FREQUENCY. When distinguished from critical flicker frequency, the lowest flash rate at which a flickering light is seen as steady, according to some criterion. CYCLE PER SECOND—A unit of the frequency of a periodic chain of events, equal to one event

(or PERIOD) per second. In the SI system of units, the cycle per second (frequently

abbreviated cps) has been renamed the HERTZ (Hz). DEPENDENT VARIABLE—A variable (quantity) the value of which is being observed or described as the value(s) of one or more other variables (the INDEPENDENT

VARIABLES) change. The dependent variable is thought of as being a function (in the mathematical sense) of the independent variables. In the common case in which a graph is drawn showing the variation of the values of a dependent variable as a function of a single

independent variable, it is traditional to plot the dependent variable on the ORDINATE

(vertical axis). DEUTERANOMALOUS—With respect to a person, afflicted with DEUTERANOMALY; with

respect to color perceptions or responses, characteristic of deuteranomaly.

DEUTERANOMALY—A form of defective TRICHROMATIC color vision characterized by some

tendency to confuse red, green, and yellow colors; partial "GREEN-BLINDNESS." The

most common form of color defect. DEUTERANOPE—A person afflicted with DEUTERANOPIA.

DEUTERANOPIA—A form of DICHROMATIC color vision characterized by an absence of red or green HUE perceptions and a LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function that is normal or

slightly low in the green and blue wavelength range; "GREEN-BLINDNESS."

DEUTERANOPIC—With respect to a person, afflicted with DEUTERANOPIA; with respect to color perceptions or responses, characteristic of deuteranopia.

DICHROMAT—A person afficted with DICHROMATISM.

DICHROMATIC—With respect to a person, afflicted with DICHROMATISM; with respect to color perceptions or responses, characteristic of dichromatism.

DICHROMATISM—A form of defective color vision in which the three dimensions of variation characterizing the color vision of the normal observer are reduced to two. As a consequence of the collapse of one color dimension, there exist series of colors such that a color-normal person sees a continuous range of color variation from one end of the series

to the other, but DICHROMATS see all the colors in the series as being the same. There

are at least three distinct types of dichromatism—PROTANOPIA, DEUTERANOPIA, and

TRITANOPIA—and each type is characterized by different series of colors that are abnormally perceived as the same.

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DIFFERENTIAL THRESHOLD—The airount of change in stimulation, in any sensory or perceptual dimension, necessary for an observer to just barely notice a difference from the

original stimulus. DIFFUSE (adjective)—Characterized by the reflection or transmission of light in such a way that the light rays are scattered and do not preserve images. The term may be applied either to the process (for example, "diffuse reflection") or to an object (for example, a "diffuse

reflector"). The surface of a fully diffuse reflector does not form mirror images. A diffuse transmitter does not permit the viewing of objects through it; it is translucent rather than

transparent. In reality, there are no perfect diffusers of light; it is always a matter of

degree. A scratched windshield is a slightly diffuse transmitter, and ground glass is a very

diffuse transmitter. DIFFUSE (verb)—To reflect or transmit light in such a way that the reflection or transmission is ray-scattering to a significant degree. See DIFFUSE (adjective).

DISCRIMINATION—Ability to distinguish between STIMULI.

DISCRIMINATIVE REACTION TIME—Frequently, a synonym for DISJUNCTIVE REACTION

TIME. Sometimes used in the more restrictive sense of a disjunctive reaction time for which one of the responses is "no response." (Example: "press the button when the red

light comes on; do not respond when the green light comes on.")

DISJUNCTIVE REACTION TIME—REACTION TIME in a situation in which there is more than one category of STIMULUS, and different responses are required to stimuli in different

categories. (Example: "press the left button when the red light comes on, and the right button when the green light comes on.")

DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENTS—Obsolete synonym for COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS.

DUTY CYCLE—A specification of the pattern of "on" or "high-level" periods and "off or "lowlevel" periods in any repetitive process in which some device is operated intermittently or

is repetitively changed from a "higher" to a "lower" condition and back. With respect to cyclically flashing lights, the term is frequently used as a synonym for LIGHT-DARK

RATIO or LIGHT-TIME FRACTION, more commonly the latter.

e—1. Used as a subscript, the CIE symbol for RADIANT. Example: If. is the symbol for RADIANT INTENSITY. The choice of the letter e presumably was made with the word

"energy" in mind.

e—2. The mathematical symbol for the number that forms the base of natural logarithms. The

value of the number e to six decimal places is 2.718282.

The CIE symbol for ILLUMINANCE or IRRADIANCE. Where the possibility of confusion

exists, the two quantities are symbolized as and Ef., respectively.

EFFECTIVE BEAMSPREAD—One measure of the useful extent of the angular width of the beam

produced by a ROTATING LIGHT. The directions within the beam defining the limits of

the effective beamspread are those along which the beam intensity is equal to the EFFECTIVE INTENSITY of the flashes produced at a fixed location by the rotating beam.

For rotating lights, effective beamspread and EFFECTIVE DURATION are corresponding

concepts for angle and time, respectively. Equation (10.5-16) of this report gives three

alternative expressions for the number of degrees of angular extent of the beam equivalent

to each second of flash duration. EFFECTIVE COLOR—The apparent COLOR of a flashing light, as measured by a color match

with a steady light. A generalization (introduced in this report) of the concept of EFFECTIVE INTENSITY.

EFFECTIVE DURATION—One measure of the amount of time that the useful portion of a light flash lasts. The times during the flash defining the limits of the effective duration are the

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moments at which the instantaneous flash INTENSITY is equal to the EFFECTIVE

INTENSITY of the flash [the times h and t2 of eq. (10.6-4) of this report]. For ROTATING LIGHTS, effective duration and EFFECTIVE BEAMSPREAD are corresponding concepts for time and angle, respectively [the numerical equivalence factor being given in eq. (10.5-16) of this report.]

EFFECTIVE INTENSITY—The apparent LUMINOUS INTENSITY of a flashing light, as measured by the INTENSITY of a steady white light seen as equally bright when viewed

at the same distance, or having the same VISUAL RANGE. Sometimes used in the more

restricted sense of effective intensity as calculated by some particular formula, usually the BRD FORMULA. Although viewing distance and viewing conditions (background,

atmospheric clarity, knowledge of the direction in which faint lights are located) enter into the operational measurement of effective intensity, it should be noted that actual (steadylight) intensity, or effective intensity as defined by a fixed formula, is a property of the

light source and is not a function of how the source is being viewed or where it is located. EFFECTIVE LUMINOUS POWER—The apparent LUMINOUS power (FLUX) delivered by a

flashing light within the area of a specified surface or within the SOLID ANGLE of a

specified conical beam, as measured by the luminous flux similarly delivered by a steady

white light at the same location that is seen as equally bright or that has the same VISUAL RANGE. Sometimes used in the more restricted sense of effective luminous

power as calculated through the use of some particular formula, usually the BRD

FORMULA, or its analog stated directly in terms of flux rather than INTENSITY. One

may be concerned with the luminous power (effective or actual) emitted by a source, in which case it is a property of the source and independent of viewing distance; or with the power from the source passing through a specific external surface or solid angle, in which

case it is a property of a light beam and, in general, depends both on the source and on

the distance from the source to the receiving surface. There are theoretically (but not

actually) some special situations, such as a beam with all of its rays precisely parallel

(COLLIMATED), in which the distance variable does not affect the delivered flux. EFFECTIVE RETINAL ILLUMINANCE—The apparent ILLUMINANCE of an observer's RETINA produced by a flashing light, as measured by the retinal illuminance produced by

a steady white light at the same location seen as equally bright or having the same VISUAL RANGE. Sometimes used in the more restricted sense of effective retinal illuminance as calculated through the use of some particular formula, usually the BRD

FORMULA, or its analog stated directly in terms of illuminance rather than INTENSITY.

The illuminance (effective or actual) of a given observer's retina produced by a source is not a property of the source, but of the beam of light by means of which the observer sees the source. The illuminance depends both on the source and, in general, on the distance from the source to the observer (although distance may not be a factor for special kinds of ideal beams). For viewing against a fixed background, retinal illuminance (effective or actual) is the variable largely determining how bright a light appears. Therefore, when effective

retinal illuminance is measured by means of a BRIGHTNESS match to a steady white

light, the distance of the steady light from the observer is, to a first approximation,

irrelevant (that is, it need not be at the same distance as the flashing light). However, the

retinal illuminance supplied by the steady light would normally be calculated from its intensity (it being very difficult to directly measure light inside the eye), so the distance of

the light from the observer, whatever it is, must be known. In order to allow for secondary

effects such as the influence of VISUAL ANGLE on perceived brightness (for fixed retinal illuminance), it is simplest to place the fixed light at the same distance from the observer

as the flashing light. EFFECTIVE TRISTIMULUS VALUES—The TRISTIMULUS VALUES of the steady light

determining the EFFECTIVE COLOR of a flashing light. Can be used in the more

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restricted sense of the effective tristimulus values as calculated by some particular

formulas, such as the tristimulus-value generalizations of the BRD FORMULA. The

concept and formulas [eqs. (6.3-1)] were introduced in this report. EFFECTIVENESS—In the context of this report, the degree to which a signal achieves its desired purpose, such as alerting a driver that an emergency vehicle is approaching. (Note that the

adjective "effective" in the five preceding definitions does not connote effectiveness in this sense, but in the sense of equivalence with respect to simple visibility.) EFFICACY—See LUMINOUS EFFICACY.

ERROR FUNCTION—A mathematical function closely related to the cumulative normal

probability function. The latter function is defined in terms of the area under the familiar "bell-shaped" curve having the equation j=e~''''' ^ while the definition of the error function is in terms of the area under the similar curve having the equation y—e~^^-

EXTENDED SOURCE—A source of light large enough to appear, at a specified viewing distance, as an area rather than a point. Sometimes used in the sense of a source of light large

enough so that the ILLUMINANCE of a receiving surface, moved toward and away from

the source from a reference position located at a specified distance from the source, departs significantly (by some specified percentage) from the illuminance that would be

predicted by treating the source as a POINT SOURCE and applying the INVERSE

SQUARE LAW.

fc—The abbreviation for FOOTCANDLE recognized by the CIE. FEEDBACK—Information regarding the effect on any ongoing process of an action ("input")

taken with the intent of affecting the course of the process. The desired effect is frequently

to maintain the final step ("output") of the process within specified bounds of

acceptability.

FEEDBACK LOOP—The chain of steps involved in using the FEEDBACK from an input action

to affect the nature of future inputs. The loop is continuous if both the generation of the feedback information and the process by which the feedback is used to modify the input

are continuous in time (either can be discrete). FILTER—With respect to the control of light, a light-transmitting object (such as a sheet of glass or plastic) used to modify the COLOR of a light, either the INTENSITY alone (in which

case the filter is called "neutral"), or the CHROMATIC aspect and the intensity together.

(The chromatic quality of a light cannot be modified without some reduction in intensity by

passing the light through a filter, unless the filter is fluorescent.)

FILTER TRISTIMULUS COLORIMETER—A COLORIMETER using three colored FILTERS

that correct the SPECTRAL sensitivity of a PHOTOCELL (or three separate photocells) so

as to correspond to a set of COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS. The electrical outputs of

the three filter-photocell combinations then correspond to a set of TRISTIMULUS

VALUES for any light striking them. Some of these colorimeters have four filter-photocell

combinations, two of which combine their outputs into a single channel, so that there are

still three final outputs. Some modem filter tristimulus colorimeters perform calculations

electronically on the photocell outputs, and display readings that are mathematical

transformations of the tristimulus values. No set of filters yielding perfect duplications of

the color-matching functions has ever been produced, so that all filter tristimulus colorimeters give somewhat erroneous color specifications for most lights. (If the filters are

well designed, these errors may not be of practical significance in many cases.) FIXATE—To gaze at as steadily as possible.

fL—The abbreviation for FOOTLAMBERT recognized by the CIE. FLASH LAMP (or FLASHLAMP)—A LAMP that produces repetitive flashes of light, rather than

operating continuously. The term is usually restricted to flashing GASEOUS-DISCHARGE

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LAMPS, which produce very brief flashes of high peak intensity. Because the column of gas in such lamps is usually contained within a straight or coiled glass cylinder, they are often also referred to as FLASH TUBES (or FLASHTUBES).

FLASH PROFILE—The curve or function specifying the variation of the instantaneous

INTENSITY of a light flash (at a particular point in space) over the course of time. To

differentiate this profile from the spatial variation of intensity (the ANGULAR

INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION), the more explicit term "TEMPORAL flash profile" may

be used. Other names for the temporal curve or for the curve's shape are "PULSE

SHAPE" and "WAVEFORM."

FLASH RATE—The number of light flashes produced per unit time, at any fixed point in space, by a lighting device that generates the flashes in an unvarying cyclical process (either

turning the light source on and off with a fixed rhythm, or sweeping one or more light

beams around and around at a steady pace). The most common units of flash rate in signal

lighting are flashes per minute (fpm). Flash rate is a special case of a frequency (the number of complete cycles of any repetitive process, per unit time), for which the SI unit is the HERTZ (Hz), equal to one cycle per second. Thus, for example, a light may have its flash rate specified interchangeably as 90 fpm or 1.5 Hz. FLASH TUBE—A GASEOUS-DISCHARGE FLASH LAMP in the shape of a tube (either straight,

bent, or coiled), or a bulb (LAMP) containing such a tube as the source of light. FLASHING LIGHT—A term used with several different meanings.

1. A lighting device which, for a specified observer, produces repeated flashes of light as viewed

by that observer. The emphasis in this definition is on the train of light pulses produced

by the device. This is the most general of the definitions given here.

2. A device of the kind described in definition 1, which is restricted to using light sources that do

not bum steadily (that is, which turn on and off). The emphasis in this definition is on the means by which the light pulses are produced. Devices that interrupt the observer's view

of one or more steady-burning light sources by rotation or oscillation of some component,

are not regarded as flashing in this sense. (This definition is used in ch. 3 of this report.)

3. A device of the kind described in definition 1, which is restricted to producing light flashes with durations not perceived as longer than the dark intervals between the flashes. The

emphasis in this definition is on the subjective impression of prevailing darkness

interrupted by brief pulses of light, as opposed to OCCULTING lights, which give the impression of a prevailing steady level of light interrupted by brief pulses of darkness

(NEGATIVE FLASHES). [There are two conflicting opinions on the overall impression

generated by a light seen as having equal durations of light and darkness: (a) that it is perceived ambiguously, sometimes as flashing and sometimes as occulting; or (b) that there

is a third, distinct impression associated with such a light, that is different from either subjective flashing or subjective occulting.] A definition similar to this one (number 3) is used by the CIE and in much signal-lighting literature.

4. 5, 6. The signal (train of light pulses) produced by devices of the kinds described in definitions

1, 2, or 3. FLOOD LAMP (or FLOODLAMP)—A LAMP with a reflector incorporated into the back of the bulb (and sometimes also with ridges, pebbling or other optical elements for spreading the

light incorporated into the bulb face), permitting use of the lamp as a FLOODLIGHT

without external mirrors or lenses. FLOODLIGHT (or FLOOD LIGHT)—A hghting device in which the output of the source is concentrated by mirrors or lenses into a limited but not sharply narrow cone (SOLID

ANGLE). Redirection of the light originally emitted in other directions into this limited cone increases the INTENSITY within the cone. Floodlights are usually used for

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illuminating delimited areas such as a back yard or the side of a building. The

BEAMSPREAD below which the floodlight category merges into the SPOTLIGHT

category is not sharply defined but is commonly taken to be about 20°. FLUX—Synonym for "power"; energy .per unit time. Used in the context of this report specifically

in reference to power in the form of light. Flux may be either RADIANT or LUMINOUS.

The CIE symbol for flux is <I>. The SI unit of radiant flux is the watt (abbreviated W) and

of luminous flux is the LUMEN (abbreviated Im). FOOTCANDLE—The most common unit of ILLUMINANCE in the English (customary) system of measurement. It is equal to one LUMEN per square foot. A uniform POINT SOURCE

having a LUMINOUS INTENSITY of one CANDELA, if placed at the center of a sphere

having a radius of one foot, produces an illuminance of one footcandle on all parts of the

inside surface of the sphere. One footcandle is approximately equal to 10.764 LUX.

Various abbreviations are used, but fc is recognized by the CIE. Particularly when the term is written "foot-candle," there is a temptation for some readers to assume incorrectly that the dimensions of the unit are length (feet) times intensity (candelas), but actually "footcandle" is a unitary term interpretable as "a unit of illuminance based on the foot." The preceding definition shows that the dimensions are lumens per square foot. FOOTLAMBERT—A common unit of LUMINANCE in the English (customary) system of measurement. It is equal to I/tt CANDELAS per square foot. An ideal surface that

reflects all the light striking it and DIFFUSES it with perfect uniformity has a luminance

of one footlambert when the light falling on it produces a uniform ILLUMINANCE of one FOOTCANDLE. One footlambert is approximately equal to 3.426 cd/m* (NITS). Various

abbreviations are used, but fL is recognized by the CIE. Particularly when the term is written "foot-lambert," there is a temptation for some readers to assume incorrectly that the dimensions of the unit are length (feet) times luminance (LAMBERTS), but actually

"footlambert" is a unitary term interpretable as "a unit of luminance based on the foot." The

preceding definition shows that the dimensions are candelas per square foot. FOVEA—The central area of the RETINA; the portion of the retina on which the image of an

object is focused when the observer is looking directly at the object. The fovea is located

in a depression or pit in the surface of the retina, and its diameter subtends approximately

the central 5° of the visual field. The most central 1° or 2° of the fovea contains only

CONES.

fpm—Commonly used abbreviation for "flashes per minute," a traditional but non-SI unit of FLASH RATE.

FRESNEL LENS—A lens having a surface consisting of a number of separate ridges or steps, optically equivalent overall to a much thicker smooth lens. The surfaces of the ridges

ideally have the same tilt and curvature as the corresponding zones of the equivalent thick

lens, but the thickness of the Fresnel lens under the ridges is reduced progressively so that on a gross level, the lens has essentially uniform thickness everywhere. Such lenses are commonly used to concentrate or otherwise redistribute the beams of signal lights. The

Fresnel lenses with straight ridges are equivalent to ordinary cylindrical lenses, which

concentrate the beam in one direction only, while the lenses with circular ridges ("bull's- eye") are equivalent to ordinary spherical lenses, which concentrate the beam in all directions. These lenses are named for the French physicist, Augustin Fresnel. FULL RADIATOR—Synonym for BLACKBODY.

FUSION—The disappearance of the sensation of flicker as a flashing light is flashed at faster and

faster rates; the condition of the appearance of a flashing light as steady.

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GASEOUS-DISCHARGE LAMP—A LAMP that produces its light by means of a flow of electric current through an ionized gas. Some of these lamps maintain a steady flow of current (DC

or AC) and a corresponding steady (or cyclically varying) output of light. Others, the FLASH LAMPS, periodically send brief, intense electric discharges through the gas and

hence produce a train of discrete light flashes. Gaseous-discharge flash lamps are often referred to as STROBE lights or simply "strobes." GONIOMETER—An instrument for positioning objects at various angles, equipped with scales permitting accurate specification of the angular orientation. Some goniometers permit

variation of angles within a single plane; others permit independent variation in two—or

in rare instances, three—perpendicular planes.

GONIOPHOTOMETER—A compound instrument containing a GONIOMETER and a PHOTOMETER for measuring the directional properties of a light source, or of an object

that reflects or transmits light. In the type of goniophotometer of most interest in signal

lighting, the goniometer positions the light source angularly, and the INTENSITIES or EFFECTIVE INTENSITIES (for FLASHING LIGHTS) in different directions are measured with the photometer.

GREEN-BLIND—An inexact and obsolete synonym for DEUTERANOPIC.

HALOGEN LAMP—Short name for QUARTZ HALOGEN LAMP.

HARLEQUIN PATTERN—An antisymmetric pattern of decoration, in which the same two colors are used on each side of a dividing line, with corresponding areas on opposite sides of the

dividing line painted in opposite colors. This specific definition is as used in this report, wherein (sec. 7.8) such a pattern—with one color very light and the other very dark—is recommended for the painting of emergency vehicles. The name "harlequin" refers to the

traditional medieval court jester or fool, who dressed in a costume involving patches of two

or more colors that were frequently arranged antisymmetrically on the left and right.

HERTZ—The SI unit of frequency. Abbreviated Hz. A synonym for CYCLE PER SECOND.

HORIZONTAL BEAMSPREAD—BEAMSPREAD in the horizontal direction. When used without

specification of a particular vertical elevation angle, the term refers to the width of the beam in the horizontal plane through the center of the light source. When the lighting

device is operated with the BEAM AXIS horizontal (as is usually the case for emergency

vehicle warning lights), the horizontal beamspread measured across the beam axis (zero

vertical elevation) is frequently the widest horizontal spread for any vertical elevation. HORIZONTAL INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION—The INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION of a light

within a horizontal plane, or a plane of constant vertical elevation angle. When used

without specification of a vertical elevation, the term refers to the intensity distribution in the horizontal plane (zero vertical elevation).

HUE—The perceptual dimension of COLOR that varies most obviously with changes in the wavelength of spectrally pure (single-wavelength) lights; the aspect of color that is described by terms such as "red," "yellow," "green," "blue," etc. Hz—The standard (SI) abbreviation for the HERTZ, the SI unit of frequency.

/—The CIE symbol for INTENSITY. For use where the context does not make clear whether

LUMINOUS or RADIANT INTENSITY is meant, the more specific symbols are /y and I^, respectively.

ILLUMINANCE—A measure of the visually effective amount of light falling on a surface; more

strictly, the LUMINOUS FLUX (power) striking the surface per unit area. The CIE symbol

for illuminance is E (or Ey when confusion with IRRADIANCE might arise). The SI unit of illuminance is the LUX (abbreviated be).

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INADEQUATE STIMULUS—A stimulus or class of stimuli not capable of generating a perception

within a particular sensory system of an observer who is paying attention, under a specified set of conditions. Frequently used in the psychological literature in the highly

misleading sense of the class of stimuli that are in fact adequate, but which are not

ordinarily thought of as adequate. For example, a blow on the eyeball is referred to as "an

inadequate stimulus" for vision when it causes "stars" to be seen. In this usage, the term

"inappropriate stimulus" would be better. (See also ADEQUATE STIMULUS.)

INCANDESCENCE—Production of light by heating of a solid body; or the state of (a solid body's)

being hot enough to emit light. The term is also used to refer to the period of initial incandescence: the rise of light output from zero to the final steady level when the source

of heat is first turned on. INCANDESCENT LAMP—A LAMP in which light is produced by means of a body heated to INCANDESCENCE by the passage of an electric current (CIE definition). The glowing

body (filament) is today usually made of tungsten metal, or of an alloy of tungsten with

other metals. Early incandescent lamps used filaments made of carbon or metals other than tungsten. Modem incandescent lamps usually have the bulb filled with an inert gas such as argon or an argon-nitrogen mixture, while old lamps contained a vacuum. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE—A variable (quantity), the changing values of which are noted (in natural observation) or manipulated (in experimentation) in order to determine the

resulting effect on the values of one or more other variables, the DEPENDENT

VARIABLE(S). Each dependent variable is thought of as being a function (in the mathematical sense) of the independent variables. In the common case in which a graph is drawn showing the variation of the values of a dependent variable as a function of a single

independent variable, it is traditional to plot the independent variable on the ABSCISSA

(horizontal axis). IN PHASE—With regard to two or more repetitive cycles, at corresponding points (PHASES)

within the respective cycles. For example, two FLASHING LIGHTS are in phase at a moment when both flashes are simultaneously at the peaks of their intensities. Being in phase is in general a momentary condition, except if the frequencies of the cycles are

exactly equal, in which case the cycles are always in phase if they are ever in phase. If the frequencies are almost but not quite equal, the cycles remain very nearly in phase for a number of cycles, and drift slowly and progressively OUT OF PHASE until they are completely out of phase; then there is a slow drift back toward the in-phase condition. INTENSITY—A measure of the light output from an object that is being treated as a POINT

SOURCE. Strictly, the amount of light FLUX (power) being emitted per unit SOLID

ANGLE within an infinitesimal conical beam with its apex (point) at the source and its axis

in a specified direction; the solid-angular density of light flux in a given direction. Reference may be made to either RADIANT or LUMINOUS intensity. The SI unit of

radiant intensity is watt per STERADIAN, and of luminous intensity is the CANDELA.

The CIE symbol for intensity is / (the subscripted symbols /g and /y being used, when

necessary, to distinguish between radiant and luminous intensity, respectively).

Unfortunately, the term "intensity" has often been used loosely to refer to any measure of

light output, regardless of the geometry of the situation. A reader of the literature of

vision, particularly the older work, should be prepared to occasionally find "intensity"

used where "LUMINANCE" would be technically correct. INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION—The variation of the INTENSITY of a LAMP (or a complete

LIGHT) vnth changes in the direction of view. Frequently, the term is used as a shortened

form of ANGULAR INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION, and it also applies to any set of

directional intensity measurements in which the directions are specified by some quantities other than angles (as for example, linear distances within a cross-section of the beam at a

stated distance from the light).

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INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION MATRIX—A rectangular array of numbers representing the INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION of a LAMP (or a complete LIGHT), measured in a grid of

directions determined by combinations of a fixed set of vertical angles (or equivalent

directional specifications) with a fixed set of horizontal angles (or equivalent directional

specifications). Frequently, the term is used as a shortened form of ANGULAR

INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION MATRIX, and it also applies when the directions are

specified by quantities other than angles (as for example, linear distances within a cross- section of the beam at a stated distance from the light). INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ILLUMINATION—The name in English for the

organization usually known by its French initials, GIF. INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS—The name in English for the internationally accepted

system of units usually known by its official (French) initials, SI. INVERSE SQUARE LAW—The law that the ILLUMINANCE of a surface produced by a POINT

SOURCE of light decreases as the square of the distance between the source and the

surface; that is, the illuminance is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

Strictly speaking, the law applies only in a vacuum, but in practice it frequently holds in a

clear atmosphere that does not scatter light rays significantly over the distance at which measurements are made.

IRRADIANCE—The AREAL DENSITY of light power falling on a surface; more specifically, the RADIANT FLUX striking the surface per unit area. The CIE symbol for irradiance is E

(or when confusion with ILLUMINANCE might arise). The SI unit of irradiance is the watt per square meter (W/m'*), although the watt per square centimeter (W/cm*) is still very frequently seen in the radiometry literature. ITERATION—Repetition of a process; also, a particular one of the repetitions. With respect to a mathematical procedure, the input for each iteration of the procedure (after the first) is the output resulting from the previous iteration. The iteration is continued until the outputs of two successive iterations are deemed sufficiently close as to suggest no significant further change from additional iterations. K—Standard (SI) abbreviation for KELVIN. The older abbreviation °K (degrees Kelvin) is no

longer approved.

KELVIN—The SI unit of temperature (abbreviated K). The unit was formerly known as a degree

Kelvin or a degree Absolute, and it corresponds to one degree on the Absolute (Kelvin)

scale of temperature. One degree of the Centigrade (Celsius) scale of temperature is also equal to a kelvin, but the zero points of the Centigrade and Kelvin temperature scales are

different. The Fahrenheit degree represents a smaller difference of temperature and is equal to 5/9 kelvin. L—1. The CIE symbol for LUMINANCE or RADIANCE. Where the possibility of confusion

exists, the two quantities are symbolized as Ly and Zg, respectively.

L—2. The abbreviation for LAMBERT recognized by the CIE. LAMBERT—A metric, but non-SI, unit of LUMINANCE, equal to I/tt CANDELAS per square

centimeter. One lambert is approximately equal to 3183 cA/m^ (NITS). The CIE recognizes the abbreviation L. LAMP—As used by specialists in illumination, a bulb containing a source of light. This usage

contradicts the nontechnical meaning, which uses "bulb" for this purpose and reserves "lamp" for the fixture containing the bulb. LIGHT—1. Visible radiant (electromagnetic) energy. (In some contexts, infrared and ultraviolet radiation, which are not visible, but which comprise the portions of the electromagnetic

SPECTRUM bordering the visible range on either side, are also referred to as "light.")

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LIGHT—2. A device that produces light, as defined in 1, above. LIGHT-DARK RATIO—For a cyclically repeating flashing light, the ratio of the amount of time

during one cycle that the light is on, to the amount of time it is off. Symbolized in this

report by a. The light-dark ratio ranges from 0 for a light that is always off, through 1 for

a light that is on as much of the time as it is off, up to "infinity" (arbitrarily large values)

for a light that is always on. LIGHT-DARK SYMMETRY—For a cyclically repeating flashing light, a measure (defined in this report) indicating the degree of approach to equality, within one cycle, of the time on and

the time off. Symbolized in this report by c, and defined as Ah(\-b), where b is the LIGHT-TIME FRACTION. The value of the light-dark symmetry ranges from 0 for a light that is either always on or always off, up to a maximum of 1 for a light that is on half the time and off half the time. LIGHTNESS—A perceptual variable correlating with the apparent REFLECTANCE of an object

reflecting light, or the apparent TRANSMITTANCE of an object transmitting light. Lightness involves a perception of the prevailing illumination and of the degree to which

the surface in question seems to be reflecting or transmitting that illumination. It is a property of the surface or body. BRIGHTNESS, on the other hand, is a perception of the amount of light leaving the surface, without consideration of the original source of the Ught.

LIGHT-TIME FRACTION—For a cyclically repeating flashing light, the fraction of the time in a

single cycle during which the light is on. Symbolized in this report as b. The light-time fraction ranges from 0 for a light that is always off, through 1/2 for a light that is on as much as it is off, up to a maximum of 1 for a light that is always on. Sometimes referred

to as DUTY CYCLE.

LIMIT COLOR—A COLOR (PSYCHOPHYSICAL) or CHROMATICITY that represents the extreme limit, along a particular color dimension, that is considered acceptable for some

defined application. HUE limits, SATURATION limits, and (for SURFACE COLORS)

LIGHTNESS limits are the most common categories of limit colors. LIMIT FILTER—A FILTER which, when illuminated by a specified light source, has the COLOR

(PSYCHOPHYSICAL) or CHROMATICITY of a particular LIMIT COLOR and serves as a material standard for the limit color. The limit filters for glass or plastic ware for signal

lights frequently include a filter representing a "dark limit" (a lower limit on the LUMINOUS TRANSMITTANCE of the ware). Im—The standard (SI) abbreviation for LUMEN.

LUMEN—The SI unit of LUMINOUS FLUX, abbreviated Im. It is formally defined as the luminous flux emitted by a uniform POINT SOURCE of 1 CANDELA into a SOLID

ANGLE of 1 STERADIAN.

LUMINANCE—The measure of visually effective light output most commonly appropriate for an EXTENDED SOURCE. It specifies the output at a given point of the source surface in a given direction of view, and includes light reflected from, transmitted through, and emitted

by, the surface. Formally, it is defined as the LUMINOUS FLUX per unit SOLID ANGLE

per unit projected area of the source, the projection being onto a plane perpendicular to the given direction. The CIE symbol for luminance is L (or Zy when confusion with

RADIANCE might arise), and the SI unit is the CANDELA per square meter (abbreviated

cd/ m*), also known as the NIT (abbreviated nt). The fact that luminance has units equal to LUMINOUS INTENSITY per unit area suggests an intuitively understandable operational

meaning of the term: the luminance, in a given direction, of a uniform extended surface may be measured by backing off in the given direction until the surface is far enough away

to be effectively a POINT SOURCE (in the sense of closely following the INVERSE

SQUARE LAW); measuring the luminous intensity of this source; and dividing the

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intensity by the area of the source as seen from along the given direction line (that is, the area projected onto a plane perpendicular to the direction line). The average luminance of an extended source is thus the equivalent luminous intensity of the source when it is seen

as a point, divided by the actual extended area of the source, corrected for the direction of

view. For a non-uniform extended source, the luminance at a given point in a given

direction is defined as the limiting value of the luminance (as just defined) of a small element of area surrounding the point, as the area of the element approaches zero. The

corresponding RADIANT (physical) measure is known as radiance. LUMINOSITY—An obsolete synonym for LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY. The word is also used in Britain to mean the same thing as the American term BRIGHTNESS.

LUMINOUS—Weighted by the LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function; referring to the visual, as opposed to the physical (RADIANT) effect. The word can modify names of quantities

related to light emission, such as "INTENSITY." The symbol used by the CIE to distinguish the luminous quantity from the corresponding radiant or generic quantity is a

subscript v (presumably denoting "visual"). Thus luminous intensity is denoted /y, although simply / may be used where the context is clear. LUMINOUS EFFICACY—With respect to any electrically powered light-producing device, the

ratio of the amount of LUMINOUS FLUX (power) emitted to the amount of electrical power fed in. It is a measure of the efficiency with which the electrical energy is converted

into visually effective (luminous) light energy, and was formerly known as "luminous

efficiency," a term that now has another meaning. The SI unit of luminous efficacy is the LUMEN per watt (Im/W). The term "luminous efficacy" also has another, related meaning

(not used in this report), applying to a beam of light. In that case, it refers to the ratio of

the luminous flux in the beam to the RADIANT flux in the beam, and is a measure of the

efficiency of the radiant energy in the light beam in producing a visual (luminous) effect. The units of this kind of luminous efficacy are also lumens per watt. In general, the term

"efficiency" is now restricted to dimensionless quantities derived by taking the ratio of a dimensioned quantity to its maximum possible value, or the ratio of a dimensioned

quantity representing the output of a conversion process to the similarly dimensioned

quantity representing the input. "Efficacy," on the other hand, is applied to the ratio of

quantities representing in different units the output and input of a conversion process. Thus it is proper to refer to the efficiency with which a light source converts electrical power into radiant power (both measured in watts); but the conversion of electrical power

measured in watts into luminous flux (power) measured in lumens is a matter of efficacy.

The value of efficiency is independent of the (common) unit of measurement, but the value

of efficacy varies with the particular units used both for the input and the output. In some

contexts—namely, when a fixed lamp geometry is assumed—relative values of luminous

efficacy may be stated in CANDELAS per watt (luminous INTENSITY per unit electrical power), rather than in lumens per watt (luminous flux per unit electrical power).

LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY—The sensitivity of the eye to light of a given wavelength, relative to the maximum sensitivity at any wavelength (taken as unity). It is a dimensionless quantity.

The luminous efficiency function is the weighting function used for converting RADIANT

quantities specified SPECTRALLY to the corresponding LUMINOUS quantities.

(Multiplication of the final sum by a constant is usually necessary.) Two luminous

efficiency functions are standardized (by the CIE): the PHOTOPIC function, having its peak at 555 nm and representing sensitivity under conditions of "day" vision; and the SCOTOPIC function, having its peak at 507 nm and representing sensitivity under

conditions of "night" vision. LUX—The SI unit of ILLUMINANCE. It is equal to one LUMEN per square meter (Im/m*).

Abbreviated Ix.

Ix—The SI abbreviation for LUX.

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m—The SI abbreviation for "meter," the SI unit of length. A meter is approximately equal to 39.37 inches (the exact number being 100/2.54), a little longer than a yard.

MATRIX—A rectangular array of numbers. In many physical applications (such as an INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION MATRIX), the numbers in the matrix represent values of a DEPENDENT VARIABLE that is being specified as a function of two INDEPENDENT

VARIABLES. Each column of the matrix corresponds to a value of one of the independent

variables, and each row to a value of the other independent variable, so that the matrix

entry in any particular row and column represents the result of a measurement of the dependent variable for a particular combination of values of the independent variables. MESOPIC—Intermediate between PHOTOPIC and SCOTOPIC. The mesopic LUMINANCE range

is approximately 0.001 cd/m'* to 10 cd/m*.

MICROMETER—A millionth of a meter. Formerly known as a "micron." Not to be confused with

the name of the tool used for precise length measurements. The names are spelled the same, but the word for the length unit is accented on the first syllable and pronounced

with the o and first e long, whereas the word for the tool is accented on the second syllable

and pronounced with the o and first e short. "Abbreviated /im, the Greek letter \l (mu)

denoting "micro" and having the meaning "one millionth." One jbim is approximately

equal to 39.37 millionths of an inch (the exact number of millionths being 100/2.54).

MICRON—Obsolete synonym for MICROMETER. The old abbreviation was /x, a symbol now

used only as a prefix attached to the name of other units. MICROSECOND—One millionth of a second. The SI abbreviation is /xs (ju. denoting "micro" and

having the meaning "one millionth"), but /isec is still frequently seen. MILLILAMBERT—One thousandth of a LAMBERT. This metric (but non-SI) unit of LUMINANCE is approximately equal to the English (customary) unit, the FOOTLAMBERT. More precisely (but not exactly), one footlambert is equal to 1.076

millilamberts. The CIE recognizes the abbreviation mL.

MILLIMICRON—Obsolete synonym for NANOMETER. The name means a thousandth of a millionth of a meter, which is a billionth (in scientific notation, 10"*) of a meter, and the

single prefix "nano" is now used to denote a billionth. MILLISECOND—One thousandth of a second. The SI abbreviation is ms (m denoting "milli" and

having the meaning "one thousandth"), but msec is still frequently seen. MONOCHROMAT—A person having color vision with only one dimension of variation, as opposed to the normal three. Monochromats can perceive only light-dark differences ("shades of gray") and are insensitive to both HUE and SATURATION. They can match

any two lights, regardless of SPECTRAL composition, by an intensity adjustment only.

The vision of a monochromat can be thought of as bearing the same relationship to normal

vision as a black and white television image bears to a color television image.

MONOCHROMATIC—1. Characteristic of the perceptions or responses of a MONOCHROMAT.

With respect to a person, possessing such vision. A person with monochromatic vision is sometimes inexactly referred to as being "totally color-bhnd." MONOCHROMATIC—2. With respect to light (radiation), containing radiation of only a single

wavelength (ideally) or radiation within a narrow band of wavelengths (in physical reality). ms—The SI abbreviation for MILLISECOND.

msec—A now nonstandard, but still popular, abbreviation for MILLISECOND.

NANOMETER—A billionth of a meter (10~* m). Abbreviated nm (n denoting "nano" and having

the meaning "one billionth"). Formerly known as a "millimicron" (mjU,). One nm is approximately equal to 39.37 billionths of an inch (the exact number of billionths being

100/2.54).

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NANOSECOND—A billionth of a second (10 * s). Abbreviated ns. Light travels approximately 1 foot in 1 nanosecond.

NEGATIVE FLASHES—Brief darkenings of a light that is otherwise steadily on. The dark phases

of an OCCULTING light. NIGRESCENCE—The dropping off of the light output of an incandescent body when the heating of the body is discontinued. It is the reverse process from initial INCANDESCENCE. For

an INCANDESCENT LAMP, nigrescence is the light fall-off when the current is shut off. NIT—A currently unofficial name for the SI unit of LUMINANCE, the CANDELA per square meter (cd/m*). The accepted abbreviation is nt. nm—The SI abbreviation for NANOMETER. The now obsolete abbreviation mfx (MILLIMICRON)

has the same meaning.

NORMAL DISTRIBUTION CURVE—A bell-shaped curve with fundamental significance in probability and statistics. The equation of the standardized form of the curve is y=e~'^^ ^. A curve with a shape approximating that of the normal distribution curve is obtained

when, for example, the number of American adult males having various heights is plotted

against height. (This plot is called a "frequency distribution" for height, the form of which

reflects the facts that (1) many men are middle-sized; (2) few men are very short or very

tall; and (3) the decrease in frequency toward either extreme is symmetric around the average height.) Any characteristic with this property is said to be normally distributed in the particular population in which the characteristic is measured. The normal distribution curve is known by a number of other names, such as "normal curve," "normal probability

curve," "normal probability density function," "Gaussian curve," and others. A closely related bell-shaped curve, with standardized equation j=e~''^'', is the curve the area under

which is known as the ERROR FUNCTION. The significance of these curves in the signallight field—apart from any considerations of statistics—is that the ANGULAR

INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION of ROTATING LIGHTS frequently has a symmetric, bell- shaped form that can be satisfactorily approximated by the normal distribution curve. NOTICEABILITY—A synonym for CONSPICUITY. The ease with which a signal can be noticed.

ns—The SI abbreviation for NANOSECOND. The abbreviation nsec is now nonstandard but still in common use.

nt—The generally accepted abbreviation for NIT. It has the same meaning as cd/m".

OCCULTING—Characterized by momentary darkenings of an otherwise steadily burning light; NEGATIVELY FLASHING.

ON-OFF RATIO—Synonym for LIGHT-DARK RATIO.

ORDINATE—The vertical coordinate in the common type of graph in which two variables are

plotted at right angles to each other, one vertically and one horizontally. The horizontal coordinate is the ABSCISSA.

OSCILLATING LIGHT—A light in which the beam or beams oscillate (turn back and forth

angularly), either because one or more lamps oscillate or one or more lenses or mirrors

oscillate around a fixed lamp. The time for the return sweep is usually either equal to or much less than the time for the initial sweep. Some lights oscillate in more than one

direction at the same time. OUT OF PHASE—1. Partially: with regard to two or more repetitive cycles, at noncorresponding

points (PHASES) within the respective cycles.

OUT OF PHASE—2. Completely: with regard to two repetitive cycles, at exactly opposite points

(PHASES) within the respective cycles.

The points within a cycle are frequently specified in angular terms, with 360° being a full cycle. Thus two cycles that are completely out of phase are often said to be 180° out of phase. Two

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FLASHING LIGHTS are fully out of phase at a moment when one light is at the peak of its on

period (or at the midpoint of any extended period of maximum intensity), while the other is at the midpoint of its cycle, halfway between the peak times. Being out of phase by any particular

amount is in general a momentary condition, except if the frequencies of the cycles are exactly

equal, in which case the difference in phase remains constant at its initial value. If the frequencies

are almost but not quite equal, the phase difference changes gradually over a number of cycles,

drifting slowly and progressively back and forth between the fully IN-PHASE condition (0° difference) and the fully out-of-phase condition (180° difference).

PAIR COMPARISONS—A variant form of the term PAIRED COMPARISONS.

PAIRED COMPARISONS—Traditional name for a procedure ("PSYCHOPHYSICAL method")

used in perceptual and other psychological experiments, in which the members of a set of STIMULI are compared with respect to some specified attribute by examining them in pairs (two at a time). The response required of the observers is to indicate which of the two

stimuli in each pair has more of the specified attribute, and, sometimes, to give some kind

of quantitative estimate of how great the difference is perceived to be. For example, lights can be compared two at a time for conspicuity, and the observer may be asked to state which light appears more conspicuous, or to state how many times more conspicuous one

light is than the other; or the observer may not be asked for a verbal response at all, but may be attached to equipment that permits a decision on relative conspicuity by means of some physiological or motor response to each light. The term "paired comparisons" has

been criticized by many psychologists, who point out that it is not comparisons that are

paired, but stimuli. One name introduced as an alternative—and used by some authors—is "pair comparisons," but most psychologists do not approve of that name either, since it seems to refer to the comparison of pairs, whereas the method actually involves the comparison of individual stimuli presented in pairs. As a result, the original term "paired

comparisons" is still the most popular version, by default. (More accurate or self- explanatory names for this method do seem possible, two suggestions being the method of "within-pairs comparisons" or simply the method of "paired stimuli.") Note that the name

of this method is sometimes used as an adjective, as in the phrase "paired-comparisons

procedure." The plural form "comparisons" in such phrases sometimes puzzles the

uninitiated and has led in some writings to the corrupted form "paired-comparison

procedure."

PAR LAMP—A type of LAMP containing a PARABOLIC REFLECTOR built into the bulb,

usually in the form of a metallic coating on the inside of the paraboloidal glass envelope.

The relatively flat front lenses of these bulbs are fused to the reflectorized glass bowl

sections. The sealing into an integral unit of the filament, reflector, and lens, has led to the popular name "SEALED BEAM LAMP" for automotive PAR lamps (headlights), or, sometimes, for all PAR lamps. In designations of these lamps, the number following the

letters "PAR" gives the diameter of the lamp lens (the widest part of the bulb) in eighths of an inch. Thus, a PAR-36 lamp, a type commonly used in emergency-vehicle warning

lights, has a diameter of 36/8 = 4 1/2 inches. The term "PAR" originated as an acronym for the phrase "parabolic aluminized reflector." PARABOLIC REFLECTOR—A concave mirror in the shape of the surface known mathematically

as a paraboloid of revolution. The curve known as the parabola and the paraboloidal

surface formed by rotating a parabola around its axis of symmetry both have the

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property—in two and three dimensions, respectively—that light rays emanating from a

particular point, known as the focus, are reflected from the inside of the curve or surface

in parallel directions (the common direction of all the reflected rays being the direction of

the axis of the figure). Because real filaments are not located at single points, PAR

LAMPS that contain parabolic reflectors do not produce perfectly parallel beams, but there

is some degree of angular divergence (BEAMSPREAD). The term "paraboloidal reflector," which refers directly to the surface shape, is sometimes used instead of the more common

phrase "parabolic reflector," in which the word "parabolic" refers to the shape of the

surface's cross-section (through or parallel to the axis). PCF—An abbreviation for PULSE-TO-CYCLE FRACTION.

PERCEPTUAL INSISTENCE—A less widely used synonym for CONSPICUITY.

PERIOD—With respect to a repetitive (cyclical) process, the interval of time between

corresponding moments of two successive cycles of the process. When the process consists of repeated occurrences of a discrete, almost instantaneous event (such as a brief light

flash), the period is the time elapsing between successive occurrences of the event. The

period is frequently ascribed to the physical object generating the cyclical process (as for example, a flashing light or a rotating motor), instead of (or in addition to) the process

itself. Thus, it is acceptable to speak of the period of a one-beam rotating beacon, as well

as the period of the rotation. The period is the reciprocal of the frequency, so that the product of a period in seconds and the corresponding frequency in HERTZ is unity.

PERIPHERY—Outer regions; areas outside the central region. Applies to the RETINA or to the perceived visual field. PHASE—1. Point within a repetitive cycle. IN PHASE: at corresponding points of the respective

cycles. OUT OF PHASE (completely): at opposite points of the respective cycles. OUT OF

PHASE (partially): not in phase. The numerical value of the phase is frequently specified

in angular terms, with a full cycle—corresponding to one full turn around a circle-—being

assigned the value 360°. PHASE—2. The term "phase" is also used to refer to extended ranges of points within the cycle; that is, to an entire portion of the cycle with some definable common property. With

FLASHING LIGHTS, for example, the phrases "the on phase" and "the off phase" are commonly used. PHOTIC DRIVING—Enhancement of the ALPHA RHYTHM of an observer's brain by

stimulating him with a light flashing at the characteristic alpha frequency. The result of

photic driving is frequently unpleasant, the effects ranging from mild dizziness, nausea, or nervousness, to grand mal seizures in epileptics.

PHOTOCELL—According to CIE usage, the general term for any of a wide variety of devices that

react to light shining on them by emitting electric current. The CIE also uses the term

"photoelectric receptor" as a synonym for "photocell." Some authors seem to prefer to use

"photocell" in the more restricted sense of a solid-state photoelectric receptor, as opposed

to a phototube.

PHOTODETECTOR—Any device that detects or measures light shining on it by reacting in any manner whatever. The term can be used when general reference is intended to either a photoelectric instrument (PHOTOCELL), or to the himian eye. It is also convenient to use

in reference to the general photoelectric instrument when the term "photocell" is used in the more restricted sense of a solid-state device. PHOTOMETER—A device for measuring the amount of visually effective light (LUMINOUS

FLUX or luminous energy) striking the entrance aperture (opening) of the device from a

specified range of directions. By suitable calibration, a photometer can measure other luminous quantities such as ILLUMINANCE or LUMINANCE. There are two types of

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photometers: visual, in which a human observer adjusts the control of the instrument on

the basis of what he sees; and physical, in which a manufactured detector responds to the

light by reacting in a measurable physical way (usually by emitting electric current that

activates an output device). Physical photometers are usually RADIOMETERS operated

with a FILTER between the light source and the detector. The filter has a SPECTRAL

TRANSMITTANCE curve such that the spectral response of the filter-detector combination

approximately matches the (CIE) LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function of the human eye. The basic components of a photometer are: (1) a light-collection system—which may range from a piece of DIFFUSING material or a hole in a piece of metal to a complex optical

system; (2) a photometric filter or other means of converting RADIANT measurements to the corresponding luminous quantities; (3) a detector; and (4) an output indicating device. PHOTOMETRIC AXIS—A reference direction or line associated with a PHOTOMETER. It is frequently taken to be the central AXIS of the cone of directions from which light is accepted by the entrance optics of the photometer. When the photometer is set up to measure the output of a light source sufficiently distant as to be effectively a POINT

SOURCE, as in GONIOPHOTOMETRY of a LAMP, then the photometric axis is usually

defined as the line joining the center of the light source to the center of the entrance

aperture (opening) of the photometer.

PHOTOPIC—Pertaining to levels of illumination (from an object or a light or from the background) high enough to activate the CONE receptors of the RETINA. Photopic vision

is sometimes known as "day vision." It is distinguished by the perception of color and of

fine detail. Contrasts with SCOTOPIC. The background LUMINANCE above which vision

is fully photopic is variously estimated as being between "several" and 10 cd/ m*. PHOTORECEPTORS—The light-sensitive cells in the eye that permit vision. The photoreceptors

are part of a complex network of cells, the RETINA, that lines the back of the inside of the eye. There are two basic types of photoreceptors, RODS and CONES.

PLANCKIAN LOCUS—The curved path on a CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM representing the CHROMATICITIES (colors) of BLACKBODY light sources (PLANCKIAN RADIATORS)

of different COLOR TEMPERATURES. For example, a metal bar heated from dull red

heat, through yellow to white heat, and then to blue-white, is emitting light having

chromaticities that move approximately along the Planckian locus. PLANCKIAN RADIATOR—Synonym for BLACKBODY.

PLANIMETER—An instrument for measuring the areas of plane figures without computation.

PLASMA ARC—An electric discharge through a plasma, which consists of material that is very

hot, in the gaseous state, and ionized (made electrically conducting by stripping some of the electrons from the gas atoms through the application of a high electric potential, extreme heat, or intense radiation). The flow of current excites the atoms of the plasma,

which radiate light when dropping momentarily back to a lower state of excitation. POINT SOURCE—A source of light having a maximum dimension that is small compared with

the distance of the source from the receiving surface. The minimum ratio of distance to diameter necessary to characterize the source as a point source is not sharply defined, but depends on the specific application. A common criterion for photometry is for the ratio to be large enough so that the INVERSE SQUARE LAW holds, within some specified

percentage tolerance. Visually, the criterion is often that the source should have no visible

disc, but should appear as a point. The visual criterion usually requires a much smaller source size than does the photometric criterion. Contrasts with EXTENDED SOURCE.

PRIMARY (noun)—A short name for "primary COLOR," "primary light," or "primary

STIMULUS." The primaries of a COLORIMETRIC system or instrument are the fixed

colors (or lights) which when mixed in varying proportions yield matches for a wide range

of colors. In standard systems, three primaries are used, and usually one is a red, one a

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green, and one a blue. By means of mathematical manipulations, it is possible to convert measurements made using one set of physical primaries into proportions applying to other

sets of primaries, even to hypothetical primaries that are more SATURATED than any

physically realizable color can be. The CIE 1931 standard colorimetric system is based on

such "imaginary" primaries, and the amounts of these three primaries needed to match

any color at all can be calculated through use of the system.

PROTANOPIA—A form of DICHROMATIC color vision characterized by an absence of red or green HUE perceptions and a LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function that is abnormally low

in the long (red) wavelength range; inexactly referred to as "RED-BLINDNESS."

PROTANOPIC—With respect to a person, afflicted with PROTANOPIA; with respect to color perceptions or responses, characteristic of protanopia.

PROTANOMALY—A form of defective TRICHROMATIC color vision characterized by some

tendency to confuse red, green, and yellow colors; inexactly referred to as "partial REDBLINDNESS." In this condition, red colors appear abnormally dark. This loss of LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY (sensitivity) in the long-wavelength range is the characteristic that most sharply differentiates this defect from DEUTERANOMALY.

PROTANOPE—A person afflicted with PROTANOPIA.

PSYCHOPHYSICAL—Involving both physics and psychology, particularly in a coordination

between sensory perceptions and the physical specifications of the STIMULI leading to the

perceptions. The branch of experimental psychology dealing with such coordinations is called psychophysics. In illumination and color, one widely accepted classification of the various measures used divides these measures into three categories: physical,

psychophysical, and psychological. Physical measures, such as RADIANCE, specify the

characteristics of the stimulus. Psychophysical measures, such as LUMINANCE, correct a physical measure (radiance) for the sensory response characteristics of the individual, average, or standardized observer (the LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function, in going from

radiance to luminance). Psychological measures, such as BRIGHTNESS, indicate the magnitude of the final subjective response of the observer to stimuli of specified

psychophysical strength (luminance).

PULSE SHAPE—The shape of the curve expressing the time course of a light pulse; specifically, the curve giving momentary intensity as a function of time. Also known by such other names as WAVEFORM and FLASH PROFILE.

PULSE-TO-CYCLE FRACTION—Synonym for LIGHT-TIME FRACTION. Usually abbreviated as PCF.

PURKINJE SHIFT—The shift in the LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function of the human eye toward shorter wavelengths when the illumination drops from PHOTOPIC to SCOTOPIC

levels. The effect is to make the sensitivity of the eye to red light worse, in comparison to

its sensitivity to blue and green light, as the illumination grows dim. (Note, however, that the absolute sensitivity to red wavelengths of the ROD system, which mediates scotopic

vision, is about the same as the red sensitivity of the CONE system, which mediates

photopic vision. Compare figure 6.2-1 of this report, illustrating relative sensitivity, and

figure 6.2-2, which—turned upside down—illustrates absolute sensitivity.) The eye's peak

sensitivity at photopic levels is at 555 nm, a yellowish green wavelength. At scotopic

levels, the peak sensitivity is at 507 nm, a wavelength that is seen at photopic levels as green, with perhaps a slight touch of blue. At scotopic levels, of course, all wavelengths

look approximately gray, since the rods mediate MONOCHROMATIC ("totally color blind") perception. The shift effect was first described in 1823 by the Czech physiologist

Purkinje.

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PURPLE BOUNDARY—A straight line segment in a CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM representing

the CHROMATICITIES of the most pure (strong) purple colors that can be physically

produced. Perceptually, purples are mixtures of red and blue. The purple boundary

represents the chromaticities achievable by all possible mixtures of lights of two fixed wavelengths—one a red at the longwave end of the visible SPECTRUM, and the other a

violet (purplish blue) at the shortwave end. No single-wavelength (MONOCHROMATIC)

light matches the HUE of any color on the purple boundary (except for the endpoints). The

ends of the visible spectrum are not sharply defined, but in a chromaticity diagram based on the currently official version of the CIE 1931 COLOR-MIXTURE FUNCTIONS, the wavelengths are 360 nm and 830 nm. Many color-perception scientists believe that the longwave end of the visible spectrum (viewed against a black background) is not seen as pure red but is slightly yellowish (orangish), in which case the strongest physically

producible pure red color would correspond to a point on the purple boundary. The purple

boundary has also been known by other names such as the "line of purples" or "locus of purples."

QUARTZ HALOGEN LAMP—An INCANDESCENT LAMP containing one of the halogen series of elements (iodine, bromine, chlorine, or fluorine), and characterized by a greatly reduced

tendency, relative to ordinary incandescent lamps, for the tungsten boiled off the filament

to blacken the inside of the bulb as the lamp ages. The constancy of light output with

aging of such lamps is thus superior to that of ordinary incandescents. The evaporated

tungsten combines with the halogen and is returned in the form of a gas to the neighborhood of the filament, where the metal separates from the halogen and is redeposited onto the filament. High temperatures are required for the operation of this tungsten-halogen chemical cycle, so the bulbs of the lamps are kept small, and must be

made of a material, such as quartz, more heat-resistant than glass. The lamps are sometimes referred to more generally as simply HALOGEN LAMPS, and sometimes more

specificaUy as TUNGSTEN QUARTZ HALOGEN LAMPS. They may also be referred to by a name indicating the specific halogen contained in the lamp, most commonly the "quartz iodine lamp."

RADIANCE—The RADIANT measure corresponding to the LUMINOUS measure known as LUMINANCE. It is a specification of physical light output for an EXTENDED SOURCE.

Specifically, it refers to the physical light output at a given point of the source surface in a given direction of view, including light reflected from, transmitted through, and emitted

by, the surface. Formally, it is defined as the radiant FLUX (power) per unit SOLID

ANGLE per unit projected area of the source, the projection being onto a plane

perpendicular to the given direction. The CIE symbol for radiance is L (or when

confusion with LUMINANCE might arise), and the SI unit is the watt per STERADIAN

per square meter [abbreviated in any of the forms W/sr-m^, W/(sr-m*), or W'Sr~^'m~*].

The discussion under LUMINANCE of the intuitive interpretation of that measure applies

equally to radiance, except that the interpretation of radiance refers to physical rather than

visually effective light power. RADIANT—Referring to the physical energy of a light, unweighted by any function related to visual response. Contrasts with LUMINOUS. The word can modify names of quantities related to light emission, such as INTENSITY. The symbol used by the CIE to distinguish the radiant quantity from the corresponding luminous or generic quantity is a subscript e. Thus, radiant intensity is denoted /g, although simply / may be used when the context is clear. RADIOMETER—An optical instrument used for measuring the amount of physical light

(RADIANT FLUX or radiant energy) striking the entrance aperture (opening) of the device from a specified range of directions. By suitable calibration, a radiometer can measure

other radiant quantities such as IRRADIANCE or RADIANCE. By interposing a suitable

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FILTER between the light source and the detector, a radiometer becomes a PHOTOMETER. By interposing a series of three or four suitable filters, the radiometer can be used as a FILTER TRISTIMULUS COLORIMETER. The basic components of a radiometer are: (1) a light-collection system—which may range from a piece of DIFFUSING material or a hole in a piece of metal to a complex optical system; (2) a

detector; and (3) an output indicating device. REACTION TIME—The time elapsing between the occurrence of a signal and the completion of the required response (such as closure of a switch) by an observer of the signal. In real-life situations in which the signal sets off a chain of behavior, the choice of which action is to be regarded as "the required response" is arbitrary. Thus, in braking an automobile in response to the appearance of a red light, the reaction time might be taken to be

completed when the foot leaves the accelerator, or when it hits the brake, or when the brake is fully depressed, or at some other definable point within the response process. RECTANGULAR PULSE—A Ught pulse with a rectangular PULSE SHAPE; a pulse that rises instantaneously to its peak INTENSITY value, remains at the constant peak value for some finite time, and then falls instantaneously back to zero. No actual light pulse is truly

rectangular, since some finite time is always required for the rise and fall, but some light

pulses can be treated as rectangular for many practical purposes (when the rise and fall times are negligible relative to the total pulse length). A special case of the rectangular

pulse is the square wave, in which the constant peak intensity is equal in length to the pulse duration, on the scales of intensity and time used for plotting the pulse shape.

Where the ABSCISSA and ORDINATE scales have an arbitrary relation, as with intensity

and time, the distinction between a rectangular and a square pulse (or wave) is correspondingly arbitrary, and the terms are often used synonymously. For other kinds of

pulses, for which the abscissa and ordinate variables have a natural relationship, the

distinction has a clearer meaning, not dependent on the scaling of a particular graph. With

respect to a full wave, including the off period as well as the light pulse, the term "square

wave" is sometimes restricted to those rectangular WAVEFORMS that have equal

durations of light and darkness. RED-BLIND—An inexact synonym for PROTANOPIC. "Partially red-bhnd" is an inexact synonym for PROTANOMALOUS.

REFLECTANCE—The ratio of light FLUX reflected from a surface to the flux incident on the

surface; the fraction of the light returned by the surface. May be RADIANT or LUMINOUS, and also SPECTRAL, or total. The range of reflectance is from zero (absolute

black) to unity (total reflection). An ideal surface with a reflectance of unity, when

illuminated by white light, would be seen as a perfect white if the surface were completely

DIFFUSE, and as a perfect mirror if it were completely SPECULAR.

RELATIVE LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY—An obsolete synonym for LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY.

RETINA—An extremely complex network of chiefly nerve cells that lines the inside of the back of

the eye. The retina contains the PHOTORECEPTOR cells, and is thus the actual sense organ for vision. The adjectival form is "retinal." RODS—One of two classes of light-sensitive receptor cells in the eye. (The other class of PHOTORECEPTOR cell is the CONES.) The rod system mediates "night" vision and can respond to lower levels of light than the cone system. The rods do not generate

CHROMATIC perceptions, and the ability of the rod system to pick up fine details in the

visual scene is poor. ROTATING LIGHT—A light in which the beam or beams rotate, either because one or more

lamps rotate or because one or more lenses or mirrors rotate around a fixed 360° lamp.

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rpm—Common abbreviation for "revolutions per minute," a traditional, but non-SI, unit of angular speed of rotation (SI unit: radians per second), or frequency (SI unit: HERTZ).

The rpm unit is commonly used with reference to ROTATING LIGHTS used in signaling.

s—The SI abbreviation for "second," the unit of time. Often abbreviated as sec. SAE—Abbreviation for SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS.

SATURATION—Perceived purity or strength of a color; the perceived degree of difference between the color and the neutral color (white, gray, or black) of the same BRIGHTNESS

or LIGHTNESS. Saturated colors are referred to as "strong," "deep," "vivid," or

"brilliant." Colors of low saturation ("unsaturated" colors) are called "pale," "pastel,"

"weak," or "whitish," "grayish," or "blackish." Colors with zero saturation are called "neutral," "achromatic," or "white," "gray," or "black." They are also sometimes

referred to as "hueless," since a color is perceived as having a definite HUE if, and only

if, it is perceived as having saturation greater than zero. SCOTOPIC—Pertaining to levels of illumination not high enough to activate the CONE receptors of the RETINA but high enough to activate the RODS. Scotopic vision is often known as "night vision." It is distinguished by no perception of color and poor perception of fine

detail. Contrasts with PHOTOPIC. The background LUMINANCE below which vision is strictly scotopic is variously estimated as being between 0.001 and "several hundredths"

of a cd/m*.

SEALED BEAM LAMP—A type of LAMP, widely used as an automotive headlight, that contains

a reflector, a precisely positioned filament, and a covering lens, all sealed within or part of

the bulb. The reflector is usually formed by coating aluminum onto the parabolic glass

bowl forming the rear of the lamp, and sealed beam lamps are a category of PAR LAMPS.

The front lens of a sealed beam lamp frequently contains an array of molded-in ridges that serve to spread or scatter the light somewhat, broadening the BEAMSPREAD and

obscuring the "hot spot" of the filament. It is not unusual for the term "sealed beam

lamp" to be regarded as synonymous with "PAR lamp."

SET (psychology)—The state of an observer at a given moment with respect to attitudes,

expectations, readiness, attention, and other such internal factors that partly determine the nature and speed of the response to a stimulus. For example, in a REACTION TIME

experiment in which a button must be pushed when a light comes on, the experimental

subject can take the "motor set," in which he concentrates on readiness to push the

button, or the "sensory set," in which he concentrates on readiness to see the appearance

of the light. The motor set usually leads to shorter reaction times.

SI—Abbreviation for "Systeme International," the official (French) name for the International System of Units. This system of units is the internationally approved system for use in science and technology. It is based on the old MKS (meter-kilogram-second) system.

SIMPLE DETECTION—Detection by an observer of the occurrence of a STIMULUS (or the continued presence of an unchanging stimulus), when the observer knows at least approximately when and where the stimulus is to occur, no distracting stimuli are present,

and the observer is paying attention to the task. The task is no longer simple detection if the observer must recognize or identify the stimulus in addition to noting its presence, or if (as in CONSPICUITY experiments) the stimulus must attract the observer's attention away

from competing stimuli. SIMPLE REACTION TIME—REACTION TIME in which there is a single, specified STIMULUS,

and a single, specified response, both known to the experimental SUBJECT in advance. In

this case, reaction time is a minimum since the need for higher mental processes is minimal.

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SMALL-FIELD TRITANOPIA—The degradation of normal color vision toward the DICHROMATIC form known as TRITANOPIA, when the field of view is small and

located in the central FOVEA. The question of whether small-field tritanopia also exists in the PERIPHERY is sfiU open. Low intensity or brief flashing of the STIMULUS also seems to cause normal vision to tend toward tritanopia, so small-field tritanopia may be

only one aspect of a phenomenon associated with delivery of low total energy to the image

spot on the RETINA (up to some critical size). A different theory holds that small-field tritanopia is a separate phenomenon caused by a scarcity or absence of blue CONES in the

central fovea. SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS—An organization of people involved in the technical aspects of automobiles, which issues voluntary standards and recommended practices for materials and devices used in automobiles, and for the methods used for testing the materials and devices. These standards, although without legal force in themselves, exert considerable influence within the automotive trade because of the advantage to sales of claimed adherence to the standards. Moreover, many laws and regulations relating to automobiles do reference these standards. The Society is frequently referred to by its

initials, SAE.

SOLID ANGLE—The analog in three dimensions of the concept of angle in two dimensions. The

solid angle SUBTENDED by an object at a point is measured by the fraction of the total area of a sphere, centered at the point, that is included within the projection, from the point onto the sphere, of the outline of the object. The solid angle is independent of the radius of the sphere. The SI unit of solid angle is the STERADIAN. In plane geometry,

the word "angle" refers both to a geometrical figure (formed by two intersecting lines) and

also to a measure of the degree of separation between the lines in such a figure. In solid geometry, it is rare to refer to "a solid angle"—the geometrical figure—and the concept

defined above is the measure. The geometrical figure constituting "a solid angle" would be

a conical surface with a cross-section of arbitrary shape. In the context of an object

subtending a solid angle at a point, the conical surface is that traced out by the projection

line with one end anchored at the reference point, and the other end sweeping around the space-curve forming the outline (border) of the given object as viewed from the reference

point. The intersection of this conical surface with any sphere centered at the reference

point constitutes the projection of the outline of the object onto the sphere.

SOURCE A—One of the standard sources of light defined by the CIE; specifically, a gas-filled

tungsten-filament INCANDESCENT LAMP operating at a (correlated) COLOR

TEMPERATURE of 2855.6 K. Prior to 1968, when one of the fundamental constants involved in predicting theoretically the SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTIONS of BLACKBODIES of various temperatures was changed by international agreement, the temperature corresponding to Source A was 2854 K. The spectral power distribution of a blackbody at (approximately) 2855.6 K, calculated using the new value of the constant, is the same distribution as that calculated for a blackbody at 2854 K using the old value of

the constant. The new color temperature associated with Source A is frequently rounded to 2856 K. SPECTRAL—Defined for each wavelength within a specified wavelength range. The word is used

to modify the name of either RADIANT or LUMINOUS quantities. In the latter case, the wavelength range referred to would be the visible SPECTRUM, which extends from

approximately 360 nm to 830 nm. (The range can be broader or narrower, depending on

the purpose and the accuracy desired).

SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION—Alternate name for SPECTRAL POWER

DISTRIBUTION.

SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTION—A wavelength-by-wavelength specification of the output

of a light source in terms of any appropriate RADIANT measure, not necessarily simply

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the radiant FLUX. Also called SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION. The word

"power" or "energy" in these phrases serves only to indicate that a radiant, as opposed to LUMINOUS, specification is meant (as for example, radiant INTENSITY). Note that no power at all can be emitted in an infinitesimally narrow (zero-width) wavelength band, so

that the quantity actually specified must be some radiant measure per unit wavelength

(usually per nm) of the emission band. Such specification is known as "spectral

concentration" and actually constitutes a measure of the derivative of the "power" with

respect to wavelength. The "spectral power distribution" of a POINT-SOURCE signal light

may therefore be actually a specification of the spectral concentration of radiant intensity,

measured in W'Sr~*-nm~'. SPECTRAL TRANSMITTANCE—Fraction of the incident light FLUX transmitted by a body,

specified on a wavelength-by-wavelength basis. Although total TRANSMITTANCE

(integrated over a specified wavelength range) may be either RADIANT or LUMINOUS,

there is no distinction between radiant and luminous spectral transmittance (since any

weighting constant for a given wavelength would be applied both to the incident and

transmitted flux, and would divide out when the ratio was taken).

SPECTROPHOTOMETER—A RADIOMETER equipped with an internal source of white light

and a device for separating (dispersing) the light into its component wavelengths, used to measure the SPECTRAL TRANSMITTANCE or SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE of objects.

The sample is illuminated at any given time by a beam of light containing only a narrow band of wavelengths. The amount of this light transmitted through or reflected from the sample is compared with the amount of light measured when no sample is in the beam, or when an almost perfectly transmitting or reflecting reference sample is in the beam. The

ratio of the two FLUXES is the measured transmittance or reflectance of the sample at the wavelength that is at the center of the narrow band. Then the wavelength setting is changed, either manually or automatically, and another measurement is made, until readings have been taken all across the SPECTRUM. The instrument is not corrected in any way for the spectral sensitivity of the human eye, and so is a radiometer rather than a PHOTOMETER. However, the name "SPECTRORADIOMETER" is used for a different type of instrument. SPECTRORADIOMETER—A RADIOMETER equipped with a device for separating (dispersing) the incoming light into its component wavelengths, used to measure the SPECTRAL

POWER DISTRIBUTION of the light. SPECTRUM—The display of light of different colors produced by separating (dispersing) a non- MONOCHROMATIC light beam into its component wavelengths; or a tabular or graphic

representation of the variation, within such a display, of power or energy as a function of wavelength. The term is also used to refer simply to a range of wavelengths, as in the phrase "the visible spectrum."

SPECTRUM LOCUS—The horseshoe-shaped track, within a CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM, of the

points corresponding to the CHROMATICITIES of MONOCHROMATIC lights from

within the visible range of the SPECTRUM. The spectrum locus (together with the PURPLE BOUNDARY which closes the horseshoe) represents the outer limits of purity

(correlating perceptually with SATURATION) achievable by any physically realizable STIMULI.

SPECULAR—Like a mirror. Specular reflection is image-preserving, nonscattering reflection, as

in a mirror. Contrasts with DIFFUSE (adjective).

SPOT LAMP (or SPOTLAMP)—A LAMP containing an internal reflector which concentrates the

light beam into a relatively narrow cone, thus permitting use of the lamp as a SPOTLIGHT

without external mirrors or lenses.

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SPOTLIGHT (or SPOT LIGHT)—A lighting device in which the output of the source is concentrated by mirrors or lenses into a relatively narrow cone (SOLID ANGLE).

Redirection of the light originally emitted in other directions into this limited cone

increases the INTENSITY within the cone. The BEAMSPREAD above which the spotlight

category merges into the FLOODLIGHT category is not sharply defined but is commonly

taken to be about 20°. sr—The standard abbreviation for STERADIAN, the SI unit of SOLID ANGLE.

STERADIAN—The SI unit for specifying SOLID ANGLE. One steradian is defined as the solid angle SUBTENDED at the center of a sphere of unit radius by a portion of the sphere

having unit area (that is, an area of one square unit). Since the total area of a sphere of

radius R is 47r/f*, the total area of a sphere of unit radius is 47r square units. Hence a complete sphere contains 47r steradians and a hemisphere contains 2tt steradians. Abbreviated sr. STIMULUS—A physical event or static pattern in the environment (external or internal) that causes some response in an organism, or is being considered as a potential cause of such

response. Thus, for example, a flash of light (radiant energy) may be a stimulus for seeing

a visual flash, or a continuing sound (acoustic vibration) may be a stimulus for hearing a sustained musical tone, etc. In an experiment to determine how weak a light flash can be

seen (ABSOLUTE THRESHOLD), all the light flashes used would usually be referred to as "the stimuli," even though some of them could never be seen (on repeated exposures), some could always be seen, and some could be seen on some but not all exposures. STROBE—A GASEOUS-DISCHARGE FLASH LAMP or a complete light unit (fixture) containing

such lamps. The term "strobe" is a modified contraction of "stroboscope," a device for determining the rate at which an object is rotating or oscillating. One type of stroboscope

"freezes" the motion perceptually by illuminating the object with a train of regularly

repeated brief (gaseous-discharge) flashes of light of adjustable frequency, the frequency of the flashes being varied until it coincides with the frequency of the object's repetitive

motion. The gaseous-discharge light source in such a stroboscope was known as a

"strobotron," and it can be argued that "strobe" is really a contraction of "strobotron,"

rather than the better-known term "stroboscope."

SUBJECT (noun)—A person or other organism used in a perceptual, behavioral, or physiological

experiment. (The organism is being "subjected" to the conditions being tested in the experiment.)

SUBTEND (geometry)—To cut off or intercept, said of one geometric figure with respect to another. A surface is said to subtend a SOLID ANGLE at a point when there is consideration of the solid angle formed by sweeping the other end of a straight line, starting at the point, around the boundary of the surface. A Une segment is said to subtend an ordinary planar angle at a point when there is consideration of the angle formed by

joining the point to the ends of the segment by straight lines. SURFACE COLOR—A COLOR perceived as being associated with the surface of an object. The

perception is usually of light from some external source being reflected from the surface,

and in everyday life, this is most often the actual situation. If the object is perceived to be

a source emitting its own light, or a transparent or translucent body transmitting light from

behind, then the perception of a surface color may still occur if some portion of the light

coming from the surface is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as being light from an external source reflected from the surface. Under special conditions, light-emitting and light- transmitting surfaces can be perceived as reflecting all of the light coming from them (and thus having only a surface color), particularly when the background against which they are viewed is much brighter than the surfaces themselves.

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SYSTEME INTERNATIONAI^The official (French) name for the International System of Units, the internationally approved system for use in science and technology. The system, usually

referred to by its initials SI, is based on the old MKS (meter-kilogram-second) system, but

is more comprehensive.

TARGET DRIVER—A term used in this report to refer to any driver (usually one among many) at whom a signal is directed. TARGET VEHICLE—A term used in this report to refer to any vehicle (usually one among many)

at which a signal is directed (a vehicle the driver of which is a TARGET DRIVER).

TEMPORAL—Pertaining to time. THRESHOLD (psychology)—The least perceptible amount of any physical, psychophysical, or psychological quantity, or of the change in any such quantity. These two concepts are

referred to as ABSOLUTE and DIFFERENTIAL thresholds, respectively. An example of an absolute threshold is the lowest LUMINANCE that can just barely be seen in a spot of

specified size within an otherwise totally dark field. An example of a differential threshold

is the amount of difference in wavelength that can just barely be seen in the comparison of two spectrally pure lights viewed side by side. There is some vagueness in the notion of

"just barely perceptible," and the threshold point is usually defined statistically. A

common definition is the amount of the qu, ntity or change in quantity that will be

perceived on 50 percent of the presentations in a long sequence of repeated presentations.

TRANSMITTANCE—The ratio of light FLUX transmitted through a body to the flux incident on

the body; the fraction of the light that gets through the body. May be RADIANT or LUMINOUS, and also SPECTRAL or total. The range of transmittance is from zero (complete opacity) to unity (total transmission).

TRAVERSE (noun)—A complete sweep; specifically, with respect to the measurement of the ANGULAR INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION of a light, a set of measurements (horizontal

traverse) made by varying the horizontal orientation of the GONIOMETER with a fixed

vertical setting, or a set of measurements (vertical traverse) made by varying the vertical orientation with a fixed horizontal setting.

TRICHROMAT—A person whose vision is TRICHROMATIC. All color-normal people are trichromats, but not all trichromats are color-normal, since ANOMALOUS

TRICHROMATS also exist. TRICHROMATIC—Three-dimensional with respect to COLOR. Normal color vision is trichromatic; that is, there are three independent aspects in which color perceptions can

vary. One of the infinitely many possible specifications of these three dimensions is: HUE,

SATURATION, and BRIGHTNESS (or LIGHTNESS); another is: amount of redness,

amount of greenness, and amount of blueness. Some people (ANOMALOUS

TRICHROMATS) have vision that is trichromatic, but not normal. TRICHROMATISM—TRICHROMATIC vision or the condition of possessing such vision. TRISTIMULUS COLORIMETER—A COLORIMETER having as output a set of three numbers

specifying the COLOR of the measured light or material sample (reflecting or

transmitting). The numbers may be a set of TRISTIMULUS VALUES of the measured

color, or else a set of three numbers bearing a known mathematical relationship to a set of

tristimulus values. The only common type of tristimulus colorimeter is the FILTER

TRISTIMULUS COLORIMETER.

TRISTIMULUS VALUES—A set of three numbers that constitute a full specification of the

(psychophysical) COLOR of an illuminated object or patch of light (in the technical, three- dimensional sense that includes a measure of intensity). The tristimulus values for a light are calculated by weighting the SPECTRAL POWER DISTRIBUTION of the light by each one of a set of three COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS, and, for each function, totaUng

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the products across the entire visible SPECTRUM. The sums are (except for a possible constant factor) the tristimulus values. Each set of color-matching functions has associated with it a set of three PRIMARY colors, and the tristimulus values indicate the amounts of the three respective primaries needed in a match of the specified color by a mixture of the three primaries. The tristimulus values associated with the CIE 1931 color-matching

functions—the most widely used standard—are denoted X, Y, and Z. The primaries of the XYZ SYSTEM are "imaginary" (not physically producible) and were selected to generate a system having certain features convenient for computation. In particular, the Y tristimulus value plays a dual role. It is first of all an indicator of the amount of the green primary

needed in a match of the specified color, in relation to the magnitudes of X (amount of red primary) and Z (amount of blue primary). In addition, for objects that do not emit their own light, Y is equal to the LUMINOUS REFLECTANCE or luminous

TRANSMITTANCE of the object. For light sources, beams, or flashes, the absolute sizes of the tristimulus values may, at the user's option, be adjusted so that Y is equal to the absolute or relative LUMINANCE, luminous INTENSITY, or other appropriate luminous measure of the amount of the light. The tristimulus values are a good guide to the

(perceived) color a light or object will appear to have when seen alone against a dark

background by a normal observer adapted to darkness, but in general the color perceived

to belong to a patch of light or to an object is a function not only of its own psychophysical

color (tristimulus values), but also of the colors of other light patches or objects

simultaneously present in the background or viewed in the very recent past by the

observer. TRISTIMULUS VALUES OF THE SPECTRUM—Synonym for COLOR-MATCHING

FUNCTIONS. When two or more lights are mixed together, the TRISTIMULUS VALUES

of the combination must be equal to the sum of the tristimulus values of the component

lights because of the way tristimulus values are calculated (see sec. 6.3). Since any light can be thought of as composed of a mixture of single-wavelength lights, it follows that the values of the three COLOR-MIXTURE FUNCTIONS at any one wavelength can be

interpreted as the tristimulus values of a pure light of that wavelength. The RADIANCES

of the single-wavelength lights, which determine the absolute sizes of the tristimulus values

at each wavelength, are taken equal all across the SPECTRUM, in the standard CIE

functions. (This is called an "equal-energy" spectrum.)

TRITANOMALY—A rare form of defective TRICHROMATIC color vision characterized by some

tendency to confuse white and yellow, and also by some tendency to confuse certain shades

of blue and green. Sometimes inexactly referred to as "partial blue-blindness." TRITANOPIA—A rare form of DICHROMATIC color vision characterized by an absence of blue

or yellow HUE perceptions and a LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY function that may be slightly

below normal in the shortwave (blue) region of the SPECTRUM.

TUNGSTEN QUARTZ HALOGEN LAMP—A more explicit synonym for QUARTZ HALOGEN

LAMP.

V—Used as a subscript, the CIE symbol for luminous. Example: /y is the symbol for luminous

INTENSITY. The choice of the letter v presumably was made with the word "visual" in mind.

VER—Abbreviation for VISUAL EVOKED RESPONSE, a term commonly used in the literature of physiological psychology.

VERTICAL BEAMSPREAD—BEAMSPREAD in the vertical direction. When used without

specification of a particular horizontal azimuth angle, the term refers to the height of the beam in the vertical plane through the BEAM AXIS. The vertical beamspread measured

through the beam axis (zero horizontal azimuth) is frequently the widest vertical spread for any horizontal azimuth.

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VERTICAL INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION—The INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION of a light within a

vertical plane. When used without specification of a horizontal azimuth, the term refers to the intensity distribution in the plane containing the BEAM AXIS (zero horizontal azimuth).

VISIBILITY—An obsolete synonym for LUMINOUS EFFICIENCY. The term is also used in a number of other senses in the literature of vision and signal lighting, including use as a synonym for CONSPICUITY, VISUAL RANGE, and "atmospheric clarity."

VISUAL ANGLE—The angle SUBTENDED by an object at the eye of an observer. Visual angle

may be specified in terms of the SOLID ANGLE subtended by the entire surface of the

object, or, more commonly, by the planar (ordinary) angle subtended by the largest linear dimension of the object.

VISUAL EVOKED RESPONSE—Changes in the form or magnitude of the electrical waves

generated in the visual areas of the CORTEX of the brain as the result of the perception of

a visual STIMULUS. Usually abbreviated VER.

VISUAL RANGE—The maximum distance at which a light or an object can just barely be seen under given viewing conditions; the distance at which a light or an object reaches visual THRESHOLD. The visual range is affected by the brightness of the background, and so is very different at night and in the daytime. It also depends on the degree of haziness of the atmosphere through which the light is viewed.

W—Abbreviation for the watt, the SI unit of power (energy per unit time).

WAVEFORM—Synonym for PULSE SHAPE or FLASH PROFILE.

WL—Abbreviation used in this report for "Wohlers-Leupp," the names of the originators of the WOHLERS-LEUPP METHOD of calculating EFFECTIVE INTENSITY.

WOHLERS-LEUPP METHOD—A procedure developed by Wohlers and Leupp (1959) for calculating rapidly an approximate value of the EFFECTIVE INTENSITY of a ROTATING LIGHT. The method is based on approximating the ANGULAR INTENSITY

DISTRIBUTION (within the plane of rotation) or the TEMPORAL FLASH PROFILE of

the light (the two being equivalent for a rotating light) by the bell-shaped curve the area under which defines the ERROR FUNCTION (related to the NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

CURVE). Abbreviated in this report as the "WL method." a;—One of the CHROMATICITY COORDINATES associated with the CIE 1931 COLORMATCHING FUNCTIONS. It indicates the fractional (relative) contribution of the red PRIMARY required in a match of the specified light by a mixture of the three standard

primaries. It is plotted as the ABSCISSA of the CIE 1931 CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM.

X— One of the TRISTIUMULUS VALUES associated with the CIE 1931 COLOR-MATCHING

FUNCTIONS. It indicates the amount of the red PRIMARY required in a match of the

specified light by a mixture of the three standard primaries.

XYZ SYSTEM—The system of color specification embodied in the TRISTIMULUS VALUES (Z, Y, and Z) and CHROMATICITY COORDINATES {x, y, and z) calculated from the CIE

1931 COLOR-MATCHING FUNCTIONS.

J—One of the CHROMATICITY COORDINATES associated with the CIE 1931 COLORMATCHING FUNCTIONS. It indicates the fractional (relative) contribution of the green PRIMARY required in a match of the specified light by a mixture of the three standard

primaries. It is plotted as the ORDINATE of the CIE 1931 CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM.

y—One of the TRISTIMULUS VALUES associated with the CIE 1931 COLOR-MATCHING

FUNCTIONS. It indicates the amount of the green PRIMARY required in a match of the

specified light by a mixture of the three standard primaries. Because of the particular choice of primaries in the 1931 system, Y also indicates the percentage LUMINOUS

163
REFLECTANCE for reflecting objects; or the percentage luminous TRANSMITTANCE for transmitting objects; or, if the user so chooses, the absolute or relative LUMINANCE,

luminous INTENSITY, or other measure of amount of luminous output, for light sources,

light beams, or light signals.

z—One of the CHROMATICITY COORDINATES associated with the CIE 1931 COLORMATCHING FUNCTIONS. It indicates the fractional (relative) contribution of the blue PRIMARY required in a match of the specified light by a mixture of the three standard

primaries. The customary CHROMATICITY DIAGRAM is a plot of y against x, with no

direct representation of z, but z can be calculated by the relationship z—\-x-y.

Z—One of the TRISTIMULUS VALUES associated with the CIE 1931 COLOR-MATCHING

FUNCTIONS. It indicates the amount of the blue PRIMARY required in a match of the

specified light by a mixture of the three standard primaries.

CHAPTER 13. REFERENCES

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Research 25, p. 703.

Bartley, S. H. (1961). "A Qarification of Some of the Procedures and &)ncepts Involved in Dealing With the Optic Pathway." In R. Jung and H. Komhuber (Eds.), The Visual System: Neurophysiology and Psychophysics. SpringerVerlag, Berlin. Bedford, R. E., and Wyszecki, G. W. (1958). "Luminosity Functions for Various Field Sizes and Levels of Retinal Illuminance." Journal of the Optical Society ofAmerica 48 (6), p. 406.

Boisson, H., and Pages, R. (1964). "Determination du Seuil de Perception des Signaux Routiers." [Determination of the Threshold of Perception of Traffic Signals (in French).] In CIE Compte Rendu, ISth Session, Vienna 1963. Vol. D, p. 640. CIE Publication No. 11. Bureau Central de la CIE, Paris. Breckenridge, F. C. (1967). Colors of Signal Lights: Their Selection, Definition, Measurement, Production, and Use. National Bureau of Standards Monograph 75. Brown, J. L. (1965a). "The Structure of the Visual System." In C. H. Graham (Ed.), Vision and Visual Perception. Wiley, New York. Brown, J. L. (1965b). "Flicker and Intermittent Stimulation." In C. H. Graham (Ed.), Vision and Visual Perception. Wiley, New York. CIE (1970). International Lighting Vocabulary, 3rd ed. CIE Publication No. 17. Bureau Central de la CIE, Paris. CIE (1971). Colorimetry: Official Recommendations of the International Commission on Illumination. CIE Publication No. 15. Bureau Central de la CIE, Paris. CIE (1975). Colors of Light Signals: Official Recommendations of the International Commission on Illumination. CIE

Publication No. 2.2. Bureau Central de la CIE, Paris. Cohen, J., and Gordon, D. (1949). "The Prevost-Fechner-Benham Subjective Colors." Psychological Bulletin 46 (2), p. 97. Crawford, A. (1962). "The Perception of Light Signals: The Effect of the Number of Irrelevant Lights." Ergonomics 4 (3),

p. 417.

Crawford, A. (1963). "The Perception of Light Signals: The Effect of Mixing Flashing and Steady Irrelevant Lights." Ergonomics 6 (3), p. 287.

Douglas, C. A. (1957). "Computation of the Effective Intensity of Flashing Lights." Illuminating Engineering LII (12), p. 641. Douglas, C. A. (1958). "Photometer for Measurement of Effective Intensity of Condenser-Discharge Lights." Illuminating Engineering LIII (4), p. 205. Edwards, R. A. (1971). "The Relative Conspicuides of Flashing Lights by a Comparison Method." In Symposium at Imperial CoUege (London), The Perception and Application of Flashing Lights. University of Toronto Press, Toronto.

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Gerathewohl, S. J. (1953). "Conspicuity of Steady and Flashing Light Signals: Variation of Contrast." Journal of the Optical

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164
Graham, C. H. (1965a). "Some Fundamental Data." In C. H. Graham (Ed.), Vision and Visual Perception. Wiley, New

York. Graham, C. H. (1965b). "Perception of Movement." In C. H. Graham (Ed.), Vision and Visual Perception. Wiley, New

York.

Guilford, J. P. 0954). Psychometric Methods. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Hecht, S., and Hsia, Y. (1945). "Dark Adaptation Following Light Adaptation to Red and White Lights." Journal of the Optical Society ofAmerica 35 (4), p. 261.

Illuminating Engineering Society (1964). "lES Guide for Calculating the Effective Intensity of Flashing Signal Lights." Illuminating Engineering LIX (11), p. 747.

Illuminating Engineering Society (1972). lES Lighting Handbook, 5th ed. Illuminating Engineering Society, New York. Kinney, J. A. S. (1958). "Comparison of Scotopic, Mesopic, and Photopic Spectral Sensitivity Curves." Journal of the Optical Society ofAmerica 48 (3), p. 185.

Projector, T. H. (1953). "Versatile Goniometer for Projection Photometry." Illuminating Engineering XLVlll, p. 192.

Projector, T. H. (1957). "Effective Intensity of Flashing Lights." Illuminating Engineering III (12), p. 630.

Projector, T. H., Laufer, M. K., and Douglas, C. A. (1944). "An Improved 'Zero-Resistance' Circuit for Photo-Cell Photometry." Review of Scientific Instruments 15, p. 107. SAE (1972). "Flashing Warning Lamps for Authorized Emergency, Maintenance and Service Vehicles." SAE Standard J595b. Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa. SAE (1977). "Color Specification for Electric Signal Lighting Devices." SAE Standard J578c. Society of Automotive

Engineers, Warrendale, Pa. Sharma, S. C, and Yorke, H. C. (1971). "A Study of the Apparent Flicker Rate at Sub-Fusional Frequencies." In Symposium at Imperial College (London), The Perception andApplication ofFlashing Lights. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. (Original publication by Adam Hilger, London.) Symposium (1971), at Imperial College (London). The Perception and Application of Flashing Lights. University of Toronto

Press, Toronto. (Original publication by Adam Hilger, London.) Wabh, J. W. T. (1953). Photometry. Constable and Co., London. [Third edition (1958) of this book was reprinted in paperback by Dover Publications, New York (1965).] Weitzman, D. 0., and Kinney, J. A. S. (1967). "Appearance of Color for Small, Brief, Spectral Stimuli, in the Central Fovea." Journal of the Optical Society ofAmerica 57 (5), p. 665.

Wohlers, M. R., and Leupp, H. A. (1959). "Effective Intensity of Certain Types of Rotating Beacons." Illuminating Engineering LTV (7), p. 412. Woodson, W. E. (1954). Human Engineering Guide for Equipment Designers. University of California Press, Los Angeles. [Second edition, same title and publisher: Woodson, W. E., and Conover, D. W. (1970).] Woodworth, R. S., and Schlosberg, H. (1954). Experimental Psychology, rev. ed. Holt, New York.

Wyszecki, G., and Stiles, W. S. (1967). Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulas. Wiley, New

York.

165

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