Patent ID: 8136969

Claim:
A method for optimizing nighttime visibility of objects on a roadway or path, the method comprising the steps of: activating at least two variable lighting elements in a continuous synchronized relationship wherein a first variable lighting element is a street light and provides object luminance (Lo) to an object on the ground and a second variable light element provides background luminance (Lb); and synchronizing the timing and sequence of intensity of each variable lighting element with the other variable lighting element to optimize the Weber Contrast (|(Lo−Lb)/Lb|) of the object on the ground, wherein in a first cycle, the first variable lighting element has a relatively high lighting intensity in a first direction and the second variable lighting element has a relatively low lighting intensity in a second direction, wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction, and in a second cycle, the first variable lighting element has a relatively low lighting intensity in the first direction and the second variable lighting element has a relatively high lighting intensity in the second direction.