Visibility of Pavement Markings with LED Headlamps

Mitsuhiro Uchida; Yasushi Kita; Takako Minoda(Kimura); Ryuji Ueki; Shoko Kawanobe

doi:10.4271/2014-01-0438

LEDs offer great advantages such as low power consumption and compact size. In addition to the physical benefits, however, they also boast 1.2times the feeling of brightness compared with halogen bulbs, as shown in previous research, and the colors of LED sources have been shown to stand out better than other sources (halogen and HID) used for traffic signs, offering superior perceived Clarity and sharpness.

As well as traffic signs, it is essential to be able to see pavement markings clearly when driving an automobile.

In this study, tests were carried out on public roadways using automobiles installed with halogen, HID and LED-based headlamps. It was found that the LED sources were found to provide the clearest illumination of the white lines.

White lines on an actual road surface were also illuminated with halogen, HID and LED lamps in order to compare the effects of these sources on the visibility of the white lines by static evaluation.

The results indicate that the LED sources provided a greater improvement in the visibility of the white lines than the other (halogen and HID) sources. This suggests that LED sources may be able to aid drivers in judging the curvature of roads since they improve the visibility of the white lines.

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Visibility of Pavement Markings with LED Headlamps 2014-01-0438

SAE MOBILUS