The United States Sign Council Foundation announces a new $160,000 LED EMC lighting level study. The purpose of the study is to determine the optimal lighting levels for on-premise electronic message centers (EMC), based upon traffic safety principles, for both day and night viewing hours. The research will be conducted at the Larson Transportation Institute of Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania.
The research goal is to determine the maximum lighting level (luminance) for LED EMC signs to insure adequate sign and letter legibility from the perspective of the motorist. A single luminance value for nighttime and daytime will be established as the very outside maximum level for LED EMC signs, beyond which it will be recommended that LED EMC signs should not operate.
The research will be approached from the viewpoint of traffic safety and coordinates with previous on-premise sign research that the Foundation has conducted. The final recommendations, based on the research, will be simple to understand and will apply to real world applications.
Although the primary focus of this research is to establish one maximum luminance value for LED EMC signs at night (regardless of design, color or manufacturer), daytime brightness will also be included and will be tested in Phase II of the project.
This study will address this critical question: What level of sign brightness (luminance) is appropriate for the motorist (night or day) in terms of visibility, legibility, and traffic safety?
The expected date of completion of the study is late spring of 2013.
The United States Sign Council (USSC) is an association of sign professionals dedicated to providing research and education to all who are involved in the sign industry. Membership is open to any person or firm concerned with the advancement of the sign industry, particularly as such advancement impacts professional growth, positive public perception, and on-going educational and training programs.
For more information, call 215/785-1922 or visit www.ussc.org.
Photo provided by Ad-Tech International/Formetco.
