Measurement of Visibility through Spray
Abstract
The ability of an operator of a motor vehicle to detect hazards is very dependent upon one's visual performance, ambient lighting levels, and atmospheric conditions. If that person is not able to obtain enough information because of inadequate lighting, rain, splash and spray, etc., a hazardous situation could escape detection. While static visual acuity is one measure of visual performance, good acuity, by itself, cannot guarantee that a driver will be able to detect hazards in less than optimal viewing conditions. This thesis attempts to predict the effect of visual impairment from simulated levels of splash and spray on target vehicle identification distances. Five levels of hand held spray simulation frames were used to compare image digitization methods with visual performance (Snellen acuity or contrast sensitivity) assessment to predict a drivers ability to identify an oncoming target vehicle. The image digitization process was found to be highly correlated with actual target vehicle identification distances. Additionally, very high correlations were found between Snellen acuity and contrast sensitivity and identification distance. There did not seem to be any great difference in predictive power of either method of visual performance assessment over the other.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA227689
Entities
People
- Bruce A. Wright
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology