- Home
- Companies
- National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
- News
- Shedding light on displays
Shedding light on displays
Sunlight is annoying when it makes it hard to read an e-mail. It can be dangerous if a driver can't see a dashboard display at speed. NPL is developing techniques which will lead to improved readibility of displays in a range of lighting conditions.
Responding to the emergence of display technology in everything from mobile phones and cars to billboards and buses, NPL is using light measurement techniques to develop specifications for display readability and luminance (brightness). The first project for NPL’s new displays team is to measure readability in top-end sports cars using techniques based on military calibration methods.
Using NPL’s specifications, manufacturers will be able to identify the most appropriate display settings for different situations and give suppliers clear guidance on which displays are suitable for their products.
Sensing the sun in their eyes, evaluating the visibility of a display is difficult. The challenge increases in a moving car, where shifting reflections from bodywork, windows and passengers can affect visual performance. The geometry of different vehicles makes it even harder.
“It is also important to factor in human perception because not everyone will see a display in the same way,” notes NPL research scientist Ken Vassie.
Vassie and his team pioneered NPL’s new Ambient Illumination Laboratory (AIL), the only commercial facility of its kind in Europe. It provides the ability to simulate any illumination scenario under which a display will be used.
Measurements are taken of the spectral content and luminance of the display, the illumination of the environment, light falling on the display and in the user’s field of view.
The AIL can help any organisation use visual displays to maximum effect, from passenger information at railway stations to advertising hoardings on the road.
Customer comments
No comments were found for Shedding light on displays. Be the first to comment!