Connected Vehicle Applications for Adaptive Lighting

Final Report

Abstract

Adaptive Lighting refers to an emerging technology where lighting systems are tailored to the needs of the environment. In the case of roadway lighting, this would imply dimming or shutting off lighting when it is not required. This technology is enables through the utilization of recently developed electronic ballasts for the lighting system and controllers that can provide dimming capability. In addition to dimming, instant on and off capability can be achieved through the implementation of solid state or induction lighting technology which do not require a warm up period as traditional lighting system require. This instant on and off leads to the ultimate extension of adaptive lighting which is “Lighting on Demand” where the lighting system is triggered by the presence of a vehicle. This adaptive lighting process requires a selection of the light output level based on a series of inputs. These inputs include the traffic volume, vehicle speed, ambient weather conditions, and the presence of pedestrians. Once the lighting level is selected this is then implemented on the roadway through a luminaire control system. A fully controllable lighting system has already been implemented on the Virginia Smart Road which coincides with one of the connected vehicle test beds. In terms of refining this process, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) is performing a major research project, funded by the Federal Highway Administration, which includes an evaluation of crashes under a variety of traffic and lighting conditions and a series of in-situ measurements of the lighting system performance. This effort is designed to establish the link between lighting level and traffic safety. This project will also establish the criteria used to select the required lighting level which establishes the required inputs for the lighting system. The application of connected vehicle (CV) technologies would be to gather the require roadway usage data as inputs to the system. Traffic volume, vehicle speed, and pedestrian volume all have the potential to be captured through CV technologies. There are a multitude of benefits which result from the implementation of adaptive lighting including a reduction in light pollution and maintenance. The most significant result of adaptive lighting technology is energy savings. It is estimated that a lighting system can be dimmed to a 50% level for at least 50% of the system burn time. This represents a 25% energy savings in the lighting system cost. In 2001 it was estimated that outdoor lighting in the United States used 57.35 Terawatt-hours of electricity costing 5.9 billion dollars. A 25% energy savings through adaptive lighting technology translates to a 1.49 billion dollar savings in electricity.

Highlights

• Survey results indicate acceptance of the on-demand lighting concept with participants often rating the system to be safe for the speeds they were driving (35 and 55mph).
• Participants were able to detect pedestrians on the side of the road under the on-demand conditions nearly as well as under the continuous lighting conditions, but the differences were not statistically significant.
• These results indicate there is potential to utilize this system to reduce the cost of operating overhead street lighting while maintaining the safety benefits of the lighting.

Publications

Palmer, M. E., Gibbons, R. B., Jahangiri, A., (2016, January), “On-Demand Roadway-Lighting System Effect on Visual Performance and Public Impressions”, Published within the proceedings of the 95th TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Palmer, Matthew E., Gibbons, Ronald B., Ph.D., Arash Jahangiri, (2015, January), “An Experimental On-Demand Roadway-Lighting System”, Published within the proceedings of the 94th TRB Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

M.E. Palmer, R. B. Gibbons, C. Connell, A. Jahangiri (2014, November), Development of an On-Demand Roadway-Lighting System, Published within the proceedings of the Illuminating Engineering Society’s 2014 Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.

Presentations

Palmer, M. E., Gibbons, R. B., Jahangiri, A., (2016, January), “On-Demand Roadway-Lighting System Effect on Visual Performance and Public Impressions”, Paper presented at the 95th TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Palmer, Matthew E., Gibbons, Ronald B., Ph.D., Arash Jahangiri, (2015, January), “An Experimental On-Demand Roadway-Lighting System”, Paper presented at the 94th TRB Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

Palmer, M. E., Gibbons, R. B., Connell, C., Jahangiri, A. (2014). “Development of an on-demand roadway-lighting system”. Paper presented at the Illuminating Engineering Society’s 2014 Annual Conference. Pittsburgh, PA. Accepted August 2014.

Project Information

Start date: 2012/9/3
End date: 2013/9/2
Status: Active
Contract/Grant Number: 0031370150000
Secondary Number: 54-6001805
Total Dollars: $150,000
Source Organization: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
Date Added: 08/20/2012

Sponsor Organization

Research and Innovative Technology Administration
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
USA

UTC Grant Manager

Harwood, Leslie
Phone: 540-231-9530
Email: lharwood@vtti.vt.edu

Performing Organization

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
3500 Transportation Research Plaza
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
USA

Research Investigators

Gibbons, Ronald
Medina, Alejandra

Subjects

Design
Operations and Traffic Management
Safety and Human Factors
Energy
Environment

More Information

RiP URL
Project Poster
TriD Format