Switch On The Lights

It was the world's first Formula One race under the night sky, and Asia's maiden F1 grand prix on public streets. And now, the SingTel Singapore GP is set to record another milestone on Friday - it will be the first time F1 cars are driven from day into night. While last year's first practice session lasted from 7pm to 8.30pm at the Marina Bay street circuit, this year's is scheduled to start at 6pm and end at 7.30pm.

This is according to the tentative timetable issued by the sport's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA). As dusk will fall shortly after 7pm, championship leader Jenson Button of Brawn and the other 19 drivers will start lapping the circuit in full daylight, stay on as it turns to dusk, and return to the pits for good only when the session ends after nightfall.

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The level of lighting quality increases the well-being of drivers, resulting in traffic safety. Roads must be uniformly lit to ensure safety and driving at 240 mph from full daylight to dusk is a challenge. A big change in illuminance can cause our eyes to shut for a second or two due to our scopotic and photopic vision. This momentarily blindness can be fatal for drivers on high speed.

The next time you travel into and out of a tunnel, check out the lighting. When entering the tunnel, you would probably have extra lighting to balance the illuminance outside and inside the tunnel, and the extra lighting gradually dims as you continue your journery in the tunnel. Before exiting, the lighting is increased to prepare your eyes to the brightness outside the tunnel. This is done to prevent your eyes from shutting momentarily due to sudden change in brightness.

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FORMULA 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix Lighting System
Lighting System
· Horizontal aluminium truss (10m high) supported by vertical steel pylons (32m apart) supported by a footing system with steel plates
· Truss to carry power cables, fibre optic cables, light projectors and DigiColor units
· Centrally controlled by DigiLux System

Light projectors
· Placed 4m apart on the truss
· 2,000 Watt metal Halide lamp
· 4,200 Kelvin degrees

Luminosity
3,000lux levels (four times brighter than the lights at sports stadiums)

Power Supply
12 sets of twin generators
· One generator can produce the energy required for the entire system in the assigned area
· Each generator can take the load of both generators should its twin generator fail

Total power required: 3,180,000 Watts

Total length of aluminium truss: Approx. 6,300m
No. of Steel Pylons: Approx. 230
No. of Light Projectors: Approx. 1,500
Total length of power cables: Approx. 110,000m
Total length of optic cables: Approx. 27,000m
Lighting consultant: Valerio Maioli S.p.A

Learning Labs - On Light and Color

Are you keen to learn about color?

These links will bring you to a world of light and color.

Precise Color Communication

The Language of Light

Enjoy the journey.

Radiometry and Photometry

Lighting terms can be rather technical and confusing. This may help.

Radiometry is the science of the measurement of electromagnetic (EM) radiation. The broader spectrum covered by the science of radiometry is based on physical constants.

The properties of concern to us here are radiated power and its spatial and angular distributions. The four basic concepts are:

1. Radiant Flux
2. Radiant Intensity
3. Radiance
4. Irradiance

Photometry is defined as the measurement of electromagnetic energy that is visible to the human eye.

In 1942 the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) convened to define the response of the average human eye. They defined the Standard Luminosity Function also known as the Photopic curve and the Scotopic curve.

Photometric quantities are derived from radiometric quantities by utilizing a filter which approximates the behavior of the average human eye as defined by the CIE.

A radiometer is a device that measures the intensity of radiant energy. A majority of radiometers utilize only a single sensor whether photocell, photo-multiplier tube (PMT), etc. An optical filter is normally used when measuring radiation emitted from a specific spectrum or to incorporate the radiometer within a certain spectral response.

Radiometers are commonly used to quantify light or energy outside the visible spectrum, i.e., ultraviolet and infrared. Depending on the specific application, different filters with specific spectral responses are used.

A photometer is defined as an instrument for the measurement of visible light. The most common types are the luminance and illuminance meters.

The basic difference between photometers and radiometers is that the photometer incorporates a filter which follows the CIE Standard Luminosity Function Vλ curve (shown below).

Konica Minolta Sensing Inc published a booklet - The Language of Light which helps make the complicated lighting terminology simple for applicators.

Write to me if you need a copy.