2-16

I E S LIGHTING HANDBOOK
visibility meter. Both filters are calibrated, one in numbers (1-20) repre-
senting the size (minutes) of the test object reduced to threshold during
calibration by each setting of the filter, and the other in recommended
footcandles.
The footcandle scale is calibrated arbitrarily on the assumption that 10
footcandles is a conservative illumination for reading 8-point (3.7 minute
size) black Bodoni type on white paper. For normal eyes the visibility of
this reading task under 10 footcandles is chosen as a conservative standard
by the designers. The user of the meter may, if he wishes, choose another
standard (20 footcandles for example) and multiply scale readings by the
new standard divided by 10 (scale reading
X 20/10).
6
?
5
UJ
Q 3
LUCKIESH-MOSS
\ VISIBILITY METER
\ 100% CONTRAST
V
\
\
\
98% PERFORMANCE
(BRITISH CRITERIA)
SIZE, CONTRAST,
y" TIME AND
^
BRIGHTNESS
^^s
-v
I 5 10 50 100 1000
ILLUMINATION IN FOOTCANDLES
FIG. 2-14A. Luckiesh-Moss visibility meter showing graduated density filters.
B. Comparison of footcandle recommendations obtained from a nomograph (Fig.
2-12) and by means of the Luckiesh-Moss visibility meter.
When the background brightness equals that used in calibrating the
meter (usually 8 footlamberts) the observer by adjusting the filters so that
the visibility of a new task is reduced to threshold may equate the task
visibility to that of a standard test object under the recommended value
of illumination. In Fig. 2-145 the footcandles required for the 98 per
cent performance obtained using the nomogram (Fig. 2-12) are compared
with the footcandles obtained with this visibility meter.