LED Display

LED Display for VMS

»Application requirement
Reliable DMS Products Built to ITS Industry Standards
Since 1988, Daktronics has led the way in DMS product development. Vanguard® products fit any ITS application and offer industry-critical reliability, legibility, and serviceability.

Front Access
Daktronics designed front access DMS for simple maintenance, durability and impressive versatility.


Walk-In
This display's popular walk-in, masked face design provides excellent legibility and safer maintenance.


Rear Access
This full-featured rear access DMS has a masked
face and sliding rear doors for easy access to internal components.

Retrofit
Cost-effective solution to prolong the life of your display and also the opportunity to upgrade your display.
»Solution proposal
• Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Daktronics recommends LED displays employed in ITS applications use high-quality, latest-generation AlInGaP (aluminum, indium, gallium, phosphide) technology to maximize visibility. AlInGaP LEDs ensure the display consumes less power yet produces light brighter than obsolete fiber optic, incandescent bulb, and reflective disk displays.

For maximum LED lifetime brightness, Daktronics recommends the LED manufacturer's specifications always be followed when determining display drive current, which in most cases is 30 milliamps.


• Pixels
Daktronics DMS provide full pixel monitoring. Operators will always know if pixels have failed, and they can adjust text accordingly or instantly send maintenance crews.



• Modules
 DMS modules are easy to install and remove thanks to convenient DMS features such as walk-in cabinets, front- and rear-access doors and front-access louvers. Daktronics designs its DMS modules with reliability and durability in mind.



• Resolution
Resolution means the number of pixels in the physical area of the DMS. The greater the number of pixels per square foot, the greater the amount of detail displayed.
Factoring in viewing distance, DMS used in roadway applications typically do not require resolutions of less than 20 mm. The three examples below show MUTCD-approved graphics as if they were displayed on a five-foot-high DMS.


 

 

66 mm
21 pixels per sq foot
(929.03 cm2)

34 mm
85 pixels per sq foot
(929.03 cm2)
 
20 mm
236 pixels per sq foot
(929.03 cm2)

• Graphic
Graphics greatly improve DMS message legibility. A recent University of Rhode Island study found that motorists react 35% faster on average when the text message includes a standard MUTCD graphic symbol. The human brain decodes symbols or icons much more quickly than text. Other benefits of graphics:
   - 94% of study subjects preferred graphical DMS to text-only DMS.
   - Improves recognition among non-native English speakers.
   - Strongly decreases the time older drivers need to comprehend messages.

Road work

No hitch hiking

Stop light

Road construction


• Character heights
ITS displays use a standard 18-inch character height, although that can deviate depending on the display's resolution. Some Daktronics DMS are available in character sizes such as 12 inch, 9 inch, or 6 inch. Any character, however, can be doubled (or more) in size.
For example, 9-inch characters can be doubled in height to produce 18-inch characters; that character would contain more pixels and thus be clearer than a standard 18-inch character.

66mm character height rendering 46mm character height rendering   34mm character height rendering  20mm character height rendering

18"/66 mm

 

18"/46 mm

 

18"/34 mm

 

18"/20 mm


• Viewing Angles
DMS signs have varying viewing angles to offer the best balance between form and function; these angles can meet the needs of many drivers in diverse driving situations. The graphic shows all three angles as they could be applied to a highway system. This graphic is not to scale, but it can be used for estimating the viewing angle that your highway or roadway needs.

viewing cone rendering example



• Viewing Distance
The maximum distance travelers can identify a message on a DMS is called legibility distance. There are no indications in the MUTCD of how bright the LEDs on a DMS should be, but Daktronics strongly recommends a display brightness of at least 9,200 cd/m². All DMS should have intensity adjustment to optimize legibility in all ambient light levels.
      Viewing distance chart


• Communication 
Daktronics Vanguard® DMS use a number of communications methods to control DMS network's content and internal systems, including the Vanguard® Central Control Software.
Contact Daktronics to find out more about what communication method could work best for your project including dial-up, cellular, fiber, Ethernet, direct, or radio.

 NTCIP stands for National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol. It allows interoperability among various manufacturers of ITS products such as DMS, cameras, signals, and communication methods such as fiber, radio, Ethernet, etc.