Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Spatial light field metrics such as mean cylindrical illuminance provide essential information for qualitative lighting evaluation, yet they remain far less common in practice than horizontal illuminance. To address this gap, we present a multi-sensor prototype that simultaneously measures horizontal illuminance Eh and approximates mean cylindrical illuminance Ez from a set of vertical illuminances uniformly spaced around a cylindrical surface. The device uses a flexible PCB wrapped around a support barrel and an inertial and magnetic measurement unit for orientation tracking. The measurements enable direct calculation of the modelling factor defined in the technical standard EN 12 464 and visualization of directional light distribution using polar plots and illuminance solid. Results show that the prototype approximates mean cylindrical illuminance with high accuracy while preserving directional information, allowing the illuminance solid to be decomposed into vector and symmetric components. Compared with conventional approximation methods, the proposed multi-sensor approach reduces spatial error and yields richer data for lighting analysis. These findings indicate that multi-sensor systems can bridge the gap between theoretical spatial metrics and practical photometry and support the improved modelling evaluation and integration of qualitative lighting parameters into routine workflows.
Source: Sensors
DOI: 10.3390/s26061991
Authors: Michal Kozlok, Marek Balsky, Petr Zak
Institution: Czech Technical University in Prague
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
Award: G2077884811
OpenAlex ID: W7140079983