Shielding screen

Shielding screens for traffic lights

Canadian traffic light with tunnel shield. These traffic lights are like pedestrian signals behind the intersection.

The shielding screen (also sun shade or shade for short ) is an attachment part of a traffic light system , a flashing light system at the level crossing or a railway signal . It protects the light fields of the signal system from direct sunlight and prevents the creation of phantom light due to the shadowing . It also prevents dirt or snow from covering the light fields.

If a screen is missing, the road user or the driver can no longer correctly recognize the light signal under unfavorable conditions, which causes a misinterpretation of the light signal. A shielding screen can only be dispensed with in exceptional cases, with correspondingly insensitive light fields (LED signal) or at low driving speeds.

Californian traffic light with the screen closed at the bottom due to the early and late position of the sun.

The same design principle has headlamp screens in passenger cars ; however, these have no technical, but purely cosmetic function.

Norms and standards

Germany

• Guidelines for traffic light systems (RiLSA)

Web links

• Further information on the screen