How Traffic Sign Recognition Works
Security Systems,  Car device

How Traffic Sign Recognition Works

The most common cause of road traffic accidents is speeding. This leads not only to damage to vehicles, but also to serious health consequences for drivers and passengers. One of the systems developed for the prevention of road accidents is the traffic sign recognition system, which helps to monitor the permissible speed and regulate the movement of the vehicle.

What is Traffic Sign Recognition System

The development is designed to increase road safety and make driving easier. Engineers create solutions that will automatically recognize road signs, record information about permissible speeds and restrictions, including direction of movement, the presence of intersections, train passes and other data.

The more warnings the system receives from the external environment, the more reliable the car and the driving process becomes. It is physically difficult for the driver to monitor all the parameters of the road, especially on long journeys. The software solution is able to solve the problem of inattention and reduce the influence of the human factor while driving.

Traffic sign recognition is one of the essential ingredients for self-driving cars. The machine must independently determine the markings, restrictions, signs and traffic conditions.

Appointments and main functions

Since the majority of accidents are considered to be a violation of the speed limit, engineers at car companies set out to eradicate this problem. For this, a character recognition system is installed in the machine. The main functions of which:

  1. Definition and confirmation of road sign information.
  2. Search for information in the database and notify the driver.
  3. Warning by light or sound signal if the speed does not change.

The capabilities of systems depend on generations of development. Initial solutions could only recognize speed limiters, overtaking prohibitions and some additional signs. Modern systems can decode information about residential areas, the beginning and end of a settlement, the end of a restricted zone, no entry, and much more.

The systems are at an early stage of development, which affects the accuracy of the detection of signs and their decoding. There is also the concept of blind spots, when sensors cannot read information.

Structural elements of the system

The system operates on the basis of a complex hardware and software complex. Standard structural elements:

  • Video camera - usually located on the windshield and designed to detect road signs.
  • Control unit - receives information from the camera, processes images and searches for matches with the database. If a limitation is detected, the information is sent to the display.
  • Display for information output - designed to display the final information regarding the speed limit, features of movement on the route. If the driver does not respond to system notifications, sound or light signals appear.

Special requirements are imposed on the quality of the camera's shooting. The car is moving at high speed, therefore good optics with high image resolution are required for object recognition.

Logic and working principle

A step-by-step description of the object detection logic:

  1. The camera analyzes the environment and reads road sign data.
  2. The system detects a shape similar to a sign.
  3. Recognition of color and the presence of additional symbols.
  4. Search for matches in the database.
  5. Informing the driver through the display.

The sequence for recognizing the type of character:

  1. Determination of the shape: circle, rectangle, square.
  2. Color gamut analysis.
  3. Reading of symbols or inscriptions on the sign.
  4. Comparison of the actual speed with the allowable speed.

If the driving speed exceeds the limit on the road section, the system notifies the driver. In other cases, the display simply shows information about the speed mode.

Similar developments from different car manufacturers

Most modern companies are engaged in the development of sign recognition systems. Solution names from different manufacturers:

  • Speed Limit Assist from Mercedes-Benz.
  • Road Sign Information from Volvo.
  • Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) found in cars such as Audi, Ford, BMW, Volkswagen.
  • Vauxhall Eye from the manufacturer of the same name.

The difference between the systems lies in the quality of the equipment used and the logic of operation of the algorithms for recognizing objects on the road.

Advantages and disadvantages

The use of character recognition systems has a number of advantages:

  • Tracking the permissible speed.
  • Increase vehicle safety, reduce the likelihood of accidents.
  • Improving the comfort of using the vehicle.

Among the key shortcomings, it is necessary to highlight the problems of recognizing signs in blind spots, especially when they are installed with violations. With the development of software solutions, the driver will receive recommendations not only regarding speed, but also the rules of safe driving.

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