Analysis of Market-Ready Traffic Sign Recognition Systems in Cars: A Test Field Study

Darko Babić,Mario Fiolić,Dario Babić,Željko Šarić

doi:10.3390/en14123697

Abstract

Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) represents a collection of vehicle-based intelligent safety systems. One in particular, Traffic Sign Recognition System (TSRS), is designed to detect and interpret roadside information in the form of signage. Even though TSRS has been on the market for more than a decade now, the available ones differ in hardware and software solutions they use, as well as in quantity and typology of signs they recognize. The aim of this study is to determine whether differences between detection and readability accuracy of market-ready TSRS exist and to what extent, as well as how different levels of “graphical changes” on the signs affect their accuracy. For this purpose, signs (“speed limit” and “prohibition of overtaking”) were placed on a test field and 17 vehicles from 14 different car brands underwent testing. Overall, the results showed that sign detection and readability by TSRS differ between car brands and that even small changes in the design of signs can drastically affect TSRS accuracy. Even in a controlled environment where no sign has been altered, there has been a 5% margin of misread signs.

Highlights

Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Citation: Babić, D.; Babić, D.; Fiolić, Abstract: Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) represents a collection of vehicle-based intelligent safety systems
The results of this study show that Traffic Sign Recognition System (TSRS) accuracy differs between car brands and graphical clarity of the sign
The results suggest that even small changes in the design of a sign, such as the change of the outline color or a minor change in the symbol, can drastically affect TSRS accuracy

Summary

Introduction

Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Citation: Babić, D.; Babić, D.; Fiolić, Abstract: Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) represents a collection of vehicle-based intelligent safety systems. The aim of this study is to determine whether differences between detection and readability accuracy of market-ready TSRS exist and to what extent, as well as how different levels of “graphical changes” on the signs affect their accuracy For this purpose, signs (“speed limit” and “prohibition of overtaking”) were placed on a test field and 17 vehicles from 14 different car brands underwent testing. Common ADAS functions include adaptive speed control, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, automatic high beam assist, traffic sign recognition, pedestrian and object detection, automatic emergency braking, etc. All these functions base their operations on different cameras, RADARs, LIDARs and other sensors which “scan” the environment around the vehicle in order to gather the needed information. Since the efficiency of such systems majorly depends on the data collected from the surrounding environment, it is clear that different road infrastructure elements, such as traffic signs or road markings, provide necessary cues to human drivers and to built-in vehicle technologies

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Discussion

Conclusion