Robust weapon detection in dark environments using Yolov7-DarkVision

Abstract

Currently, weapon detection through video surveillance has been extensively studied using deep learning techniques by researchers. However, limited attention has been given to the detection of weapons in night time or dark scenarios. This paper aims to address this gap by proposing a novel approach for weapon detection specifically modified for low-light conditions. The authors demonstrate accurate and robust detection of weapons in challenging nighttime environments by modifying the deep learning model YOLOv7. The YOLOv7-DarkVision model has been developed by combining a brightening algorithm with the advanced image processing techniques and architecture of YOLOv7. A dataset of 15,367 images were collected for training of the model, along with five dark videos from various sources for performance evaluation. The derived detection model, which has a precision score of 95.50% and an F1-Score of 93.41%, performs absolutely well as a weapon detector.