Road intersection detection using the YOLO model based on traffic signs and road signs

Abstract

A road intersection is an area where more than two roads in different directions connect. It is a point of transition where the driver navigates and makes the decision, making it an area with a high risk for traffic accidents. Road intersection detection is identifying and analyzing road intersections in real time using various technologies and algorithms. It is an essential part of intelligent transportation systems and autonomous driving. Road intersection detection helps the driver to identify the road intersection early to make good driving decisions and avoid accidents. Despite its high importance, only a few research is found regarding this topic. Existing research mainly focuses on detecting and classifying traffic signs, vehicles, and pedestrians. In this research, we propose an algorithm to detect road intersections using an image from the front-facing camera installed on the car as an input. We use traffic sign detection to detect seven types of traffic signs having a high probability of intersection nearby and combine it with our novel road intersection detection algorithm to detect the location of the road intersection. Our road inter-section detection algorithm leverages the relationship between the area of the traffic signs and the location of the intersection. Our proposed method gives promising results from the experiments and can detect road intersections from further distances. Our method is also able to perform detection in real time.