Traffic Light and Back-light Recognition using Deep Learning and Image Processing with Raspberry Pi

Traffic light detection and back-light recognition are essential research topics in the area of intelligent vehicles because they avoid vehicle collision and provide driver safety. Improved detection and semantic clarity may aid in the prevention of traffic accidents by self-driving cars at crowded junctions, thus improving overall driving safety. Complex traffic situations, on the other hand, make it more difficult for algorithms to identify and recognize objects. The latest state-of-the-art algorithms based on Deep Learning and Computer Vision are successfully addressing the majority of real-time problems for autonomous driving, such as detecting traffic signals, traffic signs, and pedestrians. We propose a combination of deep learning and image processing methods while using the MobileNetSSD (deep neural network architecture) model with transfer learning for real-time detection and identification of traffic lights and back-light. This inference model is obtained from frameworks such as Tensor-Flow and Tensor-Flow Lite which is trained on the COCO data. This study investigates the feasibility of executing object detection on the Raspberry Pi 3B+, a widely used embedded computing board. The algorithm’s performance is measured in terms of frames per second (FPS), accuracy, and inference time.