FPGA based traffic sign detection for automotive camera systems

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have become very prominent in todays automobiles. The technological advancement of already familiar assistance systems enable the car to now autonomously assess the current situation and react accordingly. In terms of data processing, there is no difference between actually acting i.e. accelerating, braking or steering and just issuing warnings to alert the driver of a dangerous situation. In this paper, we introduce a camera based image processing system for traffic sign detection for FullHD resolution. This system is able to detect speed limit traffic signs but additional traffic signs can be implemented using the same model. The hardware components consist of a Microblaze softcore from Xilinx and an extended IP core for HDMI-in and out signals. The system is implemented on a a Spartan-6-FPGA. For image acquisition, an off-the-shelf car camera is used. The developed system is able to reliably detect traffic signs on short distances on static images as well as on image streams.