Traffic Signal/Road Marking Detection and Processing

Traffic Signal/Road Marking Detection and Processing

Humans have visual cues that they naturally use to perceive their motion through the environment. There are numerous human factors that are associated with being able to navigate a vehicle safely while adhering to signal lights, signs and other traffic road markings. There needs to be vast improvement in the way that information is presented to drivers for many reasons. One example is that the placing of the sun during a particular part of the day prohibits one from distinguishing whether a traffic light is green or red. The elderly have difficulties reading certain signs or differentiating among the color of signal lights, even with their glasses on. Most everyone has less visual acuity at night and certain road markings or traffic lights are harder to perceive. Color blind people canÕt always tell the difference between a red light and a green light, and they may also have a hard time seeing brake lights, blinkers, etc. All of the situations mentioned above can lead to serious fatal accidents. Extensive research in this area has been conducted for many years and is still going on today.

Driving is a complex task which involves a variety of interactive parallel and serial processes that depend on various visual functions. Vision plays a vital role in safe, proficient driving even though there are other sensory and motor systems that are used in driving. It has been estimated that 90% of the information used in driving is visual and that visual information alone might be sufficient for safe driving (Fox, 1997). Beyond these general statements, it has been difficult to determine what specific visual skills are used for driving that are important.

Safe and efficient driving is Òa matter of perceptual-motor sensitivity to perceptual laws of locomotion in a spatiotemporal fieldÓ (Fox, 1997). Specifically, the driver must be aware of two fields: (1) the field of safe travel and (2) the minimum stopping zone. The field of safe travel refers to a field surrounded by actual and potential obstacles to locomotion. The minimum stopping zone refers to a field that is determined by variables like speed, visual/road conditions, etc. Car crashes occur when another car or stationary object is not perceived accurately. In order to guide a vehicle, the driver must (1) abstract important sensory information from the environment, (2) process this information accordingly to complete visuospatial tasks and (3) act accordingly to achieve task goals.