Traffic sign detection in dual-focal active camera system

Traffic sign recognition systems can be applied to assist drivers and improve the traffic safety. High resolution image of traffic sign can improve the recognition result, especially for some complex traffic signs. In this paper, a dual-focal active camera system is proposed to obtain a high resolution image of traffic sign. In the system an active telephoto camera is equipped as an assistant of a wide angle camera. To make the proposed system correctly capture a high resolution image of traffic sign, the shape, color features and the relationship between continuous frames are used together in the traffic sign detection. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method makes the dual-focal active camera system effectively work when the system is installed on an automobile and moves on the road.