Patent ID: 9418303
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: G06K

Claim Text:
1. A method of traffic sign recognition that analyzes and classifies image data provided by a sensor in an information processing unit, wherein an initial image detail that sufficiently probably contains an image of an entire actual traffic sign belonging to a particular class of traffic signs is determined from results of an analysis of the image data, a class-specific feature of the entire actual traffic sign is identified in the initial image detail at a location away from a geometric center of the entire actual traffic sign relative to an outer border of the entire actual traffic sign that extends around an outer perimeter of the entire actual traffic sign, the initial image detail is modified by shifting the class-specific feature so as to thereby produce a modified image detail that contains an image of an entire modified traffic sign, which corresponds to the image of the entire actual traffic sign except that the class-specific feature has been shifted to a geometric center of the entire modified traffic sign relative to the outer border thereof in the modified image detail and thereby replaces what is at the geometric center of the entire actual traffic sign in the initial image detail, and except that at least one adjacent image region is padded with filler pixels, wherein the at least one adjacent image region is adjacent to the class-specific feature in the entire modified traffic sign in the modified image detail, and the modified image detail is submitted to a classificator which evaluates the image of the entire modified traffic sign with the class-specific feature at the geometric center of the entire modified traffic sign in the modified image detail by a learning-based algorithm to recognize the entire modified traffic sign.