Vision-based pedestrian detection: the protector system

This paper presents the results of the first large-scale field tests on vision-based pedestrian protection from a moving vehicle. Our PROTECTOR system combines pedestrian detection, trajectory estimation, risk assessment and driver warning. The paper pursues a "system approach" related to the detection component. An optimization scheme models the system as a succession of individual modules and finds a good overall parameter setting by combining individual ROCs using a convex-hull technique. On the experimental side, we present a methodology for the validation of the pedestrian detection performance in an actual vehicle setting. We hope this test methodology to contribute towards the establishment of benchmark testing, enabling this application to mature. We validate the PROTECTOR system using the proposed methodology and present interesting quantitative results based on tens of thousands of images from hours of driving. Although results are promising, more research is needed before such systems can be placed at the hands of ordinary vehicle drivers.