Efficient YOLOv7-Drone: An Enhanced Object Detection Approach for Drone Aerial Imagery

In recent years, the rise of low-cost mini rotary-wing drone technology across diverse sectors has emphasized the crucial role of object detection within drone aerial imagery. Low-cost mini rotary-wing drones come with intrinsic limitations, especially in computational power. Drones come with intrin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Drones (Basel) 2023-10, Vol.7 (10), p.616
Main Authors: Fu, Xiaofeng, Wei, Guoting, Yuan, Xia, Liang, Yongshun, Bo, Yuming
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Aerial photography
Computational efficiency
Context
Convolution
Data loss
Deep learning
drone aerial imagery
Drone aircraft
Drones
Efficiency
feature fusion
Image enhancement
Image resolution
Low cost
Methods
Modules
Neural networks
object detection
Object recognition
Sensors
small object
Telematics
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Summary:In recent years, the rise of low-cost mini rotary-wing drone technology across diverse sectors has emphasized the crucial role of object detection within drone aerial imagery. Low-cost mini rotary-wing drones come with intrinsic limitations, especially in computational power. Drones come with intrinsic limitations, especially in resource availability. This context underscores an urgent need for solutions that synergize low latency, high precision, and computational efficiency. Previous methodologies have primarily depended on high-resolution images, leading to considerable computational burdens. To enhance the efficiency and accuracy of object detection in drone aerial images, and building on the YOLOv7, we propose the Efficient YOLOv7-Drone. Recognizing the common presence of small objects in aerial imagery, we eliminated the less efficient P5 detection head and incorporated the P2 detection head for increased precision in small object detection. To ensure efficient feature relay from the Backbone to the Neck, channels within the CBS module were optimized. To focus the model more on the foreground and reduce redundant computations, the TGM-CESC module was introduced, achieving the generation of pixel-level constrained sparse convolution masks. Furthermore, to mitigate potential data losses from sparse convolution, we embedded the head context-enhanced method (HCEM). Comprehensive evaluation using the VisDrone and UAVDT datasets demonstrated our model’s efficacy and practical applicability. The Efficient Yolov7-Drone achieved state-of-the-art scores while ensuring real-time detection performance.
ISSN:2504-446X
2504-446X
DOI:10.3390/drones7100616