Object detection and depth estimation approach based on deep convolutional neural networks

Abstract

In this paper, we present a real-time object detection and depth estimation approach based on deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We improve object detection through the incorporation of transfer connection blocks (TCBs), in particular, to detect small objects in real time. For depth estimation, we introduce binocular vision to the monocular-based disparity estimation network, and the epipolar constraint is used to improve prediction accuracy. Finally, we integrate the two-dimensional (2D) location of the detected object with the depth information to achieve real-time detection and depth estimation. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves better results compared to conventional methods.