DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects

To enable accurate and efficient real-time detection of rail fastener defects under resource-constrained environments, we propose DP-YOLO, an advanced lightweight algorithm based on YOLOv5s with four key optimizations. First, we design a Depthwise Separable Convolution Stage Partial (DSP) module tha...

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Main Authors: Lihua Chen, Qi Sun, Ziyang Han, Fengwen Zhai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Sensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/7/2139
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author Lihua Chen
Qi Sun
Ziyang Han
Fengwen Zhai
author_facet Lihua Chen
Qi Sun
Ziyang Han
Fengwen Zhai
author_sort Lihua Chen
collection DOAJ
description To enable accurate and efficient real-time detection of rail fastener defects under resource-constrained environments, we propose DP-YOLO, an advanced lightweight algorithm based on YOLOv5s with four key optimizations. First, we design a Depthwise Separable Convolution Stage Partial (DSP) module that integrates depthwise separable convolution with a CSP residual connection strategy, reducing model parameters while enhancing recognition accuracy. Second, we introduce a Position-Sensitive Channel Attention (PSCA) mechanism, which calculates spatial statistics (mean and standard deviation) across height and width dimensions for each channel feature map. These statistics are multiplied across corresponding dimensions to generate channel-specific weights, enabling dynamic feature recalibration. Third, the Neck network adopts a GhostC3 structure, which reduces redundancy through linear operations, further minimizing computational costs. Fourth, to improve multi-scale adaptability, we replace the standard loss function with Alpha-IoU, enhancing model robustness. Experiments on the augmented Roboflow Universe Fastener-defect-detection Dataset demonstrate DP-YOLO’s effectiveness: it achieves 87.1% detection accuracy, surpassing the original YOLOv5s by 1.3% in mAP0.5 and 2.1% in mAP0.5:0.95. Additionally, the optimized architecture reduces parameters by 1.3% and computational load by 15.19%. These results validate DP-YOLO’s practical value for resource-efficient, high-precision defect detection in railway maintenance systems.
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spelling doaj-art-696d2307afe84ceda4d49fbcaacbbfb02025-08-20T03:03:24ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-03-01257213910.3390/s25072139DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener DefectsLihua Chen0Qi Sun1Ziyang Han2Fengwen Zhai3School of Information Science & Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaSchool of Electronics and Information Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaSchool of Electronics and Information Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaSchool of Electronics and Information Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaTo enable accurate and efficient real-time detection of rail fastener defects under resource-constrained environments, we propose DP-YOLO, an advanced lightweight algorithm based on YOLOv5s with four key optimizations. First, we design a Depthwise Separable Convolution Stage Partial (DSP) module that integrates depthwise separable convolution with a CSP residual connection strategy, reducing model parameters while enhancing recognition accuracy. Second, we introduce a Position-Sensitive Channel Attention (PSCA) mechanism, which calculates spatial statistics (mean and standard deviation) across height and width dimensions for each channel feature map. These statistics are multiplied across corresponding dimensions to generate channel-specific weights, enabling dynamic feature recalibration. Third, the Neck network adopts a GhostC3 structure, which reduces redundancy through linear operations, further minimizing computational costs. Fourth, to improve multi-scale adaptability, we replace the standard loss function with Alpha-IoU, enhancing model robustness. Experiments on the augmented Roboflow Universe Fastener-defect-detection Dataset demonstrate DP-YOLO’s effectiveness: it achieves 87.1% detection accuracy, surpassing the original YOLOv5s by 1.3% in mAP0.5 and 2.1% in mAP0.5:0.95. Additionally, the optimized architecture reduces parameters by 1.3% and computational load by 15.19%. These results validate DP-YOLO’s practical value for resource-efficient, high-precision defect detection in railway maintenance systems.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/7/2139rail fastener defects detectionlightweightYOLOv5sattention mechanismstatistical information weighted feature maps
spellingShingle Lihua Chen
Qi Sun
Ziyang Han
Fengwen Zhai
DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects
Sensors
rail fastener defects detection
lightweight
YOLOv5s
attention mechanism
statistical information weighted feature maps
title DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects
title_full DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects
title_fullStr DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects
title_full_unstemmed DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects
title_short DP-YOLO: A Lightweight Real-Time Detection Algorithm for Rail Fastener Defects
title_sort dp yolo a lightweight real time detection algorithm for rail fastener defects
topic rail fastener defects detection
lightweight
YOLOv5s
attention mechanism
statistical information weighted feature maps
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/7/2139
work_keys_str_mv AT lihuachen dpyoloalightweightrealtimedetectionalgorithmforrailfastenerdefects
AT qisun dpyoloalightweightrealtimedetectionalgorithmforrailfastenerdefects
AT ziyanghan dpyoloalightweightrealtimedetectionalgorithmforrailfastenerdefects
AT fengwenzhai dpyoloalightweightrealtimedetectionalgorithmforrailfastenerdefects