The power of Coral Edge TPU and Ultralytics all in one place: edge-tpu-silva.

Our edge-tpu-silva is a Python package that simplifies the installation of the Coral TPU USB dependency and ensures compatibility with PyCoral and Ultralytics. This package empowers object detection, segmentation and classification capabilities on various edge devices to achieve higher FPS (Real Time Processor Speed).

Hardware Requirement

Coral USB Accelerator Exclusivity:

The edge-tpu-silva library is purpose-built for seamless integration with the Coral USB Accelerator. This powerful hardware accelerator is not just a requirement but a strategic choice, unlocking the library's full potential for superior object detection, segmentation and classification.

Discover the Coral USB Accelerator and experience a tailored approach to edge computing with the edge-tpu-silva library.

Do This Before Installing the Package

The package edge-tpu-silva is only compactible with python versions <3.10. Install specific python version if your python version is not compatible.

Example: For Raspberry Pi you can Click For instructions on how to install specific python version using pyenv

Note: Python 3.6 to 3.9 is Recommended, Click on link above on how to install specific python version

Note: Be sure your Raspberry Pi is up to date. To do so, run below command in terminal.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

Installation

Run the bash code below in your terminal to create and activate a new virtual environment named .venv. Ensure you are in the specific directory you want this environment to be installed.

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Installation

Step 1: Install edge-tpu-silva

To install edge-tpu-silva, use the following pip command in a specified python environment:

pip install edge-tpu-silva

Step 2: Run Setup Command

System Compatibility

This table provides an overview of the compatibility of the system with different devices and operating systems.

	Compatibility	Setup Command
Raspberry Pi 5	✔	silvatpu-linux-setup
Raspberry Pi 4	✔	silvatpu-linux-setup
Raspberry Pi 3	✔	silvatpu-linux-setup
Jetson Nano	✔	silvatpu-linux-setup
Windows	❌
macOS	❌

In order to configure setup tools for your system, run the setup command in the terminal after step 1 is completed.

Example: If you are on a Raspberry Pi 5, run below command in the terminal following step 1.

silvatpu-linux-setup

The command installs the standard Edge TPU runtime for Linux, running the device at a reduced clock frequency. Alternatively, you can install a version for maximum speed, but be cautious of increased power consumption and device heat. If unsure, stick to the reduced frequency for safety. To install maximum frequency runtime, specify the speed of the setup command to max.

silvatpu-linux-setup --speed max

You cannot have both versions of the runtime installed at the same time, but you can switch by simply installing the alternate runtime as shown above

Caution: Using the USB Accelerator at maximum clock frequency can make it dangerously hot. To prevent burn injuries, keep it out of reach or operate it at a reduced clock frequency.

Note: Please ensure that you have the Coral USB Accelerator connected through usb 3.0 port (for faster speed). If the Coral USB Accelerator was connected during the installation and setup, please disconnect and reconnect it to ensure proper configuration.

Models

To unleash the power of object detection, segmentation, and classification with this library, you'll need an Edge TPU-compatible .tflite model. These models should be exported using Ultralytics, ensuring a seamless integration with the edge-tpu-silva library.

NOTE: Please be aware that the imgsz value specified during YOLO export should align with the same value used when defining imgsz for any of the processes. Consistency in these settings is crucial for optimal performance.

Smaller models will run faster but may have lower accuracy, while larger models will run slower but typically have higher accuracy. Explore the capabilities of edge computing with below models using edge-tpu-silva library.

Download Link	Process	Base Model	imgsz	Object Classes
Download Model	Detection	yolov8n.pt	240	COCO128
Download Model	Segmentation	yolov8n-seg.pt	240	COCO128
Download Model	Detection	yolov8n.pt	192	COCO128
Download Model	Segmentation	yolov8n-seg.pt	192	COCO128
Download Model	Classification	yolov8n-cls.pt	640	ImageNet
Download Model	Detection	yolov9c.pt	240	COCO128

NOTE: The YOLOv9 model, particularly the YOLOv9c.pt version, is substantial in size, which leads to its TensorFlow Lite version also being quite large. As a result, its processing speed on an Edge TPU is comparatively slower.

Usage

Object Detection Process

To perform object detection using the process_detection function, you can follow this example:

from edge_tpu_silva import process_detection

# Run the object detection process
outs = process_detection(model_path='path/to/your/model.tflite', input_path='path/to/your/input/video.mp4', imgsz=192)

for _, _ in outs:
  pass

Running process_detection in the Terminal: Using the Entry Point "silvatpu"

To perform object detection with the process_detection function from the command line, you can use the user-friendly entry point silvatpu. Here's an example command:

silvatpu -p det -m path/to/model.tflite -i path/to/input/video.mp4 -z 192 -t 0.5 -v True

Object Segmentation Process

To perform object segmentation using the process_segmentation function, you can follow this example:

from edge_tpu_silva import process_segmentation

# Run the object segmentation process
outs = process_segmentation(model_path='path/to/your/model.tflite', input_path='path/to/your/input/video.mp4', imgsz=192)

for _, _ in outs:
  pass

Running process_segmentation in the Terminal: Using the Entry Point "silvatpu"

To perform object segmentation with the process_segmentation function from the command line, you can use the user-friendly entry point silvatpu. Here's an example command:

silvatpu -p seg -m path/to/model.tflite -i path/to/input/video.mp4 -z 192 -t 0.5 -v True

Process detection, segmentation and classification Function Input Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default Value
model_path	Path to the object segmentation model.	-
input_path	File path of image/video to process (Camera(0|1|2)).	-
imgsz	Defines the image size for inference.	-
threshold	Threshold for detected objects.	0.4
verbose	Display prints to the terminal.	True
show	Display frame with segmentation.	False
classes	Filters predictions to a set of class IDs.	None

Process detection, segmentation and classification Function Output

Each process function yields the following output:

Output Parameter	Description
objs_lst	List of objects detected in frame.
fps	Frames per second (fps) of the processed frame.

Example usage:

from edge_tpu_silva import process_detection

# Run the object detection process
outs = process_detection(model_path='path/to/your/model.tflite', input_path='path/to/your/input/video.mp4', imgsz=192)

for objs_lst, fps in outs:
    # Access the output parameters as needed
    print(f"Processed frame with {len(objs_lst)} objects. FPS: {fps}")
    print("List of object predictions in frame:")
    print(objs_lst)

Contribution

Contributions are welcome! If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Python Package Index Maintainer(s) (c) [2024] David Nyarko