CBGS-YOLO: A Lightweight Network for Detecting Small Targets in Remote Sensing Images Based on a Double Attention Mechanism

With the continuous progress of remote sensing technology, the demand for means of detecting small targets in remote sensing images is escalating. The significance of detecting small targets in remote sensing images lies in enhancing the ability to identify small and elusive targets and the detection accuracy against complex backgrounds, holding significant application value in military reconnaissance, environmental monitoring, and disaster early-warning systems. Firstly, the minuteness of certain targets in relation to the entire image in which they occur, particularly when the camera is situated at a higher altitude, renders them difficult to detect. Secondly, the varying background and lighting conditions in remote sensing images further complicate the detection task. Conventional target detection methods are frequently incapable of addressing these complexities, resulting in a reduction in detection accuracy and an increase in false alarms. Hence, in this paper, we propose a lightweight remote-sensing image target detection network model, CBGS-YOLO, created by introducing the Ghost module to decrease the model parameters, applying the SPD-Conv module to optimize downsampling, and integrating the convolutional block attention module to enhance detection accuracy. The experimental outcomes demonstrate that CBGS-YOLO outperforms other models when applied to the DB_Licenta and USOD datasets, significantly enhancing detection performance for small targets. Compared with YOLOv9, this model can reduce the number of parameters from 7.10 M to 5.12 M, and the average precision (mAP) is effectively improved. The model strengthens the ability to identify small targets against complex backgrounds while maintaining lightweight properties and possesses remarkable application prospects and practical value.