JPH0212390A - Character-string area extracting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To correctly extract a character-string area even when character-strings in two horizontal and vertical directions are written adjacently by using information related to an effective range of the character-string related to each symbol of each connection and a kind of the character-string which can be brought to notation. CONSTITUTION:The title device is provided with a character-string area candidate extracting means 1, a character recognizing means 2, a character connecting relation extracting means 3, a character information storage part 4, a character-string information extracting means 5, a character-string information storage part 6, and a character- string area extracting means 7. In this state, by utilizing information related to the effective range of a character-string related to each symbol or each connected and the kind of the character-string which can be brought to notation, and determining a character-string area alternately in order of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, or the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, characters overlapped and contained in two character-string areas are determined surely to the character of one character-string area. In such a way, even when character-strings in two horizontal and vertical directions are written adjacently, the character-string area can be extracted correctly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Industrial Application The present invention includes a symbol or a connection line, which is a line segment representing a connection relationship between symbols, and a character string written in two directions, horizontally and vertically. Extract a character string area from an image such as a drawing that is located nearby and has a rule that the types of character strings that can be written in the valid range of character strings, which is a predetermined range, are limited for each symbol or connection. The present invention relates to a character string region extracting device.

Conventional technology Conventionally, methods for extracting character string regions from images such as drawings that include character strings written in two directions, horizontal and vertical, include: (1) Setting a priority direction to extract a character string region; A method of extracting a character string area in that preferred direction, and then extracting a character string area from the remaining characters in the other direction (2) Extracting character string area candidates in two directions, horizontal and vertical, There is a method of determining a character string area including a character included in character string area candidates in two directions based on character recognition results in two directions, horizontal and vertical. FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the processing in the first conventional example, and FIG. 4 is a pattern diagram explaining the flow. Although only the case where the preferential direction for extracting a character string area is horizontal is shown here, the same applies to the case where the preferential direction is vertical. FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of processing in the second conventional example, and FIG. 6 is a pattern diagram explaining the flow. In Figure 6, the character "C" and the character "F" are once included in the character string area in two horizontal and vertical directions, but based on the results of character recognition in the two horizontal and vertical directions, the characters in the direction with high confidence are Determined as characters in the string area.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the first conventional example, there is a problem in that when character strings are written close to each other in two directions, horizontal and vertical, the character string area cannot be extracted correctly.

Furthermore, in the second conventional example described above, an error in character string area extraction may occur when there is no difference in the reliability of candidate characters in the horizontal and vertical directions for characters included in the character string area in the horizontal and vertical directions. There was a problem that occurred.

In view of the above problems, the present invention utilizes information regarding the effective range of character strings and types of character strings that can be written for each symbol or each connection, and uses information regarding the effective range of character strings and types of character strings that can be written for each symbol or each connection, and when character strings in two directions, horizontal and vertical, are written close to each other. However, the present invention provides a character string region extracting device that can correctly extract character string regions.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, a character string region extraction device of the present invention includes a character string region candidate extraction means, a character recognition means, a character connection relation extraction means, a character information storage unit, , a character string information storage section, and a character string area extraction means.

Effect: With the above-described configuration, the present invention utilizes information regarding the effective range of character strings and types of character strings that can be written for each symbol or each connection, and alternately performs horizontal direction, vertical direction, or vertical direction, and horizontal direction in this order. By determining the character string areas, it becomes possible to reliably determine characters that are included in two character string areas overlappingly into characters in one character string area.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a character string region extraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of processing of a character string region extracting device in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, 1 includes symbols or connections, which are line segments representing the connection relationship between symbols, and character strings written in two directions, horizontally and vertically, located near the symbols or connections, and within a predetermined range. Horizontal and
Character string region candidate extraction means extracts a sequence of adjacent characters within a certain threshold area in each vertical direction; 2 character recognition means recognizes characters within the extracted character string region candidates; 3 character recognition means 4 is a character information storage unit that stores the result of character recognition and the connection relationship between characters; 5 is a character information storage unit that stores the result of character recognition and the connection relationship between characters; Character string information extraction means for extracting the valid range of columns and types of character strings that can be written; 6 is a character string information storage unit that stores character string information; 7 is a means for extracting character string information using character information and character string information; This is a character string area extraction means that alternately determines character string areas in the vertical direction or in the vertical and horizontal directions. Note that here, the solid line indicates the flow of control, and the broken line indicates the flow of data. FIG. 2 is a pattern diagram illustrating the flow of character string region extraction in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 2, R1°R2, R3
is a symbol, SCI, SC2 and SC3 are character string area candidates, C1 to 09 are character areas that make up the character string, A1
, A2, and A3 are valid ranges of character strings related to R1, R2, and R3, respectively, and Sl, S2, and S3 are extracted character string regions. The operation will be explained below using FIGS. 1 and 2. First, the character string region candidate extracting means 1 extracts character string region candidates sci and SC2 by extracting a sequence of characters whose regions are adjacent in the horizontal direction, and then extracts character string region candidates S by the same method in the vertical direction.
Extract C3. Next, the character recognition means 2 recognizes the characters within the character string area candidate in the direction of the character string area candidate, and stores the recognition result in the character information storage section 4. The character connection relation extraction means 3 extracts the connection relations between characters using the position information of the recognized characters, and stores the information in the character information storage section 4. Here, the character string area candidate SCI converts the character areas CI, C2, C3, and C4 into the character string area candidate S
C2 includes character areas C5, C6, and 07, and character string area candidate SC3 includes character areas CI, CB, 09, and C4. Furthermore, the character string information extraction means 5 uses each symbol or each connection and position information to extract the valid range of character strings and the types of character strings that can be written. Here, the effective range of character strings AI, A2, and A3 and the type of character string that can be expressed as "numeric string in thousands" are extracted. This character string information is stored in the character string information storage section 6. Finally, character string area extraction means 7
In this method, a character string area is extracted using character information and character string information. In the first extraction of a character string area in the horizontal direction, there are SCI and SC2 as target character string area candidates. SCI is written in the valid range A3 of the character string related to R3, but since the recognition result of the first character CI of the character string is not a number, it does not fit into the types of character strings that can be written and is not extracted as a character string area. On the other hand, S.C.
2 is written in the effective area AI of the character string related to R1, and the type of character string that can be written is also ``Number string (10) +
unit (Ω). Therefore, character areas C5, CB, C
A character string area Sl containing 7 is extracted.

Note that the character area C included in the character string area candidate SC3
5 will be omitted, and SC3 will consist of character areas CI, CB, and CB. In the first extraction of a character string area in the vertical direction, SC3 is a target character string area candidate. SC3 is written in the effective area person 2 of the character string related to R2, and the type of character string that can be written is "number string (20) in thousands (Ω)".

Therefore, the character string area S including the character areas C11C8 and C9
2 is extracted. Note that the character area C1 included in the character string area candidate SC1 is omitted, and the SCI is the character area C2,
It will be composed of C3 and C4. In the second extraction of a character string region in the horizontal direction, Sol is a target character string region candidate. In the SCI, the character string related to R3 is written in the dynamic area A3, and the type of character string that can be written is ``Parameter string (30) thousand units (Ω).'' Therefore, the character string 02.03, A character string area S3 including C4 is extracted. By the above method, the character string area S1
, S2, and S3 are extracted.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention includes a character string region candidate extraction means;
By providing a character recognition means, a character connection relation extraction means, a character information storage section, a character string information storage section, and a character string area determination extraction, it is possible to detect connections, which are line segments indicating symbols or connection relations between symbols. , horizontal fist i'i! Includes character strings written in two directions, is located near a symbol or connection, and the types of character strings that are written in the valid range of the character string that is a predetermined turn are limited for each symbol or connection. Using information about the valid range of character strings for each symbol or each connection and the types of character strings that can be written, from images of drawings etc. that have the rule, character strings in two directions (horizontal and vertical) are written close to each other. The string area can be extracted correctly even in the case of

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a character string region extraction device in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a pattern diagram illustrating the flow of character string region extraction in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of processing in the first conventional example, Fig. 4 is a pattern diagram explaining the flow of the first conventional example, and Fig. 5 is a block diagram of processing in the first conventional example.
The figure is a block diagram of processing in the second conventional example, and FIG. 6 is a pattern diagram explaining the flow of the second conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Character string area candidate extraction means, 2... Character recognition means, 3... Character connection relationship extraction means, 4... Character information storage section, 5... Character string information extraction means, 6. . . . Character string information storage unit, 7 . . . Character string area extraction means. Figure Figure Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] It includes a symbol or a line segment that represents a connection relationship between the symbols, and a character string written in two directions, horizontally and vertically,
An image of a drawing or the like that is located near the symbol or the connection and has a rule that the type of character string written in a predetermined valid range of character strings is limited for each symbol or connection. character string region candidate extraction means for extracting a sequence of characters whose regions are adjacent in each horizontal and vertical direction; character recognition means for recognizing characters in the extracted character string region candidates; and connections between characters. a character connection relation extraction means for extracting relationships; a character information storage section for storing the result of the character recognition and the connection relations between the characters; Using a character string information storage unit storing the type of character string, the character information, and the character string information, a character string area is determined horizontally and vertically or alternately in the vertical and horizontal directions. A character string region extracting device comprising a character string region extracting means, and capable of determining characters duplicately included in the character string region candidates in two horizontal and vertical directions as one character string region.