JPH0261065B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an optical character reading device that can read smaller-sized forms.

Conventionally, in optical character reading devices (hereinafter referred to as OCR), the size of forms that can be read is naturally limited due to electrical and mechanical limitations of OCR. For this reason, it has been impossible for the above-mentioned OCR to read a form whose size does not meet the above-mentioned limitations.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical character reading device that can widen the size of forms that can be read.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 11 indicates a photoelectric conversion section. The photoelectric conversion unit 11 has a function of scanning a document to be conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance thereof and outputting a photoelectric conversion signal VD that is binary-coded into white and black. 12 indicates a rewritable memory. This memory 12 has a function of storing the photoelectric conversion signal VD for one scan sent from the photoelectric conversion section 11 based on the write signal WR. 14 indicates an address counter for the memory 12. The address counter 14 is controlled by an address control signal AD, a write signal WR, and a one-scan end signal ES. The control circuit 13 has the function of controlling the entire device, and has the function of controlling the entire device.
4 is supplied, and the contents of the memory 12 can be read out as appropriate. 15 indicates a line buffer. This line buffer memory 15
is a photoelectric conversion signal output from the photoelectric conversion unit 11
VD or a photoelectric conversion signal VD1 outputted via the memory 12 and control circuit 13 is supplied, and the photoelectric conversion pattern for at least one read line in the form is stored.
Reference numeral 16 indicates a row address counter for the line buffer 15. This row address counter 16 is controlled by the control signal SC and one scan end signal ES from the control circuit 13.
It has a function of specifying the row address of the line buffer 15. 17 indicates a line address counter. This line address counter 17
is count-controlled by the control signal SC and write signal WR from the control circuit 13, and has the function of specifying the line address of the line buffer 15. Note that the write signal WR is also supplied to the line buffer 15. 18 indicates a recognition section. This recognition unit 18 is connected to the line buffer 1.
It has the function of cutting out one line of photoelectrically converted character patterns written on the screen 5 into individual character patterns, recognizing them, and outputting the recognition results as answers.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained. Figure 2A
shows the smallest form 21 according to the specifications of forms that can be conventionally read, and the horizontal and vertical lengths are indicated by x1 and y1, respectively. Further, an arrow 22 indicates the scanning direction in the photoelectric conversion section, and an arrow 23 indicates the conveyance direction of the form 21.

In Fig. 2B, the above-mentioned minimum form 2, which could not be conveyed and read in the past.
1, the horizontal and vertical lengths are x2 (x2<x1) and y2 (y2<y1), respectively.
is shown. Form 24 of this size
can be transported, for example, by reversing the length and width as shown in FIG. 2C. In the present invention, it is possible to read such small-sized forms that can be transported with the length and width reversed. In FIG. 2C, an arrow 25 indicates the scanning direction of the photoelectric conversion unit in the present application, and an arrow 26 indicates the conveyance direction of the form 24.

FIG. 3 is for schematically explaining the operation of the present application. The form 24 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow 27 and scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow 28 and for a period of time indicated by the arrow. That is, it shows the scanning area. Further, an arrow 29 indicates a storage area within one scanning line stored in the memory 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, if the form 24 is smaller than the specified size, it is transported to the photoelectric conversion unit 11 with its length and width reversed with respect to the transport direction 27 compared to the normal case. The control circuit 13 executes a write control operation of the line buffer 15 in the vertical/horizontal conversion mode based on, for example, a switch signal from the outside. That is,
The control circuit 13 controls the memory 12 to store the photoelectric conversion signal VD output from the photoelectric conversion section 11 in the memory 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the memory 12 stores a character pattern for one scan (29) which has a margin slightly larger than the horizontal length y2 of the form 24 in one scan (28) of the photoelectric conversion unit 11. Store. In this case, the control circuit 13 controls the address counter 14 based on information about the length y2 of the form 24 given in advance, and controls writing a predetermined one-scan character pattern into the memory 12 (the first Time t of write timing signal MM in Figure 4
). This writing is in memory 12
When the memory 1 is completed, the control circuit 13 controls the memory 1
The contents written in the form 24 are read out based on the field data of the form 24 given in advance.
The read photoelectric conversion signal VD1 is written into the line buffer 15 after vertical and horizontal conversion. That is, the control circuit 13 controls the row and line address counters as follows. By setting the contents of the line address counter 17 to "0" in advance and sequentially counting up the row address counter 16, the photoelectric conversion signal VD1 read out by the control circuit 13 is written. and,
The address counter 14 is activated by the 1-scan end signal ES.
is cleared. Next, in the same manner as above, memory 1
The photoelectric conversion signal VD1 written to the line address counter 17 and read out by the control circuit 13 is written to the line buffer 15 by incrementing the line address counter 17 by 1 and sequentially incrementing the row address counter 16. By repeating this operation, the line buffer 15 has
The character pattern for one line after vertical/horizontal conversion is stored, as if the form 24 had been transported normally. Also, once the memory 12
Although it takes time for the control circuit 13 to read out part of the contents written in the line buffer 15 and write it to the line buffer 15, the memory 12 and control circuit 1 as described above are
3, the time required to write to the line buffer 15 is shorter than in the normal mode in which a form of a specified size is used. The photoelectric conversion signal for one scan stored in the memory 12 has a smaller amount of data than the photoelectric conversion signal for one scan output from the photoelectric conversion section 11 in the normal mode. In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, the time remaining after subtracting the writing time t for the form 24 from the normal scanning time T indicated by the interval of the signal ES indicating the end of one scan is used. do. This timing is shown in signal TR in FIG. This time (T-t)
In this case, the time T is longer than the width of the maximum form, and t is small compared to that, so there is enough time. Then, 1 written to the line buffer 15 in this way
The photoelectrically converted character pattern for each line is recognized by the recognition unit 1.
8, character patterns are cut out in character units and recognized.

In the above embodiment, only one line's worth of content is written into the line buffer 15, but if the length of the read line is short, some percentage of the content of the line buffer 15 will be left over. in this case,
The control may be such that the contents of several lines are written into the line buffer 15.

On the other hand, if the standard is met with a form larger than the minimum form 21, the memory 12 and address counter 14 are not operated, the control circuit 13 controls the row and line address counters 16 and 17, and the photoelectric conversion unit 11 outputs photoelectric conversion signal
Write VD directly to line buffer 15. That is, the contents of the row address counter 16 are set to "0" in advance, and the contents of the line address counter 17 are set to "0" in advance.
By sequentially counting up the photoelectric conversion signal VD for one scan (28 scans in FIG. 3), the photoelectric conversion signal VD is written into the line buffer 15. Then, the contents of the row address counter 16 are set to "1" and the photoelectric conversion signals for the next one scan are written in the same manner as described above. By repeating this operation, a pattern for one line is written into the line buffer 15.

In this type of OCR, a form that is smaller than the smallest form is transported vertically and horizontally upside down, and vertical/horizontal conversion is performed using the idle time of one scan, so it is less time consuming and more efficient than conventional methods. Can be processed well. Further, the present application is particularly effective in cases where only a reasonably large form can be read (unable to be transported) or when it can be transported by reversing the length and width.

As described above, according to this description, it is possible to provide an optical character reading device that can provide a wide range of document sizes that can be read.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of an OCR according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 A, B, and C are diagrams each showing a specific example of a form, and Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the embodiment. 4 are timing charts of the same embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Photoelectric conversion part, 12... Memory, 13... Control circuit, 14... Address counter, 15... Line buffer, 16... Row address counter, 17... Line address counter, 18... Recognition part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A photoelectric conversion means that scans the surface of a form that is conveyed and inputted in a predetermined conveyance direction and outputs a photoelectric conversion signal; When the photoelectric conversion signal is outputted from the photoelectric conversion means during the vertical/horizontal conversion mode in which the small-sized form is conveyed and inputted, one scan of the photoelectric conversion signal corresponding to the length of the small-sized form in the scanning direction is sequentially performed. a memory means for storing the character pattern formed by the photoelectric conversion signal outputted from the photoelectric conversion means, a line buffer means for storing at least one line of a normal size form based on regulations; When in use, the photoelectric conversion signal corresponding to the normal size form conveyed in the predetermined conveyance direction is read out from the photoelectric conversion means and stored in the line buffer means, and when in the vertical/horizontal conversion mode, the small size form is The photoelectric conversion signal corresponding to the form is read from the memory means, and by controlling the line address and row address of the line buffer means, the photoelectric conversion signal read from the memory means is subjected to vertical and horizontal conversion processing, and then transferred to the line buffer means. and a recognition means for cutting out a character pattern in units of characters from the character pattern for one line stored in the line buffer means and performing character recognition processing. Characteristic optical character reading device.