JPH06342471A - Method for analyzing shape characteristic of graphic or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To objectively evaluate shape by analyzing a shape characteristic based on plural characteristic constant having the reproducibility with accuracy having no trouble for practical use regardless of the size. CONSTITUTION:The shapes of a character, symbol or graphic are made to database by obtaining the following nine kinds of exponents of FX/FY, A/(FX, FY), CYV/(FX<2>.FY), 2AMP/(FX+FY), 2PM(FX+FY), LNG/WA, (LNG/ WA)X(PM/AMP)<2>, (CGX-X)/FX and (CGY-Y)/FY are calculated from various measured data, and shape characteristic analysis is performed by using the whole part or one part of respective exponents. Wherein, A is the real area of the object, FX is a ferre-diameter in an X direction, CYV is cylindrical volume, APM is the surrounding length of the object, PM is the total sum of the surrounding length of the object, LNG is a length (=APM/2), WA is an average width (=2A/APM), CGX is a centroid coordinate in the X direction, CGY is a centroid coordinate in a Y direction, X is a minimum X coordinate and Y is a minimum Y coordinate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to graphic processing, and more particularly to a method for analyzing shape characteristics of various characters, symbols or graphics.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since various symbols, designs, logos, etc. are printed on printed matter for distribution and exhibition, or are attached to structures such as buildings and signboards, a mechanical process for production is necessary. , We have to know each geometrical property. For example, in the case of printing, various consideration and processing are necessary regarding space allocation on the paper surface, harmony with other characters or symbols used together or in combination, patterns, and the like. In addition, if it is to be attached to an exhibition or structure, it is necessary to make a basic design regarding the amount of use of various materials, occupied space, weight, etc. Therefore, numerical values showing various geometrical properties are necessary for that purpose. .

Symbols, characters, and other graphics may be used alone, but most are used side by side or in combination with other symbols or characters. The characters and symbols of the established series (typeface) have been tried and put into practical use in the innumerable combinations (mainly within the series) over many years.
It is known that they are in harmony with each other. Therefore, when drawing or creating new symbols or characters of a new typeface, it is necessary to spend a lot of labor and time to distinguish harmony by considering all combinations and arrangements. Also, when combining with characters or symbols of other series, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the shape of each character or symbol.

[0004]

Thus, whether it is a manuscript for printing, an exhibit such as a poster, or a structure, the arrangement and adjustment of characters, symbols, figures, etc. is first sufficient on the desk. Need to do. Therefore, it is preferable that the geometrical properties of the innumerable existing characters / symbols and further prototypes are expressed as a unique index that does not depend on the scaling rate. Furthermore, not only the difference in scaling ratio but also a universal index that can be used freely between different series of characters, symbols, and designs is required. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a group of exponents having universality peculiar to a figure that does not depend on the size or the series, and by using this, the shape characteristics of the figure can be objectively determined. The purpose is to obtain a shape characteristic analysis method that can be analyzed.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for analyzing a shape characteristic of a figure or the like, which is based on various measurement data obtained by measuring the shape of a character, a symbol or a figure by computer image processing. (1) to (9) of (1) to (9) should be converted into a database and all or part of these indices should be used to perform shape characteristic analysis for manufacturing, arranging, designing and distinguishing letters, symbols or figures. It is characterized by.

(1) FX / FY (2) A / (FX · FY) (3) CYV / (FX ² · FY) (4) 2 APM / (FX + FY) (5) 2 PM / (FX + FY) (6) LNG / WA (7) (LNG / WA) × (PM / APM) ² (8) (CGX-X) / FX (9) (CGY-Y) / FY where A is the actual area of the object and FX is X-direction ferret diameter (distance between two vertical tangent lines), FY is Y-direction ferret diameter (distance between two horizontal tangent lines), CYV is cylindrical volume,
APM is the perimeter of the object, PM is the total perimeter of the object (the sum of the perimeter of the object and the perimeter of the internal holes), LNG is the length (= APM / 2), and WA is the average width (= 2A / AP
M) and CGX are barycentric coordinates in the X direction, CGY is barycentric coordinates in the Y direction, X is the minimum X coordinate, and Y is the minimum Y coordinate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for analyzing a shape characteristic of a figure or the like. In the first aspect, for a character, a symbol or a figure composed of a plurality of separated elements, the plurality of elements are connected by a thin line. Then, the shape characteristic analysis is performed after converting into one character, symbol or figure.

[0008]

According to the shape characteristic analysis method for a figure or the like according to the invention described in claim 1, the size of the character, symbol, or other figure (hereinafter simply referred to as a figure) to be analyzed is similar if the shapes are similar. Regardless of the size, the shape characteristics are analyzed using all or part of the above-mentioned nine kinds of index values that have the reproducibility of accuracy that does not hinder practical use.

In the shape characteristic analysis method for a figure or the like according to the second aspect of the present invention, even if the figure or the like is composed of a plurality of separated elements, it is regarded as one figure and the shape characteristic analysis is performed. .

[0010]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.

Determination of Intrinsic Index First, a method of determining an index value having a reproducibility of accuracy that is practically acceptable for use in shape characteristic analysis will be described.

Image processing by a computer is usually used as a method for geometrically measuring a figure simply and quickly and providing various numerical information about the figure. The numerical value obtained by this is generally It varies depending on the size of the sample used for analysis. Therefore, in order to perform comparison, extraction, etc. between figures of different sizes, it is not the numerical value itself (hereinafter referred to as the original numerical value) obtained by image processing by a computer, but the pattern obtained based on this original numerical value (ie It is necessary to use a numerical value specific to the shape of the figure. Therefore, this peculiar numerical value (hereinafter, referred to as peculiar index) must have reproducibility regardless of the enlargement / reduction of the symbol and the system of the symbol, and must have the accuracy for practical use.

Therefore, in the present invention, a large number of original numerical values are obtained by using the symbols and characters of each system as materials, and from among the indices obtained based on these numerical values, peculiarity and accuracy that can be put to practical use are obtained. Work was done to determine the index. In particular,
20 to 30 times (one-dimensional magnification) with the starting point as 1
The image was magnified one by one, the image of each magnification was processed by computer image, each index was calculated from the original value, and the peculiar index with the accuracy and reproducibility for practical use was searched for.

Since image processing by a computer uses an optical system mechanism, an electronic mechanism, etc., there is a limit of resolution for small and complicated symbols. When the display has, for example, 520 pixels in X coordinates and 480 pixels in Y coordinates, a figure in which the number of pixels in the X or Y direction on the display is 80 pixels or less even if the resolution of the lens system is increased. It is not preferable to analyze by size, and especially in the case of about 10 to 20 pixels, the numerical value becomes inaccurate. This is because the details tend to be crushed and rounded, and the line length tends to be small. Therefore, we decided to measure at least 80 pixels or more in size, and of the indexes obtained by changing the measurement conditions variously, those with a deviation of ± 3% or less from each average value were regarded as acceptable. . The excellent one showed reproducibility with an accuracy of about 0.2%.

When there are about 50 original numerical values, the combination calculation numerical values (proprietary index candidates) considered from these original numerical values are 200 to 300 or more. From these, it was concluded that the following nine types of indices are important as the proper indices that meet the above-mentioned conditions of accuracy and are suitable for expressing the geometrical properties of shapes. In addition, within the calculated values other than these, ± 10
There were not a few indexes showing large errors of more than%.

(1) FX / FY (2) A / (FX · FY) (3) CYV / (FX ² · FY) (4) 2 APM / (FX + FY) (5) 2 PM / (FX + FY) (6) LNG / WA (7) (LNG / WA) × (PM / APM) ² (8) (CGX-X) / FX (9) (CGY-Y) / FY Next, the original numerical values used for the calculation of the index group. Will be described. Generally, there are three types of numerical values (original numerical values) obtained by computer image processing: binary measurement values, black-and-white ratio measurement values, and hand measurement values. In the present invention, among these, the following 4 are shown as the original numerical values obtained by binary measurement.
Five types were adopted, and the black-and-white ratio and manual measurement were decided as needed. Note that the number of pixels is used as a unit for the following items related to the length in the original numerical value group.

1. A [real area] (FIG. 4): It is the real area of the object.

2. NHL [number of holes] 3. AIH [area including holes] (FIG. 4): Area including holes of an object having holes.

4. APM [perimeter of object] (Fig. 5).

5. PM [sum of perimeters] (Fig. 5): sum of perimeters of object (APM) and perimeters of holes (HPM) (A
PM + HPM).

6. X [minimum X coordinate]: In the case of a small computer, for example, 0 ≦ Y <512 (pixels).

7. Y [minimum Y coordinate]: For a small computer, for example, 0 ≦ Y <480 (pixels).

8. FX [Ferre diameter in X direction]: A distance between vertical lines when an object is sandwiched by two vertical lines (FIG. 6), for example, 1 ≦ FX ≦ 512. In addition,
The “ferret” will be described later.

9. FY [X-direction ferret diameter]: A distance between horizontal lines when an object is sandwiched by two horizontal lines (FIG. 6), for example, 1 ≦ FY ≦ 480.

10. CGX [coordinate of the center of gravity in the X direction]: For example, 0 ≦ CGX ≦ 512.

11. CGY [Y-direction barycentric coordinate]: For example, 0 ≦ CGY ≦ 480.

12. HD [equivalent circle diameter] (FIG. 7): The diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the object.

13. RND [Roundness]: RND = 4π
A / (APM) ² .

14. LNG [length]: LNG = (AP
M) / 2.

15. WA [average width]: WA = 2A / A
PM.

16. ODL (ellipse equivalent long axis) (Fig. 8)
: The length of the ellipse major axis obtained from the moment of inertia about the center of gravity.

17. ODS [Short axis equivalent to ellipse] (Fig. 8) 18. OLS (tilt of ellipse major axis) (FIG. 8): 0 ° ≦
OLS ≦ 180 ° 19. OSF [Ellipse long-short axis ratio]: OSF = ODL / O
DS 20. LG [projection length to long axis] 21. WD [projection length to short axis] 22. PMH [Envelope perimeter] (FIG. 9): Perimeter when the convex portions of the object are connected.

23. ACV [Convex closure area] (Fig. 9):
It is the area of the part surrounded by the envelope. 24. ML [maximum absolute length] (FIG. 10): This is the maximum length of the distance between any two points on the circumference of the object.

25. MW [maximum absolute length] (Fig. 10)
: A distance between two straight lines when an object is sandwiched by two straight lines parallel to the absolute length ML.

26. MLS [Slope of maximum absolute length] (Fig. 1
0): An angle formed by the X axis and the direction of the absolute maximum length ML, and 0 ° ≦ MSL ≦ 180 °.

27. WAX [X-direction average width]: It is an average value of the length of the cross section in the X-direction.

28. CYV (cylindrical volume) (Fig. 11):
When the length (X direction) of each cutting line when the object is cut in the Y direction at a minute interval Δd is represented by w i, it is expressed by the following equation.

[0038]

[Equation 1] 29. EDH [horizontal equal division] (FIG. 12): The length of a cut line cut by a horizontal line that divides the area into two equal parts.

30. EDV [Vertical Equal Division] (Fig. 12)
: The length of a cut line cut by a vertical line that bisects the area.

31. NCG (shortest distance between the centers of gravity) 32. NOB [shortest particle label]: A label of an object to which NCG is given.

33. CRL [maximum distance from the center of gravity] 34. CRS (minimum distance from the center of gravity) 35. CRA [Average distance from center of gravity] 36. CR2 [mean square radius]: It is expressed by the following formula.

[0042]

[Equation 2] 37. RLT [direction of maximum distance from center of gravity]: 0 ° ≤ R
LT ≦ 360 ° 38. RST [Minimum distance direction from the center of gravity]: 0 ° ≦ R
ST ≦ 360 ° 39. LC1 [diameter 1 in four directions passing through the center of gravity] (FIG. 13) 40. LC2 [diameter 2 in four directions passing through the center of gravity] (FIG. 13) 41. LC3 [diameter 3 in four directions passing through the center of gravity] (FIG. 13) 42. LC4 [diameter 4 in four directions passing through the center of gravity] (FIG. 13) 43. THL [maximum wall thickness in eight directions] (FIG. 14): It is the maximum value among the wall thicknesses TH1 to TH8 in each of the eight directions.

44. THS [minimum wall thickness in 8 directions] (Fig. 1
4): It is the minimum value of the wall thicknesses TH1 to TH8 in each of the 8 directions.

45. THA [8-direction average wall thickness] (Fig. 1
4): The average value of the wall thicknesses TH1 to TH8 in each of the 8 directions.

The above-mentioned original value group is an example of an image processing process by a popular computer, but it is also possible to apply another process similar to this. These processes have their respective uses and characteristics, and although there are some differences in the types of calculated values, they can be applied to any process.

The above-mentioned original numerical value group generally has different numerical values depending on the size of the analysis sample, but some (eg, 2: NHL, 13: RND, 18: OL).
S, 19: OSF, 26: MSL, 37: RLT, 3
8: RST) such as those that are ratios to other original numerical values and those that indicate angles should be the same if the shapes of the figures are the same, so some of the requirements for the unique index It has. Therefore, it is also effective to use these together with the above nine kinds of proper indices.

Although various tests were carried out as described above for the error caused by the enlargement / reduction, two samples are shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 to show the actual test situation. Here, FIG. 15 shows the kanji “A” (extracted from Shinshaku typeface published by Maru Co., Ltd.), and FIG. 16 shows the mark (mark
Symbol-3 Kashiwa Shobo No. 1437). It is considered that a larger sample ((b) in both figures) can obtain an accurate numerical value than a smaller sample ((a) in both figures), but there are several steps for the intermediate magnification of both. Was tested.

Description of Contents of Unique Index Next, contents of the nine kinds of unique indexes used in this embodiment will be described.

First, the first index group includes indexes related to the area of the figure. The indices belonging to this group are
It indicates what area an object (symbol, character, figure, etc.) needs on the paper surface or spatially. There are various ideas in that area. For example, in the case of printed characters, it is assumed that alphabets are arranged horizontally, and kanji are arranged vertically or horizontally one by one.

Now, the rectangle or square surrounded by FX and FY shown in FIG. 6 is considered as the area, and this is tentatively called a ferret area. The shape of this ferret area is expressed by the following equation. FX / FY (1) Considering the importance of the fields of printing and printing, the ferret area shown by equation (1) is considered to be the most important and has a great practicality.
In addition, the index showing the Feret region shows the best result even if the reproducibility of the measured values is accurate, and the maximum error with respect to the average value in the tests on the enlargement / reduction ratio and various figure samples is It was ± 0.5% or less.

The actual area portion (shown by the original value A) and the area portion including the holes (shown by the original value AIH) shown in FIG. 4 can be considered as a kind of region, or the above-mentioned ODL- A rectangle defined by ODS (FIG. 8), a convex closed ACV (FIG. 9), or a rectangle defined by ML-MW (FIG. 10) can be considered as a region. However, among these, the ML-MW region and the ODL-ODS region have special meanings and may be measured as necessary, but are unsuitable in terms of reproducibility and accuracy of their numerical values as a universal index. Met. On the other hand, A, AIH, A
The CV is considered to be useful as a representation of a graphic area. Hereinafter, these raw numerical values will be described with an example.

FIG. 17 shows the capital letter "A" of the alphabet.
Is represented. The original numerical value A is a value indicating the real area (black portion) of the letter "A", and the original numerical value AIH is the original numerical value A plus the area of the hole 51 with vertical slashes in the figure. Further, the original numerical value ACV (convex closure) is the area obtained by adding the horizontal recessed recesses 52 to 54 to AIH. As the area of the character “A”, the original numerical values A, AIH, and ACV can be said to have respective meanings in addition to the Feret area indicated by FX-FY described above, but in the present embodiment, reproducibility and The index represented by the following formula was used for its usefulness.

A / (FX · FY) (2) In addition, AIH / (FX · FY) and ACV / (FX · F)
Although Y) also has meaning as a reference index, there were cases where the accuracy was unstable (particularly ACV / FX · FY).

The second set of indices relates to the amount of lines used to form symbols and graphics. When drawing a figure using a line in the defined area, the tip and end of the line connect to form a shape, but if the inside is painted black, the internal area of the line becomes the original value A. Correspond. However, even if the tip and end of the wire are connected, a large hole will be formed if the inside of the wire is blank. In this case, the original value A is only the area of the line around the outer circumference, but the original value AIH is the same as the original value A when the inside is painted black.

On the other hand, looking at the dose, APM = PM when filled in black, but P when the inside is blank.
M = APM + HPM (FIG. 2). Peripheral dose APM
The shape becomes complicated and the actual area A becomes smaller as the number increases in the area defined by. Furthermore, the internal structure dose HPM
When is increased, holes are formed inside, and A becomes smaller and smaller.

That is, the dose has an extremely large effect on the shape of the figure and has a very close relation with the actual area A in particular. Therefore, the doses APM and PM are normalized (normalized) by the average value (FX + FY) / 2 of the Feret diameters FX and FY as a unit of the length of the figure so as to be an index unique to the figure shape. The obtained index of the following formula was adopted.

APM / [(FX + FY) / 2)] = 2 APM / (FX + FY) …… (4) PM / [(FX + FY) / 2)] = 2 PM / (FX + FY) …… (5) Note that APM and PM The ratio PM / APM of 1 is considered to be one of the basic indexes that hardly changes depending on various scalings of a large number of samples, and is used in the calculation of the index shown by the equation (7) described later.

As the area, the ferret area (FX-F
It has been experimentally confirmed that Y) is optimal and accurate.

As described above, the reproducibility and accuracy were calculated by normalizing various original numerical values by using (FX + FY) / 2 as a unit of length representing the area of the figure. The index of the formula and the formula (5) remained within the error of ± 1.5 to ± 2.0% with respect to the average value in repeated experiments, and the usefulness was confirmed.

The third index group shows the relationship between the dose and the actual area A of the figure formed by the dose, and is a combination of the above-mentioned second index group and A. .

As an original numerical value of computer image processing, there is LNG (= APM / 2) as described above. This is half the length of the line forming the periphery of the figure, and is the length when the entire length of the APM is folded in two and stretched to form a straight line. The original value WA (average width) is expressed by the following equation.

WA = 2A / APM = A / (APM / 2) = A / LNG Therefore, an index calculated from the ratio of the length of the figure to the average width is adopted.

LNG / WA (6) If APM is large, LNG is large, and if actual area A is small, WA is small. Further, the larger the LNG and the smaller the WA, the larger the index shown by the equation (6). That is, the fact that the index in equation (6) is large means that
This means that a lot of lines are used and the area cut out is small.

This index is based on APM, but if the total dose PM is also taken into consideration, the index given by the following equation is adopted.

(LNG / WA) × (PM / APM) ² (7) From this equation, when PM / APM = 1, that is, PM =
In the case of APM, the expressions (6) and (7) have the same value. That is, the index of equation (6) relates to the outer peripheral line, and (7)
The index of the formula shows a shape characteristic that should be called the fineness of the figure with respect to the total dose obtained by adding the outer peripheral line and the dose of the internal structure, and it can be said that the larger the value, the higher the fineness.

The analysis of the indexes of the equations (6) and (7) is as follows.
It was performed under the condition of the pixel number of 50 to 80 or more. From this, it was confirmed that the index is an index showing practically usable accuracy that is not affected by the magnitude of the scaling rate.

The fourth index group shows how much the substance of the symbol or figure fills the area.

When viewed two-dimensionally, the ratio of the actual area A to the ferret area is expressed by A / (FX · FY) in the equation (2) (see FIG. 18).

By the way, among the above-mentioned original numerical values, there is a numerical value called a cylindrical volume CYV. In this case, as shown in FIG. 19, it is necessary to consider what should be called a stereoscopic ferret area for accommodating graphics. Since the size of this three-dimensional ferret is FX2 · FY, the index of the following equation obtained by normalizing CYV is adopted. The accuracy of this index has been proved by many repeated experiments.

CYV / (FX ² · FY) (3) The fifth index group relates to the center of gravity of symbols and figures. Of the geometrical properties, the center of gravity is extremely important. The ferret area is used to display the coordinates of the center of gravity. In the case of computer image processing, the upper left corner is the coordinate 0 point, and the X coordinate is to the right and the Y coordinate is to the bottom. The coordinates of the center of gravity of the figure using these coordinates are as follows.

(X coordinate) = CGX-X (Y coordinate) = CGY-Y Then, these numerical values are normalized by FX and FY, respectively, and used as an index indicating the position of the barycentric coordinate.

(CGX-X) / FX (8) (CGY-Y) / FY (9) If this is illustrated in the ferret area, for example, FIG.
The position of the center of gravity of the Gilsan bold italic capital letter "B" in the ferret region shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 18B shows various areas in accordance with the display system of FIG. 18 with respect to the Feret area of the character “B” in FIG. In addition, by enlarging / reducing various characters and figures, (8),
The reproducibility of the index of the equation (9) was examined, and they showed extremely excellent accuracy.

By the way, when the barycentric coordinates are simply obtained,
A particular problem is that the figure or the like is composed of a plurality of separated and independent parts (labels). In such a case, in the computer image processing, the barycentric coordinates, the area, etc. are calculated for each label. Then, in order to obtain the center of gravity of the entire symbol, the barycentric coordinates of each label and the actual area (A) must be used for the calculation. In the case of a simple figure or when the number of labels is small, this method is not a problem, but in the case of a complicated figure or a figure composed of many labels, it is not easy to calculate the center of gravity as a whole. It is almost impossible. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a simple method for obtaining a value that has practically no hindrance in such a case is adopted.

First, each label of a figure consisting of four or more labels is connected by a possible combination method using a straight line as thin as possible and analyzed as one label, and the whole figure obtained by each connection method is analyzed. Contrast the analytical value of 1 with the theoretical value for the entire figure obtained from the analytical value of each label.

For example, FIG. 21 (A) or FIG. 22 (A)
Consider a figure consisting of 4 or 5 labels that can be theoretically calculated to find their centroids, as shown in FIG. Figure 2
1, the method as shown in (B) to (H) of FIG.
In addition, in FIG. 22, each label is connected by a straight line and analyzed as one label by the method as shown in FIGS. 22B to 22G, and each analysis value is an analysis value for each label. It is compared with the theoretical calculation value obtained from.

In this case, it is the dose of APM, PM, etc. that changes due to the addition of lines for connection. Area-related items increase slightly with additional lines, but these numbers can be easily obtained by summing the numbers on each label separately. Regarding the center of gravity, make the thickness of the additional line as thin as possible,
In addition, when the connections are made at the shortest distance possible, in both examples of FIG. 21 and FIG.
The error was within%.

The reason why the error caused by the addition is small is that the index adopted in the present invention does not represent a simple dose or area, but is based on a ratio. In this way, it has been found that even for a figure or the like composed of a plurality of labels, the index calculation can be extremely easily performed by converting the label into one label and then measuring the label.

Next, an example in which the above method is applied to the Chinese characters of a regular drawing as shown in FIGS. 23 (A) and 24 (A) will be described. As shown in these figures, each Chinese character is composed of a plurality of labels. In such a case (in the case of Chinese characters), the following two connecting methods are generally common.

(I) The label and the shortest distance portion between the labels are connected (FIG. 24 (B)).

(Ii) Considering the stroke order of Chinese characters or other writing techniques, the characters are connected in a way that is not unnatural even when connected (FIG. 23 (B)).

For example, in the case of "picture" in FIG. 24 (B), the following results are obtained, and it is understood that the center of gravity is slightly lower and is from the right.

(CGX-X) /FX=0.527 (CGY-Y) /FY=0.517 Further, in the case of "publishing" in FIG. 23B, the following result is obtained, and the center of gravity is calculated. It turns out that is considerably higher than the right.

(CGX-X) /FX=0.574 (CGY-Y) /FY=0.442 Experiments were conducted on a large number of examples, but the center of gravity should be short and connected as thinly as possible. , The same value can be obtained very accurately even if the connection method is slightly different.

Incidentally, the exponents other than the center of gravity in a figure having a plurality of labels may be obtained by simple addition. For example, the ferret region as a whole (FX-F
Y) is unaffected by the connection, and the APM,
PM and A can be easily obtained by adding the values for each label. As a result, LNG and WA are also obtained. However, AC
V, AIH, and CYV are often affected by additional lines.

In consideration of the above points, even in the case of an irregularly arranged figure consisting of a large number of labels, which is generally extremely difficult to calculate, in obtaining the index of the present invention, especially the analysis value of the figure connected to one label It has been found that this can be used, and in this case as well, there is virtually no hindrance.

As will be described later, the index groups showing these characteristics are used for retrieval according to the purpose by accumulating a large amount as a computer data base with classification items. You can In other words, if the characteristics of the shape of a figure are digitized into several kinds of indices, an extremely large amount of material data can be easily categorized and stored, and these data can be searched to retrieve figures and figures. It is also possible to obtain character codes and the like. In addition, by comparing newly created characters and designs with a large number of existing characters in the database, it becomes easy to develop and anticipate new typefaces and logos.

As described above, in addition to the indexes of (1) to (9) above, as an index showing a value peculiar to the shape, a raw value (NH
L, RND, OLS, OSF, MSL, RLT, RS
T) and various calculated values (for example, AIH / FX · FY,
ACV / FX · FY, A / AIH, A / ACV, etc.) are also effective.

Actual Analysis Example Next, each index (Equation (1) to
An example showing the practicality of the expression (9) will be described using various symbols, characters, and patterns. As the figures and characters, various types of typefaces published by Maru Publishing, "World Characters" published by Ryo Nakanishi and Shokakudo, and "Marks and Symbols 1 to 3" of Kashiwa Shobo Edition were used.

Indexes used in the present invention (Equations (1) to (9)
Although the formulas) have the property of being able to be compared with each other as they are, various methods as shown below can be considered for displaying the calculated index values.

(I) Method of enumerating numerical values as they are (FIG. 25) (ii) Expression (FX / FY) and (2) of the Feret region of the equation (1)
Method of showing A / (FX · FY) in the formula in the rectangle having the shape of the ferret area together with the values of AIH / (FX · FY) and ACV / (FX · FY) (Fig. 18) (iii) Ferret In the area, (CGX-X) / F of the formula (8)
A method in which X and (CG-Y) / FY in the equation (9) are shown together with a line that equally divides the region itself vertically and horizontally (FIG. 20 (C)). Note that (ii) and (iii) are shown in the figure. Other indexes may be listed as they are.

(Iv) Using a radiation graph (radar chart), a method of arranging the indices of mutually related pairs and visually patterning the figure shape thereof (FIG. 26) The following can be considered.

First pair ... Pair of exponents showing occupancy in the area Two-dimensional A / (FX · FY) …… (2) Three-dimensional CYV / (FX ² · FY) …… (3) 2 pairs …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Based on the dose and the actual area of the index indicating the fineness and coarse release of LNG / WA …… (6) Based on the total dose and the actual area (LNG / WA) ・ (PM / APM) ² …… (7 ) Various patterns can be created by combining these six indices. Note that the scales of each pair in the radiation graph shown in FIG. 26 are the same.

27 to 33 show examples in which the expression by the radiation graph is applied to a simple figure. In each of these figures, (A) shows the shape of the object, and (B) shows a radiation graph displaying the index of the object.

Of these, in FIG. 27, PM includes the inside of the line, so 2 PM/ (FX + FY) is 2APM /
It is twice as large as (FX + FY). Further, in FIG. 28, A / (FX · FY) is extremely close to the theoretical value “1”, and CYV / (FX ² · FY) is very close to the theoretical value “0.78”. In FIG. 29, the object is a mere polygonal line, and the original value A is extremely small. Also, APM, PM
Both have inner and outer sides, which is almost twice as large as that in the case of FIG. In FIG. 31, the object is a maze consisting of one line, and LNG / WA and (LNG / W
Both A) and (PM / APM) ² are extremely large.

Next, an example in which the above exponential expression in the present invention is analyzed by using a printing character group that has been used for a long time as an object will be described. Here, as the character that is the object,
Examples of alphabets, kanji, Hebrew, and Arabic are given.

When considering characters, it is necessary to consider not only individual differences between characters but also font differences between the same characters. For example, considering the uppercase letters of the alphabet, there is a difference of 26 characters up to A, B, C, ... Z, and each character has a typeface that has been used since ancient times.
Here, for each of the following six types of fonts shown in FIG.
An index was obtained for each letter from uppercase letters A to Z. In addition, the typeface sample of "Alphabet Dictionary" published by Marl was used here.

Optima (1001) Optima Italic (1003) Optima Bold (1005) Gilsan Bold Italic (1015) Kloister Black (1087) Vivaldi (1102) Also, there are seven Kanji characters shown in FIG. We analyzed the typefaces (regular typeface, Song Dynasty type, Gozic typeface, Rei typeface, Mengo typeface, old typeface, Shinkan style). The kanji character type is
There are 2,000 to 3,000 or more for each typeface, but here, 90 kinds are randomly selected from the common kanji in the Maru's dictionary. In the analysis sample, the same letters were used for each typeface.

Further, as a character having a different sequence, FIG.
We also analyzed the Hebrew and Arabic scripts shown in. As these character samples, all major characters were analyzed using "World Characters" by Shokaido Publishing by Ryo Nakanishi.
I calculated.

FIG. 25 shows the above analysis results as numerical values. These numerical values are the average value of the character group of each typeface, and are distributed with a certain width around the average value. In some cases, it has a sharp distribution, but in others it has a slightly wider distribution.

Characters belonging to the same typeface are designed to have good shape harmony and consistency in any combination of characters. Therefore, this pattern of average values indicates the center of the distribution of the shape characteristics of the typeface. These average value patterns are shown in FIGS. 37 to 51.

Next, an example in which the same character is analyzed between typefaces will be described. Radiation graphs showing these analysis results are shown in FIGS. 52 to 63 listed below.

FIG. 52: A of Optima FIG. 53: E of Optima FIG. 54: A of Optima Italic FIG. 55: E of Optima Italic FIG. 56: A of Optima Bolddog FIG. 57: E of Optima Bold FIG. 58: Figure 59: Kanji / Gojik “sama” Figure 60: Kanji / Song Dynasty “sama” Figure 61: Kanji / shokusho “gyo” Figure 62: Kanji / gozic “gyo” Figure 63: Kanji / Song Dynasty “Yo” As can be seen from these figures, pattern similarity is seen between the same typefaces rather than between the same letters. Of course, some characters show a special pattern, but in the case of kanji (especially, "Sama" with a large number of strokes and "Yo" with a small number of strokes are selected), the similarity by the typeface appears strongly.

FIG. 64 shows the analysis result of Hebrew characters as special characters. In addition to the character group, there are four types of designs with the theme of the capital letter "A" of the alphabet.
The mark analysis results are shown in FIGS. All of these samples are excerpted from "Mark and Symbol" published by Kashiwa Shobo Publishing. Many of the above character groups have similarity.

Description of Graphic Shape Analysis System Next, a graphic analysis system to which the above-described graphic shape analysis method using the unique index is applied will be described. This is 1
This is a specific example, and various applications are possible, and the type of each device is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of this graphic analysis system. This system has a system bus 1
1 is provided to connect the following devices.

(I) Central processing unit (CPU) 12: a processor for controlling the operation of the entire system,
Various application programs are executed under the OS (operating system) loaded in the memory 13.

(Ii) Memory 13: RAM (a memory that can be read from and written to at any time) for storing an operating system loaded from the hard disk 14 at the time of startup and for storing necessary application programs and various data necessary for execution thereof, and a basic input / output system It is composed of a ROM (read-only memory) for storing programs. The application program is, for example, an edit program for inputting new binary image data, correction of the input binary image data or the binary image data read from the image database 24, calculation of a unique index of a figure, etc. ,
It is composed of an analysis program for performing analysis and various searches, and an input / output program for controlling input / output of various data.

(Iii) Hard disk 14: Stores an index database 23 constructed by unique indices relating to the OS, various applications, various figures, etc., and an image database 24 constructed by binary image data of various figures, etc.

(Iv) Image input device 15 (image scanner, CCD camera, etc.): Reads graphics or the like drawn on a medium such as paper as binary image data, and hard disk 1
4 in the image database 24.

(V) Floppy disk device 16: Used to read various data or application programs from the floppy disk medium 22 as required. The hard disk 14 and the floppy disk device 16 can be replaced with other media. (For example, various magneto-optical discs, laser discs, CDs, etc.) (vi) Display device (CRT) 17:
Displays various numerical data and image data.

(Vii) Output device 18: Prints out various numerical data, image data, and the like as necessary.

(Viii) Keyboard 19: Used for inputting processing instructions and necessary input / output parameters.

(Ix) Mouse 20: Used for inputting processing instructions and necessary input / output parameters as well as inputting binary images.

The operation of the graphic shape analysis system having the above configuration will be described. Here, as an example, a character production / correction process for producing or modifying a character of a certain typeface, and a search / analysis process for determining the consistency between the produced or modified character and other existing characters are shown in FIG. , And FIG. 3. There is no process limitation as long as it is a process that can effectively judge the figure by using the above-mentioned index indicating the figure shape. It is also possible to search this index from the database and directly compare it. Of course.

Production / correction process (FIG. 2) After the system of FIG. 1 is started, when “character production / correction” is selected from the process selection menu (not shown) on the screen of the display device 17, the editing in the memory 13 is performed. The program is started and the input selection menu is displayed on the screen. Here, when the character already displayed on the medium such as paper is used as the base (step S101; Y), the character image on the medium is read by the image input device 15 (step S10).
2). If you want to create a new character (step S
101; N, step S103; Y), and manually input while viewing the screen with the mouse 20. Further, when correcting a character already registered in the image database 24, the character image data is read from the image database 24 (step S105).

The character image thus input or read is displayed on the screen of the display device 17 (step S106), and if necessary (step S107; Y), it is corrected by the mouse 20 (step S108). ).

When the correction is completed (step S10)
7; N), the CPU 12 calculates the proper index of the above (1) to (9) based on the character image data (step S1).
09), in step S110, the unique index is output / displayed according to the output method (screen output or printer output) and the display format (numerical table format, radiation graph, or ferret area format) designated by the screen menu. Here, the numerical table format is the format shown in FIG. 23, and the radiation graph is FIG.
The formats and ferret area formats shown in FIG. 20 are shown in FIGS.
The format is shown in.

When the character image is further corrected by looking at the analysis result of the peculiar index output / displayed in this way (step S112; Y), the correction is performed on the screen by the mouse 20 (step S108). ), Step S1 again
Return to 07. Then, by repeating the procedure of steps S107 to S112, redesign is performed until the target unique index value is obtained.

On the other hand, there is no room for correction (that is,
When the character is completed up to the state where a satisfactory unique index is obtained (step S112; N), the unique index value at that time is stored in the index database 23 of the hard disk 14, and the binary value of the completed character is stored. The image data is stored in the image database 24. When stored in both databases, the same identification code is attached to one character image.

By repeatedly performing such work, the index database 23 and the image database 24 are associated and constructed. In constructing these databases, a method such as a tree structure or a hierarchical structure may be used for classification and storage, which may be advantageous for later retrieval. As the classification, for example, it is preferable to roughly classify into kanji typefaces, general characters, special characters, general symbols, general figures, etc., and further subdivide each of them, but not limited to this. Instead, use the most appropriate classification method as needed.

Character Retrieval / Analysis Step (FIG. 3) Next, processing for determining the consistency between a character of a certain typeface and another existing character and obtaining auxiliary information that is effective in designing the character explain. Both the characters to be compared may be newly produced characters, or both may be existing bypass events. Alternatively, either one may be a newly produced character and the other may be an existing character. Here, for the sake of explanation, a case will be described in which the consistency between a newly produced character (for example, “A”) and an existing character (for example, “B”) is viewed.

First, after the system shown in FIG. 1 is started, the system shown in FIG.
A new typeface is produced for the uppercase letter "A" of the alphabet according to the flow of step (step S201), and the unique index is obtained from the produced character image (step S20).
2).

Next, when "Character search / analysis" is selected from the process selection menu (not shown) on the screen of the display device 17, the analysis program in the memory 13 is activated and the analysis target input waits on the screen. A message (not shown) is displayed.

Here, when the character “B” to be compared is input, one typeface character registered for the character “B” is selected from the index database 23, and a set of unique index value data for that is selected. It is read into the memory 13 (step S203).

Next, the CPU 12 compares each peculiar index value for the character image "A" obtained in step S202 with each read peculiar index value, and calculates the matching degree showing the consistency between the two. (Step S204).

Various methods are conceivable as the method of calculating the matching degree. For example, the ratio of the difference between the unique index values and the unique index values is obtained for each of the unique index values (1) to (9). A method of obtaining an average value of nine pieces of difference ratio data can be considered. Alternatively, it is also possible to specify only particularly important indexes among the nine unique indexes and take the average value of the difference ratio data only for these indexes. According to these methods, the degree of matching is “0” when the two completely match, and the lower the matching, the larger the value.

The method of calculating the matching degree is not limited to the above, and other methods (for example, fuzzy theory) can be used, or a plurality of matching degree calculation modes are prepared. It is also easy to realize that appropriate selection / change can be performed.

When the calculation of the matching degree with one typeface character is completed in this way, next, the index database 23
Another typeface character registered for the character "B" is selected from, the unique exponent value for that is selected, and the matching degree is calculated in the same manner as above (step S).
203, S204). Hereinafter, such processing is performed for all the character typefaces for the character “B”.

Then, of the values of the matching degree thus obtained, the smallest one is selected, the binary image data of the corresponding character typeface is read from the image database 24, and the character " It is displayed together with the image of "A" (step S206). In this way, the letter "B" of the typeface most closely matching the newly produced letter "A" is automatically retrieved and displayed. In this analysis, only the proper index is used without using any binary image data, so the processing speed is extremely fast and the memory 1
Therefore, the work memory area 3 can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the judgment of matching of character typefaces has been described as an example, but it is needless to say that it can be similarly applied to logo marks, trademarks and the like.

[0131]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1, the reproducibility of the accuracy which does not hinder practical use regardless of the size of the figure or the like to be analyzed if the figures are similar in shape. Since the shape characteristic is analyzed based on the nine kinds of unique index values having, the shape evaluation can be performed objectively. In addition, in a system to which this analysis method is applied, analysis can be performed at high speed by using these proper indices.

In the shape characteristic analysis method for a figure or the like according to the second aspect of the present invention, the shape characteristic analysis is performed by regarding even a figure or the like composed of a plurality of separated elements as one figure or the like. Compared with the case of searching for each individual element, the index calculation can be performed extremely easily, and the processing speed of analysis can be improved and the processing program can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a graphic analysis system to which a graphic shape analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

2 is a flow chart for explaining a character production / correction process in the operation of the system of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a flow chart for explaining a character search / analysis step in the operation of the system of FIG.

[Fig. 4] Original value A [actual area] and AIH [area including holes]
FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing original numerical values APM [perimeter of object] and PM [sum of perimeters].

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing original numerical values FX [X-direction ferret diameter] and FY [X-direction ferret diameter].

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing HD [equivalent circle diameter].

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing ODL [ellipse corresponding major axis], ODS [ellipse corresponding minor axis], and OLS [ellipse major axis inclination].

FIG. 9: PMH [envelope perimeter] and ACV [convex closed area]
FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing ML [maximum absolute length], MW [maximum absolute length width], and MLS [gradient of maximum absolute length].

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing CYV [cylindrical volume].

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing EDH [horizontal equal diameter] and EDV [vertical equal diameter].

13] LC1 [diameter in four directions passing through the center of gravity], LC2
It is explanatory drawing which shows [four-direction diameter 4 which passes a center of gravity], LC3, and LC4 [four-direction diameter 4 which passes a center of gravity].

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing THL [8-direction maximum wall thickness], THS [8-direction minimum wall thickness], and THA [8-direction average wall thickness].

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a sample used for a test regarding an error caused by scaling.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing another sample used for a test relating to an error caused by scaling.

FIG. 17: Regarding the capital letter "A" of the alphabet,
It is explanatory drawing which shows original numerical value A, AIH, ACV, and the Feret area | region.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a ferret region.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a stereoscopic ferret region.

FIG. 20: Regarding the capital letter “B” of the alphabet,
It is explanatory drawing which shows original numerical value A, AIH, ACV, and the Feret area | region.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which graphics including four labels are connected.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which graphics consisting of five labels are connected.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which Chinese characters made up of a plurality of labels are connected.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing another example in which Chinese characters including a plurality of labels are connected.

FIG. 25 is a table in which original numerical values are listed as numerical values.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a radiation graph.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an analysis result of a simple graphic.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another simple figure.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another simple figure.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another simple figure.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another simple figure.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing analysis results of other simple figures.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another simple figure.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing six types of alphabetic fonts.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing six types of Kanji typefaces.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing Hebrew and Arabic characters.

FIG. 37 is a diagram showing average values for Optima (1001).

FIG. 38 is a diagram showing average values for Optima Italic (1003).

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing average values for Optima Bold (1005).

Figure 40: Gilsan Bold Italic (101
It is a figure which shows the average value about 5).

FIG. 41 is a diagram showing average values for Cloister Black (1087).

FIG. 42 is a diagram showing average values for Vivaldi (1102).

[Fig. 43] Fig. 43 is a diagram showing an average value for a standard typeface.

FIG. 44 is a diagram showing average values for Song Dynasty bodies.

FIG. 45 is a diagram showing an average value for a Gosic body.

[Fig. 46] Fig. 46 is a diagram showing an average value for a slave typeface.

[Fig. 47] Fig. 47 is a diagram showing an average value for a Mongou typeface.

[Fig. 48] Fig. 48 is a diagram illustrating an average value of old stamps.

[Fig. 49] Fig. 49 is a diagram showing average values for a new flow.

FIG. 50 is a diagram showing average values for Arabic characters.

FIG. 51 is a diagram showing average values for Hebrew characters.

FIG. 52 is a diagram showing the results of analysis of Optima A.

FIG. 53 is a diagram showing an analysis result of E of Optima.

FIG. 54 is a diagram showing a result of analysis of A of Optima Italic.

FIG. 55 is a diagram showing a radiation graph regarding E of Optima Italic.

FIG. 56 shows a radiation graph for Optima Bold A.

FIG. 57 shows a radiation graph for Optima Bold E.

[Fig. 58] Fig. 58 is a diagram showing a radiation graph relating to "sama" in Kanji / style writing.

[Fig. 59] Fig. 59 is a diagram illustrating a radiation graph regarding a kanji / Godick "like".

FIG. 60 is a diagram showing a radiation graph relating to “sama” of Kanji / Song Dynasty.

[Fig. 61] Fig. 61 is a diagram showing a radiation graph relating to "Yo" in a Chinese character / style book.

[Fig. 62] Fig. 62 is a diagram illustrating a radiation graph regarding "giving" of kanji / Godick.

[Fig. 63] Fig. 63 is a diagram showing a radiation graph regarding "Yo" in the Chinese character, Song Dynasty.

FIG. 64 is a diagram showing analysis results for Hebrew characters.

FIG. 65 is a diagram showing an analysis result of design characters having “A” as a theme.

FIG. 66 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another design character having “A” as a theme.

FIG. 67 is a diagram showing analysis results of other design characters having “A” as a theme.

FIG. 68 is a diagram showing an analysis result of another design character having “A” as a theme.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 CPU 13 Memory 14 Hard Disk 15 Image Input Device 17 Display Device 18 Output Device 23 Index Database 24 Image Database

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. The index (1) to (9) below is obtained from various measurement data obtained by measuring the shape of a character, a symbol or a figure by computer image processing, and is stored in a database. Alternatively, a shape characteristic analysis method for a figure or the like characterized by performing shape characteristic analysis for producing, arranging, designing, or distinguishing a character, a symbol, or a figure using a part thereof: (1) FX / FY (2) A / (FX ・ FY) (3) CYV / (FX ²・ FY) (4) 2APM / (FX + FY) (5) 2 PM/ (FX + FY) (6) LNG / WA (7) (LNG / WA) × ( PM / APM) ² (8) (CGX-X) / FX (9) (CGY-Y) / FY where A is the actual area of the object and FX is the ferret diameter in the X direction (two vertical tangent lines). Distance), FY is the ferret diameter in the Y direction (2 pieces) Distance), CYV the cylinder volume between the horizontal outside tangents,
APM is the perimeter of the object, PM is the total perimeter of the object (the sum of the perimeter of the object and the perimeter of the internal holes), LNG is the length (= APM / 2), and WA is the average width (= 2A / AP
M) and CGX are barycentric coordinates in the X direction, CGY is barycentric coordinates in the Y direction, X is the minimum X coordinate, and Y is the minimum Y coordinate. 2. The character, the symbol or the figure consisting of a plurality of separated elements according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements are connected by a thin line to be converted into one character, the symbol or the figure. A shape characteristic analysis method for a figure or the like characterized by performing shape characteristic analysis.