JPH09146523A - Character generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily generate a new alphanumeric character having the same features as its basic alphanumeric character. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a read means (S1) which reads in a 1st character in the form of image data, an input means (S2) which inputs a 2nd character, extracting means (S3, S4, S5, S6, and S7) which extracts the features of the read-in 1st character, and a generating means (S9) which generates a 3rd character by correcting the said 2nd character on the basis of the features of the said 1st character extracted by the extracting means (S3, S4, S5, S6, and S7).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character generating device applied to correction and additional writing of alphanumeric characters in drawings converted into image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a procedure of performing correction processing of alphanumeric characters converted into image data using a computer in the conventional technology. The conventional technique will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, in step S21, the alphanumeric characters (for example, "2") read by the image scanner and converted into image data are erased, and in step S22, the correction alphanumeric characters (for example, "3") keyed by the operator from the keyboard. ) Is entered. Next, in step S23, the alphanumeric data "3" basically corresponding to the input alphanumeric "3" for correction and basically prepared in the computer is output. Then, in step S24, the alphanumeric data "3"
Is corrected by trial and error so that the "size", "tilt", and "thickness" are similar to the alphanumeric "2" converted into image data.

[0004]

The image data (alphanumeric characters) read by the image scanner as described above is generally corrected by erasing the characters. However, the alphanumeric characters that can be rewritten at that time are limited to the character types that the computer basically has inside (Gothic, Mincho, etc.).

The rewritten alphanumeric characters are the characteristics of the alphanumeric characters converted into image data (“size”,
It does not have "tilt", "thickness", and "shape"), and the operator also adjusts the character size at an appropriate magnification. Therefore, when the characters prepared in the computer are used as described above, it is necessary to perform a troublesome trial and error in order to make the characters similar to other image data alphanumeric characters.

As described above, when it is attempted to correct or add the alphanumeric characters described in the drawings converted into image data, the basic "shape", "size", "tilt" and "thickness" possessed by the computer are obtained. Only alphanumeric characters with "sa" can be expressed. Also, when the drawings (text) are viewed as a whole after correction and addition, only the alphanumeric characters that have been corrected and added are unique as compared with other alphanumeric characters as described above. There is a problem of feeling uncomfortable. An object of the present invention is to provide a character generation device that can easily generate new alphanumeric characters having the same characteristics as basic alphanumeric characters.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the character generating apparatus of the present invention is constructed as follows. (1) The character generation device of the present invention has a reading means for reading the first character converted into image data, an input means for inputting the second character, and a characteristic of the first character read by the reading means. It is composed of an extracting means for extracting and a generating means for generating a third character by modifying the second character based on the characteristics of the first character extracted by the extracting means. (2) The character generation device according to the present invention is the device according to (1) above, and the extraction means includes the inclination of the first character with respect to a predetermined axis, the size of the first character, and the first character. The thickness of the line formed by the first character and the shape of the first character are extracted.

As a result of taking the above-mentioned means, the following actions are brought about respectively. (1) According to the character generation device of the present invention, the characteristic of the read first character is extracted, and the second character is extracted based on the characteristic.
Since the third character is generated by modifying the character of, the third character conforming to the characteristic of the extracted first character, that is, another character of the same type having the same characteristic, can be simplified. Can be generated.

By using the generated third letters such as alphanumeric characters for correction and additional writing of image data, all the alphanumeric characters described in the drawings can be made the same type. it can. Therefore, when viewing the drawings as a whole, the user does not feel uncomfortable. (2) According to the character generation device of the present invention, the inclination of the first character with respect to the predetermined axis, the size of the first character, the thickness of the line formed by the first character, and the first character. Since the shape of the character is extracted, the work of adjusting the inclination, size, thickness, and shape of the first character to other alphanumeric characters on the same drawings by the conventional trial and error is automatically and easily performed. Can be done.

Therefore, the alphanumeric characters to be corrected / added on the drawings can be made to resemble the other alphanumeric characters with high accuracy, and the time for the correction / additional work can be greatly shortened.

[0011]

1 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure in a character generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The character generation device is configured by a computer (not shown), and each processing described below is performed by the CPU in the computer.

The processing procedure in the character generator will be described below with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, with respect to the alphanumeric characters read from the basic image data, the respective characteristic data of “tilt”, “size”, “thickness” and “shape” are extracted in order. Then, a new alphanumeric character having the same characteristics as the alphanumeric character read from the image data is simply generated.

First, in step S1, basic alphanumeric (for example, "2") image data is read by an image scanner (not shown) and is taken into the computer. At the same time, reference data indicating what is read as image data in step S2 (here,
The operator inputs "2") from a keyboard (not shown). Then, the reference data is taken into the computer from the keyboard.

Then, in step S3, the CPU of the computer reads the alphanumeric image data "2".
The center line (skeleton line) of is extracted. This is to extract the original shape of the read alphanumeric character "2", that is, the basic shape without the thickness and the unevenness of the outline. That is, this process is a process for obtaining the characteristics of the read image data.

2 (a) and 2 (b) are diagrams showing the above-mentioned center line (skeleton line) extraction processing, FIG. 2 (a) is a diagram showing an example of the read image data, and FIG. ) Is a figure which shows the extracted center line. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, 11 is a pixel, and a large number of the pixels 11 are arranged in a matrix. Note that one point of the image data corresponds to at least one pixel.

A line representing a character is represented by a series of points each including at least one pixel. The connection is called connection. The compressed pixels are compressed while maintaining the number of connected pixels. Further, although the connection is related to the black pixel, the white pixel as the background can be expressed by the same series, and this series is called the order. It should be noted that this order is obtained by inverting black corresponding to the connection to white and vice versa. When obtaining the skeleton line, the skeleton line is obtained while maintaining the relationship between the number of connections and the order.

In FIG. 2A, 1 is image data, and this image data 1 represents alphanumeric "2". Since the center line (skeleton line) of the image data 1 is extracted, it is basically necessary not to lose the character information, that is, to not change the connecting number and the order. For this reason, among the black pixels indicated by (1) in FIG. 2A, those deviated from the center of the image data 1 are changed to white indicated by (0). As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, a center line (skeleton line) 2 having a single line thickness is obtained.

In this way, the characteristic data of the original alphanumeric characters having only the center line 2 are "inclination" and "size". Therefore, subsequently, in step S4, coordinate conversion is performed so that the vertical axis of the original shape is vertical, and the rotation angle until the vertical axis is "inclined". Next, a circumscribing character frame, which will be described later, is created from the vertical characters, and the "size" of the character is extracted from the frame.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are diagrams showing the above-described "inclination" and "size" extraction processing. First, from the alphanumeric image data (“2”) that is only the center line 2 created as shown in FIG. 2B, the four arrow directions as shown in FIG. Along the skeletal line 2
A circumscribing character frame 3 in contact with is created (the coordinates of the contact point between the skeleton line 2 and the circumscribing character frame 3 are obtained), and the lower left corner is set as the origin 4 of the character.

Then, the geometrical transformation (affine transformation) as shown in the following equations (1) and (2) is performed so that the longitudinal center axis of the center line 2 is vertical or coincides with a predetermined direction. Then, the rotation angle θ is obtained as “inclination”.

X1 = x0 cos θ−y0 sin θ (1) y1 = x0 sin θ + y0 cos θ (2) That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, the skeleton line 2 is rotated so that its central axis becomes vertical. The coordinate is converted into, and the rotation angle is extracted as "tilt" data. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3C, the circumscribing character frame 31 is created again from the vertical characters, and the "size" of the character is extracted based on the size of the circumscribing character frame 31.

At this point, in step S5, the original shape of the alphanumeric characters which has become vertical as a result of the above, and the alphanumeric character "2" input from the keyboard, that is, the alphanumeric character (in the computer Are available,
By comparing (superimposing) with the character which is originally vertical, it is possible to remove the whiskers and noise (straight line bit deviation, etc.) generated in the extraction processing of the center line 2 described above. As a result, a highly accurate center line is obtained, and the process of step S4, that is, the "inclination" and the "size" are extracted again.

Since the present invention does not relate to character recognition but extracts characteristic data of characters, it is possible to compare a character read as image data with a character separately input from the keyboard, and the center line ( In extracting the skeleton line, noise (whiskers or straight line misalignment) that occurs in the process of thinning the image data (determining the center line) and causing a problem can be removed.

This method facilitates the extraction of the characteristic data and improves the accuracy of the extracted data. Here, the center line is a single line. Next, in step S6, the alphanumeric "thickness" read as the image data having the original thickness is extracted.

4A to 4C are diagrams showing the "thickness" extraction processing. As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, along the noise-free center line (skeleton line) 2 obtained by the preprocessing, the 3 × 3 matrix shown in (b) of FIG. While moving in parallel with, the change from black (1) to white (0) is discriminated and the line width is obtained.

That is, "x0" shown in FIG. 4 (b) is translated along the skeleton line 2 in the x and y axis directions, and the number of black (1) until x0 becomes white (0) is calculated. Count and calculate the average value to obtain the thickness. That is, as shown in FIG. 4C, the "thickness" (average value), that is, the width of the line is extracted from the accumulation of black (1). Then, in step S7, "shape"
Is extracted.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the "shape" extraction processing. The contour line (outer boundary line) 5 of the alphanumeric character "2" read as image data is regarded as a closed curve, and the irregularity on the curve is traced until it returns to the starting point. With a periodic function). Then, the argument function is expanded into a Fourier series to extract a higher-order term (that is, a high-frequency part). As a result, the minute variation of alphanumeric characters read as image data (that is, the jagged edges of the characters) can be grasped as the "shape" feature. As shown in FIG. 5, the coordinate sequence is (xn, yn),
When the length is Lm and the difference between the deflection angles is Δθm, the length Lm is given by the following expression (3).

[0028]

(Equation 1) Further, the difference between the deflection angles, Δθm, is given by the following equation (4).

[0029]

(Equation 2) When the deviation function value ψm is obtained from the above equations (3) and (4), the following equation (5) is obtained.

[0030]

(Equation 3)

Then, ψ m is subjected to Fourier series expansion, and a fine variation amount of the closed curve is extracted as a “shape” feature. Since this "shape" feature, that is, the concavity and convexity of the character, has data that overlaps with the "thickness" obtained above, the "thickness" is set so that the average value of the "thickness" matches the "shape" feature in step S8. ”
And the “shape” are corrected, and thereafter, in step S9, the same character generation processing is performed.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the procedure for generating the same kind of characters. First, in step S11, the operator inputs a correction alphanumeric character (for example, "3") from the keyboard to prepare the basic alphanumeric character "3" in the computer.

Next, in step S12, the basic alphanumeric "3" is matched with the "size" feature extracted as described above, and in step S13 the basic alphanumeric "tilt" extracted as described above. Match the characteristics. And step S
14. The "thickness" feature extracted as described above in 14 is added, and the "shape" extracted as described above in step S15
Combine the features.

In this way, it has the same characteristics as the alphanumeric character "2" of the read image data (that is, the same kind).
The alphanumeric character "3" can be generated, and the modifying alphanumeric character "3" is output.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be carried out by appropriately modifying it within the scope of the invention. (Modification) In the above embodiment, one alphanumeric character is read as the image data and processed, but a plurality of alphanumeric characters may be read and the same processing as described above may be performed for each alphanumeric character. . As a result, it is possible to more accurately extract each feature of the character described above.

(Summary of Embodiments) The configurations and operational effects shown in the embodiments are summarized as follows. [1] The character generation device shown in the embodiment is a reading unit (S) for reading the first character converted into image data.
1), an input means (S2) for inputting a second character, and an extracting means (S3, S4, S6, S7) for extracting the characteristics of the first character read by the reading means (S1), Generating means (S9) for generating a third character by modifying the second character based on the characteristics of the first character extracted by the extracting means (S3, S4, S6, S7);
It is composed of

As described above, in the above character generator,
By extracting the characteristic of the read first character and modifying the second character based on the characteristic, the third character is extracted.
Is generated, it is possible to easily generate the third character conforming to the characteristics of the extracted first character, that is, another character of the same type having the same characteristics.

By using the generated third character such as alphanumeric characters for correction and additional writing of image data, all the alphanumeric characters described in the drawings can be made the same type. it can. Therefore, when viewing the drawings as a whole, the user does not feel uncomfortable. [2] The character generation device shown in the embodiment has the above-mentioned [1].
The device according to claim 1, wherein the extraction means (S3, S
4, S6, S7) extracts the inclination of the first character with respect to a predetermined axis, the size of the first character, the thickness of the line formed by the first character, and the shape of the first character. To do.

As described above, in the above character generator,
Since the inclination of the first character with respect to the predetermined axis, the size of the first character, the thickness of the line formed by the first character, and the shape of the first character are extracted, the first character is extracted. Each feature of can be automatically extracted with simple and high accuracy, and the work of adjusting the inclination, size, thickness, and shape of the first character to other alphanumeric characters on the same drawings by trial and error in the past. Can be performed automatically and easily.

Therefore, the alphanumeric characters to be corrected / added on the drawings can be made highly similar to the other alphanumeric characters, and the time for the correction / additional work can be greatly shortened.

[0041]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a character generation device capable of easily generating a new alphanumeric character having the same characteristics as a basic alphanumeric character.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a character generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing a centerline extracting process according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of read image data, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing extracted centerlines.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing an extraction process of "inclination" and "size" according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a diagram related to a circumscribing character frame, and FIG. The figure, (c) is a figure related to the circumscribing character frame to be created again.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing a “thickness” extraction process according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a diagram relating to a center line and FIG.
The figure which shows the matrix of * 3, (c) is a figure regarding extraction of "thickness."

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a “shape” extraction process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating similar characters according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a procedure for performing processing for correcting alphanumeric characters converted into image data according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Image data 11 ... Pixel 2 ... Center line (skeleton line) 3 ... Enclosed character frame 31 ... Enclosed character frame 4 ... Origin 5 ... Contour line (boundary line)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A reading means for reading a first character converted into image data, an input means for inputting a second character, and an extracting means for extracting a characteristic of the first character read by the reading means, A character generation device comprising: a generation unit that corrects the second character based on the characteristics of the first character extracted by the extraction unit to generate a third character. 2. The extracting means, the inclination of the first character with respect to a predetermined axis, the size of the first character, the thickness of the line formed by the first character, and the shape of the first character. The character generation device according to claim 1, wherein