JPS6228883A - Character reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect and separated precisely the character pattern data of each character from plural character pattern data by forming a multi-buffer memory means. CONSTITUTION:The multi-buffer memory 13 storing character pattern data and constituted so that respective buffers constitute a matrix and respective buffers are respective elements of the matrix is formed. A character pattern data tracking circuit 16 inputs character pattern data consisting of a matrix set up from the memory 13 in accordance with prescribed addresses, scans and outputs the character pattern data for one character and stores the output data in a character pattern memory 17. In said constitution, only the character pattern data consisting of black data for one character required for recognition processing can be precisely detected and separated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a character reading device such as an optical character reading device.

[Technical Background of the Invention and Problems Therewith] Conventionally, optical character reading devices have a storage capacity of, for example, one line after characters recorded on a form are converted into character pattern data by a photoelectric conversion device. Stored in line buffer memory. Character pattern data for one character is detected and cut out from this line buffer memory, and recognition processing is executed for each character by the recognition section.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, character pattern data for one character is detected and cut out by obtaining vertical projection data D1 and horizontal projection data D2 for the character pattern. However, in such a method, as shown in FIG. 8, when characters intersect on a plane, it is not possible to obtain the character pattern for one character by simply obtaining the vertical projection data D1 and the horizontal projection data D2. It is difficult to accurately detect and extract data. In addition, when character pattern data for one character is detected and extracted as shown in Figure 7, all the black data and background white data corresponding to one character are transferred to the recognition unit, so the character pattern data is transferred. Processing requires a lot of time.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a character reading system that can reliably detect and extract character pattern data for each character from a plurality of character pattern data, and that can shorten the transfer time of the character pattern data. The goal is to provide equipment.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention comprises multifaceted buffer memory means for storing character pattern data, each buffer forming a matrix, and each buffer being an element of the matrix. The character pattern data tracking means inputs character pattern data consisting of a matrix set according to a predetermined address from the multifaceted buffer memory means, and
Scans and outputs character pattern data for characters. The character pattern data output from the character pattern data tracking means is stored in the character pattern memory means.

With this configuration, only character pattern data consisting of one character's worth of black data required for recognition processing is reliably detected and extracted.

[Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a block diagram showing a partial configuration of a character reading device according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, a line buffer memory 10 is a memory that stores one line of character pattern data obtained after characters recorded on a form are photoelectrically converted. The vertical projection register 11 and the horizontal projection register 12 are registers that store vertical projection data and horizontal projection data, respectively, which are necessary for the detection cutout process for each character from the line buffer memory 10. The multifaceted buffer memory 13 stores the character pattern data output from the line buffer memory 10, and stores the character pattern data output from the line buffer memory 10 so that each buffer forms a matrix as shown in FIG. 2(a), and each buffer becomes each element of the matrix. It is a buffer memory. The address signal output circuit 14 is a circuit that outputs addresses necessary for accessing each buffer of the multifaceted buffer memory 13. The address control circuit 15 is a circuit that controls the operation of the address signal output circuit 14.

The character data tracking circuit 16 outputs an address control signal necessary for tracking and separating black data character by character from the multi-sided buffer memory 13 to the address control circuit 15, and transfers pattern data in matrix units to the character pattern memory 17. The read control circuit 17 stores character pattern data for one character and outputs it to the recognition section.

In the character reading device having such a configuration, the operation of the same embodiment will be explained. First, when one line of character pattern data is stored in the line buffer memory 10, the character pattern data corresponding to one character is transferred from the line buffer memory 10 to the multi-sided buffer memory 13. At this time, character pattern data that intersects on a plane as shown in FIG. 3, for example, is transferred to the multi-sided buffer memory 13 based on the vertical projection data and the horizontal projection data. When character pattern data is stored in the multi-sided buffer memory 13, addresses in the X and Y directions are generated from the address controller circuit 15, and these addresses are converted by the address signal output circuit 14 into addresses corresponding to each buffer. Become. In this address conversion operation, for the specified addresses X and Y, for example, each element a11 of the matrix is x+o, y+o, and a12 is x+i, Y+O%.
a13 is X+2. Y+O.

a21 is x+o, Y+1, a22 is X+1. Y+1,a
23 is X+2. Y+1, a31 is X+O, Y+2, a3
2 is X+ 1, Y+ 2, a33 is X+2. Converted to Y+2.

When character pattern data is stored in the multi-sided buffer memory 13 using such a conversion address and then read out from the multi-sided buffer memory 13, for example, when point P shown in FIG. Figure 2 (
Pattern data expressed in matrix 1 as shown in b) is read out.

The pattern data read out from this multifaceted buffer memory 13 is inputted to the character data tracking circuit 16 as an input cover pattern.

The character data tracking circuit 16 tracks the pattern data in the multifaceted buffer memory 13, for example, from a starting point S shown in FIG.
When is set, the pattern data shown in FIG. 6(a) is read out. The character data tracking circuit 16 searches surrounding elements counterclockwise for the read pattern data starting from all of the matrix elements shown in FIG. 2(a), and searches the first detected black data for the next matrix. Let be the center coordinates of That is, according to the pattern data shown in FIG. 6(a), the center coordinates of the next matrix are set to X+1°Y.
It can be found by +1. The next pattern data obtained as a result is the pattern data shown in FIG. 6(b). The character data tracking circuit 16 searches for black data in a clockwise direction starting from the center coordinates of the next matrix, and similarly to the above, sets the first detected black data as the center coordinates of the next matrix.

In this way, the pattern data shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(f) are sequentially obtained.

As described above, the character data tracing circuit 16 performs tracing processing on character pattern data corresponding to one character, as shown in FIG.

The end of the tracking process is determined based on whether the starting point S has been reached. When the character data tracing circuit 16 completes the tracing process for the black data, the character data tracing circuit 16 sequentially stores the black data in the matrices M1 to M16 as shown in FIG. 5 in the character pattern memory 1.
Transfer to 1. Here, the character data tracking circuit 16 refers to the pattern data stored in the character pattern memory 17 and determines the converted data in each matrix. For example, the matrix M shown in FIG.
8, since no black data has been transferred to the character pattern memory 17, it is determined that the black data is another black data. In addition, in matrices M9 to M11, respective data E1 to E3
Even if the data E1 to E3 are not transferred to the character pattern memory 17, since the data concatenated in each matrix are transferred to the character pattern memory 17, each data E1 to E3 is determined to be part of the character pattern data.

In this way, the multi-sided buffer memory 13 and the character data tracking circuit 16 detect and cut out only the black data corresponding to one character's worth of character pattern data from character pattern data that intersects on a plane as shown in FIG. can.

For this reason, character pattern data for each character can be reliably transferred to the character pattern memory 17 for continuous character pattern data that cannot be detected and extracted using the projection data in the vertical and horizontal directions. Furthermore, since the pattern data transferred to the character pattern memory 17 is only black data, the time required for data transfer can be shortened.

In the same embodiment, a case has been described in which character pattern data is transferred from the line buffer memory 10 to the multifaceted buffer memory 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, one line of character pattern data is stored in the multi-sided buffer memory 1.
3, and line buffer memory 1
0 may be omitted.

In this case, although the address control for the multi-sided buffer memory 13 is slightly different, the process of detecting and extracting each character from the multi-sided buffer memory 13 is the same as in the same embodiment.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, even when a plurality of character pattern data are consecutive, only the black data corresponding to one character can be extracted and transferred to the character pattern memory. Therefore, character pattern data for each character can be reliably detected and extracted from a plurality of character pattern data. Furthermore, the time required to transfer detected and cut out character pattern data can be shortened.

Therefore, as a result, recognition processing for each character can be reliably performed, and reading processing time can be shortened.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration of a character reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a multifaceted buffer memory of the same embodiment, respectively. , FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the storage contents of a multifaceted buffer memory for explaining the operation of the same embodiment, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are for explaining the operation of the character data tracking circuit of the same embodiment, respectively. , and FIGS. 6(a) to 6(f) are diagrams each showing an example of pattern data for explaining the operation of the same embodiment, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are conventional character pattern data detection and extraction operations. FIG. 13... Multifaceted buffer memory, 14... Address signal output circuit, 15... Address control circuit, 1
G...Character f-ta tracking circuit, 17...Character pattern memory. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue (a) (b) Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 (a) (b) (c) (d)
(e) (f) Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8

Claims (1)

[Claims] Character pattern converting means for converting characters recorded on a form into character pattern data; each buffer for storing the character pattern data output from this character pattern converting means constitutes a matrix; and each buffer stores each element of the matrix. A multi-sided buffer memory means configured as follows; and the character pattern data consisting of a matrix set according to a predetermined address from the multi-sided buffer memory means are input, and character pattern data for one character is scanned and outputted. character pattern data tracking means for storing character pattern data; character pattern memory means for storing character pattern data output from the character pattern data tracing means; and recognition processing for performing recognition processing based on the character pattern data output from the character pattern memory. A character reading device characterized by comprising: means.