Medium processing apparatus, medium processing method, medium processing system and computer readable recording medium with medium processing program recorded thereon

• US 20070147710A1
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Frontech Limited (Fujitsu Limited), Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Frontech Limited (Fujitsu Limited), Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Eguchi, Shinichi, Kanamoto, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,715,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/309
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area

Abstract

The present invention comprises, in order to allow recognition of content of information indicated in a medium accurately, based on an image data obtained by reading a medium, an extraction unit for extracting each of plural information items from an image data obtained by reading a medium in which each of plural information items satisfying a predetermined relationship is indicated in plural areas, a recognition unit for recognizing content of each of plural information items, and a confirmation unit which evaluates whether or not content of plural information items recognized by the recognition unit is correct based on the predetermined relationship, and confirms content of plural information items as recognized by the recognition unit if correct, and executes correction of recognition content recognized by the recognition unit if incorrect, based on the predetermined relationship, to confirm content of plural information items.

Claims

1. A medium processing apparatus comprising:

an extraction unit for extracting, from an image data obtained by reading a medium on which a plurality of information items satisfying a predetermined relationship are indicated in a plurality of areas, each of said plurality of information items;

a recognition unit for recognizing content of each of said plurality of information items extracted by said extraction unit; and

a confirmation unit which (i) evaluates whether or not content of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit is correct based on said predetermined relationship, and (ii) confirms, if the evaluation reveals a positive result, content of said plurality of information items as recognized by said recognition unit, and (iii) executes, if the evaluation reveals a negative result, correction of recognition content recognized by said recognition unit, based on said predetermined relationship, to confirm content of said plurality of information items.

2. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a medium discrimination unit for discriminating said medium based on content of the information after content of said information is confirmed by said confirmation unit.

3. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said medium discrimination unit discriminates, when content of said information is not confirmed by said confirmation unit, said medium based on definition information of said medium.

4. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising a judgment unit for judging whether to cause said medium discrimination unit to re-read said medium that could not be discriminated or to cause an operator to input manually according to recognition status by said recognition unit of information of the medium, when said medium could not be discriminated by said medium discrimination unit.

5. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said judgment unit, when the number of times of re-reading of said medium exceeds a specified value, decides that said plurality of information items held in said medium are to be manually input.

6. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an inspection unit for inspecting content of each of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit based on a check digit, while each of said plurality of information items contains said check digit.

7. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a correction unit for correcting content of information using said check digit, when content of the information recognized by said recognition unit is incorrect, as a result of inspection by said inspection unit using the check digit.

8. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when said recognition unit recognizes characters as said information, coincidence degree is calculated for every candidate character, and when characters as information recognized by said recognition unit are incorrect as a result of said inspection by said inspection unit, said correction unit corrects said information using said candidate characters based on said coincidence degree.

9. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of information items are constituted of a first information and a second information, and when both said first information and said second information are incorrect as a result of said inspection by said inspection unit, said correction unit executes said correction.

10. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when a check digit of any of said plurality of information items is rejected or not recognized by said recognition unit, said correction unit does not execute correction using check digit.

11. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

an inspection unit for inspecting content of each of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit based on check digit, while each of said plurality of information items contains said check digit; and

a correction unit for correcting content of information using said check digit, when content of the information recognized by said recognition unit is incorrect, as a result of inspection using the check digit by the inspection unit,

wherein, when only check digit is rejected or not recognized by said recognition unit in each of said plurality of information items, said correction unit does not execute correction using check digit and said medium discrimination unit discriminates said medium using content excluding check digit in each of said plurality of information items.

12. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recognition unit is configured to calculate, when content of said information is recognized, coincidence degree with regard to the content, and

wherein when content of each of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit does not satisfy said predetermined relationship, then said confirmation unit evaluates that recognition content by said recognition unit is incorrect and executes said correction based on said coincidence degree of said recognition unit for a portion where said content in each of said plurality of information items is different.

13. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said recognition unit is configured in such that when content of said information is recognized by said recognition unit, first place content with highest said coincidence degree among a plurality of candidates is adopted as a recognition content with regard to the information, and

wherein when content of each of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit does not satisfy said predetermined relationship, then said confirmation unit calculates a difference between coincidence degree for the first place content with highest said coincidence degree in said recognition unit and coincidence degree for the second place content for each of said plurality of information items, and executes said correction based on calculated difference of each of said plurality of information items.

14. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

an image status detection unit for detecting, when equal to or more than three information are extracted by said extraction unit, status of an image in each of peripheral areas of these equal to or more than three information including said equal to or more than three information in said image data; and

a selection unit for selecting at least two information from said equal to or more than three information based on image status detected by the image status detection unit,

wherein said recognition unit recognizes content of said at least two information items selected by said selection unit.

15. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

an image status detection unit for detecting, when said confirmation unit evaluated that content of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit is incorrect and when the number of said plurality of information items is equal to or more than three, status of an image of each of peripheral areas of these equal to or more than three information including said equal to or more than three information,

wherein said confirmation unit confirms content of said plurality of information items based on image status detected by the image status detection unit.

16. A medium processing method, comprising:

extracting, from an image data obtained by reading a medium on which;

a plurality of information items satisfying a predetermined relationship are indicated in a plurality of areas, each of said plurality of information items;

recognizing content of each of said plurality of information items extracted by said extraction unit;

evaluating whether or not content of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit is correct based on said predetermined relationship;

confirming, if the evaluation reveals a positive result, content of said plurality of information items as recognized by said recognition unit; and

executing, if the evaluation reveals a negative result, correction of recognition content recognized by said recognition unit, based on said predetermined relationship, to confirm content of said plurality of information items.

17. A medium processing system comprising:

a medium on which a plurality of information items satisfying a predetermined relationship are indicated in a plurality of areas;

a scanner apparatus for obtaining an image data of the medium by reading the medium; and

a medium processing apparatus for recognizing content of said information based on said image data obtained by the scanner apparatus,

wherein the medium processing apparatus including;

an extraction unit for extracting each of said plurality of information items from said image data;

a recognition unit for recognizing content of each of said plurality of information items extracted by said extraction unit; and

a confirmation unit which (i) evaluates whether or not content of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit is correct based on said predetermined relationship, and (ii) confirms, if the evaluation reveals a positive result, content of said plurality of information items as recognized by said recognition unit, and (iii) executes, if the evaluation reveals a negative result, correction of recognition content recognized by said recognition unit, based on said predetermined relationship, to confirm content of said plurality of information items.

18. The medium processing system according to claim 17, wherein a first information and a second information are indicated as said plurality of information items to said medium, each of characters constituting said first information and each of characters constituting said second information are constituted of different characters each having one-on-one correspondence relationship, and said confirmation unit of said medium processing apparatus executes said judgment based on said correspondence relationship.

19. The medium processing system according to claim 18, wherein said first information and said second information of said medium are constituted of characters with recognition rate not less than a prescribed value by said recognition unit of said medium processing apparatus, and further, said correspondence relationship is determined by said recognition rate.

20. A computer readable recording medium on which is recorded a medium processing program to cause a computer to realize, based on an image data obtained by reading a medium on which a plurality of information items satisfying a predetermined relationship are indicated in a plurality of areas, said medium processing program causing said computer to function as:

an extraction unit for extracting each of said plurality of information items from said image data;

a recognition unit for recognizing content of each of said plurality of information items extracted by said extraction unit; and

a confirmation unit which (i) evaluates whether or not content of said plurality of information items recognized by said recognition unit is correct based on said predetermined relationship, and (ii) confirms, if the evaluation reveals a positive result, content of said plurality of information items as recognized by said recognition unit, and (iii) executes, if the evaluation reveals a negative result, correction of recognition content recognized by said recognition unit, based on said predetermined relationship, to confirm content of said plurality of information items.