CHARACTER RECOGNITION CIRCUITRY

• US 3,629,829 A
• Filed: 09/09/1969
• Issued: 12/21/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ordower Robert
• Original Assignee: Ordower Robert
• Inventors: ORDOWER ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US04/858,253
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• US Class Current: 382/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching

Abstract

This invention is directed to method and apparatus for the reading and identification of characters on business documents and the like. Analog wave forms derived from scanning the characters are analyzed by integrating the signals in a plurality of time zones or divisions which span the width of the character. The integrated signals are then supplied to a plurality of correlation networks, one for each character to be recognized. The network having the highest output, as determined by maximum level detector means, represents the character which has been scanned.

Claims

1. A character recognition system comprising, in combination scanning means for scanning the characters to be recognized and producing an analog waveform unique for each character to be recognized, timing means connected to said scanning means and effective to generate timing signals corresponding to a plurality of time zones equal in the aggregate to the width of the characters which are scanned, a plurality of integrating means, one for each of said time zones, each having an input connected to said scanning means, each said integrating means being connected to said timing means to be effective to integrate the signal from said scanning means for at least one selected zone of said time zones, each said integrating means integrating at least one time zone not integrated by the remaining ones of said integrating means, a plurality of correlation networks commonly connected to the outputs of said integrating means, one of said networks for each of the characters to be recognized, each said network having a plurality of inputs corresponding to the number of outputs of said integrating means, each said network having a single output, and discriminator means connected to the outputs of said correlation networks and effective to provide an output indicative of which correlation network has the maximum output, thereby indicating the character which has been scanned, further including automatic gain control means connected between said scanning means and said integrating means.

2. A character recognition system comprising, in combination scanning means for scanning the characters to be recognized and producing an analog waveform unique for each character to be recognized, timing means connected to said scanning means and effective to generate timing signals corresponding to a plurality of time zones equal in the aggregate to the width of the characters which are scanned, a plurality of integrating means, one for each of said time zones, each having an input connected to said scanning means, each said integrating means being connected to said timing means to be effective to integrate the signal from said scanning means for at least one selected zone of said time zones, each said integrating means integrating at least one time zone not integrated by the remaining ones of said integrating means, a plurality of correlation networks commonly connected to the outputs of said integrating means, one of said networks for each of the characters to be recognized, each said network having a plurality of inputs corresponding to the number of outputs of said integrating means, each said network having a single output, and discriminator means connected to the outputs of said correlation networks and effective to provide an output indicative of which correlation network has the maximum output, thereby indicating the character which has been scanned, PEAK width detector means connected to said scanning means to determine preselected time occurrence during the scanning of a character, said detector means governing the timing means to coordinate the timing signals with a specified character scanning condition.

3. A character recognition system comprising, in combination scanning means for scanning the characters to be recognized and producing an analog waveform unique for each character to be recognized, timing means connected to said scanning means and effective to generate timing signals corresponding to a plurality of time zones equal in the aggregate to the width of the characters which are scanned, a plurality of integrating means, one for each of said time zones, each having an input connected to said scanning means, each said integrating means being connected to said timing means to be effective to integrate the signal from said scanning means for at least one selected zone of said time zones, each said integrating means integrating at least one time zone not integrated by the remaining ones of said integrating means, a plurality of correlation networks commonly connected to the outputs of said integrating means, one of said networks for each of the characters to be recognized, each said network having a plurality of inputs corresponding to the number of outputs of said integrating means, each said network having a single output, and discriminator means connected to the outputs of said correlation networks and effective to provide an output indicative of which correlation network has the maximum output, thereby indicating the character which has been scanned, each of said time zones being equivalent to the nominal width of a vertical stroke in the characters to be recognized.

4. A character recognition system comprising, in combination scanning means for scanning the characters to be recognized and producing an analog waveform unique for each character to be recognized, timing means connected to said scanning means and effective to generate timing signals corresponding to a plurality of time zones equal in the aggregate to the width of the characters which are scanned, a plurality of integrating means, one for each of said time zones, each having an input connected to said scanning means, each said integrating means being connected to said timing means to be effective to integrate the signal from said scanning means for at least one selected zone of said time zones, each said integrating means integrating at least one time zone not integrated by the remaining ones of said integrating means, a plurality of correlation networks commonly connected to the outputs of said integrating means, one of said networks for each of the characters to be recognized, each said network having a plurality of inputs corresponding to the number of outputs of said integrating means, each said network having a single output, and discriminator means connected to the outputs of said correlation networks and effective to provide an output indicative of which correlation network has the maximum output, thereby indicating the character which has been scanned, and a plurality of character storage means connected to the output of said discriminator means for storing the identity of the scanned character.