Computer automated system and method for converting source-documents bearing alphanumeric text relating to survey measurements

• US 5,761,328 A
• Filed: 05/22/1995
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Old Republic National Title Holding Company (Old Republic International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Solberg Creations, Inc.
• Inventors: LaPierre, Larry L., Solberg, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US08/445,687
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 382/197, 382/198, 382/200, 382/113, 382/100, 382/286, 395/763, 395/140, 395/142, 395/143
• US Class Current: 382/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/422 Technical drawings; Geographical maps

Abstract

The computer automated system and method of converting an image file of a scanned source document, bearing alphanumeric text relating to the lengths and directions of the bounding lines of an area surveyed, into a mathematically accurate vector computer drawing file based on that alphanumeric text. The digitized image file is imported into an existing CAD system having a COGO subroutine and using an OCR operating within the CAD system. The alphanumeric text relating to the lengths and directions of the bounding lines of an area surveyed is recognized by the OCR and then converted by the COGO subroutine into mathematically accurate vectors which can be used for producing accurate drawings. The recognition and conversion steps are such that anyone familiar with software of CAD, OCR, and COGO systems can provide a suitable subroutine to enable a user to employ the method. Hard copy survey maps and legal descriptions may be converted into accurate computer based drawings. The method provides a quality control check of source documents by disclosing the closure of the bounding lines and superposing the vector drawing over any originally scanned drawing image.

Claims

1. A computer method of converting an alphanumeric text relating to a length and a direction of a bounding line of an area surveyed from a hard copy source document into a mathematically accurate vector, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving digitized output from an automated digitizing unit into a CAD applications program in a computer, said output comprising alphanumeric text relating to a length and a direction of a bounding line of an area surveyed, and in a format usable by said CAD applications program, said CAD applications program including a coordinate geometry subroutine, said alphanumeric text having been scanned from said hard copy source document;

(b) recognizing said alphanumerical text in an optical character recognition subroutine operating in said CAD applications program;

(c) transporting said alphanumeric text from step (b) in a format usable by said coordinate geometry subroutine into said coordinate geometry subroutine; and

(d) converting said alphanumeric text from step (c) into a mathematically accurate vector, said vector having an orientation and a distance corresponding to the length and the direction of said bounding line of the area surveyed, said vector also having a beginning point coordinate and an endpoint coordinate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes:

(i) setting an optical character recognition parameter in said optical character recognition subroutine to recognize numerals from the group consisting of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9; and

(ii) recognizing said numerals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes:

(i) setting an optical character recognition parameter in said optical character recognition subroutine to recognize numerals from the group consisting of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and alphabet characters from the group consisting of N, S, E, and W; and

(ii) recognizing said numerals and said alphabet characters.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes:

(i) setting an optical character recognition parameter in said optical character recognition subroutine to recognize numerals from the group consisting of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and alphabet characters from the group consisting of N, S, E, and W, and symbols from the group consisting of °

, '"'"', and "; and

(ii) recognizing said numerals, said alphabet characters and said symbols.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step (b) further includes:

(iii) setting said optical character recognition to search for said alphanumeric text consisting of a bearing and a distance associated with said bearing, said bearing having an alphanumeric character string from the group consisting of;

NDD°

MM'"'"'SS",

NDD°

MM'"'"'SS"E,

NDD°

MM'"'"'SS"W,

SDD°

MM'"'"'SS",

SDD°

MM'"'"'SS"E,

SDD°

MM'"'"'SS"W,

DD°

MM'"'"'SS"E, or

DD°

MM'"'"'SS"W

wherein DD°

represents degrees, MM'"'"' represents minutes and SS" represents seconds of said bearing and

DD is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 90,

MM is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 59 and

SS is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 59 and such that a character string portion DD'"'"'MM'"'"'SS" ranges from 00°

00'"'"'00" to 90°

00'"'"'00".

6. The method of claim 4 wherein step (b) further includes:

(iii) setting said optical character recognition to search for said alphanumeric text consisting of an alphanumeric text string consisting of an angular indicia and a radius distance, said angular indicia having a character string DDD°

MM'"'"'SS" wherein DDD°

represents degrees, MM'"'"' represents minutes and SS" represents seconds and wherein

DDD is a numeric character ranging from 000 to 359;

MM is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 59; and

SS is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 59 such that the numeric character string DDD°

MM'"'"'SS" ranges between 000°

00'"'"'00" and 359°

59'"'"'59".

7. The method of claim 4 wherein step (b) further includes:

setting said optical character recognition to search for said alphanumeric text consisting of a azimuth and a distance associated with said azimuth, said azimuth having a character string DDD°

MM'"'"'SS" wherein DDD°

represents degrees, MM'"'"' represents minutes and SS" represents seconds and wherein

DDD is a numeric character ranging from 000 to 359;

MM is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 59; and

SS is a numeric character ranging from 00 to 59 such that the character string DDD°

MM'"'"'SS" ranges between 000°

00'"'"'00" and 359°

59'"'"'59".

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving said output in a digitized raster file directly from said automated digitizing unit to said computer directly after scanning said hard copy source document.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving said output by loading a saved file of said output representing said alphanumeric text into said computer and opening said saved file in said CAD applications program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said area surveyed is characterized by a plurality of said bounding lines, each said bounding line having associated with it corresponding alphanumeric text relating to said length and said direction of each said bounding line, said method further comprising the steps of:

(i) repeating the steps of (b)-(d) for each said bounding line thereby creating a corresponding vector for each said bounding line; and

(ii) arranging sequentially each said corresponding vector as it is created so that said corresponding vectors form a graphical representation of said area surveyed.

11. The method of said claim 10, further comprising the step of saving said corresponding vectors in a vector drawing file in said computer.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of printing said graphical representation.

13. The method claim 10, wherein said method further includes the step of computing a closure distance between a pair of said corresponding vectors.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said CAD applications program further includes a vector labeling subroutine, said method further comprising the step of labeling each corresponding vector with a label by utilizing said CAD applications program'"'"'s labeling subroutine;

said label reciting a direction and a length corresponding to said orientation and said distance of each said corresponding vector.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of converting said distance of each said corresponding vector from English units to metric units and vice versa.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of displaying said converted distances along with said corresponding vectors.

17. An automated conversion system for converting alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed from a hard copy source document into mathematically accurate vectors, said system comprising in combination an automatic digitizing unit for document scanning and a computer having a CAD applications program, said computer including receiving means and recognition means, said program including conversion means, transport means and vectorization means;

said automatic digitizing unit (i) scanning a hard copy document having alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed, (ii) creating a digitized raster file corresponding to said alphanumeric text, and (iii) outputting said digitized raster file;

said receiving means operatively associated with said automated digitizing unit, for receiving said digitized raster file into said CAD applications program;

said recognition means for recognizing said file and creating an ASCII text file and comprising an optical character recognition subroutine operating in said CAD applications program;

said conversion means, operatively associated with said recognition means, for converting said ASCII text file into a converted file useable in said coordinate geometry subroutine;

said transport means, responsive to said converted file, for transporting said converted file into said coordinate geometry subroutine; and

said vectorization means, operatively associated with said transport means, for converting said converted file into mathematically accurate vectors representing said lengths and said directions of said surveyed area and comprising a coordinate geometry subroutine.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said hard copy source document is a cartographic document.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said hard copy source document is a survey map.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein said hard copy source document is a legal description of a land parcel.

21. The system of claim 17, said vectorization means further including means for arranging sequentially said vectors according to a sequence of said bounding lines wherein said arranged vectors form a graphical representation of said area surveyed.

22. The system of said claim 21, further including prompting means for prompting a user to arrange said vectors into said graphical representation.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for saving said arranged vectors to a file in said computer.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising outputting means for creating output of said arrangement.

25. A computer method of converting alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of a land parcel from a legal description hard copy source document into mathematically accurate vectors, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving digitized output from an automated digitizing unit into a CAD applications program, said output representing alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed, said CAD applications program having a coordinate geometry subroutine, said alphanumeric text having been scanned from a legal description hard copy source document;

(b) recognizing said alphanumerical text using a textual optical character recognition subroutine operating in said CAD applications program;

(c) transporting said alphanumeric text into said coordinate geometry subroutine; and

(d) converting said alphanumeric text in said coordinate geometry subroutine into mathematically accurate vectors representing said lengths and said directions of said bounding lines of said land parcel.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising step (e) of arranging sequentially said vectors according to a sequence of said bounding lines to form a graphical representation of said land parcel.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein step (c) includes abstracting said alphanumeric text.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein step (c) includes formatting said alphanumeric text into a format useable in said coordinate geometry subroutine.

29. A computer quality control method for a legal description, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a legal description hard copy source document using an automated digitizing unit, said document having alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of a land parcel, (b) receiving digitized output, said output representing said alphanumeric text, from said automated digitizing unit into a CAD applications program, said CAD applications program having a coordinate geometry subroutine;

(c) recognizing said alphanumerical text using a textual optical character recognition subroutine operating in said CAD applications program;

(d) transporting said alphanumeric text into said coordinate geometry subroutine;

(e) converting said alphanumeric text in said coordinate geometry subroutine into mathematically accurate vectors representing said lengths and said directions of said bounding lines of said land parcel; and

(f) arranging sequentially said vectors according to a sequence of said bounding lines to form a representation of said land parcel.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of (g) computing a closure distance between a pair of adjacent said vectors, said closure distance expressed as a distance Delta X and a distance Delta Y, where said distance Delta X is the difference between an X coordinate of the endpoint of one of said adjacent said vectors and the X coordinate of the beginning point of the said adjacent vector and said distance Delta Y is the difference between a Y coordinate of the same said endpoint of said one said adjacent said vector and the Y coordinate of the same said beginning point of the said adjacent vector.

31. The quality control method of claim 30, further comprising the step of displaying said representation of said land parcel and said closure distance.

32. A computer method of converting alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed from a cartographic hard copy source document into mathematically accurate vectors, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving digitized output from an automated digitizing unit into a CAD applications program, said output representing alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed, said CAD applications program having a coordinate geometry subroutine, said alphanumeric text having been scanned from a cartographic hard copy source document;

(b) recognizing said alphanumerical text using a textual optical character recognition subroutine operating in said CAD applications program;

(c) transporting said alphanumeric text into said coordinate geometry subroutine; and

(d) converting said alphanumeric text in said coordinate geometry subroutine into mathematically accurate vectors representing said lengths and said directions of said bounding lines of said area surveyed.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of arranging sequentially said vectors according to a sequence of said bounding lines to form a representation of said area surveyed.

34. The method of claim 32, step (c) further comprising abstracting said alphanumeric text.

35. The method of claim 32, step (c) including converting said alphanumeric text into a format useable in said coordinate geometry subroutine.

36. The method of claim 32 further comprising the steps of displaying said digitized output;

overlaying said vectors on said digitized output; and

displaying same.

37. The method of claim 32 wherein said cartographic hard copy source document, has a drawing thereon and wherein a graphics recognition subroutine with a graphics drawing vectorizer subroutine is also operating with said CAD applications program, step (b) of said method further comprising recognizing said drawing using said graphics recognition and creating a graphics vectorized drawing.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the steps of displaying said digitizing output;

overlying said graphics vectorized drawing thereupon; and

displaying same.

39. A computer quality control method for a cartographic document, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a cartographic hard copy source document using an automated digitizing unit, said document having a drawing thereon and alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed recorded thereon;

(b) receiving digitized output, said output including said alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed and a digitized drawing from an automated digitizing unit into a CAD applications program, said CAD applications program having a coordinate geometry subroutine, said alphanumeric text and said drawing having been scanned from said cartographic hard copy source document;

(c) displaying said digitized drawing;

(d) recognizing said alphanumeric text using a conversion system operating in said CAD applications program, said conversion system having a graphics and textual optical character recognition subroutine and having a graphics drawing vectorizer subroutine, and recognizing said alphanumeric text using said textual optical character recognition subroutine;

(e) transporting said alphanumeric text into said coordinate geometry subroutine;

(f) converting said alphanumeric text in said coordinate geometry subroutine into mathematically accurate vectors representing said lengths and said directions of said bounding lines of said area surveyed; and

(g) arranging sequentially said vectors according to a sequence of said bounding lines to form a representation of said area surveyed and overlaying said vectors on said digitized drawing.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising the steps of computing a closure distance between a pair of adjacent said vectors, said closure distance expressed as a distance Delta X and a distance Delta Y, where said distance Delta X is the difference between an X coordinate of the endpoint of one of said adjacent said vectors and the X coordinate of the beginning point of the said adjacent vector and said distance Delta Y is the difference between a Y coordinate of the same said endpoint of said one said adjacent said vector and the Y coordinate of the same said beginning point of the said adjacent vector;

and

(ii) displaying said representation of said vectors overlaid on said digitized drawing file and displaying said closure distance.

41. A computer quality control method for a textual optical character recognition subroutine program, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a hard copy source document using an automated digitizing unit, said document having a drawing thereon and alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed recorded thereon, said alphanumeric text having been accurately recorded;

said drawing having been accurately scaled to said alphanumeric text;

(b) receiving digitized output, said output including said alphanumeric text relating to lengths and directions of bounding lines of an area surveyed and a digitized drawing from an automated digitizing unit into a CAD applications program, said CAD applications program having a coordinate geometry subroutine, said alphanumeric text and said drawing having been scanned from said hard copy source document;

(c) recognizing said alphanumerical text using said textual optical character recognition subroutine program operating in said CAD applications program;

(d) transporting said alphanumeric text into said coordinate geometry subroutine;

(e) converting said alphanumeric text in said coordinate geometry subroutine into mathematically accurate vectors representing said lengths and said directions of said bounding lines of said area surveyed; and

(f) arranging sequentially said vectors according to a sequence of said bounding lines to form a representation of said area surveyed and displaying said representation.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising the steps of computing a closure distance between a pair of adjacent said vectors, said closure distance expressed as a distance Delta X and a distance Delta Y, where said distance Delta X is the difference between an X coordinate of the endpoint of one of said adjacent said vectors and the X coordinate of the beginning point of the said adjacent vector and said distance Delta Y is the difference between a Y coordinate of the same said endpoint of said one said adjacent said vector and the Y coordinate of the same said beginning point of the said adjacent vector;

and displaying said closure distance.

43. The method of claim 41 further comprising the steps of:

(i) displaying said digitized drawing between steps (b) and (c) and

(ii) displaying said representation as overlaid on said digitized drawing.