Character recognition

• US 8,644,616 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Calcutta
• Original Assignee: University of Calcutta
• Inventors: Chaki, Nabendu, Shaikh, Soharab Hossain
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Anh
• Application Number:
  US13/755,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 382/173, 382/177, 382/178, 382/179, 382/186, 382/119, 382/228, 382/218, 382/196, 382/138, 382/197, 382/E7.133, 324/452, 324/457, 324/671, 340/5.52, 340/5.82
• US Class Current: 382/197
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/148 Segmentation of character regions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/153 using recognition of characters or words
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/184 by analysing segments intersecting the pattern

Abstract

Systems and methods for character recognition by performing lateral view-based analysis on the character data and generating a feature vector based on the lateral view-based analysis.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, character data comprising one or more characters, the one or more characters having a first contour and a second contour;

performing, by the computing device, lateral view analysis on the character data;

generating, by the computing device, a feature vector based on the lateral view analysis; and

identifying, by the computing device, the one or more characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a data acquisition device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising binarizing, by the computing device, the character data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing, by the computing device, noise from the character data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, by the computing device, oblique/skew detection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising segmenting, by the computing device, the character data into individual characters.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the computing device, the one or more characters using an artificial neural network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises an artificial neural network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing lateral view analysis comprises:

selecting, by the computing device, a number of characteristic points;

dividing, by the computing device, the one or more characters into a number of horizontal segments, the number of segments equal to the number of characteristic points; and

locating, by the computing device, characteristic points on the first and second contours,

wherein a characteristic point is located in each segment on both the first and second contours.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more characters comprises an origin located at a lower left of the one or more characters and wherein the characteristic points on the first contour are located at a minimum distance from a vertical axis rising from the origin and the characteristic points on the second contour are located at a maximum distance from the vertical axis.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the horizontal segments have the same height.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the characters are cursive characters.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the characters are compound characters.

14. A system comprising:

a data acquisition device configured to acquire character data comprising one or more characters, the one or more characters having a first contour and a second contour; and

a computing device configured to;

perform lateral view analysis on the character data, the lateral view analysis comprising locating characteristic points on the first and second contours, wherein a characteristic point is located in each segment on the first contour and the second contour;

generate a feature vector based on the lateral view analysis; and

identify the one or more characters.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the performing lateral view analysis further comprises:

selecting a number of the characteristic points; and

dividing the one or more characters into a number of horizontal segments, the number of segments equal to the number of characteristic points.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is further configured to segment the character data into individual characters.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is further configured to identify the one or more characters using an artificial neural network.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is coupled to an artificial neural network.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

binarize the character data;

remove noise from the character data; and

perform oblique/skew detection.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more characters comprises an origin located at a lower left of the one or more characters and wherein the characteristic points on the first contour are located at a minimum distance from a vertical axis rising from the origin and the characteristic points on the second contour are located at a maximum distance from the vertical axis.