Patent ID: 6532303
Filing Date: 2003-03-11
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A line-direction deciding device comprising:image storing means for storing an input image; character-element extracting means for extracting character elements from the image stored in the image storing means; character-element distance calculating means or character-element density calculating means for determining the density of character elements in each of a plurality of predetermined directions; and line-direction deciding means for detecting a direction in which character elements are most densely distributed, and deciding a character line direction in the image as the detected direction in which the character elements are most densely distributed, wherein the character-density calculating means includes means for determining first the shortest distance from a character element to a neighboring character element in each opposite direction of the predetermined directions and then deciding the largest of the distances determined in the each opposite direction as the character-element distance in the predetermined direction and the line-direction deciding means compares the character-element distances in respective predetermined directions and decides by majority the direction in which character-elements are most densely distributed.