Patent ID: 6671417
Filing Date: 2003-12-30
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A character recognition system comprising:an image storing means for storing an inputted character string image; a preprocess means for shaping the character string image stored in the image storing means by correcting deformations of the character string image in at least one of size or skew; a reference line detecting means for detecting upper and lower reference lines characterizing the positions of the characters in a character string in the character string image received from the preprocessing means; a reference line correcting means for shaping the character string image to correct the upper and lower reference lines on the basis of the reference line detection result from the reference line detecting means and the character string image, and outputting the shaped character string image back to the preprocessing means; and a character string reading means for reading a character string from the character string image having been shaped in the reference line correcting means and received from the processing means, the reference line detecting means including a reference line position estimating means for obtaining the position of the reference lines, a reference line skew estimating means for obtaining the skew of the reference lines from the horizontal direction, and a reference line curvature radius estimating means for obtaining the radii of curvature of the reference lines.