Patent ID: 6529645
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: G06K,H04N

Abstract:
A method for recording a selected sequence of characters with the aid of a portable scanner, comprising the steps of:passing the portable scanner over a selected character sequence; imaging the selected character sequence by means of a plurality of images, whereby the content of a second image partly overlaps the content of at least one preceding first image; for every possible overlap position between the second and first images, an overlap measurement is determined at the pixel level; for each overlapping pixel position, the grey scale values of the two pixels included are added up if the latter are not white, whereby a pixel position in which none of the pixels are white is designated a plus position; the greyscale sums for all the plus positions are added up to a grand greyscale sum; the neighbors of each pixel position are examined and if an overlapping pixel position is not a neighbor of a plus position and consists of a pixel which is white and a pixel position which is not white, the greyscale value of the non-white pixel is subtracted from the grand greyscale sum; selecting the overlap position which provides the highest grand greyscale sum; combining the second and first images by means of said overlap position for generating a composite image from said second and first images; identifying the characters in the composite image; and storing the identified characters in the portable scanner with the aid of a predetermined character code format.