JPH08123872A - Optical character reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To simplify an operation even when a read area is frequency changed or when the different kinds of slips are frequently added, etc. CONSTITUTION: Characters of the slip for which the relative position relation of the entry frames of the read area does not change are recognized based on a format set corresponding to a slip ID. Then, this reader is provided with an image obtaining means for obtaining slip images including the entry frame, a new slip judgement means 12 for judging whether or not the slip is a new slip, an image memory 12 for storing the slip images as image data, a layout analysis means and a format preparation means. The layout analysis means analyzes a layout based on the image data stored in the image memory 12 and the format preparation means prepares the format based on the analyzed result of the layout.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical character reader (OCR).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an optical character reader,
An image of a form is formed on an image sensor by an optical system, an image signal obtained by the image sensor is converted into image data, and the image data is written in a memory. Then, the character can be recognized by extracting the characteristics of the character cut out from the image data.

Therefore, in order to cut out characters from the image data, which kind of character (handwritten alphabet, number, kana, symbol, kanji) is written in which area (describe from the side of the form) of the form to be read. Etc., or how many characters such as alphabets, numbers, kana, symbols, and kanji of printed characters are entered or printed as a format, and the format is registered in advance for each type of form. ing.

Therefore, in order to recognize the type of the form, the form ID (five-digit type, number, etc.) is written or printed at a predetermined position (for example, upper right) of the form. Therefore, the optical character reading device first
D is recognized, and characters are cut out in the reading area of the form according to the corresponding format by the corresponding number of characters. Then, the cut-out character is compared with the dictionary of the corresponding character type to recognize the character.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional optical character reader, when registering a format, the operator determines the size of the reading area of the form, the character type of the characters to be written or printed, the number of characters, etc. Measure
Since it is necessary to input to the optical character reader, the time required for registration becomes long. In addition, when the reading area of the form is frequently changed while the form ID is the same, or when different types of forms are frequently added, the format must be changed or added, The work involved is troublesome.

The present invention solves the problems of the conventional optical character reading device described above, and when the reading area of the form is frequently changed while the form ID remains the same, different types of forms are frequently added. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical character reading device that does not make the operation troublesome even in cases such as when.

[0007]

Therefore, in the optical character reading apparatus of the present invention, the characters of the form in which the relative positional relationship of the writing frames of the reading area does not change are set in correspondence with the form ID. Different formats are recognized. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including an entry frame, a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, an image memory that stores the form image as image data, and the image memory. Layout analysis means for analyzing the layout based on the image data stored in
And a format creating means for creating a format based on a layout analysis result.

In another optical character reading device of the present invention, a statistical information table storing statistical information indicating a result of reading a form and statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and the statistical information is acquired. Format pass / fail judgment means for judging whether or not the format is defective based on the above. Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad.

In still another optical character reader of the present invention, the characters of the form in which the relative positional relationship of the writing frames in the reading area does not change are recognized based on the format set in correspondence with the form ID. It is supposed to do. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including an entry frame, a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, and an image memory that stores the form image as image data for character recognition. And an image storage unit that stores the form image as image data for layout analysis, and a layout analysis unit that performs layout analysis based on the image data stored in the image storage unit in parallel with recognition of the characters. And a format creating means for creating a format based on the layout analysis result.

In still another optical character reading device of the present invention, a statistical information table storing statistical information indicating a result of reading a form and statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table and the statistical information is acquired. And a format pass / fail determining means for determining whether or not the format is defective based on the information. Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad.

[0011]

According to the present invention, as described above, in the optical character reading device, the characters of the form in which the relative positional relationship of the writing frames in the reading area does not change are set in correspondence with the form ID. It is based on the recognition. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including an entry frame, a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, an image memory that stores the form image as image data, and the image memory. The layout analysis unit analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the storage unit, and the format creation unit creates a format based on the layout analysis result.

In this case, when the reading operation is started, the form image is obtained by the image obtaining means and stored in the image memory as image data. Next, the image data stored in the image memory is cut out for each character and the recognition unit recognizes the character. Then, the new form determination means determines whether or not the form is a new form. If the form is a new form, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image memory. Also, the format creating means creates a format based on the layout analysis result.

In another optical character reading apparatus of the present invention, a statistical information table storing statistical information indicating a result of reading a form and statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and the statistical information is acquired. Format pass / fail judgment means for judging whether or not the format is defective based on the above. Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad.

In this case, when the size of the entry frame is changed, the non-passage rate in the statistical information table increases. Therefore, the format quality determining unit refers to the statistical information table to acquire the statistical information, and determines whether the format is defective based on the statistical information. Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad.

In still another optical character reading device of the present invention, the characters of the form in which the relative positional relationship of the writing frames in the reading area does not change are recognized based on the format set in correspondence with the form ID. It is supposed to do. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including an entry frame, a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, and an image memory that stores the form image as image data for character recognition. And an image storage unit that stores the form image as image data for layout analysis, and a layout analysis unit that performs layout analysis based on the image data stored in the image storage unit in parallel with recognition of the characters. And a format creating means for creating a format based on the layout analysis result.

In this case, when the reading operation is started, the form image is obtained by the image obtaining means and stored in the image memory as image data. Next, the image data stored in the image memory is cut out for each character and the recognition unit recognizes the character. Further, the image data is transferred to the image storage unit.

Then, the new form determination means determines whether the form is a new form, and if it is a new form, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image storage unit. To do. Also, the format creating means creates a format based on the layout analysis result. In still another optical character reading device of the present invention, a statistical information table in which statistical information indicating a result of reading a form is stored, the statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and based on the statistical information. Format acceptability determining means for determining whether the format is defective.

Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad. In this case, when the size of the entry frame is changed, the non-passage rate in the statistical information table increases.
Therefore, the format quality determining unit refers to the statistical information table to acquire the statistical information, and determines whether the format is defective based on the statistical information. Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical character reading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a form according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
In FIG. 11, 11 is an image acquisition unit, 12 is an image memory, 13 is a main control unit, 14 is a format storage unit, 15
Is a recognition unit, 16 is a recognition result display unit, and 17 is a storage unit. The main control unit 13 controls the entire optical character reading device, and has a character cutout unit 21, a layout analysis unit 22, and a statistical information unit 23.

The image acquisition unit 11 has an image sensor (not shown) including a photoelectric conversion element (CCD sensor, etc.), a light source (fluorescent lamp, etc.), an imager (lens, etc.), and a document transportation system. Is imaged on the image sensor as image data, and the image data is stored in the image memory 12 in response to a command from the main controller 13.

The main control unit 13 includes the image memory 12
When a character is cut out from and the character pattern is sent to the recognition unit 15, the recognition unit 15 extracts the feature of the character pattern and recognizes the character by referring to the recognition dictionary. In addition, in FIG.
Reference numeral 25 is a form, 26 is a form ID set for each type of the form 25, and 27 is a reading area.

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a flow chart. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the optical character reading device in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the statistical information table in the first embodiment of the present invention. Step S1 The reading operation of the optical character reading device is started by a command from the recognition result display section 16 (FIG. 1), and the form image is acquired.
That is, the form 25 (FIG. 2) is produced by a transport system not shown.
Is conveyed, the form image including the character entry frame of the form 25 is photoelectrically converted by the image acquisition unit 11, and stored in the image memory 12 as image data. Step S2 Form ID2 set at a predetermined position on the form 25
6 is recognized. The form ID 26 is set for each type of form 25 or for each same group, and is printed at the same position on the form 25. The image memory 12
The image data stored in is cut out for each character from the image memory 12 by the character cutout unit 21 in the main control unit 13, and the recognition unit 15 recognizes the character. Step S3 The main control unit 13 determines whether the form 25 is a new form. In this case, it is determined whether the new form is the form I recognized by the recognition unit 15.
It is determined whether D26 is stored in the format storage unit 14. If it is a new form, the process proceeds to step S7. If it is not a new form, the process proceeds to step S4.
In step S4, the reading area 27 in the form 25 is recognized based on the format designated by the form ID 26. In this case, the reading area 27 is recognized by the form ID.
It is done in a similar way to the recognition of 26. Step S
5. The statistical information unit 23 of the main control unit 13 acquires statistical information by referring to the statistical information table shown in FIG. The statistical information table is stored in the statistical information unit 23 in the main control unit 13.

The statistical information table includes a form ID 26,
The total number of sheets processed, the number of rejected sheets, the non-passage rate, and the information on whether the format is good or bad are stored, and the result of processing each form 25 is stored. Then, the non-passage rate (= rejected number of sheets / total number of processed sheets) for each form 25 is calculated, and the total number of processed sheets is a predetermined value (100 in this embodiment).
Or more and the non-passage rate is a set value (5 in this embodiment).
If it is 0% or more, the quality of the format is set to "1". In step S6, it is determined whether the format is defective. In this case, the determination is made based on whether the format of the statistical information table is "1". If the quality of the format is "1", it is determined that the format is defective, and the process proceeds to step S7.
If the quality of the format is "0", it is determined that the format is not defective, and the process proceeds to step S12.

By the way, there are various causes (such as low print density and low handwriting density) of the frequent rejections. In this embodiment, the total number of processed sheets for which the quality of the format is “1” is set to 100 and the non-passage rate is set to 50.
Although [%] is set, the total number of sheets processed, the non-passage rate, etc. can be set according to the operating conditions of each system. In step S7, the main controller 13 analyzes the layout. That is, the line segment of the entry frame of the form 25 is detected and the reading area 27 is recognized. In step S8, the temporary format of the reading area 27 is created. In step S9, the main control unit 13 and the recognition unit 15 refer to the temporary format created in step S8 and refer to the image memory 12
The temporary format is confirmed by cutting out and recognizing the character based on the image data stored in and determining whether or not the reading rate of the character is equal to or more than a set value.
Here, the reading rate means the rate of characters that can be recognized among the characters cut out from the image memory 12. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the confirmation result of the temporary format is good. If it is good, the process proceeds to step S11. If it is not good, the process returns to step S7.
Change the analysis conditions and analyze the layout again. Step S11 The created temporary format is stored in the format storage unit 14 as a formal format and registered. In step S12, the character recognition result is output. That is, the character recognition result is transferred from the main control unit 13 to the recognition result display unit 16 and stored in the storage unit 17. In step S13, it is determined whether there is the next form 25 to be read. If the form 25 is present, the process returns to step S1,
If there is no form 25, the process ends.

Next, the analysis of the layout in the case where the relative positional relationship of the writing frames in the reading area 27 is known will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a layout analysis frame in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a method of calculating layout analysis coordinates in the first embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 6, the form image 31 is the image memory 12
It is stored as image data in (FIG. 1). The form image 31 is a form ID 3 located in the reading area 30.
2, the entry frame 33, the characters 34 formed in the entry frame 33
Etc. data.

Also, H_X, H_YOf the form image 31
Projection in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction (sum of black points)
Yes, the outside (back shadow) of the form image 31 is only black dots.
It is formed. Then, by the projection processing in the X-axis direction, the X-axis
Directional projection H_XAnd the projection H _XX-axis direction frame detection
Slice S_XBy comparing with the line parallel to the X-axis
Minutes can be detected. The Y-axis address of each line segment is
Assuming that the upper side of the form image 31 is 0 and the lower side is y
Come, y₁, Y₂, ... y₆become.

Similarly, Y-axis projection processing is performed in the Y-axis direction.
Directional projection H_YAnd the projection H _YFrame detection in Y-axis direction
Slice S_YBy comparing with the line parallel to the Y-axis
Minutes can be detected. The X-axis address of each line segment is
When the left side of the form image 31 is 0 and the right side is x
X₁, X₂, ..., x_Fivebecome. In addition, X-axis direction frame inspection
Out slice S_XAnd Y-axis direction frame detection slice S_YIs the value
Can be changed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the coordinates of points A to D for setting the form image 31 are (0,
0), (x, 0), (x, y), (0, y). Also, a line segment K _i (i = 0, 1, 2, ..., 5) parallel to the X axis
And a line segment M _j (j = 0, 1, 2, ..., 4) parallel to the Y axis
The coordinates of each intersection with and can be obtained. If the coordinates of the intersection of the line segments M _i and K _j are (x _i , y _j ), the relative positional relationship of the respective writing frames 33 in the reading area 30 is known. In image 31,
Customer No. Number (in the present embodiment, the character "123
4 ”) is filled in in the frame 33, and the line segments M ₁ , M ₂ , K
The shaded area in FIG. 5 is surrounded by _O and K ₁ . In this case, the format is, for example, (x ₁ , y ₀ ),
It is represented by two coordinates of (x ₂ , y ₁ ).

Thus, in this embodiment, the form 2
When 5 is a new form, the layout analysis unit 22 analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image memory 12. Further, the main control unit 13 creates a format based on the layout analysis result.
Therefore, even when different types of forms 25 are frequently added, the format can be automatically created for each added form 25, and the work involved in creating the format can be simplified. .

Further, when a statistical information table is provided and the form 25 is not a new form, it is possible to judge whether or not the non-passage rate is high and the format is bad by referring to the statistical table. Therefore, the form ID
Although 32 does not change, if the size of each entry frame 33 of the reading area 30 is changed, it can be seen that the format is defective. In this case, it is assumed that the relative positional relationship between the entry frames 33 in the reading area 30 does not change.

As described above, when it is determined that the format is defective, the layout is analyzed and a new format is newly created and registered. Therefore, the work involved in the format creation can be simplified. . In this embodiment, the values of the X-axis direction frame detection slice S _X and the Y-axis direction frame detection slice S _Y can be changed.
Further, the image memory 12 has a multi-valued configuration, the slice level for converting multi-valued data into binary data is made variable, and the slice level is changed, whereby the layout can be analyzed accurately.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an optical character reader according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 11 is an image acquisition unit, 12 is an image memory, 13 is a main control unit, 1
Reference numeral 4 is a format storage unit, 15 is a recognition unit, 16 is a recognition result display unit, and 17 is a storage unit. The main control unit 13 controls the entire optical character reading device, and has a character cutout unit 21, a layout analysis unit 22, and a statistical information unit 23. In addition to the image memory 12, an image storage unit 5 for storing a plurality of form images 31 (FIG. 6).
1 is provided.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a flow chart. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the optical character reader according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Step S21 Recognition result display unit 16
The command of (FIG. 7) starts the reading operation of the optical character reader, and the form image 31 is acquired. That is, the form 25 (FIG. 2) is conveyed by a conveyance system (not shown), and the form image 31 including the character entry frame of the form 25 is conveyed.
Is photoelectrically converted by the image acquisition unit 11 and stored in the image memory 12 as image data. Step S22 Form ID3 set at a predetermined position on the form 25
2 (FIG. 6) is recognized. The form ID 32 is set for each type of form 25 or for each same group, and is printed at the same position on the form 25. The image data stored in the image memory 12 is stored in the main controller 13
The character cut-out unit 21 therein cuts out each character from the image memory 12, and the recognition unit 15 recognizes the character. Step S23 The main control unit 13 causes the form 25
Determines whether is a new form. In this case, whether or not it is a new form is determined by whether or not the form ID 32 recognized by the recognition unit 15 is stored in the format storage unit 14. If it is a new form, the process proceeds to step S25. If it is not a new form, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the reading area 30 in the form 25 is recognized based on the format designated by the form ID 32. In this case, the recognition of the reading area 30 is performed by the same method as the recognition of the form ID 32. Step S25 The form 25 is rejected, the process proceeds to steps S26 and 33, and parallel processing is performed. Step S
26 The image data of the form image 31 read from the image memory 12 is transferred to the image storage unit 51 for layout analysis. Therefore, the form image 31 of the next form 25 can be loaded into the image memory 12. The image storage unit 51 can store a plurality of form images 31. In step S27, the layout analysis unit 22 of the main control unit 13 determines whether the layout of another new form is being analyzed. When the layout of another new form is being analyzed, the layout analysis of the new form is suspended, and the analysis of the layout of another new form is waited for. And if the layout of other new forms is not being analyzed,
It proceeds to step S28. Step S28 Main controller 13
At, the layout of the new form is analyzed. That is, the line segment of the entry frame 33 of the form 25 is detected and the reading area 30 is recognized. In step S29, the temporary format of the reading area 30 is created. Step S30 Main controller 13
And the recognition unit 15 refers to the temporary format created in step S29, and cuts out and recognizes the character based on the image data stored in the image memory 12, and determines whether or not the reading rate of the character is equal to or more than a set value. The temporary format is confirmed by judging. In step S31, it is determined whether the confirmation result of the temporary format is good. If it is good, the process proceeds to step S32, and if it is not good, the process returns to step S28 to change the analysis condition and analyze the layout again. Step S3
2 The created temporary format is stored in the format storage unit 14 as an official format and registered. In step S33, the character recognition result is output. That is, the character recognition result is transferred from the main control unit 13 to the recognition result display unit 16 and stored in the storage unit 17. In step S34, it is determined whether there is the next form 25 to be read. If the form 25 is present, the process returns to step S21, and if the form 25 is not present, the process ends.

As described above, the image memory 12 for recognizing characters and the image storage unit 51 for analyzing the layout are provided, and the form 25 to be read is provided.
Is a new form, the form image 31 of the new form is stored in the image storage unit 51. Therefore, the layout can be analyzed based on the form image 31 of the new form, and the characters can be recognized in parallel with the analysis, and the throughput can be improved.

Although the image storage unit 51 is arranged separately from the image memory 12 in this embodiment, the image storage unit 51 is arranged in the image memory 12.
The image data can be transferred for layout analysis and can be cut out from the image memory 12 to recognize the character by setting the address in the inside and managing the address.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the layout analysis and the character recognition can be performed in parallel,
The coordinates of the entry frame 33 obtained by the layout analysis can also be obtained by calculating the average value of the data in a plurality of new forms. Next, the third aspect of the present invention
An example will be described.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of the optical character reader according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Step S41 The reading operation of the optical character reading device is started by the instruction of the recognition result display unit 16 (FIG. 7), and the form image 31 (FIG. 6) is acquired. That is, the form 25 (FIG. 2) is conveyed by a conveying system (not shown), the form image 31 including the entry frame 33 of the form 25 is photoelectrically converted by the image acquisition unit 11, and is stored in the image memory 12 as image data. In step S42, the form ID 32 set in the predetermined position of the form 25 is recognized. The form ID 32 is set for each type of form 25 or for each same group, and is printed at the same position on the form 25. The image data stored in the image memory 12 is stored in the character cutting unit 21 in the main control unit 13.
The characters are cut out from the image memory 12 for each character, and the recognition unit 15 recognizes the characters. Step S
43 The main control unit 13 determines whether the form 25 is a new form. In this case, it is determined whether the new form is the form ID 32 recognized by the recognition unit 15.
Is stored in the format storage unit 14. If it is a new form, step S4
If it is not a new form, the process proceeds to step S44. In step S44, the reading area 27 in the form 25 is recognized based on the format designated by the form ID 32. In this case, the reading area 27 is recognized by the form ID.
It is performed in the same manner as the recognition of 32. Step S
45 The statistical information unit 23 of the main control unit 13 acquires the statistical information by referring to the statistical information table shown in FIG. The statistical information table is stored in the statistical information unit 23 in the main control unit 13.

The statistical information table includes a form ID 32,
The total number of sheets processed, the number of rejected sheets, the non-passage rate, and the information on whether the format is good or bad are stored, and the result of processing each form 25 is stored. Then, the non-passage rate (= rejected number of sheets / total number of processed sheets) for each form 25 is calculated, and the total number of processed sheets is a predetermined value (100 in this embodiment).
Or more and the non-passage rate is a set value (5 in this embodiment).
If it is 0% or more, the quality of the format is set to "1". In step S46, it is determined whether the format is defective. In this case, the determination is made based on whether the format of the statistical information table is "1". If the quality of the format is "1", it is determined that the format is defective, and step S47.
If the quality of the format is "0", it is determined that the format is not defective, and the process proceeds to step S55.

In this embodiment, the total number of processed sheets for which the quality of the format is "1" is set to 100, and the non-passage rate is set to 50%.
The non-passage rate and the like can be set according to the operating conditions of each system. Step S47 The form is rejected, and the process proceeds to steps S48 and 55 to perform parallel processing. In step S48, the image data of the form image 31 read from the image memory 12 is transferred to the image storage unit 51 for layout analysis. Therefore, the form image 31 of the next form 25 can be loaded into the image memory 12. The image storage unit 51
A plurality of form images 31 can be stored in. In step S49, the layout analysis unit 22 of the main control unit 13 determines whether the layout of another new form is being analyzed. When the layout of another new form is being analyzed, the layout analysis of the new form is suspended, and the analysis of the layout of another new form is waited for. When the layout of another new form is not being analyzed, the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, the main control unit 13 analyzes the layout of the new form. That is, the line segment of the entry frame 33 of the form 25 is detected,
The reading area 27 is recognized. Step S51 Reading area 2
Create a temporary format of 7. In step S52, the main control unit 13 and the recognition unit 15 refer to the temporary format created in step S51 and refer to the image memory 12
The temporary format is confirmed by cutting out and recognizing the character based on the image data stored in and determining whether or not the reading rate of the character is equal to or more than a set value.
In step S53, it is determined whether or not the confirmation result of the temporary format is good. If good, step S5
4, the process returns to step S50 if the condition is not good, the analysis condition is changed, and the layout is analyzed again. Step S54 The created temporary format is stored in the format storage unit 14 as a formal format and registered.
In step S55, the character recognition result is output. That is, the character recognition result is transferred from the main control unit 13 to the recognition result display unit 16 and stored in the storage unit 17. Step S
56 It is determined whether there is the next form 25 to be read. If the form 25 is present, the process returns to step S41,
If there is no form 25, the process ends.

In this embodiment, the values of the X-axis direction frame detection slice S _X and the Y-axis direction frame detection slice S _Y can be changed. The image memory 12 has a multi-valued configuration, the slice level for converting multi-valued data into binary data is variable, and the slice level is changed, whereby the layout can be analyzed accurately.

Although the image storage unit 51 is arranged separately from the image memory 12, the image storage unit 51 is set in the image memory 12 and the image data for layout analysis is set by address management. And the character can be cut out from the image memory 12 to recognize the character. Further, in the present embodiment, since the layout analysis and the character recognition can be performed in parallel, the coordinates of the entry frame 33 obtained by the layout analysis are calculated as the average value of the data in a plurality of new forms. It can also be obtained by doing.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0043]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in the optical character reading device, the characters of the form in which the relative positional relationship of the writing frames of the reading area does not change correspond to the form ID. The recognition is performed based on the set format. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including an entry frame, a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, an image memory that stores the form image as image data, and the image memory. The layout analysis unit analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the storage unit, and the format creation unit creates a format based on the layout analysis result.

In this case, when the form is a new form, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image memory. Also,
The format creating means creates a format based on the layout analysis result. Therefore, even when different types of forms are frequently added, the format can be automatically created for each added form, and the work involved in creating the format can be simplified.

In another optical character reader of the present invention, a statistical information table in which statistical information indicating the result of reading a form is stored, and the statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and the statistical information is acquired. Format pass / fail judgment means for judging whether or not the format is defective based on the above. Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad.

In this case, the size of the entry frame is changed,
When the format becomes bad, the layout is analyzed for the corresponding form. Therefore, since a new format is created and registered, the work involved in creating the format can be simplified. In still another optical character reader of the present invention, the characters of the form in which the relative positional relationship of the writing frames of the reading area does not change are recognized based on the format set in correspondence with the form ID. Has become. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including an entry frame, a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, and an image memory that stores the form image as image data for character recognition. And an image storage unit that stores the form image as image data for layout analysis,
In parallel with the recognition of the character, it has a layout analysis unit that analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image storage unit, and a format creation unit that creates a format based on the layout analysis result.

In this case, when the form is a new form, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image memory. Also,
The format creating means creates a format based on the layout analysis result. Therefore, even when different types of forms are frequently added, the format can be automatically created for each added form, and the work involved in creating the format can be simplified.

Moreover, since the layout can be analyzed in parallel with the character recognition, the throughput can be improved. In still another optical character reading device of the present invention, a statistical information table in which statistical information indicating a result of reading a form is stored, the statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and based on the statistical information. Format acceptability determining means for determining whether the format is defective.

Then, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout of the form corresponding to the case where the format is bad. In this case, when the form is a new form, the layout analysis means analyzes the layout based on the image data stored in the image memory.
Also, the format creating means creates a format based on the layout analysis result.

Therefore, even when different types of forms are frequently added, the format can be automatically created for each added form, and the work involved in creating the format can be simplified. it can. When the size of the entry frame is changed and the format becomes defective, the layout of the corresponding form is analyzed. Therefore, since a new format is created and registered, the work involved in creating the format can be simplified.

Moreover, since the layout can be analyzed in parallel with the recognition of characters, the throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical character reader according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a form according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the optical character reading device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a statistical information table in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a layout analysis frame in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a method of calculating layout analysis coordinates according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an optical character reading device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of the optical character reading device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the optical character reading device in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 image memory 13 main control unit 14 format storage unit 15 recognition unit 22 layout analysis unit 23 statistical information unit 25 forms 26, 32 form ID 27, 30 reading area 31 form image 33 entry frame 34 characters 51 image storage unit H _X , H _Y projection S _X X-axis direction frame detection slice S _Y Y-axis direction frame detection slice A to D coordinates M _i , K _j line segment

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An optical character reading device for recognizing characters of a form whose relative positional relationship of entry frames of a reading area does not change based on a format set in correspondence with a form ID. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including a frame; (b) a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form; and (c) an image memory that stores the form image as image data. (D) a layout analysis means for analyzing a layout based on the image data stored in the image memory, and (e) a format creation means for creating a format based on the layout analysis result. Optical character reader. 2. (a) The layout analysis means detects a line segment that sets each entry frame of the reading area based on the projection of the image data, and a line segment detection means that detects each line segment based on the line segment. The optical character reader according to claim 1, further comprising: coordinate calculating means for calculating the coordinates of the entry frame, and (b) the format creating means creates a format based on the coordinates of the entry frame. 3. A statistical information table in which (a) statistical information indicating a reading result of a form is stored, and (b) statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and a format based on the statistical information is obtained. The optical character according to claim 1, further comprising a format pass / fail determination unit for determining whether or not the format is defective, and (c) the layout analysis unit analyzes a layout for a form corresponding to the case where the format is defective. Reader. 4. An optical character reading device for recognizing characters of a form whose relative positional relationship of entry frames of a reading area does not change on the basis of a format set in correspondence with a form ID. An image acquisition unit that acquires a form image including a frame, (b) a new form determination unit that determines whether the form is a new form, and (c) stores the form image as image data for character recognition. And an image memory for storing the form image as image data for layout analysis, and (e) in parallel with the recognition of the characters, based on the image data stored in the image storage unit. Layout analysis means for performing layout analysis by means of (f) format creation procedure for creating a format based on the layout analysis result. An optical character reader having a step. 5. (a) The layout analysis means detects a line segment that sets each entry frame of the reading area based on the projection of the image data, and a line segment detection means that detects each line segment based on the line segment. 5. The optical character reader according to claim 4, further comprising: coordinate calculating means for calculating the coordinates of the entry frame, and (b) the format creating means creates the format based on the coordinates of the entry frame. 6. A statistical information table in which (a) statistical information indicating a result of reading a form is stored; and (b) statistical information is acquired by referring to the statistical information table, and the format is based on the statistical information. 5. The optical character according to claim 4, further comprising: a format pass / fail determining unit for determining whether or not the format is defective, and (c) the layout analyzing unit analyzes a layout of a form corresponding to the case where the format is defective. Reader.