JPH096904A - Image processing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To enable the user to freely specify the image processing used to register new data in the dictionary used for character recognition.
The image information registered in the dictionary can be selected even if the recognition candidate cannot be extracted or the recognition processing is not performed. [Structure] The input image information is displayed on an image display unit (311), character image information is designated on the display screen (301), and the designated image information is displayed as an image in a character registration window (304). It is instructed to paste in the frame (305), the character to be registered in association with the image is input from the keyboard (307), and the confirmation instruction (30
8) In accordance with 8), the information capable of associating the image with the character is registered in the character recognition dictionary.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character recognition device capable of registering a character image in a recognition dictionary.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a character recognition device has a recognition dictionary which stores standard features of a character image, and a character segmenting means for segmenting a character portion from an input image and a feature extracting from the segmented character image. A recognition calculation unit that calculates the similarity between each character in the recognition dictionary and the standard feature and uses the character with the highest similarity as the recognition result, and a recognition result display unit that displays the recognition are provided. Character registration is known as a method for improving the recognition accuracy of such a character recognition device. In character registration, a character image and a character code are specified, and the characteristics of the character image are registered and updated in the recognition dictionary.

Conventionally, a character recognition device is constructed so that when a character to be registered is selected from the recognition results displayed on the recognition result display means, the character image corresponding to the selected character is the object of character registration. An example will be described with reference to FIG. 7. First, on the text window 711 that displays the recognition result,
A character 701 to be registered, such as a character recognized correctly or an incorrect character, is selected by the cursor. Next, when the user starts the “character registration” process by clicking on the menu 702 or the like, the character image 703 corresponding to the selected character 701 is displayed in the registered character image frame of the character registration window 712, and the character image is displayed. The character is designated by inputting it into the character input unit 704 using a keyboard or the like. If there is no problem in the content, the character is registered in the recognition dictionary by pressing the "registration confirmation" button 705. The display of the character image 703 displays the image information on which the recognition process is performed by deriving the character 701 designated by the cursor, and is the image information of each cut character or the coordinate information of the cut character image. Was displayed by using the one stored in association with the text of the recognition result.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, character registration can be performed only when there is a recognition result corresponding to the character image on the input image during character recognition processing. If you do, there was a drawback that you had to perform character recognition.

An object of the present invention is to enable character registration in a character image for which a corresponding recognition result does not exist in the input image or a character image other than the input image.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems,
The present invention displays input image information, stores a partial image area designated in the displayed image information, inputs character information, and stores the stored partial image information and the input character information. An image processing method and apparatus for registering data that can be associated with each other in a character recognition dictionary.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention preferably recognizes the input image information and specifies the partial image on a display screen displaying the recognized image information.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably normalizes the partial image area and then registers it in the character recognition dictionary.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably extracts feature information from the partial image information and associates the extracted feature information with the character information input by the character input means. And register it in the character recognition dictionary.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably displays the area designated on the displayed image information in a rectangular shape.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention preferably stores position information of an area designated on the displayed image information as coordinate information in the input image information.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably recognizes the input image information by using the registered character recognition dictionary.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention stores specified information and identification information capable of identifying the type of the information in association with each other, and gives an instruction to paste the stored information. Accordingly, the identification information stored in the above is determined, and when the determination indicates that the identification information is image information, the stored specified information and its Provided is an image processing method and device for registering in a dictionary in association with character information input to be registered in a dictionary in association with information.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably gives an instruction for pasting to a frame in a dictionary registration window.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention preferably normalizes the stored specified information and registers the normalized information in the dictionary.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably extracts feature information from the stored specified information, and registers the extracted feature information in association with the dictionary.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention preferably recognizes image information using the registered dictionary.

[0018]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an image processing apparatus embodying the present invention. 101 is the ROM 102
A CPU that controls the entire apparatus according to a control program stored in the CPU 102; a ROM 102 that stores the control program of the apparatus, such as the processes shown in the flowcharts described later, executed by the CPU 101;
Reference numeral 03 is a RAM for storing document images, 104 is an external storage device such as a magnetic disk, 105 is a display such as a CRT or liquid crystal display, 106 is a keyboard, 1
Reference numeral 07 is a pointing device such as a mouse, and 108 is an image scanner for reading an image. Reference numeral 110 denotes an LBP or inkjet printer, which prints the text resulting from character recognition. A communication I / F 111 controls data exchange with other devices via a public line or the like, inputs image information, outputs recognition results, and updates a dictionary which is greatly related to the present invention. The transmission of data may also be controlled. A data bus 109 is used for transmitting and receiving data between the components.

An outline of this embodiment executed by the character recognition apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 and the display state of the display 105 of FIG.

The flowchart of FIG. 2 shows the details of the character registration process, which is performed by the scanner 10.
The image input from 8 etc. is subjected to character recognition, and the image to be recognized as shown in FIG.
Then, after the text of the recognition result is displayed in the text display frame 312, it is started.

First, in S201, the range of the character image to be registered on the input image is designated by the mouse 107 or the like. The coordinate information of the area designated by the mouse 107 is converted into coordinate information in the input image and stored in the RAM 103. The range designated based on this coordinate information is displayed surrounded by a rectangle such as 301. Next, S2
When "Copy" 302 in the menu is selected with 02, S2
In 03, the image in the rectangle 301 is stored in the temporary storage area for registered character images in the RAM 103. After that, when the “character registration” 303 of the menu is selected with the mouse 107, a character registration window 304 is displayed as shown in FIG.
Is displayed, and in response to pressing of the “paste” button 305 (S204), a temporary storage area (RAM103
The image stored in (inside) is displayed in the image display frame 306 as shown in FIG. In S206, the character information indicating what character the character image input from the keyboard 106 is is displayed on the character input unit 307, and after confirming the registered content,
Image display frame 3 in response to pressing of the “confirm” button 308
The dictionary data for associating the image of 06 with the characters of the character input unit 307 is additionally stored in the recognition dictionary, and the updating of the recognition dictionary ends (S207).

The designated character image 301 is registered as a character when the designated character image 301 is stored in the temporary storage area in S203 or when the update stored in the temporary storage area is displayed in the image display frame 306 in S205. Normalize to a size suitable for

Further, in order to update the recognition dictionary in S207, the feature data for recognition is extracted from the character image in the image display frame 306 in response to the depression of the "confirm" button 308. The extracted feature data and character input unit 30
Data corresponding to the character code of 7 is stored in the recognition dictionary.

As the recognition dictionary update processing, in addition to the method of simply adding the data in which the character feature data and the character code are associated with each other as described above, the characteristics of the recognition dictionary already in use are also combined. Alternatively, the newly stored data may be restored to the already stored data of the character code to be newly registered, and the characteristic data for recognizing the character code may be recreated and updated.

As described above, since the character registration image can be specified in any part of the input image, the character image that has not been recognized when character cutting fails or when it is judged as noise in the input image is not recognized. But there is an effect that you can register characters.

In the above embodiments, the minimum configuration requirements for implementing the present invention have been described. For example, a general-purpose computer is provided with data such as a program for executing the processing for implementing the present invention and a recognition dictionary. External storage means 104
It may be configured to be externally provided by the communication I / F 111 and stored in the RAM 103 in advance, and the storage device is not limited to the RAM 103.

Since the flowchart of FIG. 2 shows only the processing according to the present invention, for example, S203 and S2
During the period of 04, if the process is not a process of changing the content of the temporary storage area, the process not related to the present invention may be performed.

(Second Embodiment) Another embodiment executed by the character recognition apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the state of the display 105 of FIG. This embodiment is mainly implemented by a general-purpose computer.

The temporary storage area existing in this apparatus is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, it is composed of an identifier 601 and a data section 602, and the type can be identified by the identifier 601 such as whether the stored data is an image or a character string. . If another program can be executed on the device and the data as shown in FIG. 6 can be stored in the temporary storage area, for example, the character image designated by the mouse 107 by the “copy” button 502 of the menu will be displayed. The image in the rectangle 501 is stored in the data portion 602 of the temporary storage area, and the window in which the designation is made is the image processing window 511. Therefore, the identifier 601
The information indicating that it is an image is stored in. The details of the character registration process performed after the data storage process in the temporary storage area is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

Menu button for character registration processing (not shown)
By clicking, the paste button 503 is pressed in S401 to display in the image display frame 504 in the character registration window 512 displayed in response to this instruction, and the image is stored in the temporary storage area. An instruction is given to paste the data into the image display frame 504. In S402, it is determined whether or not the identifier of the temporary storage area indicates that it is an image. If it is not an image, pasting is impossible, and the process ends. If the identifier indicates that it is an image, the data in the temporary storage area is displayed in the image display frame 504 in S403. In S404, what character the character image is is input to the character input unit 505 by the keyboard 106, and after confirming the registered content,
By pressing the "Confirm" button 506, the image display frame 5
Data capable of associating the character image No. 04 with the character input unit 505 is stored in the recognition dictionary, and the updating of the recognition dictionary ends (S405).

As described above, by storing the data together with the identifier in the temporary storage area that does not specify the type of the data, the image data can be transferred regardless of the character recognition processing, so that the image is input to the character recognition processing. Even if it is not done, there is an effect that the character can be registered.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The input image information is displayed, the partial image area designated in the displayed image information is stored, the character information is input, and the stored partial image information and the input character information can be associated with each other. By registering the data in the character recognition dictionary, the character images that can be registered can be freely selected, and a better dictionary can be easily created.

As described above, according to the present invention, recognition is performed by recognizing the input image information and designating the partial image on the display screen displaying the recognized image information. The character image to be registered can be freely selected regardless of whether it is performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, by normalizing the partial image area and then registering the partial image area in the character recognition dictionary, the user is required to perform the specified precision when specifying the image. Since it is not necessary, operability is further improved.

As described above, according to the present invention, the characteristic information is extracted from the partial image information, and the extracted characteristic information and the character information input by the character input means are associated with each other. By registering in the recognition dictionary, it becomes easier to create a better character recognition dictionary.

As described above, according to the present invention, by designating the area designated on the displayed image information in a rectangular shape, the designation of the image information can be recognized and the designation operation can be surely performed. be able to.

As described above, according to the present invention, the processing of the image information is performed by storing the position information of the area designated on the displayed image information as the coordinate information in the input image information. Can be done easily.

As described above, according to the present invention, the recognition rate can be improved by recognizing the input image information by using the registered character recognition dictionary.

As described above, according to the present invention, designated information and identification information capable of identifying the type of the information are stored in association with each other, and an instruction to paste the stored information is given. According to the above, when the identification information stored in the above is determined and it is determined by the determination that the identification information is image information, the stored specified information and its By registering in the dictionary in association with the character information input to be registered in the dictionary in association with the information, the document for specifying the information to be registered can be freely selected, and the registration process with a higher degree of freedom can be performed. You can do it.

As described above, according to the present invention, the pasting instruction is given to the frame in the dictionary registration window, so that the image to be registered in the dictionary can be easily read. You can do it.

As described above, according to the present invention, the specified information stored is normalized, and the normalized information is registered in the dictionary so that the user can specify the image when specifying the image. Since it is not necessary to enforce the precision specified in, the operability is further improved.

As described above, according to the present invention, the feature information is extracted from the stored specified information, and the extracted feature information is registered in association with the dictionary. Making a good dictionary easier.

As described above, according to the present invention, the recognition rate can be improved by recognizing image information using the registered dictionary.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of character registration processing performed by the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display on a display during character registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a character registration process performed by the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display on a display during character registration according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a temporary storage area.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display on a display during character registration in a conventional example.

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. Displaying input image information, storing a partial image area specified in the displayed image information, inputting character information, storing the stored partial image information and the input character An image processing method characterized in that data capable of associating information is registered in a character recognition dictionary. 2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the input image information is recognized, and the partial image is designated on a display screen displaying the recognized image information. 3. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the partial image area is normalized and then registered in the character recognition dictionary. 4. The characteristic information is extracted from the partial image information, and the extracted characteristic information and the input character information are associated with each other and registered in the character recognition dictionary. The described image processing method. 5. The area designated on the displayed image information is displayed in a rectangular shape.
The image processing method according to 1. 6. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein position information of a region designated on the displayed image information is stored as coordinate information in the input image information. 7. Using the registered character recognition dictionary,
The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the input image information is recognized. 8. The specified information and identification information capable of identifying the type of the information are stored in association with each other, and stored in accordance with an instruction to paste the stored information. When the identification information is judged and the judgment shows that the identification information is image information, the specified information stored and the information is registered in the dictionary in association with the specified information. An image processing method, characterized in that it is registered in the dictionary in association with the character information that has been input. 9. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein the paste instruction is given to a frame in a dictionary registration window. 10. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein the stored designated information is normalized, and the normalized information is registered in the dictionary. 11. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein feature information is extracted from the stored specified information, and the extracted feature information is registered in association with the dictionary. . 12. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein image information is recognized using the registered dictionary. 13. An image input unit for inputting image information, a display unit for displaying the image information input from the image input unit, and a partial image area designated on a display screen displaying the image information. Designated image storage means, character input means for inputting character information, data that can associate partial image information stored in the designated image storage means with character information input by the character input means in a character recognition dictionary. An image processing apparatus comprising: a registration unit for registering. 14. A recognition device for recognizing the image information input by the image input device, wherein the partial image is designated on a display screen displaying the recognized image information. Item 13. The image processing device according to item 13. 15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the partial image area is normalized and then registered in the character recognition dictionary. 16. The feature information is extracted from the partial image information, and the extracted feature information and the character information input by the character input means are associated with each other and registered in the character recognition dictionary. The image processing device according to claim 13. 17. The area designated on the image information display means is displayed in a rectangular shape.
The image processing device according to item 3. 18. The image processing according to claim 13, further comprising position storage means for storing position information of an area designated on the image information display means as coordinate information in the input image information. apparatus. 19. The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image information input by the image input unit is recognized by using the character recognition dictionary registered by the registration unit. 20. Storage means for storing the designated information and identification information capable of identifying the type of the information in association with each other, and a pasting instruction for instructing pasting of the information stored in the storage means. Means, and in accordance with the pasting instruction by the pasting instruction means,
Judgment information for judging the identification information stored in the storage means, and designated information stored in the storage means when the judgment information indicates that the identification information is image information, An image processing apparatus, comprising: a registration unit that registers in the dictionary the character information input to be registered in the dictionary in association with the information. 21. The image processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the paste instruction unit is instructed to a frame in a dictionary registration window. 22. The image processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the designated information stored in the storage means is normalized, and the normalized information is registered in the dictionary. 23. The feature information is extracted from designated information stored in the storage means, and the extracted feature information is registered in association with the dictionary. Image processing device. 24. The image information is recognized using a dictionary registered by the registration means.
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1.