US3921136A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Automatic pattern recognition method and apparatus particularly for optically recognizing characters
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1973-01-12
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Granted: 1975-11-18
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Expires: 1993-01-12
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for recognizing multi-font alphanumeric characters comprises a single line of detectors for scanning the characters along a plurality of continuous scan lines each extending in the direction of the height of the characters, and means for sampling all the detectors each time a predetermined detector, located substantially midway of the lower-case characters excluding their ascenders and descenders, senses a change in sign in its sensed portion of the character. High and low limit sensing detectors of the linear array sense the average tops and bottoms of the projected lower-case characters, excluding their ascenders and descenders, and control alignment means to align the tops and bottoms between the latter detectors, and size-control means to vary the size of the optically projected characters so that the tops and bottoms coincide with the high and low limit sensing detectors.
Inventors
- 👤 Hillel Bar-Lev
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 13:44
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06V; G06V30/00; G06V30/10; G06V30/14; G06V30/146; G06V30/19; G06V30/192
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
238 words
Apparatus for the automatic recognition of alphanumeric characters, comprising a single line of detectors extending continuously in the direction of the height of the characters to be recognized; certain of said detectors being high and low limit sensing detectors; means optically-projecting a line of characters on the line of detectors; means effecting relative movement between said line of detectors and said characters in the direction of the width of the characters, whereby said line of detectors scans each character along a plurality of parallel single lines extending continuously in the direction of the height of the character; means for sampling all the detectors each time a predetermined detector senses a change in sign in its scanned portion of the character to produce sample electrical data signals; a recognition circuit receiving said electrical data signals for recognizing the characters therefrom; and normalizing means including said high and low limit sensing detectors for sensing the average top and bottom boundaries of the projected characters and controlling in accordance therewith the alignment and size of said optically-projected characters with respect to said line of detectors, said normalizing means including alignment means effecting relative displacement between the line of detectors and the optically projected characters to align one of said boundaries with respect to its limit sensing detector, and size-control means controlling the size of said optically-projected characters to align the other of said boundaries with respect to its limit sensing detector.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
238 words
Apparatus for the automatic recognition of alphanumeric characters, comprising a single line of detectors extending continuously in the direction of the height of the characters to be recognized; certain of said detectors being high and low limit sensing detectors; means optically-projecting a line of characters on the line of detectors; means effecting relative movement between said line of detectors and said characters in the direction of the width of the characters, whereby said line of detectors scans each character along a plurality of parallel single lines extending continuously in the direction of the height of the character; means for sampling all the detectors each time a predetermined detector senses a change in sign in its scanned portion of the character to produce sample electrical data signals; a recognition circuit receiving said electrical data signals for recognizing the characters therefrom; and normalizing means including said high and low limit sensing detectors for sensing the average top and bottom boundaries of the projected characters and controlling in accordance therewith the alignment and size of said optically-projected characters with respect to said line of detectors, said normalizing means including alignment means effecting relative displacement between the line of detectors and the optically projected characters to align one of said boundaries with respect to its limit sensing detector, and size-control means controlling the size of said optically-projected characters to align the other of said boundaries with respect to its limit sensing detector.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said predetermined detector is disposed to scan the characters along a line about midway of the average height of the lower-case characters excluding their ascenders and descenders.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
230 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein two adjacent detectors are high-limit sensing detectors and two other adjacent detectors are low-limit sensing detectors; wherein said alignment meaNs includes a first averaging circuit connected to the output of one high-limit sensing detector located to scan the characters just above said tops, means responsive to the output of said averaging circuit controlling said alignment means to effect a displacement of said detectors in one direction with respect to the optically-projected characters, a second averaging circuit connected to the output of the other high-limit sensing detector located to scan the characters just below said tops, and means responsive to the output of said second averaging circuit controlling said alignment means to effect a displacement of the detectors in the opposite direction with respect to the optically-projected characters; and wherein said size-control means includes magnifying means, a third averaging circuit connected to the output of one low-limit sensing detector located to scan the character just above said bottoms means responsive to the output of said third averaging circuit to control the magnifying means to increase the magnification of said optically-projected characters, a fourth averaging circuit connected to the output of the other low-limit sensing detector located to scan the character just above said bottoms, and means responsive to the output of said fourth averaging circuit to decrease the magnification of said optically projected characters.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
125 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein one detector is a high-limit sensing detector and another detector is a low limit sensing detector; and wherein said alignment and size-control means includes detector displacing means, character-magnifying means, a first averaging circuit connected to the output of said high-limit sensing detecor a second averaging circuit connected to the output of said low-limit sensing detector, first summing means producing a first signal corresponding to the difference in the outputs of said first and second averaging circuits, means responsive to said first signal controlling said character-displacing means, second summing means producing a second signal corresponding to the sum of the outputs of the first and second averaging circuits, and means responsive to said second signal controlling said magnifying means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including means for disabling said predetermined high and low limit sensing detectors when other detectors sense an ascender or descender in the character being scanned.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including means for disabling said high and low limit sensing detectors when said line of detectors sense an all-white condition indicating the end of a character.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including means responsive to the sensing of an all-black condition by said line of detectors indicating the end of a line for reversing the direction of scanning and for advancing the detectors one line with respect to the characters being read.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including means controlled by said size-control means for controlling the speed of scanning of the characters by said detectors.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
211 words
Apparatus for the automatic recognition of alphanumeric characters, comprising a single line of detectors extending continuously in the direction of the height of the characters to be recognized; means effecting relative movement between said line of detectors and said characters in the direction of the width of the characters, whereby said line of detectors scans each character along a plurality of parallel single lines extending continuously in the direction of the height of the character; means for sampling all the detectors each time a predetermined detector senses a change in sign in its scanned portion of the character to produce sample electrical data signals; and a recognition circuit receiving said electrical data signals for recognizing the characters therefrom, wherein said recognition circuit includes a shift register storing said electrical data signals in a plurality of locations; a pluraLity of character-recognition gates one for each character to be recognized, each of said gates being connected to selected locations of said shift register in accordance with the character to be recognized thereby; and means for opening different ones of said gates at different time periods enabling them during said different time periods to receive said electrical data signals from their respective locations of the shift register and to recognize the respective character thereby.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
211 words
Apparatus for the automatic recognition of alphanumeric characters, comprising a single line of detectors extending continuously in the direction of the height of the characters to be recognized; means effecting relative movement between said line of detectors and said characters in the direction of the width of the characters, whereby said line of detectors scans each character along a plurality of parallel single lines extending continuously in the direction of the height of the character; means for sampling all the detectors each time a predetermined detector senses a change in sign in its scanned portion of the character to produce sample electrical data signals; and a recognition circuit receiving said electrical data signals for recognizing the characters therefrom, wherein said recognition circuit includes a shift register storing said electrical data signals in a plurality of locations; a pluraLity of character-recognition gates one for each character to be recognized, each of said gates being connected to selected locations of said shift register in accordance with the character to be recognized thereby; and means for opening different ones of said gates at different time periods enabling them during said different time periods to receive said electrical data signals from their respective locations of the shift register and to recognize the respective character thereby.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said last-named means comprises a counter producing a counting pulse for each sampling of the detectors, and means feeding said counting pulses to different ones of said recognition gates to open them at different time periods.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said recognition means includes means effective upon the recognition of a character for generating a stop-read pulse and for feeding same to all said recognition gates to disable same from recognizing any further characters during the remainder of the character scan.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 11, further including means generating a character terminating pulse when all the detectors sense the absence of a character, said character terminating pulse re-enabling the recognition gates to recognize a subsequent character.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 12, further including means connected to the output of the recognition gate for at least one of said characters for generating a character terminating pulse re-enabling all said recognition gates to recognize a subsequent character.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
132 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein certain of said detectors are high and low limit sensing detectors; and wherein the apparatus further includes: means optically-projecting a line of characters on the line of detectors; and normalizing means including said high and low limit sensing detectors for sensing the average top and bottom boundaries of the projected characters and controlling in accordance therewith the alignment and size of said optically-projected characters with respect to said line of detectors, said normalizing means including alignment means effecting relative displacement between the line of detectors and the optically-projected characters to align one of said boundaries with respect to its limit-sensing detector, and size-control means controlling the size of said optically-projected characters to align the other of said boundaries with respect to its limit sensing detector.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
231 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein two adjacent detectors are high-limit sensing detectors and two other adjacent detectors are low-limit sensing detectors; wherein said alignment means includes a first averaging circuit connected to the output of one high-limit sensing detector located to scan the characters just above said tops, means responsive to the output of said averaging circuit controlling said alignment means to effect a displacement of said detectors in one direction with respect to the optically-projected characters, a second averaging circuit connected to the output of the other high-limit sensing detector located to scan the characters just below said tops, and means responsive to the output of said second averaging circuit controlling said alignment means to effect a displacement of the detectors in the opposite direction with respect to the optically-projected characters; and wherein said size-control means includes magnifying means, a third averaging circuit connected to the output of one low-limit sensing detector located to scan the character just above said bottoms, means responsive to the output of said third averaging circuit to control the magnifying means to increase the magnification of said optically-projected characters, a fourth averaging circuit connected to the output of the other low-limit sensing detector detector located to scan the character just above said bottoms, and means responsive to the output of said fourth averaging cirCuit to decrease the magnification of said optically projected characters.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
123 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein one detector is a high-limit sensing detector and another detector is a low-limit sensing detector; and wherein said alignment and size-control means includes detector-displacing means, character-magnifying means, a first averaging circuit connected to the output of said high-limit sensing detector a second averaging circuit connected to the output of said low-limit sensing detector, first summing means producing a first signal corresponding to the difference in the outputs of said first and second averaging circuits, means responsive to said first signal controlling said character-displacing means, second summing means producing a second signal corresponding to the sum of the outputs of the first and second averaging circuits, and means responsive to said second signal controlling said magnifying means.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
189 words
A method for the automatic recognition of alphanumeric characters comprising the steps of: optically-projecting a line of the characters on a linear array of detectors extending in the direction of the height of the characters, at least one of said detectors sensing a high permissible limit of the projected characters and at least one other detector sensing a low permissible limit of the projected characters; effecting relative movement between the detectors and the characters in the direction of the width of the characters, to cause the detectors to scan the characters along a plurality of continuous and distinct scan lines; effecting relative displacement between the linear array of detectors and the optically-projected characters to align one of said limits of the projected characters with respect to its respective limit sensing detector; varying the magnification of the optically-projected characters to align the other of said limits of the projected characters with respect to its limit sensing detector; sampling all the detectors in said linear array each time a predetermined detector thereof senses a change from black-to-white or white-to-black; and utilizing the sampled outputs of the detectors for recognizing the character.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
189 words
A method for the automatic recognition of alphanumeric characters comprising the steps of: optically-projecting a line of the characters on a linear array of detectors extending in the direction of the height of the characters, at least one of said detectors sensing a high permissible limit of the projected characters and at least one other detector sensing a low permissible limit of the projected characters; effecting relative movement between the detectors and the characters in the direction of the width of the characters, to cause the detectors to scan the characters along a plurality of continuous and distinct scan lines; effecting relative displacement between the linear array of detectors and the optically-projected characters to align one of said limits of the projected characters with respect to its respective limit sensing detector; varying the magnification of the optically-projected characters to align the other of said limits of the projected characters with respect to its limit sensing detector; sampling all the detectors in said linear array each time a predetermined detector thereof senses a change from black-to-white or white-to-black; and utilizing the sampled outputs of the detectors for recognizing the character.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the optically-projected characters are aligned and magnified so that the average tops and bottoms of the lower-case characters, excluding their ascenders and descenders, coincide with said high and low limit detectors.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method as defined in claim 17, including the further step, after the recognition of the character, of inhibiting the recognition of further characters until the start of scanning of a new character.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-11-17 | 1979-05-19 | 1979-11-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-11-17 | 1983-05-19 | 1983-11-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-11-17 | 1987-05-19 | 1987-11-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |