JP3696152B2 - Form identification device and form identification method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a form identification apparatus suitable for application to a character recognition apparatus that handles a plurality of types of forms, and particularly to a case where a plurality of types of forms in which character strings to be identified are not arranged at fixed positions are identified according to a form definition. It is related with a suitable form identification device.
[0002]
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a form identification method for identifying a form in accordance with a form definition with a plurality of identification items.
[0003]
[Prior art]
When it is desired to recognize a plurality of types of forms with the OCR apparatus, a form identification operation for classifying the forms in advance is involved. If this form identification operation is performed manually, a lot of time and labor are required. Therefore, conventionally, a method has been known in which a character that serves as a clue to distinguish the form type is printed at a predetermined position of the form and the form type is identified by recognizing this character. However, this method has a problem in that a character string for identifying each form must be arranged at a fixed position in advance at the time of form design.
[0004]
Therefore, in order to solve such problems, a dictionary (form definition) that collects features such as form size, binding hole area, corner cut area, and pre-print area for each of multiple types of forms to be processed. A technology has been proposed that makes it possible to identify the types of forms even for forms that do not have character strings for form identification placed at fixed positions by creating and matching this dictionary with input forms. 2000-298280).
[0005]
However, in the above-described prior art, as the number of forms to be identified increases, the speed of form identification processing decreases. In particular, because the character recognition processing is involved in the check for pre-printed character identification items, the number of types of forms to be identified increases, so the identification processing speed decreases significantly. It came to be.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, conventionally, in a method for identifying a form type by recognizing this character by printing a character as a clue to distinguish the form type at a predetermined position of the form in advance, At the time of form design, there is a problem that the character string for identification must be placed in a fixed position in advance, and for each of the multiple types of forms to be processed proposed to solve this problem, In the technology for identifying forms using a dictionary that collects features such as form size, binding hole area, corner cut area, pre-print area, etc., the number of forms to be identified increases. Due to the significant decrease, higher-speed form identification has been demanded.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a form identification process for identifying a form type according to a form definition by a plurality of identification items, a form identification apparatus and a form identification capable of performing form identification with high accuracy and high speed. It aims to provide a method .
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is characterized in that , in a form identification process for identifying a form in accordance with a form definition based on a plurality of identification items, a character existence area is added to the form definition to speed up the form identification process and improve performance.
[0009]
That is, the present invention is characterized in that a form is identified according to a form definition including an identification item that defines a character existence area in a form identification apparatus that identifies a form according to a form definition based on a plurality of identification items.
[0010]
Further, the present invention is a form identification device for identifying a form according to a form definition with a plurality of identification items, and determining the presence of a character existing area before identifying a form type by recognizing a character in a pre-print area. By doing so, the form is identified.
[0011]
Further, the present invention provides a form identification method for identifying a specific form from a plurality of types of forms based on identification items defined for each type of form, in an input form image and the form definition storage means. Based on the stored form definition, it is determined whether or not the defined character existence area exists in the input image .
[0012]
Further, the present invention provides a form identification method for identifying a specific form from a plurality of types of forms based on identification items defined for each type of form, in an input form image and the form definition storage means. Based on the stored form definition, prior to identifying the form type by recognizing characters in the defined pre-printed area in the input image, the definition is defined in the input image. It is characterized by determining whether or not a character existence area exists .
[0013]
As described above, according to the present invention, in the form identification process for identifying a form in accordance with the form definition based on a plurality of identification items , all form identification can be executed with high accuracy and high speed.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an OCR apparatus provided with a form identification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016]
In FIG. 1, a form definition device 10 includes a scanner, and creates a form definition 20 for each type of form (p). The OCR device 30 identifies and recognizes the type of the form (p) based on the form definition 20 created by the form definition device 10 and outputs a recognition result 40. The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 1 is basically the same as that of a conventional OCR system. In the present invention, the function of checking the character existence area on the form (p) (character identification area identification item) is added to the above-mentioned form definition 20 by adding the character existence area of each form to be identified. ing. In FIG. 1, the form definition device 10 and the OCR device 30 may be integrally formed.
[0017]
2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the form definition 20 in the embodiment of the present invention. Among these, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a screen configuration example of the form definition device 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of field setting contents of the form definition.
[0018]
In the screen configuration of the form definition apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, 11 is a form image of the form (p), and 11a to 11d are identification item areas to be checked on the form (p). Of these, 11a is a corner cut area, 11b is a pre-print area, and 11c is a blank (blank) area. Reference numeral 11d denotes a character presence area newly added in the embodiment of the present invention.
[0019]
In the processing in the form definition device 10, first, each type of form is prepared, and an operation of reading an image with a scanner is performed. Next, for each of the read forms, a form definition 20 having a plurality of identification items according to the definition contents as shown in FIG. 3 is created. Here, the form identification item includes, for each of a plurality of types of forms (p) to be identified, a form (paper) size, a corner cut area (11a), a binding hole area (not shown), and a blank (blank) area ( 11c) and identification items of the pre-print area (11b) are defined, and in addition to these identification items, identification items of the character existence area (11d) are defined. Note that the blank (blank) area (11c) on the form (p) handled here is an area of a single color part (usually a blank part) where no characters, symbols, etc. are recorded on the form (p). Point to. The character presence area (11d) indicates an area where characters such as numbers and symbols are always printed within a predetermined digit range.
[0020]
In the processing in the OCR device 30, the form (p) is identified and characters are recognized based on the form definition 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows the flow of the processing, and FIG. 5 shows the details of the processing procedure of the form identification processing (step S2) in FIG. In this form identification processing, the identification item check of the character existence area (11d) is performed before the identification item check of the pre-print area (11b) which requires character recognition.
[0021]
Here, the form identification processing operation in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the respective drawings.
[0022]
The OCR device 30 reads the image of the form (p) to be handled by the scanner (step S1 in FIG. 4), and follows the form definition having a plurality of identification items including the identification item of the character existence area (11d) as shown in FIG. A series of operations are performed in which the form (p) is identified (step S2 in FIG. 4), character recognition is performed (step S3 in FIG. 4), and output to the sorter (step S4 in FIG. 4). At this time, if a sorter having a plurality of output pockets is connected, the form (p) can be sorted by type. If the identification results in an error, processing such as outputting the corresponding form to the reject pocket is performed.
[0023]
Of the series of processing steps (steps S1 to S4 in FIG. 4), the form identification process (step S2 in FIG. 4) will be described in detail below.
[0024]
In this form identification process, the read form image is sequentially compared with the form definition 20 for each of the created form types, and all items are checked to see if they match (FIG. 5). Step S21 to Step S30).
[0025]
In this embodiment, first, it is checked whether or not “paper size” matches the form size registered in the form definition 20 (step S22 in FIG. 5). If the paper sizes do not match, the process proceeds to the next form definition process.
[0026]
On the other hand, if they match (as specified), then it is checked whether or not “corner cut” is as specified in the corner cut area registered in the form definition 20 (step S23 in FIG. 5). If the corner cut is not as specified, the process shifts to the next form definition process.
[0027]
On the other hand, if the corner cut is as specified, then it is checked whether or not “binding hole” is as specified in the binding hole area registered in the form definition 20 (step S24 in FIG. 5). Here, if the binding hole is not as specified, the process proceeds to the next form definition process.
[0028]
On the other hand, if the binding hole is as specified, it is next checked whether or not “blank area” is as specified for the blank area registered in the form definition 20 (step S25 in FIG. 5). If the blank area is not as specified, the process proceeds to the next form definition.
[0029]
On the other hand, if the blank area is as specified, the character presence area (11d) added in the embodiment of the present invention is registered in the form definition 20 before the “pre-print” check is performed next. It is checked whether or not the designated character existence area is designated (step S26 in FIG. 5). Here, if the character presence area (11d) is not as specified, the processing shifts to the next form definition.
[0030]
On the other hand, if the character presence area (11d) is as specified, it is next checked whether or not “pre-print” is as specified in the pre-print area registered in the form definition 20 (step S27 in FIG. 5). ). If pre-printing is not as specified, the process proceeds to the next form definition. Then, when the pre-printing is as specified, it is determined that it matches the corresponding form (step S28 in FIG. 5).
[0031]
The check according to the series of form definitions is repeatedly executed for all form types (form formats) to be identified while switching the contents (parameters) of the form definition 20 (steps S21 to S29 in FIG. 5). As for the form definition, only when the form to be checked complies with one type of form definition (that is, only when the matching form definition is limited to only one type), the form is set as the identification result (step S30 in FIG. 5). ). On the other hand, when there are a plurality of matching form definitions or 0 (not applicable), the identification is an error (abnormal end).
[0032]
In this way, in the form identification process for identifying a form in accordance with the form definition of a plurality of identification items, the character existence area of each form to be identified is added to the form definition 20 and the character existence area on the form (p) ( 11d) is performed before the “pre-print” check with character recognition is performed, thereby reducing the degree of transition to the “pre-print” check with character recognition that requires a lot of processing time. Efficient form identification processing can be executed. That is, the check of the blank area (11c) described above is significantly faster than the check by character recognition. Therefore, by checking the blank area (11c), the number of form definitions that need to be recognized can be remarkably reduced, and the overall processing speed is greatly improved without impairing the identification performance. be able to.
[0033]
Furthermore, in the present invention, the character presence area (11d) is used only for identifying the type of form and does not include any character recognition processing. Therefore, in the above-described check relating to the character presence area (11d) (step S26 in FIG. 5), it is only checked whether the character existence area defined by the form definition 20 actually looks like a character. Since processing is performed, it can be checked very quickly.
[0034]
Here, a specific check process of the character presence area in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0035]
FIG. 6 shows an example in which a number of digits called JISB is always printed on a form.
[0036]
In checking the character existence area, first, based on the character existence area defined in the form definition 20, an image of the character existence area (11d) is cut out from the image image read by the scanner. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, first, the center pixel of the row (line) shown in (1) is examined horizontally to check that black and white pixels always appear alternately (every character). Here, when a certain number or more of black or white pixels continue, it is determined that the number of digits at the corresponding position is different from the specified length, or that there is something that is not a character at the corresponding position. If it is determined in this way, the result is “not coincident”.
[0037]
Next, it is checked whether or not there is a blank area in each of the upper, lower, left, and right lines of the character existence area (11d) in the order indicated by reference numerals (2), (3), (4), and (5) in FIG. . Normally, in the case of an OCR form, blank areas called “clear areas” are secured on the top, bottom, left, and right of the character recognition area (11d). Therefore, the pixels in the clear area are examined horizontally or vertically to check that white pixels continue. Here, if there is a black pixel in the clear area, the result is “not coincident”.
[0038]
FIG. 7 shows an example in which each character existence area (11d) is identified using three types of forms having different character existence area (11d) formats using the above-described check method.
[0039]
In order to identify the three types of forms as shown in FIG. 7, the presence of characters is checked in the designated character existence area (11d) for each of the three types of forms. Here, since each form only needs to examine a pixel five times in one direction, it can be checked very rapidly that there is a character recognition area (11d) of a specified size at the corresponding position.
[0040]
As such a similar form identifying method, there is a method of identifying by using “how many characters exist in the character recognition area” as a key. In this method, an image at a predetermined position is cut out and the number of characters is determined by layout analysis of the characters in the image. However, this method takes time for layout analysis, and there are few cases that can be identified only by the number of digits, and a very large clear area is required.
[0041]
In the present invention, the character existence area (11d) is used only for speeding up the form identification, and the existence of what appears to be a character is checked. For this reason, a strict layout analysis is not necessary, and the processing becomes faster. Moreover, by using the pre-printed character string as the identification key in the end, it can be applied to more forms identification than the conventional method. Furthermore, since the character presence area (11d) can be defined separately for each form, a very large clear area is not required unlike the conventional method. In addition, the character presence area (11d) is often the same as the character recognition area, and there is an advantage that the definition of the character recognition area can be diverted in the form definition device.
[0042]
The above-described check method of the character presence area shown in FIG. 6 is applicable only when there is always a certain number of digits as in the JISB area.
[0043]
FIG. 8 shows a check method when the number of digits is unknown. In the case of this example, when the character presence area (11d) is a monetary amount or the like, the fact that there is always one digit or more is used, and the existence of the last one digit and the clear area on the upper and lower right are checked.
[0044]
Further, FIG. 9 shows a check method in the case of handwriting. In this example, there are numbers (character-like patterns in which black and white appear alternately) in the character presence area (11d), and the clear areas between the top, bottom, left and right of the character presence area (11d) and between characters. Checked. In the case of a handwritten area, it is conceivable that characters protrude from the area. Therefore, an accurate area check can be performed by checking the blank area weakly in consideration thereof.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in the form identification process for identifying a form in accordance with the form definition by a plurality of identification items, all form identification including identification of a form close to a blank sheet is performed with high accuracy and high speed. Can be executed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an OCR apparatus including a form identification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a screen configuration example of a form definition device for explaining a configuration of a form definition 20 in the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of field definition contents of a form definition for explaining the configuration of the form definition 20 in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of a processing flow of the OCR device in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for form identification processing in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a specific check processing method of a character presence area in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a specific check processing method for a character presence area in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a specific check processing method for a character presence area in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific check processing method for a character presence area in the embodiment of the present invention;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Form definition apparatus 11a ... Corner cut area 11b ... Pre-print area 11c ... Blank paper area 11d ... Character existence area 20 ... Form definition 30 ... OCR apparatus 40 ... Recognition result p ... Form

Claims (2)

In the form identification device that identifies a specific form from among multiple types of forms based on the identification items defined for each form type,
An image input means for inputting an image of a form to be identified;
A form definition storage means for storing, for each form definition, a form definition in which a character presence area and a pre-print area of the form are defined as identification items for identifying at least the form;
Based on the image of the form input by the image input means and the form definition stored in the form definition storage means , the character of the form is recognized by recognizing the character in the defined pre-print area in the input image. Before identifying the type, a form identifying means for identifying the type of the form in which the image is input by determining whether or not the defined character existence area exists in the input image. A form identification device characterized by: In the form identification method for identifying a specific form from among multiple types of forms based on the identification items defined for each form type ,
An image input step for inputting an image of the form to be identified;
A form definition storage step for storing, for each type of form, a form definition in which a character existence area and a pre-print area of the form are defined as identification items for identifying at least the form;
Based on the image of the form input by the image input means and the form definition stored in the form definition storage means, the character of the form is recognized by recognizing the character in the defined pre-print area in the input image. Before identifying the type, a form identifying step for identifying the type of the form in which the image is input by determining whether or not the defined character existence area exists in the input image. A form identification method characterized by:

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