Character region extracting method and apparatus capable of implementing the method

A character region extracting apparatus adapted to character recognition comprising;

• optical scanning means for extracting a document image in the form of an electric signal by optically scanning a document;
• an image memory for storing the document image extracted by the optical scanning means;
• projection extracting means for extracting projection of the document image in a first and second direction, the first direction corresponding to a scanning direction in the optical scanning means and the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction;
• a projection buffer for storing the projection in each of the first and second direction extracted by the projection extracting means;
• region segmentating means for segmentating a region by using the projection stored in the projection buffer, the region segmentating means further comprising a first means for segmentating a first region (BL1) from the document image by using the extracted projection of the document image in the first direction and detecting a range in which the projection is continuous in the second direction, said range defining the first region;
• a second means for segmentating a second region (sBL1) from the first region by using the extracted projection of the first region in the second direction and detecting a range in which the projection is continuous in the first direction, the range defining the second region;
• and a third means for segmentating a third region (BL2) from the second region by using the extracted projection of the second region in the first direction and detecting a range in which the projection is continuous in the second direction, the range defining the third region;
• and
• memory means for storing the extracted third region.