Image recognition system

A method for storing a character comprising:

• creating an image of said character;
• reducing said image of said character to a skeleton image;
• representing said skeleton image of said character on the basis of the internal structure of said character by a descriptor corresponding to a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes of said character, said descriptor being a reference key which is unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to a reference series for each node of said character, said reference series for a given node of said character being a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes, connected to said given node;
• and
• storing said reference key representation of said internal structure of said character as said descriptor of said character.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of respective unique reference keys corresponding to the internal structure of said respective plurality of reference characters, each of said plurality of unique reference keys being a descriptor corresponding to a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, a method for screening reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• creating an image of said test character;
• reducing said image of said test character to skeleton image;
• representing said skeleton image of said test character by a reference key, said reference key being a descriptor unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to a reference series for each node of said character, said reference series for a given node of said character being a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes, connected to said given node;
• and
• comparing said unique reference key of said test character to each of said plurality of unique reference keys of said reference characters, to match one of said reference images in said reference image library to said test image.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of respective unique reference keys and reference series corresponding to the internal structure of said respective plurality of reference characters, each of said plurality of reference series being a descriptor corresponding to a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes in said character, a method for screening reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• creating an image of said test character;
• reducing said image of said test character to skeleton image;
• representing said skeleton image of said test character by a reference key, said reference key being a descriptor unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to a reference series for each node of said character, said reference series for a given node of said character being a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes, connected to said given node, and by a reference series for said character, said reference series for said character being a descriptor corresponding to a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes in said character having a given number of connections between nodes in said character;
• comparing said unique reference key of said test character to each of said plurality of unique reference keys of said reference characters to match one of said reference images in said reference image library to said test image;
• and
• comparing said reference series of said test character to each of said plurality of said reference series of said reference characters to exclude ones of said reference images in said reference library form a match with said test image.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes, a method for searching said stored reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• creating an image of said test character;
• reducing said image of said test character to skeleton image;
• representing said skeleton image of said test character on the basis of internal structure as a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes;
• and
• computing the ratio of the number of connections between nodes in the test image to the number of connections between nodes in the reference image for at least first and second ones of said stored reference images from said reference image library to form first and second link ratios for said first and second stored references images, respectively.

An apparatus for storing a character comprising:

• means for creating an image of said character;
• means for reducing said image of said character to a skeleton image;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said character in the form of a linked list comprising a plurality of entries and a plurality of pointers between said entries, organized on the basis of internal structure corresponding to a plurality of nodes, and connections between said plurality of nodes, wherein each of said plurality of entries in said linked list corresponds to one of said plurality of nodes, and each of said pointers between entries corresponds to one of said connections between nodes;
• and
• means for storing said representation of said skeleton image of said character as the representation of the internal structure of said character.

An apparatus for storing a character comprising:

• means for creating an image of said character;
• means for reducing said image of said character to a skeleton image;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said character on the basis of the internal structure of said character by a descriptor corresponding to a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes of said character, said descriptor being a reference key which is unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to a reference series for each node of said character, said reference series for a given node of said character being a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes, connected to said given node;
• and
• means for storing said reference key representation of said internal structure of said character as said descriptor of said character.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of respective unique reference keys corresponding to the internal structure of said respective plurality of reference characters, each of said plurality of unique reference keys being a descriptor corresponding to a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, an apparatus for screening reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• means for creating an image of said test character;
• means for reducing said image of said test character to skeleton image;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said test character by a reference key, said reference key being a descriptor unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to a reference series for each node of said character, said reference series for a given node of said character being a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes, connected to said given node;
• and
• means for comparing said unique reference key of said test character to each of said plurality of unique reference keys of said reference characters, to match one of said reference images in said reference image library to said test image.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of respective unique reference keys and reference series corresponding to the internal structure of said respective plurality of reference characters, each of said plurality of reference series being a descriptor corresponding to a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes in said character, an apparatus for screening reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• means for creating an image of said test character;
• means for reducing said image of said test character to skeleton image;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said test character by a reference key, said reference key being a descriptor unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to a reference series for each node of said character, said reference series for a given node of said character being a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes having a given number of connections between nodes, connected to said given node, and by a reference series for said character, said reference series for said character being a descriptor corresponding to a series of integers, each integer being equal to the number of nodes in said character having a given number of connections between nodes in said character;
• means for comparing said unique reference key of said test character to each of said plurality of unique reference keys of said reference characters to match one of said reference images in said reference image library to said test image;
• and
• means for comparing said reference series of said test character to each of said plurality of said reference series of said reference characters to exclude ones of said reference images in said reference library from a match with said test image.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes, an apparatus for searching said stored reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• means for creating an image of said test character;
• means for reducing said image of said test character to skeleton image;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said test character on the basis of internal structure as a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes;
• and
• means for computing the ratio of the number of connections between nodes in the test image to the number of connections between nodes in the reference image for at least first and second ones of said stored reference images from said reference image library to form first and second link ratios for said first and second stored references images, respectively.

A method for storing a character comprising:

• creating an image of said character;
• reducing said image of said character to a skeleton image;
• ordering said plurality of nodes in a first order;
• reordering said plurality of nodes in a second order, wherein said second order is the same of all characters having the same number of nodes connected by the same number of connections between nodes in the same manner as said test character;
• representing said skeleton image of said character on the basis of the internal structure of said character by a descriptor corresponding to a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes of said character, wherein said descriptor is a reference key which unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to said second order of said plurality of nodes;
• and
• storing said reference key representation of said internal structure of said character as said descriptor of said character.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of respective unique reference keys corresponding to the internal structure of said respective plurality of reference characters, each of said plurality of unique reference keys being a descriptor corresponding to a given plurality of nodes connected by a given plurality of connections between nodes in a given manner for each reference character, a method for screening reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• creating an image of said test character;
• ordering said plurality of nodes in a first order;
• reordering said plurality of noes in a second order, wherein said second order is the same for all characters having the same number of nodes connected by the same number of connections between nodes in the same manner as said test character;
• representing said skeleton image of said test character on the basis of the internal structure of said test character by a descriptor corresponding to a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes of said test character, wherein said descriptor is a reference key which is unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to said second order of said plurality of nodes;
• and
• comparing said unique reference key of said test character to each of said plurality of unique reference keys of said reference characters, to match one of said reference images in said reference image library to said test image.

An apparatus for storing a character comprising:

• means for creating an image of said character;
• means for reducing said image of said character to a skeleton image;
• means for ordering said plurality of nodes in a first order;
• means for reordering said plurality of nodes in a second order, wherein said second order is the same for all characters having the same number of nodes connected by the same number of connections between nodes in the same manner as said test character;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said character on the basis of the internal structure of said character by a descriptor corresponding to a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes of said character, wherein said descriptor is a reference key which unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to said second order of said plurality of nodes;
• and
• means for storing said reference key representation of said internal structure of said character as said descriptor of said character.

In an image recognition system having a reference image library including a plurality of stored reference images, each of said stored reference images represented on the basis of the internal structure of respective reference characters including a plurality of respective unique reference keys corresponding to the internal structure of said respective plurality of reference characters, each of said plurality of unique reference keys being a descriptor corresponding to a given plurality of nodes connected by a given plurality of connections between nodes in a given manner for each reference character, an apparatus for screening reference images for matching with a test image comprising:

• means for creating an image of said test character;
• means for ordering said plurality of nodes in a first order;
• means for reordering said plurality of nodes in a second order, wherein said second order is the same for all characters having he same number of nodes connected by the same number of connections between nodes in the same manner as said test character;
• means for representing said skeleton image of said test character on the basis of the internal structure of said test character by a descriptor corresponding to a plurality of nodes and connections between said plurality of nodes of said test character, wherein said descriptor is a reference key which is unique for a given plurality of nodes and connections between said given plurality of nodes, said unique reference key corresponding to said second order of said plurality of nodes;
• and
• means for comparing said unique reference key of said test character to each of said plurality of unique reference keys of said reference characters, to match one of said reference images in said reference image library to said test image.