A method of recognizing characters of varying stroke width by linear traverse is disclosed. A character is stored in a matrix of electrical storage cells with character cell positions distinguished from background cell positions by the presence of digital signals. A stored character is examined by using a predetermined group form (for example, a 2 .times. 2 square, a cruciform, a triangle or a 4 .times. 4 square) to sense for predetermined form characteristics (for example, two adjacent character cell positions of a 2 .times. 2 square) to generate a shifted edge line lying between character cell positions and adjacent background cell positions. The shifted edge line of the character defined by directional vectors is then compared with standard combinations in order to recognize the character.
The boundary of an object is determined based on its optically captured image by: (a) converting a density data of each of a plurality of pixels forming the captured image into a binary signal; (b) converting the binary signal into a neighbor pixel state value so that only the pixels located on the boundary r in the interior of the object have a value corresponding to the binary signals of the surrounding pixels; (c) normalizing the neighbor pixel state value using an absolute chain direction value of a previous chain direction; (d) obtaining a relative chain direction value for a pixel located on the boundary of the object in the image relative to the direction from which the chain has proceeded, with reference to the neighbor pixel state value of the pixel; (e) calculating an absolute chain direction value of a next chain direction on the basis of the relative chain direction value; and (f) repeating the steps (c) to (e) for each pixel located on the boundary to trace the boundary of the object for determining the boundary.
A conventional word organized random access memory is modified for image processing operations so that the pq image points of any 1 .times. pq, pq .times. 1 or p.times.q subarray of an rp .times. sq or smaller image array stored in the memory can be extracted or updated in a single memory cycle. The invention contemplates pq + 1 memory modules labeled from 0 to pq for storing the image points, each module being capable of storing rs points in distinguishable cells, only one cell of which is randomly accessible in a single instant of time. The invention further contemplates accessing circuitry for causing each image point I(i,j) of an image array to be routed to or from a memory module M(i,j) according to the relative M(i,j) =(iq+j)//(pq+1), where the notation "//" denotes the remainder resulting from integer division. The accessing circuitry additionally causes image point I(i,j) to be stored into or retrieved from a cell location A(i,j) of module M(i,j ) according to the relation A(i,j)=(i/p)s + (j/q).
A conventional word organized random access memory is modified for image processing operations so that the pq image points of any 1 .times. pq subarray, any pq .times. 1 subarray, or any regularly-spaced p .times. q subarray of an rp .times. sq or smaller image array stored in the memory can be extracted or updated in a single memory cycle. The invention contemplates pq memory modules labeled from 0 to pq-1 for storing the image points, each module being capable of storing rs points in distinguishable cells, only one cell of which is randomly accessible in a single instant of time. The invention further contemplates accessing circuitry for causing each image point I(i,j) of an image array to be routed to or from a memory module M(i,j) according to the relation M(i,j)=[iq+(i/p)//q+j]//pq, where the notations "/" and "//" denote, respectively, the quotient and the remainder resulting from integer division. The accessing circuitry additionally causes image point I(i,j ) to be stored into or retrieved from a cell location A(i,j) of module M(i,j) according to the relation A(i,j)=(i/p)s+(j/q).
A conventional word organized random access memory is modified for image processing operations so that the pq image points of any 1 .times. pq, pq .times. 1 or pxq subarray of an rp .times. sq or smaller image array stored in the memory can be extracted or updated in a single memory cycle. The invention contemplates 2 pq memory modules labeled from 0 to 2pq-1 for storing the image points, each module being capable of storing rs/2 points in distinguishable cells, only one cell of which is randomly accessible in a single instant of time. The invention further contemplates accessing circuitry for causing each image point I(i,j) of an image array to be routed to or from a memory module M(i,j) according to the relation M(i,j)=pq[(i/p)//2]+ (iq+i/2p+j)//pq, where the notations "/" and "//" denote, respectively, the quotient and the remainder resulting from integer division. The accessing circuitry additionally causes image point I(i,j) to be stored into or retrieved from a cell location A(i,j) of module M(i,j) according to the relation A(i,j)=(i/2p)s+(j/q).
