Abstract: A system assists the driver of a motor vehicle to travel within a designated driving lane defined by one or more lane boundaries. The lane boundary is sensed as the vehicle moves within the lane while monitoring the position of the vehicle relative to the lane boundary. The operation of the vehicle is then adjusted as a function of the proximity of the vehicle to the lane boundary. In one embodiment, the operation of the vehicle is affected by adjusting the functioning of the steering wheel, preferably by providing tactile feedback which causes the driver to experience a virtual change in lane elevation as the vehicle approaches the lane boundary. In the preferred embodiment, the tactile feedback causes the vehicle operator to experience the lane as having a depression with sloping sidewalls. Where the lane boundaries are defined by visual lane markers, the lane-boundary sensor preferably takes the form of a video camera to image the lane markers.

Abstract: A computer system and method for repairing address blocks and ZIP codes numerical groups before segmentation of the ZIP code in an optical character recognizer. The system repairs the image based upon classification of the image as normal or otherwise. If the class is otherwise, background inclusions and gaps are filled in. If the class is normal, small noise pixel elements are eliminated. Once the ZIP code is located, non-horizontal and horizontal gaps are filled in between strokes and small strokes. The amount of dilation of the strokes and small strokes depends on the size of the strokes. The strokes are dilated and then the dilated area is eroded and shaped to conform to the original strokes. The repair connects strokes before segmentation of the ZIP code block into individual digits.