Abstract: In a system for input-processing hand-written data, the pattern of a hand-written character is not entirely registered during the registration of a symbol input but, instead, a combination of a recognizable character and an input element is registered. During hand-written input, a particular identification stroke that can be easily identified is added to the recognizable character. The particular identification stroke is picked up by a stroke detection unit from the pattern of the input hand-written character, this stroke is deleted by a stroke deletion unit, and the resulting pattern of the character is subjected to the confirmation processing by a hand-written character confirmation unit, and an input element that has been registered in relation to the confirmed character code is output.

Abstract: A method for approximating a contour of an object expressed in a digital video signal divides the contour into a multiplicity of primary contour segments and approximates each primary contour segment by a primary line segment, to thereby calculate a set of errors between the primary contour segment and the primary line segment for each primary contour segment. And the method codes and decodes the set of errors, to thereby generate of a set of reconstructed errors and a reconstructed contour segment which are used to determine a reconstruction error. Thereafter, the method generates one or more secondary contour segment on the primary contour segment with each secondary contour segments approximated by a secondary line segment. Subsequently, the method finds an approximation error and approximates said each primary contour segment by using either the reconstructed contour segment or the secondary line segments based on the reconstruction error and the approximation error.

Abstract: In a coding system, when any of the prediction results of pixel value prediction sections 20 and 21 matches an object pixel, a coding section 50 codes an identifier of the pixel value prediction section whose prediction result matches the object pixel. When none of the results match the object pixel, the coding section 50 codes a prediction error of a prediction error calculation section 30. A decoding system decodes code to an identifier or prediction error and outputs pixel data from the corresponding pixel value prediction section based on the identifier or takes out pixel data from a prediction error addition section 31 based on the predication error.

Abstract: A system for editing the hierarchical tree structure which is created by a block selection system to correspond to a block template which represents a document image, wherein the hierarchical tree structure includes a plurality of nodes, each of which represents a block of document image data in the block template of a document image and contains document feature data defining features of the block of image data. The system operates to download from memory the hierarchical tree structure, generate and display a block template representing a document image corresponding to the hierarchical tree structure in memory, select a block of document image data to be edited in the displayed block template, edit a feature of the selected block of image data and update the document feature data in a node corresponding to the selected block of image data.

Abstract: A code pattern, such as a glyph code pattern, is parameterized in two-dimensional space by encodings of parallel propagating unique numeric sequence which incrementally vary in phase transversely of the code pattern.

Abstract: A spatial-filter which includes a first filtering unit which performs a smoothing process on image data, the smoothing process being a process by which tone oscillations formed by tone levels are suppressed. A second filtering unit performs an adaptive edge-enhancement process on the image data which has previously undergone the smoothing process. The adaptive edge-enhancement process is a process by which sharpness of edges is enhanced, the edges being parts having steep tone gradients in the image. The manner of the adaptive edge-enhancement process depends on edge amounts present in the input image data. The edge amounts are amounts indicating how steep tone gradients of the tone levels represented by the image data are.

Abstract: An ophthalmological image processing system includes a data storing and regenerating device for inputting digitized image data concerning an image which includes an ophthalmological image, an arithmetic and control circuit for processing and transmitting image data output by the data storing and regenerating device, an image data processing circuit for processing the image data transmitted by the arithmetic and control circuit, and a monitor TV for outputting an image sent out from the image data processing circuit. The arithmetic and control circuit can transmit only appointed data of the image data.

Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for vector quantization (VQ) to build a codebook for the compression of data. The codebook or "tree" is initialized by establishing N initial nodes and creating the remainder of the codebook as a binary codebook. Children entries are split upon determination of various attributes, such as maximum distortion, population, etc. Vectors obtained from the data are associated with the children nodes, and then representative children entries are recalculated. This splitting/reassociation continues iteratively until a difference in error associated with the previous children and current children becomes less than a threshold. This splitting and reassociating process continues until the maximum number of terminal nodes is created in the tree, a total error or distortion threshold has been reached or some other criterion. The data may then be transmitted as a compressed bitstream comprising a codebook and indices referencing the codebook.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for analyzing particles in a fluid sample is accomplished by distributing the sample over an extended area. A plurality of optical still images is taken of the sample, with each image representing a different portion of the area. Each optical image is converted into an electronic image, with the images of the particles in the electronic images. Each electronic image is classified into one of a plurality of classifications of visually discernible characteristics. For each classification, the percentage of the total number of particles classified is determined. The images of the particles are extracted from the electronic images. The images of the particles are displayed in an ordered array by the classification with the number of particles within each classification so displayed being proportional to the percentage determined of the total number of particles displayed.

Abstract: A high-efficiency coding apparatus is provided which can increase accuracy in motion compensation and also increase processing speed without increasing the circuit scale as compared with the case that motion detection is carried out with respect to both of even and odd fields. Thus, this high-efficiency coding apparatus can perform accurate encoding, and can realize satisfactory transmission or recording of information.

Abstract: An image reading device for detecting a foreign object on a substrate includes a lens array for forming an erect image of the object in response to the foreign object being illuminated by a light source, and a sensor array for reading the formed image of the object. The sensor array includes a plurality of pixels, with at least some of the pixels having a dead zone. The lens array and the sensor array are arranged such that the substrate and the photosensing surface of the sensor array are situated at positions separated by substantially the same distance from two conjugate points present when the lens array forms the erect image of the object. The arrangement results in the image being defocused on the sensor array such that a predetermined number of pixels sense the formed image of the object, thus assuring that the foreign object is detected even if the image is projected on a dead zone of a given pixel.

Abstract: A system for recognizing handwritten characters, including pre-processing apparatus for generating a set of features for each handwritten character, a neural network disposed for operating on sparse data structures of those features and generating a set of confidence values for each possible character symbol which might correspond to the handwritten character, and post-processing apparatus for adjusting those confidence values and for selecting a character symbol consistent with external knowledge about handwritten characters and the language they are written in. The pre-processing apparatus scales and re-parameterizes the handwritten strokes, encodes the scaled and re-parameterizd strokes into fuzzy membership vectors and binary pointwise data, and combines the vectors and data into a sparse data structure of features.

Abstract: In order to estimate a character size of a subject copy in a facsimile system, the number of white runs is detected with respect to each of run length detected. Subsequently, an average white run length is determined. Thereafter, the character size is estimated by referring to data indicating a relationship between an average white run length and a character size.

Abstract: An image signal compressing device has a quantization processing circuit in which DCT coefficients are quantized using a quantization table, and thus, quantized DCT coefficients are obtained. In a Huffman table selection unit, a Huffman table is generated in accordance with a Huffman code length table, which is determined in accordance with the minimum value of the quantization coefficients forming the quantization table. In a Huffman encoding process circuit, the quantized DCT coefficients are Huffman-encoded. The maximum value of the table number of the Huffman code length table is small, as the minimum value of the quantization coefficient is large.

Abstract: A tokenless identification system and method for authorization of transactions and transmissions. The tokenless system and method are principally based on a correlative comparison of a unique biometrics sample, such as a finger print or voice recording, gathered directly from the person of an unknown user, with an authenticated biometrics sample of the same type obtained and stored previously. The system can be networked to act as a full or partial intermediary between other independent computer systems, or may be the sole computer systems carrying out all necessary executions. The system further contemplates the use of a private code that is returned to the user after the identification has been complete, authenticating and indicating to the user that the computer system was accessed. The identification system and method additionally include emergency notification device to permit an authorized user to alert authorities an access attempt is coerced.

Abstract: In a machine vision system capable of capturing an optical image of a semiconductor electronic component part and digitizing the optical image, a method for locating, inspecting and placing parts known as large leaded devices, by estimating a part's location; estimating the approximate location of a group of leads; computing the center and angle of a lead scan search rectangle within which the leads in a group of leads must be located; scanning a lead scan search rectangle to locate lead edges and compile a list of edges; extracting lead positions; updating the part location estimate; and repeating these steps for each lead set to find all leads and lead centerlines; then calculating an optimal part position estimate by matching found lead positions with expected lead centerlines; and finally, inspecting the leads. A statistical lead rejection procedure is included during lead extraction.

Abstract: When an N-times density binary image having N+1 tones is compressed, only the tone of each pixel is converted into a compressed code. The compressed code has a number of bits necessary and sufficient to distinguish between the tones. When a triple-density image having 4 tones is compressed, for example, the tone of each pixel is converted into a 2-bit compressed code. When the original N-times density is restored from the compressed code, there is formed a dot pattern in which the number of dots corresponding to the tone, as represented by the compressed code of each pixel, are situated closer to the darker one of the two adjoining pixels.

Abstract: The system includes a master computer having a master computer comparator. The master computer comparator further having a master user biometric database which contains or stores the biometric samples of all users registered with the identification computer system. The master computer further includes a user personal identification code group database which contains the personal identification codes of said users. The identification computer system further includes at least two local computers which are physically remote from each other. Each local computer further includes a biometric scanner; a local comparator; a data entry device; and a local user biometric database containing a subset of the biometric samples contained in the master biometric database. First interconnectors that interconnects each local computer to the master computer.

Abstract: An object-by shape information compression apparatus and a method thereof, which includes a motion compensation prediction circuit provided for motion-compensation-predicting a shape information of a current fame using a shape information of a previous frame and a motion information of a current frame; a subtraction circuit provided for computing a prediction error region by subtracting a shape information predicted by the motion compensation prediction circuit and a current motion region; a threshold operation circuit provided for determining a transfer and disconnection of an information in accordance with time by threshold-operating an isolated prediction error region obtained by the subtraction circuit; a contour prediction circuit provided for compression-coding a shape information by predicting a contour in a prediction error region obtained by the threshold operation circuit; a contour reconstruction circuit provided for reconstructing an isolated prediction error region from a contour coded by the con

Abstract: An image to be read is divided into blocks, and pixels included in each block are consecutively binarized on the basis of a threshold. At this time, the threshold is determined in accordance with a maximum value of an image signal of an area including a block adjacent to an attention-focused pixel. If the threshold is smaller than a reference threshold which is determined in accordance with the maximum value of the image signal of a particular reference pixel of a preceding block, the area is changed, and the threshold is redetermined in accordance with the maximum value of the image signal of the new area.