Abstract: A bar code signal essentially forms a cross-section of a bar code pattern which through irradiation luminesces from the background of a carrier under fluorescent action. Detection is performed by testing the bar code signal F(t) within each area (ZG1, TIS) within which a bar may be expected, against a bar criterion (THR, MTHR) obtained by prediction, with the aid of a prediction table (TABLE 1), from a local background signal value (AGR) locally derived from the bar code signal F(t). In this method use is made of the fact that, first, between the bars the background of the carrier is invariably present, making a periodical reliable background approximation from the bar code signal value possible, and, second, there is a certain correlation between a background and the additive signal contribution as a response of the bars luminescing from that background under irradiation.

Abstract: Method and device for segmenting aligned characters. Each character is converted into a pattern of image elements. The image elements form columns and rows. The grey-values of the image elements are summed per column and the summed column values are put in relation with a fixed number of columns per character (1). After the outermost character position on a line has been found (2), a first segmenting process is carried out on the basis of a first probable distance between characters (3). After the segmenting process has been carried out for several different character distances (S.sub.1 -S.sub.n), the correlation factor is determined (6), by means of which the segmentation, which precedes the character recognition, is carried out.