PURPOSE: To segment a character from a document picture where marks are mixed by using a score calculated by means of many parameters in order to set a position to be segmented as the character, and correcting the character by means of the layout information of a character string.
CONSTITUTION: The score obtained by a score calculating device 2 is inputted to an operating part 31 of a deciding device 3. A condition item and a score increment/decrement value item are stored into a dictionary part 32, and the operating part 31 operates the score value by a value designated by the increment/decrement value item when the input score value conforms to the condition item. The score value corrected by the operating part 31 is sent to a category determining part 33, and the category of a synthetic rectangle is defined. As a result, at the time of the right and left sides of a full size separated characters, by making a circumscribing rectangle including the synthetic rectangle into the circumscribing rectangle of the character, the character is segmented, and in the other cases, by making the synthetic rectangle into the circumscribing rectangle, the character is segmented. Thus the correct character can be segmented from the document picture where the marks are mixed.
KIDA HIROMI
IWAKI OSAMU
ARAKAWA HIROKI
