Form recognition processing system, form recognition processing method, and form recognition processing program

Abstract

To provide a form recognition processing system, a form recognition processing method, and a form recognition processing program, for facilitating detection of false recognition of a character written on a form.SOLUTION: A form recognition processing system 1 executes recognition processing on a form 4 having multiple character regions with the same character written therein, the form recognition processing system including: an image acquisition unit which acquires an image of the form 4; and a character recognition unit which recognizes character information from the image using a preset recognition condition. The character recognition unit recognizes character information from a first character region as the character region, using a first recognition condition as the recognition condition, and recognizes character information from a second character region as the character region, using a second recognition condition as the recognition condition, the second recognition condition being different from the first recognition condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a form recognition processing system, a form recognition processing method, and a form recognition processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an automated teller machine installed in financial institutions, etc. This automated teller machine performs character recognition of the contents of payment slips, invoices, etc., and performs payment transactions for taxes, utility bills, etc.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes an apparatus for recognizing characters written on paper sheets. The video coding system of Patent Document 2 includes multiple recognition units. A second recognition unit performs character recognition on sorting information of paper sheets that could not be character-recognized by the first recognition unit using an algorithm different from that used by the first recognition unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-197996 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-009410 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Forms handled by automated teller machines are printed with character strings indicating the payer's name, payment amount, etc. Printing errors can cause the character strings to be blurred or misaligned. If an error occurs in the automated teller machine indicating that it cannot recognize the characters, the form cannot be processed. Therefore, erroneous processing of the form will not be carried out. However, if a character different from the printed content is recognized, for example, if the number "8" is misrecognized as "9" or "￥8200" is misrecognized as "￥820," there is a possibility that erroneous processing different from the true content of the form will be carried out.

[0006] In the technology of Patent Document 2, if a first recognition unit fails to recognize a character, a second recognition unit performs character recognition on top of it, thereby increasing the recognition rate (recognition success rate). However, if a character is misrecognized, the second recognition unit does not perform processing because the recognition is "successful" even though the content is incorrect. Therefore, the technology of Patent Document 2 cannot solve the above problem.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a form recognition processing system, a form recognition processing method, and a form recognition processing program that make it easier to detect misrecognition of characters written on a form. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A feature of the document recognition processing system of the present invention is that it is a document recognition processing system that performs recognition processing on documents that have multiple character areas, which are areas in which the same characters are written, and is equipped with an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the document, and a character recognition unit that recognizes character information from the image using predetermined recognition conditions, and the character recognition unit recognizes character information from the first character area as the character area using a first recognition condition as the recognition condition, and recognizes character information from the second character area as the character area using a second recognition condition as the recognition condition that is different from the first recognition condition.

[0009] The form recognition processing method of the present invention is characterized in that it is a form recognition processing method in which a computer performs recognition processing on a form having a first character area and a second character area as character areas, which are areas in which the same character is written, and includes an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the form, and a character recognition step of recognizing character information in the first character area under first recognition conditions and recognizing character information in the second character area under second recognition conditions different from the first recognition conditions.

[0010] A feature of the form recognition processing program of the present invention is that, when executed by a computer, it performs recognition processing of a form having a first character area and a second character area as character areas, which are areas in which the same character is written, and causes the computer to realize an image acquisition function that acquires an image of the form, and a character recognition function that recognizes character information in the first character area under first recognition conditions and recognizes character information in the second character area under second recognition conditions that are different from the first recognition conditions.

[0011] The same character string may be written in multiple locations on a document. For example, a document may have sections for a payment notice, a payment slip, and a receipt, each of which contains the name of the payer and the amount. The inventors focused on this point and conducted extensive research, leading to the invention of the present invention. This configuration is configured to perform character recognition processing under different recognition conditions on multiple character areas containing the same character. This makes it possible to prevent the recognition results for each character area from being the same, even if erroneous recognition of character information occurs. Therefore, for example, compared to a configuration in which character recognition processing is performed under the same recognition conditions on multiple character areas, it is easier to detect erroneous recognition of character information written in a character area.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a matching unit that matches the character information recognized by the character recognition unit, and a processing unit that processes the form when the matching unit determines that the character information recognized from the first character area matches the character information recognized from the second character area.

[0013] According to this configuration, by comparing the character information, if an erroneous recognition of the character information occurs, it becomes easier to detect the erroneous recognition of the character information written in the character area.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that the second recognition condition is different from the first recognition condition in a character recognition region in the character region.

[0015] Due to paper misalignment during printing, characters in multiple character areas may be printed with the same misalignment from the standard position. In such a case, if the character recognition area in the character area is the same, there is a possibility that the same misrecognition will occur for the characters in the multiple character areas. For example, "￥8200" may be misrecognized as "￥820" in all of the multiple character areas. This configuration is configured to perform character recognition processing for the multiple character areas using different recognition areas. This prevents the same misrecognition from occurring in multiple character areas, making it easier to detect misrecognition of character information.

[0016] In the present invention, it is preferable to further comprise a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions, and a notification unit that notifies when the same recognition conditions are set for two of the character regions.

[0017] According to this configuration, when setting the recognition conditions, a notification is issued if the same recognition conditions are set for two character regions. This prevents the same recognition conditions from being inadvertently set for two character regions. Therefore, it becomes easier to detect erroneous recognition of character information.

[0018] In the present invention, it is preferable that the apparatus further comprises a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions, and that the setting unit prohibits the same recognition conditions from being set for two of the character regions.

[0019] According to this configuration, when setting the recognition conditions, it is not possible to set the same recognition conditions for two character regions. This prevents the same recognition conditions from being set for two character regions. Therefore, it becomes easier to detect erroneous recognition of character information.

[0020] In the present invention, it is preferable to further comprise a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions, and a notification unit that notifies when the same recognition conditions are set for all the character regions.

[0021] According to this configuration, a notification is issued when the same recognition conditions are set for all character areas. This prevents the same recognition conditions from being set for all character areas. Therefore, it becomes easier to detect erroneous recognition of character information.

[0022] In the present invention, it is preferable that the apparatus further comprises a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions, and that the setting unit prohibits the same recognition conditions from being set for all the character regions.

[0023] This configuration makes it impossible to set the same recognition conditions for all character regions. This prevents the same recognition conditions from being set for all character regions. Therefore, it becomes easier to detect erroneous recognition of character information.

[0024] In the present invention, the apparatus further includes a specifying unit that specifies the character area from a sample image showing the content of the form, and the setting unit sets the recognition conditions for the character area specified by the specifying unit.

[0025] According to this configuration, the character area is preferably identified appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a form recognition processing system. [Figure 2]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a form. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a document recognition processing device and a management device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a document recognition processing device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure performed by the management device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting a recognition condition. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting result of a recognition condition. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure performed by the document recognition processing device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for recognizing character information. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a result of matching character information. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the recognition process of character information in another embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the recognition process of character information in another embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the recognition process of character information in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The form recognition processing system will be described below with reference to the drawings. The form recognition processing system is a system used for character recognition processing of forms. As shown in FIG. 1, the form recognition processing system 1 includes a form recognition processing device 2 and a management device 3.

[0028] The document recognition processing device 2 is a device for accepting payments of taxes, utility charges, etc. from payers, and is installed in public facilities, financial institutions, etc. The document recognition processing device 2 performs character recognition processing on accepted documents 4, and executes processing such as payment based on the recognized characters.

[0029] Form 4 is created by printing individual information such as the recipient's name, amount, and date on paper with standard characters and borders. If the paper is misaligned or tilted when printing the individual information, the individual information may be printed out of place. The same character may be printed multiple times on form 4. In the illustrated example, the character "890" is printed in three places as the payment amount. If the above-mentioned printing misalignment occurs, the three "890" characters will be printed in the same direction, for example, shifted to the right on the paper. If the "0" on the right edge is located outside the target area for character recognition processing, the result of the character recognition processing for the printed "890" characters will be "89."

[0030] Here, if the recognition conditions for the character recognition process for the characters "890" in the three locations are the same, there is a possibility that the result of the character recognition process will be "89" in all three locations. In this case, even if the form recognition processing device 2 is configured to compare the results of the character recognition process in the three locations with each other, the results in the three locations will all match "89," and the form recognition processing device 2 will not be able to detect the abnormality. This could result in the payment process being executed with the incorrect recognition result of "89."

[0031] In this embodiment, the form recognition processing device 2 is configured to perform character recognition processing on multiple character areas containing the same character under different recognition conditions. As a result, even if the recognition result from one character area is "89," if the recognition conditions for other character areas are set relatively broadly and the recognition result from those areas is "890," the form recognition processing device 2 may be able to detect the abnormality. In this way, the form recognition processing system 1 of this embodiment has an advantage in dealing with printing misalignment.

[0032] The management device 3 is a device for setting in advance the recognition conditions R used in the character recognition process in the form recognition processing device 2. The management device 3 sets the recognition conditions R so that the recognition conditions R for character areas in which the same character is written are different from each other.

[0033] [Report] An example of Form 4 is shown in Figure 2. As mentioned above, Form 4 contains pre-printed standard characters and borders such as "Payment Notice" and "Payment Deadline," as well as individually printed characters such as the payment deadline "February 28, 2018" and the payment amount "890" (hereinafter referred to as "Character 9").

[0034] In this embodiment, an area in which the same characters are written is referred to as a "character area" and is assigned the reference number "41." In the illustrated example, the form 4 has three character areas 41 in which the same characters "890" are written: a left-side character area 41a on the left side, a central character area 41b in the center, and a right-side character area 41c on the right side.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, the document 4 has a frame 42, a stamp area 43 where a receipt stamp is to be stamped, and a separation line 44.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows the state in which the character string 9 is in its normal position (the correct position when there is no printing misalignment). In the illustrated example, the character string 9 is located inside the frame line 42. Due to the printing misalignment described above, the character string 9 may be written shifted up, down, left, or right from its normal position. If the misalignment is significant, part of the character string 9 may be located outside the frame line 42. In this sense, the character area 41 is not limited to the inside of the frame line 42, and may extend outside it.

[0037] [Management device] The management device 3 is, for example, a personal computer, and includes a CPU and a memory (not shown). Programs stored in the memory are executed to realize the functions of the functional units described below.

[0038] 3, the management device 3 includes an image acquisition unit 31, an identification unit 32, a setting unit 33, a notification unit 34, a memory unit 35, a communication unit 36, and a display unit 37. The management device 3 may be provided in a remote location relative to the form recognition processing device 2, or may be provided in the same building as the form recognition processing device 2. In this embodiment, the management device 3 is provided in a manufacturer (manufacturing company) or a dealer (sales and maintenance company).

[0039] The image acquisition unit 31 acquires the sample image 5a. The sample image 5a may be acquired from, for example, a camera or a document scanner, or may be acquired from another device via wired or wireless communication.

[0040] The identification unit 32 identifies the character area 41 from the sample image 5a. The identification of the character area 41 may be performed based on a manual operation received by the management device 3, or may be performed automatically without manual operation using a technique such as image processing, or these techniques may be used in combination.

[0041] The setting unit 33 sets the recognition condition R for the character area 41. The recognition condition R is a recognition condition used in the character recognition process of the form 4. In this embodiment, the recognition condition R is a character recognition area in the character area 41. The setting of the recognition condition R may be performed based on a manual operation received by the management device 3, or may be performed automatically without a manual operation.

[0042] In this embodiment, the setting unit 33 sets a left-side recognition condition Ra for the left-side character region 41a. The setting unit 33 also sets a center recognition condition Rb for the center character region 41b. The setting unit 33 sets a right-side recognition condition Rc for the right-side character region 41c. However, if the form 4 has four or more character regions 41, the setting unit 33 may set four or more recognition conditions R.

[0043] The notification unit 34 displays a message on the display unit 37. However, the notification unit 34 may also send a message, or issue a notification by sound or light. In this embodiment, the notification unit 34 is configured to issue a notification when the same recognition condition R is set for two character areas 41. The notification unit 34 may also be configured to issue a notification when the same recognition condition R is set for all character areas 41.

[0044] The storage unit 35 stores the sample data 6. In this embodiment, the storage unit 35 is a storage device such as a HDD, a ROM, or a non-volatile memory. The sample data 6 includes a sample image 5a, position information of a character region 41 associated with the sample image 5a, and a recognition condition R.

[0045] The communication unit 36 ​​can communicate with the communication unit 29 of the document recognition processing device 2 via an information communication network such as the Internet.

[0046] The display unit 37 is a device capable of displaying text information, such as a liquid crystal display.

[0047] The management device 3 may be provided with an input device (for example, a keyboard or a mouse) that accepts manual operations.

[0048] [Form recognition processing device] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the document recognition processing device 2 includes an input unit 21, a display unit 22, a conveying mechanism 23, an imaging device 24, a control unit 25, a deposit / withdrawal unit 26, a storage unit 27, a discharge unit 28, and a communication unit 29.

[0049] The input unit 21 is a device that accepts the insertion of the slip 4 from the payer.

[0050] The display unit 22 displays information to the user and accepts operations and inputs from the user. In this embodiment, it is a touch panel type liquid crystal monitor.

[0051] 4, the conveying mechanism 23 includes a belt 23a, a plurality of rollers 23b, a cutter 23c, a stamping unit 23d, and a motor (not shown) that drives the belt 23a and the rollers 23b. The conveying mechanism 23 is connected to the intake unit 21. The forms 4 taken in by the intake unit 21 are conveyed one by one by the conveying mechanism 23.

[0052] When the payment of the amount on the slip 4 is completed, the stamping unit 23d stamps a receipt stamp in the stamping area 43 of the slip 4. The slip 4 is returned upstream by the conveying mechanism 23, and the receipt is separated from the slip 4 by the cutter 23c.

[0053] The slip 4 from which the receipt has been separated is transported to and stored in the storage unit 27. The discharge unit 28 discharges the slip 4 and receipts that have been rejected.

[0054] The imaging device 24 captures an image of the form 4 positioned on the transport mechanism 23. The imaging device 24 is, for example, a camera or a document scanner.

[0055] [Control Unit] The control unit 25 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire document recognition processing device 2. The control unit 25 includes an image acquisition unit 25a, a character recognition unit 25b, a matching unit 25c, a notification unit 25d, a processing unit 25e, and a storage unit 25f. The functions of each of the above-mentioned functional units are realized by executing a program stored in a memory (not shown).

[0056] The image acquisition unit 25a acquires the image 4a of the form 4 captured by the imaging device 24. That is, the control unit 25 has an image acquisition function. The image 4a may be acquired, for example, from a document scanner, or may be acquired from another device via wired or wireless communication.

[0057] The character recognition unit 25b recognizes character information from the image 4a. Specifically, the character recognition unit 25b recognizes character information in the left character area 41a under left recognition conditions Ra, recognizes character information in the central character area 41b under central recognition conditions Rb that are different from the left recognition conditions Ra, and recognizes character information in the right character area 41c under right recognition conditions Rc. That is, the control unit 25 has a character recognition function.

[0058] The character recognition unit 25b recognizes character information from the image 4a using an OCR (Optical Character Reader).

[0059] The collation unit 25c collates the character information recognized by the character recognition unit 25b, and the processing unit 25e processes the form 4 when the collated character information matches.

[0060] The notification unit 25d notifies the user.

[0061] The storage unit 25f stores the character recognition result in association with the image 4a. The storage unit 25f is configured with, for example, a HDD, a ROM, or a nonvolatile memory.

[0062] The deposit / withdrawal unit 26 accepts bills and coins inserted by the user and dispenses change to the user.

[0063] The communication unit 29 is capable of communicating with the communication unit 36 ​​of the management device 3 via an information communication network such as the Internet.

[0064] [Processing of Management Device] The processing procedure of the management device 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the management device 3. When the image acquisition unit 31 acquires a sample image 5a (step S101), the identification unit 32 identifies the character area 41 from the sample image 5a (step S102). The identification unit 32 identifies the positions of the left character area 41a, the center character area 41b, and the right character area 41c from the sample image 5a. Position information of the character area 41 within the entire form 4 is stored in the sample data 6.

[0065] The setting unit 33 sets the recognition condition R for each of the plurality of character regions 41 (step S103). Details of setting the recognition condition R will be described later.

[0066] When the same recognition condition R is set for at least two character areas 41 (step S104; Yes), the notification unit 34 notifies the setter of this fact (step S105), thereby urging the setter to modify the recognition condition R. Specifically, the notification unit 34 displays on the display unit 37 that the recognition condition R for the plurality of character areas 41 is the same.

[0067] If the recognition conditions R are corrected and the recognition conditions R for all character regions 41 are different (step S104; No), the management device 3 generates sample data 6 (step S106). The set recognition conditions R are stored in the storage unit 35 as part of the sample data 6. The communication unit 36 ​​transmits the sample data 6 to the document recognition processing device 2 (step S107), and the process ends.

[0068] [About setting recognition conditions] 6 and 7 show an example of the setting of the recognition condition R in the management device 3. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the character string 9 is not printed in the character area 41 of the sample image 5a. However, this is not limiting, and the character string 9 may be printed in the character area 41 of the sample image 5a.

[0069] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the recognition condition R is the relative position of the character recognition area based on the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c. The left-right direction is the X-axis direction (right is +), and the up-down direction is the Y-axis direction (up is +). The recognition condition R is represented by a rectangle whose diagonal is the line connecting the first coordinate #1 and the second coordinate #2. The first coordinate #1 is the coordinate of the upper left corner of the rectangle. The second coordinate #2 is the coordinate of the lower left corner of the rectangle. The first coordinate #1 represents a relative position with the coordinate of the upper left corner of the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c as the origin. The second coordinate #2 represents a relative position with the coordinate of the lower right corner of the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c as the origin.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 6, the left-side recognition condition Ra is expressed by the positions of the first coordinate #1 and the second coordinate #2 with respect to the frame line 42a. The center recognition condition Rb is expressed by the positions of the first coordinate #1 and the second coordinate #2 with respect to the frame line 42b. The right-side recognition condition Rc is expressed by the positions of the first coordinate #1 and the second coordinate #2 with respect to the frame line 42c.

[0071] FIG. 7 shows an example of the setting result of the recognition condition R. FIG. 7(a) shows the recognition condition R of FIG. 6(a). The values ​​of X1, Y1, X2, and Y2 are expressed in pixels, for example. In FIG. 6(a), the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc are set to coincide with the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc have the first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) and the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2) all set to "±0." In this example, the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc are identical.

[0072] FIG. 7(b) shows the recognition condition R of FIG. 6(b). In FIG. 6(b), the center recognition condition Rb is set to match the frame line 42b. The left-side recognition condition Ra and the right-side recognition condition Rc are set not to match the frame line 42a and the frame line 42c. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the center recognition condition Rb is set so that the first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) and the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2) are all "±0."

[0073] The first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) of the left-side recognition condition Ra is offset in the -X direction and the +Y direction from the upper left corner of the frame line 42a. Therefore, the first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) of the left-side recognition condition Ra is expressed as (-10, +20). Furthermore, the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2) of the left-side recognition condition Ra is offset in the +X direction from the lower right corner of the frame line 42a. Therefore, the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2) of the left-side recognition condition Ra is expressed as (+10, ±0).

[0074] The first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) of the right-side recognition condition Rc coincides with the upper left corner of the frame line 42c. Therefore, the first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) of the right-side recognition condition Rc is expressed as (±0, ±0). Furthermore, the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2) of the right-side recognition condition Rc is offset in the +X direction from the lower right corner of the frame line 42c. Therefore, the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2) of the right-side recognition condition Rc is expressed as (+20, ±0).

[0075] In the examples of FIGS. 6(b) and 7(b), the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc are different from one another.

[0076] [Processing by the document recognition processing device] Next, a description will be given of the processing procedure of the form recognition processing device 2. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the form recognition processing device 2. The communication unit 29 acquires sample data 6 from the management device 3 and stores it in the memory unit 25f. When the import unit 21 imports the form 4 (step S201), the imaging device 24 images the form 4.

[0077] The process includes an image acquisition step (step S202) in which the image acquisition unit 25a acquires an image 4a of the form 4. The image 4a is compared with a sample image 5a, and the recognition condition R associated with the sample image 5a is called up. For example, a template matching method or the like is used to compare the image 4a with the sample image 5a. If it is determined that there is no sample image 5a that matches the image 4a, the form 4 is rejected. The rejected form 4 is discharged from the discharge unit 28.

[0078] The character recognition unit 25b reads preset recognition conditions R from the acquired image 4a and sample data 6 (step S203). The character recognition unit 25b recognizes character information from the image 4a using the preset recognition conditions R (step S204). Specifically, the character recognition process includes a character recognition step of recognizing character information in the left character region 41a using left recognition conditions Ra, recognizing character information in the central character region 41b using central recognition conditions Rb that are different from the left recognition conditions Ra, and recognizing character information in the right character region 41c using right recognition conditions Rc.

[0079] In step S204, the character recognition unit 25b may recognize the character information of the entire document 4 in addition to recognizing the character information of the character area 41. The recognition process of the character information of the left character area 41a and the recognition process of the character information of the central character area 41b may be performed simultaneously or sequentially.

[0080] The matching unit 25c checks whether the character information recognized by the character recognition unit 25b matches (step S205). Specifically, the matching unit 25c checks whether the character information recognized from the left character area 41a, the character information recognized from the central character area 41b, and the character information recognized from the right character area 41c match (matching step). However, the matching unit 25c may be configured to match character information written in at least a plurality of character areas 41. For example, the matching unit 25c may only match the character information recognized from the left character area 41a with the character information recognized from the central character area 41b. Details of the matching of character information will be described later.

[0081] When the collating unit 25c determines that the character information matches (step S206; Yes), the processing unit 25e processes the form 4 (step S207). Specifically, the processing unit 25e determines the payment amount and starts paying the payment amount. When the payment of the payment amount on the form 4 is completed, the stamping unit 23d stamps a receipt stamp in the stamping area 43 on the form 4.

[0082] The stamped form 4 is returned upstream by the transport mechanism 23, and the cutter 23c separates the receipt from the form 4. The form 4 from which the receipt has been separated is transported to and stored in the storage unit 27. The discharge unit 28 discharges the receipt.

[0083] If it is determined that the character information does not match (step S206; No), the notification unit 25d issues a notification (step S208). In this embodiment, the notification unit 25d displays a message on the display unit 22. For example, the display unit 22 displays a message such as "Please pay this document at the counter." Without being limited to this, the notification unit 25d may send a message to the counter clerk via wired or wireless communication, or may notify by sound or light emission. In this case, the processing unit 25e discharges the document 4 from the discharge unit 28 without processing the document 4.

[0084] The character recognition result is stored in the storage unit 25f as the form data 7. The communication unit 29 may be configured to transmit the form data 7 to the management device 3.

[0085] [About character information recognition processing] 9 shows an example of the character information recognition process performed by the document recognition processing device 2. In the illustrated example, the characters "8200 yen" indicating the payment amount are printed with their right ends extending outside the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c.

[0086] 9(a) shows a case where the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc are the same. Specifically, the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc set character recognition areas at positions that coincide with the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c.

[0087] 9(b) shows a case where the left-side recognition condition Ra, the center recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc are different. Specifically, the center recognition condition Rb has a recognition area set at a position overlapping with the frame line 42b. The left-side recognition condition Ra and the right-side recognition condition Rc are set at positions offset in the X-axis and Y-axis directions with respect to the frame lines 42a and 42c.

[0088] FIG. 10 shows an example of the character information matching process performed by the document recognition processing device 2. FIG. 10(a) shows the character recognition result and matching result of FIG. 9(a). The characters printed on the document 4 are "¥8200." On the other hand, the characters recognized from the left character area 41a, the center character area 41b, and the right character area 41c are "¥820." The "0" character located outside the frame lines 42a, 42b, and 42c is not recognized. In this case, the matching unit 25c determines that the character information matches "¥820." Therefore, the processing unit 25e processes the document 4 with the incorrect payment amount of "¥820" (an amount different from the amount printed on the document 4).

[0089] FIG. 10(b) shows the character recognition and matching results for FIG. 9(b). The character information recognized from the left character area 41a and the right character area 41c is "¥8200." The character information recognized from the center character area 41b is "¥820." In this case, the matching unit 25c determines that the character information does not match. Therefore, it is possible to detect erroneous recognition of the character information, and the processing unit 25e can prevent the document 4 from being processed with an incorrect payment amount.

[0090] The "first recognition condition" and "second recognition condition" described in the claims are any two of the left-side recognition condition Ra, the central recognition condition Rb, and the right-side recognition condition Rc in the embodiment. The "first character area" and "second character area" described in the claims are two of the left-side character area 41a, the central character area 41b, and the right-side character area 41c in the embodiment, which correspond to the "first recognition condition" and the "second recognition condition." For example, if the central recognition condition Rb and the right-side recognition condition Rc correspond to the "first recognition condition" and the "second recognition condition," the central character area 41b and the right-side character area 41c correspond to the "first character area" and the "second character area."

[0091] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above example, the notification unit 34 is configured to issue a notification when the same recognition condition R is set for two (or all) character areas 41. Other means may be employed to avoid setting the same recognition condition R. For example, the setting unit 33 may be configured to prohibit the setting of the same recognition condition R for two (or all) character areas 41. When the setting of the recognition condition R is performed based on a manual operation, the setting unit 33 may be configured to refuse to accept the operation or prohibit completion of the setting when it receives a manual operation to set the same recognition condition R for two (or all) character areas 41.

[0092] (2) The document recognition processing device 2 may be configured to issue a notification when there is a high possibility of misrecognition of characters. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the notification unit 25d may be configured to issue a notification when the character recognition unit 25b performs character recognition and finds that the margin a is smaller than the width b of one character that is the character width c. The notification unit 25d displays a message for the user on the display unit 22. Specifically, the notification unit 25d displays a message on the display unit 22 indicating that there is a possibility of misrecognition and that processing will be carried out at the counter. The notification unit 25d may send a message to the counter clerk via wired or wireless communication, or may issue a notification by sound or light emission.

[0093] Alternatively, the notification unit 25d may be configured to issue a notification when the margin a in multiple character regions 41 is smaller than the width b of one character of the character width c. The notification unit 25d does not issue a notification when the margin a in a single character region 41 is smaller than the width b of one character of the character width c. For example, the notification unit 25d issues a notification when the margin a in the left character region 41a and the center character region 41b is smaller than the width b of one character of the character width c. This makes it possible to issue a notification only when there is a high possibility of erroneous recognition of the form 4, compared to a configuration that issues a notification when the margin a in a single character region 41 is smaller than the width b of one character of the character width c. This makes it easier to detect erroneous recognition of the form 4, and prevents the notification unit 25d from issuing frequent notifications.

[0094] (3) In the above example, the recognition conditions R differ in the relative position of the recognition range with respect to the frame line 42. The recognition conditions R may differ in other respects. For example, the recognition conditions R may differ in the character recognition method. For example, the character recognition method for one recognition condition R may be OCR using AI, and the character recognition method for another recognition condition R may be non-AI OCR.

[0095] (4) Recognition condition R is a character recognition area in character area 41, and center recognition condition Rb may be a character recognition area of ​​a different size in left character area 41a or right character area 41c. Recognition condition R may be different in the size of the character recognition area.

[0096] (5) As shown in Fig. 12, the recognition condition R may be configured such that the divisions for recognizing characters in the character area 41 are different from those in the above example. In the illustrated example, the left-side recognition condition Ra recognizes the entire character information in the left-side character area 41a in one division. The center recognition condition Rb recognizes the character information in the center character area 41b in divisions of one character at a time. The right-side recognition condition Rc recognizes the character information in the right-side character area 41c by dividing it into commas.

[0097] (6) The recognition condition R may be set based on the normal position (normally printed position) of the character string 9, as shown in Fig. 13. In the illustrated example, the ranges d1, d2, d3, and d4 of the area based on the character string 9 in the left-side recognition condition Ra are different from the ranges e1, e2, e3, and e4 of the area based on the character string 9 in the center recognition condition Rb and the ranges f1, f2, f3, and f4 of the area based on the character string 9 in the right-side recognition condition Rc.

[0098] (7) The identification unit 32 may be provided in the document recognition processing device 2.

[0099] (8) In this embodiment, the recognition condition R is represented by a rectangle whose diagonal is a straight line connecting the first coordinate #1 (X1, Y1) and the second coordinate #2 (X2, Y2). However, the recognition area of ​​the character area 41 is not limited to this and can have any shape.

[0100] (9) In this embodiment, the text area 41 is an area in which the payment amount is written. However, the text area 41 may be an area in which the payer, late fees, payment deadline, total payment amount, etc. are written. [Industrial Applicability]

[0101] As described above, the form recognition processing system, the form recognition processing method, and the form recognition processing program according to the present invention are suitable for cases where misrecognition of forms is easily detected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1: Document recognition processing system 2: Document recognition processing device 3: Management device 4: Report 4a: Image 5a: Sample image 25a: Image acquisition unit 25b:Character recognition section 25c: Matching section 25e: Processing section 32: Specific part 33: Setting section 34: Information Department 41: Textual Domain 41a: Left-side text area (first text area, second text area) 41b: Central Language Domain (Language Domain 1, Language Domain 2) 41c: Right-side text area (first text area, second text area) R: Conditions of cognition Ra: Left-side cognitive conditions (first cognitive condition, second cognitive condition) Rb: Central understanding of the conditions (first understanding condition, second understanding condition) Rc: Right-side cognitive conditions (first cognitive condition, second cognitive condition)

Claims

1. A form recognition processing system that performs recognition processing on a form having a plurality of character areas in which the same characters are written, an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the form; a character recognition unit that recognizes character information from the image using a predetermined recognition condition, A document recognition processing system in which the character recognition unit recognizes character information from a first character area as the character area using a first recognition condition as the recognition condition, and recognizes character information from a second character area as the character area using a second recognition condition as the recognition condition that is different from the first recognition condition.

2. a matching unit that matches the character information recognized by the character recognition unit; The document recognition processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a processing unit that processes the document when the comparison unit determines that the character information recognized from the first character area matches the character information recognized from the second character area.

3. 2. The form recognition processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second recognition condition is different from the first recognition condition in a character recognition area in the character area.

4. a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions; The document recognition processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a notification unit that notifies when the same recognition condition is set for two of the character areas.

5. further comprising a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions, The form recognition processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit prohibits the same recognition condition from being set for two of the character regions.

6. a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions; The document recognition processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a notification unit that notifies when the same recognition conditions are set for all the character areas.

7. further comprising a setting unit capable of setting the recognition conditions, 2. The form recognition processing system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit prohibits the same recognition condition from being set for all the character regions.

8. an identifying unit that identifies the character area from a sample image showing the content of the form; The form recognition processing system according to claim 4 , wherein the setting unit sets the recognition conditions for the character area identified by the identifying unit.

9. A form recognition processing method in which a computer performs recognition processing on a form having a first character area and a second character area as character areas in which the same character is written, an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the form; A form recognition processing method including a character recognition step of recognizing character information in the first character region under first recognition conditions, and recognizing character information in the second character region under second recognition conditions different from the first recognition conditions.

10. A form recognition processing program that, when executed by a computer, performs recognition processing on a form having a first character area and a second character area as character areas in which the same character is written, an image acquisition function for acquiring an image of the form; A document recognition processing program that causes a computer to realize a character recognition function that recognizes character information in the first character area under a first recognition condition, and recognizes character information in the second character area under a second recognition condition that is different from the first recognition condition.

Images