Region growing based segmentation algorithm for typewritten and handwritten text recognition

This paper presents a new technique of high accuracy to recognize both typewritten and handwritten English and Arabic texts without thinning. After segmenting the text into lines (horizontal segmentation) and the lines into words, it separates the word into its letters. Separating a text line (row) into words and a word into letters is performed by using the region growing technique (implicit segmentation) on the basis of three essential lines in a text row. This saves time as there is no need to skeletonize or to physically isolate letters from the tested word whilst the input data involves only the basic information—the scanned text. The baseline is detected, the word contour is defined and the word is implicitly segmented into its letters according to a novel algorithm described in the paper. The extracted letter with its dots is used as one unit in the system of recognition. It is resized into a 9 × 9 matrix following bilinear interpolation after applying a lowpass filter to reduce aliasing. Then the elements are scaled to the interval [0,1]. The resulting array is considered as the input to the designed neural network. For typewritten texts, three types of Arabic letter fonts are used—Arial, Arabic Transparent and Simplified Arabic. The results showed an average recognition success rate of 93% for Arabic typewriting. This segmentation approach has also found its application in handwritten text where words are classified with a relatively high recognition rate for both Arabic and English languages. The experiments were performed in MATLAB and have shown promising results that can be a good base for further analysis and considerations of Arabic and other cursive language text recognition as well as English handwritten texts. For English handwritten classification, a success rate of about 80% in average was achieved while for Arabic handwritten text, the algorithm performance was successful in about 90%. The recent results have shown increasing success for both Arabic and English texts.     

Recognizing handwritten Arabic words using grapheme segmentation and recurrent neural networks

The Arabic alphabet is used in around 27 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Kurdish, Urdu, and Jawi. Many researchers have developed systems for recognizing cursive handwritten Arabic words, using both holistic and segmentation-based approaches. This paper introduces a system that achieves high accuracy using efficient segmentation, feature extraction, and recurrent neural network (RNN). We describe a robust rule-based segmentation algorithm that uses special feature points identified in the word skeleton to segment the cursive words into graphemes. We show that careful selection from a wide range of features extracted during and after the segmentation stage produces a feature set that significantly reduces the label error. We demonstrate that using same RNN recognition engine, the segmentation approach with efficient feature extraction gives better results than a holistic approach that extracts features from raw pixels. We evaluated this segmentation approach against an improved version of the holistic system MDLSTM that won the ICDAR 2009 Arabic handwritten word recognition competition. On the IfN/ENIT database of handwritten Arabic words, the segmentation approach reduces the average label error by 18.5 %, the sequence error by 22.3 %, and the execution time by 31 %, relative to MDLSTM. This approach also has the best published accuracies on two IfN/ENIT test sets.     

Integrating scattering feature maps with convolutional neural networks for Malayalam handwritten character recognition

Convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning architectures are the state-of-the-art in image-based pattern recognition applications. The receptive filter fields in convolutional layers are learned from training data patterns automatically during classifier learning. There are number of well-defined, well-studied and proven filters in the literature that can extract informative content from the input patterns. This paper focuses on utilizing scattering transform-based wavelet filters as the first-layer convolutional filters in CNN architecture. The scattering networks are generated by a series of scattering transform operations. The scattering coefficients generated in first few layers are effective in capturing the dominant energy contained in the input data patterns. The present work aims at replacing the first-layer convolutional feature maps in CNN architecture with scattering feature maps. This architecture is equivalent to utilizing scattering wavelet filters as the first-layer receptive fields in CNN architecture. The proposed hybrid CNN architecture experiments the Malayalam handwritten character recognition which is one of the challenging multi-class classification problems. The initial studies confirm that the proposed hybrid CNN architecture based on scattering feature maps could perform better than the equivalent self-learning architecture of CNN on handwritten character recognition problems.     

Performance of hidden Markov model and dynamic Bayesian network classifiers on handwritten Arabic word recognition

This paper presents a comparative study of two machine learning techniques for recognizing handwritten Arabic words, where hidden Markov models (HMMs) and dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) were evaluated. The work proposed is divided into three stages, namely preprocessing, feature extraction and classification. Preprocessing includes baseline estimation and normalization as well as segmentation. In the second stage, features are extracted from each of the normalized words, where a set of new features for handwritten Arabic words is proposed, based on a sliding window approach moving across the mirrored word image. The third stage is for classification and recognition, where machine learning is applied using HMMs and DBNs. In order to validate the techniques, extensive experiments were conducted using the IFN/ENIT database which contains 32,492 Arabic words. Experimental results and quantitative evaluations showed that HMM outperforms DBN in terms of higher recognition rate and lower complexity.     

基于卷积神经网络和Transformer的手写体英文文本识别

手写体文本识别技术可以将手写文档转录成可编辑的数字文档。但由于手写的书写风格迥异、文档结构千变万化和字符分割识别精度不高等问题,基于神经网络的手写体英文文本识别仍面临着许多挑战。针对上述问题,提出基于卷积神经网络（CNN）和Transformer的手写体英文文本识别模型。首先利用CNN从输入图像中提取特征,而后将特征输入到Transformer编码器中得到特征序列每一帧的预测,最后经过链接时序分类（CTC）解码器获得最终的预测结果。在公开的IAM（Institut für Angewandte Mathematik）手写体英文单词数据集上进行了大量的实验结果表明,该模型获得了3.60%的字符错误率（CER）和12.70%的单词错误率（WER）,验证了所提模型的可行性。     

Learning-based word spotting system for Arabic handwritten documents

The retrieval of information from scanned handwritten documents is becoming vital with the rapid increase of digitized documents, and word spotting systems have been developed to search for words within documents. These systems can be either template matching algorithms or learning based. This paper presents a coherent learning based Arabic handwritten word spotting system which can adapt to the nature of Arabic handwriting, which can have no clear boundaries between words. Consequently, the system recognizes Pieces of Arabic Words (PAWs), then re-constructs and spots words using language models. The proposed system produced promising result for Arabic handwritten word spotting when tested on the CENPARMI Arabic documents database.     

Recognition of Handwritten Arabic Characters using Histograms of Oriented Gradient (HOG)

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is the process of recognizing printed or handwritten text on paper documents. This paper proposes an OCR system for Arabic characters. In addition to the preprocessing phase, the proposed recognition system consists mainly of three phases. In the first phase, we employ word segmentation to extract characters. In the second phase, Histograms of Oriented Gradient (HOG) are used for feature extraction. The final phase employs Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classifying characters. We have applied the proposed method for the recognition of Jordanian city, town, and village names as a case study, in addition to many other words that offers the characters shapes that are not covered with Jordan cites. The set has carefully been selected to include every Arabic character in its all four forms. To this end, we have built our own dataset consisting of more than 43.000 handwritten Arabic words (30000 used in the training stage and 13000 used in the testing stage). Experimental results showed a great success of our recognition method compared to the state of the art techniques, where we could achieve very high recognition rates exceeding 99%.     

Farsi/Arabic handwritten digit recognition using quantum neural networks and bag of visual words method

Handwritten digit recognition has long been a challenging problem in the field of optical character recognition and of great importance in industry. This paper develops a new approach for handwritten digit recognition that uses a small number of patterns for training phase. To improve performance of isolated Farsi/Arabic handwritten digit recognition, we use Bag of Visual Words (BoVW) technique to construct images feature vectors. Each visual word is described by Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) method. For learning feature vectors, Quantum Neural Networks (QNN) classifier is used. Experimental results on a very popular Farsi/Arabic handwritten digit dataset (HODA dataset) show that proposed method can achieve the highest recognition rate compared to other state of the arts methods.     

自适应增强卷积神经网络图像识别

目的 为了进一步提高卷积神经网络的收敛性能和识别精度,增强泛化能力,提出一种自适应增强卷积神经网络图像识别算法。方法 构建自适应增强模型,分析卷积神经网络分类识别过程中误差产生的原因和误差反馈模式,针对分类误差进行有目的地训练,实现分类特征基于迭代次数和识别结果的自适应增强以及卷积神经网络权值的优化调整。自适应增强卷积神经网络与多种算法在收敛速度和识别精度等性能上进行对比,并在多种数据集上检测自适应卷积神经网络的泛化能力。结果 通过对比实验可知,自适应增强卷积神经网络算法可以在很大程度上优化收敛效果,提高收敛速度和识别精度,收敛时在手写数字数据集上的误识率可降低20.93%,在手写字母和高光谱图像数据集上的误识率可降低11.82%和15.12%;与不同卷积神经网络优化算法对比,误识率比动态自适应池化算法和双重优化算法最多可降低58.29%和43.50%;基于不同梯度算法的优化,误识率最多可降低33.11%;与不同的图像识别算法对比,识别率也有较大程度提高。结论 实验结果表明,自适应增强卷积神经网络算法可以实现分类特征的自适应增强,对收敛性能和识别精度有较大的提高,对多种数据集有较强的泛化能力。这种自适应增强模型可以进一步推广到其他与卷积神经网络相关的深度学习算法中。     

东巴象形文字文档图像的文本行自动分割算法研究

以卷积神经网络(CNN)为代表的深度学习技术在图像分类和识别领域表现出了非常优异的性能。 但东巴象形文字未有标准、公开的数据集,无法借鉴或使用已有的深度学习算法。为了快速建立权威、有效的东 巴文字库,分析已出版东巴文档的版面结构,从文档中提取文本行、东巴字成为了当前的首要任务。因此,结合 东巴象形文字文档图像的结构特点,给出了东巴文档图像的文本行自动分割算法。首先利用基于密度和距离的 k均值聚类算法确定了文本行的分类数量和分类标准;然后,通过文字块的二次处理矫正了分割中的错误结果,提 高了算法的准确率。在充分利用东巴字文档结构特征的同时,保留了机器学习模型客观、无主观经验影响的优势。 通过实验表明,该算法可用于东巴文档图像、脱机手写汉字、东巴经的文本行分割,以及文本行中东巴字和汉字 的分割,具有实现简单、准确性高、适应性强的特点,从而为东巴文字库的建立奠定基础。     

A novel fuzzy approach for handwritten Arabic character recognition

The aim of our work is to present a new method based on structural characteristics and a fuzzy classifier for off-line recognition of handwritten Arabic characters in all their forms (beginning, end, middle and isolated). The proposed method can be integrated in any handwritten Arabic words recognition system based on an explicit segmentation process. First, three preprocessing operations are applied on character images: thinning, contour tracing and connected components detection. These operations extract structural characteristics used to divide the set of characters into five subsets. Next, features are extracted using invariant pseudo-Zernike moments. Classification was done using the Fuzzy ARTMAP neural network, which is very fast in training and supports incremental learning. Five Fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks were employed; each one is designed to recognize one subset of characters. The recognition process is achieved in two steps: in the first one, a clustering method affects characters to one of the five character subsets. In the second one, the pseudo-Zernike features are used by the appropriate Fuzzy ARTMAP classifier to identify the character. Training process and tests were performed on a set of character images manually extracted from the IFN/ENIT database. A height recognition rate was reported.     

联机手写维吾尔文字母识别方法

通过分析维吾尔文字母自身的结构和书写特点,提出一种联机手写维吾尔文字母识别方案,并选择在手写汉字识别技术中所提出来的归一化、特征提取及常用的分类方法,从中找出最佳的技术选择。在实验对比中,采用8种不同的归一化预处理方法,基于坐标归一化的特征提取 (NCFE) 方法,以及改进的二次分类函数(MQDF)、判别学习型二次判别函数(DLQDF)、学习矢量量化(LVQ)、支持向量机(SVM)4种分类器。同时,再考虑字符在文档中的空间几何特征,进一步提高识别性能。在128个维吾尔文字母类别、38 400个测试样本的实验中,正确识别率最高达89。08%,为进一步研究面向维吾尔文字母特性的识别技术奠定重要基础。