Optical reading of external segmented display
Inventors
Schiller, Andrew • Reifsnider, Eric • SMITH, Stanley J • Jones, William Matthew • Sebes, Marc Christopher • Al-Zoubi, Ameir Ali Khaled • Dycus, Stephen Jacob
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10083365-B2
Publication Date
2018-09-25
Expiration Date
Abstract
The present invention includes a method for optical character recognition of external segmented displays using a camera connected to a reading device and a data reading application on the reading device.
Core Innovation
The invention describes optical reading of an external segmented display using a reading device with a connected camera. The camera views the segmented display and displays a real time image of the segmented display on a video screen of the reading device.
The reading device executes a data reading application using one or more configuration parameters specific to the external segmented display device being read. The application captures and stores one or more still captured images and generates one or more partial OCR result readings for at least a portion of an alphanumeric character for each still captured image.
Based on the generated partial OCR result readings, the reading device provides one or more real time feedback cues by displaying, along with the real time image, an alphanumeric value indicating the generated partial OCR result readings. The reading device determines a final OCR result reading of the segmented display using the partial OCR result readings generated from the stored still captured images.
In related aspects, the approach supports capturing first and second still captured images where the second is more recent, generating partial OCR readings for each, and displaying the first partial OCR result reading followed by the more recent second partial OCR result reading to allow comparison.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims are identified: clm-00001 and clm-00033. Each independent claim centers on generating partial OCR result readings from still captured images during a live camera view and using those partial readings to support real-time feedback and final OCR determination.
Camera viewing with real time segmented display image and still image partial OCR
A camera connected to the reading device views the segmented display and displays a real time image on the reading device video screen, while the device captures and stores one or more still captured images and generates one or more partial OCR result readings for at least a portion of an alphanumeric character for each stored still captured image.
Device-specific configuration parameters for partial segment recognition
The reading device includes a data reading application and one or more configuration parameters specific to the external segmented display device being read, and uses the configuration parameters to process each stored still captured image and recognize one or more character segments of the segmented display.
Real time feedback cues with alphanumeric indication of partial OCR
Based at least in part on the generated partial OCR result readings, the reading device provides one or more real time feedback cues by displaying, along with the real time image of the segmented display, an alphanumeric value indicating the generated one or more partial OCR result readings.
Final OCR result determination from stored partial OCR readings
The reading device determines a final OCR result reading of the segmented display using the one or more partial OCR result readings generated from the one or more stored still captured images.
First and more recent second still images with displayed partial OCR comparison
For one or more alphabetic or numeric characters on an external electronic display, the reading device captures and stores a first and a second still captured image where the second is more recent, generates a partial OCR result reading for each, and displays the first partial OCR result reading followed by the more recent second partial OCR result reading to allow comparison with the real time image.
Across both independent claims, the core claim coverage is the generation of partial OCR readings from stored still captured images during a live camera view of an external electronic display, combined with real-time on-device feedback and determination of a final or comparable OCR result using the partial readings.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
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