MATRIX CHARACTER READING SYSTEM

MATRIX CHARACTER READING SYSTEM A method and apparatus for selecting the start of an unknown character sensed by a character recognition system. A multi-channel read head develops a plurality of analog waveforms which form the image of an unknown character sensed by the read head. After the analog waveforms have been digitized and rectified, static and dynamic threshold values are applied producing a multicolumn binary bit map of the unknown character. The start of the character is detected when two adjacent rows of the bit map are found to have five consecutive binary bits representing a character. The end of the character is detected when the rows of the binary bits representing background data have a width which is inversely proportional to the width of the character detected. This information is used by a character recognition apparatus in locating the start of the character and the data generated during a character recognition operation.