Apparatus for recognizing poorly separated characters

1,027,165. Automatic character reading. ELECTRIC & MUSICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd. Dec. 21, 1962 [Jan. 4, 1962], No. 365/62. Heading G4R. In a character reader of the kind in which a signal generated by scanning the character is applied to a number of correlation circuits the match signals from the several correlation circuits appear as peaks on separate lines and at different times according to the position of the character in the scan and the successive maximum signals are stored, the channel producing the last (i.e. the greatest) maximum in a predetermined perod being taken as identifying the character. The correlation circuit corresponding to the character sensed produces a maximum peak at about the middle of the scan period of the character so that a maximum which is not exceeded in the period of say half the time taken to scan the character may be assumed to be that which identifies the character scanned. In Fig. 2 outputs from only four correlation circuits are applied to terminals 1-4. The comparison with previous peaks is effected in transistors T5-T8 which are biased by the charge on capacitor C1, the successive maxima, as they appear being stored in the capacitor for comparison with following signals. The final maximum is accepted if it lasts for a predetermined period. Each successive maximum causes a corresponding transistor to conduct and a signal appears on the output. These signals are applied to an OR-gate and used to restart a counter 16 adapted to give an output after a predetermined count. The output is applied to a gate 20 to provide a read-out pulse if another condition is satisfied. The match signals are also applied to transistors T1-T4 biased by the highest signal which causes one of them to conduct, so that the inputs are effectively compared. A peak representing a new maximum causes one of the transistors T5-T8 to conduct and sends a signal from a corresponding one of the dividers R15, R16- R21, R22 over lines 11-14 to block the corresponding channel by diodes D1-D4. A simultaneous lesser peak in another channel therefore causes conduction and identifies the second highest signal channel. The second highest signals are gated into triggers 40 to 43 and provide inputs to a converter 18 supplying data to the decoder 19. The successive maximum peaks give signals on corresponding leads for a converter 17 and the output is entered into a shift register, stepped by the peak signals from gate 10. The first stages of the registers, containing dat