A neural network approach to character recognition

An application of neural networks in optical character recognition (OCR) is presented. The concept of learning in neural networks is utilized to a large extent in developing an OCR system to recognize characters of various fonts and sizes, and hand written characters. Parallel computational capability helps reduce recognition time which is crucial in a commercial context. The sensitivity of the network is such that small variations in the input do not affect the output and this results in an improvement in the recognition rate of characters with slight variations in structure, linearity, and orientation.