Photonics Dictionary

An approach to optical character recognition based on matching the input character against a set of stored prototypes.

Optical character recognition (OCR) is a technology that is used to convert printed or handwritten text into machine-readable text. OCR software and systems are designed to recognize and extract...

An approach to character recognition based on the structure of the character to be identified (number of straight lines, bays, holes, etc.); used where simple matching is not viable, as in...

3D profiling, also known as three-dimensional profiling, refers to the process of capturing, analyzing, and visualizing the three-dimensional shape, geometry, and surface characteristics of objects...

In optical character recognition, a feature at the boundary of a character.

Biometrics refers to the automated recognition of individuals based on their physiological or behavioral characteristics. These unique attributes are used to verify or identify individuals, often in...

In optical character recognition, an intermediate step between character location and feature extraction.

In optical character recognition systems, the identification of a character facilitated by means of known factors governing its appearance in a particular context; e.g., the first character in the...

A method in optical character recognition in which a mobile light beam scans the outlines of characters for subsequent reading of these outlines.

A structural method of optical character recognition, used where the input media are variable, as in hand-written or multifont documents. A series of questions (such as "Does the character contain a...

Diffractive optical processors are optical devices that utilize diffractive optics principles to perform various computational tasks, such as image processing, pattern recognition, and optical...

Digital signal processing (DSP) refers to the manipulation and analysis of signals, which are representations of physical quantities that vary over time or space. In the context of DSP, these signals...

In optical character recognition, the mechanical or electronic transducer used to detect the level of illumination present in the various portions of an illuminated sample region.

A scanning technique in optical character recognition in which an array of photocells is used to scan each character to determine its horizontal and vertical characteristics.

A measurement of the spatial resolution of a line or area array in an optical character recognition scanning device.

A device used to scan, with a small, intensely bright spot, portions of a picture surface and to transform the original picture into a series of electrical signals. In optical character recognition,...

A machine vision technique that compares a template of the desired image (the correlation kernel) with the actual camera image of an object and generates a new image (the correlation image) that...

Image segmentation is a fundamental process in computer vision and image processing that involves partitioning an image into multiple segments or regions based on certain criteria, such as color,...

Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically computers, to interpret and understand visual information from the world,...

Neuromorphic refers to the design and development of computing systems or devices that are inspired by the structure and functioning of the human brain and nervous system. The term is derived from...

A photosensitive device used to optically scan and read character data (numbers, letters etc.) and input this data into a storage device. Optical character readers are based off the process of...

Remote inspection refers to the process of inspecting, evaluating, or monitoring assets, equipment, infrastructure, or systems from a distance, typically using remote sensing technologies and...

In optical character recognition, the method of dividing a string of characters into separate, distinct characters.

A spectral signature, in the context of remote sensing and spectroscopy, refers to the unique pattern or characteristic spectral response of a material or object across different wavelengths of the...

A blank area (caused by insufficient inking of the paper) that falls within the range of an intended character stroke in an optical character-recognition system.