Moment normalization of handprinted characters

Handprinted characters can be made more uniform in appearance than the as-written version if an appropriate linear transformation is performed on each input pattern. The transformation can be implemented electronically by programming a flying-spot raster-scanner to scan at specified angles rather than only along specified axes. Alternatively, curve-follower normalization can be achieved by transforming the coordinate waveforms in a linear combining network. Second-order moments of the pattern are convenient properties to use in specifying the transformation. By mapping the original pattern into one having a scalar moment matrix all linear pattern variations can be removed. Comparison experiments with three sets of handprinted numerals showed that error rates were reduced by integral factors if the patterns were normalized before scanning for recognition.