Extraction of embedded and/or line-touching character-like objects

This paper presents a novel method of circle scanning to detect intersection regions and to extract embedded/line-touching character objects. After the unembedded/not line-touching character objects are trivially extracted, the big line structure is broken down into character-like and line-like segments. Connected component analysis is applied and character-like segments are separated from line-like segments. The character-like segments then pick up the belonging intersection patches to produce character-like objects, leaving the other intersection patches to the line-like segments. Thus the problem of extracting embedded/line-touching character-like objects are addressed.