Optical Character Recognition

Summary

This video tutorial demonstrates how to set up and configure an OCR tool for character recognition in industrial applications. It covers the entire process from uploading an image, inputting a target string, training the OCR tool, adjusting character and font settings, and setting pass/fail thresholds. The user learns how to visually track OCR performance with green and red outputs, and how to test the system in continuous trigger mode to simulate real-time production conditions. The goal is to optimize OCR for accurate and efficient recognition in high-speed environments.

Takeaways

• 😀 The OCR tool is accessed via the 'Readers' tab, where the user can drag and drop an image to start the process.
• 😀 The first step is to upload the image that will be used for OCR processing.
• 😀 Setting the region of interest (ROI) is crucial for the tool to focus on specific areas of the image for better reading accuracy.
• 😀 The OCR system can be trained by manually entering a string, such as 'L ot2 aw7', and verifying its accuracy with the camera.
• 😀 The tool has options for adjusting pass/fail thresholds, allowing for fine-tuning of the OCR's accuracy level.
• 😀 When characters are correctly recognized, they will appear surrounded by green boxes, signifying a successful read.
• 😀 In cases of failure to recognize a character or string, red boxes will appear around the incorrect characters.
• 😀 The system allows you to manually change threshold scores for both good and bad reads to improve OCR performance.
• 😀 Display outputs, such as green and red spots, can be configured to show whether the read is a pass or a fail.
• 😀 The system includes a real-time display mode, useful for monitoring OCR output on a production floor.
• 😀 The 'Continuous Trigger Mode' allows the OCR system to operate at full production speed, displaying real-time pass/fail statistics and output colors.

Q & A

What is the main focus of today's tutorial?

The tutorial focuses on creating an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program, covering both basic and advanced OCR logic and algorithms.

Where is the OCR tool located in the software interface?

The OCR tool is located under the 'Readers' tab. Once there, you need to drag and drop the OCR tool onto the image in the task.

What action is performed after uploading the image in the task?

After uploading the image, the OCR tool's name is changed to 'OCR' by hitting enter, and the region of interest is adjusted to ensure the OCR tool can read the characters effectively.

How do you set the OCR tool to read specific characters from an image?

To set the OCR tool to read specific characters, you need to manually type the string of characters you want the tool to recognize. For example, in this case, the string 'L ot2 aw7' is typed in.

What does the 'Train' button do in the OCR tool?

The 'Train' button sends the camera verification to check if the string of characters typed manually matches what the OCR tool has detected from the image.

What does the 'Golden Character' feature do?

The 'Golden Character' feature sets the threshold for a perfect match by establishing the ideal score for the camera’s recognition of the characters.

How can you manually adjust the OCR output's threshold for a good or bad read?

The threshold for a good or bad read can be manually adjusted by changing the pass/fail scores in the settings. If the camera detects characters correctly, the output will be green; otherwise, it will be red.

How are the results displayed after OCR processing?

After processing, the results are displayed in green or red depending on whether the OCR read was a success or failure. A green box signifies a successful read, while a red box indicates a failed read.

What does the 'Display Mode' show in a production environment?

In 'Display Mode', the display shows the region of interest, the OCR character outputs, and pass/fail results. The green or red boxes indicate whether the OCR scan was successful, and the run count and percentage of passes/fails are also visible.

What is the significance of using 'Continuous Trigger Mode' in a production setting?

In 'Continuous Trigger Mode', the OCR tool runs at full speed, simulating real-time operations in a production environment. This allows users to see how the tool performs under continuous scanning, updating the total pass/fail counts and percentages.