Automatic System for the Recognition of Amounts in Handwritten Cheques

Until the rise of electronic means for direct debit, bank cheques have been used as the best form of payment, balancing security and ease of use. Its acceptance and generalized use are result of international agreements that define rules for filling and using it. The fast processing of payments and transactions through safer electronic methods has created the need to reduce its usage over the last years. But despite this progressive reduction, bank cheques still are and will continue to be used; therefore, there is the need to optimize processing mechanisms. The existing automatic cheque processing systems are proprietary and not adapted to the Portuguese language, which is crucial for the cheque analysis and recognition. A prototype of an automatic system for the recognition of the amount in Portuguese bank cheques has been implemented and is being used as a test platform for improved intelligent character recognition algorithms.