How to OCR digits real time and use that value in Arduino?

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

Dear people,

I want to capture the digital value (distance left to event) from a navigation system using a webcam and use that value in Arduino.
Since I can't hack into this navigation device this seems to be the best solution. It is a bit like this: Heart Beats for Music Hack Day MIT - YouTube

Can anyone help me? Thank you very much.

2

An Arduino is much too slow to do any OCR, it even won't process the image data stream of webcam.

Use a more powerful platform for this (e.g. Raspberry Pi, Cubieboard, etc.).

3

Those are basically 7-segment displays. If you can put 7 photoresistors in exactly the right place (the display is backlit, right??) you can decode from that.

You only need one detector for the 100's digit. And MAYBE you can find that you can determine 0 to 9 with less than 7 detectors. Hmmm...

You don't need areal fast update rate...

Just some like these, and some 10K pulldowns?? http://yourduino.com/sunshop2/index.php?l=product_detail&p=307

Some HowTo here: http://arduino-info.wikispaces.com/YourDuinoStarter#L4

DISCLAIMER: Mentioned stuff from my own shop...

4

Or maybe you could get the voltages from the displays themselves, assuming they are 7-seg? If it's a graphical LCD then forget it, but 7-seg LCD or LED would be alright.

5

I dont need Arduino to do the processing, my computer can do that. So webcam on computer as well as the Arduino. Just need a program to do the OCR and communicate this value to the Arduino environment; or is this impossible?

So basically webcam is input, A program to do the OCR, communicate this value to arduino, arduino is output.

Thanks for the responses so far!! really appreciate it!

6

Yes, this is possible but has then nothing to do with the Arduino. As long as you're able to do the OCR somehow on the PC you can send that value to the Arduino by USB (or TCP/IP if you have an Ethernet Shield).

7

olierook:
So basically webcam is input, A program to do the OCR, communicate this value to arduino, arduino is output.

Yes, that's entirely possible and sensible. The webcam would be connected to the PC and used by an application on the PC, which sends commands to the Arduino via USB serial or whatever other interface you choose to use.

8

Does anyone have an idea how to do this; which program for OCR? and how can I import such value to my Arduino from my pc?
Thank you very much!!