A method for designing dictionary using simulated annealing

A dictionary design problem is treated as an optimization problem and a method for designing a dictionary by applying simulated annealing, which was introduced as a technique for solving combinatorial optimization problems, is presented. This method is applicable to various fields in pattern recognition which use template matching. It requires no assumption of pattern distributions. A high recognition rate can be achieved with a single-template dictionary, i.e. a single reference pattern per class. The authors consider handprinted Japanese kanji character recognition and show the effectiveness of the method through experimental results