A new approach for detection of dimensions set in mechanical drawings

A new approach for detecting dimension set is proposed. Instead of detecting arrowhead, dimension text with associated dimension line segment is detected first. The position of arrowhead is judged based on the characteristics of feature points on dimension lines. In order to separate dimension text from graphics automatically, an algorithm to set the threshold for text/graphic separation automatically is also presented. Experimental results show that the proposed approach provides another way to detect dimension set. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.