Patent US 4,153,897

In a pattern recognition device for recognizing an unknown pattern in accordance with the magnitude of the similarities between the unknown pattern and a plurality of standard patterns, the similarity between the unknown pattern and one of the standard patterns is detected as follows. Similarities are detected at first in respective shifting conditions where the unknown and standard patterns are relatively shifted from each other over the first limited extent, including the condition without the shift. The maximum value of these similarities is then detected. The similarities are further detected in respective shifting conditions where the unknown and standard patterns are relatively shifted from each other over the second extend larger than the first limited extent, when the shifting condition which gave the maximum value is that without relative shift.