SEGMENTATION OF A POSTAL OBJECT DIGITAL IMAGE BY HOUGH TRANSFORM

In order to segment a digital image of a postal packet in order to read a postal address (AP) automatically on said packet, the method consists: in subdividing (20) the image into image blocks of identical size; in applying (30) processing based on a Hough transform to each image block in order to identify in the image block in question a privileged direction for the distribution of image points in the block under consideration; in grouping together (40) contiguous image blocks within the image having a common privileged direction in order to define (50) a rectangular zone of interest (ZI) containing the group of said contiguous blocks having a common privileged direction in such a manner that said rectangular zone of interest has a longitudinal edge parallel to said common privileged direction; and in applying the automatic address-recognition algorithm to said zone of interest in the image in order to read a postal address automatically.