Automatic recognition of handwritten numerals are used in hot-rolled steel production to liberate labor,enhance accuracy and improve efficiency.After understanding the specific needs,the automatic procedure of image acquisition and processing,numerals reco-gnition as well as steel slab ID rule matching are analyzed.Further,key technologies,such as automatic steel slab positioning and hie-rarchical classification,are studied.Then,main automatic running functions are implemented including steel slab positioni...