1. A device comprising: a data acquisition device configured to acquire character data comprising one or more characters, the one or more characters having a first contour and a second contour; and a computing device configured to: perform lateral view analysis on the character data, the lateral view analysis comprising locating characteristic points on the first and second contours, including dividing the one or more characters into segments of more than one size, wherein a characteristic point is located in each segment on the first contour and the second contour; identify the one or more characters based on the lateral view analysis.