1. Pattern recognition apparatus comprising means for inputting and storing parameters representing one or more primitive shapes of a pattern to be recognized, said pattern having an identity and a membership function, means for detecting elements of a pattern to be recognized and including means for inputting binary signals representing said detected elements to said pattern recognition apparatus, means for assigning and accumulating degrees of membership of said binary signals in dependence on a multi-dimensional membership function, said multi-dimensional membership function being without boundaries in accordance with said membership function stored by said means for inputting and storing parameters and located in accordance with said one or more primitive shapes, means for developing a certainty factor for recognition of a pattern based on degree of membership in at least one pattern represented by said one or more primitive shapes in accordance with said multi-dimensional membership function, means for comparing certainty factors corresponding to degrees of membership of a pattern to be recognized with at least two patterns each represented by one or more of said primitive shapes, and means for assigning said identity of said pattern represented by said one or more primitive shapes to said pattern to be recognized, based on said certainty factor, including means for selecting an identity of one of said at least two patterns yielding highest certainty factor.