Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the receptivity of radio signals at any given receiving site in an area covered by at least one transmitter by comparing data stored and continuously updated in a receiver against data transmitted, and identifying and selecting from all the transmitted radio signals a preferred radio signal.

Abstract: A force/torque sensor has a semiconductor region which is adapted to be subjected to a force or torque. Two control electrodes are provided on a first and a second side of the semiconductor region, the sides being arranged in spaced, opposed relationship with one another, and a current through the semiconductor region being producible between the control electrodes. Two sensor electrodes are provided on a third and a fourth side of the semiconductor region, the sides being also arranged in spaced, opposed relationship with one another and extending essentially at right angles to said first and second sides. A force or torque applied to the semiconductor region is determinable by detecting a voltage present between the sensor electrodes when a current flows between the control electrodes. The semiconductor region is formed by the channel of a field effect transistor, the drain an source electrodes of said field effect transistor defining the control electrodes.

Abstract: A sensor arrangement for detecting a variable that is to be measured, has at least two substantially similar sensor elements. These sensor elements each produce an output signal in response to the variable to be measured, the output signals having a Hall voltage disturbance component. The two sensor elements are orientated in relation to each other in such a way that a sensor signal can be produced by a combination of their output signals, the Hall voltage disturbance components being compensated in the sensor signal.

Abstract: In a method for assessing the quality of an audio test signal derived from an audio reference signal by coding and decoding, the audio test signal is compared with the audio reference signal, as it were, behind the cochlea of the human ear. All masking effects as well as the transmission function of the ear are equally applied to the audio reference signal and the audio test signal. To this end, the audio test signal is broken down according to its spectral composition by means of a first bank of filters consisting of filters overlapping in frequency and defining spectral regions, said filters having differing filtering functions each determined on the basis of the excitation curve of the human ear with respect to the respective filter center frequency. The audio reference signal is also broken down according to its spectral composition into partial audio reference signals by means of a second bank of filters coinciding with the first bank of filters.

Abstract: A sensor device to record the speed and motion direction of an object, especially rotational speed and direction of a rotating object, based on the magnetoresistive effect, is provided with a magnetic field generator (2, 15) coupled to object (1), which generates a locally and time-defined varying reference magnetic field (H), with two magnetic field sensors (SE1, SE2) made of a magnetoresistive material, which are positioned at a stipulated spacing (&Dgr;y) from each other relative to magnetic field generator (2, 15) so that they are traversed by magnetic field components (H1, H2) of the reference field (H) that are phase shifted relative to each other, in which the phase shift &Dgr;&PHgr; is not equal to an integer multiple of 90°, and with a signal processing circuit (5), which records the magnetoresistive resistance (R_MR1, R_MR2) of the magnetic field sensors (SE1, SE2) dependent on the magnetic field components (H1, H2) in the magnetic field sensors (SE1, SE2) and generates from it electrical signal

Abstract: In coding of an audio signal, coded signals with low quality and bit rate on the one hand and coded signals with high quality and bit rate on the other hand are transmitted to a decoder. At first, the audio signal is coded with low bit rate and is transmitted to the decoder before an additional coded signal is transmitted to the decoder, which either alone or together with the first coded signal upon decoding thereof provides a decoded signal with high quality within the decoder. In this manner, a low-quality decoded signal is generated first in the decoder before decoding of the high-quality signal is possible.

Abstract: The system for triggering a restraining device in a motor vehicle includes an ignition device with a logic circuit connected to an evaluation device a via a line. A d.c. signal for operating the ignition device is input into the line. An alternating signal containing a message is additively superimposed on the d.c. signal and is transmitted from the evaluation device to the ignition device.

Abstract: Jointly processed stereophonic audio signal properties are identified using a stereophonic signal as reference signal and creating a signal for testing by processing the stereophonic signal, e.g. by coding and subsequently decoding it. Both signals are transformed into the frequency domain to create representative spectral data for the respective subbands. Correlation coefficients are determined for each subband both of the reference signal and also of the signal for testing on the basis of the spectral data of the channels of the reference signal or of the signal for testing. From the comparison of the correlation coefficients belonging to the same subband, jointly processed stereophonic audio signals are detected if at least one of the correlation coefficients of the signal for testing greatly exceeds the correlation coefficient of the reference signal for the same subband.

Abstract: A method for reducing data during the transmission and/or storage of the digital signals of several dependent channels is described in which the dependence of the signals in the channels, e.g. in a left and a right stereo channel, can be used for an additional data reduction. Instead of known methods such as middle/side encoding or the intensity stereo process that lead to perceptible interference in the case of an unfavourable signal composition, the method according to the invention avoids such interference, in that a common encoding of the channels only takes place if there is an adequate spectral similarity of the signals in the two channels. An additional data reduction can be achieved in that in those frequency ranges where the spectral energy of a channel does not exceed a predeterminable fraction of the total spectral energy, the associated spectral values are set at zero.

Abstract: A digital adaptive transformation coding method for the transmission and/or torage of audio signals, specifically music signals, wherein N scanned values of the audio signal are transformed into M spectral coefficients, and the coefficients are split up into frequency groups, quantized and then coded. The quantized maximum value of each frequency group is used to define the coarse variation of the spectrum. The same number of bits is assigned to all values in a frequency group. The bits are assigned to the individual frequency groups as a function of the quantized maximum value present in the particular frequency group. A multi-signal processor system is disclosed which is specifically designed for implementation of this method.

Abstract: In the case of coding a plurality of signals which are not independent of e another, a selection of the suitable type of coding is made as a function of a similarity measure.According to one aspect of the invention, the similarity measure is determined by firstly coding one of the signals according to the intensity-stereo method and then decoding it in order to create a signal affected by coding error, whereupon the latter signal and the associated non-coded signal are transformed into the frequency domain. In the frequency domain, a selection or evaluation of the actually audible spectral components, as well as of the signal affected by coding error and of the associated signal not affected by coding error, is undertaken using a listening threshold which is determined by a psycho-acoustic calculation. Intensity-stereo coding is undertaken in the case of a high similarity measure, whereas otherwise a separate coding of the channels is performed.

Abstract: A process for transmitting and/or storing digital signals of multiple chals. This process is suited, in particular, for transmitting the five channels of 3/2 stereophony as well as for transmitting two stereo channels and three additional commentary channels. In this manner, by way of illustration, television programs with multi-language audio signals can be transmitted. This process is distinguished in that by reduction of the to-be-transmitted data, only a bit rate of 384 kbit/s is required for transmission. The reduction of the data is achieved by the K input channels being imaged in segments onto the N.ltoreq.K virtual spectral data channels, by the spectral data channels being quantized, coded, and transmitted taking into consideration the principles of psychoacoustics, and by K output channels being reproduced from the transmitted bit stream with the aid of a transmitted list from the N.ltoreq.K spectral data channels.

Abstract: A process for reducing data in the transmission and/or storage of digital signals of several interdependent channels is described.As the signals from the channels are not independent of one another, an additional data quantity reduction is possible during transmission.In known processes for the coding of signals from two stereo channels, in the case of an unfavorable signal composition interference can be caused by the coding process and cannot be concealed by the signal actually present in the channel and consequently reduce listening enjoyment.In the process according to the invention and with the aid of the spectral values of corresponding blocks of several channels, there is a balancing of the necessary data rate for a separate coding of the two channels and for a joint coding. There is a joint coding of the channels for as long as the data rate for the joint coding does not exceed by a predeterminable value the data rate for the separate coding of the particular channel.

Abstract: In a method of coding a plurality of audio signals, the left and the right basic channel as well as the central channel are combined by joint stereo coding so as to obtain a jointly coded signal, which is decoded so as to provide simulated decoded signals. The simulated decoded signals and two surround channels are combined by matricization by means of a compatibility matrix so as to form compatible signals which are suitable for decoding by existing decoders.

Abstract: A process for simultaneous transmission of signals from N signal sources via a corresponding number of transmission channels, in which the individual signals are divided into blocks and the blocks are transformed into spectral coefficients by transformation or filtering, the spectral coefficients undergoing a data reduction process. The blocks belonging to the individual signals are divided into sections. The respective current sections of all signals are processed simultaneously. The permissible interference for each section is determined utilizing a perception-specific model, and a request of currently required overall transmission capacity is calculated. The allotment of maximum transmission capacity at disposal for each individual signal is calculated from the overall transmission capacity at disposal and the currently required overall transmission capacity. Each signal is coded and transmitted with the thus determined capacity.

Abstract: A PLL circuit modulatable by a modulation signal having a direct current component has a voltage-controlled main oscillator, a loop divider, a phase comparator and a loop filter. The reference frequency signal for the phase comparator is derived from the modulation signal by a first compensation filter, a voltage-controlled reference oscillator and a reference divider being connected downstream of said first compensation filter. The voltage-controlled main oscillator is controlled by the modulation signal via a second compensation filter followed by a downstream data lowpass.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for the detection of errors, respectively perceptible disturbances, in the transmission of frequency-coded digital signals and, in particular, audio signals transmitted in blocks by a transmitter to a receiver.The present invention is distinguished by that from the frequency coefficients of earlier and, if need be, future blocks, a decision function is formed, on the basis of which the occurrence of an error is determined, and that the frequency coefficient containing an error is not longer utilized for the evaluation of subsequent blocks.

Abstract: A high-frequency band-pass filter has an input resonator, a middle resonator and an output resonator which are coupled in parallel. The input resonator and the output resonator are capacitively shortened quarter-wave line resonators. To improve the attenuation characteristics, the middle resonator is designed as a capacitively shortened half-wave resonator. The input resonator extends along a first part of the length of the middle resonator. The output resonator extends along a second part of the length of the middle resonator.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for checking audio signal processing systems. The apparatus has the following features:the apparatus is provided with a first input connection, to which the input signal of the audio processing system to be checked is transmitted, a second input connection, to which the output signal of said system is transmitted, and a signal processor.