Abstract: An operating unit includes a touch-sensitive operating area and control unit. The control unit determines an activation location on the operating area from the information relating to the touched regions. If the activation location is in a predefined field, the control unit performs a function assigned to the field. The control unit determines the activation location from a position on or in the region of a boundary line bounding a fingertip and that is at the front in the direction of movement of the finger on the surface of the operating area, only when a determined speed of movement of a course of the regions of the touched operating exceeds a predefined limit value. Otherwise, the activation location is determined from an area centroid of all regions of the operating area which have been touched by the finger at a point in time.

Abstract: An operating unit includes a touch-sensitive operating area and control unit. The control unit determines an activation location on the operating area from the information relating to the touched regions. If the activation location is in a predefined field, the control unit performs a function assigned to the field. The control unit determines the activation location from a position on or in the region of a boundary line bounding a fingertip and that is at the front in the direction of movement of the finger on the surface of the operating area, only when a determined speed of movement of a course of the regions of the touched operating exceeds a predefined limit value. Otherwise, the activation location is determined from an area centroid of all regions of the operating area which have been touched by the finger at a point in time.

Abstract: A method for detecting an operating input performed by a finger involves detecting various contact points of a contour of the finger using a sensor system on a sensor surface. The sensor system includes at least one transmitting unit for transmitting a signal to the finger and at least one receiving unit for receiving a signal reflected by the finger. A surface vibration is introduced into the sensor surface by at least one actuator, the surface vibration changes the frictional resistance between the finger and the sensor surface as a function of the changing contact points of the contour of the finger.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of recognizing a speech utterance (s) available in spelled form, comprising a processing stage in which a corresponding letter sequence (r) is estimated by means of a letter speech recognition unit (2) based on Hidden Markov Models, and a second processing stage (3) in which the estimated result (r) produced by the first processing stage utilizing a statistical letter sequence model (4) and a statistical model (5) for the speech recognition unit (2) is post-processed, while the dynamic programming method is used during the post-processing. For providing robust and efficient speech recognition procedures for the use of speech signals for system control, a grid structure on which the dynamic programming is based and whose node points are provided for the assignment to accumulated probability values, is converted into a tree structure and that an A* algorithm is used for finding an optimum tree path.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of automatic recognition of an at least partly spelled speech utterance, with a speech recognition unit (2) based on statistical models that include a linguistic speech model (6).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of controlling a device (1) comprising an acoustic output means (2) by means of acoustic command signals (BS). The invention proposes that the device (1) automatically reduce its volume if the device (1) recognizes that an acoustic command signal has been sent to the device (1).

Abstract: The invention relates to a directionally sensitive audio pickup system with a system component

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of identifying pieces of music. According to the invention, at least a fragment (MA) of a melody and/or a text of the piece of music to be identified is supplied to an analysis device (1) which determines conformities between the melody and/or text fragment (MA) and pieces of music (MT) which are known to the analysis device (1). The analysis device (1) then selects at least one of the known pieces of music (MT) with reference to the determined conformities and supplies the identification data (ID), for example, the title or the performer of the selected piece of music (MT) and/or at least a part of the selected piece of music (MT) itself.