This book treats the problem of pattern analysis, that is, the automatic interpretation of sensor signals, in particular images, image sequences, and continuous speech. The emphasis of the book is on an integrated view covering the initial preprocessing and segmentation, the classification of individual objects, the representation of relevant data, the automatic determination of control strategy, and knowledge-based understanding of the input with respect to an internal model of the task domain. The view is based on the idea that pattern analysis proceeds from the sensor data via different levels of abstraction to the desired final representation. In this new second edition, every chapter has been revised and partly rewritten. New material has been added to the chapters on segmentation, classification, and knowledge, and the chapters on preprocessing and control have been updated. The book is meant as an introductory text for the researcher and student specializing in this field. It provides an up-to-date discussion of all aspects of knowledge-based processing and understanding of patterns.