Erasure-and-error decoding is a general form of channel decoding and is a basis of important coding schemes, such as the concatenated coding scheme and coded ARQ. However, there do not exist enough discussions on the interrelationship between erasure-and-error decoding schemes. In this paper, threshold decoding schemes are discussed in a systematic manner and compared with Forney's optimal scheme. Some confusions in known results are pointed out and new results on threshold decoding are shown.

A CMOS design to achieve high drivability is examined for lower power supply voltage in 0.5 µm ULSI. The design consists of two points. (1) A very narrow (50 nm) sidewall is used to achieve high drivability and also to obtain hot-carrier-reliability. (2) A retrograded channel profile with NMOS and PMOS is designed to achieve high drivability and also to reduce short channel effect. It is shown that the propagation delay times (tpd) of a unloaded Inverter and a loaded 2-way NAND gate are improved 30% with the newly designed CMOS, compared with the conventionally designed CMOS. It is also proved that the tpd keeps the scaling trend of the previous-5 V-era even in 3.3 V-era by adapting the newly designed CMOS. Moreover, 7.1 ns multiplication time of 1616-bit multiplier is obtained under 0.5 µm design rule.

We present a navigation system using ultrasonic sensors for unknown and dynamic indoor environments. To achieve the robustness and flexibility of the mobile robot, we develop a behavior-based system architecture, consisting of multi-layered behaviors. Basic behaviors required for the navigation of a mobile robot, such as, avoiding obstacles, moving towards free space, and following targets, are redundantly developed as agents and combined in a behavior-based system architecture. An extended potential filed method is developed to produce the appropriate velocity and steering commands for the behaviors of the robot. We demonstrate the capabilities of our system through real world experiments in unstructured dynamic office environments using an indoor mobile robot.

Single-mode fibers with intentionally induced periodical residual strains (IIPRS) along the fiber length are proposed for the suppression of the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). A change of the residual strain along a fiber will change the Brillouin frequency shift, resulting in a broadening of the Brillouin gain profile. Such an increase of the line-width of the gain profile will cause a decrease of the gain coefficient which will raise the threshold power of the stimulated Brillouin scattering in optical fibers. Two types of the IIPRS fibers were fabricated. The residual strain of one IIPRS fiber is modified rectangularly while that of the other is changed triangularly. The measured spectra of the SBS are compared with that of a fiber with a constant strain. Using a novel mathematical model presented in this report, the possible improvements of the threshold powers for these two IIPRS fibers over the constant-strain fiber can be assessed through the SBS spectra. Finally, the achieved improvements are confirmed with the experimental results. The estimated improvement of the threshold for the IIPRS fiber with the rectangular profile is 2.9dB while the measured is 2.4dB. In case of the IIPRS fiber with a triangular profile, the improvement of the threshold is 5.4dB by estimation and is 5.1dB by experiment. While the limit of the threshold improvement for rectangular IIPRS fibers is 3dB, the threshold improvement for triangular IIPRS fibers is limited only by the allowable deviation of the tension applied during the drawing of fibers. It is estimated that a 5dB improvement is not difficult to realize.

Gradient-based methods for the computation of the velocity from image sequences assume that the velocity field varies smoothly over image. This creates difficulties at regions where the image intensity changes abruptly such as the occluding contours or region boundaries. In this letter, we propose a method to overcome these difficulties by incorporating the information of discontinuities in image intensity into a standard local optimization method. The presented method is applied to the synthetic and real images. The results show that the velocity field computed by the proposed method is less blurred at region boundaries than that of the standard method.

The 22 mechanical optical switch for single mode fiber (SMF) is reported. By using the precision grinding and molding techniques all-plastic multiple-fiber connector, 22 pin-referenced indirect slide switch is developed. The characteristics and the reliability test's results of this optical switch are also reported. Evaluations confirm that the switch has low insertion loss, high-speed switching, stable switching operations and reliability in practical applications.

In a display system with a line-of-gaze (LOG) controller, it is difficult to make the directions and motions of a LOG-controlled object coincide as closely as possible in the display with the user's intended LOG-directions and motions. This is because LOG behavior is not only smooth, but also saccadic due to the problem of involuntary eye movement. This article introduces a flexible on-line LOG-control scheme to realize nearly perfect LOG operation. Using a mesh-wise cursor pattern, the first visual experiment elucidates subjectively that a Kalman Filter (KF) for smoothing and predicting is effective in filtering out macro-saccadic changes of the LOG and in predicting sudden changes of the saccade while movement is in progress. It must be assumed that the LOG trajectory can be described by a linear position-velocity-acceleration approximation of Sklansky Model (SM). Furthermore, the second experiment uses a four-point pattern and simulations to scrutinize the two physical properties of velocity and direction-changes of the LOG in order to quantitatively and efficiently resolve "moving" and "gazing". In order to greatly reduce the number of LOG-small-position changes while gazing, the proposed Gaze-Holding algorithm (GH) with a gaze-potential function is combined with the KF. This algorithm allows the occurrence frequency of the micro-saccade to be reduced from approximately 25 Hz to 1 or 2 Hz. This great reduction in the frequency of the LOG-controlled object moves is necessary to achieve the user's desired LOG-response while gazing. Almost perfect LOG control is accomplished by the on-line SM+KF+GH scheme while either gazing or moving. A menu-selection task was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed on-line LOG-control method.

Global dynamic behavior particularly the bifurcation of periodic orbits of a parallel blower system is studied using a piecewise linear model and the one-dimensional map defined by the Poincare map. First several analytical tools are presented to numerically study the bifurcation process particularly the bifurcation point of the fixed point of the Poincare map. Using two bifurcation diagrams and a bifurcation set, it is shown how periodic orbits bifurcate and leads to chaotic state. It is also shown that the homoclinic bifurcations occur in some parameter regions and that the Li & Yorke conditions of the chaotic state hold in the parameter region which is included in the one where the homoclinic bifurcation occurs. Together with the above, the stable and unstable manifolds of a saddle closed orbit is illustrated and the existence of the homoclinic points is shown.

The evolution of Multiple-Valued Logic (MVL) circuits has been inexorably tied to the rapid technological changes induced by evolving needs and emerging developments in computing methodologies. Unfortunately for MVL, the numbers of designers of technologies and circuits whose lives are dedicated to the improvement of binary techniques, are large and overwhelming. Correspondingly, technological developments in MVL typically await the appearance of a problem or technique in the larger binary world to motivate and/or make possible some new advance. Such opportunities are inevitably quite transient since each such problem is simultaneously attacked by many others of a more conventional bent, and, as well, each technological change begets yet another, quickly. It is in the sensing of this reality that the present paper is written. Correspondingly, its thrust is two-fold: One target is the possibility of encouraging a leap ahead through modest technological projection. The other is the possibility of identifying application areas that already exist in this unbalanced competition, but which are specially suited to multiple-valued solutions. For example, it has been clear for decades that one such area is that of arithmetic. Correspondingly, we in MVL must strive quickly to concentrate our efforts on applications that exploit such demonstrable strengths. Some such applications are includes here; others are visible historically, many probably remain to be found: Search on!

When we study time-domain electromagnetic fields, we frequently use the finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) method. In this paper, we discuss errors of the FD-TD method and present the optimum mesh spacings in the FD-TD method when the three mesh spacings are different.

A fail-safe logic operation refers to such a processing operation that the output assumes the logical value zero when the operation circuit fails. The fail-safe multiple-valued logic operation is proposed as one method of logic operation. Section 2 defines the fail-asfe multiple-valued logic operation and presents an example of method for accomplishing the fail-safe multiple-valued logic operation. Section 3 describes the method of designing a fail-safe threshold operation device (window comparator) as basic device in the fail-safe multiple-valued logic operation in consideration of LSI implementation and shows an example of prototype fail-safe window comparator. This operation device has higher and lower thresholds. It oscillates and produces an operational output signal only when the input signal level falls between the higher and lower thresholds. Unless the fail-safe window comparator is supplied with input signals of higher voltage than the power supply voltage, it dose not form a feedbadk loop as required for it to oscillate. This characteristic prevents the device from erroneously producing an output signal when any failure occurs in the amplifiers comprising the oscillation circuit. The window comparator can be built as a fail-safe threshold operation device. The fail-safe characteristic is utilized in its LSI implementation. Section 4 verifies the fail-safe property of the prortotype fail-safe window comparator. It is shown that even when the LSI develops failures not evident from outsid (latent failures), it does not lose the operational function and maintains the fail-safe characteristic.

The problem of two-dimensional scattering of electromagnetic waves by a grating with several strips arbitrarily oriented in one period is analyzed by means of the Wiener-Hopf technique together with the formulation using the concept of the mutual field. A formulation for the analysis of multiple scattering from the grating is based on the representation of the scattered field by a grating composed of one strip in one period. The Wiener-Hopf equations and a representation of the scattered wave are obtained. The characteristic of the sampling function is used to expand the unknown function associated with the field on the strip into a series, and then the Wiener-Hopf equations are reduced to a set of simultaneous equations. For evaluation of the convergence and the errors in the numerical results, the relative error with respect to the extrapolated value and the square error for satisfaction of the boundary condition are computed. From numerical comparison of the present method with other various methods, it is found that the present method provides us accurate results. Some numerical examples of the reflection coefficients are presented for the reflection grating and transmission gratings.

A theoretical method is required for prediction of mean field strength in land mobile radio systems, instead of the conventional empirical methods. Feasibility study of theoretical prediction using the ray-tracing method, was made in a 1.2GHz band for a model of a small-cell system. Theoretical values showed better agreement with the measured, when diffraction around the side edges of a building is taken into account. Comparison between mean field strengths in summer and winter suggested the seasonal variations in attenuation due to trees.

This paper theoretically evaluates the external electro-optic (EO) sampling of high-speed electrical signals using poled polymers as materials for a proximity electric-field sensor. Based on the derivation of the half-wave voltage and the analysis of a static electric field coupled to the polymeric media placed over IC interconnections, invasiveness, voltage sensitivity, and spatial resolution have been discussed. The polymeric sensors have shown to be used in contact with the IC interconnections with negligibly small invasiveness, thus making polymeric sensors provide higher sensitivity and spatial resolution than inorganic crystals such as GaAs and KD*P.

A field trial was conducted to evaluate the technical performance of land mobile message communication in different environments. The OmniTRACS system and the Ku-band JCSAT satellite were utilized as the mobile communications system and the satellite, respectively. The trial took place in September 1990 at different areas in Japan. Data collected correspond to about 65 hours of operation, during which a large number of messages were sent via the satellite. Two land mobile terminals operated simultaneously, each terminal having a function of generating messages automatically which simulates a large volume of traffic corresponding to about 50 terminals. Thus, the system was evaluated under the condition that 100 mobile terminals were in operation. Obtained data have been analyzed with a particular focus on the message transmission correlating with actual environments. The analysis was done by classifying environments into five categories: overall condition, type of roads, terrain, areas and weather conditions. The average transmission count per message experienced under all conditions is equal to 1.432 for forward messages transmitted from the hub station to mobiles, and 1.157 for return messages transmitted from mobiles to the hub station. With respect to the classification by the type of roads, for enample it becomes obvious that the performance is generally good except along roads of North-South orientation through dense urban areas. It is concluded that the message communications from/to mobiles are feasible in a wide range of environments, with the performance of success essentially depending on the visibility of satellite.

We indicate the existence of optimum expanded mode field diameters in thermally-diffused expanded core (TEC) fiber. The optimum ranges under our experimental conditions were from 14µm to 18µm for both 1.3µm-single-mode fiber and 1.55µm-dispersion-shifted fiber. By applying the TEC fiber fabricated in our experimental conditions to a multifiber connector, the connection loss can be reduced to less than 0.2dB without improving fiber and connector ferrule fabrication accuracy.

This paper describes high-temperature operation of nMOSFET on bonded SOI. A long-channel nMOSFET is fabricated on bonded SOI (Si layer thickness 0.3 µm), SOS (Si layer thickness 0.3 µm), and bulk Si, Bonded SOI is produced using pulse-field-assisited bonding and resistivity-sensitive etching. The high-temperature operation of bonded SOI nMOSFET is demonstrated and compared with SOS and bulk MOSFETs. The leakage current variation with temperature is signnificantly smaller in bonded SOI and in SOS than in bulk MOSFETs. At high temperatures, the drain current to leakage current ratio is 100 times higher in bonded SOI than in SOS and bulk devices. At 300, a ratio of 104 is obtained for the bonded SOI nMOSFET. The ratio is expected to be even higher if a reduced channel length and ultrathin (less than 0.1 µm) bonded SOI is used.

Hot-carrier characteristics in ultra-thin SOI MOSFET's (T-SOI MOSFET's) with gate-overlapped LDD have been investigated. The change in transistor static characteristics after hot carrier stress was mainly observed as positive threshold voltage (Vt) shifts due to trapped electrons, while in bulk-Si MOSFET's drain current degradation was dominant. The hot-carrier life time in T-SOI MOSFET's was comparable to that in bulk-Si devices at low drain voltage, but the life time dependence on drain voltage was different from that in bulk-Si MOSFET's, and the Vt degraded rapidly at the condition that parasitic bipolar breakdown began to occur. This implies that the drain supply voltage in T-SOI MOSFET's is determined directly by parasitic bipolar breakdown voltage unlike bulk-Si MOSFET's in which it is determined by hot-carrier reliability. The gate-overlapped LDD structure was compared with single drain structure and proved to provide better hot-carrier endurance by the improvement of the parasitic bipolar breakdown voltage. The hot-carrier reliability in the back channels of T-SOI MOSFET's was also investigated, and it was found that the back channel tends to be degraded more easily than front channel with large positive Vt shifts. These results suggest that the front Vt shifts in T-SOI devices are related with electron injection into the back surface of the T-SOI layer through charge coupling at the condition that the parasitic bipolar breakdown occurs.

In this paper, scattering waves by a strip grating with an anisotropic substrate for the incidence of inclined polarization are analyzed, and polarization characteristics of scatterd waves are calculated. For simplicity, the analysis is limitted to the case of normal incidence and a perfectly conducting strip grating is assumed.

Frequency Selective Screens (FSS) with conductor or complementary aperture array are investigated. The electric current distribution on conductor or the magnetic current distribution on aperture is determined by the moment method in the spectral domain. In addition, the power reflection coefficients are calculated and the scattering properties are considered.