Recently, the clean electric power generation systems have been developed aggressively to exploit the clean energy resources such as solar array, fuel cell and so forth. In this case, the multiple-input dc-dc converter is useful to combine the multiple input power sources and to take the appropriate amount of power from these multiple input power sources, in which their voltage levels and/or their power capacities are different. We have proposed a novel multiple-input dc-dc converter, in which the distinctive feature is its simpler circuit configuration in comparison with that in parallel with the multiple converters. This paper presents two control methods for the two-input dc-dc converter. In the first control method, the on-time of one switch is determined only by the input current and that of another one is controlled by both of the input current and the output voltage. On the other hand, in the second control method, though the on-time of one switch is determined only by the input current as well as in the first control method, the on-time of the another switch is controlled only by the output voltage. The comparative analysis of the steady-state and dynamic characteristics of the two-input dc-dc converter using two control methods are performed theoretically and experimentally. As a result, it is revealed that the first control method is superior to the second one in the steady-state and dynamic performances.

Since any suggestion to regional services are not described in Kerberos, authentication between regions can be performed via PKINIT (Public Key Cryptography for Initial Authentication) presented by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) CAT working group. In this paper, an efficient Kerberos authentication mechanism associated with X.509 and Domain Name system (DNS) is presented by employing the two distinct key management systems - asymmetric and symmetric methods. A new protocol is better than the authentication mechanism proposed by IETF CAT Working group in terms of communication complexity.

The lossy magnetic composite material made from soft magnetic metal powder and rubber is widely used as an EMI countermeasure material, due to its higher magnetic loss than those of spinel ferrites in microwave frequencies. In this paper, we clarify the material characteristics by measuring the relative complex permeability r and relative complex permittivity r of two kinds of composite materials in microwave frequencies. Since the composite materials are anisotropic, both r and r are measured as diagonal tensors by utilizing extended S-parameter method. The results show that the imaginary part of r of flaky-powder composite exceeded the Snoek's limit for the spinel ferrites which has been reported so far. The measured r and r are partially compared with those measured by cavity resonator method, and good agreement is obtained.

The starting point of this paper is the definition of a nonlinear model of the read out process in high density optical discs. Under high density condition, the signal read out is not a linear process, and suffers also from cross talk. To cope with these problems, the identification of a suitable nonlinear model is required. A physical model based on the optical scalar theory is used to identify the kernels of a nonlinear model based on the Volterra series. Both analysis and simulations show that a second order bidimensional model accurately describes the read out process. Once equipped with the Volterra channel model, we evaluate the performance of various nonlinear receivers. First we consider Nonlinear Adaptive Volterra Equalization (NAVE). Simulations show that the performance of classical structures for linear channels is significantly affected by the nonlinear response. The nonlinear NAVE receiver can achieve better performance than Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimator (MLSE), with lower complexity. An innovative Nonlinear Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimator (NMLSE), based on the combination of MLSE and nonlinear Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) cancellation, is presented. NMLSE offers significant advantages with respect to traditional MLSE, and performs better than traditional equalization for nonlinear channels (like NAVE). Finally, the paper deals with cancellation of cross talk from adjacent tracks. We propose and analyze an adaptive nonlinear cross talk canceller based on a three spot detection system. For the sake of simplicity, all the performance comparisons presented in this paper are based on the assumption that noise is Additive, White, and Gaussian (AWGN model).

A new blind restoration method applying Real-coded genetic algorithm (RcGA) will be proposed, and this method will be proven valid for the blurred image restoration with unidentified degradation in the experiments. In this restoration method, the degraded and blurred image is going to get restricted to the images possible to be expressed in the point spread function (PSF), then the restoration filter for this degraded image, which is also the 2-dimentional inverse filter, will be searched among several points applying RcGA. The method will enable to seek efficiently among vast solution space consists of numeral coefficient filters. And perceiving the essential features of the spectrum in the frequency space, an evaluation function will be proposed. Also, it will be proposed to apply the Rolling-ball transform succeeding an appropriate Gaussian degrade function against the dual degraded image with blur convoluting impulse noise. By above stated features of this restoration method, it will enable to restore the degraded image closer to the original within a practical processing time. Computer simulations verify this method for image restoration problem when the factors causing image distortions are not identified.

A duration modeling technique is proposed for the HMM based connected digit recognizer. The proposed duration modeling technique uses a cumulative duration probability. The cumulative duration probability is defined as the partial sum of the duration probabilities which can be estimated from the training speech data. Two approaches of using it are presented. First, the cumulative duration probability is used as a weighting factor to the state transition probability of HMM. Second, it replaces the conventional state transition probability. In both approaches, the cumulative duration probability is combined directly to the Viterbi decoding procedure. A modified Viterbi decoding procedure is also presented. One of the advantages of the proposed duration modeling technique is that the cumulative duration probability rules the transitions of states and words at each frame. Therefore, an additional post-procedure is not required. The proposed technique was examined by recognition experiments on Korean connected digit. Experimental results showed that two approach achieved almost same performances and that the average recognition accuracy was enhanced from 83.60% to 93.12%.

This paper investigates the behavior of one-dimensional discrete-time binary cellular neural networks with both the A- and B-templates and gives the necessary and sufficient conditions for the above network to be stable for unspecified fixed boundaries.

In previous work we have proposed a steganographic technique for gray scale images called BPCS-Steganography. We also apply this technique to full color images by decomposing the image into its three color component images and treating each as a gray scale image. This paper proposes a method to apply BPCS-Steganography to palette-based images. In palette-based images, the image data can be decomposed into color component images similar to those of full color images. We can then embed into one or more of the color component images. However, even if only one of the color component images is used for embedding, the number of colors in the palette after embedding can be over the maximum number allowed. In order to represent the image data in palette-based format, color quantization is therefore needed. We cannot change the pixel values of the color component image that contains the embedded information, but can only change the pixel values of the other color component images. We assume that the degrading of the color component2 image with information embedded is smaller than that of the color component images that are used for color reduction. We therefore embed secret information into the G component image, because the human visual system is more sensitive to changes the luminance of a color, and G has the largest contribution to luminance of the three color components. In order to reduce the number of colors, the R and B component images are then changed in a way that minimizes the square error.

Scattering of a plane wave obliquely incident on a meteor trail is studied using the full wave treatment by treating the trail as a stratified column which has Gaussian radial electron distribution. Due to the coupling of the fields, the coupled equations have to be solved simultaneously. They are treated in matrix form, so the uncoupled and the coupled components can be distinguished. Based on the oblique scattering geometry, the effects of the variation of the communication range and the trail orientation are investigated. In the case of the variation of the communication range, results are in accordance with the approximate models but they are in contrast in the case of the variation of the trail orientation. Calculated waveforms are compared with the experimental echo shapes. It is found that they are in good agreement with each other. Furthermore, a duration comparison indicates that the electron line densities of most of the received signals are in the transition region.

A novel method for the primitive description of the multiprimitive texture is proposed. This method segments a texture by the watershed algorithm into fragments each of which contains one grain. The similar fragments are grouped by the cluster analysis in the feature space whose basis is the morphological size density. Each primitive is extracted as the grain of the central fragment in each cluster.

This paper presents a new operation and maintenance system for PON (Passive Optical Network) subscriber loops and an assessment of its feasibility through experiments. This system adopts a broadband continuous wave light source as a testing signal and a fiber grating filter as a reflective component. The fiber grating filter is inserted somewhere in each subscriber loop for reflection of the testing signal. Our results show that the proposed system operates well for the purposes of quick decision of loop state and easy testing for PON subscriber loops.

ZCZ sets are families of sequences, whose periodic auto/cross-correlation functions have zero correlation zone at the both side of the zero-shift. They can provide approximately synchronized CDMA systems without intra-cell interference for cellular mobile communications. This paper presents ternary ZCZ sets achieving a mathematical bound, and investigates the average interference parameters for the sets in order to evaluate inter-cell interference. It is shown that they can provide AS-CDMA systems with efficiency frequency usage.

In loudspeaker-based 3D audio systems, there are some acoustic crosstalk cancellation methods to enlarge the 'sweet spot' around a fixed listener position. However, these methods have common defect that most of them can be applied only to the specific narrow frequency band. In this letter, we propose the more robust acoustic crosstalk cancellation method so that we can cancel the crosstalk signal in far wider frequency band and enlarge 'sweet spot. ' For this goal, we apply a sum and difference filter to the conventional three loudspeaker-based 3D audio system.

We present an efficient algorithm using a region-based texture feature for the extraction of texture regions. The key idea of this algorithm is to use the variations of local correlation coefficients (LCCs) according to different orientations to classify texture and shade regions. Experimental results show that the proposed feature suitably extracts the regions that appear visually as texture regions.

Cellular Neural Networks (CNNs) have been developed as a high-speed parallel signal-processing platform. In this paper, a generalized two-layer cellular neural network model is proposed for image processing, in which two templates are introduced between the two layers. We found from the simulations that the two-layer CNNs efficiently behave compared to the single-layer CNNs for the many applications of image processing. For examples, simulation problems such as linearly non-separable task--logic XOR, center point detection and object separation, etc. can be efficiently solved with the two-layer CNNs. The stability problems of the two-layer CNNs with symmetric and/or special coupling templates are also discussed based on the Lyapunov function technique. Its equilibrium points are found from the trajectories in a phase plane, whose results agree with those from simulations.

This paper proposes a stable rate allocation algorithm for ABR service in ATM networks. The main goals in designing this algorithm are to speed up the convergence according to the max-min fairness criterion and to maximize the network utilization while the switch queue length can be properly controlled. Importantly, the set goals should be achieved in a wide range of network conditions without the need for adjusting the algorithm parameters. The algorithm is targeted to work in various networking environments with additional criteria as extended from the work of E-FMMRA (Enhanced Fast Max-Min Rate Allocation) and ERICA+ (Explicit Rate Indication for Congestion Avoidance) . The additional design criteria include the ability to enhance a large number of ABR connections and staggered TCP connections as well as to perform an accurate traffic averaging. The algorithm is analytically proved to be convergent. Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm achieves the goals in all evaluated configurations. However, it has some limitations when working in the large-scale network due to its per-connection accounting. It is not recommended to implement the algorithm with a switch that has a small buffer size due to its relatively long averaging interval.

Since the deployment of base stations (BS's) is far from optimum in 3-dimensional (3-D) space, i.e., the vertical baseline is relatively shorter than the planar baseline, the geometric degradation of precision of the altitude estimate is larger than that of the planar location. This paper considers the problem of 3-D range location and attempt to improve the altitude estimate. We first use a volume formula of tetrahedron to transform the range measurements to the volume measurements, then a novel pseudo-linear solution is proposed based on a linear relationship between the rectangular and the volume coordinates. Theory analysis and numerical examples are included to show the improved accuracy of the altitude estimate of mobile location. Finally, an improved estimate of 3-D mobile location is given by solving a set of augmented linear equations.

A DS-CDMA mobile communication system accommodating multi-class users is considered. The number of supportable users depends on the distributions of data rate and required communication quality among users. Simple expressions for the reverse link capacity with transmit power control, antenna diversity, and rake combining, are derived for a single-cell system and a multi-cell system.

The Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction provides us important clues in controlling 2D phase-lagged stable synchronous patterns in an excitable medium. Because of the difficulty in computing reaction-diffusion systems in large systems using conventional digital processors, we here propose a cellular-automaton (CA) circuit that emulates the BZ reaction. In the circuit, a two-dimensional array of parallel processing cells is responsible for fast emulation, and its operation rate is independent of the system size. The operations of the proposed CA circuit were demonstrated by using a simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE).

This paper proposes a novel packet classification method using ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM), which can store very wide policy rules despite the limited width of TCAM. For IP version 6, policy rules could be 304 bits wide. This method enables us to use commercially available TCAM for packet classification and thus builds an ultra high-speed policy based packet forwarding engine for differentiated services on the Internet.