The problem of detecting straight lines arises frequently in image processing and computer vision. Here we consider the problem of extracting lines from range images and more generally from sets of three-dimensional (3D) points. The problem is stated as follows. Given a set Γ of points in 3D space and a non-negative constant , determine the line that is at a distance at most ε from the maximal number of points of . The extraction of multiple lines is achieved iteratively by performing this best line detection and removing at each iteration the points that are close to the line found. We consider two approaches to solve the problem. The first is a simple approach that selects the best line among a randomly chosen subset of lines each defined by a pair of edge points. The second approach, based on tabu search, explores a larger set of candidate lines thus obtaining a better fit of the lines to the points. We present experimental results on different types of three-dimensional data (i) range images of polyhedral objects (ii) secondary structures (helices and strands) of large molecules.

Future electronic systems can not be built only with System-on-a-Chip (SoC), since many SoC issues have become evident. Relatively low yield due to the larger die size and the huge investment in developing the process to embed different kinds of technologies are some of the issues. Instead, superconnect technology is getting more important as a viable solution in building electronic systems. The superconnect connects separately built and tested chips not by the printed circuit board but rather directly to construct high-performance yet low-cost electronic systems and may use around 10 micron level design rules. System-in-a-Package and stacked chips using interposers are some realization of the superconnect. The superconnect will also be used to mitigate IR-drop problems and RC delay problems in global on-chip interconnect.

As the network speed becomes faster and requirements about various services are increased, a number of groups are currently developing technologies aimed at evolving and enhancing the capabilities of existing network. A Next-Generation Network (NGN) is defined as a hybrid telecommunications network that employs new distributed processing techniques to provide all types of services. By integrating the Intelligent Network (IN) technology and the Mobile Agent (MA) technology we can support service flexibility and service portability in NGN. In this paper, we propose a caching-based mobile agent model for NGN and analyze the performance of this model. The mobile agent technology increases the service portability and the caching strategy does the service reusability. Each Physical Entity (PE) has MAs within their repository through the caching strategy and processes service requests from users without the control of the central system such as Service Control Point (SCP). Therefore, we can decrease the total network load and the response time for user requests.

We describe a method for object recognition with 2D image queries to be identified from among a set of 3D models. The pose is known from a previous step. The main target application is face recognition. The 3D models consist of both shape and color texture information, and the 2D queries are color camera images. The kernel of the method consists of a lookup table that associates 3D surface normals with expected image brightness, modulo albedo, for a given query. This lookup table is fast to compute, and is used to render images from the models for a sum of square difference error measure. Using a data set of 42 face models and 1764 (high quality) query images under 7 poses and 6 lighting conditions, we achieve average recognition accuracy of about 83%, with more than 90% in several pose/lighting conditions, using semi-automatically computed poses. The method is extremely fast compared to those that involve finding eigenvectors or solving constrained equation systems.

This paper proposes iterative demodulation/decoding for parallel combinatorial spread spectrum (PC/SS) systems. A PC/SS system conveys information data by a combination of pre-assigned orthogonal spreading sequences with polarity. In this paper, convolutional coding with a uniform random interleaver is implemented in channel coding, just like as a serial concatenated coding. A 'soft-in/soft-out' PC/SS demodulator based on a posteriori probability algorithm is proposed to perform the iterative demodulation and decoding. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed iterative demodulation/decoding scheme bring significant improvement in bit error rate performance. This proposed decoding scheme achieves high-speed transmission by two approaches. One is a puncturing operation, and the other is to increase the number of transmitting sequences. In the latter approach, lower error rate performance is achieved comparing with that the punctured convolutional code is used to increase the information bit rate.

This paper describes the wafer-level, three-dimensional packaging for MEMS in which sensors, actuators, electronic circuits and other functions are combined together in one integrated block. Si wafers with built-in MEMS functions were integrated with no change in thickness to ensure mechanical strength and improve heat dissipation. In the entire process of three-dimensional integration, Si wafers were processed at temperatures below 400C to prevent degradation of their built-in functions. A description is made of the low-temperature oxidation technology developed by us, which makes through-holes of high density and high aspect ratio in Si wafers with built-in functions by the Optical Excitation Electropolishing Method (OEEM) and forms an oxide film on the hole walls simply by replacing electrolyte. Next, a description is presented of the bumpless interconnection method which fills through-holes of stacked layers with metal by the molten metal suction method and of the electrocapillary effect as a countermeasure to prevent the filler metal from dropping out of holes under its own weight.

We summarize recent studies on performance improvement in the correlation-based continuous-wave technique for optical fiber distributed strain measurement using Brillouin scattering, that had been proposed previously. The correlation-based technique enables the spatial resolution of 1 cm, which is difficult for conventional sensing techniques using Brillouin scattering to achieve. Though the correlation-based technique left a problem with measurement range, we have proposed methods to overcome it with keeping high spatial resolution. In addition, we verified usefulness of the technique for smart materials by measuring strain distribution along surface of a ring structure.

Complex-valued region-based-coupling image clustering (continuous soft segmentation) neural networks are proposed for interferometric radar image processing. They deal with the amplitude and phase information of radar data as a combined complex-amplitude image. Thereby, not only the reflectance but also the distance (optical length) are consistently taken into account for the clustering process. A continuous complex-valued label is employed whose structure is the same as that of input raw data and estimation image. Experiments demonstrate successfully the clustering operations for interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images. The method is applicable also to future radar systems for image acquisition in, e.g., invisible fire smoke places and intelligent transportation systems by generating a processed image more recognizable by human and automatic recognition machine.

In order to assess the possible impacts of meteors with spacecraft, which is among major hazard in the space environment, it is essential to establish an accurate statistics of their mass and velocity. We developed a radar-optical combined system for detecting faint meteors consisting of a powerful VHF Doppler radar and an ICCD video camera. The Doppler pulse compression scheme is used to enhance the S/N ratio of the radar echoes with very large Doppler shifts, as well as to determine their range with a resolution of 200 m. A very high sensitivity of more than 14 magnitude and 9 magnitude for radar and optical sensors, respectively, has been obtained. Instantaneous direction of meteor body observed by the radar is determined with the interferometry technique. We examined the optimum way of the receiving antenna arrangements, and also of the signal processing. Its absolute accuracy was confirmed by the optical observations with background stars as a reference. By combining the impinging velocity of meteor bodies derived by the radar with the absolute visual magnitude determined by the video camera simultaneously, the mass of each meteor body was estimated. The developed observation system will be used to create a valuable data base of the mass and velocity information of faint meteors, on which very little is known so far. The data base is expected to play a vital role in our understanding of the space environment needed for designing large space structures.

This paper presents methods for estimating the ocean wavelength in satellite altimetry and discusses the possibility of detecting the ocean wavelength. Numerical analyses show that there exists a relation between the significant wavelength and the pulse-to-pulse correlation coefficient. Presented methods are based on processing the data of existing satellite altimeters. Accordingly, we will be able to propose a method for measuring the wavelength without a large change in existing altimetry system.

Disk-zoning technique has been widely adopted to increase disks capacities. As a result of disparity of capacities of inner and outer zones, the data transfer rates of the outer zones of a zoned-disk are higher than the inner zones that post a great challenge for zoned-disk based multimedia playback. In this paper, we study the data placement problem of VBR (variable bit rate) videos on zoned-disks. Our objective is to minimize video server buffer size and simultaneously to maximize disk utilization subject to the zone constraints of disk. We introduce the CRT (constant read time) method that allocates each user a constant time period in every service round to retrieve a variable-sized disk block. The CRT method can be formulated as constrained combinatorial problems that its optimum solution can be obtained by employing dynamic programming. Two heuristics are also explored to reduce time and space complexities. According to experiment results, the heuristic algorithms obtain near optimum solutions with shorter computation time.

This paper describes the adaptability of communication software through a biologically-inspired policy coordination. Many research efforts have developed adaptable systems that allow various users or applications to meet their specific requirements by configuring different design and optimization policies. Navigating through many policies manually, however, is tedious and error-prone. Developers face the significant manual and ad-hoc work of engineering an system. In contrast, we propose to provide autonomous adaptability in communication endsystem with OpenWebServer/iNexus, which is both a web server and an object-oriented framework to tailer various web services and applications. The OpenWebServer's modular architecture allows to abstract and maintain a wide range of aspects in a HTTP server, and reconfigure the system by adding, deleting, changing, or replacing their policies. iNexus is a tool for automated policy-based management of OpenWebServer. Its design is inspired by the natural immune system, particularly immune network, a truly autonomous decentralized system. iNexus inspects the current system condition of OpenWebServer periodically, measures the delivered quality of service, and selects suitable set of policies to reconfigure the system dynamically by relaxing constraints between them. The policy coordination process is performed through decentralized interactions among policies without a single point of control, as the natural immune system does. This paper discusses communication software can evolve continuously in the piecemeal way with biological concepts and mechanisms, adapting itself to ever-changing environment.

This paper describes performance enhancement of high-resolved delay time estimation by pattern diversity of wheel-shaped dipole antennas for the MUSIC algorithm. We propose that the wheel-shaped dipole antennas are used to average covariance matrices weightedly with their pattern diversity without decreasing the matrix dimension and to obtain freedom of selecting sweeping frequencies. It is numerically confirmed that the wheel-shaped dipole antennas can be used to enhance capability of the delay time estimation.

Synthetic aperture radar interferometry have been established in the past two decades, and used extensively for many applications including topographic mapping of terrain and surface deformation. Vegetation analysis is also a growing area of its application. In this paper, we propose an polarimetric SAR interferometry technique for interferometric phase extraction of each local scatterer. The estimated position of local scattering centers has an important information for effective tree height estimation of forest. The proposed method formulated for local scattering center extraction is based on the ESPRIT algorithm which is known for high-resolution capability of closely located incident waves. The method shows high-resolution performance when local scattered waves are uncorrelated and have different polarization characteristics. Using the method, the number of dominant local scattering centers and interferometric phases in each image pixel can be estimated directly. Validity of the algorithm is demonstrated by using examples derived from SIR-C data.

As a new category of the optical application system integrated with electronics, the opto-electronic information system (OEIS) is presented. Combination of the different characteristic technologies, optics and electronics, is expected to be useful for development of an effective and high-performance information systems. The properties of the optical technologies such as parallelism, high-speed, and large information capacity can be utilized for information processing. Even if some of the functions are emulated by the electronics, the optics give more effective solutions. To implement the OEIS, various optoelectronic devices and fabrication technologies are available including vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and spatial light modulators. There are two forms of system construction for the OEIS: an application of optics to an electronic-based system and the reversed form. As examples of the OEIS, the parallel matching architecture (PMA) and the thin observation module by bound optics (TOMBO) are presented. The PMA is an architecture of parallel computing system specified for global processing. This architecture shows a typical strategy to utilize the optical interconnection capability with flexibility of the electronic technology. The TOMBO presents possibility of morphological conversion using combination of the optical and electronic technologies. A compound-eye imaging system and post digital processing enable us to realize a very thin image capturing system. The issues related on development of the OEIS are proper usage of optics, effective fusion of the optical and electronic technologies, methodologies for system construction, fabrication supporting tools, and development of attractive demonstrators other than communication and interconnection fields.

Let t and n be positive integers. We show that the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a balanced t-foil decomposition of the complete graph Kn is n 1 (mod 6t). Decomposition algorithms are also given.

Fiber-optic MEMS which is fabricated by combining direct photo-lithography of optical fiber and silicon micro-machining is proposed. Preliminary results of micro-machining of optical fiber and variable telecommunication devices are presented.

In this paper, genetic algorithms is employed to determine the shape of a conducting cylinder buried in a half-space. Assume that a conducting cylinder of unknown shape is buried in one half-space and scatters the field incident from another half-space where the scattered filed is measured. Based on the boundary condition and the measured scattered field, a set of nonlinear integral equations is derived and the imaging problem is reformulated into an optimization problem. The genetic algorithm is then employed to find out the nearly global extreme solution of the object function such that the shape of the conducting scatterer can be suitably reconstructed. In our study, even when the initial guess is far away from the exact one, the genetic algorithm can avoid the local extremes and converge to a reasonably good solution. In such cases, the gradient-based methods often get stuck in local extremes. Numerical results are presented and good reconstruction is obtained both with and without the additive Gaussian noise.

The VHF broadband radio interferometry operated from 25 MHz to 250 MHz has been developed for observing lightning discharge progression. The lightning images are derived by sensing the electromagnetic-waves which are radiated during the discharges. The perpendicular baseline geometry provides the angular locations (azimuth and elevation) of lightning radiation sources. The lightning observations have been conducted in the Hokuriku District in 1999. The station consisted of three broadband antennas and an electric field antenna as well as a GPS receiver. The system was able to reconstruct lightning discharge channels in two-spatial dimensions and in time sequence. As one of the observation results, an upward negative cloud-to-ground lightning flash will be presented.

The scatterometer is a real aperture radar capable to perform a set of normalized radar cross section measurements under different azimuth angles for each resolution cell. The main field of application of a wind scatterometer regards the sea surface wind field determination. As a matter of fact, once such measurements have been performed it is possible to determine the sea surface wind field by means of an inversion procedure. In this paper we present a novel inversion scheme which is an evolution of the procedure nowday used by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) under the Italian Processing and Archiving Facility (I-PAF). A full comparative study shows that the novel inversion scheme better behaves whenever light wind regimes are in question.