This paper proposes a fully self-timing data-bus (FSD) architecture which includes a dual data-bus driven by the read-out data itself and a complementary output differential (COD) amplifier. The proposed COD amplifier achieves a high voltage gain and a high speed data transfer with low power consumption. The read-out data is transmitted from the COD amplifier to the output terminal without the timing control caused by the fluctuation of the device parameters. Therefore the proposed FSD architecture eliminates the timing delay and achieves a timing-free data transfer even in DRAMs with a small signal level at the sense amplifier and the data line. Applying this architecture to a 64-Mb DRAM, a fast column address access time of 16 ns and a RAS access time of 32 ns have been achieved.

This paper presents the concept of k-FR circuits. The controllability of such a circuit is high due to its special structure. It is shown that all stuck-at faults and stuck-open faults in a k-FR circuit can be detected and located by k(k1)1 test vectors under the highly observable condition which assumes the output of every gate to be observable. k is usually two or three. This paper also presents an algorithm for converting an arbitrary combinational circuit into a k-FR circuit. A k-FR circuit is easy to test when using technologies such as the electron-beam probing, the current measurement, or the CrossCheck testability solution.

Synchronization of media streams is recognized as an important requirement not only in media retrieval such as a video on-demand service but also in groupware such as a remote conferencing system. In a remote conferencing system, synchronization is more complicated because Live Media Streams (LMS) such as the live raw voice of some participants must be taken into consideration as well as Retrieved Media Streams (RMS) such as media streams retrieved from video equipment. In this paper, we propose a mechanism to synchronize RMSs and LMSs in a remote conferencing system DMSIC (Distributed Multimedia System with Interactive Control) which has been implemented on UNIX workstations connected by Ethernet. In this mechanism, synchronization among RMSs (we call it R & R synchronization) is kept by maintaining the Current Presentation Positions (CPP) on Media Buffers (MB) close to the Ideal Presentation Position (IPP). Synchronization among RMSs and LMSs (we call it R & L synchronization) is kept by adjusting the IPPs among multiple nodes. We have implemented the synchronization mechanism in DMSIC to confirm the effectiveness of it.

This paper discussed a distributed processing architecture for a virtual space teleconferencing system. Virtual space teleconferencing is a promising application field for networked virtual environments. People in different places will be able to meet each other in a virtual teleconferencing room and proceed with various cooperative tasks. When such a system creates a realistic virtual environment, it can be referred to as a "Teleconferencing with realistic sensations" system. Further more, as the conference environment can be shared by a number of users, it is possible to perform various kinds of cooperative work using the system. In this paper, the architecture for networked multi-user virtual space systems are classified, and then a case study is described for building a proposed teleconferencing system. The system reproduces a 3D image of each conference participant in a virtual meeting room. Compared with the former system, the new system can deal with more than three participants at the same time and can connect them through commercial telephone lines. Based on the virtual world database management structure, the system was classified as a central server system. However, a central server architecture limits the number of conference sites. We confirmed that the system can serve up to 14 sites using multi-modal interaction without significant latency in operation from summational experiments. Then, introducing some assumptions to the results, we have proposed processing model of the system. The results of model could describe the experimental results and we could indicate roughy estimated system capacity to realize a requaied system performance.

Currently there is considerable world-wide speculation regarding the introduction of optical fiber cable into access networks, because optical fiber has a big potential for providing attractive multimedia services. Since optical fiber cable can provide a variety of grade of services, high-reliability of cable networks would be required compared with the conventional copper cable networks. To develop multimedia telecommunication networks as an infrastructure, it is urgent to clarify the highly reliable optical fiber cable network architecture. Since cable network architecture deeply depends on regional conditions such as demand, area size, duct layer networks (consisting of ducts, manholes, tunnels, feeder points etc.), it is necessary to develop a cable network designing tool with user-friendly interfaces for efficiently evaluating cable network architectures. This paper firstly proposes the heuristic algorithms enhanced by the disjoint-shortest-path and the depth-first-search methods that would be applicable for real access networks. Secondly, the design method of highly reliable optical fiber cable network based on the heuristic algorithms in terms of network cost and unavailability caused by cable breakdown is proposed. It can design the combination of star- and loop-shaped (where two diversified routes exist between a feeder point and central office) cable network. Furthermore, comparison with the conventional design method which simply applies star- or loop-shaped cable network is done in terms of economy and reliability on real access networks in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It is concluded that the proposed method can reduce the network cost further and realize a short unavailability value compared with the conventional method.

This paper presents a layered hierarchical switching-software technology, which is based on an object-oriented design approach, that improves software reusability and productivity. This technology enables a non-stop, service-enhanceable software environment (called NOSES), which satisfies customer demands for quick provisioning of new service features without interrupting service, and which improves software reliability. This technology was developed as part of our overall plan to establish a communications software platform that can be customized for use by various communications systems, such as STM, ATM, and IN. The developed non-stop service enhanceable software techniques are call-recovery restart, system file update, and on-line partial file modification; they were achieved by using dynamic program modification. A system file update inevitably affects calls in service, despite efforts to save in-service calls by copying the call data from the old file to the new one. We have therefore developed a different approach: on-line partial-file modification. Our prototype switching system has proven the effectiveness of this modification method and has shown that it can cover a limited range of service feature additions (which meets customer demands for quick service provisioning), as well as all bug fixes (which can lead to higher software reliability due to not using conventional machine code for software patching), without interrupting service. This paper describes on-line partial-file modification, which can be applied to communications systems that require resident program modification or initialization without program loading; that is, the program exists permanently in main memory. An evaluation of this approach also showed that the productivity of service-layer software increases about two times and that the total increase in systems development productivity is about 25%.

NAND-structured trench capacitor cell technologies for 256 Mb DRAM and beyond have been developed. The NAND-structured cell has four memory cells connected in series. The cell size can be reduced to 56% of the conventional cell. A substrate plate trench capacitor cell was adapted to this layout. The NAND-structured trench capacitor cell can achieve sufficient storage capacitance within the restricted capacitor area. A sufficient capacitance of 40 fF was achieved when the size and depth of trench were 0.5 µm and 5.0 µm, respectively. The most important point for realizing the NAND-structured trench capacitor cell is how to reduce the leakage current from the storage node. There are two main sources; one is the leakage current to the neighboring cells, the other is the leakage current to Pwell. These leakage currents have been investigated. An experimental 256 Mb DRAM with the NAND-structured cell was fabricated using the 0.4 µm design rule. The chip size is 464 mm2, which is 68% of a conventional DRAM of the same design rule. This is the result of the reduction of the memory cell area by the NAND-structured cell and the introduction of the open-bit-line arrangement.

The dynamics of an artificial neural network derived from a biological system, and its two applications to engineering problems are examined. The model has a multi-layer structure simulating the primary and secondary components in the olfactory system. The basic element in each layer is an oscillator which simulates the interactions between excitatory and inhibitory local neuron populations. Chaotic dynamics emerges from interactions within and between the layers, which are connected to each other by feedforward and feedback lines with distributed delays. A set of electroencephalogram (EEG) obtained from mammalian olfactory system yields aperiodic oscillation with 1/f characteristics in its FFT power spectrum. The EEG also reveals abrupt state transitions between a basal and an activated state. The activated state with each inhalation consists of a burst of oscillation at a common time-varying instantaneous frequency that is spatially amplitude-modulated (AM). The spatial pattern of the activated state seems to represent the class of the input ot the system, which simulates the input from sensory receptors. The KIII model of the olfactory system yields sustained aperiodic oscillation with "1/f" spectrum by adjustment of its parameters. Input in the form of a spatially distributed step funciton induces a state transition to an activated state. This property gives the model its utility in pattern classification. Four different methods (SD, RMS, PCA and FFT) were applied to extract AM patterns of the common output wave forms of the model. The pattern classification capability of the model was evaluated, and synchronization of the output wave form was shown to be crucial in PCA and FFT methods. This synchronization has also been suggested to have an important role in biological systems related to the information extraction by spatiotemporal integration of the output of a transmitting area of cortex by a receiving area.

The advance of mobile network and radio techniques has been rapidly expanding the service area for mobile terminals. Thus, mobile communications have been devoted to the improvement of terminal mobility (TM). Recently, the personal mobility (PM) concept appeared which gives a freedom to use personal telecommunication numbers at any terminal. Therefore, mobile network must next enable a user to access telecommunication services with his/her personal telecommunication number from any terminal at any geographic location. In other words, the mobile network must implement universal mobility (UM) that integrates TM and PM. This paper first provides a definition of UM. Next, it describes the identity and number configurations for UM and then presents network techniques for UM, i.e., the network architecture and UM management procedures. It also presents the current status of standardization on UM in the Personal Digital Cellular system (PDC) and Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunication Systems (FPLMTS).

A new concept for a navigation and communication satellite system has been proposed. The navigation satellite system that forms the basis of the proposed system has been studied by one of the authors and extended to add a mobile communication function to the system. The satellite system consists of 15 satellites in quasi-geostationary orbit (QGEO) that have a geostationary altitude and high inclination and provide global coverage and positioning capability to the observer through only reception of the range measurement signals generated at the satellites, which are in the same configuration as the satellites in Global Positioning System (GPS), Three satellites out of the 15 satellite are designated to install a subsystem for mobile satellite communication in order to satisfy mobile communication convenience as required in a Future Air Navigation System's (FANS) concept of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The case studies of 15-satellites constellations demonstrate not only an acceptable positioning accuracy over the whole globe, but also an accuracy distribution weighted on the north pole region as an example of a weighted accuracy distribution. The addition of a mobile communication function suggests a unified system of satellite navigation and communication, which might provide convenience for the civil aviation industry, because the two functions currently depend on different systems.

The applicability of Dynamic Channel Assignment methods to a Reuse Partitioning system in cellular radio systems is investigated in this paper. The investigations indicate that such a system has a tendency to increase the difference between blocking probability for the partitioning two coverage areas in comparison with the conventional Reuse Partitioning system employing Fixed Channel Assignment method. Two schemes using new Channel Rearrangement algorithms are also proposed in order to alleviate the difference as a disadvantage which gives unequal service to the system. The simulation results show that the proposed schemes are able to reduce the difference significantly while increasing the carried traffic by 10% as compared with the conventional system.

We compared--for the same propagation conditions and parameters--the performances of distributed dynamic channel assignment (DDCA) strategies and the performance of fixed channel assignment (FCA). This comparison quantitatively showed the effects of DDCA strategies in increasing spectrum efficiency. It also showed that using DDCA with transmitter power control (TPC) increases the system capacity to 3 4 times what it is with FCA and to 1.4 1.8 times what it is when using DDCA without TPC. We also evaluated the blocking rate and the interference probability for the inside of a cell and found that these are generally much higher close to the cell border than they are near the base station.

In the correspondence discrete Wigner higher order spectra (WHOS) of harmonizable random signals are addressed and their relations with polyspectra (HOS) are illustrated. It is shown, that discrete WHOS of a random stationary signal do not reduce to the aliased polyspectra in a similar way as Wigner distribution (WD) reduces to the power spectrum of a random signal. Wigner 2nd-order time-frequency distribution of deterministic signals and the 3rd-order spectrum of stationary signals are presented in their modified forms to be used to estimate time-varying third-order spectrum of discrete nonstationary random harmonizable processes.

A P-Fuzzy Switching Function is a meaningful class of fuzzy switching functions that is representable by a logic formula consisting of prime implicants. This paper aima at extracting knowledge represented as prime implicants from a given learning data. The main results are the necessary and sufficient conditions for the learning data to be representable with P-fuzzy switching functions, and to be determined by unique logic formula.

This paper describes analytical results of high-Tc superconducting asymmetric coplanar strip lines using the frequency-dependent finite-difference time-domain method. The propagation constants of the YBa2Cu3O7-x asymmetric coplanar strip line fabricated on the LiNbO3 substrate are reported. The effect of the SiO2 buffer layer is also investigated.

A test system with a fuzzy logic controller is proposed to assure stable outgoing quality as well as to raise throughput. The test system controls the number of items under test in accordance with fuzzy information as well as statistical information about incoming quality and outgoing quality. First, an algorithm, minimum-minimum-the center of gravity-weighted mean method, is studied with both fuzzy reasoning rules and membership functions which are used for the control. Second, characteristics of the test system are verified and examined with computer simulations so that the fuzzy logic control rules are determined to realize sufficient sensitivity to process changes. Third, the control rules are installed in the test management processor which commands test equipment for testing very large scale integrated circuits, with programming language C. The authors have obtained satisfactory results through a trial run using a series of lots of 16 bit micro controller units in an IC manufacturing factory. Finally, they study the stability condition of the fuzzy test system.

In this paper, we evaluate the performance of handoff schemes in microcellular personal communication systems (PCS) which cater to both pedestrian and vehicular users. Various performance parameters, including blocking of new calls,channel utilization, handoff blocking and call termination probabilities for each user type are evaluated. We study different queuing disciplines for handoff calls and their impact on system performance. We also study the tradeoff in handoff blocking and call termination probabilities between user types as the handoff traffic carried by the system from each user type is varied.

The word error probability of linear block codes is computed for diversity systems with maximal ratio combining in mobile communications with three decoding algorithms: error correction (EC), error/erasure correction (EEC), and maximum likelihood (ML) soft decoding algorithm. Ideal interleaving is assumed. EEC gives 0.1-1.5dB gain over EC. The gain of EEC over EC decreases as the number of diversity channels increases. ML soft gives 1.8-5.5dB gain over EC.

Current testing has been proposed as an alternative technique for testing fully CMOS digital LSIs. Current testing has higher fault coverage than conventional stuck-at fault (SAF) testing and is more economical because it detects a wide range of faults and requires fewer test vectors than does SAF testing. We have proposed a current testing that measures the integral of the power supply current (IDD) during one clock period including the switching current. Since this method cannot be affected by the switching current, it can be used to test an LSI operating at a relatively high clock freuqnecy. This paper presents an improved current testing method for CMOS digital and analog LSIs. The method uses two current values (i.e., an upper limit and a lower limit) and judges the circuit under test to be faulty if the measured IDD is outside these limits. The proposed current testing is evaluated here for some kinds of faults (e.g., the bridging fault and the breaking fault) in digital and mixed-signal LSIs, and its efficiency of the current testing using SPICE3.

This paper presents a general method for computing quantitative information about finite-state real-time systems. We have developed algorithms that compute exact bounds on the delay between two specified events and on the number of occurrences of an event in a given interval. This technique allows us to determine performance measures such as schedulability, response time, and system load. Our algorithms produce more detailed information than traditional methods. This information leads to a better understanding of system behavior, in addition to determining its correctness. The algorithms presented in this paper are efficiently implemented using binary decision diagrams and have been incorporated into the SMV symbolic model checker. Using this method, we have verified a model of an aircraft control system with 1015 states. The results obtained demonstrate that our method can be successfully applied in the verification of real-time system designs.