Related with accuracy, computational complexity and so on, quality of computing for the so-called homotopy method has been discussed recently. In this paper, we shall propose an estimation method with interval analysis of region in which unique solution path of the homotopy equation is guaranteed to exist, when it is applied to a certain class of uniquely solvable nonlinear equations. By the estimation, we can estimate the region a posteriori, and estimate a priori an upper bound of the region.

This paper describes methods of tracking of moving objects in a cluttered background by integrating optical flow, depth data, and/or uniform brightness regions. First, a basic method is introduced which extracts a region with uniform optical flow as the target region. Then an extended method is described in which optical flow and depth are fused. A target region is extracted by Baysian inference in term of optical flow, depth and the predicted target location. This method works only for textured objects because optical flow or depth are extracted for textured objects. In order to solve this problem, uniform regions in addition to the optical flow are used for tracking. Realtime human tracking is realized for real image sequences by using a real time processor with multiple DSPs.

Disk arrays are widely accepted as a disk subsystem for video servers due to its high throughput as well as high concurrency. RAID-like disk arrays are usually managed in either RAID level 3 (a request is handled by all the disks in the system) or RAID level 5 (a request is handled by some number of disks subject to the request size) when they are used in video servers, i. e. , either only one video stream is handled at a time in RAID level 3 or a certain number of video streams are handled independently at the same time in RAID level 5. Note that RAID level 3 is inappropriate to handle large number of video streams and RAID level 5 is inefficient to handle multiple video streams since handling continuous video streams is inherently synchronous operation. In this paper, we propose a new video data layout scheme called region-based layout and synchronous management of RAID5 called synchronous RAID5 for disk array used in video servers. It is shown that we can reduce the amount of buffers required to support a given number of video requests by integrating our region-based layout with synchronous RAID5 scheme. Group Sweeping Scheduling (GSS) is used as a basic disk scheduling. We have shown through analysis that our proposed scheme is superior to the existing schemes in the respect of the buffer requirements.

An important issue in accelerating the introduction of ATM networks is to offer more convenient access to the customer and a more efficient ATM system architecture. Regarding the first point, ATM network customers are currently inconvenienced by the need to declare traffic parameters, such as peak and average cell rates to the network provider before using the network. However, it is difficult for a customer to predict traffic parameters. This paper proposes a new ATM system with a dynamic bandwidth estimation and allocation scheme. This eliminates the need for traffic parameter declaration, and realizes more convenient ATM service. The proposed ATM system is a ring network. Bandwidth estimation is carried out by the "Network Server" located on the ring network. The estimation is achieved by observing the parameters closely related to media access control (MAC) protocols of LAN/MAN systems. Based on an estimation of customer traffic, the "Network Server" effectively allocates the bandwidth to each customer. This realizes a more efficient ATM network.

A new radar system is presented, which consists of one main radar and cooperative plural transponders. The transponders are integrated in the respective retrodirective antennas which are arranged beyond the horizon in such a manner as they surround the main radar. An algorithm for determining the three-dimensional target position is given. Computer simulations have been made for different target positions by assuming measurement errors. A target whose monostatic radar cross section is small or has been specially reduced by absorbing materials could be detected by this system if it is properly constructed.

Geometric region method is one of the techniques to handle real-time systems which have potentially infinite state spaces. However, the original geometric region method gives incorrect results for the CTL model checking of time Petri nets. In this paper, we discuss the sufficient condition for the geometric region graphs to be correct with respect to the CTL model checking of time Petri nets, and then propose a technique to partition given geometric regions so that the graphs satisfy the sufficient condition. Finally, we implement the proposed algorithm, and compare it with the other methods by using small examples.

The semiconductor lasers operating with self-sustained pulsation are under developing to be lasers which are less disturbed by the optical feedback from a surface of optical disk. Structures setting saturable absorbing regions utilizing the multi-layer configuration become popularly used for giving stronger pulsation. However, the quantum (intensity) noise in these lasers tends to be enhanced. The ridge stripe structure, of which almost self-sustained pulsation lasers consist, seems to give a leak current flowing along plane of the cladding region. Such leak current also increases the quantum noise. In this paper, theoretical calculations of operating characteristics, such as the self-sustained pulsation, the optical output, the quantum noise as well as the transverse filed profile, are theoretically analyzed by including the above mentioned several phenomena.

We consider statistical multiplexing for various types of input data with different statistics in an integrated multimedia system such as ATM networks. The system is assumed to have a constant service rate and a finite buffer. The bit-rate of each data input is variable and is modeled by a fractional Brownian motion process. Under a criterion of quality of service, we obtain an acceptable region of statistical multiplexing. We introduce a new method of investigating the acceptable region of a statistical multiplexer. The results show that transmitting multitype input processes will increase the multiplexing gain.

This paper presents a new scheme to estimate depth in a natural three-dimensional scene using a multi-viewpoint image set. In the conventional Multiple-Baseline Stereo (MBS) scheme for the image set, although errors of stereo matching are somewhat reduced by using multiple stereo pairs, the use of square blocks of fixed size sometimes causes false matching, especially, in that image area where occlusion occurs and that image area of small variance of brightness levels. In the proposed scheme, the reference image is segmented into regions which are capable of being arbitrarily shaped, and a depth value is estimated for each region. Also, by comparing the image generated by projection with the original image, depth values are newly estimated in a top-down manner. Then, the error of the previous depth value is detected, and it is corrected. The results of experiments show advantages of the proposed scheme over the MBS scheme.

In the circumstances we want to deal with, transmission channel is limited and global motion can happen by camera movement, and also there exists a region-of-interest (ROI) which is more important than background. So very low bit rate coding algorithm is required and processing of global motion must be considered. Also ROI must be reconstructed with required quality after decoding because of its importance. But the existing methods such as H. 261, H. 263 are not suitable for such situations because they do not compensate global motion, which needs large amount of transmission bits in motion information and degrades image quality. And also they can not reconstruct ROI's with high quality because they do not consider the fact that ROI's are more important than background. So a new coding scheme is proposed that describes a method for encoding image sequences distinguishing bits between ROI and background. Simulations show that the suggested algorithm performs well especially in the circumstances where background changes and the area of ROI is small enough compared with that of background.

A model for estimating the bending loss of 1.3 µm zero-dispersion single-mode fibers at 1.58 µm from the value at 1.55 µm is investigated experimentally and theoretically. An approximated equation for estimating the bending loss ratio of 1.58 µm to 1.55 µm is proposed, which provides good agreement with the experimental results.

The segmentation of images into regions that have some common properties is a fundamental problem in low level computer vision. In this paper, the region growing method to segmentation is studied. In the study, a coarse to fine processing strategy is adopted to identify the homogeneity of the subregion of an image. The pixels in the image are checked by a nested triple-layer neighborhood system based hypothesis test. The pixels can then be classified into single pixels or grain pixels with different size and coarseness. Instead of using the global threshold to the region growing, local thresholds are determined adaptively for each pixel in the image. The strength of the proposed method lies in the fact that the thresholds are computed automatically. Experiments for synthetic and natural images show the efficiency of our method.

SOI (Silicon On Insulator) transistors have certain problems due to the floating body. These problems become remarkable in the memory cell transistors of DRAMs. We propose a new refresh function and circuits for SOI DRAMs. And we obtained the result that this refresh function removed the injected hole from the body region and gave stable body potential by the device simulation. Therefore we can realize the long data retention characteristics for SOI DRAMs without an increase of the memory cell area or an additional refresh operation.

In DCT transform coding it is usually necessary to discard some of the ac coefficients obtained after the transform operation for data compression reasons. Although most of the energy is usually compacted in the few coefficients that are transmitted, there are many instances where the discarded coefficients contain significant information. The absence of these coefficients at the decoder can lead to visible degradation of the reconstructed image especially around slow moving objects. We propose a simple but effective method which uses an indirect form of vector quantization to supplement scalar quantization in the transform domain. The distribution pattern of coefficients that fall below a fixed threshold is vector quantized and an index of the pattern chosen from a codebook is transmitted together with two averages; one for the positive coefficients and the other for negative coefficients. In the reconstruction, the average values are used instead of setting the corresponding coefficients to zero. This is tantamount to quantizing the mid range frequency coefficients with 1 bit but the resulting bit-rate is much less. We aim to propose an alternative to using traditional vector quantization which entails computational complexities and large time and memory requirements.

This paper presents an overview of research activities in Japan in the field of very low bit-rate video coding. Related research based on the concept of "intelligent image coding" started in the mid-1980's. Although this concept originated from the consideration of a new type of image coding, it can also be applied to other interesting applications such as human interface and psychology. On the other hand, since the beginning of the 1990's, research on the improvement of waveform coding has been actively performed to realize very low bit-rate video coding. Key techniques employed here are improvement of motion compensation and adoption of region segmentation. In addition to the above, we propose new concepts of image coding, which have the potential to open up new aspects of image coding, e.g., ideas of interactive image coding, integrated 3-D visual communication and coding of multimedia information considering mutual relationship amongst various media.

A blind equalization algorithm which makes use of the Stop" region of the Stop-and-Go algorithm is proposed. By adaptively updating the tap weights at the Stop region as well, it is intended to improve the convergence property of the Stop-and-Go algorthm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with the conventional Stop-and-Go algorithm using various communication channels. Simulation results indicate the improvement of the convergence speed while maintaining or possibly lowering the residual error.

In this paper, a new algorithm for selection of candidates for handwritten character recognition is presented. Since we adopt the concept of the marginal radius to examine the confidence of candidates, the evaluation function is required to describe the pattern distribution correctly. For this reason, we propose Simplified Mahalanobis distance and observe its behavior by simulation. In the proposed algorithm, first, for each character, two types of feature regions (multi-dimensional one and one-dimensional one) are estimated from training samples statistically. Then, by referring to the feature regions, candidates are selected and verified. Using two types of feature regions is a principal characteristic of our method. If parameters are estimated accurately, the multi-dimensional feature region is extremely effective for character recognition. But generally, estimation errors in parameters occur, especially with a small number of sample patterns. Although the recognition ability of one-dimensional feature region is not so high, it can express the distribution comparatively precisely in one-dimensional space. By combining these feature regions, they will work concurrently to overcome the defects of each other. The effectiveness of the method is shown with the results of experiments.

This letter describes the collector-short technique for improving the blocking capability of the lateral IGBT (LIGBT) on the SOI film. The concept of our proposed techniques is to prevent the injection of the minority carrier from the collector region to the high electric field area. This can be done by replacing the p+-collector layer at the sharp corner of the collector region, where the potential distribution in the device is subject to the diffusion curvature effect of the n-buffer layer, with the n+-collector-short layer. By only introducing the collector-short region to the sharp corner of the collector region, an increase of about 40 V in the breakdown voltage over the LIGBT without the collector-short region can be achieved.

This paper proposes a robust method for detecting step and ramp edges. In this method, an edge is defined not as a point where there is a large change in intensity, but as a region boundary based on the separability of image features which can be calculated by linear discriminant analysis. Based on this definition of an edge, its intensity can be obtained from the separability, which depends only on the shape of an edge. This characteristic enables easy selection of the optimum threshold value for the extraction of an edge, and this method can be applied to color and texture edge extraction. Experimental results have demonstrated that this proposed method is robust to noise and dulled edges, and, in addition, allows easy selection of the optimum threshold value.

A new motion field segmentation algorithm under the 8-parameters motion model is presented which uses a multipass iterative region-refining techinique. The iterative region-refining module consists of a seed block detection and subsequent region-refining iterations. An initial estimate of an object motion is provided in the seed block detection process. This initial estimate is iteratively updated and approaches to a reliable mapping parameter set in region-refining process. A multipass composition of the module makes it possible to detect multiple motions in a scene. Our simulation results confirm that the proposed method successfully partitions an image into independently moving objects with allowable computation time.