To meet the increasing demand for high-speed communication in VLSI (very large-scale integration) systems, next-generation high-speed data transmission standards (e.g., IEEE 802.3bs and PCIe 6.0) will adopt four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) for data coding. Although PAM-4 is spectrally efficient to mitigate inter-symbol interference caused by bandwidth-limited wired channels, it is more sensitive than conventional non-return-to-zero line coding. To evaluate the received signal quality when using adaptive coefficient settings for a PAM-4 equalizer during data transmission, we propose an eye-opening monitor technique based on machine learning. The proposed technique uses a Gaussian mixture model to classify the received PAM-4 symbols. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of adaptive equalization for PAM-4 coding.

Recent trends in designing filters involve development of sparse filters with coefficients that not only have real but also zero values. These sparse filters can achieve a high performance through optimizing the selection of the zero coefficients and computing the real (non-zero) coefficients. Designing an infinite impulse response (IIR) sparse filter is more challenging than designing a finite impulse response (FIR) sparse filter. Therefore, studies on the design of IIR sparse filters have been rare. In this study, we consider IIR filters whose coefficients involve zero value, called sparse IIR filter. First, we formulate the design problem as a linear programing problem without imposing any stability condition. Subsequently, we reformulate the design problem by altering the error function and prepare several possible denominator polynomials with stable poles. Finally, by incorporating these methods into successive thinning algorithms, we develop a new design algorithm for the filters. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, its performance is compared with that of other existing methods.

In wireless links between ground stations and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), wireless signals may be attenuated by obstructions such as buildings. A three-dimensional RSS (Received Signal Strength) map (3D-RSS map), which represents a set of RSSs at various reception points in a three-dimensional area, is a promising geographical database that can be used to design reliable ground-to-air wireless links. The construction of a 3D-RSS map requires higher computational complexity, especially for a large 3D area. In order to sequentially estimate a 3D-RSS map from partial observations of RSS values in the 3D area, we propose a graph Laplacian-based sequential smooth estimator. In the proposed estimator, the 3D area is divided into voxels, and a UAV observes the RSS values at the voxels along a predetermined path. By considering the voxels as vertices in an undirected graph, a measurement graph is dynamically constructed using vertices from which recent observations were obtained and their neighboring vertices, and the 3D-RSS map is sequentially estimated by performing graph Laplacian regularized least square estimation.

A new threshold circuit technique is proposed for a vibration sensing circuit that operates at a nanowatt power level. The sensing circuits that use sample-and-hold require a clock signal, and they consume power to generate a signal. In the use of a Schmitt trigger circuit that does not use a clock signal, a sink current flows when thresholding the analog signal output. The requirements for millimeter-sized wireless sensor nodes are an average power on the order of a nanowatt and a signal transition time of less than 1 ms. To meet these requirements, our circuit limits the sink current with a nanoampere-level current source. The chattering caused by current limiting is suppressed by feeding back the change in output voltage to the limiting current. The increase in the signal transition time that is caused by current limiting is reduced by accelerating the discharge of the load capacitance. For a test chip fabricated in the 0.35-µm CMOS process, the proposed threshold circuits operate without chattering and the average powers are 0.7-3 nW. The signal transition times are estimated in a circuit simulation to be 65-97 µs. The proposed circuit has 1/150th the power-delay product with no time interval of the sensing operation under the condition that the time interval is 1s. These results indicate that, the proposed threshold circuits are suitable for vibration sensing in millimeter-sized wireless sensor nodes.

We propose online feedback path modeling with a pre-inverse type active noise control (PIANC) system to track the fluctuation stably in the feedback path. The conventional active noise control (ANC) system with online feedback path modeling (FBPM) filter bases filtered-x least mean square (FxLMS) algorithm. In the FxLMS algorithm, the error of FBPM influences a control filter, which generates an anti-noise, and secondary path modeling (SPM) filter. The control filter diverges when the error is too large. Therefore, it is difficult for the FxLMS algorithm to track the feedback path without divergence. On the other hand, the proposed approach converges stably because the FBPM filter's error does not influence a control filter on the PIANC system. Thus, the proposed method can reduce noise while tracking the feedback path. This paper verified the effectiveness of the proposed method by convergence analysis, computer simulation, and implementation of a digital signal processor.

A novel direction of arrival (DOA) estimation method for the coherent signal is presented in this paper. The proposed method applies the eigenvector associated with max eigenvalue, which contains the DOAs of all signals, to form a Toeplitz matrix, yielding an unconstrained optimization problem. Then, the DOA is obtained by peak searching of the pseudo power spectrum without the knowledge of signal number. It is illustrated that the method has a great performance and low computation complexity for the coherent signal. Simulation results verify the usefulness of the method.

Network service providers need to appropriately design systems and carefully configuring the settings and parameters to ensure that the systems keep running consistently and deliver the desired services. This can be a heavy and error-prone task. Intent-based system design methods have been developed to help with such tasks. These methods receive service-level requirements and generate service configurations to fulfill the given requirements. One such method is search-based system design, which can flexibly generate systems of various architectures. However, it has difficulty dealing with constraints on the quantitative parameters of systems, e.g., disk volume, RAM size, and QoS. To deal with practical cases, intent-based system design engines need to be able to handle quantitative parameters and constraints. In this work, we propose a new intent-based system design method based on search-based design that augments search states with quantitative constraints. Our method can generate a system that meets both functional and quantitative service requirements by combining a search-based design method with constraint checking. Experimental results show that our method can automatically generate a system that fulfills all given requirements within a reasonable computation time.

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are often designed on IEEE 802.11 standards and are being widely studied due to their adaptability in practical network scenarios, where the overall performance has been improved by the use of the Multi-Radio and Multi-Channel (MRMC) configuration. However, because of the limitation on the number of available orthogonal channels and radios on each router, the network still suffers from low throughput due to packet collisions. Many studies have demonstrated that the optimized channel assignment to radio interfaces so as to avoid interference among wireless links is an effective solution. However, no existing channel assignment scheme can achieve hidden-terminal-free transmission and thus avoid communication performance degradation given the limited number of orthogonal channels. In this paper, we propose a new static channel assignment scheme CASCA (CSMA-aware Static Channel Assignment) based on a Partial MAX-SAT formulation of the channel assignment problem that incorporates a CSMA-aware interference model. The evaluation results show that CASCA achieves hidden-terminal-freedom in both grid and random topology networks with 3-4 orthogonal channels with preservation of network connectivity. In addition, the network simulation results show that CASCA presents good communication performance with low MAC-layer collision rate.

Advanced information-processing services such as computer vision require a high-performance digital circuit to perform high-load processing at high speed. To achieve high-speed processing, several image-processing applications use an approximate computing technique to reduce idle time of the circuit. However, it is difficult to design the high-speed image-processing circuit while controlling the error rate so as not to degrade service quality, and this technique is used for only a few applications. In this paper, we propose a method that achieves high-speed processing effectively in which processing time for each task is changed by roughly detecting its completion. Using this method, a high-speed processing circuit with a low error rate can be designed. The error rate is controllable, and a circuit design method to minimize the error rate is also presented in this paper. To confirm the effectiveness of our proposal, a ripple-carry adder (RCA), 2-dimensional discrete cosine transform (2D-DCT) circuit, and histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) feature calculation circuit are evaluated. Effective clock periods of these circuits obtained by our method with around 1% error rate are improved about 64%, 6%, and 12%, respectively, compared with circuits without error. Furthermore, the impact of the miscalculation on a video monitoring service using an object detection application is investigated. As a result, more than 99% of detection points required to be obtained are detected, and it is confirmed the miscalculation hardly degrades the service quality.

Based on TLS-ESPRIT algorithm, this paper proposes a weighted spatial smoothing DOA estimation algorithm to address the problem that the conventional TLS-ESPRIT algorithm will be disabled to estimate the direction of arrival (DOA) in the scenario of coherent sources. The proposed method divides the received signal array into several subarrays with special structural feature. Then, utilizing these subarrays, this paper constructs the new weighted covariance matrix to estimate the DOA based on TLS-ESPRIT. The auto-correlation and cross-correlation information of subarrays in the proposed algorithm is extracted sufficiently, improving the orthogonality between the signal subspace and the noise subspace so that the DOA of coherent sources could be estimated accurately. The simulations show that the proposed algorithm is superior to the conventional spatial smoothing algorithms under different signal to noise ratio (SNR) and snapshot numbers with coherent sources.

SPHINCS+ is a state-of-the-art post-quantum hash-based signature that is a candidate for the NIST post-quantum cryptography standard. For a target bit security, SPHINCS+ supports many different tradeoffs between the signature size and the signing speed. SPHINCS+ provides 6 parameter sets: 3 parameter sets for size optimization and 3 parameter sets for speed optimization. We propose new parameter sets with better performance. Specifically, SPHINCS+ implementations with our parameter sets are up to 26.5% faster with slightly shorter signature sizes.

In a network topology design problem, it is important to analyze the reliability and construction cost of complex network systems. This paper addresses a topological optimization problem of minimizing the total cost of a network system with separate subsystems under a reliability constraint. To solve this problem, we develop three algorithms. The first algorithm finds an exact solution. The second one finds an exact solution, specialized for a system with identical subsystems. The third one is a heuristic algorithm, which finds an approximate solution when a network system has several identical subsystems. We also conduct numerical experiments and demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of the developed algorithms.

Coherent transceivers are now regarded as promising candidates for upgrading the current 400Gigabit Ethernet (400GbE) transceivers to 800G. However, due to the complicated structure of a dual-polarization IQ modulator (DP-IQM) with its bulky polarization-beam splitter/comber (PBS/PBC), the increase in the transmitter size and cost is inevitable. In this paper, we propose a compact PBS/PBC-free transmitter structure with a straight-line configuration. By using the concept of polarization differential modulation, the proposed transmitter is capable of generating a DP phase-shift-keyed (DP-PSK) signal, which makes it directly applicable to the current coherent systems. A detailed analysis of the system performance reveals that the imperfect equalization and the bandwidth limitation at the receiver are the dominant penalty factors. Although such a penalty is usually unacceptable in long-haul applications, the proposed transmitter can be attractive due to its significant simplicity and compactness for short-reach applications, where the cost and the footprint are the primary concerns.

In recent years, checking sleep quality has become essential from a healthcare perspective. In this paper, we propose a respiratory rate (RR) monitoring system that can be used in the bedroom without wearing any sensor devices directly. To develop the system, passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are introduced and attached to a blanket, instead of attaching them to the human body. The received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and phase values of the passive RFID tags are continuously obtained using an RFID reader through antennas located at the bedside. The RSSI and phase values change depending on the respiration of the person wearing the blanket. Thus, we can estimate the RR using these values. After providing an overview of the proposed system, the RR estimation flow is explained in detail. The processing flow includes noise elimination and irregular breathing period estimation methods. The evaluation demonstrates that the proposed system can estimate the RR and respiratory status without considering the user's body posture, body type, gender, or change in the RR.

In order to improve tracking, interference and multipath mitigation performance from that possible with existing signals, a new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal is needed that can offer additional degrees of freedom for shaping its pulse waveform and spectrum. In this paper, a new modulation scheme called Quinary Offset Carrier modulation (QOC) is proposed as a new GNSS signal design. The pulse waveforms of QOC modulation are divided into two types: convex and concave waveforms. QOC modulations can be easily constructed by selecting different modulation parameters. The spectra and autocorrelation characteristics of QOC modulations are investigated and discussed. Simulations and analyses show that QOC modulation can achieve similar performance to traditional BOC modulation in terms of code tracking, anti-multipath, and compatibility. QOC modulation can provide a new option for satellite navigation signal design.

Scalable networking for scientific research data transfer is a vital factor in the progress of data-intensive research, such as collaborative research on observation of black hole. In this paper, investigations of the nature of practical research traffic allow us to introduce optical flow switching (OFS) and contents delivery network (CDN) technologies into a wide area network (WAN) to realize highly scalable networking. To measure the scalability of networks, energy consumption in the WAN is evaluated by considering the practical networking equipment as well as reasonable assumptions on scientific research data transfer networks. In this study, we explore the energy consumption performance of diverse Japan and US topologies and reveal that the energy consumption of a routing and wavelength assignment algorithm in an OFS scheduler becomes the major hurdle when the number of nodes is high, for example, as high as that of the United States of America layer 1 topology. To provide computational scalability of a network dimensioning algorithm for the CDN based WAN, a simple heuristic algorithm for a surrogate location problem is proposed and compared with an optimal algorithm. This paper provides intuitions and design rules for highly scalable research data transfer networks, and thus, it can accelerate technology advancements against the encountering big-science problems.

We experimentally evaluate the performance of a noncontact system that measures the heartbeat of a sleeping person. The proposed system comprises a pair of radar systems installed at two different positions. We use millimeter-wave ultra-wideband multiple-input multiple-output array radar systems and evaluate the performance attained in measuring the heart inter-beat interval and body movement. The importance of using two radar systems instead of one is demonstrated in this paper. We conduct three types of experiments; the first and second experiments are radar measurements of three participants lying on a bed with and without body movement, while the third experiment is the radar measurement of a participant actually sleeping overnight. The experiments demonstrate that the performance of the radar-based vital measurement strongly depends on the orientation of the person under test. They also show that the proposed system detects 70% of rolling-over movements made overnight.

This paper presents a method to optimize 2-D sparse array configurations along with a technique to interpolate holes to accurately estimate the direction of arrival (DOA). Conventional 2-D sparse arrays are often defined using a closed-form representation and have the property that they can create hole-free difference co-arrays that can estimate DOAs of incident signals that outnumber the physical elements. However, this property restricts the array configuration to a limited structure and results in a significant mutual coupling effect between consecutive sensors. In this paper, we introduce an optimization-based method for designing 2-D sparse arrays that enhances flexibility of array configuration as well as DOA estimation accuracy. We also propose a method to interpolate holes in 2-D co-arrays by nuclear norm minimization (NNM) that permits holes and to extend array aperture to further enhance DOA estimation accuracy. The performance of the proposed optimum arrays is evaluated through numerical examples.

Z-complementary pairs (ZCPs) were proposed by Fan et al. to make up for the scarcity of Golay complementary pairs. A ZCP of odd length N is called Z-optimal if its zero correlation zone width can achieve the maximum value (N + 1)/2. In this letter, inserting three elements to a GCP of length L, or deleting a point of a GCP of length L, we propose two constructions of Z-optimal ZCPs with length L + 3 and L - 1, where L=2α 10β 26γ, α ≥ 1, β ≥ 0, γ ≥ 0 are integers. The proposed constructions generate ZCPs with new lengths which cannot be produced by earlier ones.

After a natural disaster it is critical to urgently find victims buried under collapsed buildings. Most people habitually carry smartphones with them. Smartphones have a feature that periodically transmits Wi-Fi signals called “Probe Requests” to connect with access points. Moreover, smartphones transmit “Clear to Send” when they receive a “Request to Send” alert. This motivated us to develop a hand-held smartphone finder system that integrates a novel method for accurately locating a smartphone using the Wi-Fi signals, to support rescue workers. The system has a unique graphical user interface that tracks target smartphones. Thus, rescue workers can easily reach victims who have their smartphones with them under collapsed buildings. In this paper, after introducing the localization method, the system architecture of the smartphone finder and its prototype system are described, along with some experimental results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the smartphone finder prototype.