Since mobile communication systems using optical rays (optical mobile communication systems) do not radiate radio waves from the mobile terminals, they are expected to be used in environments containing sensitive electronic equipment. However, the placement and direction of the optical receivers must be suitably determined for mobile communication because light has high directivity. In optical mobile communication systems, the communication quality varies with the direction of the mobile terminal. Therefore, we examined the angle over which communication is possible at various measurement points and defined it as the communication angle. The mean opinion score (MOS) was obtained to assess the communication quality using the communication angle as a parameter. In this paper, the two situations, walking and sitting down, was considered the way optical mobile communication systems actually used. We found that for walking, when the communication angle was over 180 degrees, the MOS was over 3 and over 50% of users could communicate usefully. When used sitting down, the communication quality did not depend on the communication angle, but only on whether or not the user could communicate in the direction he/she was facing. Thus, if the communication angle in the service area is over 180 degrees, it is possible to communicate in practical situations, even while walking.

This paper proposes a fast target cell search algorithm used during intermittent reception in the idle mode of a mobile station (MS) for inter-cell asynchronous W-CDMA mobile radio. In the proposed scheme, since the base station (BS) informs a MS of the relative average received timing differences between the scrambling code of its BS and those of the surrounding BSs in addition to the scrambling codes, the MS only has to search over the restricted timing duration for the informed scrambling codes. Therefore, the target cell search (i.e., in which the number of candidate cells is limited) can be achieved as fast as in inter-cell synchronous systems. A computer simulation demonstrates that the target cell search time per one super frame (= 720 msec) at the cell detection probability of 95% is accomplished within 5.9 msec (this corresponds to the intermittent time ratio required for the target cell search to become 0.82%), when the transmit power ratios of the common pilot channel (CPICH) and common control physical channel (CCPCH) required for cell search to a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH) are 3 and 6 dB, respectively. In this simulation, the average power delay profile was generated by averaging the instantaneous ones (it was coherently accumulated pilot signal over a 512-chip duration (= 125 µsec) using 4 correlators) over a period of three super frames for 19 target cell-site candidates using the search window with a 10-chip duration (= 2.4 µsec).

In order to serve traffic hot spots, the hierarchical cellular systems or the hybrid TDMA/CDMA have been proposed, recently. In order to depress the multi-user interference and increase capacity, the forward link power control strategy is adopted in the macrocell/microcell hierarchical cellular system using code division multiple access (CDMA). Its effects are estimated in this paper. Especially, the impact of -th distance power control laws on the forward link outage probability and capacity plane for the hierarchical cellular system are investigated. The coverage area user capacity of the overlaid macrocell/microcell cellular system is obtained. The numerical results and discussions with previous published results are presented in detail.

In this work, distributed dynamic channel assignment strategies with violation to the reuse pattern using vehicular mobility information for highway microcellular environments are proposed. It is shown that, when vehicular mobility information is included in the acquisition channel policy, the outage probability degradation because of the use of channels with one violation to the reuse pattern is negligible. Also, it is shown that, using different moving direction strategies it is possible to control the tradeoff between capacity and quality of service. The local packing algorithm (LP), was modified to allow the use of two different moving direction strategies with violation to the reuse pattern, resulting the VDLP1 and VDLP2 algorithms. The characteristics of user mobility are considered and a free-flowing vehicular traffic is assumed. Simulation results show that the use of vehicular mobility information in the distributed dynamic channel algorithms with violation to the reuse pattern, produce a considerable increase in the system capacity at the expense of an insignificant degradation of the quality of service. For a grade of service (GOS) of 0.1, the VDLP1 and VDLP2 carry 4% and 1.5% more traffic than the maximum packing algorithm, respectively. For the same GOS, the VDLP1 and VDLP2 carry 68% and 64% more traffic than the fixed channel assignment algorithm, respectively.

We consider a wait-free linearizable implementation of shared objects on a distributed message-passing system. We assume that the system provides each process with a local clock that runs at the same speed as global time and that all message delays are in the range [d-u,d] where d and u (0< u d) are constants known to every process. We present four wait-free linearizable implementations of read/write registers on reliable and unreliable broadcast models. We also present two wait-free linearizable implementations of general objects on a reliable broadcast model. The efficiency of an implementation is measured by the worst-case response time for each operation of the implemented object. Response times of our wait-free implementations of read/write registers on a reliable broadcast model is better than a previously known implementation in which wait-freedom is not taken into account.

A generalized algorithm for designing an optimum VQ source codec in systems with channel coding is presented. Based on an AWGN channel model, the algorithm derives the distribution of the channel decoder soft-output and substitutes it in the expression for the system end-to-end distortion. The VQ encoder/decoder pair is then optimized by minimizing this end-to-end distortion. For a Gauss-Markov source, the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional SOVQ source coding scheme by 5.0 dB in the decoded source SNR. Application of this algorithm for designing optimum low-bit-rate speech codec is given. A 4.0 kbps VQ based CELP codec is designed for performance evaluations, where all the CELP parameter encoder/decoder pairs are optimized by minimizing their end-to-end distortions, respectively. As a result, the speech distortion over the noisy channel is minimized. Subjective tests show that the proposed algorithm improves the decoded speech quality by 2.5 MOS relative to a regular SOVQ CELP speech coding system. The performances of the algorithm under channel mismatch conditions are also shown and discussed.

This paper proposes a fast implementation technique for RLS adaptive filters. The technique has an adjustable parameter to trade the throughput and the rate of convergence of the filter according to the applications. The conventional methods for improving the throughput do not have this kind of adjustability so that the proposed technique will expand the area of applications for the RLS algorithm. We show that the improvement of the throughput can be easily achieved by rearranging the formula of the RLS algorithm and that there are no need for faster PEs for the improvement.

We gave in [1] the software and hardware algorithms for reconfiguring 1 1/2-track switch 2-D mesh arrays with faults of processing elements, avoiding them. This paper shows an implementation of the hardware algorithm using an FPGA device, and by the logical simulation confirms the correctness of the behavior and evaluates reconfiguration time. From the result it is found that a self-repairable system is realizable and the system is useful for the run-time as well as fabrication-time reconfiguration because it requires no host computer to execute the reconfiguration algorithm and the reconfiguration time is very short.

In this paper, we propose an effective SOI yield engineering methodology by practical usage of 2D simulations. Process design for systematic yield of Fully-Depleted SOI MOSFET requires specific consideration of floating-body effects and parasitic channel leakage currents. The influence of varied SOI layer thickness to such phenomena is also complicated and substantial. Instead of time-consuming 3D simulators, 2D simulators are used to optimize the process considering these effects in acceptable turn around time. Our methodology is more effective in future scaled-down process with decreased SOI layer thickness.

This work presents two novel algorithms to prevent rollback propagation for independent checkpointing: an efficient adaptive independent checkpointing algorithm and an optimized adaptive independent checkpointing algorithm. The last opportunity strategy that yields a better performance than the conservation strategy is also employed to prevent useless checkpoints for both causal rewinding paths and non-causal rewinding paths. The two methods proposed herein are domino effect-free and require only a limited amount of control information. They also take less unnecessary adaptive checkpoints than other algorithms. Furthermore, experimental results indicate that the checkpoint overhead of our techniques is lower than that of the coordinated checkpointing and domino effect-free algorithms for service-providing applications.

This paper proposes a moment based encoding algorithm for iterated function system (IFS) coding of non-homogeneous fractal images with unequal probabilities. Moment based encoding algorithms for IFS coding of non-homogeneous fractal images require a solution of simultaneous algebraic equations that are difficult to handle with numerical root-finding methods. The proposed algorithm employs a variable elimination method using Grobner bases with floating-point coefficients in order to derive a numerically solvable equation with a single unknown. The algorithm also employs a varying associated-probabilities method for the purpose of decreasing the computational complexity of calculating Grobner bases. Experimental results show that the average computation time for encoding a non-homogeneous fractal image of 256256 pixels and 256 gray levels is about 200 seconds on a PC with a 400 MHz AMD K6-III processor.

This paper newly proposes radio-over-fiber systems using cascaded radio-to-optic direct conversion (ROC) scheme. The ROC system can convert a radio signal into an optical signal with the same signal format. The received carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) performance of the radio-over-fiber systems using the ROC/heterodyne detection (HD) scheme and the ROC/self-heterodyne detection (SHD) scheme are theoretically analyzed. The optimization of an optical modulation index (OMI) in each radio base station (RBS) is also presented. By using the proposed OMI optimization method, the ROC/HD and the ROC/SHD schemes are shown to provide approximately 16 dB and 14 dB improvement over the intensity modulation/direct detection scheme when the number of RBS is 20 and the radio-frequency (RF) signal bandwidth is 150 MHz, respectively. The ROC/SHD scheme enables a receiver structure to become simple while still achieving high received CNR.

Credit-based electronic payment systems are considered to play important roles in future automated payment systems. Like most other types of payment systems, however, credit-based systems proposed so far generally involve computationally expensive cryptographic operations. Such a relatively heavy computational load is preventing credit-based systems from being used in applications which require very fast processing. A typical example is admission-fee payment at the toll gate of an expressway without stopping a vehicle that travels at a high speed. In this article, we propose a very fast credit-based electronic payment protocol for admission-fee payment. More specifically, we propose a payment system between a high-speed vehicle and a toll gate which uses only very simple and fast computations. The proposed system makes use of an optimized Key Pre-distribution System (or KPS) to obtain high resistance against collusion attacks.

In many fields such as city administration and facilities management, there are an increasing number of requests for a Geographic Information System (GIS) that provides users with automated mapping functions. A mechanism which displays 3D views of an urban scene is particularly required because it would allow the construction of an intuitive and understandable environment for managing objects in the scene. In this paper, we present a new urban modeling system utilizing both image-based and geometry-based approaches. Our method is based on a new concept in which a wide urban area can be displayed with natural photo-realistic images, and each object drawn in the view can be identified by pointing to it. First, to generate natural urban views from any viewpoint, we employ an image-based rendering method, Image Walkthrough, and modify it to handle aerial images. This method can interpolate and generate natural views by assembling several source photographs. Next, to identify each object in the scene, we recover its shape using computer vision techniques (a geometry-based approach). The rough shape of each building is reconstructed from various aerial images, and then its drawn position on the generated view is also determined. This means that it becomes possible to identify each building from an urban view. We have combined both of these approaches yielding a new style of urban information management. The users of the system can enjoy an intuitive understanding of the area and easily identify their target, by generating natural views from any viewpoint and suitably reconstructing the shapes of objects. We have made a prototype system of this new concept of GIS, which have shown the validity of our method.

Mobile computing networks make it possible to offer information access to mobile users. In order to transfer data over mobile networks efficiently, appropriate data transmission control methods for mobile terminals must be established. This paper focuses on spot communication systems to transmit data at high speeds between base stations and mobile terminals. It proposes a flexible and efficient data transmission method that is suitable for spot communication systems. The proposed method transfers subsets of the data to the base stations that are best sited relative to the mobile terminal. This helps to reduce the traffic load of the network significantly. Simulation results confirm the validity of the proposed method. Furthermore, the data receiving time of the mobile terminal, which is an important measure in evaluating the Quality of Service (QoS) for data transmission is analyzed. The result shows that the traffic load in the network is reduced significantly while the QoS is well maintained.

We consider the problem of placing resources in a distributed computing system so that certain performance requirements may be met while minimizing the number of resource copies needed. Resources include special I/O processors, expensive peripheral devices, or such software modules as compilers, library routines, and data files. Due to the delay in accessing each of these resources, system performance degrades as the distance between each processor and its nearest resource copy increases. Thus, every processor must be within a given distance k1 of at least one resource copy, which is called the k-bounded placement problem. The structure of a distributed computing system is represented by a graph. The k-bounded placement problem is first transformed into the problem of finding smallest k-dominating sets in a graph. Searching for smallest k-dominating sets is formulated as a state-space search problem. We derive heuristic information to speed up the search, which is then used to solve the problem with the well-known A* algorithm. An illustrative example and some experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the heuristic search.

The k-mutual exclusion problem is the problem of guaranteeing that no more than k computing nodes enter a critical section simultaneously. The use of a k-coterie, which is a special set of node groups, is known as a robust approach to this problem. In general, k-coteries are classified as either dominated or nondominated, and a mutual exclusion mechanism has maximal availability when it employs a nondominated k-coterie. In this paper, we propose two new schemes called VOT and D-VOT for constructing nondominated k-coteries. We conduct a comparative evaluation of the proposed schemes and well-known previous schemes. The results clearly show the superiority of the proposed schemes.

Since odor sensing system is required in many fields, we have developed the system using QCM (Quartz Crystal Microbalance) sensor array and neural-network pattern recognition. In the present study, the mixed sensing films of two kinds of liquid-phase materials were characterized. As a result, it was found that the variety of sensing films were obtained by mixing two kinds of liquid-phase materials. The relative remnant of sensing film after repeated exposures was examined, and mixed films of two kinds of liquid-phase materials were found stable for the sensing materials.

As a flexible way to accommodate a variety of services, a number of spreading bands are now considered in International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) systems and more than two (overlaid) bands can be operated simultaneously in CDMA systems. Capacity estimation in CDMA systems is an important issue in performance analysis and call admission control (CAC), which is closely related to power control. This study derives the reverse link capacity of signal-to-interference ratio (SIR)-based power-controlled overlaid multiband CDMA systems in single and multiple cell environments. The weighted-aggregated data rate is introduced as the link capacity, which can reflect different spreading bandwidths and different QoS requirements. Various combinations of 5, 10, and 20 MHz subsystems are compared to one another in view of the maximum weighted-aggregated data rate. The impact of pulse shaping on CAC and the effect of multiple traffic accommodation on link capacity are also investigated.

In this paper, we propose a combination system of point to multipoint (P-MP) time division multiple access (TDMA) broadband wireless access (BWA) system and indoor wireless local area network (WLAN). In order to realize a high speed wireless communication, a wide bandwidth is required for both access lines and local area networks. The proposed system shares the frequency between BWA and WLAN to achieve an efficient use of frequency resources. This is based on the idea that an uplink band of the P-MP TDMA BWA system will provide relatively small interference slots, which are not used by subscriber stations nearby. In other words, there are useful small interference slots for another system using same frequency according to its position. Then we use such small interference slots for WLAN. In addition, direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) can suppress such TDMA interference by spreading it over wide bandwidth. Therefore in the proposed system, DS-CDMA is used for WLAN in the same band with the BWA uplink. We also discuss WLAN packet error rate reduction techniques for this system. To confirm the availability of the proposed system, we evaluate the system performance by numerical analysis and computer simulation.