Adaptive mode decision for H.264 encoder

An adaptive mode decision algorithm is presented, with rate-distortion optimisation that reduces the complexity of the H.264 encoder without loss of image quality and compression ratio. The proposed algorithm uses the property of an all-zero coefficients block that is produced by quantisation and coefficient thresholding to effectively skip unnecessary modes. Experimental results show that the speed of the adaptive mode decision algorithm is two times faster than the full-mode decision algorithm of the JM72 reference encoder, without any coding loss.     

Calculation and measurement of resonant-mode blueshifts inoxide-apertured VCSELs

As the aperture size of oxide-apertured vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) shrinks, the lasing wavelength blueshifts. We have calculated this effect using both a scalar effective index model and a full-vector weighted index model. Results were compared against experimental data for two different VCSEL designs emitting near 780 and 850 nm. We find that the full-vector weighted index calculation matches the data remarkably well, while the scalar effective index calculation underestimates the blueshift     

Current IMT-2000 R&D status and views in Korea

In this article Korean development of IMT-2000 is considered. It includes the second-generation digital mobile communications, R&D and standardization activities related to IMT-2000, and the authors' perspectives on IMT-2000 in Korea. In Korea, there are many activities for development of IMT-2000 radio transmission technologies, and the results of these activities will be the submission of technologies to the ITU. However, the Korean telecommunications standardization body (TTA) will make every effort to make a common global standard for IMT-2000. Therefore, the TTA will make a domestic standard for IMT-2000 after the ITU finalizes the related Recommendations. It seems to the authors that difficulties in harmonization in the TTA are very similar to difficulties in harmonization worldwide. The only way of reaching the harmonization of IMT-2000 in Korea is that the key players should have the view from the end users' seat     

1.04 GBd low EMI digital video interface system using small swingserial link technique

In a high-resolution flat panel system, a conventional interface that directly connects a liquid crystal display (LCD) controller to a flat panel cannot overcome the problems of excess EMI (electromagnetic interference) and power caused by full-swing transmission signals in parallel lines. This paper presents a high-speed digital video interface system implemented with a low-cost standard CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology that can mitigate EMI and power problems in high-resolution flat panel display systems. The combined architecture of the high-speed, small number of parallel lines and low-voltage swing serial interface can support resolutions from VGA (640×480 pixels) up to XGA (1024×768 pixels) with significant power improvement and drastic EMI reduction. To support high-speed, low-voltage swing signaling and overcome channel-to-channel skew problems, a robust data recovery system is required. The proposed digital phase-locked loop enables robust skew-insensitive data recovery of up to 1.04 GBd     

A 200-MHz complex number multiplier using redundant binaryarithmetic

Modern digital communication systems rely heavily on baseband signal processing for in-phase and quadrature (I-Q) channels, and complex number processing in low-voltage CMOS has become a necessity for channel equalization, timing recovery, modulation, and demodulation. In this work, redundant binary (RB) arithmetic is applied to complex number multiplication for the first time so that an N-bit parallel complex number multiplier can be reduced to two RE multiplications (i.e., an addition of N RB partial products) corresponding to real and imaginary parts, respectively. This efficient RE encoding scheme proposed can generate RB partial products with no additional hardware and delay overheads. A prototype 8-bit complex number multiplier containing 11.5 K transistors is integrated on 1.05×1.33 mm² using 0.8 μm CMOS. The chip consumes 90 mW with 2.5 V supply when clocked at 200 MHz     

Throughput improvement scheme in multi-code CDMA

In multi-code CDMA, there is no self-interference among the sub-codes of a single user. By taking advantage of this property, the authors propose a new scheduling scheme to improve throughput, and derive the system throughputs of two cases with the proposed scheme applied and not applied. Analysis results show that the proposed scheme considerably improves the system throughput     

Integrated optical high-voltage sensor based on a polymeric Y-branch digital optical switch

An integrated optical high-voltage sensor is realized by fabricating a Y-branch digital optical switch in an electrooptic polymer. The measurement of ac high voltage is accomplished by using the linear transfer characteristics of the switch at zero bias voltage. Furthermore, the logarithmic ratio between the optical powers of two output ports may be used to remove the noise caused by the power fluctuations of a light source. The polymeric high-voltage sensor requires no electrical dc biases and no voltage dividers. It is also wavelength insensitive and fabrication-tolerant due to its use of mode evolution effects instead of interference. The measured sensing voltage range is as large as ac 500-V peak-to-peak.     

Enhancement of the photoelectric performance of dye-sensitized solar cells by using a CaCO3-coated TiO2 nanoparticle film as an electrode

Core-shell-type nanoparticles with TiO₂ cores and CaCO₃ shells were applied as the electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. The performance of the cell was significantly improved (as high as 26.7%) compared to the case when un-coated TiO₂ particle film was used as electrode. The improved energy conversion efficiency has been ascribed to (i) enhanced dye adsorption due to the high isoelectric point of the overlayer, and (ii) the prevention of the back electron transfer by the insulating nature of the overlayer.     

Power generation characteristics of a sandwich‐type self‐heating thermoelectric generator with spatially varying embedded heat source

Power generation characteristics of a sandwich‐type thermoelectric generator in which the heat source is embedded into thermoelectric elements are investigated. Our previous work on a similar concept only considered a uniform heat source distribution inside thermoelectric elements. In this work, the effect of the spatial distribution of a heat source is examined. In particular, the effect of the concentration of heat source near the one end, that is, the hot end, is intensively studied as a potential means of improving the efficiency of the device. Although the effects of heat source concentration in impractical cases without heat transfer limitations on the cold side remain ambiguous, it become clear that heat source concentration indeed has positive effects in more realistic cases with finite heat transfer coefficients imposed on the cold side. Because of the relatively low efficiency of typical thermoelectric generation, a significant amount of heat must be dissipated from the cold end of the thermoelectric element. Greater heat source concentration near the hot end leads to more effective utilization of available heat source, reduces the amount of heat rejected at the cold end, and lowers the hot end temperature of the thermoelectric element. Overall, it is suggested that heat source concentration can be used as a method to achieve more efficient operation and better structural integrity of the system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Capacity of large hybrid erasure networks with random node distribution

The Gupta–Kumar’s nearest-neighbor multihop routing with/without infrastructure support achieves the optimal capacity scaling in a large erasure network in which n wireless nodes and m relay stations are regularly placed. In this paper, a capacity scaling law is completely characterized for an infrastructure-supported erasure network where n wireless nodes are randomly distributed, which is a more feasible scenario. We use two fundamental path-loss attenuation models (i.e., exponential and polynomial power-laws) to suitably model an erasure probability. To show our achievability result, the multihop routing via percolation highway is used and the corresponding lower bounds on the total capacity scaling are derived. Cut-set upper bounds on the capacity scaling are also derived. Our result indicates that, under the random erasure network model with infrastructure support, the achievable scheme based on the percolation highway routing is order-optimal within a polylogarithmic factor of n for all values of m.