Abstract: A process for making a component by depositing a first layer of a powder material in a confined region and then depositing a binder material to selected regions of the layer of powder material to produce a layer of bonded powder material at the selected regions. Such steps are repeated a selected number of times to produce successive layers of selected regions of bonded powder material so as to form the desired component. The unbonded powder material is then removed. In some cases the component may be further processed as, for example, by heating it to further strengthen the bonding thereof.

Abstract: In the speech recognition system disclosed herein, the Viterbi decoding of an acoustic recognition network is augmented by implementing additional data structures for each arc in the network which represent, for each arc, the best path cost of reaching the last point on that arc and an arc in time which represents, for the best path, the time of leaving the previous arc. These additional data structures enable a trace back procedure which identifies not only the presumably optimal path but also alternate paths having good scores.

Abstract: Preliminary screening of vocabulary models is provided by successively applying two different high speed distance measuring functions which provide progressively increasing measurement accuracy. Both distance measuring functions utilize subsampled representations of the unknown speech segment and the vocabulary models. The initial screening function achieves very high speed by eliminating certain usual time warping constraints and by precalculating a table of distance values which can be used for all vocabulary models. The second screening function yields improved accuracy in spite of possible endpointing errors by comparing extra frames, preceding and following the presumed unknown word, with noise models appended to each vocabulary model.

Abstract: An information processing system for processing an application program provides a power control unit being operated at a run mode at which the system is powered and a standby mode at which part of the system is powered. The system further includes functions of inputting any key on a keyboard into an application program, transferring the run mode to the standby mode by pressing a special key on the keyboard, transferring the standby mode to the run mode by pressing any key on the keyboard, detecting no key input takes place for a certain interval of time; and transferring to the standby mode if the detecting means does not detect any occurence of key input for a constant time at the run mode. The system further has function of detecting one key is continuously pressed for a predetermined interval of time and transferring to said standby mode upon detection of one key continuous input.

Abstract: In a materials treating furnace, a belt is provided for transporting articles to be treated through a high temperature treatment zone. The belt comprises a succession of interwoven links, each of which is made up of a length of tungsten wire which has been heated and wound around an elliptical mandrel to provide a link which is in the form of a slightly flattened helix having no sharp bends. The interweaving of the helical links provides a large number of interlocking contact points between successive links.

Abstract: The residential structure ventilating apparatus disclosed herein employs a variable speed exhaust fan. The speed is responsive to a sensor which detects air temperature at the exhaust port. The fan is energized when the sensed air temperature rises above a first preselectable temperature and the external environmental air is cooler that the air at the exhaust port. The fan speed is increased progressively from about one-half full speed at the preselected turn on temperature to full speed at a predetermined higher temperature. The fan is turned off when the exhaust port temperature falls below a second preselected temperature, lower than the first preselected temperature or when the external environmental temperature rises above the inside temperature, the fan speed being essentially constant between the first and second preselected temperatures.

Abstract: In the load cell disclosed herein, relative displacement between bridging members or end caps mounted at different points along the axis of an elastic hollow cylinder is sensed by means of a variable reluctance transducer employing a pair of magnetically permeable core elements. One of the core elements is mounted on one of the bridging members and the other core element is C-shaped and mounted on the other bridging member with the ends of the C-shape in close proximity to the first core member thereby providing magnetic gaps whose widths are aligned with the cylinder axis. Windings around the ends of the C-shaped core provide electrical connection for an inductance which is variable as a function of the widths of the gaps and thus also of the axial displacement between the bridging members.

Abstract: In the microlithographic projection system disclosed herein, a reticle whose image is to be projected is illuminated with light having an essentially uniform intensity distribution over the reticle and angular distribution which is annularly concentrated. The annular concentration is produced by a phase grating interposed between the light source and a kaleidoscope which generates multiple overlapping images of this light source. The grating employs an array of elements of differing transmission phasings which suppresses zero order transmission and concentrates incident energy in an annularly diverging beam array.

Abstract: In a real time image generation system opaque or planar object pixels are defined by at least a color attribute and a depth value and volumetric pixels are defined by at least a color attribute, a depth value and an opacity gradient value. A volumetric data buffer is provided for storing attributes and values associated with volumetric pixels and the volumetric items are processed first to load that buffer. Successive object pixel definitions are then read and the depth value of each current object pixel definition is compared with the depth value in the buffer and a relative weight for the volumetric effect is calculated as a function of the relative depth values and the corresponding volume gradient value. The color attributes of the object pixel and the volumetric data are then mixed as a function of the relative weighting to obtain a result color attribute which is output as the color for the respective pixel.

Abstract: In the speech recognizer disclosed herein, alignment of an unknown speech sediment, represented by a finely gradiated sequence of frames, with a model sediment represented by a sequence of states is performed by first preparing respective coarse sequences representing the unknown and model segments thereby to define a coarse matrix representing possible alignments. The fine sequences correspondingly define a fine matrix. A best alignment of the coarse sequences is determined thereby to define a coarse path through the coarse matrix. The coarse path is overlaid on the fine matrix and a corridor is defined which includes fine matrix locations which lie within a preselected metric of the coarse path. Only transitions within the corridor are calculated in determining the fine alignment of the unknown speech segment with the model segment, thereby significantly reducing the number of computations required.

Abstract: In the bag pack disclosed herein, a stack of T-shirt type plastic film bags are held in a paperboard cartridge which is folded to provide front and back panels bridged at the top. The back panel has a cutout tongue which is folded forward under tearaway strips linking the top ends of the bag handle portions. The tongue retains the tearaway strips in the cartridge as individual bags are torn downwardly from the pack.

Abstract: A bit allocation method which facilitate control of the number of bits to be assigned to transform coefficients and block of image data with a deviation from the functional form. An image coding system which can implement an optimal bit allocation that minimizes quantization error under a predetermined information content or amount, in carrying out bit allocations of block-adaptive type and transform coefficient-adaptive type.

Abstract: Solid image pickup apparatus, wherein a light screening film is formed with the conventional art, a polyamide resin which is a transparent resin larger in refractive index than the microlens material is applied by a spin coating method, then, it is baked for 5 through 10 minutes at 200.degree. through 250.degree. C. so as to form a flattened film 10a, thereafter, an acrylic resin is coated by a spin coating method.

Abstract: An image formation system includes one or more image data output device for outputting images composed of three primary colors for full color imaging, and imaging system including a printer where beam light is used to selectively transfer image data from any of the image data output device in an optical image memory, a connecting device for selectively connecting more than two of the image data output device to the printer, a detecting device for detecting whether each of the image data output device is connected to the printer, an erasing device for erasing images remnant in the optical image memory, and a control device for receiving output from the detecting device to operate the erasing device at each end of a period for which each data output device has been connected to the printer.

Abstract: In the scheduling method disclosed herein, a genetic algorithm is employed to improve a population of possible schedules represented by respective chromosomes, where the chromosomes upon which the genetic algorithm operates are not a direct encoding of a possible schedules. Rather, the details of the scheduling problem and the real life constraints typically associated with such problems are hidden from the genetic algorithm by the use of a deterministic schedule builder which operates on lists of the desired tasks and which generates legal schedules, i.e. schedules which do not violate hard constraints. The legal schedules so generated are evaluated or scored and the scores are provided to the genetic algorithm as feedback for influencing subsequent operation of the genetic algorithm.

Abstract: A pressure control device for controlling the application of pressure provided by a pressure roller to a pressing object, which includes a support member for pivotally supporting the pressure roller, a locking member coupled with the support member, an eccentric cam switchable between a locked state and an unlocked state by the locking member, a clutch for rotating the eccentric cam by a driving means connected thereto, and a solenoid for pushing or pulling the joint portion of the support member and the locking member so as to allow both members to move pivotally. When the solenoid is turned on and the locking of the eccentric cam is released from the locking member, the clutch rotates the eccentric cam thereby moving the solenoid. The pulling force of the solenoid pivotally move the support member strongly enough to allow the pressure roller to press the pressing object. When the solenoid is turned off at this state, the pressure roller is moved downward away from the pressing object by weight.

Abstract: In the fluid heater disclosed herein, a plurality of thin or ribbon-like conductors are embedded in and link a pair of similar flow paths. An inductor is magnetically coupled to the conductors and is energized with alternating current thereby to induce local currents in the conductors and generate heat which is imparted to fluid passing through the flow paths and over the surfaces of the conductors.

Abstract: A code signal representing a sequence of code symbols carrying digital information is generated with the frequency components of the code signal being essentially confined to a preselected signalling band lying within the bandwidth of an audio signal within which the code signal is to be embedded. The audio signal is continuously frequency analyzed over a frequency band encompassing the signalling band and the code signal is dynamically filtered as a function of the analysis thereby to provide a modified code signal with frequency components which are, at each time instant, essentially a preselected small proportion of the levels of the corresponding audio signal frequency components. Accordingly, the modified code signal can be combined with the audio signal to obtain a composite audio signal which is not readily distinguishable from the original audio signal by listening.

Abstract: A resource managing method operates in a computer system in which a variety of processes run essentially simultaneously on a group of processors, each processor being provided with a respective section of memory which is also accessible by the other processors in the group though typically not as quickly as by the respective processor. Resource data objects corresponding to particular resources are located by means of a hash table which is divided into portions which are distributed over respective sections of the overall system memory. A resource manager program, which is essentially replicated for each processor, implements a hashing algorithm which directs requests for access to designated resources to the corresponding portion of the hash table irrespective of which processor originated the request. Each section of the hash table includes a series of entries which provide pointers to respective lists of resource data objects which hash to that entry.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus which is capable of recording an image by forming a dot for each pixel includes an interface (14) for receiving dot data having 300 dpi dot density, converting unit (15, 16, 17, 18) connected to the interface for converting the received data into dot data having 600 dpi dot density by replacing a dot of a focus pixel with a plurality of dots having patterns corresponding to dot patterns of areas containing the focus pixel, and a base engine unit (13) connected to the converting unit for forming an image in accordance with the converted dot data.