Abstract: Disclosed is a hybrid wireless communication system and a communication method in the system. The system supports time and frequency division duplexing modes and includes a base station having a cellular communication range based on a cellular mode and mobile stations within the cellular communication range. The base station divides each available frequency resource into frames for communication, and each frame switches between a real-time service mode and a non-real-time service mode at a switching time within the frame. Communication is performed with the mobile stations within the cellular communication range via at least one of an uplink and a downlink in the real-time service mode of each frame according to the frequency division duplexing mode. Communication is performed with the mobile stations via the uplink and the downlink in the non-real-time service mode of each frame according to an ad hoc mode based on the time division duplexing mode.

Abstract: A method of selecting one of a plurality of candidate devices (1-6) forming at least part of a wireless personal area network (WPAN) to be a controller of the WPAN. For each candidate device (1-6), distances between that candidate device and other devices of the WPAN are assessed. A centrally located one (3) of the candidate devices is selected to be the controller, taking said distances into account. The residual battery energy of the candidate devices may also be taken into account.

Abstract: A device and method for evaluating reliability of a semiconductor chip structure built by a manufacturing process includes a test structure built in accordance with a manufacturing process. The test structure is thermal cycled and the yield of the test structure is measured. The reliability of the semiconductor chip structure built by the manufacturing process is evaluated based on the yield performance before the thermal cycling.

Abstract: A method of assessing a communication route comprising a plurality of links between nodes in a mobile ad-hoc network comprises calculating the two-hop residual bandwidth of each node I of the route as B I ? ( t ) = B - ? J ? N ? ( I ) ? B ? ( J ) ? where B is the raw channel bandwidth, the summation is the overall consumed bandwidth from node I's two-hop neighborhood nodes, J?N(I) and ? is a factor to account for protocol overhead, which may include handshaking, packet collision, re-transmission and/or back-off scheme traffic. An estimated transmission time for each of a plurality of links between said nodes may be calculated taking said two-hop residual bandwidth into account. For each possible route, a route efficiency function is determined at least by summing the estimated transmission times for all the links in the route, and the route in which the value of the route efficiency function is smallest is selected.

Abstract: A synthesizer is disclosed in which a speech waveform is synthesized by selecting a synthetic starting waveform segment and then generating a sequence of further segments. The further waveform segments are generated based jointly upon the value of the immediately-preceding segment and upon a model of the dynamics of an actual sound similar to that being generated. In particular, a method is disclosed of a voiced speech sound comprising calculating each new output value from the previous output value using data modeling the evolution, over a short time interval, of the voiced speech sound to be synthesized. This sequential generation of waveform segments enables a synthesized sequence of speech waveforms to be generated of any duration. In addition, a low-dimensional state space representation of speech signals are used in which successive pitch pulse cycles are superimposed to estimate the progression of the cyclic speech signal within each cycle.

Abstract: A method of operating a time division duplex based wireless communications system comprising the steps of establishing, at a base station, a Radio Resource Mapping Function (RMMF); deriving from the RMMF, from both the mean and standard deviation of the received signal to interference ratio (SIR) for all users, and from estimates of channel load conditions and interference levels, a Resource Metric Region (RMR) showing the number of users experiencing acceptable quality of service; and deciding, on the basis of the RMR, whether to admit a newly arriving call.

Abstract: In a mobile ad hoc network, a method of routing data and a mobile unit for use according to the method are arranged to find the relay capacity of a node and the lifetime of the node, and thereby determine whether the node can relay the data. The method and unit can find the relay efficiency of nodes and this information is used to route data traffic efficiently through a number of nodes along a route.

Abstract: A cellular communication system and method supporting both a time division duplexing (TDD) scheme and a frequency division duplexing (FDD) scheme. The apparatus includes a plurality of mobile stations, at least three first fixed stations communicate with the mobile station based on the FDD scheme, the first fixed station defining respective macro cells that are contiguous and form a virtual cell, and a cluster including at least one second fixed station communicating with the mobile stations based on the TDD scheme, the second fixed station defining a micro cell in the virtual cell.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes a reducing plasma treatment step to enhance the adhesion of a subsequently deposited inorganic barrier film to a copper wire or via present in a semiconductor interconnect structure such as a dual damascene structure. Interconnect structure including a material layer of Cu, Si and O, as essential elements, is formed between said copper wire or via and the inorganic barrier film.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes a reducing plasma treatment step to enhance the adhesion of a subsequently deposited inorganic barrier film to a copper wire or via present in a semiconductor interconnect structure such as a dual damascene structure. Interconnect structure comprising a material layer of Cu, Si and O, as essential elements, is formed between said copper wire or via and the inorganic barrier film.

Abstract: A method of synthesis of a voiced speech sound comprising calculating each new output value from the previous output value using data modelling the evolution, over a short time interval, of the voiced speech sound to be synthesised.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes a reducing plasma treatment step to enhance the adhesion of a subsequently deposited inorganic barrier film to a copper wire or via present in a semiconductor interconnect structure such as a dual damascene structure. Interconnect structure comprising a material layer of Cu, Si and O, as essential elements, is formed between said copper wire or via and the inorganic barrier film.