Abstract: The invention concerns a device (10) for measuring calorific energy contained in a fuel gas transported in a pipe (16) comprising a gas meter (12) measuring a volume V in pressure conditions P and temperature conditions T of a gas circulating in said pipe and an apparatus (14;52;63) to determine the gas calorific power H. The invention is characterized in that said apparatus for determining calorific power measures at least one physical variable proportional to the number of molecules of the gas different constituents in a given volume and is placed as near as possible to the gas meter so as to determine the calorific power H(P,T) in similar pressure P and temperature T conditions as those wherein the gas volume V(P,T) is measured, said device then determining the calorific energy H(P,T) V(P,T) contained in the gas.

Abstract: A system for distributing multimedia information from a central office to a plurality of customer's premises each interconnected to the central office with a dedicated optical fiber includes a switch for transmitting a plurality of optical bands from the central office to each of the subscriber premises. The switch, being located in the central office and controlled by selection signals provided to or by the central office, selects a subset of first signals, either electrical or optical, and blocks others of the signals that are not contained within the subset so that the customer receives only the signals subscribed to by the customer. Each customer's premises has a receiver, coupled to the corresponding dedicated fiber, to detect the subset desired by the customer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for simulating, in reduced resolution video decoders, the biasing effect associated with MPEG's specified rounding of pixel values including a fractional component of 0.5 to the next highest integer value are described. In one embodiment, the biasing effect is simulated by generating luminance and chrominance DC DCT coefficient bias values from, e.g., motion vector offset data. The DC DCT bias values are then added to the DC DCT coefficients of the luminance and chrominance blocks, respectively, which correspond to the same image block to which the motion vector data used to generate the bias values corresponds. In another embodiment, pixel values are directly adjusted to simulate the biasing effect associated with MPEG compliant rounding. In such an embodiment, luminance and chrominance pixel biasing values are generated as a function of, e.g., motion vector offset information. The bias values are added to the pixel values generated through the use of motion compensated prediction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing signed saturation of binary numbers to arbitrary powers of two are described. Given an n-bit signed binary word, the methods and apparatus of the present invention perform a signed saturation to k-bits where the value of k can vary such that 1<k<n. Through the use of hardware circuits of the present invention the signed saturation operation is implemented in a more efficient manner than software implementations which utilize multiple compare operations. The signed saturation circuits of the present invention can be incorporated into processors, e.g., CPUs, to provide a hardware implementation within a CPU for a signed saturation processor instruction, e.g., either a SISD OR SIMD saturation command or instruction. The signed saturation circuits can accept the data value upon which the operation is to be performed, and, optionally, a value k indicating the number of bits to which individual data value are to be saturated.

Abstract: The invention provides a fluid meter comprising ultrasound transducers, attenuation means for attenuating parasitic ultrasound waves of wavelength &lgr;, and constituted by at least one passage in which said waves propagate along a main direction corresponding to a longitudinal dimension a of said passage, said passage having a transverse dimension b perpendicular to a and much smaller than the wavelength &lgr; of the parasitic waves in the propagation medium, said passage comprising a plurality of consecutive passage portions each having a part presenting a reduction in transverse propagation section along the dimension b of the passage, the longitudinal dimension of each passage portion being substantially equal to &lgr;/2.

Abstract: In an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based spread spectrum multiple access system the entire bandwidth is divided into orthogonal tones, and all of the orthogonal tones are reused in each cell. To reduce peak-to-average ratio at the mobile transmitter, each voice user is allocated preferably a single one, but no more than a very small number, of the orthogonal tones for use in communicating with the base station. Data users are similarly allocated tones for data communication, however, the number of tones assigned for each particular data user is a function of the data rate for that user. The tone assignment for a given user is not always the same within the available band, but instead the tones assigned to each user are hopped over time. More specifically, in the downlink, the tones assigned to each user are change relatively rapidly, e.g., from symbol to symbol, i.e., the user fast “hops” from one tone to another.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for encoding, decoding and displaying images in a manner that provides for relatively smooth motion are described. In accordance with the invention a multi-sync display device is used and the refresh rate of the display device is controlled to minimize or avoid judder. Control of the display device refresh rate is performed in various embodiments, as a function of frame display, frame coding, field coding and/or image capture rate information included in an encoded bitstream. Alternatively, the refresh rate of a display is controlled as a function of decoding rate information or other information available from a decoder. In one exemplary embodiment, frames are displayed and the refresh rate of a display device is controlled to be an integral multiple of the indicated frame display rate included in an encoded bitstream.

Abstract: Call screening and other communication services are described. The described methods and apparatus allow a call screening service subscriber to be provided with a caller supplied spoken name when caller ID information is blocked or unavailable. The call screening service subscriber can decide after hearing the spoken identification information how to dispose of the call. A plurality of call disposition options are supported including accept the call, reject the call, transfer to voice mail, etc. A specific salesman reject message is included as one of the call disposition options. In order to support interactive real time subscriber selection of call disposition options and the use of an answering machine by call screening service subscribers, methods and apparatus are used to detect when a human, as opposed to a machine has answered a call.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing operator services to callers in a fully or partially automated manner are disclosed. In addition, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for providing new telephone services, e.g., the forwarding of messages to non-published telephone number customers. It is also directed to methods and apparatus that can be used to detect, report and correct operator input errors. Automated, e.g., unmanned, apparatus of the present invention are capable of interfacing with conventional telephone switches using known operator protocols. This allows automated devices of the present invention to appear to existing telephone switches as manned operator positions capable of servicing telephone calls. In accordance with the present invention, the unmanned apparatus of the present invention is assigned one or more operator position identifiers conventionally used to identify manned operator positions.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for wavelength calibration of an electromagnetic radiation filtering device (16) included in an apparatus (10; 32) measuring spectral transmission of a propagating medium external to said apparatus and wherein said radiation flows through, said filtering device having spectral transmission tuneable on a wavelength range based on the value of a physical parameter. The invention is characterized in that it consists in: selecting at least one absorbing gaseous line which is always present in natural form in the propagation medium and whereof the corresponding wavelength is included in said filtering device tunability wavelength range; and in calibrating the filtering device with respect to said at least one absorbing gaseous line which is used as natural reference.

Abstract: The invention provides a fluidic oscillator that is symmetrical about a longitudinal plane of symmetry (P), comprising an enclosure defining an oscillation chamber and having an inlet opening and an outlet opening through which the fluid flows and which are in alignment in said plane (P) in a “longitudinal” first direction (A), said inlet opening being made in the form of a slot that is narrow in a second direction (B) extending transversely to said plane (P) and elongate in a third direction (C) parallel to said plane (P) and perpendicular to said longitudinal first direction (A), wherein said slot is provided in an insert which is removable from said enclosure.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing an enhanced digital signal processor through the addition of modular computation units which can be operated in parallel are described. In various embodiments the computation units are implemented as configurable computation cells which are arranged to form a computation engine which supplements conventional DSP circuitry. The computation cells can be used to perform frequently used DSP functions such a cross-correlation, sorting, FIR filtering quickly without the need for extensive iterative processing. By using the computation cells of the present invention in parallel, the computation of common DSP functions can be performed quickly and resulting in improvements in DSP performance as compared to convention DSPs.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing and using a sign(x) function are described. In accordance with the present invention, the sign(x) function is implemented in hardware, e.g., by incorporating a simple circuit of the present invention into a central processing unit (CPU). By taking a hardware approach as opposed to the known software approach to implementing a sign(x) function, the present invention provides for an efficient sign(x) function implementation that is well suited for both SISD and SIMD systems. The hardware required to implement the sign(x) function in accordance with the present invention is relatively simple and allows for the sign(x) function to be determined in a single processor clock cycle. This is in sharp contrast to the plurality of processor clock cycles normally required to determine the sign(x) function in software embodiments. A processor sign(x) command is supported in embodiments where the hardware for performing the sign(x) function is incorporated into a processor.

Abstract: The present invention addresses decoding and simultaneously displaying multiple images in different windows of a PC or other display device such as a television set. When more than two images are displayed, if the total processing load associated with decoding all of the images to be displayed is over 100%, then decoding priority is decided for each image as a function of display window size. By decoding and displaying images according to this priority, the user can view a desired image, e.g., a main picture image smoothly and comfortably, while other images displayed in smaller sub-windows may only be partially decoded during each frame time. When windows are of the same size, decoding priority is determined between the windows of the same size, as a function of the amount of decoder resources required to decode each image.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing video decoders at a reduced cost are described. The methods include data reduction techniques, simplified inverse quantization techniques, and dynamically varying the complexity of image enhancement operations, e.g., prediction filtering operations, as a function of whether luminance or chrominance data is being processed. In order to reduce data storage requirements, luminance and chrominance data corresponding to previously encoded images may be stored at different resolutions with, in some embodiments, chrominance data being stored at less than half the resolution of luminance data. In various embodiments, data representing portions of B frames which will not be displayed is identified and discarded, e.g., without performing a decoding operation thereon. Portions of I and P frames which will not be displayed are identified and decoded at a reduced resolution and/or using simplified inverse quantization techniques.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for improving the quality of images generated by reduced resolution video decoders and new and improved video decoders which produce reduced resolution images are described. Methods and apparatus for identifying conditions within an image which may significantly degrade image quality if particular portions of the image are used by a reduced resolution decoder as reference data are described. In particular, techniques for identifying blocks of pixels, referred to as constant block regions, having approximately the same intensity in terms of luminance values, are discussed. High contrast vertical and/or horizontal edges will cause significant prediction errors in images generated by reduced resolution decoders under certain conditions. Methods for assessing when such conditions exist and a significant prediction error is likely to occur are described. In addition methods and apparatus for minimizing the effect of such prediction errors in downsampling decoders are also described.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing and using a sign(x) function are described. In accordance with the present invention, the sign(x) function is implemented in hardware, e.g., by incorporating a simple circuit of the present invention into a central processing unit (CPU). By taking a hardware approach as opposed to the known software approach to implementing a sign(x) function, the present invention provides for an efficient sign(x) function implementation that is well suited for both SISD and SIMD systems. The hardware required to implement the sign(x) function in accordance with the present invention is relatively simple and allows for the sign(x) function to be determined in a single processor clock cycle. This is in sharp contrast to the plurality of processor clock cycles normally required to determine the sign(x) function in software embodiments. A processor sign(x) command is supported in embodiments where the hardware for performing the sign(x) function is incorporated into a processor.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing a reduced cost HDTV/SDTV video decoder are disclosed. The described joint video decoder is capable of decoding HDTV pictures at approximately the resolution of standard definition television pictures and can be used to decode HDTV and/or SDTV pictures. The described video decoder may be used as part of a picture-in-picture decoder circuit for providing picture-in-picture capability without providing multiple full resolution video decoders. The reduction in decoder circuit complexity is achieved through the use of a plurality of data reduction techniques including the use of a preparser, downsampling, and truncating pixel values.

Abstract: Automated methods and apparatus for synchronizing audio and text data, e.g., in the form of electronic files, representing audio and text expressions of the same work or information are described. Also described are automated methods of detecting errors and other discrepancies between the audio and text versions of the same work. A speech recognition operation is performed on the audio data initially using a speaker independent acoustic model. The recognized text in addition to audio time stamps are produced by the speech recognition operation. The recognized text is compared to the text in text data to identify correctly recognized words. The acoustic model is then retrained using the correctly recognized text and corresponding audio segments from the audio data transforming the initial acoustic model into a speaker trained acoustic model. The retrained acoustic model is then used to perform an additional speech recognition operation on the audio data.

Abstract: Automated methods and apparatus for synchronizing audio and text data, e.g., in the form of electronic files, representing audio and text expressions of the same work or information are described. A statistical language model is generated from the text data. A speech recognition operation is then performed on the audio data using the generated language model and a speaker independent acoustic model. Silence is modeled as a word which can be recognized. The speech recognition operation produces a time indexed set of recognized words some of which may be silence. The recognized words are globally aligned with the words in the text data. Recognized periods of silence, which correspond to expected periods of silence, and are adjoined by one or more correctly recognized words are identified as points where the text and audio files should be synchronized, e.g., by the insertion of bi-directional pointers.