Abstract: Writing to an EEPROM when the regulated supply voltage to the EEPROM is below a minimum voltage required for proper operation is prevented by determining the battery voltage threshold which corresponds to the minimum required supply voltage, measuring the battery voltage and the rate of change of voltage and projecting the voltage to the end of the write cycle. When the projected battery voltage is below the threshold the write cycle is canceled. The write cycle is also canceled when the battery voltage is below the normal operating range when a write cycle is requested.

Abstract: By using the state transition of a highly interconnected neural network, in order to solve a combination problem, an energy function is set by the following procedure: (i) the energy function is set in correspondence to the size of the combination problem; (ii) the energy function is set for a combination problem to be solved by using an energy function which solved another combination problem of a different size from the combination problem to be solved. Also, in order to solve a problem involving the cutting out a specific image from a whole image, as a combination problem when obtaining pixels representing a contour of an object, the energy function is set by either (i) or (ii) above.

Abstract: A SOUND RECOGNITION PROCESS comprises training a sound recognition system to a shape Hidden Markov Model (HMM) from a shape codebook of shape codewords, and to a separate gain HMM from a gain codebook of gain codewords. An unknown token is assigned to the sound category associated with the shape HMM and gain HMM with the greatest probability product. Shape and gain codewords replacements for incoming Linear Predictive Coded (LPC) vectors are selected by choosing the codeword with minimum distortion between the codeword and a combination of the vector and some of the preceding codewords, exponentially weighted by time.

Abstract: A personal computer (PC) operating with terminal emulation software as a terminal to mainframe host computer has means for dynamically reordering the programs it runs other than the terminal emulation software. It has provision for receiving program names from the host computer and for running the programs so specified without operator intervention. It may then re-enter the terminal emulation software, again without operator intervention.

Abstract: A digital voice processing system wherein voice processing functions are run in software. This application of software allows a modular structure because the application software resides in boards that are coupled to a host computer. With this structure, the software can be updated as required and the capacity of the system can be readily expanded to meet increased needs.

Abstract: A bi-directional data path apparatus coupled between a first bus and a second bus for allowing a plurality of data transfering devices contained on either one of the buses to transfer data to the devices contained on the other bus. The data path apparatus includes latching stations designed to receive data from the first and second buses. The data path apparatus includes a plurality of byte lanes interconnecting the byte latching stations. A control mechanism directs the transfer of data along specific byte lanes and in a specific temporal order depending on the databus size of the devices sending and receiving data.

Abstract: An architecture and method for permitting knowledge-based systems to operate in an asynchronous manner is disclosed. A reasoning module includes a set of environment interface procedures which are customized for a specific complex system environment. This environment interface is compiled together with an inference engine and knowledge base to create an embeddable reasoning module.

Abstract: Higher operational speed is obtained without sacrificing computational accuracy and reliability in a neural network by interchanging a computationally complex nonlinear function with a similar but less complex nonlinear function in each neuron or computational element after each neuron of the network has been trained by an appropriate training algorithm for the classifying problem addressed by the neural network. In one exemplary embodiment, a hyperbolic tangent function is replaced by a piecewise linear threshold logic function.

Abstract: In a speech parameter encoding method of encoding an input speech signal into a sequence of encoded signals, vector quantization is carried out through a plurality of vector quantizers which are connected in cascade to one another through subtractors and which cooperate with code books, respectively. Such a cascade connection of the vector quantizers may be supplied with the input speech signal either at every frame or at every subframe shorter than the frame to produce a set of code vector candidates from each of the vector quantizers. Each set of the code vector candidates is sent to a cumulative distortion calculator to select an optimum combination of the code vector candidates and to produce, as the encoded signals, an index representative of the optimum combination.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding voice spectrum envelop parameters forms a phoneme matrix by combining a certain number of phoneme vectors, and effects matrix quantization by using this phoneme matrix as a unit. The apparatus performs restricted time-direction deformation of an input phoneme matrix, such as by shifting, compression, or expansion in time-direction, to output a finite number of deformed phoneme matrices. The input phoneme matrix is formed by combining, in time-direction, a certain number of phoneme vectors composed of spectrum parameters representing information on the spectrum of an input voice signal. A code book is used for storing a second number of phoneme matrix code words which are compared with the deformed phoneme matrices provided by restricted time-direction deformation. The distances between the deformed phoneme matrices of the input phoneme matrix and the phoneme matrix code words, which are successively read out from the code book, are calculated.

Abstract: Multiple latching relays are driven on their first side by all but one of the parallel outputs of a shift register. Each relay on the same shift register is driven on its second side by the remaining parallel output of the shift register. A clock signal is fed to all shift registers and causes each shift register to shift all of its information one cell on the selected edge of the clock signal. A latch signal or blanking signal is used to prevent the shift registers from outputting their information to the relays during shifting. A serial data message is inputted to the first shift register and then from the first shift register sequentially to all of the other shift registers. The information in the serial data message is such that after shifting of all shift registers is complete the appropriate signal will be on each side of each latching relay to cause it to either change or remain unchanged.

Abstract: A fuzzy evaluation and modification system evaluates and modifies the fuzzy knowledge in a fuzzy reasoning system. The fuzzy knowledge includes fuzzy rules, each described in an "if . . . , then . . ." format, and membership functions defining meanings of propositions described in the "if . . . , then" parts. Results of the fuzzy reasoning are monitored and compared with real data of a plurality of real test cases to evaluate the fuzzy knowledge. An influence power of each of the fuzzy rules with respect to the fuzzy reasoning results is attained for all the cases. Superpositional display of real data on the membership functions of the "if . . ." part and reasoning results on the membership functions of the "then . . ." part indicates a relationship between the membership function and the real data.

Abstract: A system and method for quickly determining whether a requested object is an ancestor of a particular object where both objects are contained in a single inheritance type hierarchy. The system encodes each object in memory with a binary pattern that indicates the ancestry of the object and a mask which indicates which bits of the binary pattern are significant for determining ancestry. This allows a system, upon receiving a request for an object, to determine in only two steps whether any particular object in memory can satisfy the request as a sub-type of the requested object.

Abstract: A computer based combination problem processor solves constrained combination satisfaction problems for determining discrete values of respective variables in which the constraint is externally specified by a set of inequalities and equalities, and solves combination optimization problems for determining the discrete values of respective variables to minimize or maximize the value of a given objective function.

Abstract: An information processing element for processing information with a function of neural network includes a semiconductor integrated circuit element portion comprising a plurality of neuron circuit regions constituting a neuron function among the neural network function, a molecular film element having a light-electricity function, provided on the circuit element portion, and the combination between the plurality of neurons is realized by utilizing a photoconductivity property of the molecular film element.

Abstract: A language generator for a speech recognition apparatus scores a word-series hypothesis by combining individual scores for each word in the hypothesis. The hypothesis score for a single word comprises a combination of the estimated conditional probability of occurrence of a first class of words comprising the word being scored, given the occurrence of a context comprising the words in the word-series hypothesis other than the word being scored, and the estimated conditional probability of occurrence of the word being scored given the occurrence of the first class of words, and given the occurrence of the context. An apparatus and method are provided for classifying multiple series of words for the purpose of obtaining useful hypothesis scores in the language generator and speech recognition apparatus.

Abstract: A robot control system which automatically improves the success rate of work performed by a robot even if the worked object is unmeasurable or unobservable by a distance on visual sensor. The control system includes a work judging unit which determines the success rate of work performed at a teaching point of the robot. The control system also includes a search judging unit which judges the result of work at each of a plurality of searching points to determine a success rate of work performed at the searching points. A search instruction unit causes the robot to move to the plurality of search points around the teaching point to perform work or search thereat. A correction unit corrects the teaching point based on the relative relation between the success rate of the work at the teaching point and the success rate at each of the searching points.

Abstract: A signal processor, which receives autocorrelation and cross-correlation coefficients of a system under study, provides predictor and filter coefficients of the system in an optimal manner, and allows the use of any number of available parallel processing units. The signal processor may be implemented in a fully parallel or fully sequential manner, or in a "parallel-partitioned" implementation.

Abstract: A new method for Code Excited Linear Predictive (CELP) coding of speech reduces the computational complexity by removing a convolution operation from a recursive loop used to poll the adaptive code book vectors. In a preferred embodiment, an impulse function of a short term perceptually weighted filter is first convolved with perceptual weighted target speech and the result cross-correlated with each vector in the codebook to produce an error function. The vector having the minimum error function is chosen to represent the particular speech frame being examined.

Abstract: Conflicting users of a shared resource are controlled by respective state machines having cross-coupled busy signals permitting each user to proceed with exclusive use of the shared resource when the other users are finished using the resource. Priority logic responsive to service requests issues grant signals to the state machines so that the state machines do not permit their respective users to begin simultaneously exclusive use of the resource. Preferably, each state machine also receives the requests for service of its respective user. Each state machine, for example, has an idle state, a first state reached from the idle state in response to a service request; a second state reached from the first state in response to a grant signal; and a third state reached from the second state, unless the busy signal of another state machine is asserted. Preferably, each state machine is responsive to a request having different preassigned priorities.