Abstract: A multi-prediction branch prediction mechanism predicts each conditional branch at least twice, first during the instruction-fetch phase of the pipeline and then again during the decode phase of the pipeline. The mechanism uses at least two different branch prediction mechanisms, each a separate and independent mechanism from the other. A set of rules are used to resolve those instances as to when the predictions differ.

Abstract: A processing system of the type including a plurality of processors for executing instructions including critical sections is arranged to permit only one processor at a time to execute a critical section. The system includes a common bus coupling the processors together, a memory for storing instructions and data operands and a lock buffer associated with each processor. The memory includes a data space defining storage locations for storing data operands of instructions in non-critical sections and a lock space defining storage locations for storing data operands of instructions in a critical section.

Abstract: A programmed irrigation controller automatically computes durations for, schedules, and controls split irrigation cycles at up to eight watering stations. The controller is manually entered with high-level information regarding soil type, terrain, and irrigation system watering head type, and also with a total irrigation time, for each station. The maximum "on" time duration for each individual split irrigation cycle, and a minimum "off" time duration, are determined from the high-level information input by table lookup. The controller computes the number of irrigation cycles at each station as its total irrigation time divided by its maximum "on" time duration. The controller schedules composite irrigation cycles for all stations so that no station overwaters within a single irrigation cycle or upon successive irrigation cycles that are too closely time proximate. Exclusionary time-of-day intervals that specify when no watering will occur can be inserted within the schedules.

Abstract: Apparatus creates an image on photographic film in which the light intensity of the light source for exposing the film is calibrated to a predetermined value by measuring the light intensity of the light exposure while varying the digital form of the drive signal for controlling the intensity. A successive approximation sequence is used until the intensity approximates the predetermined value.

Abstract: A real-time, high uptime transaction processing system includes many user terminals communicating with service providers via a communications network. A defective logic board is replaced or a board providing system expansion is installed without powering down the system by providing external auxiliary voltages and a reset signal to the board to put it in a passive state while it is being plugged into or unplugged from its backplane connector. Also under computer control the system is made inactive for a short period of time.

Abstract: A system and method of selectively recommending, for a user selected from a group of users, items such as movies sampled by one or more of the users in the group but not sampled by the selected user. The recommendations are based on other items previously sampled by the user and preferably on the availability of the items from a source, for example the availability of movies from a video store. A scalar rating is defined for each item sampled by the selected user to represent the reaction of the selected user to that item. The selected user is successively paired with the users in a group for whom have been defined scalar ratings for at least some of the items sampled by the selected user to determine the difference in ratings for items sampled by both members of that pair. An agreement scalar is generated for each pair representing the overall rating agreement between the members of each successive pair.

Abstract: A suspension control apparatus for a vehicle comprises a measuring unit for measuring relative motion between sprung mass and unsprung mass at each of wheels, a decision unit for discriminatively determining occurrence and convergence of at least one of rolling or pitching and bouncing or unsprung mass vibration on the basis of measurement data available from the measuring unit, and a control unit for controlling at least one of damping coefficient and spring constant in the suspension characteristics on the basis of the result of decision made by the decision unit.

Abstract: A non-destructive testing system for lumber involves measurement of grain angle about a board and transformation of the measured grain angle values to extract features indicative of knot identification, grain angle perturbations or strength of the board. Individual boards can then be processed for grading or sorting purposes as a function of the extracted features. Specific features utilized for knot identification are curl, divergence, and novel transformations termed gradient, edges and knots, as well as various pattern matching techniques. Strength estimation involves transformations pertaining to failure distance, which is a function of board tensile strength. Failure distance can be computed by an ellipsoidal model, a search model or a tracks model. When utilized in conjunction with conventional bending test procedures, highly accurate strength estimation is achieved by the described system.

Abstract: The bed tester includes nitrogen and helium sources, a scale, temperature and pressure readouts, and a computer program for determining the available adsorption capacity or activity of molecular sieve beds. Activity is a measure of the condition of the molecular sieve and is defined as the ratio of the weight of nitrogen adsorbed in the bed under test to the weight of nitrogen adsorbed by an equivalent weight of activated molecular seive. To determine the weight of nitrogen adsorbed for the bed under test, a chamber or plenum of known volume is filled with helium, and expanded into the bed. Then the helium is evacuated, and the bed is pressurized with nitrogen. Measured values of pressure, temperature and weight, and known values of volume and density, are used with the ideal gas law (PV=MRT) and other equations in calculations to arrive at the true weight gain due to nitrogen adsorption.

Abstract: Iterative compensation of drift of peak positions of spectral lines is effected in a spectral monochromator including a grating, a detector of spectral fractions of a spectral band, a stepper motor for varying relative orientation of the grating and the detector, and a computer. Computer-defined spectral windows each encopasses a spectral band and has an initial spectral center. Each window is scanned to determine a peak spectral position. Calculation is made for determining a spectral position error of the peak position from the initial center for each corresponding window. A functional average of the offsets for the peaks is calculated as a linear function of window position, and a revised spectral center for each window is calculated as being equal to the initial center plus the functional average for the window position determined from the linear function. Each window is shifted correspondingly.

Abstract: A franking machine comprises a plurality of auxiliary meters designated by name and stored in alphabetical order of meter name in a Meter space of a battery backed-up working memory. Each meter comprises a service zone, a name zone, a date zone, a money meter zone, and a piece count meter zone. A meter is found by scanning through meter names. A meter is created by entering a name, and by storing a meter in the Meter space. This takes place by finding the appropriate alphabetical position for the new meter in the Meter space, and then shifting all subsequent meters in said space to make room for the new meter. A meter is closed by shifting all meters following the meter being closed down one place in the Meter space, starting with the meter immediately following the meter to be closed.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for testing a number of functions of a temperature measuring device, a temperature measuring portion is subjected to a predetermined temperature, and information outputted by the device is read optically or acoustically. The application of various temperatures and the reading of the outputted information are controlled sequentially in dependence upon the types of functions to be tested, and the read information is compared with predetermined information to determine whether each function passes or fails the test. A thermal equilibrium temperature measurement function of the device is tested by heating the temperature measuring portion to thermal equilibrium. Power is then reintroduced to the device and the initial display of the device is tested to determine if all segments of the display light.

Abstract: An object is sensed by a photoelectric conversion sensor having a photoelectric conversion screen expressed as an XY coordinate grid such that the symmetrical axis of the object is parallel to one axis of the XY coordinate, coordinates at a plurality of right left points which respect to the other axis of the XY coordinate at which an external contour of the object intersects a plurality of straight lines perpendicular to the symmetrical axis are determined. Coordinates at a plurality of center points between the right and left points with respect to the other axis are determined, and the maximum frequency coordinate among the coordinates of center points in designated as a standard center coordinate, and the standard center coordinate is compared with each of the plurality of center coordinates.

Abstract: A fire alarm system of the present invention is adapted to compute an approximation equation based on the detection data from a detector or detectors such about a smoke density, a temperature, a gas concentration, etc. and predictively determine a fire based on the approximation equation. The system including computing section for computing an approximation equation approximating a change in the physical phenomenon related to the occurrence of a fire which is output from the detector or detectors, sequentially sampled and stored and for computing a future value of the phenomenon estimated from the approximation by using a predetermined number of the data stored in a storing section. The future vale is compared with a data value preliminarily set in association with the fire alarming and an alarm is generated when the relation therebetween is not within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A method for evaluating the extent of deterioration of pipes whereby an inspection instrument is passed through a length of casing to determine the extent of corrosive deterioration. The resulting measurements generated by the inspection instrument are processed to exclude those responses caused by the structural configuration of the casing length under inspection. The remaining responses are then analyzed to compile a detailed interpretation of the measurements including specific information regarding the state of deterioration of the length of casing under inspection.

Abstract: Estimation of the degree of compaction of a bed when using a compacting machine employs an oscillatory principle. The oscillatory compacting machine is arranged to act on the bed by gravitational force and rapidly alternating horizontal force. The method uses a recorded signal from a horizontally mounted sensor connected to the bearing of the roller drum. The system for performing this method, utilizes a processor to calculate results which are presented by a display unit. Beside the acceleration sensor another sensor and a switch are used in order to enable calculation by the processor of different kinds of averages of the compaction meter value and also for determination of travel speed.

Abstract: In a routing method for efficiently routing the interconnections of a printed circuit board, the list of interconnections to be made is ordered to provide a work order for deriving routes. The circuit board is notionally divided into a grid of addressable cells. Then grid lines are considered in turn. A particular grid line may have a certain number (x) of cells that are full and so cannot be used for routing and other cells which are empty and so available for routing (capacity). If all interconnections to be made were made by direct spans then that particular grid line would have grid crossings occupying a certain number (y) of cells (occupancy). A MAOMIC (maximum occupancy-minimum capacity) product of that grid line is derived. When assigning routes, the routes of those interconnections which, if directly made, would cross the grid line of highest MAOMIC product are assigned first.

Abstract: A method of error compensation for transducers having non-linear characteristics is shown. A computer-supported measuring circuit is used. In a first factory alignment, the output characteristic of the transducer is set so that it can be linearized by the computer using a power function. The appropriate exponent of the power function is stored. At the place of use, at least three calibration measurements are performed with the installed transducer using defined calibration measured values substantially spanning the measuring range of the transducer equidistantly. The power function is solved with the calibration measuring results and the stored exponent, so that the constants not yet known can be calculated. During every following service measurement, the actual measuring result is put into the now solved power function. The result of the equation is then outputted as the error-compensated measuring result.

Abstract: Described herein is an energy management system in which a central unit provides a series of energy managing signals over a medium, such as TV cables, power lines, telephone lines or free space radio frequency transmissions, to a plurality of subscriber units. Within each unit is a transponder which responds to the transmitted central unit signals and provides corresponding signals onto an electric grid, such as the power lines, within the subscribing unit. The appliances to be managed each have associated therewith a responder unit, which is coupled to the electric grid to receive the transponder provided signals. Each of the central unit transmitted signals is encoded to manifest the energy managing dictates of a particular one of a plurality of diffferent schedules and is only provided in conformance with the dictates of the schedule is manifests.

Abstract: A testing arrangement in which an AI system is interfaced directly to an automatic test system (ATS) such that from the point of view of the ATS, the actions of the AI system are indistinguishable from the actions of an intelligent human operator. A testing apparatus comprises an automatic test system, communication means, and an AI system. The automatic test system comprises an automatic test equipment (ATE) controller, at least one test instrument connectable to the ATE controller and to the unit under test (UUT), and storage means for storing a functional test procedure (FTP) for the UUT. The ATE controller includes an I/O port and ATE data processing means for executing the FTP in response to a start FTP command, and for providing an FTP data set at the I/O port. The FTP data set comprises data indicating the results obtained by executing the FTP. The communication means is connected to the I/O port.