Abstract: A method for determining the relative position of wireless terminals (1) in an ad hoc network, wherein at least some of said wireless terminals can communicate over wireless links (2) in one or several hops with at least some of the other wireless terminals. The following steps are performed in the wireless terminals: (1) measuring in a plurality of said wireless terminals the distances (dij) to one-hop neighbors, and (2) using the distances measured in at least two wireless terminals to compute the location (x, y) of at least one other wireless terminals. One advantage of the invention is GPS-less positioning in ad hoc networks.

Abstract: A system and a process arranges equitable-loss data packets in a high-volume asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) system and establishes the output order of the packets. There are a plurality of inflowing data packet streams, a minimum quantity ri of each incoming flow being reserved. At all times, there is a ratio K(t) between two parts of each incoming data packet flow. One part is a quantity of packets &Dgr;xi(t) allocated above the minimum reserve quantity ri. The other part ei(t) is an instantaneous quantity &Dgr;xi(t) above the minimum reserve quantity ri.

Abstract: A technique has been devised which may be used to synchronize a receiver clock to a transmitter clock at either end of a transmission network having jitter intrinsic therein. The technique is characterized by a modified least squares linear regressive approach which takes advantage of assumptions particular to such transmission networks. The technique finds advantages in comparison to commonly used phase-locked loop techniques which have long startup phase delays where clocks are not in sync. The modified least squares linear regressive technique of the invention provides excellent isolation of jitter and other timing variations while simultaneously providing for quick startup.

Abstract: A process for controlling the output flow rate of a coder of digital data representative of sequences of images, the coding effected by the coder including a quantization stage of quantization parameter Q, the sequences of images being made up of successive groups of images. The process consists of determining, at the moment of the presence of the i group of images at the output of the coder, the quantization parameter Q(i+1) for the coding of the (i+1) group of images so that the flow rate at the output of the coder conforms with a version of a leaky bucket defined by a size M and by a leakage rate .lambda. in terms of the activity of the scene represented by the i group of images.