Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643374
H. Oman
Electric vehicles that can't reach trolley wires need batteries. In the early 1900's electric cars disappeared when owners found that replacing the car's worn-out lead-acid battery costs more than a new gasoline-powered car. Most of today's electric cars are still propelled by lead-acid batteries. General Motors' impact, for example, uses starting-lighting-ignition batteries, which deliver lots of power for demonstrations, but have a life of less than 100 deep discharges. Now promising alternative technology has challenged the world-wide lead miners, refiners, and battery makers into forming a consortium that sponsors research into making better lead-acid batteries. Horizon's new bipolar battery delivered 50 watt-hours per kg (Wh/kg), compared with 20 for ordinary transport-vehicle batteries. The alternatives are delivering from 80 Wh/kg (nickel-metal hydride) up to 200 Wh/kg (zinc-bromine). A Fiat Panda travelled 260 km on a single charge of its zinc-bromine battery. A German 3.5-ton postal truck travelled 300 km with a single charge in its 650-kg (146 Wh/kg) zinc-air battery. Its top speed was 110 km per hour.
{"title":"New electric-vehicle batteries","authors":"H. Oman","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643374","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643374","url":null,"abstract":"Electric vehicles that can't reach trolley wires need batteries. In the early 1900's electric cars disappeared when owners found that replacing the car's worn-out lead-acid battery costs more than a new gasoline-powered car. Most of today's electric cars are still propelled by lead-acid batteries. General Motors' impact, for example, uses starting-lighting-ignition batteries, which deliver lots of power for demonstrations, but have a life of less than 100 deep discharges. Now promising alternative technology has challenged the world-wide lead miners, refiners, and battery makers into forming a consortium that sponsors research into making better lead-acid batteries. Horizon's new bipolar battery delivered 50 watt-hours per kg (Wh/kg), compared with 20 for ordinary transport-vehicle batteries. The alternatives are delivering from 80 Wh/kg (nickel-metal hydride) up to 200 Wh/kg (zinc-bromine). A Fiat Panda travelled 260 km on a single charge of its zinc-bromine battery. A German 3.5-ton postal truck travelled 300 km with a single charge in its 650-kg (146 Wh/kg) zinc-air battery. Its top speed was 110 km per hour.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123644177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643323
Yi-Chieh Chang, P. Kapoor, R. Joshi, M. Suriano
A VLSI chip has been designed to perform a high-speed pyramid data compression algorithm for image processing. The algorithm implemented in the VLSI chip requires dramatically less computations yet it is an effective technique to perform the data compression. The computational complexity of the algorithm is at least 10 times less than that of the standard algorithm, JPEG while offering comparable performances in image quality to JPEG. Moreover, due to the simplified computational algorithm, the hardware complexity will be 3 to 4 times less than the VLSI chips based on JPEG, thus the cost/performance of the proposed VLSI data compression chip will be 30 to 40 times cheaper than any existing standard data compression chip.
{"title":"A VLSI data compression chip for high-speed image compression","authors":"Yi-Chieh Chang, P. Kapoor, R. Joshi, M. Suriano","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643323","url":null,"abstract":"A VLSI chip has been designed to perform a high-speed pyramid data compression algorithm for image processing. The algorithm implemented in the VLSI chip requires dramatically less computations yet it is an effective technique to perform the data compression. The computational complexity of the algorithm is at least 10 times less than that of the standard algorithm, JPEG while offering comparable performances in image quality to JPEG. Moreover, due to the simplified computational algorithm, the hardware complexity will be 3 to 4 times less than the VLSI chips based on JPEG, thus the cost/performance of the proposed VLSI data compression chip will be 30 to 40 times cheaper than any existing standard data compression chip.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124794102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643332
S. Starks, P. Narasimhamurthy
It is important to dynamically tune communication network parameters in order to improve the performance of the network and to prevent congestion. All parameters can be tuned, including the size of a packet, the retransmission timeout (i.e. the amount of time to wait for an acknowledgement), etc. Tuning is usually done by applying some predefined linear transformation to the current values of these parameters: e.g., add a constant, subtract a constant or multiply the current values by a constant. However, even the careful choice of these linear transformations still leaves us with some congestion problems. As an attempt to avoid this difficulty Van Jacobson (1988) proposed to use nonlinear transformations (namely, a specific family of fractionally linear ones). His simulation results showed that this new tuning algorithm really worked well. However, the resulting behavior is still sometimes highly unstable. There exists system operators who can tune the network perfectly, but we cannot use them 24 hours a day. It is therefore necessary to formalize their ability to avoid congestion. Since these individuals often cannot explain their knowledge in precise mathematical terms, we have been led to use fuzzy control technique to transform their words into an efficient control strategy. As a result, we get a congestion control technique that is much better than the fractional linear approach.
{"title":"An approach to avoid congestion in computer networks","authors":"S. Starks, P. Narasimhamurthy","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643332","url":null,"abstract":"It is important to dynamically tune communication network parameters in order to improve the performance of the network and to prevent congestion. All parameters can be tuned, including the size of a packet, the retransmission timeout (i.e. the amount of time to wait for an acknowledgement), etc. Tuning is usually done by applying some predefined linear transformation to the current values of these parameters: e.g., add a constant, subtract a constant or multiply the current values by a constant. However, even the careful choice of these linear transformations still leaves us with some congestion problems. As an attempt to avoid this difficulty Van Jacobson (1988) proposed to use nonlinear transformations (namely, a specific family of fractionally linear ones). His simulation results showed that this new tuning algorithm really worked well. However, the resulting behavior is still sometimes highly unstable. There exists system operators who can tune the network perfectly, but we cannot use them 24 hours a day. It is therefore necessary to formalize their ability to avoid congestion. Since these individuals often cannot explain their knowledge in precise mathematical terms, we have been led to use fuzzy control technique to transform their words into an efficient control strategy. As a result, we get a congestion control technique that is much better than the fractional linear approach.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128391036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643372
S. Lough
In the first decade of the 20th century, gas and electric vehicles were in a head to head battle. Actually until after 1915, electric trucks dominated the urban scene. At this time it was not only commercial concerns who preferred electric's but women too, for they were clean, easy to start and drive, and you know something.. they still are! In lacking the foresight to develop electric car technology we have created a global monster. Urban sprawl, suburbs, malls, pollution on a global scale, and an infrastructure which is not going to give up market share without a fight.
{"title":"The not so new electric car-step child of Detroit","authors":"S. Lough","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643372","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643372","url":null,"abstract":"In the first decade of the 20th century, gas and electric vehicles were in a head to head battle. Actually until after 1915, electric trucks dominated the urban scene. At this time it was not only commercial concerns who preferred electric's but women too, for they were clean, easy to start and drive, and you know something.. they still are! In lacking the foresight to develop electric car technology we have created a global monster. Urban sprawl, suburbs, malls, pollution on a global scale, and an infrastructure which is not going to give up market share without a fight.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125375909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643342
A.B. Grebene
Accurate and reliable models of analog and mixed-signal ICs are essential for simulation of board-level designs. The modeling approach outlined in this paper presents a methodical way of generating accurate analog models. It relies heavily on the build-out techniques of modeling, and allows the designer to simplify the modeling process by subdividing a circuit function into a hierarchy of function modules, where each function module provides an accurate and independent control of one or two model parameters. The modular nature of the resulting model allows it to be useful as a "template" for a broad class of similar circuits.
{"title":"A methodical approach for macromodeling of analog circuits","authors":"A.B. Grebene","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643342","url":null,"abstract":"Accurate and reliable models of analog and mixed-signal ICs are essential for simulation of board-level designs. The modeling approach outlined in this paper presents a methodical way of generating accurate analog models. It relies heavily on the build-out techniques of modeling, and allows the designer to simplify the modeling process by subdividing a circuit function into a hierarchy of function modules, where each function module provides an accurate and independent control of one or two model parameters. The modular nature of the resulting model allows it to be useful as a \"template\" for a broad class of similar circuits.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133365168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643329
C. Steidley
The object-oriented approach to software development has entered a period of explosive growth. The number of programmers using object-oriented programming languages has been growing at double-digit rates for the past two or three years. According to Gapers Jones of Software Productivity Research, object oriented languages ranked second in use by development programmers and fifth in overall use in the United States. Even with all of this growth, thoughtful observers have noticed some gaps. This missing information would be useful in exploring overall economic and technical value of the object-oriented approach. Many software engineering topics are either not covered in the object-oriented literature, or the coverage is so sparse that more data is needed to make a complete and convincing case in favor of object-oriented methods.
{"title":"The object oriented paradigm: issues and practices","authors":"C. Steidley","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643329","url":null,"abstract":"The object-oriented approach to software development has entered a period of explosive growth. The number of programmers using object-oriented programming languages has been growing at double-digit rates for the past two or three years. According to Gapers Jones of Software Productivity Research, object oriented languages ranked second in use by development programmers and fifth in overall use in the United States. Even with all of this growth, thoughtful observers have noticed some gaps. This missing information would be useful in exploring overall economic and technical value of the object-oriented approach. Many software engineering topics are either not covered in the object-oriented literature, or the coverage is so sparse that more data is needed to make a complete and convincing case in favor of object-oriented methods.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"109 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130233494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643338
R. Kimball
{"title":"Process Mapping Skills For Reengineering Your Organization","authors":"R. Kimball","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643338","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121167197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643325
E. Brunner, B. Gilbert
The active-feedback amplifier (AFA) topology approaches the ideal voltage-controlled voltage source (VCVS) with distinct input and output common-mode levels. This topology is very useful whenever it is required to sense a differential voltage at the input whose common-mode level is different to that at the output. With the AFA no ambiguity about the input and output grounds arises; compare this to op-amp based applications where one always has to decide where the 'ground' should be referenced to - input or output? Furthermore, when the op-amp is viewed as an integrator and not as an infinite-gain, infinite bandwidth block, then at frequencies not too remote from the unity-gain frequency the op-amp will be nothing like the infinite-gain block it is supposed to be. The AFA in contrast provides accurate performance right up to its unity-gain frequency. This paper explains these benefits.
{"title":"The active feedback amplifier. A versatile analog building block","authors":"E. Brunner, B. Gilbert","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643325","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643325","url":null,"abstract":"The active-feedback amplifier (AFA) topology approaches the ideal voltage-controlled voltage source (VCVS) with distinct input and output common-mode levels. This topology is very useful whenever it is required to sense a differential voltage at the input whose common-mode level is different to that at the output. With the AFA no ambiguity about the input and output grounds arises; compare this to op-amp based applications where one always has to decide where the 'ground' should be referenced to - input or output? Furthermore, when the op-amp is viewed as an integrator and not as an infinite-gain, infinite bandwidth block, then at frequencies not too remote from the unity-gain frequency the op-amp will be nothing like the infinite-gain block it is supposed to be. The AFA in contrast provides accurate performance right up to its unity-gain frequency. This paper explains these benefits.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"94 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126623756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643376
C. Ellers
Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries, some in start-up production, will provide adequate range for commuting and normal household transportation demands. In March '94, at Phoenix Electric 500, a five passenger compact sedan, powered by the new Ovonic Nickel-metal hydride battery, was driven 125 miles and averaged over 65 MPH without stopping. Two larger cars recorded 116 and 111 miles with two eight minute quick charges in the same time frame. Electronics is the key to future improvements, with particular importance placed on smart technology, chargers, controllers, instrumentation and safety.
{"title":"Electric transportation: the challenge is yours","authors":"C. Ellers","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643376","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.643376","url":null,"abstract":"Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries, some in start-up production, will provide adequate range for commuting and normal household transportation demands. In March '94, at Phoenix Electric 500, a five passenger compact sedan, powered by the new Ovonic Nickel-metal hydride battery, was driven 125 miles and averaged over 65 MPH without stopping. Two larger cars recorded 116 and 111 miles with two eight minute quick charges in the same time frame. Electronics is the key to future improvements, with particular importance placed on smart technology, chargers, controllers, instrumentation and safety.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"143 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116388605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1994-10-11DOI: 10.1109/NORTHC.1994.638959
J. Huffman
The modern technologies of fuzzy logic and neural networks have underpinnings in truth values, or degrees of class membership, or subjectively driven weighted links. Researchers believe the technologies are closer to operating in the modes that humans use for thought and control. For this reason neural, fuzzy, genetic algorithms and the like are being called "natural computing", or "soft computing". When a designer understands the underlying functionality, he/she can find ways to apply the technologies to difficult problems involving high levels of complexity and non-linearity. This paper attempts to provide some insight into the idea of renaming the problem space based on the accessibility of natural computing tools.
{"title":"Neural nets and fuzzy logic provide a new systems view","authors":"J. Huffman","doi":"10.1109/NORTHC.1994.638959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/NORTHC.1994.638959","url":null,"abstract":"The modern technologies of fuzzy logic and neural networks have underpinnings in truth values, or degrees of class membership, or subjectively driven weighted links. Researchers believe the technologies are closer to operating in the modes that humans use for thought and control. For this reason neural, fuzzy, genetic algorithms and the like are being called \"natural computing\", or \"soft computing\". When a designer understands the underlying functionality, he/she can find ways to apply the technologies to difficult problems involving high levels of complexity and non-linearity. This paper attempts to provide some insight into the idea of renaming the problem space based on the accessibility of natural computing tools.","PeriodicalId":218454,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of NORTHCON '94","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116507925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}