Personal computer

About: Personal computer is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 58809 publications have been published within this topic receiving 800814 citations. The topic is also known as: PC.

A Wearable Acceleration Sensor System for Gait Recognition

Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of human recognition based on their gait acceleration signal characteristics produced by walking. A portable microprocessor-based data collection device was designed to measure the three-dimensional gait acceleration signals during human walking. The system consists of a tri-axial accelerometer, a MCU, 32 M bytes of RAM, and a data transfer module for data transfer. The device was fixed to the user's waist and three-dimensional acceleration signals were recorded at a sampling rate of 250 Hz. After completing the recording, data stored in the RAM were transferred to a personal computer for wavelet denoising, gait cycles dividing, and gait pattern extracting. Through the analysis in time domain and frequency domain, and using dynamic time warping to deal with the problems result from naturally occurring changes in walking speed, 1-nearest neighbor is used for individual identification. Experiments were performed on 21 subjects walking on their normal speed. The methods of gait analysis in time domain and frequency domain are applying, the equal error rate of 5.6% and 21.1% are achieved respectively. Our preliminary results indicate that it is possible to recognize users based on their gait acceleration.

Automated help instructions for automatically or adaptively configuring a hand-held device, such as a bar code reader or hand-held personal computer

Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for guiding a hand-held device operator through the process of enabling input and output devices on the hand-held device. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a hand-held device includes a bar code reader which images or scans a bar code label. The hand-held device then searches its enabled bar code symbologies for a bar code symbology which interprets the scanned bar code label. If the device cannot interpret the scanned bar code label according to its presently enabled bar code symbologies, the device then examines its non-enabled bar code symbologies. If the scanned bar code label can be interpreted according to a non-enabled bar code symbology, then the device queries the operator to determine if the bar code symbology should be enabled. If the operator requests enablement of the bar code symbology, then the device changes the bar code symbology to an enabled status and interprets the scanned bar code label according to the newly enabled bar code symbology. Otherwise, the device generates an error message and sends it to the operator. Other embodiments of the invention permit the enablement of input devices such as touch-sensitive screens, keyboards, and operator-selectable input buttons.

An integrated approach to forecasting and inventory management of short life cycle products

Abstract: This research is an attempt to provide an integrated framework for forecasting and inventory management of short life cycle products. Short product life cycles are becoming increasingly common in several consumer and industrial goods industries. Management of the marketing and production functions for these products presents significantly different challenges than those for longer lasting products. The timing of decisions and the information available for decision making are both affected by the shortened life cycles. The literature on forecasting and inventory management does not adequately address issues relating to short life cycle products. In the first part of this research we develop growth models that can be used to obtain accurate monthly forecasts for the entire life cycle of the product. The models avoid the limiting data requirements of traditional methods. Instead, they extract relevant information from past product histories and use the information on total life cycle sales and the peak sales timing. Empirical testing, on disguised real life data from a PC Manufacturer, validates these models. Model fit and forecast comparisons with traditional approaches show that the proposed models outperform these approaches. Next, we model the inventory management problem for the short life cycle environment. The uncertainty in demand is modeled through the uncertainty in the realized values of the parameters of the forecasting model. The high cost of terminal inventory, shortages and rapidly changing procurement costs are all included in the model. Extensions to the basic model are also developed. Using optimal control theory, we derive a solution that provides valuable information on procurement cutoff time and terminal service levels. A detailed real life example explains the characteristics of the policy and its relevance in decision making. Many of the issues covered in the models were brought to our attention while implementing a forecasting model at a Personal Computer manufacturer. The benchmark monthly forecasts and the associated inventory levels provide information that can be very helpful in planning and controlling marketing, sales and production. By raising some issues this research also provides useful topics for further research in the area of management of short life cycle products.

Computer method and user interface for decision analysis and for global system optimization

Abstract: A stand-alone computer application for solving decision problems, conducting decision and risk analyses, and for globally optimizing the operation of systems and processes is disclosed. Running on a personal computer, the application embodies three major methods. The first method is project oriented and includes highly modularized procedures for solving and analyzing sequential, probabilistic and multi-objective decision problems. It enables a user to specify and to seamlessly integrate prioritized objectives, performance measures, utility functions, decisions, choices, outcomes, probabilities, multi-dimensional costs and external parameters into an objectives-based decision model. It further includes procedures to assist a user in the construction of objectives hierarchies, utility functions, cost functions and probability expressions. The second method generalizes the first method into a system controller for globally optimizing a process or system whose operation involves sequential probabilistic and multi-objective decisions that cannot be addressed using conventional linear, non-linear and stochastic control methods. It provides a framework for modeling hybrid discrete-continuous control systems where discrete events and processes are modeled at upper levels of a control hierarchy and continuous processes are modeled at lower levels. The third method provides a multiple-window graphical user interface to assist a user in applying the first two methods, and includes procedures for manipulating and editing textual and graphical outputs.

Electronic delivery system and method for integrating global financial services

Abstract: A method for integrating a plurality of financial services provided at different geographical locations and in different time zones, and electronic delivering such services directly to a customer facility at any time requested by the customer. Customers connect to the system whenever desired to access each of the services, and messages are stored and routed between the customers and each of the service providers at the respective times when the customers' facilities and the service providers' facilities are operative. The system can interface with a customer's stand-alone personal computer, local area network, and/or mainframe computer. A variety of security functions provide different levels of access to the services for different customers.