An intrusion detection system (IDS) comprises a network processor (NP) coupled to a memory unit for storing programs and data. The NP is also coupled to one or more parallel pattern detection engines (PPDE) which provide high speed parallel detection of patterns in an input data stream. Each PPDE comprises many processing units (PUs) each designed to store intrusion signatures as a sequence of data with selected operation codes. The PUs have configuration registers for selecting modes of pattern recognition. Each PU compares a byte at each clock cycle. If a sequence of bytes from the input pattern match a stored pattern, the identification of the PU detecting the pattern is outputted with any applicable comparison data. By storing intrusion signatures in many parallel PUs, the IDS can process network data at the NP processing speed. PUs may be cascaded to increase intrusion coverage or to detect long intrusion signatures.

Recognizing patterns within a set of data is important in many fields, including speech recognition, image processing, seismic data, etc. Some image processors collect image data and then pre-process the data to prepare it to be correlated to reference data. Other systems, like speech recognition, are real time where the input data is compared in real time to reference data to recognize patterns. Once the patterns are "recognized" or matched to a reference, the system may output the reference. For example, a speech recognition system may output equivalent text to the processed speech patterns. Other systems, like biological systems, may use similar techniques to determine sequences in molecular strings like DNA.
In some systems, there is a need to find patterns that are imbedded in a continuous data stream. In non-aligned data streams, there are some situations where patterns may be missed if only a single byte-by-byte comparison is implemented. The situation where patterns may be missed occurs when there is a repeated or nested repeating patterns in the input stream or the pattern to be detected. A reference pattern (RP) containing the sequence that is being searched for is loaded into storage where each element of the sequence has a unique address. An address register is loaded with the address of the first element of the RP that is to be compared with the first element of the input pattern (IP). This address register is called a "pointer." In the general case, a pointer may be loaded with an address that may be either incremented (increased) or decremented (decreased). The value of the element pointed to by the pointer is retrieved and compared with input elements (IEs) that are clocked or loaded into a comparator.
In pattern recognition, it is often desired to compare elements of an IP to many RPs. For example, it may be desired to compare an IP resulting from scanning a finger print (typically 1 Kilobyte for certain combinations of features defined in fingerprint technology) to a library of RPs (all scan results on file). To do the job quickly, elements of each RP may be compared in parallel with elements in the IP. Each RP may have repeating substrings (short patterns) which are smaller patterns embedded within the RP. Since a library of RPs may be quite large, the processing required may be considerable. It would be desirable to have a way of reducing the amount of storage necessary to hold the RPs. If the amount of data used to represent the RPs could be reduced, it may also reduce the time necessary to load and unload the RPs. Parallel processing may also be used where each one of the RPs and the IP are loaded into separate processing units to determine matches.
Other pattern recognition processing in biological systems may require the comparison of an IP to a large number of stored RPs that have substrings that are repeated. Processing in small parallel processing units may be limited by the storage size required for the RPs. Portable, inexpensive processing systems for chemical analysis, biological analysis, etc., may also be limited by the amount of storage needed to quickly process large numbers of RPs.
Pattern detection or recognition is a bottleneck in many applications today and software solutions cannot achieve the necessary performance. It is desirable to have a hardware solution for matching patterns quickly that is expandable. It is also desirable to have a system that allows multiple modes of pattern matching. Some applications require an exact match of a pattern in an input data stream to a desired target pattern. In other cases, it is desirable to determine the longest match, the maximum number of characters matching, or a "fuzzy" match where various character inclusions or exclusions are needed.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) provide a means to detect patterns of bytes in packets that are certainly or probably associated with malicious activity. IDSs may operate on host-based systems or on network data flows, called network-based systems. In either case, an IDS looks for attacks (any malicious activity) originating from outside or inside the internal network and acts much like a burglar alarm. This is essentially a pattern recognition task where an IDS analyzes incoming data while attempting to detect known patterns (signatures) that indicate the presence of a known intruder.
Intrusion detection products are tools that assist in the protection of a network from intrusion by expanding the options available to manage the risk from threats and vulnerabilities. Intrusion detection capabilities may help a company secure its information. After an attack is detected by the system, the system may provide information about the attack. This information may be used to delete, log, or shun intruding packets. Support investigations then attempt to find out how the intruder breached the network security and then stop the breach method from being used by future intruders.
Malicious traffic is common in today's Internet. Current IDS performance may become a bottleneck at high bandwidth. Some attackers may launch a high-speed attack in order to overwhelm IDS and simultaneously a low-speed attack in hope that the low-speed attack will not be noticed. These attacks may be real-time, live traffic attacks. This means that computing networks must continually scan traffic to catch these malicious activities. Current IDS software throughput is inversely proportional to the network load, hence is more prone to attacks, and run at higher loads. IDS software enables either comprehensive or high speed detection, but not both.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and circuitry to form an IDS that is able to detect intrusions, identify a variety of attacks, and run at the real-time speed of the high performance network.

Intrusion detection using a network processor and a parallel pattern detection engine

International Business Machines Corporation


Apparatuses and methods for authenticating a user to a host by an agent are disclosed. In the method the agent receives a connection request to the host from the user. In response to the received connection request, the agent determines an ephemeral authenticator, and acquires using the ephemeral authenticator a second authenticator. The second authenticator is based at least in part on use of the ephemeral authenticator. The agent then authenticates the user to the host using the second authenticator.

A computerized network system typically comprises various computing devices and other equipment enabling communication of data between the devices. Physical computing devices are often called hosts. A host may also be a virtual computing device or a container such as a Linux™ container or equivalent within a physical computing device. Each host may comprise or be associated with one or more user accounts, processes, and/or files.
A user can access a host by means of a user device configured for communication in the computerized network system. A host to be accessed is sometimes referred to as a target host. Users may wish to access hosts in a computerized network for various reasons. For example, hosts can provide a wide variety of services and/or store files or other content users may wish to use. Various arrangements for accessing hosts and other entities in a computerized network system can be configured. Non-limiting examples of these include web-based access, security protocol (e.g. secure shell protocol; SSH) based access, file transfer access, remote procedure call access, and/or software upgrade access. Such access may be used by, e.g., end users, automation, and/or by system administrators.
Data communications, access to hosts, user devices and hosts itself can be vulnerable to attacks by unauthorised parties. Hence security considerations are of importance. For example, organizations such as businesses, governmental or municipal organizations or non-profitable organizations and also individual users typically want to control how their computer systems and data stored therein can be accessed and used.
Various solutions for enhancing data security have been suggested. Some of these are based on use of keys. Keys can be used e.g. for encryption of data communicated between devices and/or encryption of stored data. In addition to cryptography, keys are also used for authentication and authorisation functions, digital signatures and so on. Public and secret keys are used. In public key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, a pair of public and private keys is used. The public keys may be disseminated widely whereas the private keys are known only to the owner. This accomplishes the authentication (the public key is used to verify that a holder of the paired private key sent the message) and encryption (only the holder of the paired private key can decrypt the message encrypted with the public key). Another security feature is based on use of certificates used to verify or sign keys. A public key certificate can be used to prove the ownership of a public key. A public key certificate is an electronic document, also known as a digital certificate or identity certificate that includes information about the key, information about the identity of the proprietor of the key, and the digital signature of an entity that has verified that the contents of the certificate are correct. The principle is that if the signature is valid, and the person examining the certificate trusts the signer, then that key can be used to securely communicate with its proprietor. Certificates are considered to provide a good defence in preventing an attacker from impersonating a secure website or other server. Certificates are signed by a certificate authority (CA). The CA can be a trusted party or organisation, e.g., a company that charges customers to issue certificates for them. In a web of trust scheme, the signer can be an owner of a key (a self-signed certificate) or other users ("endorsements") whom the person examining the certificate might know and trust.
Keys and certificates are widely used in computerized network systems for enhancing security. Such widespread use can cause problems. For example, a large number of certificates may be in use in any organisation and/or computerised system. Some of these can be in use in the system without anyone realising/without being accounted for. A particular problem can be caused by certificates that have no set expiry, or expire only after a long period of time. Also, certificates may have been issued to users whose access rights have expired, for example ex-employees or sub-contractors. As long as the certificate exists and has not been revoked, it can be used for access to a host. Furthermore, once a connection is established in response to a request for access to a host it may stay open for a long period of time, even indefinitely.
It is possible to scan a system to weed out any old and/or unused and/or otherwise suspect certificates and/or keys and old open connections. However, a scan can take quite a while and/or may also miss something that should not be in use.
Managing certificates, other authenticators and security features and old connections can become even more problematic in virtualised environments and cloud computing where a number of physical entities may provide a user with an access to a host. For example, a service may be provided for a user accessing the service in different sessions by different physical entities or hosts in the cloud, resulting a certificates and/or keys being used in a number of locations. Further, different types of hosts may require use of different authenticators for the access. User may not be aware of this, for example whether he/she is trying to access a legacy or cloud type host. This can set considerable challenges for managing the use of keys and certificates, and access to hosts in general.
It is noted that the above discussed issues are not limited to any particular communication protocol and data processing apparatus but may occur in any computerised system where authenticators such as certificates are used to enhance data security.
Embodiments of the invention aim to address one or several of the above issues.

Authentication of users in a computer network


Methods, apparatuses and systems enabling delivery of advertising to third-party short message service (SMS) content providers. An SMS content provider sends a request to an ad server for an advertisement to append to an outgoing mobile terminated message. The ad server retrieves an advertisement from the ad database that meets available character constraints as well as targeting parameters based on user area code, time, content-channel, and content of the message. If targeting parameters are satisfied, the ad server sends advertisement to SMS content provider to append to outgoing message. The ad server sends receipt of delivery to reporting database. Methods, apparatuses and systems are described for retrieving advertisements for delivery to mobile users, tracking retrieval of advertisements, and receiving compensation in exchange for advertisement distribution. Methods, apparatuses and systems are described for creating text-based advertisements, setting targeting parameters, and viewing ad delivery reports across third-party SMS content affiliates.

The adoption of personal wireless communications devices has been rapid and revolutionary. Today there are more mobile users than internet users worldwide because of the desire for immediate communications methods and wide availability and instant access to telecommunications networks. Aside from voice services, other services for communication and data transfer have seen wide adoption, such as: SMS, MMS, WAP, and IM. In particular, SMS as a communications method has seen the greatest adoption because of its strengths as a communications tool, cost savings against voice, inclusion in basic voice service plans, and wide device compatibility.
Worldwide, SMS has seen greater adoption than in the United States. This is due in part to the relative cheapness of voice service plans in the U.S. compared to other countries, the availability of flat-rate voice plans, and American's voice-centric communications behavior. In November 2001, wireless service providers began to connect their networks for text messaging, allowing subscribers on different networks to exchange text messages. The phenomenon of text messaging had caught on in Europe and Asia a few years earlier, but the U.S. had many unique challenges in combining networks running different technologies (CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN) to enable truly open text messaging across all networks. Since the groundbreaking launch of AT&T Wireless' inter-carrier text messaging program in November 2001, followed by a CTIA-led interoperability consortium including national carriers and others early in 2002, the number of text messages in the United States has grown astronomically to over twenty (20) billion messages sent every month.
SMS traffic in the U.S., especially among younger users has seen dramatic growth. In reaction to the wide adoption of SMS among the highly sought after 18-34 year old demographic, marketers are beginning to use the platform for marketing purposes. The one-to-one nature of advertising on a personal wireless device as well as the instant nature of SMS messages makes for an attractive marketing method. However, due to the opt-in nature of SMS marketing, the process of promoting a mobile campaign to generate exposure still requires considerable resources. Often, costly traditional methods of advertising such as TV, radio, and print are the means of promoting mobile campaigns. These methods are inefficient because they are not targeted specifically to a mobile savvy audience.
Aside from pure mobile marketing campaigns, the growing popularity of this communications method has led to the formation of new SMS services that provide free information and content to mobile users. These services provide updated information via SMS such as weather alerts, real-time stock quotes, sports scores, and other content. As well, other services are enabling mobile social networking services through group messaging services via SMS. These services are focused providing a free service or content to grow their user base. And, similar to internet websites, these large user bases can support their free services through advertising. Often many outgoing messages sent by these SMS services contain unused character space. Some have begun to sell this space to advertiser directly, but most SMS services prefer to focus on building their user base rather than build a sales team. An opportunity exists for an aggregator to focus on acquiring advertisers and provide advertisements to append to the outgoing messages of third-party SMS services. In return, the SMS services earn a commission based on the advertisements that are sent. Likewise, advertisers who want to reach a mobile audience, do not need to form a relationship with one or many SMS services to place their mobile ads. Instead these advertisers can turn to a single aggregator to create the mobile advertisements and optimize the placement of such advertisements across all third-party SMS message providers. This concept has been successful on the internet and is commonly described as an "ad network".
One desirable feature is for advertisements messages to be provided to third-party SMS services in an automated fashion through an API integration between an ad server and an SMS message application of the third-party SMS service. Advertisements are served to the SMS service provider only when specific targeting criteria are satisfied. This criteria is based on area code of the mobile phone number for SMS delivery, the time of day, and the content category code assigned to the SMS service provider. By providing this information to the ad server, along with the content of the outgoing message, the ad server can provide an advertisement that fits within the space requirements of a standard 160 character SMS message as well as one that meets the advertisers targeting preferences.

System and method for distributing advertisements to third-party SMS content providers


A disposable wearing includes a crotch chassis having a liquid-impervious sheet. The crotch chassis has a main region and opposite lateral portions lying outboard of the main region in the transverse direction and provided with leg elastic elements extending in the longitudinal direction. The opposite lateral portions respectively have fold lines extending in the longitudinal direction, outer side zones lying outboard of the respective fold lines in the transverse direction and inner side zones lying inboard of the respective fold lines in the transverse direction. The outer side zones of the respective lateral portions are folded inward and fixed to the associated inner side zones via associated bond zones extending in the longitudinal direction to form a pair of elastic lateral portions having folded back regions, respectively.

Conventionally, disposable diapers are known each having an annular elastic waist panel and a crotch chassis attached thereto. For example, PTL 1 discloses a disposable diaper including an elastic waist panel having a front waist panel defining a front waist region, a rear waist panel defining a rear waist region and a crotch chassis extending between the front and rear waist panels in a longitudinal direction and having front and end regions attached to the elastic waist panel.


According to some embodiments, distances associated with a Trellis decoder are determined.

A modem can be used to exchange information through a communication network. Moreover, the modem may include a data pump to facilitate the exchange of information in accordance with a particular protocol. For example, the data pump might be adapted to receive and transmit data over a telephone wire in accordance with a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) protocol.

Distance determinations associated with a trellis decoder


MULTIPLE USE WATER VEHICLE characterized in that it comprises an elongated floating assembly e) which, provided with propelling means m), steering means c) and gripping means 4) is formed by a principal float 1) which includes a stabilizer 5) and two lateral pontoons 2), all of them connected with each other by a least one rigid structure (3-4), the principal float 1) having an access opening which, having a section that may permit a person to go in, is tightly closed by a lid 7).

The present invention refers to a multiple use water vehicle whose object is a new type of floating vessel that may permit not only its motion under optimal conditions of floatability, but also, owing to its structure, it may permit the rescue of persons from the water, (especially in areas of wave break), to lift goods and structures of all types from liquid media, to transport goods and to practice sports or entertainment activities, etc.
Some types of pneumatic floating vessels are already known such as rubber boats and similar ones which are suitable to render some types of services and activities. These known pneumatic floating vessels raise several problems; among said problems is that they retain water between the pneumatic structures that form its walls and the floor.
Catamarans, whose structure is mounted on sets of floating pontoons are equally known. They also pose the problem of collecting water, which results in their instability (the floatation line varies and is uncontrollable); this fact makes them unsuitable for use in big wave areas such as the sea.
The new water vehicle described-in the present invention has faced and overcome the problems stated above by means of a floating structure that may be rigid (hard) or inflatable ,pneumatic with flexible walls in such a way that it not only has the advantage of not collecting water, but, if there happened to occur a breakage or puncture in one of the pontoons or in the principal float, the structure continues to operate without sinking, thus permitting it to arrive at a safe place to repair the damage.
Another advantage of the invention consists in including a stabilizer which is formed of a watertight compartment that can be fed through an orifice which is plugged from outside, thus permitting to add or to remove ballast (for example liquid), so as to vary the flotation line of the vessel and, consequently, to vary its stability. This makes it suitable to the conditions of the liquid medium wherein it moves (i.e. if the water is very calm the flotation line goes down and it is possible to navigate with larger projection of the vehicle above the water level, whereas in case of surge, the flotation line goes up and it becomes necessary to increase the weight by adding ballast into the stabilizer compartment).
Another advantage of the invention is the possibility of using the vessel for rescuing persons from the water; this can be done by means of lateral belts which permit hoisting the persons on board in a horizontal position relatively easily, taking into consideration that hoisting people from the water is usually a rather difficult operation.
Another purpose of the invention is to permit the use of the principal float as an emergency decompressor chamber, applicable to swimmers who, in the course of a diving practice, have had, for some reason, to rapidly ascend to the surface.
A further application of the vessel is to use it for quick motion with a small part under water (as the boat heels over separating its bow from the water), by means of the use of sliding skis provided on the base of the pontoons, which permit its motion in snow or ice with an eolic drive engine and which also permits varying the water line.
One further possibility is to use the stabilizer compartment as an auxiliary water or fuel deposit to the effect of increasing the autonomy of the vehicle or to permit the transport of liquids plus the additional feature that said compartment may come optionally with a partition wall for counteracting the rolling effect to some extent.
Apart from the above stated, further advantages and purposes of the invention will be disclosed in the course of the specifications.
For the above stated reasons, it is easy to imagine the acceptance of the invention is to have when put into practice, whatever may be its category and destination since, owing to its characteristics, it can be used for economical transport of persons and/or cargos as well as for rescuing operations, sports and entertainment, hoisting or removing goods from the water, etc.


Waste water treatment for the removal of heavy metals is optimized by continuously removing and filtering a sample flow of treated waste water subject to pH level control to determine the presence of remaining metals in solution to be precipitated. Filtering of the sample removes metals precipitated by pH level control. Optimized pH level control can cause precipitation of most non-chelated and/or non-complexed metals, so that controlled feeding of a precipitating agent to the treated waste water is effectively determined by only those metals remaining in solution, which are typically either chelated and/or complexed heavy metals. The filtered sample is injected with a diluted solution of the precipitating agent, and then a turbidity meter is used to determine the degree of turbidity of the injected clear sample. The resulting degree of turbidity corresponds to the level of precipitation caused by injection of the diluted precipitating agent. The precipitation level is in turn in direct correspondence with the level of remaining metals in solution. Differentiation between types of metals for control of feeding of the precipitating agent to the waste water permits optimized use of the precipitating agent, and minimized sludge production accompanying use of the precipitating agent.

This invention concerns in general improved method and apparatus for waste water treatment, and in particular concerns the treatment of waste water containing heavy metals.
Industrial waste waters commonly include a variety of contaminants which require treatment (i.e. removal) even before the waste water can be discharged from the plant site. The nature of the waste water contaminants is in large part dependent on the commercial processes practiced in the plant. Accordingly, there is great variety in the nature of waste water contaminant problems. Moreover, the matrix (i.e., makeup) of waste water even at a given commercial site will usually vary, sometimes dramatically, with changes in production or the like.
Particular industries, for example such as those relating to metal plating, metal finishing, or circuit board manufacturing activities, generate waste water with heavy metals (e.g., copper, nickel, etc.) and other metals in solution with such waste water. The commercial activities themselves, may inherently generate heavy metals which are chelated and/or complexed for purposes of the commercial activity (e.g., metal plating) itself. Chelating and/or complexing tends to cause such metals to remain in solution, and thus require special attention for their removal.
During the typical course of plant activity, heavy metal concentration in the waste water is highly variable. While concentration variations can in general be expected, monitoring of and reacting to specific variations is problematic. Concentrations of heavy metals may typically vary from a few parts per million to several hundred parts per million, even in a very short time, such as a matter of minutes.
Not only do concentration levels vary drastically, but extreme variations can be experienced with respect to the matrix (both in identity and nature, e.g., chelated versus non-chelated) of heavy metals present.
In general, it is known to add (i.e., feed) various precipitating agents to waste water to precipitate such heavy metals for their removal from the water. The amount of such precipitating agents required (i.e. consumed) in the course of precipitating such heavy metals of course depends on the degree of presence of such heavy metals in solution with the waste water. Since effective real time monitoring of heavy metal concentration levels has heretofore generally proven difficult, such treatment chemical feeding (i.e. the feed rate of precipitating agents) is typically set at a compromise level, such as for precipitating the maximum expected concentration of heavy metals. Such a compromise setting creates an excess amount of sludge, which sludge may often be classified as a hazardous waste. Moreover, since the cost of the treatment chemicals is not insignificant, wasteful overfeeding thereof is costly.
Operators have been known to attempt periodic checks to manually detect the level of metals entering the waste water (i.e., assess the expected concentrations), and adjust the chemical feed rate accordingly. However, such a manual adjustment merely alters the set feed rate in accordance with periodic reassessments of the anticipated maximum concentration, and does nothing to eliminate excess sludge production and excessive and costly chemical usage caused by differences between actual concentration levels and the anticipated maximums thereof. Moreover, short term spikes can still occur, meaning that inadequately treated waste water can be nonetheless discharged. Such occurrences are particularly problematic where applicable laws regulate the permissable discharge concentration levels, such as to certain fractional parts per million or certain parts per million.
In some industrial settings, anticipation of heavy metal concentrations in the waste water may be relatively "less predictable". For example, a totally unexpected occurrence of heavy metals in the waste water can go unchecked, thereby causing the plant to exceed permissible discharge levels. For example, maintenance personnel might empty mop buckets or the like containing chelated heavy metals picked up from the floor of the facility, which could cause a heavy metal concentration spike in the waste water at a time whenever commercial activity in the plant is nil, and precipitating agent feed pumps may be switched off. The plant is nonetheless responsible for its waste water discharge, though no effective continuous monitoring systems for preventing such undesirable discharges may be available.
It is generally known that certain metals in solution in waste water may be precipitated therefrom by controlling the pH level of the waste water. For example, non-chelated and non-complexed metals in particular may be in various degrees precipitated in such manner. Automatic controllers are generally available which function to probe the waste water for its pH level, and automatically pump treatment chemicals accordingly to the waste water so as to adjust its pH level within an established deviation from a pre-selected setpoint. One example of such a controller is the Model 5 proportional pH pump controller, made by Chem-Tech International, Inc., of 92 Bolt Street, Lowell, Mass., 01853. While such a controller may be effective for metals which may be precipitated through such pH inducement, heavy metals which are chelated and/or complexed generally will not be precipitated with such pH level control. Thus, the monitoring and treatment problems noted above persist, and may be compounded where a changing mix of chelated and non-chelated metals is presented for treatment.
Another aspect of waste water treatment problems where both such types of metals are in solution (i.e., which can and can not be practically precipitated through pH inducement) is that use of a precipitating agent can precipitate both such types of metals. However, unnecessary sludge production is caused by precipitating metals in such a manner which could have otherwise been precipitated through pH level control (as generally discussed above). Again, the amount of precipitating agent consumption is also a factor.
In addition to the availability of known pH level control generally outlined above, at least one other generally known method, involving a so-called oxidation reduction potential probe, attempts to address precipitating agent usage. Such a probe is typically used to detect the presence of excess (i.e. un-consumed) precipitating agent at a phase of a waste water treatment program after all the metal is removed. One particular limitation of such a system is that it cannot distinguish between, for example, chelated and non-chelated metals, and must therefore feed precipitating agent until there is an excess of such agent present in the water. Feed control feedback also is derived from detected excess agent, not from information relative remaining metal in solution to be precipitated. Thus, there is no effective prevention of excess sludge generation or wasteful chemical usage.
Another limitation of a waste treatment system utilizing an oxidation reduction potential (ORP) probe is that the probe operation involves an electrical measurement which is affected by changes in the pH level of the waste water, the amount of total dissolved solids therein, and the amount of chelated metal in the waste water. Thus, an ORP probe system is inherently ineffective for use in providing close control of the feeding of chemical treatment solutions into waste water treatment systems.


The present invention is a stored value digital picture (or digital image) frame, and a method for sensing a stored value digital picture frame. It integrates the functionality of a stored value card, or a gift card, into a digital picture frame. The stored value digital picture frame may include an attachment device for attaching the frame to a keychain or keyring. The method includes sensing an account identifier from an account identifying device included in the frame, associating the identifier with an account, and taking some action involving the account. The action might be reading the account balance, initializing the balance with an amount, increasing the balance, or decreasing the balance.

A stored value card is a card that represents some kind of value, typically financial value. For example, a stored value card might be redeemable at a particular store for a certain monetary value in merchandise or services. A stored value card might be simply represent an amount of cash, that can be used, for example, as a substitute for a credit or debit card in making any kind of purchase, or to pay off debt. A stored value card might be restricted to a particular set of products or services; for example, it might represent ten deluxe car washes at some gas station. A gift card is a particular kind of stored value card, one purchased by a donor as a gift for, e.g., a friend, relative, or employee.
A stored value card must typically be activated, before it can be used to spend a portion of its stored value. This requirement protects the card retailer by reducing both the likelihood and the consequences of theft while the cards are displayed in a store. The card is activated by an initial scanning at the point of sale at the time when it is purchased, and, at the same time, an initial amount is associated with the card.
The amount initially added gives the stored value card an initial value balance. The value represented by the card is reduced when the card is used to make a purchase. Additional value for the card can typically be purchased from the card issuer or a card seller. In the case of a gift card, the donee or the donor might be able to buy additional stored value.
The balance of value remaining on the stored value card may be stored as an account in an electronic recordkeeping system, or database. In this case, the card must contain a device that provides identifying information for the account, such as a bar or UPC code, a magnetic strip, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a smart chip, or other identifying device. In the case of a card with a smart chip or similar device, the stored value balance may be maintained within the card itself. When a stored value card is redeemed, for example to make a purchase, then the account balance is reduced by the purchase amount. At a retail establishment, the account balance is usually automatically adjusted at the point of sale by the action of scanning the card, or manually by salesperson data entry.
A digital picture frame is a device, which resembles an ordinary picture frame, but which is actually an electronic device that displays digital images, such as photographs, on a screen or monitor. Since what is displayed might be any kind of images (e.g., a sequence of computer-aided design drawings), the term "digital image frame" is more general. In keeping with common practice, however, we will treat the terms "digital picture frame" and "digital frame" as being synonymous with "digital image frame."
The screen of a digital picture frame may employ any of the technologies used for digital displays, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED), or cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. The digital picture frame provides internal storage for the images, typically in flash memory or on a hard drive. The frame will provide one or more communications methods for loading photographs into the storage, such as a USB port (standard, mini, or micro), or BLUETOOTH® or other wireless technology. The unit might also allow images to be offloaded to an external device using such communication system(s).
The frame will have a power source, such as a battery or AC power cord. If a battery is used, then a user may have access to the battery to allow the battery to be replaced. Alternatively, the battery might be rechargeable by connecting the unit to a charger, for example through a USB, mini-USB, or micro-USB port. The frame may have an on/off switch, or it be powered on by touch. For example, there might be pressure sensors on opposite sides of the unit, such that the unit is turned on or off while it is being held in a person's hand. Alternatively, when the unit is held, a circuit might be closed, allowing a weak electrical current to flow through the user's hand, thereby turning the device on. Once the device is turned on by such an automated means, there might be a delay before the device is turned off, to allow the device to be handed from one user to another without shutting down. The frame may shut itself down if no user contact with controls has occurred for some previously specified period. The frame may have an intermediate power state in which it is still powered on but the screen is dimmed or blank pending user interaction with a control.
The frame will be capable of running in one or more modes, such as a slide show mode or a static picture mode. A set of controls may be provided that allow the user to select a mode, and to otherwise specify desired behavior of the frame. Frames often provide the user with some or all of the following capabilities: (1) when in static picture mode, to go forward or backward one picture in the sequence of pictures; (2) to cycle through all or some subset of the pictures automatically; (3) when cycling, to set the time interval that each picture is displayed; (4) to specify how one picture in the sequence transitions into display of the next, for example, one picture fades out and the next fades in; (5) to delete pictures; (6) to arrange the pictures in a display order; and (7) to set the screen brightness. Other features may also be under user control. The controls may be physical controls, such as buttons, sliders, or dials. These controls may be located anywhere on the frame itself, or on a wired or wireless remote control unit, or both. Some or all controls may be part of a graphical user interface, such as a touch screen. The frame might use a human interface device such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a joystick to enter commands.
The functionality of the frame may be managed internally by a processor, under control of an operating system and application logic, the logic embodied in some combination of hardware and software instructions. The processor may have access to memory, and/or storage such as flash memory or a hard drive, including tangible storage that includes the software instructions. The processor may read software into memory to execute it. Any aspect of functionality of the frame might be managed by the logic. For example, the logic, upon a receipt of a previously specified signal, might cause a digital image, which is stored in image storage, to be displayed on the screen. This signal might be triggered by a user selection from a menu, or by a button press; or it might be triggered automatically by the logic itself, for example when cycling through a slide show or sequence of images.
Digital frames come in many sizes, and with a broad diversity in capabilities Small digital frames have been combined with key chains and key rings.


A system for providing perceived first order control of an unmanned vehicle contains a memory and a processor configured by the memory to perform the steps of: receiving instructions for updating x-axis location, y-axis location, z-axis location, and/or heading of the unmanned vehicle; converting received instructions for updating x-axis location, y-axis location, z-axis location, and/or heading of the unmanned vehicle into a set of relative distance coordinates from a current location of the unmanned vehicle; and adjusting the set of relative distance coordinates by a gain control, to minimize coordinate change, wherein gain control provides a rate change in the x-axis location, y-axis location, z-axis location, and/or heading, resulting in a new set of coordinates. A screen displays a location dot representing current location of the unmanned vehicle and an outer limit circle surrounding the location dot representing an outer boundary for movement of the unmanned vehicle.

Field personnel, such as soldiers, police SWAT teams, and first responders face challenging, dangerous environments, often with little advance knowledge or information about their surroundings. Currently, this Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) information is provided by archival pictures, satellite imagery and prior or second-hand experiences. Although satellite imagery is currently the preferred method for gaining Situational Awareness (SA) in military outdoor environments, it has many shortcomings. As is known by those skilled in the art, situational awareness is defined as the combination of perception of elements in the environment, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the future. Operator situational awareness captures the ability of operators to make effective choices as a function of information processing efficiency. As such, situational awareness can significantly influence human behavior and hence, human-unmanned vehicle system performance. Since situational awareness is dynamic, it can influence operator responses over time and as a result, can dynamically impact supervisory control performance.
Unclassified satellite imagery maps available to field personnel are two dimensional images, with no elevation information and/or fixed points of view. In addition, field personnel may use simple maps that are not provided by satellite imagery. These maps are often outdated, and, due to shadows and shading, give false impressions of elevations and details of the environment. Critical features of buildings, such as doorways and windows are hidden from view. Combined, these flaws often provide field personnel with a false mental model of their environment. As is known by those skilled in the art, a mental model is defined as the cognitive constructed, which is created by a user to aid them in comprehending how a system operates and guiding them in their decision making processes regarding the system.
Given the need of these personnel to simultaneously perform a primary task, such as finding a Person of Interest (POI), as well as exploring the environment, an autonomous robot (i.e., an unmanned vehicle) would allow these groups to better perform ISR and improve their SA in real-time. Recent efforts have led to the creation of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs), a class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which are small and have autonomous capabilities. An MAV can hover in place, perform Vertical Take-Off and Landing, and easily rotate with a small sensor payload. The compact size of these vehicles and their maneuvering capabilities make them well-suited for performing highly localized ISR missions with an MAV operator working within the same environment as the vehicle. These localized missions require users to devote significant amounts of cognitive resources to give the MAVs gross directions (i.e., going to a building of interest), and then 100% of attention to fine tune control of such a vehicle (i.e., position a vehicle at a window to peer in.)
Unfortunately, existing interfaces for MAVs, and unmanned vehicles in general, ignore the competing needs of field operators, requiring bulky equipment and the full attention of an operator. A majority of interfaces and Ground Control Stations (GCSs) require the full attention of the operator. These systems require extensive training before an operator can safely and effectively operate the MAV. GCSs that allow the operator to manually position and orient the MAV rely on a classical 1st order feedback control loop, which allows operators to directly control the thrust, pitch, and roll/yaw of the MAV. This complex feedback loop demands full attention of the operator, and thereby decreases overall SA of the operator of the environment and task at hand.
Human control of systems that incorporate one or more feedback loops is defined as an Nth order system, where N refers to the derivative of the feedback loop used in the controls. A 1st order feedback loop responds to changes in the first derivative of the system, such as velocity derived from position. Error, the difference between the output and the desired state, is fed back to the input in an attempt to bring the output closer to the desired state. For example, changing the heading of an MAV via a first-order feedback loop requires constantly changing the rate of yaw and roll of the MAV until the desired heading is reached. Typically, this is executed by humans as a pulse input that requires at least two distinct actions, namely, starting the turn and then ending the turn. In contrast, with a 0th order control loop, an operator simply provides a command with the desired heading, such as, South, and the vehicle autonomously turns to this heading. A 1st order system requires more attention by the operator as compared to a 0th order system since he or she must continually oversee the vehicle in order to stop, such as, but not limited to, a turn, at the right time.
A 2nd order control loop relies on changing the acceleration of the system. It is noted that inherently, UAV systems are 2nd order systems. It is generally recognized that humans have significant difficulty controlling 2nd order and higher systems. Due to the increased complexity of the feedback loops and number of actions required to successfully complete a maneuver, the cognitive workload of an operator is significantly higher for 2nd order systems than when operating 0th or 1st order controls, leading to lower performance. Teleoperation, defined as the remote control of an unmanned vehicle via some set of external controls and displays, only exacerbates these problems because additional communication latencies are introduced into the system, in addition to the lack of sensory perception on the part of the operator, who is not physically present. When a human actor acts based on a GCS view that is delayed due to system latency, the result is often accidents involving the UAV.
While human operators are thought to be effective 1st order controllers, it is doubtful whether UAV operators can effectively execute 2nd order control of UAVs. System communication delays, the lack of critical perceptual cues, and the need for extensive training, which can result in pilot-induced oscillations and inappropriate control responses, suggest that 1st order control is a poor approach to any type of UAV (and unmanned vehicle) control. This problem is likely more serious for MAV operators who are not, by the nature of their field presence, able to devote the necessary cognitive resources needed to fully attend to the control dynamics of the MAV.
By comparison, a 0th order control loop significantly reduces the workload because the operator does not need to continually monitor the movement of the vehicle, such as, but not limited to, as the vehicle turns to a new heading, however, there is some cost in vehicle maneuverability. For operating a MAV, 0th order interfaces represent the highest degree of safety because users are not prone to errors as operators try to calculate the position of the vehicle.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an interface that can allow an operator to easily control an unmanned vehicle at a high-level supervisory mode of interaction for general commands, as well as a fine-grained, lower level of control when more nuanced actions are required. Such control should not require complete attention of operators, nor require extensive training.

System and method for providing perceived first-order control of an unmanned vehicle


A fluid dynamic bearing motor is provided having relatively rotatable facing surfaces that are reliably lubricated. A radial gap is defined between the relatively rotatable facing surfaces, wherein a first axial end of a fluid dynamic bearing has a larger radial gap as compared to a central region of the fluid dynamic bearing. In an aspect, a fluid recirculation passageway is established between the first axial end and the central region of the fluid dynamic bearing. In an aspect, a fluid reservoir is formed axially above the first axial end of the fluid dynamic bearing. Robustness of the FDB motor is increased, and sensitivity to external loads or mechanical shock events is reduced. Dry surface-to-surface contact of bearing surfaces and reduced performance or failure of the motor or disc drive components is averted. The use of diamond-like coating on relatively rotatable fluid bearing surfaces may also be reduced or eliminated.

Disc drive memory systems are being utilized in progressively more environments besides traditional stationary computing environments. Recently, these memory systems are incorporated into devices that are operated in mobile environments including digital cameras, digital video cameras, video game consoles and personal music players, in addition to portable computers. These mobile devices are frequently subjected to large magnitudes of mechanical shock as a result of handling. As such, performance and design needs have intensified including improved resistance to a shock event, improved robustness and reduced power consumption.
Disc drive memory systems store digital information that is recorded on concentric tracks of a magnetic disc medium. At least one disc is rotatably mounted on a spindle, and the information, which can be stored in the form of magnetic transitions within the discs, is accessed using read/write heads or transducers. A drive controller is typically used for controlling the disc drive system based on commands received from a host system. The drive controller controls the disc drive to store and retrieve information from the magnetic discs. The read/write heads are located on a pivoting arm that moves radially over the surface of the disc. The discs are rotated at high speeds during operation using an electric motor located inside a hub or below the discs. Magnets on the hub interact with a stator to cause rotation of the hub relative to the stator. One type of motor has a spindle mounted by means of a bearing system to a motor shaft disposed in the center of the hub. The bearings permit rotational movement between the shaft and the sleeve, while maintaining alignment of the spindle to the shaft. The read/write heads must be accurately aligned with the storage tracks on the disc to ensure the proper reading and writing of information.
A demand exists for increased storage capacity and smaller disc drives, which has led to the design of higher recording areal density such that the read/write heads are placed increasingly closer to the disc surface. Because rotational accuracy is critical, disc drives currently utilize a spindle motor having fluid dynamic bearings (FDB) between a shaft and sleeve to support a hub and the disc for rotation. In a hydrodynamic bearing, a lubricating fluid provides a bearing surface between a fixed member and a rotating member of the disc drive. Hydrodynamic bearings, however, suffer from sensitivity to external loads or mechanical shock. Fluid can in some cases be jarred out of the bearing by shock events.
Lubricant evaporation can limit the life of a hydrodynamic bearing motor. A sufficient amount of lubricant such as oil must be maintained to offset evaporation losses. The evaporation rate is further accelerated when special low viscosity oils are used to reduce power. The lower viscosity oils generally have a higher rate of evaporation. If a shock event occurs with a motor having an insufficient volume of lubricant, rotating surfaces may come in direct contact with stationary portions. Contact of the rotating surfaces can increase generated acoustic noise and motor run current. The dry surface-to-surface contact may also lead to particle generation or gall and lock-up of the motor during contact. Particle generation and contamination of the bearing fluid may also result in reduced performance or failure of the spindle motor or disc drive components.


The disclosed system reduces power use during peak loads by automatically shifting the energization of the water heater to periods of off-peak power use. An energy controller maintains a calendar clock and controls the application of power to an electric water heater so that only on non-holiday weekdays, power to the water heater is interrupted during those periods of the day which have been predetermined to be the periods of peak power usage. The consumer whose water heater is controlled in accordance with the system is provided with an override button so that once a day the consumer may institute an override period to energize his water heater regardless of the peak power usage schedule. The energy controller contains in a microprocessor memory status data which includes the calendar time, a listing of the holidays, the schedule of peak power usage and the override interval. The energy controller is connected to an external module mounted outside the dwelling enclosure and by which a portable programming unit may be interconnected to the energy controller. By means of the portable programming unit, the accuracy of the status data can be verified or can be amended.

Electric utilities need to have a power generating capacity sufficient to supply the peak load on the power generating system. The peak load varies both daily and seasonally and the cost of providing power has a direct relationship with the peak daily load as well as the peak seasonal load. To reduce costs, it is highly desirable, to the extent possible, to transfer power use on a daily basis from the periods of peak load to periods of off-peak load. One electrical appliance which is particularly suitable for shifting the time that it is energized is the electrical water heater. Conventional electrical water heaters are equipped with a thermostat which turn the heating element of the water heater on and off in accordance with the temperature of the water in the tank and accordingly, are turned on and off without any regard to the periods of peak load intervals for power use. On the other hand, the use of electrical power to energize the heating element and heat the water in the water heater can be delayed with little or no inconvenience to the consumer. The reason for this fact is that when hot water is used from a hot water tank, it is replaced by cold water in the bottom of the tank, but the cold water does not mix with the hot water. As a result, most of the hot water can be drawn from the tank without any noticeable drop in the temperature of the hot water being drawn off. Thus, a time shifting of the energization of the heating element to an off-peak time period will in most instances, not inconvenience the user who can still draw an amount of hot water during the peak period approaching the capacity of the water heater tank. This fact is particularly true when the water heater tank is of thermal storage type, which has a large capacity.

Energy controlling system for time shifting electric power use


A washing machine comprising a laundry receptacle, a variable speed induction motor driving the laundry receptacle at a wash speed and as spin speed, a drive for powering the motor, and a wye-delta switch for connecting the drive and the motor in a wye configuration during the wash cycle or a delta configuration during a spin cycle. A controller controls the speed of the motor and the switch.

High performance washing machines use variable speed motors, such as induction motors, that are required to operate over a wide speed range of approximately 30 to 1. During the wash cycle, the motor operates at a low speed typically in the range of 400-800 rpms with high torque. During the spin cycle, the motor operates at a high speed, typically in the range of 12,000-18,000 rpms with low torque. In order to deliver the necessary torque and speed, the motor has its windings in a delta (Δ) configuration. This results in a motor which has operating parameters requiring high currents and low voltage during wash cycles, while having lower currents and higher voltage during spin cycles. Such operating parameters result in requiring a motor drive circuit with a large volt-amp or horsepower capability.
Flux weakening techniques and tapped windings have been used to reduce the volt-amp requirement of the motor drive circuit. Such techniques and windings have an impact on the manufacturing costs and the output performance characteristics of the motor.

Variable speed induction motor with wye-delta switching with reduced drive volt-amp requirement


The core network accessing method includes: transmitting PLMN indication information about a base station to a UE, the PLMN indication information including information about PLMNs connected to a core network of a first type and information about PLMNs connected to a core network of a second type; receiving information about a target PLMN selected by the UE in accordance with the PLMN indication information and matching the UE, and determining a target core network to be accessed in accordance with the information about the target PLMN; and interacting with the target core network and the UE, so as to enable the UE to access the target core network via the target PLMN.

For a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, with the development from 4th-Generation (4G) to 5th-Generation (5G), there exists such a scenario where an enhanced LTE (eLTE) base station is capable of being connected to both a 4G core network and a 5G core network.
There exist the following three types of network architecture for the eLTE base station.
As a first type, the eLTE base station is merely connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), i.e., the 4G core network. Architecture of the core network is the same as that defined in TS36.300.
FIG. 1 shows architecture of an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). The E-UTRAN consists of evolved Node Bs (eNBs). Each eNB has an access network function, and communicates with a UE via an air interface. There are both a control plane connection and a user plane connection between the UE and the eNB. For each UE attached to the network, services are provided by a Mobility Management Entity (MME) to the UE, and the MME is connected to the eNB via an S1-MME interface. Control plane services, including a mobility management function and a bearer management function, are provided to the UE via the S1-MME interface.
A Serving Gateway (S-GW) is connected to the eNB via an S1-U interface. For each UE attached to the network, services are provided by one S-GW to the UE. User plane services are provided to the UE via the S1-U interface, and user plane data for the UE is transmitted between the S-GW and the eNB via the S1-U interface.
As a second type, as shown in FIG. 2, the eLTE base station is simultaneously connected to network architecture including two core networks, i.e., the EPC and the 5G core network (5GC).
As a third type, as shown in FIG. 3, the eLTE base station is merely connected to the 5GC.
For the network architecture in FIG. 2, the eLTE base station is connected to the two core networks, and it is necessary for the UE to select one of the core networks when the UE accesses the network. However, there is currently no definite scheme for solving this problem.

Core network accessing method, base station, and user equipment

DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


A channel quality feedback method for wireless transmission is described in which the rate for reporting channel quality information from a mobile station to a base station is variable as a function of the presence or absence of a transmission from the base station to the mobile station. In particular, the feedback rate from the mobile station to the base station is increased when the mobile station detects a transmission from the base station. As such, the feedback rate is slower when there is no data transmission for the mobile station and faster when the mobile station is receiving data.

In wireless communication systems, an air interface is used for the exchange of information between a mobile station and a base station or other communication system equipment. The air interface typically comprises a plurality of communication channels. In wireless transmission, a channel is time varying due to fading, mobility, and so on. More specifically, channel quality is affected by factors such as distance between the mobile and base station, speed of the mobile station, interference, and the like. Given the limited resources (e.g., bandwidth) of wireless transmission as well as the large number of mobile stations supported by a base station at any given time and therefore competing for those limited resources, it is therefore important to maximize throughput of a wireless communication system. For example, in a time-multiplexed system in which the transmission time interval spans one or more time slots, system throughput can be maximized by allowing a user with the best channel quality to transmit ahead of users with comparatively low channel quality.
In one known arrangement, a mobile station performs a rate calculation based on measurements of a pilot signal from the base station once every time slot and then reports back the rate at which it is going to receive data from the base station. Alternatively, the mobile station can send channel quality feedback information to the base station and the base station can then select the appropriate rate corresponding to that channel quality. In general, the purpose of sending channel quality feedback information from the mobile station to the base station is to inform the base station of the transmission rate that best matches the current conditions (e.g., quality) of the channel at that present time.
FIG. 1 shows one example of wireless transmission based on the well-known 1x-EV-DO (data only) standard in which a so-called fast rate adaptation scheme is used to maximize the system throughput by exploiting the time varying channel conditions. More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a signaling diagram between a base station (BS) and a mobile station (MS). The data channel 100 for the downlink from the base station to the mobile station is divided into time slots 101-117, each of which has a duration τ. In the case of the 1x-EV-DO standard, the duration τ would be 1.67 milliseconds. In the example shown in FIG. 1, time slots 101-106 and 110-115 are not carrying transmissions from the base station to the mobile station. However, the base station is transmitting to the mobile station during time slots 107-109 and during time slots 116-117.
From the perspective of the mobile station, the uplink channel 200 is also divided into time slots 201-217, each of which has a duration τ. As shown in FIG. 1, the calculation and reporting of the rate for the dedicated control channel 200 by the mobile station is performed according to well-known methods once every time slot 201-217. More specifically, channel quality information (e.g., transmission rate in 1x-EV-DO systems) is transmitted via communications 151-165. For example, mobile station is transmitting channel quality information to the base station via communications 151-153 during time slots 201-203 indicating that rate R1 is the desired rate of transmission based on the channel quality. As shown in this example, this rate information is received at the base station during time slots 103-105, so there is some delay with respect to the calculation of the rate in the mobile station during a time slot and the subsequent reporting of that rate to the base station. In slot 204, the mobile station detected a change in channel quality and reported back to the base station that transmission should occur at rate R2. This channel quality feedback is received by the base station during its time slot 106. Because the base station is sending a transmission to the mobile station during time slots 107-109 and because the base station is receiving channel quality feedback indicating rate R2 as the desired rate (e.g., R2 reported by mobile station during its time slots 204-206 and received by the base station during its time slots 106-108), the transmission by the base station during time slots 107-109 is therefore sent at rate R2. In time slots 207-212, the mobile station is reporting rate R1 as the desired rate, but no transmissions are occurring from the base station during time slots 110-115. As shown, the mobile station reports rate R3 as the desired rate during time slots 213-216, which are received at the base station starting at time slot 115. Because the base station starts sending another transmission during time slot 116, this transmission therefore is sent at rate R3 based on the channel quality feedback received from the mobile station.
Another approach to providing rate feedback is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/716,106, entitled "Asymmetric Rate Feedback and Adjustment System for Wireless Communications" and filed on Nov. 17, 2000, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described, rate calculation and prediction is still being performed at every time slot, but the reporting of this rate feedback from a mobile station to the base station occurs every third time slot. In this manner, the reporting of rate feedback from a plurality of mobile stations can be staggered such that each mobile station is only sending rate feedback every third time slot, but the base station is receiving rate feedback at each time slot (i.e., from different mobile stations).
There are several disadvantages to these constant rate feedback approaches. Performing rate calculation and prediction in every time slot uses up a large amount of processing overhead at the mobile station. Providing rate feedback to the base station at every time slot uses a large amount of transmission overhead and, because rate feedback is being provided regardless of whether there is a transmission being sent from the base station, transmission resources are therefore being inefficiently used. Even if rate feedback is provided at a slower rate (e.g., every third time slot), there is still inefficient use of resources because the rate feedback is being provided regardless of whether the base station is transmitting.

Variable rate channel quality feedback in a wireless communication system


A method of controlling a lighting system comprising one or more illumination sources to render a dynamic lighting scene, the method comprising: receiving a first user input to select one or more colors for the lighting scene; receiving a second user input to select a dynamic effect for the lighting scene; and rendering the lighting scene with the one or more colors and the dynamic effect based on the first and second user inputs respectively; wherein the second user input comprises the user performing a motion with a mobile user terminal, and the receiving of the second user input comprises detecting the motion of the mobile user terminal.

"Connected lighting" refers to lighting systems in which illumination sources are controlled not by a traditional, manually-operated mechanical switch between the mains and each illumination source (or not only by such a switch), but by a means of a more intelligent controller which connects to the illumination sources of the system either via a direct wireless data connection with each illumination source (e.g. via ZigBee) or via a wired or wireless data network (e.g. via a Wi-Fi network, 3GPP network or Ethernet network). For instance the controller may take the form of an application running on a user terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop or desktop computer.
Currently, such systems enable users to set static light scenes that may comprise white light, coloured light, or both. In order to allow such scenes to be created, the controller must present the user with a suitable set of controls or user interface. In one example, the controller enables the user to select an illumination source or group of such sources, and to manually input one or more parameters of the light to be emitted by that illumination source or group, e.g. to set a numerical value for the overall intensity of the emitted light and/or to set individual numerical values for the red, green and blue (RGB) components of the light. However, inputting numerical values in this manner is not very user friendly. In another, more user-friendly example, the controller presents the user with a picture such as a photograph, e.g. one chosen by the user, and enables the user to select a point in the photograph from which to pick a colour, e.g. by dragging and dropping a lamp icon onto the picture. The controller then sets the light output of the scene so as to correspond to the colour at the selected point in the picture. Using such methods a static scene can be easily created.
Some connected lighting systems may also include a dynamics engine to allow users to create dynamic lighting scenes as well, i.e. scenes in which the emitted light varies with time. Dynamic lighting is becoming increasingly popular, both for applications in the home and in professional domains such as the office, hospitality and retail.
However, creating dynamic lighting is not a straight-forward task for non-professional users (i.e. users who are not professional lighting engineers). Many current systems are limited in terms of how users are required to assign light transitions, and how best to distribute the effects over multiple illumination sources. Existing methods of accepting a user input to create a dynamic lighting effect rely on the metaphor of a timeline on which the user can define effects that then play out. These often repeat and, if there are multiple luminaries, the user must assign a sequence or design to multiple timelines, one for each of the different illumination sources. This is can be a time consuming process that does not always result in pleasing dynamics. Some mobile applications control dynamics by applying a random colour generator, or by allowing the user to drag-and-drop a colour picker over video content. However, the results are still often displeasing and/or repetitive.


A pixel structure comprising a thin film transistor, a pixel electrode, a scan line, a data line and an alignment mark. The alignment mark is formed beneath the data line. Misalignment is assessed through the degree of shifting between the alignment mark and the data line relative to each other. In addition, misalignment is also gauged through the degree of shifting between the alignment mark and the channel layer within the thin film transistor relative to each other.

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 91102059, filed Feb. 6, 2002.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a pixel structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pixel structure having a data line with an alignment mark underneath.
2. Description of Related Art
The rapid progress in multi-media communication is largely a consequence of technological advances in the manufacturing of semiconductor and display devices. In the past, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are the principle types of display devices in the market due to stable quality and relative low cost. However, bulkiness, weight and power consumption restricts the CRT to a desktop terminal/display type of environment. In recent years, thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) has gradually replaced CRT as a dominant display device. A TFT-LCD not only provides high-quality picture image and uses very little power, the display device is light, compact and radiation free as well.
FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a conventional thin film transistor array having an alignment mark thereon. In general, a thin film transistor array is formed on a sheet of transparent substrate 100. The transparent substrate 100 is divided into a plurality of blocks 102. Each block 102 includes a pixel array 104. Each pixel array 104 comprises a plurality of pixels with each pixel falling on a pixel point ordered into an array. In addition, a pair of alignment marks 106 is formed on the opposite corner of the pixel array 104 in each block 102. Each alignment mark 104 is constructed from a first metallic layer 106a and a second metallic layer 106b stacking on top of the first metallic layer 106a.
FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a conventional pixel structure. As shown in FIG. 2, pixel units are normally formed over a transparent substrate 200. Each pixel unit comprises of a thin film transistor 202, a pixel electrode 204 corresponding to the thin film transistor 202, a scan line 206 and a data line 208. The thin film transistor 202 further comprises a gate electrode 202a, a channel layer 202b and source/drain terminals 202c. The scan line 206 and the gate electrode 202a of the thin film transistor 202 are electrically connected. The pixel electrode 204 and the data line 208 are electrically connected to the respective source/drain terminals 202c.
As shown in FIG. 2, the fabrication of an array of pixel units 200 involves many steps. Such steps include forming the gate electrode 202a and the scan line 206, the channel layer 202b, the source/drain terminals 202c and the data line 208, the source/drain (S/D) contact 210 and the pixel electrode 204. Hence, the alignment of photomask in each step is critical. Any mis-alignment of the photomask may lead to a shift in position of the channel layer 202b within the thin film transistor 202 or a non-symmetrical layout of the source drain terminals 202c on each side of the channel layer 202b.
The first metallic layer 106a and the gate electrode 202a of the thin film transistor 202 are formed using the same photomask. Similarly, the second metallic layer 106b and the source/drain terminals 202c of the thin film transistor 202 are formed using the same photomask. Hence, by observing the relative stacking position of the first metallic layer 106a and the second metallic layer 106b, any mis-alignment between the two photomasks can be determined and non-symmetrical distribution of the source/drain terminals 202c on each side of the channel layer 202b can be prevented. Since the alignment mark 106 only points to any alignment problems between the gate electrode 202a and the source/drain terminals 202c, the alignment mark 106 is unable to prevent any incorrect positioning of the channel layer 202b.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a pixel structure that provides a better alignment between the source/drain terminal and the gate electrode within each pixel unit.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a pixel structure on a transparent substrate. The pixel structure mainly includes a first conductive layer, a first dielectric layer, a channel layer, a second conductive layer, a second dielectric layer and a pixel electrode. The first conductive layer is formed over the transparent substrate. The first conductive layer further includes a scan line, a gate electrode and an alignment mark. The first dielectric layer is formed over the transparent substrate and covers the first conductive layer. The channel layer is formed over the first dielectric layer above the gate electrode. The second conductive layer is formed over the first dielectric layer. The second conductive layer further includes a data line and a source/drain terminal. The second dielectric layer is formed over the first dielectric layer and covers the second conductive layer. The pixel electrode is formed over the second dielectric layer. The alignment mark is formed beneath the data line.
According to this invention, the gate electrode, the channel layer and the source/drain terminals together constitute a thin film transistor. In addition, the gate electrode connects electrically with the scan line. Similarly, the pixel electrode and the data line connect electrically with the source/drain terminals. The scan line extends in a direction perpendicular to the data line. The alignment mark has a longitudinal profile and extends in a direction parallel to the data line. Furthermore, width of the alignment mark is equal to or smaller than the data line.
This invention also provides a thin film transistor array that includes a transparent substrate, a first conductive layer, a first dielectric layer, a plurality of channel layers, a second conductive layer, a second dielectric layer and a plurality of pixel electrodes. The first conductive layer is formed over the transparent substrate. The first conductive layer further includes a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of gate electrodes and a plurality of alignment marks. The first dielectric layer is formed over the transparent substrate covering the first conductive layer. The channel layers are formed on the first dielectric layer above various gate electrodes. The second conductive layer is formed over the first dielectric layer. The second conductive layer further includes a plurality of data lines and a plurality of source/drain terminals. The second dielectric layer is formed over the first dielectric layer covering the second conductive layer. The pixel electrodes are formed over the second dielectric layer. The alignment marks are positioned beneath the data lines.
According to this invention, the gate electrodes, the channel layers and the source/drain terminals together constitute a thin film transistor array. In addition, each gate electrode connects electrically with a corresponding scan line. Similarly, each set of pixel electrode and data line connects electrically with a corresponding pair of source/drain terminals. The scan lines extend in a direction perpendicular to the data lines. The alignment marks have a longitudinal profile and extend in a direction parallel to the data lines. Furthermore, width of the alignment marks is equal to or smaller than the data lines.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.


Improved linear illumination sources are disclosed which utilize external, highly reflective enclosures containing one or more linear openings and thereby achieve improved source efficiency, output irradiance and/or output radiance. Such improved illumination sources may be combined with additional optical elements to produce more complex illumination systems.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to high-efficiency, linear illumination sources and linear illumination systems which have enhanced output irradiance and radiance. Irradiance is defined as the light flux per unit area and can be expressed, for example, in units of watts per square centimeter (W/cm.sup.2). Radiance is the brightness of the light. Radiance can be expressed, for example, in units of watts per square centimeter per steradian (W/(cm.sup.2.multidot.steradian), where a steradian is the unit of solid angle.
For many applications, an illumination source with a narrow output opening and high output efficiency is preferred. Such a source is commonly constructed using an aperture lamp with an internal slit aperture built into the lamp structure. However, an aperture lamp generally has lower light emission than a conventional lamp due to increased light absorption inside the lamp and due to a reduction in the surface area of the phosphor coating. It would be highly desirable to have an improved narrow illumination source that is more efficient than a lamp with an internal slit aperture.
For applications such as, for example, optical scanners and photocopiers, a linear illumination system with high output irradiance is desired in order to illuminate a narrow strip of the area being scanned or photocopied. The illumination assembly for such a device commonly consists of a bare linear light source, an aperture lamp, or a lamp partially surrounded with a specular reflector. A specular reflector is a mirror-like reflector with a smooth surface and has the property that the angle of light incidence equals the angle of reflection, where the incident and reflection angles are measured relative to the direction normal to the surface. An improved linear illumination system which has higher output irradiance would be advantageous.
For certain other applications such as flat panel displays, an illumination system having a very shallow thickness is highly desirable. Such systems are commonly configured with one or more illumination sources, a waveguide or light pipe for collecting and distributing the light from the illumination sources, and additional scattering, reflecting, or collimating elements for extracting the light from the waveguide. A significant depth savings can be achieved by coupling the illumination sources through the edge of the waveguide. The amount of light extracted from the system is proportional to the number of reflections or scattering events that occur within the waveguide, the number being inversely proportional to the thickness of the waveguide. To obtain maximum light output, a thin waveguide is preferable. However, this results in waveguide edges having a small surface area, limiting the size of the illumination source that can directly adjoin the edge of the waveguide. On the other hand, if the surface area of the waveguide edge is increased, the extraction efficiency of the waveguide will decrease. It would be highly desirable to utilize a thin waveguide yet provide the maximum illumination source input. Therefore, a highly-efficient, linear illumination source with high output irradiance and radiance from a narrow opening is needed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known that it is possible to use tubular fluorescent lamps having an internal slit aperture in order to concentrate and direct the emitted light into a narrow angular range. Two types of aperture lamps with internal slits are in general use. The first type is shown in cross section as aperture lamp 10 in FIG. 1. The lamp is composed of a hollow glass tube 12 having a phosphor coating 14 on the entire inside surface except in one narrow region 16 subtending angle 18. The center of the tube is filled with a mixture of gases which, when excited by an electric current supplied by electrodes (not shown) at the ends of the tube, emits ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light, in turn, strikes the phosphor coating 14 and is converted to visible light. A typical phosphor coating is also a diffuse reflector. Note that a diffuse reflector is a reflector that scatters incident light into a range of angles. Diffuse reflectors typically have high reflectivity only when the reflective coating is relatively thick (e.g. about 0.15 mm or greater). The reflective phosphor coating on the inside of an aperture lamp is, by necessity, significantly thinner than 0.15 mm resulting in poor reflectivity (on the order of 60-80%). Most of the light not reflected by the phosphor is transmitted through the coating. By placing an aperture, in this case gap 16, in the phosphor coating, light can be directed preferentially out the aperture. However, due to loss of some of the light through the phosphor coating, the effectiveness of this type of aperture lamp is significantly reduced.
A second type of lamp having an internal aperture and known to those skilled in the art is shown in FIG. 2 as aperture lamp 50. The lamp has a glass tube 52. Inside the glass tube is a phosphor coating 54 and an additional reflective coating 56. There is an aperture opening 58 through both the phosphor coating 54 and reflective coating 56 which subtends angle 59 and which allows light to escape preferentially in one direction.
There are six significant problems associated with the internal aperture lamps 10 and 50 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. First, the phosphor and reflective coatings must be very thin and the selection of coating materials is very limited so as not to interfere with the operation of the lamp. No organic materials are possible for an internal coating because any outgassing from the organic material or decomposition of the organic material from the effects of ultraviolet light would lower the efficiency of the lamp. Second, because of the restrictions on coating materials, the reflectivity of the coatings is not as high as desired. Third, a significant amount of ultraviolet light generated inside the lamp is wasted due to absorption by the glass tube in the area without the phosphor coating. Fourth, a more expensive glass must be used to make these types of aperture lamps in order to reduce ultraviolet light induced discoloration and loss of light transmission of the glass in the area of the aperture. Fifth, because the area of the internal lamp surface which is covered by the phosphor coating is reduced by the area which includes the aperture, there is a corresponding reduction in the efficiency of converting electrical power to light energy. Sixth, internal aperture lamps are more difficult to manufacture than conventional lamps and therefore are more expensive. Such deficiencies contribute to reduced efficiency and higher costs for aperture lamps compared to regular lamps without internal apertures.
Accordingly, there are now provided with this invention improved linear illumination sources which utilize external, highly reflective enclosures incorporating one or more linear openings in order to achieve improved source efficiency, output irradiance and output radiance. Such improved illumination sources may be combined with additional optical elements to produce more complex illumination systems. Additional objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.


Methods of forming trench structures of different depths in a semiconductor substrate are provided. A first mask forming a first opening and a second opening is provided on the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate is etched through the first and second openings, thereby forming a first trench and a second trench. Trench structure material is deposited in the first and second trenches, thereby forming first and second trench structures. A second mask is provided on the first mask, wherein the second mask covers the first opening and has a third opening superimposed over the second opening of the first mask. The second trench structure is etched through the second opening of the first mask and through the third opening of the second mask.

In pixel architecture, it is often advantageous to bury a photodiode deep within a semiconductor substrate in order to reduce the pixel size and to isolate the photodiode from other pixel elements. A vertical transfer gate is provided to transfer charge carriers from the photodiode to other pixel elements, e.g., a floating diffusion. Additionally, an isolation structure such as a shallow trench isolation structure is often provided to isolate the photodiode from other pixel elements, e.g., one or more pixel transistors.
According to known methods, forming the vertical transfer gate and the isolation structure on the same semiconductor substrate requires a manufacturing process with at least two critical masks, e.g., a first hard mask with a critical dimension of the isolation structure, and a second hard mask with a critical dimension of the vertical transfer gate. Such processes are costly and time consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods of manufacturing pixels and image sensors.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present inventions. In addition, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.


A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a process, the process includes acquiring a number of processes in a queue storing a process executed by a node; generating information for specifying an execution completion point for a new process in a case where the node is to execute the new process based on the acquired number of processes in the node, information regarding a process execution rate in the node, and information regarding a communication delay between a management node generating the new process and the node; and transmitting the generated information for specifying the execution completion point generated for the node to the management node.

In the related art, there is a cloud system which includes a plurality of nodes and in which any node executes a process on data obtained from Internet of Things (IoT) device and transmits an execution result to a terminal apparatus of a user. For example, a distributed processing technique such as Hadoop or a distributed resource management technique such as Mesos is applied to the cloud system.
As the related art, there is a technique in which a demand is dynamically predicted based on, for example, the past demand, an input area, and cost requirements, and the capacity of an object on a server is adjusted. For example, there is a technique in which a task is divided into one or more sub-tasks, and it is determined whether the task is executed in a local node or the task is distributed to one or more distributed nodes which can be accessed from the local node, based on an optimal number of nodes for executing one or more sub-tasks.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-67377 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-27442 are examples of the related art.

Method for deploying task to node based on execution completion point, task deployment apparatus and storage medium