A self-regenerating, self-cleaning hydrophobic surface is formed when particles are secured on a carrier that is itself a mixture of particles and binder. When particles on the surface are ablated by erosion, new particles in the carrier are exposed to regenerate the self-cleaning surface, resulting in a long-lasting self-cleaning action. The self-cleaning surface may be used with particular advantage outdoors, e.g. on vehicles, where self-cleaning materials are particularly exposed to the effects of the environment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to self-cleaning surfaces and to a process for their production. In particular, the present invention relates to self-cleaning surfaces that remain self-cleaning for prolonged periods of time despite natural erosion.
2. Discussion of the Background
Articles with surfaces that are extremely difficult to wet have a number of commercially significant features. The feature of most commercial significance here is the self-cleaning action of low-wettability surfaces, since the cleaning of surfaces is time-consuming and expensive. Self-cleaning surfaces are therefore of very great commercial interest. The mechanisms of adhesion are generally the result of surface-energy-related parameters relating to interaction of the two surfaces that are in contact. The systems generally attempt to reduce their free surface energy. If the free surface energies between two components are intrinsically very low, it can generally be assumed that there will be weak adhesion between these two components. The important factor here is the relative reduction in free surface energy. In pairings where one surface energy is high and one surface energy is low the crucial factor is very often the opportunity for interactive effects. For example, when water is applied to a hydrophobic surface it is impossible to bring about any noticeable reduction in surface energy. This is evident in that the wetting is poor. The water applied forms droplets with a very high contact angle. Perfluorinated hydrocarbons, e.g. polytetrafluoroethylene, have very low surface energy. There are hardly any components that adhere to surfaces of this type, and components deposited on surfaces of this type are in turn very easy to remove.
The use of hydrophobic materials, such as perfluorinated polymers, for producing hydrophobic surfaces is known. A further development of these surfaces consists in structuring the surfaces in the μm to nm range. U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,489 discloses a process in which a surface can be rendered particularly repellent by bombardment with particles of an appropriate size, followed by perfluorination. Another process is described by H. Saito et al. in "Surface Coatings International" April 1997, pp. 168 et seq. Here, particles made from fluoropolymers are applied to metal surfaces, whereupon a marked reduction was observed in the wettability of the resultant surfaces with respect to water, with a considerable reduction in tendency toward icing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,022 and WO 96/04123 describe other processes for reducing the wettability of articles by topological alterations in the surfaces. Here, artificial elevations or depressions with a height of from about 5 to 1000 μm and with a separation of from about 5 to 500 μm are applied to materials which are hydrophobic or are hydrophobicized after the structuring process. Surfaces of this type lead to rapid droplet formation, and as the droplets roll off they absorb dirt particles and thus clean the surface.
This principle has been borrowed from the natural world. Small contact areas reduce Van der Waal's interaction, which is responsible for adhesion to flat surfaces with low surface energy. For example, the leaves of the lotus plant have elevations made from a wax, and these elevations lower the contact area with water. WO 00/58410 describes these structures and claims the formation of the same by spray-application of hydrophobic alcohols, such as 10-nonacosanol, or of alkanediols, such as 5,10-nonacosanediol. The separations of the elevations in the structures are in the range from 0.1 to 200 μm and the heights of the elevations are from 0.1 to 100 μm. However, no information is given concerning the shape of the elevations. A disadvantage here is that the self-cleaning surfaces lack stability, since the structure is removed by detergents.
Another method of generating easy-clean surfaces has been described in DE 199 17 367 A1. However, the coatings, based on fluorine-containing condensates, are not self-cleaning. Although there is a reduction in the area of contact between water and the surface, this is insufficient.
EP 1 040 874 A2 describes the embossing of microstructures and claims the use of structures of this type in analysis (microfluidies). A disadvantage of these structures is their unsatisfactory mechanical stability.
Processes for producing the structured surfaces are likewise known. Besides the precision-casting reproduction of these structures by way of a master structure, by injection molding, or by embossing processes, there are other known processes which utilize the application of particles to a surface, e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,489. Common features of all casting processes are that the self-cleaning behavior of the surfaces can be described by way of a very high aspect ratio, and that the structures have three-dimensional periodicity.
High aspect ratios in three-dimensional space, i.e. objects which are tall and narrow and stand in isolation, are difficult to produce industrially and have low mechanical stability.
There has been much relatively recent work concerned with the three-dimensional structuring of surfaces, an example being U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,754, where a three-dimensional structure is achieved by way of multiple printing of the surface, some of the printing inks repelling the next layer so that a structure is formed.
C. Bernard and D. Lebellac describe in FR 2792003 A1 a process for producing structured surfaces which are both water-repellent and oil-repellent, by way of vacuum deposition, using a CVD technique. These layers, too, have insufficient mechanical stability.
Reducing the aspect ratio generally also increases the stability of the layers. For example, in "Physikalische Blätter" 56 (2000), No. 4, 49 et seq. Frank Burmeister describes a process for obtaining nanostructures by means of capillary forces. It is emphasized that structures from a few atomic layers up to the particle radius can be varied in such a way that it is also possible to generate structures with an aspect ratio>1. However, it is also emphasized that processes of this type are only useable for relatively small areas, since otherwise stress cracks can form in the drying process.
In "Advanced Materials", 2001, 13, No. 1, pp. 51 et seq., Hideshi Hattore describes a process for electrostatic coating, emphasizing that self-organization of the particles occurs if the surface to be coated and the particles themselves carry opposite electrical charges. However this process does not generate aspect ratios>1, and these layers are therefore merely antireflection layers.
An interesting process for generating self-cleaning surfaces is described by Akira Nakajima, Langmuir 2000, 16, 5754–5760, where the structure is generated by subliming aluminum acetylacetonate. 2% of titanium dioxide also has to be added to the hydrophobic material in order to achieve self-cleaning properties. The cause of the effect here is certain to be the catalytic decomposition properties of the titanium dioxide in combination with light, rather than the structure and the hydrophobic properties.
DE 101 18 351 and DE 101 18 352 say that stable self-cleaning surfaces can be obtained by securing structure-formers having a fissured structure. If use is made here of hydrophobic structure-formers and hydrophobic carrier materials, these surfaces are to some degree mechanically stable and to some degree resistant to erosion by wind, weather and light. However, it is impossible to avoid ablation of the active layers, in particular when damage is caused by UV light. As is generally the case, attack by wind and weather leads to gradual smoothing of the surface and thus to fall-off in the self-cleaning effect. The self-cleaning action falls away asymptotically. The limiting value reached is dependent on the amount of residual structure remaining on the carrier, and the extent of hydrophobic properties and smoothness possessed by the resultant surface.
DE 199 44 169 A1 achieves self-cleaning surfaces by way of incipient erosion of an "outer layer". In this process, the effect does not appear until erosion has occurred. Further erosion causes the self-cleaning effect to reduce or disappear entirely. There is no regeneration of the self-cleaning surface.

Surfaces rendered self-cleaning by hydrophobic structures and a process for their production


The present invention provides a high-capacity and reliable semiconductor device which does not require additional circuits for use at power ON/OFF, additional steps nor high manufacturing cost, and which has a rectifier means for rectifying a defect easily. A semiconductor device comprises a first memory means including a memory cell and a redundant memory cell each including a memory element in the region where a bit line and a word line cross each other with an insulator interposed therebetween, a second memory means for storing an address of a defective memory in the first memory means, a rectifier means including a holding means and a replacement means, and an inspection means for writing data of the second memory means to the holding means. The replacement means replaces the defective memory cell with the redundant memory cell. In addition to the aforementioned four means, a display means for displaying images is provided as well.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of blocks. More particularly, the invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising at least two blocks that are a memory means and a rectifier means for rectifying a defect in the memory means.
2. Description of the Related Art
One-chip semiconductor devices each comprising a plurality of blocks (also referred to as system LSIs) have been actively developed. Recently, higher integration of semiconductor devices as well as the manufacture of readable/writable memory means (also referred to as a memory or a RAM) is under development in accordance with the demand for further downsizing and higher performance of the devices. Such a memory means is required to have high capacity and reliability.
As a method for rectifying defects of a semiconductor device, there is the mainstream technique of replacing a defective memory cell with a redundant memory cell. Generally in such a technique, a fusion method is employed in which a fuse is blown by a laser.
There is known a method of translating an address which specifies a defective portion into an address of a redundant memory cell by using a memory means including a dielectric body (also referred to as an FRAM) (see Patent Document 1). There is known another method of inactivating a selection signal line in a defective portion by shifting selection signal lines of memory cells by using a memory means including a dielectric body (see Patent Document 2). Each of the methods in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is superior to the fusion method in that no expensive device is required for the fusion and thus a problem of area penalty which requires a larger mounting area in accordance with the manufacture of fusion can be addressed.                [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-128991        [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-51199
As for the memory means including a dielectric body described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, complex sequence control is required. Specifically, it is required when powering ON the memory means that a potential of a wiring called a plate line is maintained constant in order to restore dielectric polarization. In addition, when powering OFF the memory means, it is required that a signal is transmitted to the plate line in order to hold the logic of the dielectric polarization.
In addition, in the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a memory means for storing an address of a defective memory cell is formed over the same substrate as a memory cell array, and an FRAM including a TFT and a capacitor having a ferroelectric thin film is used. When a ferroelectric film is used, the number of masks and additional steps, and manufacturing cost are inevitably increased.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is a feature of the invention to provide a semiconductor device which does not require complex sequence control. It is another feature of the invention to provide a semiconductor device which does not require additional steps nor high manufacturing cost. It is still another feature of the invention to provide a semiconductor device comprising a rectifier means for rectifying a defect with a simple method to achieve a high-capacity and reliable semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device for rectifying memory defects

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory, Co., Ltd.


A preformed assembly is provided for the replacement of a thermally stressed portion of a unitary water cooled closure element, e.g. made of plain carbon steel, of a furnace system which includes a steel frame to which is pre-welded a copper covering plate, the steel frame being welded into a closely fitting cut-out in the closure element, e.g. a furnace roof or furnace shell.

This invention relates to spray cooled furnace systems, e.g. electric arc furnace systems, and more particularly to an assembly for inclusion in a closure member of the furnace system to provide relief of thermal stress at the site of inclusion of the assembly in the closure member.
Spray cooled electric furnace systems of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,715,042, 4,815,096 and 4,849,987 involve the spray cooling of furnace closure elements, e.g. roofs and side walls, which are unitary, i.e. formed into one piece, and have a generally frusto-conical shape in the case of roofs, or generally cylindrical or oval in the case of a furnace side wall or other closure element. Due to the geometry of furnace electrodes and oxygen lances, variations in heating of the furnace, and the like, a particular relatively discrete region of the surface of a spray cooled closure element can be exposed to unusually high temperature and become thermally stressed with the risk of failure at such region.
Since the furnace systems as above described have unitary, one-piece, carbon steel closure elements, it is not possible to use replaceable, removable sections or panels of different, e.g. higher thermal conductivity to address the situation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for relieving thermal stress in a unitary spray cooled steel closure element of a furnace system.

Device for relief of thermal stress in spray cooled furnace elements


In one embodiment of the present invention a fluid bed reactor is provided, comprising:                a housing, at least one tray disposed within the housing, at least one motor operatively connected to the at least one tray, wherein the motor rotates the at least one tray; and at least one wiper associated with at the at least one tray which directs product on a top surface of a respective tray down through at least one radial slot in each respective tray as each respective tray is rotated by the motor. At least one of the trays is at least partially perforated material which a gas to flow up out of the top surface of the tray, at least partially fluidizing product on the top surface of the tray.

Thermally-inhibited starches and flours (as well as processes for their preparation) are well-known in the art and described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,720,822; 5,725,676; 5,932,017; 6,010,574; 6,231,675; 6,261,376; and 6,451,121, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
Martin Kurz & Co., Inc., of Mineola, N.Y., USA, markets the so-called DYNAPORE sintered porous metals which may be divided into classes determined by the raw materials employed, as follows: sintered woven wire mesh (single layer); sintered wire mesh laminates (multi-layer); and composite structures. Of note, in one embodiment, DYNAPORE (or a similar material) may be utilized in a device and/or method according to the present invention (e.g., as the perforated material of one or more of the trays).
Young Industries, of Muncy, Pa., USA, markets the so-called SILENTFLOW bin discharger product. Of note, in one embodiment, TRANS-FLOW aeration media (or a similar material) may be utilized in a device and/or method according to the present invention (e.g., as the perforated material of one or more of the trays).
Wyssmont, of Fort Lee, N.J., USA, markets the so-called TURBO-DRYER product. Of note, in one embodiment, a dryer similar in configuration to the TURBO-DRYER (e.g., having vertically spaced rotating trays) may be utilized in a device and/or method according to the present invention.
Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. The figures constitute a part of this specification and include illustrative embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

Fluid bed reactors and associated methods


Searching information includes: receiving current query data from a client; extracting generic attribute features of the current query data, wherein the generic attribute features are used for calculating a plurality of confidence degrees of the current query data that correspond to a plurality of categories, each of the confidence degrees indicating a degree of confidence that the current query data belongs to a respective one of the plurality of categories; determining the plurality of confidence degrees of the current query data based at least in part on the generic attribute features; selecting a category based at least in part on the plurality of confidence degrees, the selected category being one of the plurality of categories and having a confidence degree higher than a confidence degree of another category; searching in the selected category for a search result that corresponds to the current query data; and returning the search result.

Search engines are commonly used by Internet users to acquire information. One type of search engine that is used in ecommerce platforms is a category based search engine. On such a platform, the user enters query keywords, which correspond to one or more categories such as sports, entertainment, etc. The typically category based search engine can accurately narrow a search scope and recommend related products to the user so long as it is able to accurately identify a category corresponding to search keyword. Some category based search engines use a lookup table, such as a mapping table of query keywords and industry categories. An example of such a mapping table is shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1Query wordCategory 1Category 2Category 3electric bikeTransportationSports &Automobiles &EntertainmentMotorcycles. . .. . .. . .. . .
For example, if the user enters query words "electric bike", the search engine will locate the query words in the mapping table and then return three matching categories to the client, so the user can select one among the three categories and thus will search in that category of interest to him or her through the search engine and receive a search result returned from the search engine.
In category based search engines, since both the query data and the corresponding categories in the mapping table are established manually, the query words that can be processed may be limited to the number of the categories to which the query data belongs in the mapping table, and the search engine can return the search result to the user only if the query words entered by the user match the query data in the mapping table. Consequently, this search method in the prior art offers a low coverage rate of the search data. Also, since both the query data and the corresponding categories in the mapping table are established manually, the maintenance cost of the mapping table tends to be high. Further, the original mapping table has to be updated or reconstructed if any industry category is revised, thus resulting in poor expansibility.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Searching for information based on generic attributes of the query


Bacterial systems for analyzing ubiquitination of proteins is disclosed herein. Kits for analyzing the ubiquitination and methods for carrying out the analysis are also disclosed.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to bacterial systems for analyzing ubiquitylated polypeptides.
Ubiquitin (Ub) plays a pivotal role in numerous aspects of cellular processes. Therefore, aberrations in the Ub system are involved in a large number of pathologies, including various forms of cancer such as breast and colon cancer, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola. Consequently, there is a critical need for a detailed understanding of the Ub system. Although there have been significant advances in understanding the ubiquitination process, much less is known about the downstream processes. These include substrate recognition by specific enzymatic interactions in the Ub system, and specific interactions between these enzymes and their substrates. In humans, for example, there are 2 E1 Ub-activating enzymes, 34 Ub-conjugating enzymes and more than 600 E3 Ub-ligases. These enzymes work on presumably several thousands of protein substrates, where specificity is mainly achieved by the E2:E3 and E3:Substrates interactions.
Another factor which impedes the researchers' efforts to fully characterize Ub cascades is the presence of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) which rapidly reverse the ubiquitination signal. The half-life time of ubiquitylated proteins is thus extremely short. Specifically, it has been shown that about 100 DUBs that exist reverse the modification in a highly specific manner.
Background art includes Keren-Kaplan et al., The EMBO Journal (2012) 31, 378-390 and Su et al., J Immunol 2006;177;7559-7566.

Bacterial systems for analyzing ubiquitylated polypeptides

Technology Innovation Momentum Fund (Israel) Limited Partnership


Provided is a document conveying apparatus that properly discharges documents regardless of the amount of documents stacked on a discharge tray without complicated construction of a transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force to conveying rollers. A conveying roller pair is provided at an end portion on an upstream side. A swing mechanism swings a discharge mechanism centered around a drive shaft of the conveying roller pair. An upper surface height measuring unit measures the height of the upper surface of documents stacked on the discharge tray. A control unit, by causing the swing mechanism to swing the discharge mechanism according to the height measured by the upper surface height measuring unit, performs control so that the difference between a discharge port and the upper surface of the documents stacked on the discharge tray is within a specified range.

The present disclosure relates to a document conveying apparatus that conveys documents to a reading position and a document reading apparatus that includes the document conveying apparatus.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for higher speed and larger capacity of a document reading apparatus having a document conveying apparatus for conveying a document to a reading position, and in order to meet the demand, various functions such as improvement of reading speed, increase of the document stacking amount, prevention of double feeding and paper jams, support of various basis weights and sizes, and the like are being improved. For example, in a typical technique, a document feeding apparatus is proposed that includes an raising/lowering unit that raises and lowers a paper-supply tray and a raising/lowering control unit that causes the paper-supply tray to be raised according to the feeding of a document from the paper-supply tray, and is configured so that a discharge port of a paper-discharge tray moves up and down by the same amount that the paper-supply tray moves up and down. More specifically, the paper-supply tray, in a state in which a document has not been stacked, is set to the lowest position based on a detection signal from a lower limit sensor that detects that a lower limit position has been reached, and when a document is stacked, the placement of the document is detected by a document presence/absence sensor that is provided at a proper position near the paper-supply tray, and the paper-supply tray is raised based on the detection signal until the upper surface of the bundle of documents comes into contact with a pickup roller.

Document conveying apparatus that properly discharges documents regardless of amount of documents


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a measure of quality for a resource. In one aspect, a method includes determining a seed score for each seed resource in a set. The seed score for a seed resource can be based on a number of resources that include a link to the seed resource and a number of selections of the links A set of source resources is identified. A source score is determined for each source resource. The source score for a source resource is based on the seed score for each seed resource linked to by the source resource. Source-referenced resources are identified. A resource score is determined for each source-referenced resource. The resource score for a source-referenced resource can be based on the source score for each source resource that includes a link to the source-referenced resource.

This specification relates to information retrieval.
The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources, such as image files, audio files, video files, and web pages. A search system can identify resources in response to queries. The search system ranks the resources and provides search results that link to the identified resources. The search results are typically ordered for viewing according to the rank.
Some search systems rank each resource based, in part, on a number of other resources that include a link to the resource. For example, a resource that has a large number of resources that link to the resource may be ranked higher than another resource that has a smaller number of linking resources. However, some resources may be linked to by a number of resources that is disproportionate compared to the amount of traffic the resource receives from theses links.

Determining a quality measure for a resource


A composition and a method of using the composition to adjust the permeability of a subsurface formation is disclosed. The composition is a water insoluble gel made by cross linking a water soluble polymer. The water soluble polymer is made by polymerizing a precursor composition, wherein the precursor composition is a mixture of an acrylic acid compound and a reactant comprised of a divalent metal salt of the acrylic acid compound.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention broadly relates to a composition for controlling the flow of water in a subsurface formation. This invention further relates to and a method of controlling the flow of water from and into a hydrocarbon containing subsurface formation. The invention more specifically relates to the use of a modified cross linked acrylic acid polymer in a method of controlling the flow of water in a high temperature hydrocarbon containing subsurface formation.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Problems Solved
It is well known in the art, that a subsurface formation which contains hydrocarbons, such as petroleum and gas, also contains salt water, referred to as formation water. It is equally known in the art, that recovery of the petroleum and gas from the formation inherently involves recovery of formation water along with the hydrocarbons. The recovery of water together with the hydrocarbons is generally regarded in the art as an undesirable aspect of the oil production process because the water, along with the desirable fluids, must be pumped from the formation to the surface where it must be separated from the desirable fluids and then it must be disposed of in some appropriate fashion. This handling of formation water is an economic and a technical burden imposed on producers which burdens, at some point in time, can become so great that oil and gas production is either terminated to avoid the water problem or steps are taken to prevent the recovery of water, or at least to reduce the volume of water recovered. Such steps have been referred to in the art as water control and/or as water shut-off.
It is also known in the art to inject water into a subsurface formation to displace oil and gas from one part of the formation to another as a step in a process of enhancing the recovery of the desirable fluid from the formation. During water injection, the injected water can at times more readily flow into and through one part of the formation as compared to another part of the formation. The formation, or part thereof, into which the water more readily flows is sometimes referred to as a thief zone. The flow, thus, is not uniform with the result that desired displacement of oil and gas is not achieved. It is believed that variations in the physical properties of the formation, for example, formation permeability and porosity, cause the mentioned non-uniform flow. Steps have been taken in the art to render the physical properties of a formation more uniform so as to cause injected water to uniformly flow into and through the entire formation. Such steps have been referred to in the art as profile modification and/or as conformance control.
The art has employed methods of water control and profile modification which methods feature the introduction of a polymeric material into a target formation to adjust the permeability of the formation. The intended result of the permeability adjustment is to block and/or to reduce the flow of water from a particular part of the formation or to make more uniform the flow of water through the formation. For purposes of this disclosure, the permeability adjustment of the formation is sometimes referred to as water flow regulation, or more simply, as water regulation.
Water control and profile modification of subsurface formations have been routinely performed using a variety of polymers, such as polyacrylamide, cellulose and xanthan gum. These polymers perform satisfactorily in shallow wells which ordinarily have low temperatures, however, they become unstable and do not perform satisfactorily in deeper wells in which temperatures are ordinarily higher. In response to the temperature problem, water control and profile modification in formations having elevated temperatures has been performed with nitrogen containing polymers developed to be stable at temperatures of about 400° F. Such polymers feature monomers, such as, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, 4-acryloylmorpholine, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-methylene bis(meth)acrylamide, the sodium salt of vinylsulfonic acid and the sodium salt of styrene sulfonic acid.
It is known that acrylic acid polymers cannot be satisfactorily cross linked, but acrylic acid has been combined with the nitrogen containing monomers to produce copolymers having charged carboxyl sites to facilitate cross linking reactions between the copolymers. In one instance it has been reported that a blend of a nitrogen containing polymer, N,N-methylene bis(meth)acrylamide, and derivatives of acrylic acid, that is, a mixture of sodium acrylate and magnesium acrylate, has been polymerized to obtain a thermally aqueous stable gel.
It is believed that acrylic acid polymers have an excessive number of charged carboxyl cross linking sites which preferentially promote intra molecular bonding rather than inter molecular cross linking. Furthermore, acrylic acid polymers and cross linked acrylic acid polymers do not function as water control and profile modification materials, because they do not satisfactorily adhere to the walls of subsurface formations. It is believed that the inability of acrylic acid polymers and cross links thereof to satisfactorily adhere to subsurface formations is caused by the mentioned charges associated with the excessive number of carboxyl cross linking sites.
Accordingly, a problem existing in the art is the absence of a satisfactory ability to employ a stable water gel comprised of a cross linked acrylic acid polymer to regulate the flow of water into, in and through a subsurface formation, and in particular one having a temperature in excess of 400° F.


A motorcycle is provided with a cowling brace having a sub-frame structure for attaching a cowling and a cowling peripheral part to a front head portion of a body frame of a motorcycle. The cowling brace is composed of a front brace member integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, a rear brace member assembled by using a metal material to be combined with the front brace member, a front fixture member formed integrally with the front brace member and adapted to fix the cowling and the cowling peripheral part, and a rear fixture member formed to rear brace member and adapted to fix the rear brace member to the body frame of the motorcycle.

The present invention relates to a cowling brace supporting a cowling of a motorcycle.
For motorcycles, there have been manufactured a large number of types of models each in which a front head portion of a body is covered by a streamlined cowling so that a rider may be protected from a running wind pressure while decreasing an air resistance at the time of the running with an improved outer appearance.
Such a cowling is attached to the front head portion of the body frame of the motorcycle through a cowling brace mounted as a sub-frame structure. Furthermore, cowling peripheral parts such as a head lamp, a meter panel, and a rear view mirror are also attached to the cowling brace.
An existing cowling brace is integrally assembled by using a metal pipe or a press-molded metal plate, and various types of brackets and stays for attaching the cowling and the cowling peripheral parts, are welded thereto. Furthermore, there is also provided a cowling brace, in which only the stay portion for attaching the rear view mirror is separately formed to be attached to a main body of the motorcycle by means of bolt.
The cowling peripheral parts including the head lamp are attached to the cowling brace in a vibration isolating manner through cushioning members formed of elastic materials such as a rubber so as to prevent the vibration from reaching to each of the parts from the body and the engine.
However, as described above, since a cowling brace supporting a large number of various types of parts has an extremely complexed shape, and further, since it is assembled by utilizing a number of press molding and welding processes, it is difficult to keep the dimensional accuracy and to carry out the manufacturing process. There has been also provided a problem that if the positions of the brackets and stays get out of order only by a little amount, it is difficult to accurately mate, in positions, the divided portions of the cowling with each other, so that the beauty of the motorcycle may extremely be degraded and attachment of parts may become impossible.
Furthermore, although the cowling peripheral parts are attached to the cowling brace in a vibration isolating manner, it is difficult to completely absorb the vibration, and there has been a possibility that the durability and function of each part may be lowered. For example, there has been such a problem that a filament of a bulb of the head lamp becomes easy-to-cut by the vibration, or that the visual field of the rear view mirror becomes dim.


The present invention relates to a method of preparing a hollow carbon structure. The method includes a step of calcining a solid component separated after a cracking reaction of a heavy hydrocarbon fraction; and a step of performing an acid treatment or base treatment on the solid component calcined in the above-described step.

Natural gas is one of the three major energy sources of the world together with petroleum and coal, and the production and consumption of natural gas has largely increased since the 2000s. Since natural gas generates a smaller amount of greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, natural gas is expected to gradually come to play an important role in world energy supply. However, sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, and tetrahydrothiophene which are included in natural gas are converted into SOx during the combustion, thereby causing acid rain, and toxifying catalysts used in processes. Accordingly, a variety of solutions have been suggested to remove sulfur compounds.
In military aspects, atomic, biological and chemical(ABC) weapons are formed of halogen compounds including elemental sulfur, and activated carbon particles were put into military protective clothing for chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) battles so as to protect soldiers. However, when activated carbon is used for military protective clothing, heavy activated carbon may negatively affect the activity of the soldiers, and thus there is a demand for a substitute for activated carbon, which may have the same performance as the activated carbon and improve the mobility of the soldiers.
Further, various substances capturing carbon dioxide, which are prepared by impregnating porous activated carbon with amine-based absorbents, have been developed recently as technologies for coping with climate change. There is a strong demand for further effective porous materials for improvement of such technologies.
The important factor in the removal of sulfur compounds, the separation of carbon dioxide, and the use of porous carrier is to select a suitable adsorbent. Various adsorbents may be applied, but the important factor for the effective use is high adsorption capacity to a target substance and conditions for easy desorption. When adsorption capacity is high, but desorption is difficult, a high adsorbent regeneration cost is required, and thus leading to difficulties and inefficiency in the technological application. Further, when a mixture as a process target has moisture, the performance of an adsorbent may be rapidly decreased due to the moisture. Accordingly, moisture resistance is also regarded as a key indicator in the selection of an adsorbent.
Although the production and consumption of natural gas have increased, petroleum resources are the major energy source which has been leading the world industry, and the influence of the petroleum resources on the world economy and industry is very important. There are increasing concerns about limitation on and maldistribution of petroleum resources. Further, with the increase in national income, the demand for transport fuels, particularly, the demand for light oil products, has continuously increased, but the demand for heavy hydrocarbon products such as bunker fuels or the like has decreased, and the rate of high-sulfur-containing and heavy crude oil in the produced crude oil has increased more than in the past.
Since crude oil reserves are globally decreasing and oil prices continue to rise over time, there are increasing demands for reforming of cheap heavy hydrocarbon fractions such as bitumen or the like which substitutes for crude oil in addition to ultra-high-sulfur-containing heavy oil and oil sand, and technologies for high-value-added heavy hydrocarbon fractions are receiving attentions according to such current trends.
Gasification, delayed coking, residue fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC), hydrocracking or the like has been known as examples of conversion processes. According to the reaction conditions of the above-described conversion processes, a solid by-product having carbon as a main component is generated at a certain ratio from a part of heavy hydrocarbon fractions with the production of light oil. Accordingly, when light oil may be prepared through the above-described processes, and a solid carbon by-product may also be prepared as a carbonaceous material having excellent selectivity, adsorption capacity, and stability through various pre-processes, it is expected that high-added value may be realized.

Method for preparing hollow carbon structure using cracking reaction of heavy hydrocarbon fraction

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of preparing a hollow carbon structure which may be used to separate carbon dioxide, to remove a sulfur compound, and as a carrier of various substances by performing various pre-processes on carbon generated on a surface of a spent catalyst which is used in a cracking reaction of a heavy hydrocarbon fraction.

University-Industry Foundation, Yonsei University


A level shifter may include a first current source configured to source current to a node that pulls up an output voltage of the level shifter to a logic high level and a second current source configured to sink away current from the node to pull down the output voltage to a logic low level. When the output voltage at the node reaches the logic high voltage, the first current source may be deactivated while a latch connected to the node maintains the output voltage at the logic high level. Similarly, when the output voltage reaches the logic low voltage, the second current source may be deactivated while the latch maintains the output voltage at the logic low level.

Level shifters are electronic circuits that convert input signals having logic voltage levels in a first voltage domain to output signals having logic voltage levels in a second voltage domain. Some level shifters may be low-to-high level shifters, where one or more logic voltage levels in the first voltage domain is lower than one or more of corresponding voltage levels in the second voltage domain. Other level shifters may be high-to-low level shifters, where one or more logic voltage levels in the first domain is higher than one or more corresponding voltage levels in the second voltage domain. Level shifters may be configured in chips or dies having different operational domains and/or interfaces. Additionally, level shifters may be building blocks for integrated circuit (IC) design, including those using complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

Wide supply range high speed low-to-high level shifter


A mapping systems includes determining that a map object (“MO”) is outside the visible area of a map displayed; calculating the direction, distance and travel-time to the MO, creating an object vector indicator (“OVI”) and displaying the OVI on the map-display application. The OVI may be displayed on the periphery of the map-display and may be positioned in the general direction of the MO. The position of the electronic device is factored into the calculations and placement of the OVI.

Popular mapping services include Google® Maps, Yahoo!® Maps, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, etc. for personal computers and computing devices, and Garmin®, Magellan®, TomTom® etc. as GPS-navigation units. Mapping services allow a user to view a map in various formats (e.g. 2D, 3D, aerial, road, etc.). Functionality provided includes "zoom in" and "zoom out", which allows the user to see a smaller region at a greater level of detail, and larger region in less detail, respectively.
In a digital mapping system, objects on a map may be demarcated by symbols indicating points-of-interest ("POI"), way-points ("WP"), locations, etc. (collectively referred to inhere as map-objects, or ("MO")) For example, the user may perform a search for a businesses and the search results may be displayed as symbols on a map, corresponding to the geographic location of the businesses in the result set of the search. In another common example, a user may request driving directions, in response to which way-points may be displayed on the map, corresponding to geographic points along the plotted route of the driving direction.
At present, one or more of the MOs to be displayed on the map may be outside an area of the map visible to the user (e.g. when the user zooms into an area of the map not including the MO.) The user often may not be able to discern the direction and distance to the MO which would be outside the visible area of the map, without (1) panning the map in the general direction of the MO until the visible area of the map includes the MO, and/or (2) zooming out until the visible area of the map includes the MO, and/or (3) in the case of a menu or a hyperlinked-list item referencing the MO, selecting the reference to the MO from the menu/the hyperlinked list item.

Method and system for displaying navigation information on an electronic map


A climatic forecast system for generating an optimized forecast remotely acquires digital data via a digital network, the digital data including observations and at least one model digital forecast; and performs hybrid forecasting, including inputting the observations, the at least one model digital forecast, and first forecast data. The hybrid forecasting is adapted to process the observations, the at least one model digital forecast and the first forecast data, and to apply at least two of a statistical model, a simple general circulation model, and a multi-model synthesis algorithm to the first forecast data to produce at least one hybrid forecast as a probability density.

Prior art already knows, via American patent No. U.S. Pat. No. 6, 535,817 (Florida State Research), a forecast synthesis method using historical and forecast data. More specifically, the invention protected by said American patent relates to a method for generating an accurate climatic forecast model including steps consisting in:                collecting historical forecast information from various models;        accumulating observation data;        comparing the historical forecast data and the observations to determine the historical performance of the various models;        generating a multimodel superensemble of climatic models based upon the performances of each of the models.
Prior art also knows, from American patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,699 (IBM), a forecast system including a three-layer (or more generally multilayer) neural network. Said network is applied to climatic data and trained on such data. The first node of the input layer is connected to the statistical forecasts whereas the other nodes are linked to one historical datum from the set of historical data.
Prior art also knows patent application PCT WO 94/16394 (Strategic Weather) which relates to a forecast system and method developed from the impact of the climate on management planning applications. More specifically, said international application relates to a computerised system and method with which weather forecasts are introduced into a predictive model which quantifies historical weather impact relations between datasets, said forecasts being used for predicting the future impact of the climate on management plans. The predictive model can use multiple regression or a neural network. In one application relating to retailing, the computer system and method have a weather impact predictive model based on correlations established between historical weather conditions and point of sale store transactions data. The weather impact model is coupled with weather forecasts to adjust management plans for buying, distributing, financial budgeting, promotional and advertising applications. A graphical user interface provides easy assimilation of the analysis in relation to specific management applications.
Prior art also knows, from patent application PCT WO 97/26613 (Strategic Weather), a system and method for forecasting retail performances according to the meteorology. Said international application therefore relates to a system and method for forecasting future retail performances. The system comprises a storage unit storing a sales history database, and a weather forecast database. An analysis module determines the extent to which the past retail performance of a plurality of products in various point of sale stores was affected by weather conditions, using the sales history database and the weather forecast database. A configuration module, coupled to the analysis module, estimates the expected future retail performance for said products in shops, for a plurality of future time periods, using the weather database and results produced by the analysis module. A graphical user interface, coupled to the analysis module and the configuration module, enables users to view and manipulate results produced by the analysis and configuration modules, and thus to forecast the future retail performance of the products concerned in the point of sale stores considered.
Finally, the Canadian patent application CA 2 199 588 (Hoffman Efrem) is also known which proposes a hierarchical recognition and identification system for data matrix connections.
Prior art also knows, via patent application PCT WO 02/21381 (Planalytics), a system, method and computer program allowing conjunctural forecasts to be obtained in the short term according to the meteorological weather.
Also known in prior art is the American patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,447 Planalytics which relates to a system and method for forecasting future retail performances. This is a conventional system comprising a storage device and in particular a database relating to sales data and a database relating to weather history data and a database for forecast data.
Via European patent application EP 1 324 253 (Météo France), a method for providing a weather index is also known. To provide a weather index, said method includes steps consisting in: measuring at least one weather phenomenon with at least one geographical position to obtain at least one weather datum; obtaining at least one so-called human datum linked to a least one economical or demographical size relating at least to one geographical area including the respective position; and calculating an index from said data.
In the field of climatic forecast, the following scientific publications are also known:                R. Cano, A. S. Cofifio, J. M. Gutiérrez and M. A. Rodriguez, Self-Organizing Maps for Statistical Downscaling in Short-Term Forecasting. A Case Study in the Iberian Peninsula, Applied Meteorology (submitted), April 2002;        White, W. B., 2000, Influence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave on Australian Precipitation from 1958 to 1997, J. Climate, 13, 2125-2141;        Marshall J D, and F. Molteni, 1993, Towards a dynamical understanding of planetary scale flow regimes, J. Atmos. Scie, 50, 1792-1818;        Michelangeli, P A, R. Vautard and B. Legras, 1995, Weather Regimes: recurrence and quasi stationarity, J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 1237-1256;        Michelangeli, P A, and R. Vautard, 1998, The dynamics of Euro Atlantic blocking onsets, Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc, 124, 1045-1070;        Silverman, B W, 1986, Density estimation for statistics and data analysis, Chapman and Hall.


Disclosed is a system and method for triangulating vector graphics data having non-simple multi-styled and multi-connected shapes. The method provides for geometry flattening and more efficient processing of horizontal edges. The method involves computing a plurality of monotone chains corresponding to each of the plurality of shapes; computing a plurality of scan beams corresponding to the plurality of monotone chains; computing a plurality of monotone polygons corresponding to the monotone chains; computing a plurality of triangles from the plurality of monotone polygons; and displaying the plurality of triangles on the computer display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer graphics. More particularly, the present invention relates to software and hardware accelerated display of vector graphics data.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Advances in video processing technology have enabled real time display of complex moving images using commercially available computer hardware. Applications of such video processing technology include computer games, video content downloaded over the internet, music videos displayed on personal digital devices, and video displayed on cell phones. Further recent advances have enabled 3D graphics to be displayed on computer displays, personal digital devices, and cell phones.
Essential to the advance of video processing technology has been the use of vector graphics data formats in representing images. Representing an image as a set of vectors has not only vastly increased the efficiency in transmitting and storing video data (as opposed to raster scan or bitmap representations), but it has enabled video content to be scalable. Scalability refers to the ability to render an image or video with varying degrees of resolution depending on the display hardware displaying the images or video, and/or on other considerations such as bandwidth. In other words, the resolution of an image displayed on a cell phone will be different from that displayed on a high resolution monitor, and the quality of video streamed via a low bandwidth connection will be different from that streamed via a high bandwidth connection. In any of these cases, vector graphics representation of images or video allows one data format to be used regardless of the display device or bandwidth.
Displaying vector graphics data typically involves converting the data into a plurality of triangles, wherein each triangle has a style (e.g., color), shape, and location. Accordingly, depending on the complexity of the image, this may involve thousands of triangles. Converting vector graphics data into a plurality of triangles is referred to as triangulation, or tessellation. Accordingly, efficiently displaying vector graphics data requires the ability to quickly and reliably tessellate the data.
Many related art approaches to tessellation incur certain disadvantages. First, many related art tessellation algorithms have a computational cost that can vary a great deal depending on the content of the image to be displayed. As a result, they are not suitable for consistent real time use without a separate preprocessing step. Second, certain related art tessellation algorithms are unstable in that an error or anomaly in depicting a small feature can corrupt the displayed image or cause the display device to crash. Third, many related art approaches suffer from problems associated with layered polygons, in which polygons are rendered independently in separate layers. This can lead to what is referred to as the "group opacity" problem, when multiple layers are rendered with varying opacity, as might happen when a multi-layered polygon is meant to fade in a series of images. And finally, related art approaches to vector graphics typically generate polygons independently, so that polygons that have a shared edge are each given separate edges. This can lead to the appearance of seams between rendered polygons. As used herein, a polygon may refer to any figure to be displayed that may be tessellated for the purpose of being rendered on a display device.
The latter three of the above problems may be mitigated by "flattening" the geometry of polygons that are to be displayed. However, related art approaches to tessellation that use multiple layers are ill-suited to geometry flattening. Further, related art approaches typically do not handle "non-simple" cases when processing vector graphics data. Non-simple cases include fully or partially overlapped edges, polygon edges that pass through vertices of edges of other polygons, more than two polygon edges having a shared vertex, and crossing edges (self-intersections).
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for processing vector graphics data that flattens the geometry of multiple polygons, provides for polygons having shared edges, handles errors in a stable manner, and is computationally efficient.

System and method for triangulation of non-simple, multiply-connected, multi-styled shapes


A ceiling sensor designed to interface with the computerized controllers of energy management systems is disclosed. This ceiling sensor is operable to detect motion through the use of a transmitted signal of predetermined frequency which when received has experienced a Doppler shift. Comparison of the received signal with its frequency change to the transmitted signal produces motion detection which when incorporated with an isolated latching relay enables the switching on and off of light, heating, air conditioning or security interfaces. A ceiling sensor is disclosed which is operable to detect the short, quick movements of employees working in a narrow range field of view such as a shop aisle or warehouse corridor. A second ceiling sensor is disclosed which is operable to detect the gross, large movements of employees in a large area such as an open room or warehouse. A method of fabricating a ceiling sensor for a computer controller interface is also described.

The present invention relates to a motion sensing ceiling sensor interface for a computer controller; and more particularly to a ceiling sensor which is operable through the use of motion detection to provide for automatic control of a work environment based upon occupancy.
In the work environment, lighting, heating, air conditioning and security utilize computerized controls which until now have required two separate systems. The use of a separate system for lighting and a separate system for energy management requires increased expense in the equipment used to control the environment of the office and in the labor to install and maintain it. Energy conservation based upon the selective actuation of various environmental interfaces such as light, heat, air conditioning and security, is extremely important not only from a business perspective but also for resource management.
It would be advantageous to manage the environment using the detection of employees in the work place so that light, heat, air conditioning and security are not inefficiently used. More importantly, a sensor system that could intelligently determine occupancy and control lighting as applied to a specific area could produce a significant cost savings by providing lighting only when as absolutely necessary.

Motion detection sensor with computer interface


Provided are an electrode unit and a method for manufacturing the electrode unit. According to the present invention, after the electrode unit is manufactured by using heat, bending of the electrode unit occurring by cooling the electrode unit may be eliminated or minimized. To achieve the aforementioned object, in the method for manufacturing the electrode unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, stress applied to the inside of each of the positive electrode collector and the negative electrode collector is calculated to reflect the calculated results, thereby selecting the positive electrode collector and the negative electrode collector.

In general, a secondary battery that is repeatedly chargeable and dischargeable includes an electrode assembly. Here, the electrode assembly may be manufactured by combining electrode units.
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an example of an electrode unit structure according to the related art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electrode unit may include a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode. The electrode unit may be formed by alternately stacking the positive electrode, the separator, and the negative electrode. The electrode units are combined with each other to manufacture an electrode assembly. The electrode unit may be manufactured through various manufacturing methods. For example, a process of manufacturing the electrode unit may include a process of applying heat to the positive electrode, the separator, and the negative electrode. Both surfaces or one surface of a collector may be coated with a positive electrode active material to manufacture the positive electrode. Also, both surfaces or one surface of the collector may be coated with a negative electrode active material to manufacture the negative electrode.
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing the electrode unit according to the related art.
The method for manufacturing the electrode unit, which is illustrated in FIG. 2, may be a lamination process. The lamination process is a process of arranging a separator and an electrode so as to come into contact with or be close to each other, and then heating and/or pressing the separator and the electrode by using equipment such as a roll to bond the separator to the electrode.

Electrode unit and method for manufacturing the same


A method for operating the two stroke engine provides that the fuel valve is controlled after the starting process in at least a quasi-steady state such that, on the basis of uninterruptedly successive blocks of successive revolutions of the crankshaft, the fuel valve is opened and closed exactly once within each block. Each block includes from two to twenty revolutions of the crankshaft. The fuel valve is opened over a crankshaft angle (α) of more than 360° within one block in at least one operating state. A control device is provided for controlling the fuel valve. A quasi-steady state of the two stroke engine is a state in which the throttle element is adjusted by less than 10% of the maximum adjustment of the throttle element over a crankshaft angle (α) of 360°.

It is known in two stroke engines to use an electromagnetic fuel valve for metering in the fuel required for operation. Here, the fuel is conventionally metered in for each engine cycle. Here, the fuel valve is opened once and closed once within an engine cycle. This results in very short switching times in particular at full load, for example at rated rotational speed or at maximum rotational speed. To be able to realize these, it is necessary to use an electromagnetic valve of very elaborate configuration with a high energy requirement.
In order to avoid these very short switching times at high rotational speeds, it is known from US 2015/0020772 for the fuel valve to be opened during idling operation with a frequency that is coordinated with the opening and closing of the intake channel. Therefore, in idling operation, fuel is supplied synchronously with respect to the engine cycles. At full load, provision is made for the electromagnetic valve to be opened independently of the frequency with which the intake channel is connected to the crankcase interior, that is, independently of the engine cycles. As a result, at full load, the fuel valve does not need to be opened and closed in every engine cycle, but can be opened and closed less frequently, whereby the use of a valve of simpler construction is made possible.
It has been found that the switchover of the operating mode of the fuel valve from operation that is synchronous with the engine cycles to operation that is asynchronous with respect to the engine cycles is perceptible to the operator if the switchover time is selected in an unsuitable manner. This is undesired.

Method for operating a two stroke engine


A fastening system for substantially inhibiting slippage between first and second members interconnected thereby is disclosed. The fastening system is particularly useful in instances where at least one of the first and second members is subject to shear loading. The fastening system may include a fastener having a shank portion which is receivable within first and second bores of the first and second members, respectively, and a nose portion of a nut member for engaging a proximal segment of the shank portion of the fastener proximate the second member to substantially inhibit tilting of the fastener relative to the first and/or second member(s).

For purposes of fastening together first and second members, a nut and bolt fastening system is typically utilized. More specifically, in order to fasten a first member to a second member, a threaded shank portion of a bolt is typically inserted through bores in the first and second members and threadedly engaged with a nut.
In order to address situations in which the first and/or second member will be subjected to shear loads, various devices and techniques have been developed to relieve the resulting shear stress on the fastening system, and specifically, the bolt. Such developments have also concentrated upon inhibiting slippage of the first member relative to the second member in instances where the first and/or second member is subject to large shear loads. For example, one such system for relieving shear stress on the fastening system and for inhibiting slippage of the first member relative to the second member involves inserting a number of press-fit pins into first and second members. Such press-fit pins substantially inhibit slippage of the first member relative to the second member. However, replacement of, for example, the first member is time consuming and impractical as such press-fit pins are difficult to remove.


A specifying circuit specifies either the first masking method or the second masking method. A first generation circuit generates a signal corresponding to the first method. A second generation circuit generates a signal corresponding to the second method. A third generation circuit generates a write pulse signal on the basis of the output signal of the first generation circuit in response to the specification of the first masking method made by the specifying circuit and on the basis of the output signal of the second generation circuit in response to the specification of the second masking method made by the specifying circuit.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-277108, filed Sep. 12, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a peripheral circuit of a DRAM. More particularly, it relates to a semiconductor memory device adapted to use a masking method that makes it capable of masking data to be written.
2. Description of the Related Art
Single data rate (SDR)-synchronous DRAMs (SDRAMs) are being popularly used at present. SDR-SDRAMs are capable of specifying various functional features for itself according to the objective of the user of using the device. For example, it is possible to mask a part of the data to be written so that the part may not be actually written. For that purpose, SDR-SDRAMs are provided with a pin for supplying mask data that is referred to as DM pin.
While the user may use the data mask in various different ways, it is often and primarily used to mask the last data to be written in order to avoid collisions of data on the internal data path at the time of an interrupt.
The data mask method (DM) and the variable write burst length (VW) method are two popular methods for masking data.
FIG. 13 is a timing chart for both the DM method and the VW method illustrated in terms of burst length.
For example, referring to FIG. 13, if control signal DMIN fed to the DM pin is set to level HIGH for the purpose of writing data D0 through D7 with a burst length of BL=8 in synchronism with clock signal CLK, data D4, D5, D6 and D7 that correspond to the level HIGH period are masked.
With the DM method, once a write operation is started, the next command cannot be input until the time period necessary for processing all the data for the selected burst length is over. Referring again to FIG. 13, if the last four data do no need to be written at BL=8, it is not possible with the DM method to enter the next command until a clock cycle for eight data is over. This means that clock cycles are wasted for nothing.
On the other hand, with the VW method, data are masked by selecting a burst length that is different from that of the mode register when entering a write command. More specifically, a higher order address VWadd showing the burst length is input by using an unused pin simultaneously at the time of inputting a write command. Then, a burst length WBLn is defined for writing data as a function of the higher order address VWadd. Only data for the defined burst length WBLn are written in the memory cell array, while all the other data are masked.
With the VW method, the write operation is terminated immediately before the masked data and then data are no longer supplied to the data path. Thus, no collisions of data occur on the data path and hence the next write command can be input without problem. Then, the path occupancy ratio can be improved. Additionally, unlike the DM method, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated DM pin and hence the VW method can do with a reduced number of pins.
Meanwhile, various fast cycle RAMs (FCRAMs) and double data rate-SDRAMs (DDRIIs) have been proposed recently. The next generation high speed DRAMs including FCRAMs and DDRIIs use chip scale packages (CSPs). One of the significant problems of CSPs in terms of assembling is to provide an enough space for arranging solder balls and also for internal wiring. The VW method can operate with a reduced number of pins if compared with the DM method. In other words, the VW method is advantageous to the DM method in terms of assembling. Therefore, the VW method is expected to be applied to FCRAMs and DDRIIs.
However, this kind of memory devices are now in the transitional period of moving from the DM method to the VW method. In other words, at present there are users who are using the DM method and those who are using the VW method. Therefore, there is a demand for semiconductor memory devices that can adapt themselves to both the DM method and the VW method by means of a single chip.
In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor memory device comprising: a specifying circuit for specifying one of the first masking method and the second masking method; a first generation circuit for generating a signal corresponding to the first masking method; a second generation circuit for generating a signal corresponding to the second masking method; and a third generation circuit connected to the output terminal of the second generation circuit; wherein the third generation circuit configured to generate a write pulse signal on the basis of the output signal of the first generation circuit in response to the specification made by the specifying circuit of the first masking method and on the basis of the output signal of the second generation circuit in response to the specification made by the specifying circuit of the second masking method.

Semiconductor memory device capable of masking data to be written


A thin film transistor array substrate has a gate electrode of the thin film transistor, a gate line connected to the gate electrode, and a gate pad connected to the gate line; a source/drain pattern including a source electrode and a drain electrode of the thin film transistor, a data line connected to the source electrode, a data pad connected to the data line, a storage electrode formed and superimposed with the gate line; a semiconductor pattern formed in low part of the substrate; a transparent electrode pattern including a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode and the storage electrode, a gate pad protection electrode covering the gate pad, and a data pad protection electrode covering the data pad; and a protection pattern and a gate insulation pattern stacked in a region other than the region where the transparent electrode pattern is formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array substrate and a manufacturing method of the same, and more particularly to the thin film transistor array substrate and the manufacturing method of the same capable of reducing the number of mask processes.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display represents an image by means of adjusting a transmissivity of light of the liquid crystal by use of an electric field. For this purpose, the liquid crystal display comprises a liquid crystal display panel where the liquid crystal cells are arranged by a matrix type, and a driving circuit for driving the liquid crystal display panel.
The liquid crystal display panel comprises a thin film transistor array substrate and a color filter array substrate facing each other, a spacer located for maintaining a designated cell gap between two substrates, and the liquid crystal filling to the cell gap.
The thin film transistor array substrate includes gate lines and data lines, a thin film transistor formed as a switching device at every intersection of the gate lines and the data lines, a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor formed by the liquid crystal cell unit, and an alignment film spread thereon. The gate lines and the data lines receive signals from driving circuits through each of the pad part. The thin film transistor responds to a scan signal supplied to the gate line, and supplies to the pixel electrode a pixel voltage signal supplied to the data line.
The color filter array substrate includes the color filters formed by the liquid crystal cell unit, a black matrix for reflecting outside light and separating between the color filters, a common electrode commonly supplying a reference voltage to the liquid crystal cells, and an alignment film spread thereon.
The liquid crystal display panel combines a specially manufactured thin film transistor array substrate and color filter array substrate, in which liquid crystal is injected there between, after which the panel is sealed. With respect to this liquid crystal panel, the thin film transistor array substrate includes a semiconductor process and in addition includes a plurality of mask processes. Accordingly, the manufacturing process is complicated and this is the main cause of the rising costs of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel. In order to solve this problem, the thin film transistor array substrate is improved in order to reduce the number of mask processes. The reason for this is that in one mask process, many sub-processes such as an evaporation process, a cleaning process, a photolithography process, an etching process, a photoresist stripping process, and an inspection process are all included in one mask process. Recently, 4-mask process have appeared, replacing more conventional 5-mask process.
FIG. 1 is a plane view illustrating the thin film transistor array substrate adopting a mask process, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating as cutting along line I-I′ the thin film transistor array substrate as shown in FIG. 1.
The thin film transistor array substrate as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 comprises gate lines 2 and data lines 4 formed as intersecting each other and putting a gate insulation film there between on a lower substrate 42, a thin film transistor 6 formed at every intersection, and a pixel electrode 18 formed in the cell region arranged by the intersection. And the thin film transistor array substrate comprises a storage capacitor 20 formed at a superimposed part of the pixel electrode 18 and the former gate line 2, a gate pad part 26 connected to the gate line 2, and a data pad part 34 connected to the data line 4.
The thin film transistor 6 comprises a gate electrode 8 connected to the gate line 2, a source electrode 10 connected to the data line 4, a drain electrode 12 connected to a pixel electrode 16, an active layer 14 forming a channel between the source electrode 10 and the drain electrode 12 superimposed with the gate electrode 8. The active layer 14 is formed as being superimposed with the data pad 36, the storage electrode 22, the data line 4, the source electrode 10, and the drain electrode 12, and further comprises the channel part between the source electrode 10 and the drain electrode 12. On the active layer 14, the data pad 36, the storage electrode 22, the data line 4, the source electrode 10, the drain electrode 12, and an ohmic contact layer 48 for ohmic contact are further formed. This thin film transistor 6 responds to the gate signal supplied to the gate line 2 and provides a pixel voltage signal supplied to the data line 4 at the pixel electrode 18.
The pixel electrode 18 is connected to the drain electrode 12 of the thin film transistor 6 through a first contact hole 16 penetrating a protection film 50. The pixel electrode 18 generates a voltage difference from the common electrode formed on the upper substrate (not shown) when a pixel voltage is provided. By this voltage difference, the liquid crystal located between the thin film transistor substrate and the upper substrate rotates due to a dielectric anisotropy, and allows incident light passing through the pixel electrode 18 from the light source (not shown) to be emitted to the upper substrate.
The storage capacitor 20 comprises a former stage gate line 2, a storage electrode superimposed over the gate line 2, the gate insulation film 44, the active layer 14, the ohmic contact layer 48 there between, and the pixel electrode 22 connected through the second contact hole 24 formed at the protection film 50. In addition the capacitor 20 superimposes the storage electrode 22 over the protection film 50. This storage capacitor 20 makes the pixel voltage supplied to the pixel electrode 18 constant until the next pixel voltage is supplied thereto.
The gate line 2 is connected to the gate driver (not shown) through the gate pad part 26. The gate pad part 26 comprises the gate pad 28 extended from the gate line 2 and the gate pad protection electrode 32 connected to the gate pad 28 through the third contact hole 30 penetrating the gate insulation film 44 and the protection film 50.
The data line 4 is connected to the data driver (not shown) through the data pad part 34. The data pad part 34 comprises the data pad 36 extended from the data line 4 and the data pad protection electrode 40 connected to the data pad 36 through the fourth contact hole 38 penetrating the protection film 50.
The thin film transistor array substrate having this constitution is fabricated by a 4-mask process.
FIG. 3a and FIG. 3d are sectional views illustrating the method of manufacturing the thin film transistor array substrate.
Referring to FIG. 3a, the gate patterns are formed on the lower substrate 42.
On the lower substrate 42, the gate metal layer is formed by an evaporation method such as a sputtering method. Subsequently, the gate metal layer is patterned by the photolithography process using the first mask and the etching process thereby forming the gate patterns including a gate line 2, a gate electrode 8, and a gate pad 28. As a gate metal, chrome (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), or the like can be used for the single layer or the double layer structure.
Referring to FIG. 3b, on the lower substrate 42 where the gate patterns are formed, a gate insulation film 44, an active layer 14, an ohmic contact layer 48, and a source/drain patterns are subsequently formed also.
On the lower substrate 42 where the gate pattern is formed by the evaporation method such as a PECVD, a sputtering, or the like, a gate insulation film 44, an amorphous silicon layer, a n+ amorphous silicon layer, and the source/drain metal layer are subsequently formed.
On the source/drain metal layer, a photoresist pattern is formed by a photolithography process using the second mask. In this case, for the second mask, a diffraction exposure mask having the diffraction exposure part in the channel part of the thin film transistor is used. The photoresist pattern of the channel part has a height lower than the other source/drain pattern part.
Subsequently, the source/drain metal layer is patterned by a wet etching process using the photoresist pattern, and the source/drain patterns including the data line 4, the source electrode 10, the drain electrode 12 combined as one body with the source electrode 10, and the storage electrode 22 are formed.
Then, the n+ amorphous silicon layer and the amorphous silicon layer are at the same time patterned by a dry etching process using the same photoresist pattern, and thus the ohmic contact layer 48 and the active layer 14 are formed.
In the channel part after the photoresist pattern having a low relative height is removed by the ashing process, the source/drain pattern of the channel part and the ohmic contact layer 48 are etched by the dry etching process. In this way, the active layer 14 of the channel part is exposed and the source electrode 10 and the drain electrode 12 are separated.
Subsequently, the photoresist pattern existing on the source/drain pattern part is removed by the strip process.
As a material for the gate insulation film 44, an inorganic insulation material like as a silicon oxide (SiOx) or a silicon nitride (SiNx) is used. As a source/drain metal, a molybdenum (Mo), a titanium (Ti), a tantalum (Ta), molybdenum alloy, or the like are used.
Referring to FIG. 3c, on the gate insulation film 44 where the source/drain patterns are formed, the protection film 50 including the first to the fourth contact holes 16, 24, 30, 38 are formed.
On the gate insulation film 44 where the source/drain patterns are formed, the protection film 50 is wholly formed by the evaporation method like as PECVD. The protection film 50 is patterned by the photolithography process and the etching process using the third mask, forming the first to the fourth contact holes (16,24,30,38. The first contact hole 16 penetrates the protection film 50 and is formed so that the drain electrode 12 is exposed. The second contact hole 24 penetrates the protection film 50 and is formed so that the storage electrode 22 is exposed. The third contact hole 30 penetrates the protection film 50 and the gate insulation film 44 and is formed so that the gate pad 28 is exposed. The fourth contact hole 38 penetrates the protection layer 50 and is formed so that the data pad 6 is exposed.
As a material for the protection film 50, an inorganic insulation material like that used as the gate insulation film 94 or an organic insulation material such as an acryl organic compound, BCB, and PFCB having a dielectric coefficient that is low is used.
Referring to FIG. 3d, the transparent electrode patterns are formed on the protection film 50.
On the protection film 50, the transparent electrode material is wholly evaporated by the evaporation method such as the sputtering. Subsequently, the transparent electrode material is patterned by the photolithography process and the etching process using the fourth mask, forming the transparent electrode pattern including the pixel electrode 18, the gate pad protection electrode 32, and the data pad protection electrode 4. The pixel electrode 18 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 12 through the first contact hole 16 and is electrically connected to the storage electrode superimposed with a former stage gate line 2 through the second contact hole 24. The gate pad protection electrode 32 is electrically connected to the gate pad 28 through the third contact hole 30. The data pad protection electrode 40 is electrically connected to the data pad 36 through the fourth contact hole 38. As the transparent electrode material, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Tin Oxide (TO), or Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO) is used. The related art thin film transistor substrate and the manufacturing method such as this reduce the number of manufacture processes by adopting a 4-mask process in contrast with the 5-mask process previously used. In addition, this can decrease the manufacturing cost proportionally. But, because the manufacturing process of the 4-mask process is still complicated, the potential cost reduction is limited. It is required that the thin film transistor substrate and the manufacture method thereof further reduce the manufacturing cost by further simplifying the manufacturing process.

Thin film transistor array substrate and manufacturing method of the same


A device and method for communication of speech packets over a packet-switched network allows for a greater channel reallocation delay. Initial speech packets may be buffered during a channel reallocation delay and sent through an access medium when a channel is granted. A media access controller may transmit the buffered speech packets through the access medium at a rate exceeding a speech encoding rate. At the receiving user equipment, the initial speech packets are decoded and buffered. Speech signals representative of the initial speech packets may have a shortened time period to compensate at least in part for the channel reallocation delay. Decoded speech packets may be processed using a rate matching process at a rate which initially exceeds the speech encoding rate which may be gradually decreased to approximately the speech encoding rate. The rate matching may include dynamic time warping to substantially preserve attributes of the original speech.

As an alternative to traditional circuit-switched networks, voice communications, for example, may be routed over packet-switched networks like the Internet. Due to the fact that the Internet is not subject to the same international regulations as are traditional telephone networks, routing voice communications over the Internet tends to be less expensive. Additionally, a voice communication routed over a packet-switched network may require less bandwidth than a voice communication placed over a circuit-switched network like a traditional telephone network. Packet-switched networks like the internet protocol (IP)-based Internet, Intranets, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks handle bursty data more efficiently than circuit-switched networks because of statistical multiplexing of the packet streams. However, statistical variations of traffic intensity often lead to congestion that results in excessive delays and loss of packets, thereby significantly reducing the quality level of real-time voice communications.
One problem with sending packetized voice over packet-switched networks are the delays associated with channel reallocation. Packet delays above a certain level (e.g., 100–300 mS) are generally found to be annoying for voice conversations. As a result, some networks supporting Voice-over-Packet (VoP) impose a maximum delay requirement of 100 milliseconds (mS). One critical point in the design for such a requirement is the onset of a speech spurt (i.e., when a user starts to speak after a pause or delay) when speech packets are initially generated. Unlike conventional circuit-switched networks, packet-switched networks may not have a dedicated channel ready and available to immediately transfer the packet stream. In conventional packet-switched networks, a media access control device may be employed to reallocate an existing channel and grant access to the channel for the voice packet stream. This channel allocation/reallocation process involves signaling between the various network elements and takes time that can easily exceed an acceptable delay for voice communications as well as the maximum delay requirement imposed on a packet-switched network for voice communication. The channel allocation/reallocation time may become significant especially when existing packet streams have at least as great of a quality of service requirement which may prevent reallocation of their channels. Packet-switched networks have employed partial loading of the access medium (e.g., by reserving a channel) to always allow some capacity for the initial speech onset to meet delay requirements. However partial loading consumes bandwidth because the reserved capacity is unused when no speech packets are being transferred.
Thus there is a general need for an improved method and system for the communication of voice over a packet-switched network. There is also a need for a method and system for communicating voice over a packet-switched network that more efficiently utilizes network resources. There is also a need for a method and system for communicating voice over a packet-switched network that may increase network capacity.

Communication device with dynamic delay compensation and method for communicating voice over a packet-switched network


Disclosed is a method for performing a measurement (namely, a data loss measurement and/or a time measurement) on a data flow to be transmitted in a communication network. The method includes: upon transmission of the data flow, during first block periods that alternate in time with second block periods, marking each data unit of the data flow by setting a feature thereof to a first value and updating a first parameter; upon reception of the data flow, checking the feature for each received data unit and updating a second parameter when the feature is equal to the first value; while transmission and reception are performed, processing a timer for determining whether a current block period is one of the second block periods and, in the affirmative, providing current values of the first and second parameters; and performing a measurement using the current values of the first and second parameters.

In a packet-switched communication network, data are transmitted in the form of packets that are routed from a source node to a destination node through possible intermediate nodes. Exemplary packet-switched networks are Local Area Networks (e.g. Ethernet) and Geographic Area Networks (e.g. Internet).
On the other hand, in circuit-switched networks data are transmitted in the form of continuous bit flows carried from the source node to the destination node within plesiochronous or synchronous frames. Exemplary circuit-switched networks are PDH, SDH, Sonet and OTN networks.
Herein after, the expression "data unit" will designate a portion of a data flow transmitted in a communication network. In particular, in case of a packet-switched network, a data unit may be a packet or a portion of a packet. Besides, in case of a circuit-switched network, a data unit may be a plesiochronous frame, a portion of a plesiochronous frame, a synchronous frame or a portion of a synchronous frame.
Data transmitted either in a packet-switched network or in a circuit-switched network from a source node not always reach the destination node, i.e. they may be lost during transmission through the network.
Loss of data may be due to different reasons. For instance, in a packet-switched network, data within a packet may be discarded by an intermediate node, since the port at which the packet is received or through which the packet has to be forwarded is congested. Besides, both in packet-switched networks and in circuit-switched networks, data may be discarded by an intermediate node or by the destination node, since they contain bit errors.
When providing a service by transmitting data through a packet-switched network or a circuit-switched network, the rate of data lost during transmission affects the quality of service (QoS) of that service.
Besides, a data unit is transmitted at a transmission time by the source node and is received at a reception time by the destination node. The time elapsing between transmission time and reception time is typically called "one way delay" (or, briefly, "delay"). The delay of a data unit is given by the following equation:D(i)=Ri−Si,  [1]where Si is the transmission time and Ri is the reception time of the data unit.
The delay of a data unit mainly depends on the number of possible intermediate nodes crossed by the data unit from source to destination and on the permanence time of the data unit at the source node and at each possible intermediate node. In packet-switched networks, where data units are routed hop-by-hop by each node, both the number of possible intermediate nodes crossed by data units and the permanence time of data units at each node are unpredictable. Accordingly, the delay of a data unit is almost unpredictable. Besides, data units of a same data flow may have different delays.
In a packet-switched communication network, the difference in the delays of two data units (i.e. packets) of a same data flow is termed "interarrival jitter". In particular, if Si and Sj are the transmission times for a first packet i and a second packet j, and Ri and Rj are the reception times for the first packet i and the second packet j, the interarrival jitter may be expressed as:J(i,j)=(Rj−Ri)−(Sj−Si).  [2]
When a communication service (in particular, a real-time voice or data service such as calls, conference calls, video conferences, etc.) is provided by means of a communication network, the delay and interarrival jitter of the data flows carrying the service strongly affect the quality of service (QoS) perceived by the end users of the service.
Therefore, measuring the data loss and delay/interarrival jitter of the data flows carrying services is of particular interest for network operators.
WO 2010/072251 (in the name of the same Applicant) discloses a method for measuring data loss of a data flow transmitted through a communication network from a transmitting node to a receiving node. Before transmitting the data units of the data flow, the transmitting node marks each data unit for dividing the data flow in blocks. In particular, the transmitting node marks each data unit by setting a bit of its header to "1" or "0". The marking results in a sequence of blocks, where blocks of data units marked with "1" temporally alternate with blocks of data units marked with "0". The blocks may have a same duration termed "block period" Tb. Further, while marking the data units, the transmitting node increases by one a first counter C1 each time a data unit is marked by "1", and a second counter C0 each time a data unit is marked by "0". The marked data units are then received at the receiving node. Each time the receiver node receives a data unit, it checks its marking, increases a third counter C′1 if the marking is "1" and increases a fourth counter C′0 if the marking is "0".
According to WO 2010/072251, while the transmitting and receiving nodes are operating as described above, a management server cooperating with the transmitting and receiving nodes periodically detects the values of the counters C1, C0, C′1 and C′0, and uses them for calculating the data loss. The detection period Td has a maximum value that depends on the block period Tb according to the following formula: Tb>2*Td. In other words, the values of the counters C1, C0, C′1 and C′0 should be detected at least twice in each block period. Assuming that Tb is equal to 5 minutes, Td may be equal to 2 minutes.
At each detection time Td, the management server compares the detected current values of C1, C0, C′1 and C′0 with the corresponding previously detected values for determining which one of the counters C1, C0 and which one of the counters C′1, C′0 have a fixed value during the current block period. Indeed, from the above described marking procedure it follows that, in each block period, one of the counters C1, C0 has a fixed value while the other one is increasing, and one of the counters C′1, C′0 has a fixed value while the other one is increasing. Assuming that the management server determines that, during the current block period, the counters C0 and C′0 have a fixed value, the management server calculates the data loss as a difference between the currently fixed values of the counters C0 and C′0.

Measurement on a data flow in a communication network