A bicycle pedal comprises a pedal body supported by a pedal shaft to be rotatable about an axis of the pedal shaft, and at least one clamp member attached to the pedal body for clamping a cleat fixed to a cyclist's shoe. The clamp member is displaced in a fore and aft direction from the pedal shaft to be movable between a cleat clamping position and a release position. The pedal body defines at least one guide surface located adjacent the axis of the pedal shaft with respect to the clamp member for guiding the cleat toward the clamp member.

The present invention relates to a bicycle pedal, and more particularly to an improvement in a bicycle pedal comprising a pedal body supported by a pedal shaft to be rotatable about an axis of the pedal shaft, the pedal body including at least one clamp member for attaching a cleat fixed to a shoe.


A food preparation table includes a food item catchment system including a modular grate and catch pan arrangement positioned atop an upwardly facing surface of the table and including multiple catch pans, multiple frames and multiple grates, each of which is removable for cleaning of the upwardly facing surface and for cleaning of the catch pans, frames and grates.

Food preparation tables are commonly used in commercial establishments for preparing food products that incorporate multiple ingredients. A typical food preparation table includes a frame and housing structure having an internal refrigeration or other cooling system. An upper surface of the housing includes a front preparation surface that is cooled and a rear food storage arrangement that may include multiple individual pans for holding multiple individual food items that can be used in the preparation of food products. The pans are also cooled in order to keep the food items fresh.
Food item catchment systems have been used in the past to catch food items dropped over the front preparation surface. Such catchment systems have typically included a fixed frame atop the food preparation surface that can hold grate structures and includes one or more forward facing slots that allow food pans to be moved into and out of the space below the grate structures. Fixed frame catchment systems, however, are not conducive to table manufacture or cleanability.
It would be desirable to provide a food preparation table that includes a grate and catch pan arrangement that is more convenient to manufacture, more convenient to use and/or more convenient to clean.


A tool holder for a tool belt may include a flexible carrier sheet and at least one belt hanger. The at least one belt hanger may include a belt interface which may be configured to be connected to a tool belt and a carrier sheet connection interface which may be configured to be connected to the carrier sheet. The flexible carrier sheet may include a tool suspension interface which may be configured to connect to a tool or a tool receiver, and a hanger connection interface which may be configured to connect to the carrier sheet connection interface of the belt hanger. The carrier sheet may be configured to connect to the belt hanger by bending the hanger connection interface.

In many professions workers often use waist tool belts to carry their tools and equipment. Specialized receivers, such as receptacles, pockets, hocks, holders and so forth are attached to the tool belt for carrying of the tools and equipment. These receivers are often manufactured with a loop or aperture through which the tool belt is pulled and in this manner the belt and the receivers can be worn around the waist of the user. To be able to rearrange or disconnect the receivers from the belt it is necessary to remove the belt from the waist and disengage the receivers from the belt and rearrange. Another disadvantage with these receivers is that the receivers can slide along the length of the belt and thus end up in the way of the user during work or angled such that the contents in the receivers fall out and are difficult for the user to reach.


A tom holder has a holder body, a pivoting member supported pivotably with respect to the holder body, and a rod, which projects from the pivoting member with the tom fixed to the rod. The tom holder has a pair of openings located at opposed positions. The tom holder is configured to be usable in either a first mode, in which the rod projects from the first opening, and a second mode, in which the rod projects from the second opening.

The present invention relates to a tom holder used to attach a tom to a musical instrument stand.
Typically, a drum set includes percussion instruments such as a bass drum, a snare drum, a tom, and cymbals, which are arranged in such a manner as to allow a single player to play the instruments. Specifically, the tom may be supported by a cymbal stand using a clamp and a tom adapter. However, this supporting method requires a plurality of components to support the tom from the cymbal stand, thus increasing costs.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,346,665, for example, a tom holder functioning as both a clamp and a tom adapter has been proposed. With reference to FIG. 11, a tom holder 100, as disclosed in this document, includes a holder 102 formed integrally with a sleeve 101, a ball 103 supported by the holder 102, and a rod 104, which is fixed to the ball 103, extends in an L-shaped manner. The holder 102 has a clamp structure configured by a pair of clamp pieces 102a, 102b. The ball 103 is pivotably supported by the clamp pieces 102a, 102b. The rod 104 projects from an opening 105, which is formed in a front surface of the holder 102. A tom T is fixed to a portion of the rod 104 extending upward through a fixing tool TA. This type of tom holder 100 is attached directly to a support pipe BP extending from a bass drum B through the sleeve 101. The position of the tom T, which is fixed to the rod 104, may be adjusted by pivoting the ball 103 received in the holder 102. The tom holder 100 may be used to attach the tom T to a cymbal stand or a support pipe of a tom stand, other than the mode of use illustrated in FIG. 11.
However, the tom holder 100 shown in FIG. 11 has only one opening, which is the opening 105 formed in the front surface of the holder 102. The area of the opening 105, which defines the movement range of the rod 104, is set to a comparatively small value. This reduces the movement range of the rod 104 and thus the adjustment range of the position of the tom T. To enlarge the adjustment range of the position of the tom T, the bass drum or the cymbal stand must be moved, which is troublesome and complicated for the player. If the cymbal stand is moved, the positions of the cymbals must be readjusted, which involves otherwise unnecessary work.


A cast mold for manufacturing a contact lens or an intraocular lens, wherein the cast mold is provided with a central part and a bearing ring and a flexible connection between the central part and the bearing ring. Further, an injection mold is provided for manufacturing such a cast mold and a method for manufacturing such a cast mold. The injection mold is provided with a mold cavity with a plunger biased by a spring towards the mold cavity which serves for compensating shrinkage which occurs during the curing of the plastic injected into the injection mold. Also described is a method for manufacturing a contact lens or intraocular lens with the aid of the cast mold, as well as a contact lens or intraocular lens obtained with this method.

A cast mould for the purpose of manufacturing contact lenses or intraocular lenses is described in, for instance, NL1033905C, EP-A-0 367 513 or in US 2009/0166507 A1. The cast mould known from NL1033905C is provided with a first cast mould half comprising an optically accurately defined surface and first positioning means. The known cast mould is further provided with a second cast mould half comprising a central part with optically accurately defined surface, a bearing ring that surrounds the central part and is provided with second positioning means which are designed for engagement of the first positioning means in a closed position of the cast mould in which the first and the second cast mould halves are placed on top of each other. For the purpose of manufacturing a contact lens or intraocular lens, a monomer material is introduced into one of the two cast mould halves and then the second cast mould half is placed on the first cast mould half. Subsequently, the monomer material will polymerize.
In NL1033905C, it is described that the positioning means can be designed for fastening the second cast mould half onto the first cast mould half and for keeping these in use on top of one another under a bias.
From NL1033905C and EP-A-0 367513 it is also known to use one of the mould halves as part of a package with which the lens can then be put on the market.
With regard to the manner of manufacture of plastic cast moulds nothing of relevance is disclosed in the publications mentioned. In this respect, more can be learned from U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,410. In particular FIG. 5 from this publication with the associated description in column 10, line 38-column 14, line 3 is especially clarifying and is therefore understood to be incorporated herein by reference. US 2006/145370 too discloses a method and an injection mould for injection moulding a cast mould. The injection mould is provided with optical tool inserts which are detachably attached in an element that is attached in the injection mould half. FR-1.355.774 describes in general terms the problem of the formation of bubbles and shrinkage cavities when the injected plastic cures in an injection mould. The French publication also describes how this shrinkage can be compensated for by using a mechanically or hydraulically energized piston which is pressed into the injection mould cavity during curing.

Cast mould and method for manufacturing contact or intraocular lenses


Systems and methods for estimating an efficiency of a catalyst placed in an exhaust path of a combustion engine are disclosed. In one example approach, a method comprises: ageing the catalyst consecutively at different temperatures for definite time periods; measuring the catalyst conversion efficiency after each ageing step; calculating the ageing factor for each step of the ageing procedure and the accumulative value of the ageing factors for all steps of the ageing procedure; estimating catalyst efficiency correlation factors related to the measured catalyst conversion efficiency for each temperature point and for all ageing conditions; determining a correlation between the catalyst efficiency correlation factors and the accumulative value of the ageing factors; and calculating the conversion efficiency of the aged catalyst based on a predetermined correlation between the accumulative ageing factor and the catalyst efficiency correlation factor.

It is in the interest of car manufacturers that aftertreatment devices are robust and keep good performance in the terms of delivering legislatively acceptable low emissions for the life time of the vehicle, or at least for 120 000 km driven distance. To fulfill these criteria, an on-board diagnostic system equipped with the method of prediction of catalyst condition is a useful tool to keep optimal operation conditions for the catalyst, and all other parts of after-treatment system.
A method of monitoring a catalyst using a lifetime temperature profile is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,743. U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,743 relates to a monitor for measuring the efficiency of a catalyst located in an exhaust path of an internal combustion engine. The monitor includes a resistive type oxygen sensor positioned in the exhaust path between the engine and the catalyst to detect oxygen concentration of engine emissions, and a temperature sensor positioned proximate to the catalyst for monitoring catalyst temperature. A lifetime temperature profile and a catalyst light off time are generated from a catalyst temperature received from the temperature sensor. There are three comparators, a first comparator for comparing a magnitude of the detected oxygen concentration to a predetermined threshold level; a second comparator for receiving the catalyst light off time and comparing the light off time to a predetermined light off time; a third comparator for receiving the lifetime temperature profile and comparing the lifetime temperature profile to a predetermined temperature profile threshold limit. According to this cited method, time events at which the catalyst temperature exceeds the predetermined limit (800° C.) are counted with different weighing factors depending on a temperature level, thus generating a lifetime temperature profile of the catalyst allowing for estimating the efficiency of a catalyst.
In some investigations, sintering was found to be the one of the primary mechanisms of deactivation of catalysts operating at elevated temperatures. The uniform approach quantifying catalyst thermal ageing in terms of sintering can be applied to both metal oxide catalysts silica, alumina etc. (H. Schaper, et. al. Appl. Catal., 7 (1983) 211;) and supported metal catalysts such as supported noble metal catalysts (E. Ruckenstein et al. J. catal., 29, 224-45 (1973).
EP 1 084 331 B1 relates to a method for monitoring the ability of a catalyst arranged in the exhaust duct of an internal combustion engine, in which a first variable, which is characteristic of the temperature of the catalyst, and a second variable, which is characteristic of the degree of conversion of the catalyst and is dependent on the first variable, are determined by continuous measurements during a heating-up phase of the catalyst, and a change in the dependence of the second variable on the first variable is caused by ageing of the catalyst and is used to monitor the ability function of the catalyst.
EP 0 756 071 B1 relates to a device for determining the abnormal degree of deterioration of catalyst of a catalytic converter arranged in an internal combustion engine exhaust system, comprising measuring a temperature of said catalyst, assuming a temperature of said catalyst on the basis of the engine operating condition, calculating a ratio of a varying value of the measured temperature by said measuring means to a varying value of the assumed temperature by said assuming means; and determining means for determining that the degree of deterioration of said catalyst is abnormal when said ratio is smaller than a predetermined value.
EP 0786586 A2 relates to a device for evaluating performance deterioration of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst, comprising temperature detecting means arranged in an exhaust passage for detecting a temperature of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst, oxygen concentration detecting means arranged in the exhaust passage for detecting a concentration of oxygen contained in an exhaust gas, calculating means for calculating a degree of catalyst performance deterioration in a predetermined period on the basis of the temperature of the catalyst detected by said temperature detecting means and the concentration of oxygen detected by said oxygen concentration detecting means; accumulating means for cumulatively adding the degree of catalyst performance deterioration in said predetermined period to obtain an accumulated value; and evaluating means for evaluating the catalyst performance deterioration on the basis of the accumulated value.
EP 1 544 431 B1 discloses a method for monitoring a status of a catalyst, which allows more precise evaluation of a degree of the thermal ageing of the catalyst (or a degree of the catalyst performance that is still available for exhaust gas after-treatment). According to the mentioned invention, there is provided a method of estimating the efficiency of a catalyst located in the exhaust path and/or downstream of an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of: monitoring a temperature of the catalyst with at least one temperature sensor over the catalyst operating time; calculating an accumulative exposure of the catalyst to thermal ageing conditions with the measured catalyst temperature; applying a predetermined correlation between the accumulative exposure of the catalyst to the thermal ageing conditions and characteristic of the catalyst performance to estimate the catalyst properties; comparing the accumulative exposure of the catalyst to thermal ageing conditions to a predetermined threshold limit of the thermal ageing conditions; and performing indicative measures in case of the actual value of the accumulative exposure of the catalyst to thermal ageing conditions reached and/or exceeded the pre-determined fraction of the pre-determined threshold value, whereby the accumulated exposure of the catalyst to thermal ageing conditions (denoted as TAI, "thermal ageing index") is calculated using the equation:TAI=Σi[e(−E/RTi)Δti]whereby E/R=activation energy of the sintering process; Ti=catalyst temperature over the i-th time interval over the catalyst lifetime and Δti=length of the i-th interval over catalyst lifetime.
EP 1 544 431 B1 provided a method for estimating the efficiency of a catalyst located in an exhaust path and/or manifold of an internal combustion engine. The method of this invention is based on the assumption that the loss of the efficiency of the high-temperature automotive catalyst is caused, primarily, by thermal ageing. With the parameters of the catalyst temperature recorded with uniform and small time increment over the life of the catalyst, the catalyst efficiency loss can be predicted with high accuracy. With the use of an accurate exhaust gas temperature sensor and/or implied virtual temperature sensor, and knowing a time on-line and/or time on-line during which the catalyst is operated at temperatures above a predetermined threshold temperature, a value of the accumulative exposure of a catalyst to thermal ageing conditions i.e. a thermal ageing index can be calculated using an equation describing the ageing of the catalyst.
Based on the pre-measured correlation between the thermal ageing index and the efficiency of the catalyst, the threshold limiting value of the thermal ageing index is known which corresponds to the threshold (minimally accepted) catalyst efficiency, and also a functional dependence of catalyst efficiency on the thermal ageing index is known. Comparing the actual value and the known threshold value of the thermal ageing index, or applying the predetermined functional correlation between thermal ageing index and catalyst properties as catalyst efficiency, actual catalyst efficiency, or catalyst efficiency loss, or percentage of the catalyst efficiency (resources) left can be accurately estimated.
The method disclosed in EP 1 544 431 B1 assumes that the loss of the efficiency of the high temperature automotive catalyst (TWC, DOC or cDPF) is caused, primarily, by the loss of the supported metal as Platinum (Pt) etc. specific surface area due to the catalyst ageing. It was deduced that changes of the performance characteristics were more consistent with Platinum-related properties. The correlation coefficients between physical properties and CO performance characteristics were calculated, and the strongest correlation was observed between CO performance characteristics, i.e. either light-off temperature shift or tailpipe emissions.
However, the inventors herein have recognized that the above approaches may not accurately predict the conversion efficiency of thermally and hydrothermally aged catalysts, under certain conditions, e.g. when selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts are employed. Further, the above approaches may not accurately predict the efficiency of a catalyst in both ways, the positive way (improvement of activity, or so called activation of the catalyst), and the negative way (decrease of activity, so called ageing). Further, the above-described approaches may not accurately predict actual catalyst efficiency during engine operation and may not be useful for prediction of the actual catalyst efficiency of different types of catalysts with different types of functionality, e.g., as oxidation of CO, and or hydrocarbons, or soot, or catalysts for removal of NOx, such as SCR catalysts.
In one example approach to at least partially address these issues, a method for estimating an efficiency of a catalyst in an exhaust of an engine comprises: ageing the catalyst consecutively at different temperatures for definite time periods; measuring the catalyst conversion efficiency after each ageing step; calculating the ageing factor for each step of the ageing procedure and the accumulative value of the ageing factors for all steps of the ageing procedure based on the formulation AF=Σi(e(−E/RTi)dti) whereby E/R=activation energy of the sintering process, Ti=catalyst temperature over the i-th time interval over the catalyst lifetime and dti=length of the i-th time interval over the catalyst lifetime; estimating the activation energy of the ageing process (Ea/R) for the catalyst; estimating catalyst efficiency correlation factors related to the measured catalyst conversion efficiency for each temperature point and for all ageing conditions; determining a correlation between the catalyst efficiency correlation factors and the accumulative value of the ageing factors; and calculating the conversion efficiency of the aged catalyst based on a predetermined correlation between the accumulative ageing factor and the catalyst efficiency correlation factor.
In this way, an advantageous method for prediction of the performance of aged catalysts, and in particular for predicting a NOx conversion efficiency value for aged SCR catalysts is provided. Furthermore, in this approach, a safe index for catalyst operation and a maximum safe temperature operation may be obtained so that aged catalysts are able to deliver optimal performance. Further, such an approach may increase accuracy in the prediction of the actual catalyst efficiency during engine operation for different types of catalysts with different types of functionality, e.g., as oxidation of CO, and or hydrocarbons, or soot, or catalysts for removal of NOx, e.g., in a SCR catalyst.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Estimation of efficiency for aged catalysts


An electrochemical cell is provided having an anode cup, a gasket, and a cathode can. The anode cup has a ratio of an upper diameter to a lower diameter greater than about 0.86 and a ratio of cup height at the upper diameter to cup height at the lower diameter of not greater than about 2.19. The external cup diameter exceeds an internal cup diameter to prevent nesting of anode cups during the assembly process. The cell has a ratio of the total height to the can height of greater than 1.35 and preferably a difference between the total height and can height of more than 0.04 inch.

This invention relates to alkaline electrochemical cells, typically to cells having a metal anode and an air cathode, commonly known as metal-air cells. More particularly, this invention relates to several structural features of the cell that improve the manufacturability of the cell, increase the internal volume of the cell available for active material, and improve the sealing of the cell.
Electrochemical cells are typically utilized in devices having a fixed volume available for the cell or cells. Therefore, in order to increase the volume of active material utilized in the cell, it is necessary to decrease the volume of the cell occupied by non-reactive components. Typically, this is accomplished in the field of metal-air cells by using can, cup and/or gasket components having reduced wall thicknesses.
The construction of the typical metal-air cell requires that a certain amount of volume otherwise available for active components is utilized in the creation of a step along the anode cup side wall. The step is utilized for the purpose of crimping the cell closed and is also utilized in the manufacturing process as a surface upon which force can be applied to urge the cup into a cell configuration with the cathode can and the gasket. Applicants have discovered that additional volume available for active material can be achieved by utilizing a shallow step in a metal-air cell. The shallow step increases the amount of volume available for active material while maintaining the ability to close, or crimp the cell effectively and to urge the cup into the desired position as required during the manufacturing process.
The typical metal-air cell is sealed by crimping the cathode can side walls over the step formed into the cup side wall. Applicants have discovered that a more effective seal is possible where the radius of the can crimp is greater than the radius of the cup forming the cup step. This seal is of particular advantage when used in conjunction with the shallow step of the present invention.
A shallow step creates an increased potential for the can also to nest with other cans during the manufacturing process. Either the can itself, or the assembly of the can and gasket, can tend to nest within like components as they are transported along a cell assembly line. This nesting is undesirable since the components must be separated prior to cell assembly. Applicants have discovered that this nesting can be prevented by maintaining certain internal and external diameters for the cup while still providing an enhanced volume available for active materials.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide for an increase in the volume available for active material in an electrochemical cell such as a metal-air cell by providing a shallow step along the cup side wall.
It is further an object of the invention to provide for an improved seal for an electrochemical cell by maintaining a can crimp radius that is less than the radius defining the cup side wall step.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cup or a cup and gasket assembly that is dimensioned such that nesting of like components is avoided.
The present invention provides an anode cup for an electrochemical cell, the anode cup comprising an upper external diameter and a lower external diameter, wherein the ratio of the upper diameter to the lower diameter is greater than or equal to about 0.86, and the ratio of the cup height at the upper diameter to the cup height at the lower diameter is not greater than about 2.19. For this minimum horizontal, or run, and maximum vertical, or rise, a shallow step is provided in accordance with the present invention.
The present invention further provides an anode cup for an electrochemical cell, the anode cup comprising a closed upper end, an open lower end and a side wall extending between the upper and lower ends, where the side wall comprises a step and a substantially vertical section between the step and the closed end. By extending the side wall vertically in the area above the step, the internal volume of a cell can be increased compared to a conventional cell, and the resultant increased volume cell advantageously fits within a conical cavity.
The present invention further provides an anode cup for an electrochemical cell where the cup comprises an upper end and a lower open end and side walls extending between the upper and lower ends, the cup having a first internal cup diameter measured at the lower open end, and an external cup diameter measured at the point where the cup corner radius blends into the cup side wall. The first internal cup diameter exceeds the external cup diameter. The cup has at least one step along the side walls, each such step defined by a first radius and a second radius along the side walls, where the first radius is toward the lower open end of the cup and the second radius is toward the upper end of the cup along the side walls. The cup has a second internal cup diameter measured at the point where the second radius blends into the cup side wall. The cup has first and second vertical heights measured from the lower end of the cup to the point where the cup corner radius blends into the side wall and to the point where the second radius of the step blends into the side wall, respectively. The external cup diameter exceeds the second internal cup diameter, and the difference of the first vertical height minus the second vertical height is greater than zero. By maintaining this relationship between the external and internal diameters of the cup, nesting of the cups is prevented during the cell assembly process in accordance with the present invention.
The present invention further provides for an anode cup and gasket assembly for an electrochemical cell. The anode cup comprises an upper end and a lower open end and a side wall extending between the upper and lower ends. The cup further comprises an external cup diameter measured at the point where the cup corner radius blends into the cup side wall. The side wall of the cup has a step formed between two substantially vertical sections. The gasket surrounds the open end of the cup, the gasket comprising an interior gasket portion disposed radially inward from the interior surface of the cup side walls and defining an inner gasket diameter. The external cup diameter exceeds the inner gasket diameter. By maintaining this relationship between the inner gasket diameter and the external diameter of the cup, nesting of the cup and gasket assembly is prevented during the cell assembly process in accordance with the present invention.
The present invention further provides for an electrochemical cell comprising an anode cup, a cathode can and a gasket disposed between the anode cup and the cathode can. The cup comprises an upper end, a lower open end and a side wall extending between the upper and lower ends. The cup further comprises at least one step along the side wall, each such step defined by a first radius and a second radius along the side wall, where the first radius is toward the lower open end of the cup and the second radius is toward the upper end of the cup along the side wall. The can comprises an upper end, a lower closed end and a side wall extending between the upper and lower can ends, the can side walls formed into a can closing radius at the shoulder area of the cell. The ratio of the total cell height to the can height is greater than 1.35. By maintaining this relationship between the total cell height and the can height, an electrochemical cell in accordance with the present invention has an increased internal volume and a more conical exterior shape compared to conventional cells. The resultant cell advantageously fits within a conical cavity and provides an increased discharge capacity, as compared to conventional cells.
The present invention further provides a button-type electrochemical cell comprising an anode cup, a cathode can and a gasket disposed between the cup and the can. The anode cup has an upper end, a lower end and side wall extending between the upper and lower ends, as well as at least one step along the side wall. Each step is defined by a first radius and a second radius along the side wall, where the first radius is toward the lower open end of the cup, and the second radius is toward the upper end of the cup along the side wall. The can has an upper end, a lower closed end and a side wall extending between the upper and lower can ends, with the can side wall formed into a cathode can closing radius at a shoulder area of the cell. A total cell height, measured from a bottom surface of said lower can end to a top surface of the upper cup end, minus a cathode can height, measured from a bottom surface of said lower can end to a top edge of said can, is greater than or equal to about 0.04 inch. The resultant cell advantageously fits within a conical cavity and provides an increased internal volume, as compared to conventional cells.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.


Using at least one surface mount resistor as an infrared light emitter in an analytical instrument provides low cost, long life and high reliability.

Analytical instruments which utilize infrared absorbence to determine the presence of, or concentration of, a compound or compounds, require a source of infrared light in order to perform analysis. This source, referred to henceforth as an IR (infrared) emitter, typically takes the form of a wire, filament or conductive ceramic element. To activate, the IR emitter is heated by passing electric current through the conductive wire, filament or ceramic element. The current is converted to heat according to the formula that the square of the electrical current multiplied by the xe2x80x9cemitter""sxe2x80x9d resistance is equal to the heat emitted. The infrared emission is proportional to the temperature and surface area of the heated element. Often, it may be desirable or necessary to pulse the infrared emission by interrupting the electrical current periodically to modulate the surface temperature of the element.
Commercially available IR emitters typically suffer one or more of the following shortcomings: high cost; short life; mass may be too high for pulsing; poor mechanical stability; long lead times; and fragility. Packaging may inhibit efficient collection of emissions. They are usually not adjustable by the user. And the resistance to get effective IR emission may be too low to provide efficient drive circuitry.
It is an object of this invention to overcome the shortcomings of the IR emitters currently being used commercially. Specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an IR emitter that is relatively easy to use and to control by the user and which provides accurate, reproducible results.
The objects are accomplished by employing a surface mount resistor, commonly used as a heat supplier, as an IR emitter for use in analytical instruments.

Infrared emitter, its manufacture, and process for using


A terminal comprises a plurality of hardware I/O units, including a wireless transceiver having a powered-up state in which at least one of a transmit path and a receive path is enabled at the expense of higher power consumption and a powered-down state in which the at least one path is disabled in favor of lower power consumption; a processing apparatus; and a storage medium coupled to the processing apparatus and storing at least a first and a second application, an operating system, a communication protocol layer and a driver layer arranged to be executed on the processing apparatus. The operating system is arranged to arbitrate access by the plurality of applications to the hardware I/O units via the driver layer, including access to the wireless transceiver via the communication protocol layer and driver layer. The second application comprises a wireless traffic scheduler configured to coordinate traffic associated with the second application to be communicated via the wireless transceiver during a same continuous phase of the powered-up state as traffic associated with the first application.

In wireless devices, and especially battery-powered mobile devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, tablets and laptops, it is desirable to minimise the power consumption of the device so as to conserve battery life. There may also be other motivations such as limiting the heat generated, which may in turn allow slimmer packaging or cheaper components to be used.
One main subsystem incurring significant power consumption in a wireless device is the radio front-end of the wireless transceiver. On the transmit path this may comprise components such as a power amplifier (PA), a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) and an up-conversion mixer. On the receive path this may comprise components such as a low-noise amplifier (LNA), an analogue to digital converter (ADC), and a down-conversion mixer. The power amplifier in particular can be the cause of a large portion of the power consumption of the device.
In order to conserve power, it is known to provide the radio transceiver with a mechanism allowing it to be powered down when not in use. The powering up and down of the radio is typically controlled by driver layer software, by writing to a software accessible register arranged to toggle the state of the radio transceiver. The powering down itself may comprise for example switching off a power supply connection to one of the components of the radio transceiver such as the power amplifier, e.g. because such components may draw current even when not being used to transmit or receive signals. The details of the power-down mechanism may vary, but the programmer of the driver software need not necessarily concern him or herself with such details—all he or she needs to know is that when a certain value is written to the relevant register then the radio transceiver is placed into a higher-power state in which it is readied for transmission and/or reception of radio traffic (at the expense of higher power consumption), and that when a certain other value is written to the register then the radio transceiver is placed into a lower-power state in which it is not able to transmit and/or receive radio traffic (in favour of reduced power consumption).
However, the powering up and down operation takes a finite amount of time, and also may itself incur a certain power consumption due to surges in current when turning the radio on or off. Hence it is not generally desirable to turn the radio on and off too frequently.
One regime for controlling the radio is to turn off the radio when triggered by a time-out, i.e. after a certain predetermined period of radio inactivity. However, this has the disadvantage that sporadic traffic could still keep the radio switched on for long amounts of time if each subsequent message keeps falling within the predetermined period.
Another possibility could be for the driver software to queue traffic so as to attempt to transmit and/or receive messages together in bursts, thus allowing more opportunities for powering down the radio between bursts. However, this could have the disadvantage that time-critical traffic could be delayed by an intolerable amount.

Saving power in a wireless communication device


The present invention provides a method for forwarding a protocol frame in spanning rings, applied to the Ethernet ring network including a crossed or tangent ring and sub-ring. The method comprises steps as follows: when an interconnection node of the ring and the sub-ring receives a protocol frame from a sub-ring, if the topology of the sub-ring is changed, the interconnection node updates its address forwarding table according to the address updating information carried in the protocol frame, and sends the address updating information to the ring; the nodes of the ring update their address forwarding table respectively according the updating information. The present invention selectively sends information of sub-ring protocol frame to the ring via the interconnection node of the ring and the sub-ring. Such scheme that information of the sub-ring protocol frame is selective sent at the interconnection node not only solves the problem of updating address in spanning rings, but also decreases the amount of protocol frames sent from the sub-ring to the ring, and thereby greatly improves the performance and efficiency of the network.

In the practical application of the Ethernet network, various protection technologies are widely utilized to realize the redundancy backup between a main path and an alternate path. When both of the main path and alternate path are in good condition, the protection data forwarding function of the alternate path is blocked, and the protection data among networks are transmitted on the main path; when the main path is out of order, the protection data forwarding function of the alternative path is unblocked, and the protection data among the network are transmitted on the alternate path, so as to avoid the protection data being received repeatedly and forming the broadcast storm in the normal state of the network; when the main path of the network is out of order, the alternate path is invoked to transmit the protection data in order to improve the anti-fault capability of the Ethernet, and to satisfy the high real time requirement that convergence time should be less than 50 ms when the handover is performed.
Taking the Ethernet multi-rings protection technology for example, as shown in FIG. 1a, nodes S1 to S6 are Ethernet switches, and Network B is connected with node S2, Network A is connected with node S5. A communication process is performed between Network A and Network B. There are four physical paths between Network A and Network B, viz. Network A<->node S5<->node S3<->node S2<->Network B, Network A<->node S5<->node S3<->node S4<->node S1<->node S2<->Network B, Network A<->node S5<->node S6<->node S4<->node S3<->node S2<->Network B, Network A<->node S5<->node S6<->node S4<->node S1<->node S2<->Network B.
When the Ethernet multi-ring protection technology is applied, a ring and a sub-ring are adopted generally. The ring is a whole Ethernet ring, and the sub-ring is an Ethernet ring connected with another ring or network through an interconnection node. The interconnection node, which is also called as a shared node, is a public node belonging to two or more Ethernet rings at the same time.
As shown in FIG. 2a, it includes a ring and a sub-ring, and the Ring 1 is a ring, Ring 2 is a sub-ring. Ring 1 includes nodes as below: S1, S2, S3, and S4, and includes links as below: <S1, S2>, <S2, S3>, <S3, S4>, and <S4, S1>. Ring 2 includes nodes as below: S3, S5, S6, and S4, and includes links as below: <S3, S5>, <S5, S6>, and <S6, S4>. It should be specially noted that link <S3, S4> belongs to Ring 1 but not Ring 2. In the above, node S3 and node S4 are interconnection nodes of Ring 1 and Ring 2, Port 33 of node S3 and Port 43 of node S4 belongs to Ring 2, which are called as access port.
In the ring network, when the ring network is in good condition, a link in a ring should be in a blocked status for forwarding the data message to prevent forming a ring, wherein the link is called as ring protection link (or always blocked link etc.); by the ring protection link, it is involved in the performing of the handover between the main path and alternate path in a ring. The node having a ring protection link is called as ring protection link control node herein. As shown in FIG. 2b, in Ring 1, node S4 is a ring protection link control node, and the link directly connected with Port 41 of node S4 is the ring protection link of Ring 1. In Ring 2, node S5 is a ring protection link control node, and the link directly connected with Port 52 of node S5 is the ring protection link of Ring 2. In normal situation, the ring protection link control node of Ring 1 and Ring 2 blocks the data forwarding function of their secondary ports, to avoid the protection data being forwarding repeatedly and forming a broadcast storm.
When the links of Ethernet ring network is in good condition, the ring protection link control nodes of the ring and the sub-ring block the protection data forwarding function of the secondary ports. As shown in FIG. 2a, node S4 blocks the protection data forwarding function of Port 41, node S5 blocks the protection data forwarding function of Port 52, and the communication path between network B and network A is: Network B<->node S2<->node S3<->node S5<->Network A.
When the link of the Ethernet multi-ring network has a fault, if the fault link is not a protection link, the ring protection link control node unblocks the protection data forwarding function of the secondary port, each node updates its address forwarding table respectively and the transmission of communication among the networks is according to the new path. As shown in FIG. 2b, the link S2, S3 of Ring 1 has a fault; when detecting the link fault, the node S2 and node S3 block the data forwarding function of port 22 and port 31 respectively, and inform other nodes that the link has a fault. After receiving the fault notification, node S4 (the ring protection link control node) unblocks the protection data forwarding function of port 41, and each node on Ring 1 will update the address forwarding table. The new communication path between Network B and Network A is: Network B<->node S2<->node S1<->node S4<->node S3<->node S5<->Network A.
When the link of the Ethernet multi-ring network is recovered, a recovery handover is performed, and the network transmission resumes the transmission path in the normal state. Due to the path change, their nodes need to update the address forwarding tables.
In addition, if the nodes of the sub-ring update their address, but the nodes of the ring do not update their address, some problems as below may occur.
For example, in FIG. 2c, When the Ethernet multi-ring network is in good condition, the communication path between network B and network A is: Network B<->node S2<->node S3<->node S5<->Network A. When the link of the sub-ring Ring 2 has a fault, e.g., the link <S3,S5> has a fault as shown in FIG. 2c, after detecting the link corresponding to ports 51 has a fault, node S5 updates its address forwarding table, blocks the protection data forwarding function of Port 51, unblocks the protection data forwarding function and sends fault status frame outwardly. After receiving the fault status frame, node S6 updates the address forwarding table, and a new communication path between network A and Network B is formed. After node S5 and node S6 update the table forwarding table, the protection data sent from Network A to Network B can arrive at Network B through the broadcast of node S5 and node S6, and meanwhile, each node learns the address of Network A. But before Network A sends data to network B, if Network B sends data to Network A, a lot of packages may be lost; the reasons of the above is as follows: the node S2 hasn't updated the address forwarding table; there are still the items before the path handover in the address forwarding table, i.e. the wrong address item; the protection data sent from Network B to Network A is still forwarded according to the wrong address forwarding table, i.e., the data is sent from the output port 22 of node S2, and actually, these data will not arrive at Network A because of link fault and port blocking; as long as the switch learns the correct address output port of Network A, the data can arrive at Network B. Thus, the path handover time sent from Network B to Network A depends on whether there is traffic from Network A to Network B, and the time is always beyond 50 ms. When the Ethernet ring path performs a recovered protection handover, the communication between Network A and Network B also has the similar problem.
From the above analysis, it can be seen that when a link of a sub-ring has a fault, the sub-ring needs to inform nodes in the ring to update the address forwarding table by sending a protocol frame to the ring via the interconnection node. Therefore, it is very significant to provide a method that the interconnection node selective sends an address updating notification frame of a sub-ring to the ring.

Method for forwarding protocol frames in spanning rings and a shared node of multi-rings in the Ethernet


Ohmic contact formation on p-type Silicon Carbide is disclosed. The formed contact includes an initial amorphous Carbon film layer converted to graphitic sp2 Carbon during an elevated temperature annealing sequence. Decreased annealing sequence temperature, reduced Silicon Carbide doping concentration and reduced specific resistivity in the formed ohmic contact are achieved with respect to a conventional p-type Silicon Carbide ohmic contact. Addition of a Boron carbide layer covering the p-type Silicon Carbide along with the sp2 Carbon is also disclosed. Ohmic contact improvement with increased annealing temperature up to an optimum temperature near 1000xc2x0 C. is included. Addition of several metals including Aluminum, the optimum metal identified, over the Carbon layer is also included; many other of the identified metals provide Schottky rather than the desired ohmic contacts, however.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for all governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty.
Silicon Carbide, SiC, is a semiconductor material having a wide band gap, a high saturated electron drift velocity, a high breakdown electric field, good thermal conductivity, and desirable mechanical hardness. Based on these and an additional extraordinary combination of electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties possessed, SiC-based devices have potential for performance superior to the Si or GaAs based devices [1] of current popularity. Parenthetic numbers such as these identify references listed in APPENDIX 1 at the close of this specification. There is a growing demand for electronic components operable under severe conditions for a wide range of military uses, including X-band radar, space radar, vehicle and aircraft power uses, military communications, electronic warfare, and missile applications. SiC-based electronic devices are expected to play a critical role in these applications. For examples, SiC devices have crucial applications in X-band radar for the future xe2x80x9cNational Missile Defensesxe2x80x9d system.
Ohmic contact accomplishment with SiC is presently however a critical issue in achieving successful SiC device fabrications. Ohmic contacts carry electron current into and out of the semiconductor material, ideally with no parasitic resistivity. High performance devices require high quality ohmic contact on SiC. For example, large ohmic contact resistance limits the high frequency performance of SiC devices [2]. It has been determined that contact resistivity to p-type SiC must be reduced to about 10xe2x88x926 xcexa9-cm2 in order to obtain X-band (i.e., 8-12 GHz) performance [2]. The high operating frequency of an X-band radar will for example give the high resolution required for precise tracking and for discrimination of incoming warheads from other objects in the xe2x80x9cNational Missile Defensesxe2x80x9d system. The resistance of ohmic contact on p-type SiC must therefore be reduced by one or two orders of magnitude from that currently obtained [1] and reduced via a manufacturable process.
Another consideration with respect to the use of Silicon Carbide is that ohmic contact on SiC only can be achieved with the use of high temperature annealing, annealing at temperatures near 1000xc2x0 C., and with SiC having high doping concentration, concentration measuring in the upper 1018 and 1019 atoms/cm3 range [3-5]. Such high temperature annealing results in difficulties in the device fabrication, and a high doping concentration can damage the SiC lattice and deteriorate device performance. A significant advance in understanding ohmic contact formation on Silicon Carbide is thus required for many useful additional applications.
P-type Silicon Carbide is available in epitaxial wafer and substrate forms from suppliers to the semiconductor field and at least one supplier of such material is identified in the paragraphs following herein. It is well known however that ohmic contact formation on p-type SiC is more difficult than on n-type SiC [3-5]. A few studies have been performed with respect to ohmic contacts on p-type SiC. Only a few materials, such as Al, Ti/Al, Mo, Ta, W, Pd, W/Pt/Al, Al/Si, CoSi2 and metal borides, are able to form ohmic contact on p-type SiC [6-14]. For such contacts it is usually required that the doping concentration be at the upper 1018 and 1019 atoms per cubic centimeter level, and the annealing temperatures be at 1000xc2x0 C. or above to achieve the contacts. The specific resistivities achieved in these contacts are in the range of 10xe2x88x923 to 10xe2x88x925 xcexa9cm2, values greater than those achieved in n-type SiC.
Al has been considered the best material for ohmic contacts on p-type Silicon Carbide [3]. Mo, Ta, and W require the annealing temperatures at 1100-1200xc2x0 C. [9]. Ta is difficult to adhere on SiC. Pd is easily oxidized, and only stable up to 350xc2x0 C. in air [10]. The low melting temperature of Al (660xc2x0 C.) and the oxidation characteristics of Al however make processing contacts involving this metal difficult. Al film also has a very rough surface morphology after annealing. Since the Ti/Al alloy has higher melting temperature than Al, the surface morphology improves using Ti/Al alloy. However, the addition of Ti degrades the contact achieved. Currently, the most commonly used materials for ohmic contacts on p-type Silicon Carbide are Ti/Al alloy [6], and the specific resistivity achieved is at 10xe2x88x925 xcexa9cm2 for SiC with the doping concentration of 1.3xc3x971019 cmxe2x88x923, and at 10xe2x88x924 xcexa9cm2 with the doping concentration of 7xc3x971018 cmxe2x88x923 after annealing at 1000xc2x0 C. [6]. The involved mechanism is not well understood. Clearly in this environment there is need for improvement in the state of the Silicon Carbide ohmic contact art. Such improvement is believed provided by the present invention.
The present invention provides a low electrical resistance ohmic contact with p-type Silicon Carbide semiconductor material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide low electrical resistivity p-type Silicon Carbide ohmic contacts that can be achieved at a lower processing temperature than currently used contact arrangements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a usable p-type Silicon Carbide ohmic contact that is achievable with contact related processing temperatures of 900 degrees Celsius.
It is another object of the invention to provide a p-type Silicon Carbide ohmic contact enabling use of lower Silicon Carbide semiconductor material doping levels than other contact arrangements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a p-type Silicon Carbide ohmic contact in which graphitic sp2 Carbon materials are used to an advantage rather than imposing the usually accepted detrimental effects.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved Silicon Carbide ohmic contact that is achieved through use of a metallic catalytic agent during contact fabrication.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved Silicon Carbide ohmic contact that is achieved through use of a aluminum or another metal catalytic agent during contact fabrication.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved Silicon Carbide ohmic contact achievable with annealing temperatures some two hundred degrees Celsius below those used in present Silicon Carbide device ohmic contact fabrications.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved Silicon Carbide ohmic contact achievable with semiconductor doping concentrations an order of magnitude below those used in present Silicon Carbide device ohmic contact fabrications.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved Silicon Carbide ohmic contact through the use of graphitic carbon structures in the contact region.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved Silicon Carbide ohmic contact achievable through the predictable conversion of an initial form of Carbon into a contact-usable different form of Carbon.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description of the representative embodiments proceeds.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by the method of fabricating a graphitic sp2 Carbon-enabled ohmic contact for a p-type Silicon Carbide semiconductor device, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a cleaned surfaced wafer sample of p-type Silicon Carbide having one of selected doping concentration less than 1xc3x971019 atoms/cm3 and selected initial resistivity characteristics;
covering said sample cleaned surface with a layer of amorphous sp2 and sp3 Carbon mixture;
supplying a layer of Carbon conversion-accelerating catalytic elemental material over said sample layer of amorphous sp2 and Sp3 Carbon mixture;
converting a substantial portion of said catalytic elemental material layer-covered amorphous sp2 and sp3 Carbon mixture on said sample to elemental material-catalyzed graphitic sp2 Carbon;
said converting step including a heat treating annealing of said sample at a temperature less than 1000xc2x0 C. but sufficiently high to achieve ohmic contact electrical characteristics between said converted, element material catalyzed graphitic sp2 Carbon and said sample of p-type Silicon Carbide;
disposing an external circuit electrically conductive element in contact with a selected portion of said converted, element material catalyzed graphitic sp2 Carbon.

Ohmic contacts on p-type silicon carbide using carbon films

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


The invention relates to the use of an antisense compound for inducing exon inclusion as a treatment for Spinal Muscle Atrophy (SMA). More particularly it relates to inducing inclusion of exon 7 to restore levels of Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein encoded by the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) gene.

Alternative splicing increases the coding potential of human genome by producing multiple proteins from a single gene. It is also associated with a growing number of human diseases.
SMA is an often-fatal genetic disorder resulting from the loss of the SMN protein encoded by the Survival Motor Neuron SMN gene. The SMN genes, SMN1 and SMN2, are located on chromosome 5 and SMA is caused by the loss of SMN1 from both chromosomes. SMN2, while being almost identical to SMN1, is less effective at making the SMN protein. The severity of SMA is affected by the efficiency at which SMN2, of which there are several copies, produces the SMN protein.
SMN1 encodes a ubiquitously expressed 38 kDa SMN protein that is necessary for snRNP assembly, an essential process for cell survival. A nearly identical copy of the gene, SMN2, fails to compensate for the loss of SMN1 because of exon 7 skipping, producing an unstable truncated protein, SMNΔ7. SMN1 and SMN2 differ by a critical C to T substitution at position 6 of exon 7 (C6U in transcript of SMN2). C6U does not change the coding sequence, but is sufficient to cause exon 7 skipping in SMN2.
Current treatment for SMA consists of prevention and management of the secondary effect of chronic motor unit loss. Currently, there are no drug therapies available for the treatment or prevention of SMA.
Antisense technology, used mostly for RNA downregulation, recently has been adapted to alter the splicing process. Effective agents that can alter splicing of SMN2 pre-mRNAs are likely to be useful therapeutically.

Induced exon inclusion in spinal muscle atrophy


A system having improved trapping force for acoustophoresis is described where the trapping force is improved by manipulation of the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer. The transducer includes a ceramic crystal. The crystal may be directly exposed to fluid flow. The crystal may be air backed, resulting in a higher Q factor.

Acoustophoresis is the separation of particles using high intensity sound waves. It has long been known that high intensity standing waves of sound can exert forces on particles. A standing wave has a pressure profile which appears to "stand" still in time. The pressure profile in a standing wave varies from areas of high pressure (nodes) to areas of low pressure (anti-nodes). Standing waves are produced in acoustic resonators. Common examples of acoustic resonators include many musical wind instruments such as organ pipes, flutes, clarinets, and horns.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Acoustophoretic separation technology using multi-dimensional standing waves


A drive circuit for a synchronous rectifier, a method of driving a synchronous rectifier and a power converter incorporating the drive circuit or the method. In one embodiment, the drive circuit includes: (1) a first drive circuit stage configured to derive a timing for at least one drive signal from a secondary winding of a transformer coupled to the synchronous rectifier and (2) a second drive circuit stage, coupled to the first drive circuit stage and configured to employ a substantially stable voltage source to provide power for the at least one drive signal and apply the at least one drive signal to at least one control terminal of at least one synchronous rectifier switch in the synchronous rectifier.

Conventional self-driven synchronous rectifiers are not suitable for use in power converters designed to accommodate a relatively wide input voltage range (e.g., when the maximum input voltage is more than about three times the minimum input voltage). This is because the clamping voltage for the synchronous rectifier, which is derived from the transformer and designed to be barely sufficient when the input voltage is at the minimum, becomes exceedingly large when the input voltage lies in the upper part of the range. The resulting power dissipation and heat generation in the synchronous rectifier drive circuitry makes the power converter inefficient, difficult to cool and subject to failure.
One way to avoid the problem is avoid deriving the clamping voltage from the transformer. An alternative technique involves transferring a control signal from the primary side of the converter to the secondary side. Unfortunately, the control signal must not only be isolated, e.g., by a digital isolation circuit, but also must be delayed, e.g., with an RC delay circuit. The above-described efficiency, thermal and reliability issues are avoided, but the required control circuit is complex, making its layout and manufacturing cost impractical for many practical applications.

Self-driven synchronous rectifier drive circuit, method of operation thereof and power converter incorporating the same


A method for automatically adjusting the hardness of a mattress based on an operator's lying position or an operator's side lying position and a device are disclosed. The device comprises: a base, having hollow platforms that have support legs; a lifting device, below the hollow platforms; a mattress body, disposed on the base and comprising a bed surface, a bed bottom, flexible support units, and gravity sensors, through holes being disposed in the bed bottom and corresponding to the lifting device, the flexible support unit being constructed by a first flexible member female-connected with a second flexible member; and a control device, connected with the lifting device and the gravity sensors, wherein the control device determines that the touching number of the gravity sensors is greater, equal to or less than a preset value and therefore automatically adjusts the hardness of the mattress.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a method for automatically adjusting the hardness of a mattress based on an operator's lying position or an operator's side lying position and a device thereof, more particularly to a device that can determine the operator is in which position in order to automatically adjust the hardness of the mattress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Under the leadership of science and technology, the life is always fast and in pressure. At the end of a day, everybody needs a good sleep to completely relax the body for the next day.
Except for work and normal life, 30% time is for sleep for a human being. The quality of a sleep may directly affect the health of the human being. Accordingly, demands to a mattress may then be more than ever. The prior mattresses are mostly made by the way of integration molding, and the softness of a mattress shall be adjusted based on the requirements of a user. It costs a lot as always and is inconvenient. The prior mattress structure has a mattress body and a flexible member in the mattress body, but it is full of disadvantages listed below:    1. After using a period of time, partial of the flexible member is damaged as a sunken portion so as to affect sleep.    2. The flexibility of each part of the surface of the prior mattress structure is the same and may not be changed; the flexibility cannot be adjusted according to different users as well.    3. Since the flexible member is made by integration molding, a chain reaction can happen. If two people with different sleep habits lie on a bed, one people may be affected by another. Hence, an option for solving the problem is to purchase another mattress structure for more comfortable, but it is definitely not an economic way.
The inventor of the present invention had applied a patent application, titled mattress structure, to USPTO on Sep. 8, 2010, and the application number is Ser. No. 12/877,275. The patent application is to adjust the hardness of the mattress, but there are different positions while in sleep, such as an operator's lying position or an operator's side lying position, and different positions are corresponding to different types of hardness. Hence, the present invention is able to automatically adjust the hardness of the mattress based on different positions and the prior patent application.

Method for automatically adjusting hardness of mattress based on operator's lying position or operator's side lying position and device thereof


A circuit system for performing correlated double sampling may include a signal sampling stage having an amplifier with a feedback capacitor and a pair of storage capacitors coupled to an output of the amplifier, and a differential analog to digital converter (ADC) having a pair of inputs coupled respectively to storage capacitors of the signal sampling stage. The signal sampling stage may receive reset and signal values from a sensor device and may store processed versions of those signals on respective storage capacitors. The differential ADC may generate a digital value representing a signal captured by the sensor device from a differential digitization operation performed on the processed versions of the reset and signal values. In this manner, the system may correct for any signal errors introduced by components of the sampling stage.

The present invention relates to sensor processing, in particular image sensor processing.
Sensor data is typically a voltage or current signal that varies proportionally to a monitored property of a test subject (e.g., light, x-rays, etc.). One technique for measuring sensor signals is correlated double sampling ("CDS"), which effectively extracts desired signals in the presence of signal disturbances that may arise due to internal offset errors of a sensor circuit. In a CDS scheme, outputs from a sensor circuit are measured twice. The signal is measured first when the sensor circuit is set to a known condition without sensor content (e.g., a "reset" condition). The signal is measured again when the sensor circuit has reached an unknown condition with sensor content (e.g., sensor reading). The difference of the two values generally corresponds to the monitored property of the sensor.
CDS differencing, which is the subtraction of the two measured values, traditionally is performed by a differencing amplifier. FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional CDS structure. In FIG. 1, CDS1 and CDS2 capacitors store the respective first and second measured values. Each capacitor is coupled to a respective sample and hold amplifier SHA1, SHA2. The outputs of the SHA are coupled to a differencing amplifier via a resistor network (R1-R4). The differencing amplifier subtracts the measured values and amplifies the difference. A single-ended ADC (or a ground referenced ADC) then converts the difference to a digital value. The differencing amplifier, however, consumes significant area and power while adding noise and distortion to the process, which is not addressed by the CDS operation. Furthermore, the single ended ADC can also suffer from additional internal offsets.

Correlated double-sample differencing within an ADC


According to one embodiment, information related to a positive-electrode electric potential and a negative-electrode electric potential of each of one or more batteries is acquired, and whether deviation of the positive/negative-electrode electric potentials from a reference state is beyond a prescribed range is determined for each of one or more batteries. Further, in response to at least existence of a battery-to-be-restored that is a battery in which the determined deviation of positive/negative-electrode electric potentials from a reference state is beyond a prescribed range, a state of charge of the battery-to-be-restored is held in a restoration holding range for a prescribed time.

Among batteries, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion secondary battery is used as a high energy-density battery. In such a lithium-ion secondary battery, lithium ions move between a negative electrode and a positive electrode, thereby achieving charge and discharge. As a secondary battery, there has been devised a nonaqueous electrolyte battery in which a lithium-transition-metal composite oxide is used as a positive-electrode active material and a carbonaceous material, a titanium composite oxide, or the like is used as a negative-electrode active material, for example. In this case, as the transition metal in the lithium-transition-metal composite oxide, any of Co, Mn, Ni, and the like is used.
In such a battery as the above-described secondary battery, repetition of charge and discharge or long-time storage reduces a capacity. Causes for such reduction of a battery capacity include physical deterioration of an electrode group, as well as deviation of a positive-electrode electric potential and a negative-electrode electric potential from a reference state such as an initial state at a starting time of use. Thus, it has been required to properly determine reduction of a battery capacity caused by deviation of positive/negative-electrode electric potentials from a reference state. It has been further required to appropriately restore a capacity of a battery when the capacity is reduced due to deviation of positive/negative-electrode electric potentials from a reference state.

Charge and discharge control device for preventing battery deterioration, battery pack, vehicle, and charge and discharge control method


Supported catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch processes prepared by contacting a suitable support with a catalyst in the form of a metal salt and depositing the catalyst on the support. Where rim type catalyst are preferred, a molten salt starting material is used. For non-rim type catalyst, such as powdered catalyst, solution salt starting materials may be used. The catalyst is prepared without high temperature calcination of the catalyst before reduction by reducing the salt directly on the support to the metal. During the reduction step, the heating rate is a slow single steady heating rate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved catalysts, their manufacture, and use in hydrocarbon synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch type reactions, to prepare heavy hydrocarbons, C.sub.5+, from synthesis gas, carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
2. The Prior Art
Hydrocarbon synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch, reactions involving the reaction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen over a catalyst, to produce heavier hydrocarbons, C.sub.5 +, are diffusion limited. Hydrogen diffuses at a faster rate into the catalyst particle than carbon monoxide and the H.sub.2 /CO ratio at any point below the exterior profile of the catalyst will be greater than the hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio in the bulk gas. As the reactants, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, proceed further into the catalyst particle towards its center, the ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide will continue to increase as long as the catalyst metal sites of the catalyst are available to consume H.sub.2 and CO.
The stoichiometric consumption ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide to produce heavy hydrocarbons is 2.1/1. Ratios above the stoichiometric ratio favor increasing formation of methane, CH.sub.4. However, methane is not a desirable product of the hydrocarbon synthesis reaction, although the synthesis gas is often prepared from methane, for example, by partial oxidation or catalytic reforming.
Various methods for overcoming the diffusion limitation phenomenon of hydrocarbon synthesis catalysts have been developed in the prior art, one of which is the coated or rim-type catalysts. Examples of coated or rim type catalysts are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,512,608 and 4,599,481, and 4,637,993. The latter two patents disclose cobalt or promoted cobalt catalysts on supports which may be silica, alumina, or silica-alumina. Other examples of rim-type catalysts appear in Everson et al, Fischer-Tropsch Reaction Studies with Supported Ruthenium Catalysts, Journal of Catalysis, 53, 186-197 (1978) and Dixit and Tavlarides, Kinetics of the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Ind., Eng. Chem. Proc. Des. Dev. 1983, 22, 1-9, where various metals such as cobalt, ruthenium, and iron are disclosed as hydrocarbon synthesis catalysts and a coated ruthenium on alumina catalyst is utilized in hydrocarbon synthesis rate studies. The catalyst has a rim of about 300 um in thickness.
The use of coated or rim type catalysts has been successful in limiting methane formation and increasing C.sub.5 + yields in hydrocarbon synthesis reactions. However, the preparation of rim type catalysts is relatively difficult and the use of available catalyst metal atoms as sites for promoting the desired reactions has not necessarily been efficient.
In addition, during the reduction of the catalyst metal presursor, which typically requires heating in the presence of a reducing agent, the catalyst precursor is not heated at a single steady heating rate. In the prior art, heating is carried out over a broad range of temperatures for a specified time to maximum temperature. For example, Farrow et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,475 teaches a method for preparing nickel, cobalt or copper catalyst using a hydrogen reducing agent. The catalyst precursor is heated from 300.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. for about 4 hours. In Mauldin U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,663 a rhenium promoted cobalt catalyst precursor is reduced at temperatures ranging from 250.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. for periods ranging from 0.5 to 24 hours. In neither case is a particular heating rate for the catalyst precursor material specified.
The rate of heating during reduction later became more important after it was recognized that the reduction of the catalyst metal precursor to improve catalyst activity was temperature path dependent. However, these processes either employ a multiplicity of heating rates or calcine the catalyst at high temperatures before the reduction step. Reducing the catalyst metal precursor directly, without calcination, was then known to result in catalysts having inferior activity than that of catalysts produced by a process that employs a calcination step.
For example, Eri et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,573, shows a method for preparing a rhenium and cobalt catalyst on a support. The reduction is carried out at the single steady rate of 1.degree. C./min. to the maximum temperature of 350.degree. C. However, the process requires calcination of the catalyst precursor before reduction. Koblinski et al U.S. Patent 4,605,676, reveals a process for directly reducing cobalt catalyst precursors without calcining. The catalyst precursors are prepared from cobalt nitrate solutions and cobalt carbonyls on alumina based supports. During the reduction step, the heating rate is held steady at 1.degree. C./min. to 350.degree. C. For comparative purposes, the directly reduced catalyst (R350) was subjected to an additional oxidation and reduction step to produce a second catalyst (ROR). Koblinski teaches that the catalyst prepared by the ROR procedure has much higher activity than catalyst prepared by direct reduction (R350) at a heating rate of 1.degree. C./min.
Beuther et al In U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,905, gas synthesis catalysts are prepared by directly reducing the catalyst from a catalyst metal salt. Although calcination was omitted, the reduction was carried out by a multiple of heating steps of different rates, each to a different maximum temperature. For instance, in one embodiment, the catalyst is initially heated at 1.degree. C./min. up to 100.degree. C. and held at that temperature for about 1 hour and then heated at 1.degree. C./min. up to 200.degree. C. and held at that temperature for about 2 hours and finally, heated at 10.degree. C./min. up to 360.degree. C. and held at that temperature for 16 hours.
We have now discovered a method for preparing coated or rim type catalysts having a relatively uniform rim of predictable thickness and wherein the efficiency of the catalyst metal atoms and promotion of desired reactions is greatly enhanced. Furthermore, we have discovered a process whereby catalyst dispersion and activity can be increased by directly reducing a catalyst metal precursor, in the form of a salt, in the presence of a reducing agent where heating during the reduction is a single steady heating rate up to a maximum temperature. The process is applicable to rim type as well as non-rim type catalysts, e.g., powdered catalyst.

Selective catalysts and their preparation for catalytic hydrocarbon synthesis


A solar energy harvesting assembly having a unique attachment that can be arranged, mounted, moved and attached to new or existing structures. Solar rings are mounted on any vertical structure that may benefit from solar power using an aesthetically pleasing design that is resistant to wind load. The assembly does not require the need for pitch, azimuth or bearing measurements. The assembly is also capable of energy harvesting from reflected light below with the use of bifacial photovoltaic panels. The mounting design allows the solar energy harvest device to be installed on any vertical structure, including light poles, power poles, parking structures and other minimal load bearing structures. Further, the assembly can be attached to water towers, existing radio towers (guyed, monopole, stealth, self-supporting towers) all used to create vast amounts of unshaded vertical space for solar energy harvesting.

The majority of vertical structures, telephone poles, are for the purpose of holding equipment at an elevated height above people, plants and vehicles. Poles that hold radio antennas are much the same. Currently, the majority of these poles carry electric or data wires or have electric power wires brought to them. There are a substantial number of these poles and very few of them produce any energy to be consumed at the pole or to feed the grid. The invention disclosed herein can be applied to different industries on new or existing vertical structures infrastructure to make use of the vertical space previously unavailable or unsuitable for solar energy harvest with traditional, existing solar panels and mounting designs.
Any application or industry that could benefit from deregulated, clean, globally available, solar energy can benefit from this invention. One example of the applicability of the disclosed invention is for the wireless industry, where the disclosed solar energy systems are ideal for the network's infrastructure. Wireless network systems connect cellular phones and other smart devices worldwide with radio communications for the purpose of making calls or transferring data. Historically these radio networks require both a hardline data connection as well as a hardline power connection in order to function. Current antennas focusing on 4G capacity and earlier technology used antennas mounted on large towers approximately 100-300 feet high and are required approximately every 1 to 10 miles depending on terrain, frequency bands, and traffic load density. Given the relatively low number of antennas and their robust installation it was not difficult to create dedicated power and backup systems for these units. Such systems could include high capacity batteries and large industrial generators on site.
As the latest technology, known as 5G, is implemented, a new array of comparatively small 5G antennas will require a close-proximity grid system in order to maintain a functional and stable network. With the advent of 5G it is necessary to have a much higher degree of autonomous sustainability in the event of a power loss, high power draw, natural disaster or other unexpected challenge. This is due in large part to the comparatively high density of 5G antennas that will be placed approximately 20-40 feet in the air and approximately every 1/16-¼ miles depending on terrain, load and frequency band. Because of the close proximity to housing, store fronts, public areas, people and animals the classic forms of backup power are not reasonable to support this new high-density grid style network.
Generators and fuel tanks that traditional, earlier-generation cell sites typically have will not be practical with 5G networks, yet the need for backup power is just as important with 5G networks. Therefore adding new solar energy harvesting and storage systems to new and existing vertical structures where the new 5G antennas will be mounted not only makes valuable energy harvest space of previously unused vertical areas, it also makes energy harvest more productive due to the added cooling properties of elevating solar panels. Solar photovoltaic has advantages and disadvantages that can be enhanced to generate more power at a specific location and design. Combining solar and wind and adding storage gives even more advantage to utility pole power production and utilization. However, wireless networks is just one example of a well suited industry that could benefit from this unique, high performing invention.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,196,770, 10,020,657 to Newdoll et al. disclose solar power systems and structures which are mountable to a power distribution structure, e.g., a power pole or tower, which supports alternating current (AC) power transmission lines. An exemplary power generation structure is fixedly attached to and extends from the power distribution structure, and comprises a mounting rack. A solar array, comprising at least one solar panel, is affixed to the mounting rack. A DC to AC invertor is connected between the DC outputs of the solar array and the AC power transmission lines. The length of the solar array is generally in alignment with the power distribution structure, and the width of the solar array is greater than half the circumference of the power distribution structure. The mounting rack and solar array may preferably be rotatable, such as based on any of location, time of day, or available light.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0237305 to Miller discloses a method of improving the functionality of pole mounted electrical producing or consuming panels. Current pole/mast mounted photovoltaic systems rely on gravity to lower the panel down the mast. The energy derived is typically conducted along a coiled conductor that expands or collapses like a spring inside the hollow mast as the movable device, with the solar panel attached, is raised or lowered for maintenance. Due to large size and stiffness of the coiled conductor, especially in cold weather, the eight of the movable device may not be sufficient to cause the panel to descend when tension on the supporting cable is released. The application discloses a method of pulling the sleeve/ring down the mast/pole as well as up. Over long periods of non-use, the sleeve can freeze in position. This new system aids in freeing it up and is also useful when there is un-even side loading on the sleeve. A winch driven chain or cable, attached to the moveable device, extending upward to a top roller then internally downward to the winch and then externally extending back up to the movable device, accomplishes this task. A further improvement is a plurality of vertical guide wires and guides attached to the conductor coils that prevent the coils from overlapping in the collapsing mode. An additional improvement is taught wherein the coiled conductor is replaced by a set of conducting rails with a shorter conductor attached to the solar panel.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0328932 to Fogerlie discloses a solar light assembly using a unique housing having a light that can be adjustably rotated and tilted for park and street light applications. Once assembled, the housing s covered by a solar panel that charges a remotely located battery and acts as a protective lid over the housing. Rather than removing the solar panel to access the contents of the housing, the housing can be accessed by excessively tilting the light until a shroud swings away from an opening in the housing designed to accommodate the light. The shroud, which can retract into the housing, protects the contents of the housing from inclement weather and from view. When the light is excessively tilted, the shroud swings away from the housing to expose wires, electronics and other contents of the housing that may require servicing. Because a solar light system is pole mounted at least several meters above ground level, being able to easily access the housing from below without needing to remove any heavy or awkward parts provides a much safer alternative than other solar light systems.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0005583 to Thomas discloses a partially non-rigid solar capture mounting system which reduces the risk of damage due to wind. The solar capture mounting system includes at least one pole, a horizontal beam mounted to the pole, and at least one backing plate hanging from the horizontal beam via a pivotal connection. Examples of pivotal connections are bushings with ball bearings, hinges, steel rings and spring clips. Wind pressure against a backing plate pivots the backing plate and the horizontal beam such that the system experiences reduced stress and reduced risk of damage due to wind and wind carried objects.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0017256 to Stevens discloses a solar power generation system that may include a thin film solar cell array, a micro-inverter connected to the thin film solar array, an electric plug interchangeably pluggable into the micro-inverter, and a gateway communications unit connected to the micro-inverter.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0041834 to Liao discloses a simplified and lower cost two-axes tracker for solar PV (photovoltaic) or CPV (concentrated photovoltaic) solar panels, as well as heliostat solar reflectors and solar Stirling engine. In particular, the disclosure addresses a simplified and gravity centered tracker structure with low cost single or dual linear actuators mounted on the side of the ground post which is easier for replacement and maintenance at a lower cost.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0073161 to Scanlon discloses a high efficiency, environmentally friendly system comprising a plurality of photovoltaic solar collecting panels (PV panels). The system comprises an outer frame to which a plurality of PV panels are attached. To minimize shadowing by the outer frame upon one or more PV panels, at least one PV panel may extend beyond an endpoint of the main frame. The system also comprises an outer frame rotation actuator that rotates the outer frame and an inner frame rotation actuator that rotates the inner frames and the plurality of PV panels. The disclosed solar tracking array frames help to improve the quality of the environment by conserving a variety of energy resources (e.g., fossil fuels, hydroelectric energy, etc.). The disclosed solar tracking array frames also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as solar tracking array frames do not produce carbon dioxide byproducts.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0085322 to Myer discloses a solar-powered lighting system that includes a flexible, wrap-around, preferably self-stick panel of photovoltaic laminate applied to the outside surface of a light pole. An LED light fixture is connected preferably at or near the top of the pole. The LED light fixture has multiple columns and rows of LEDs and an interior axial space for air flow to cool the LEDs. The pole preferably also has vents and axial passage(s) for creating a natural updraft through at least a portion of the pole and the light fixture, for cooling of the photovoltaic panel interior surface, the LEDs, and/or other equipment inside the fixture or pole, and batteries that may be provided inside the pole or pole base. A purely or mainly decorative additional fixture, which emulates conventional outdoor light fixtures, may be provided on the lighting system, wherein the decorative additional fixture includes no, or only a minimal, light source. The lighting system has a sleep profile with few or no protrusions from the sides of the pole and from the LED light fixture, except for the optional decorative fixture that provides a conventional street light appearance even through the main light source is the LED fixture.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0120523 to Silver discloses the making the installation of solar energy systems easier through the use of augur tubes. The base augur tube accommodates telescoping sections which enable these systems to exhibit a smaller footprint with enhanced power ratings. A tracking head is provided in which dual axis tracking is provided using a single drive mechanism. These features are employed either together or independently.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/016322 to Moser discloses a tracking device for automatically following a moving light source that is detectable in the presence of ambient light. A carrier platform including one or more radiant energy conversion devices and a sensor array is mounted to an upright support column with a universal joint. Three linear actuators, each having an associated light sensor, are equally angularly spaced about the support column with an upper end connected to the carrier platform with a universal hinge and a lower end connected to a floating base with a spherical hinge. The floating base is free to move axially but not radially of the support column. The actuator of a light sensor receiving a lesser amount of radiant energy retracts, and extends when receiving a greater amount of radiant energy. Each light sensor is moved in a stepwise manner, with a predetermined, limited number of steps used to define light source acquisition for tracking purposes.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0192460 to Tan discloses renewable energy sources which provide electricity without consuming fossil fuels and contributing to emissions that impact the global environment. Unlike wind and water methods solar photovoltaic generators provide this renewable energy without geographic or meteorological limitations. However, today electricity generation from solar using photovoltaics is more expensive than fossil fuel sources and is generally limited to deployments with large planar photovoltaic panels. According to embodiments of the invention, concentrator based azimuth-altitude tracking solar power generators are provided offering reduced electricity generation costs, reduced installation costs, increased flexibility in deployment and locations of deployment, and initial system costs. The optical assembly comprises a concentrating lens and a reflector to couple the solar radiation to the photovoltaic cell. The concentrating lens is offset out of the plane parallel to the photovoltaic cell whilst the reflector and the reflector may be disposed angularly offset to an axis perpendicular to the photovoltaic cell.

Utility pole solar energy collector system


A method, apparatus and computer-program product for indicating progress status of a mid-tape or data recovery operation in a tape drive. The method includes visually indicating that a recovery operation has started, periodically determining the remaining recovery time based on the remaining tape spool, and displaying the determined remaining recovery time to show progress status of the operation. The determination of the remaining recovery time includes determining the length of the tape being processed based on an estimated radius of the remaining tape spool and system parameters. The remaining recovery time is displayed with a moving track to show progress toward completion.

Computer tape drives continue to be the systems of choice for backing up large amount of persistent data in enterprise data centers due to their relatively low cost compared to other mass storage systems. Examples of common tape drive systems include the IBM System Storage TS1130 Tape Drive products offered by International Business Machines corporation of Armonk, N.Y.
A tape drive system typically records data onto a magnetic tape media enclosed in a tape cartridge and later retrieves the recorded data using a magnetic sensor commonly referred to as a magnetic tape head. In its operation, a tape drive system often needs to be in a recovery mode like a mid-tape recovery or a data restoration operation.
A mid-tape recovery is the process of powering on a drive with a tape cartridge already loaded and threaded. The drive will calculate the radius of a tape spool in the cartridge and then rewind to the physical beginning of tape. The tape is then un-threaded and re-threaded as if a new tape cartridge had just been loaded into the drive.
In a data restoration operation, the tape system tries to recover a portion of the recorded data on a tape media that has somehow been damaged or corrupted, and cannot be read by the tape head. The data recovery is typically done by rebuilding the damaged data from nearby data blocks and other information specifically stored on the tape for the purpose of data restoration such as error checking and correction (ECC) codes. As part of the recovery operation, the previously recorded data on the tape media is read by a tape head, verified of its validity by the tape drive system and then rewritten back to the tape media.
A tape recovery operation may last as long as thirty minutes in some tape drive systems during which an operator does not know when the operation will be completed. As a result, it often becomes an inconvenience because the operator may need to stay near a tape system and wait for the recovery operation to complete in order to remove the tape cartridge from the system.
There is therefore still a need in the art to provide a progress status indicator for a mid-tape or data recovery operation in a tape drive to inform the operator of the progress of the recovery operation.

Recovery operation status indicator for a tape drive system

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of generating an integrated circuit with a double patterning technology (DPT) compatible via pattern using a reduced DPT compatible via design rule set. A reduced DPT compatible via design rule set. A method of forming an integrated circuit using a via pattern generated from a reduced DPT compatible design rule set.

Integrated circuits may be formed using photolithography processes with illumination sources having wavelengths more than twice a desired pitch of metal interconnect lines in the integrated circuits. Attaining desired tradeoffs between fabrication costs and fabrication yield may be difficult. For example, standard single photoresist patterns begin to blur at about the 45 nm feature size and 100 nm pitch (feature size plus space between features) when printing with 193 nm wavelength light.
Double patterning technology (DPT), illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B, may be used to print patterns with a pitch (geometry width plus space width) that is tighter than can be printed with a single exposure. The pattern in FIG. 1A is composed of the metal1 pattern in FIG. 1B, the via 1 pattern in FIG. 1C and the metal2 pattern in FIG. 1D. In DPT technology, as shown FIG. 1B the metal 1 interconnect pattern with a tight single exposure pitch 20 may be decomposed into two photomasks with alternating interconnect rows DPT-M1-A on one DPT photomask with relaxed pitch 22 and alternating interconnect rows DPT-M1-on a second DPT photomask with relaxed pitch 24. For example, a pattern with 100 nm pitch which prints blurred when all geometries are placed on a single photo mask may be decomposed into two DPT photo masks each with a 200 nm pitch which print without blurring.
As shown in FIG. 1C, unlike the metal 1 pattern which has a tight pitch 20 in only the vertical direction, the via pattern has a tight pitch in both the x 34 and the y 36 directions. To print tight pitches in both the x and the y directions would require generating DPT photomasks with reduced pitch in both directions and so would require the generation of 4 DPT photomasks, one with geometries 26, one with geometries 28, one with geometries 30, and one with geometries 32 as shown in FIG. 1C. This is very expensive. In addition, each photomask is aligned separately each with an alignment error. With two DPT photomasks there are two alignment errors. With four photomasks there would be 4 alignment errors significantly increasing yield loss.
As shown in FIG. 2, the photomask for via pattern 30 may have alignment errors in the negative x and positive y directions and the photomask for via pattern 32 may have an alignment error in the positive x direction. Via misalignment may significantly decrease the contact area, 34 and 36, between the via and the underlying metal 1 and between the via and the overlying metal 2 increasing the via resistance and significantly reducing yield.

Method for ensuring DPT compliance for auto-routed via layers