A phase tracking system includes a source of an input signal representing a received symbol. A phase rotator has a first input terminal which is responsive to the input signal, a second input terminal which is responsive to a phase correction signal, and an output terminal which produces a phase adjusted output signal. A decision element generates an ideal signal representing the received symbol in response to the phase adjusted output signal. A phase adjuster, which has full phase wrap-around capability, generates the phase correction signal in response to the phase difference between the phase adjusted output signal and the ideal signal.

The High definition television (HDTV) standard adopted by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) in the U.S. is described in the "ATSC Digital Television Standard", Document A/53 published on Sep. 16, 1995. This document sets forth all the requirements regarding HDTV signal characteristics. In particular, the ATSC-HDTV signals require a suppressed carrier vestigial sideband modulation format, which is a well-known amplitude modulation method. In addition, a small in-phase pilot at the suppressed carrier frequency is added to the signal, being 11.3 dB below the average signal power.
A typical ATSC-VSB receiver demodulating scheme is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,295 entitled SEGMENT SYNC RECOVERY NETWORK FOR AN HDTV RECEIVER issued on May 15, 2001 to Wang. The disclosed demodulator includes an analog to digital (A/D) converter sampling at 21.52 MHz, a carrier tracking loop (CTL) operating at the 21.52 MHz sampling rate, followed by a symbol timing loop (STL) operating at the 10.76 MHz symbol rate, followed by a sync detector, equalizer and phase tracker (i.e., phase tracking loop), all working at the symbol rate of 10.76 MHz.
The A/D converter samples the analog signal at the sampling frequency, converting it into a sequence of digital samples with a specified number of bits per sample.
Carrier tracking, which is performed by the CTL, addresses the problem of frequency offset between the transmitter and receiver oscillators either intrinsic to their design or due to drifts, causing a drift of the sinusoidal carrier signal. The offset will cause the received signal constellation to rotate and forbid signal recovery. This "spinning" effect must be removed before accurate symbol decisions can be made. The purpose of the carrier tracking loop (CTL) is to remove this frequency offset and demodulate the signal down to baseband (from the original IF or near baseband frequency), so that the received signal can be properly processed directly at baseband. In the case of the VSB transmitted signal, by frequency shifting the signal down to baseband the full signal spectrum can be recovered from the RF spectrum, since only a portion of the original spectrum is actually transmitted.
Timing recovery, which is performed by the STL, is the process by which the receiver clock (timebase) is synchronized to the transmitter clock by decoding the timing signal which is embedded in the transmitted VSB signal. The two quantities which the receiver must determine in order to achieve symbol synchronization are the sampling frequency and the sampling phase. The sampling frequency is typically specified but oscillator drift will introduce deviations from the stated symbol rate. Sampling phase involves determining the correct time within a symbol period during which to take a data sample. The accuracy of the recovered timing signal is substantially equivalent to the accuracy of the transmitted VSB timing signal.
The sync detector detects the field and segment sync information embedded in the data stream by correlation and provides this information to other receiver blocks for synchronization purposes.
Equalization is a signal processing technique that attempts to correct for linear distortions in the received signal, which appear in the form of ISI, mainly caused by channel impairments (e.g., multipath propagation in the terrestrial broadcast channel) or by filtering in the receiver or transmitter.
Because the CTL is relatively narrow band, it cannot track high frequency phase noise (jitter) present in the carrier. This phase jitter manifests itself as a rotation of the symbol constellation in the complex plane. For this reason, a separate phase tracking loop (PTL), operating on the channel equalized baseband signal, is provided in the receiver to derotate the signal constellation so that symbol decisions will be accurate. Such PTLs are decision directed. That is, they calculate the phase difference between the phase of each received constellation point and the phase of the ideal constellation point corresponding to the symbol decided to be the most likely symbol to have been transmitted. This phase difference is then used to control the derotation of the baseband signal, all in a known manner. Because the system is already frequency locked to the carrier by the CTL, the PTL bandwidth is maximized for phase tracking by using a first order loop.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of such a prior art phase tracking loop for use in an ATSC-HDTV television broadcast communications system. In FIG. 1, the received symbols are represented by a multilevel signal modulated as a VSB signal. More specifically, such a signal can be a suppressed-carrier 8-VSB, 15-VSB or 16-VSB modulated signal.
In FIG. 1, an input terminal 5 is coupled to a receiver front end (not shown) producing an equalized baseband signal representing successive transmitted symbols. The receiver front end may include, for example, an RF tuner, an IF amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital carrier recovery circuit, a symbol clock recovery circuit, a DC compensation circuit, a field and segment synchronization signal detector, an NTSC co-channel interference rejection circuit, and an adaptive channel equalizer, all of known design and most of which have been described above.
The input terminal 5 is coupled to a first input terminal of a multiplier 10. An output terminal of the multiplier 10 is coupled to respective input terminals of a delay circuit 12 and a Hilbert filter 14. An output terminal of the delay circuit 10 is coupled to the real input terminal R of the first complex input terminal of a complex multiplier 22. An output terminal of the Hilbert filter 14 is coupled to an imaginary input terminal I of the first complex input terminal of the complex multiplier 22. (The real and imaginary components of a signal are sometimes termed in-phase, and 'quadrature' components, respectively, referring to their correspondence to components in some complex modulation schemes.) A real output terminal R of the complex output terminal of the complex multiplier 22 is coupled to an output terminal 15. The output terminal 15 generates the real portion of a phase-corrected received signal. The output terminal 15 may be coupled to a receiver back end (not shown). The receiver back end may include, for example, a trellis decoder, a Reed-Solomon decoder, a descrambler, and video, audio and auxiliary signal processors, all of known design. This receiver back end operates to generate an image represented by the transmitted HDTV video signal, and sound represented by the transmitted audio signal, all in a known manner.
The real output terminal R of the complex multiplier 22 is also coupled to an input terminal of a slicer 24 and a real first input terminal R of a phase detector/accumulator 26. An imaginary output terminal I of the complex output terminal of the complex multiplier 22 is coupled to an imaginary first input terminal I of the phase detector/accumulator 26. An output terminal of the slicer 24 is coupled to a real second input terminal R of the phase detector 26. At each symbol time, the slicer selects, from a programmed look up table, a data symbol corresponding to the point in the symbol constellation that is closest to the input symbol sample as its decision. That is, the slicer selects as its decision the symbol in its alphabet which is closest in Euclidean distance to the input symbol sample. More specifically, the slicer expects an input signal at predetermined signal points along the real axis corresponding to the transmitted symbols.
An output terminal of the phase detector/accumulator 26 produces a signal φE, representing the estimated phase error between the phase of a selected ideal signal and that of the corresponding received phase adjusted signal, as described above, and is coupled to an input terminal of a sine/cosine generator 28. Respective real R and imaginary I output terminals of the sine/cosine generator 28 are coupled to corresponding input terminals of a second complex input terminal of the complex multiplier 22. The combination of the complex multiplier 22, slicer 24, phase detector and accumulator 26 and sine/cosine generator 28 form a phase tracking loop 20.
In addition, phase tracking loops may have a parallel automatic gain control (AGC) loop, which corrects the signal for gain, to ensure that after the phase correction, the signal levels correspond to the predetermined slicer levels. The real output terminal of the complex multiplier 22 is also coupled to a first input terminal of an AGC detector and accumulator 16. The output terminal of the slicer 24 is coupled to a second input terminal of the AGC detector and accumulator 16. An output terminal of the AGC detector and accumulator 16 is coupled to a second input terminal of the multiplier 10, which performs the gain correction.
In operation, the VSB signal at the input terminal 5 has only a real component. However, in order to properly control the phase of the input signal IN, it must be rotated in the complex plane. The Hilbert filter 14 estimates an imaginary component I which corresponds to the real component R of the input signal IN. The delay circuit 12 compensates for the delay introduced by the Hilbert filter 14.
The complex input signal, represented by the real (R) and estimated imaginary (I) components, is derotated by the action of the complex multiplier 22. The real (R) component of the phase adjusted (derotated) signal, from the real output terminal of the complex multiplier 22, is supplied to the output terminal 15.
The slicer 24 compares the value of the real (R) component of the derotated signal to the ideal values of the real component for all of the possible symbols. The slicer 24 selects as the received symbol the symbol having an ideal real value closest to the real value of the derotated signal. The slicer 24 produces at its output terminal a signal having the value of the ideal real component of the selected symbol.
The phase detector and accumulator 26 generates a phase error signal φE by first estimating the phase angle between the ideal symbol from the slicer 24 and the corresponding output signal from the complex multiplier 22 in the complex plane. This phase difference is accumulated and the accumulation used as the phase error φE. The accumulator is also referred to as a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) and used to accumulate the phase-error. As each phase difference is calculated, it is added to the previously calculated accumulation within the NCO and the total used as the phase error φE.
Complex real (R) and imaginary (I) components representing a phase correction angle for this phase error signal φE are generated in the sine/cosine generator 28. The amount of rotation of the input signal IN induced by the complex multiplier 22 is controlled by the values of these real (R) and imaginary (I) signals. The combination of the phase detector and accumulator 26 and sine/cosine generator 28 operate as a phase adjusting element. The complex multiplier 22 rotates the input signal IN by the compensating angle to produce the derotated output signal OUT.
Simultaneously, The AGC detector and accumulator 16 computes the amplitude difference between the actual derotated real component from the complex multiplier 22 and the ideal real component from the slicer 24. This difference represents the amount of error in the amplitude of the output signal OUT. This difference is accumulated and the accumulation used to control the multiplier 10 to adjust the gain of the input signal IN toward the desired level.
By providing fine control of the amplitude and phase of the input signal IN in this manner, the phase of the output signal OUT may be properly aligned with the transmitter carrier phase and the symbols may be detected in a more accurate manner.
One problem with this prior art system is that its design assumed that the phase had been adjusted relatively closely by the CTL. Thus, the sine/cosine generator 28 includes only values for adjusting the phase of the output signal OUT within a predetermined phase distance from zero. In one embodiment of such a prior art system, the sine/cosine generator 28 includes look-up tables which provide values for phase errors of only ±30°. Consequently, the maximum value from the NCO in the phase detector and accumulator 26 is adjusted to correspond to +30° while the minimum value from the NCO is adjusted to correspond to −30°. That is, the NCO in the phase detector and accumulator 26 is not allowed to have a wrap-around phase capability (±180°). Should the NCO wrap around from its maximum value to its minimum value, the correction phase skips from +30° to −30°. This represents a large phase discontinuity (around 300°), which, unless forbidden by design, is then detected as a large phase error and added to the accumulator (NCO). As a result, impulse noise and transient conditions in preceding circuit elements, such as the carrier tracking loop, symbol timing loop and equalizer, may cause substantial phase errors to accumulate in the phase detector and accumulator 26. This, in turn, may cause inaccurate and undesirable upper and/or lower limited phase outputs at the ±30° points or, if not forbidden, an NCO wrap-around, that is, a large phase discontinuity. In both cases, recovery of the phase tracker from these situations is almost impossible if the NCO is not reset to 0. A phase tracking system which provides full phase wrap-around capabilities, thus avoiding the problems related to impulse noise and transient conditions, permitting an easier self-recovery, is desirable.


A safety mechanism for aiding in the prevention of accidental or unintentional discharge of a needleless injection device having a power unit, a housing, a plunger disposed within the housing, a trigger assembly, and a nozzle. The safety mechanism includes a locking member which is disposed at least partially on the exterior of the housing. The locking member works in concert with the triggering assembly to the prevent movement thereof, thereby preventing activation of the power unit to eject fluids through the nozzle. The locking member also works in concert with an interlocking sleeve which prevents activation of the injector when the nozzle is removed therefrom. The safety mechanism also includes a feature for automatically returning the locking member to a locked position after activation.

Needleless hypodermic injection devices have been known and used in the past. These devices typically use spring or compressed gas driven plungers to accelerate a fluid at a velocity sufficient to pierce the skin and enter the underlying tissues.
Since at least the 1980s, the use of needleless injectors has become more desirable due to concerns over the spread of AIDS, hepatitis and other viral diseases caused by the possibility of accidental needle "sticks" from the conventional syringe and needle. Needleless injectors remove apprehensions of healthcare workers and are superior in eliminating accidental disease transmission.
A number of different needleless injectors are known including U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,830 to Dunlap, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,824 to Morrow et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,332 to Lindmayer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,508 to Cohen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,334 to Schwebel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,765 to Gasaway, U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,133 to Morando, U.S. Pat. No. 2,816,543 to Venditty, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,818 to Scherer. These injectors typically include a nozzle assembly, which includes a medication holding chamber and a piston. The chamber has an orifice through which a jet of medication is forced out of the chamber using the piston actuated by some type of energy source.
Due to the high velocity of the jet created by the typical needleless injector, it is desirable to prevent premature discharges of the energy source. Thus, there is a need for a needleless injector which remains in the unarmed or locked configuration until the time period when activation is desired.


A breath test analyzer, which analyzes exhaled breaths of a patient for isotope labeled products generated in the patient""s body after ingestion by the patient of an isotope labeled substance, where the presence of these isotope labeled products provide an indication of a medical condition in the patient. The analyzer uses a very sensitive infra-red spectrophotometer, which enables it to continuously collect and analyze multiple samples of the patient""s breath, and process the outputs in real time, while the patient is still connected to the analyzer, such that a definitive result is obtained within a short time, such as the order of a few minutes. The breath test analyzer is sufficiently small that it can be easily accomodated in the office of a physician. The breath test analyzer can be utilized for a number of diagnostic breath tests, according to the isotope labeled substance ingested by the patient and the gases detected in the patient""s breath.

The invention relates to the field of analyzers of the breath of patients to detect the gastric by-products of various diseases and infections.
Since the early 1950""s, it has been known that the presence of bacterial organisms in the gastro-intestinal tract is accompanied by a high concentration of urease, which hydrolyses urea to form carbon dioxide and ammonia. These gases are detected in the subject""s blood stream and ultimately, in the subject""s breath, if he had been administered isotopically labeled urea. Such early results appear in reviews published by R. W. VonKorff et al. in Am. J. Physiol., Vol. 165, pp. 688-694, 1951, and by H. L. Kornberg and R. E. Davies in Physiol. Rev., Vol. 35, pp. 169-177, 1955.
Since these early experiments, it has been found that there exist, in addition to the bacterial infections initially studied, a significant number of medical conditions associated with disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract or metabolic or organ malfunctions, which are capable of detection by means of such simple breath tests. These breath tests are based on the ingestion of an isotopically labeled sample, which is cleaved by the specific bacteria or enzymic action being sought, or as a result of the metabolic function being tested, to produce labeled gaseous by-products. These by-products are absorbed in the blood stream, and are exhaled in the patient""s breath, where they are detected by means of external instrumentation.
Though the early experiments were performed using the radioactive carbon-14 atom, the most commonly used atom in such test procedures today is the carbon-13 atom, which is a stable, non-radioactive isotope, present in a proportion of about 1.1% of naturally occurring carbon. The labeled substance contains the functional compound to be used in the test, with almost all of its 12C atoms replaced by 13C atoms. Enrichments of up to 99% of 13C are typically used. This compound is cleaved enzymatically under the specific conditions being tested for, either during gastric absorption, or during gastro-intestinal transit, or during its metabolisation in other organs of the body. The cleavage product produced is 13CO2, which is absorbed in the bloodstream and exhaled in the patient""s breath together with the CO2 naturally present. The breath sample is then analyzed, usually in a mass spectrometer or a non-dispersive infra-red spectrometer. The increased presence of 13CO2 is determined, as compared with the expected 1.1% of total CO2 in a healthy patient""s breath, resulting from the metabolism of carbon compounds with the naturally occurring level of approximately 1.1% of carbon-13.
Though carbon-13 is the most commonly used isotopic replacement atom in such breath tests, other atoms which have been used include nitrogen-15 and oxygen-18. In addition, carbon-14 is still used in some procedures, but being radioactive, there are severe disadvantages both to its ingestion by the patient, and because of the storage, handling and disposal precantions required at the test site.
There are an increasing number of metabolic disorders, bacterial infections and organ malfunctions which can be diagnosed using such labeled substances for enabling breath tests. New applications are being proposed continuously, but among the more common currently in use are:
(a) The detection of Helicobacter Pylori infections in the gastric and duodenal tracts, by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled urea and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2. It is also feasible to use 15N-labeled urea, and to detect nitrogen-15 ammonia 15NH3 in the breath, but this test format is not currently in use. Gastric and duodenal ulcers, non-ulcer dyspepsia and gastritis have been shown to be related to the presence of Helicobacter Pylori infections.
(b) The detection of fat malabsorption, such as is present in steatorrhea and Crohn""s disease, by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled triolein or tripalmitin, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(c) Liver function evaluation (by monitoring the P450 enzyme activity), liver disease severity and detoxification activity by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled aminopyrin, methacitin or caffeine citrate (depending on the specific function being tested) and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(d) The measurement of hepatic mitochondrial activity by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled octanoic acid, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(e) A check of hepatic mitochondrial function efficiency by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled ketoisocaproic acid, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(f) The quantification of functional liver mass by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled galactose, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(g) The testing of gastric emptying function by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled octanoic acid for the emptying rate of solids, or 13C-labeled sodium acetate for the emptying rate of liquids, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(h) The determination of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency by means of the ingestion of a 13C-labeled mixed triglyceride sample such as octanoil-1,3-distearin for checking the lipase function, or a 13C-labeled sample of corn starch for checking the amylase function, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2. The mixed triglyceride test is one of the tests used for detecting cystic fibrosis. For the evaluation of the digestion and absorption of medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides, 13C-labeled trioctanoin is used in preference to the mixed triglyceride.
(i) The detection of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled glycolic acid or xylose, and breath detection of an increased level of 13CO2.
(j) The testing of lactose or glucose intolerance, by means of the ingestion of 13C-labeled lactose or glucose, and measurement of the speed of appearance of an increased level of 13CO2 in the breath.
Previously available tests for these illnesses generally involve drastically more invasive procedures, and are therefore much less patient compliant than the simple breath tests described above. Such procedures include gastro-endoscopy, with or without the removal of a tissue biopsy, biopsies of organs suspected of malfunction, blood tests to detect antibodies to suspected bacteria, blood biochemistry tests following ingestion of suitable compounds, and radiological tests, whether by gamma imaging of the organ function following ingestion or injection of a suitable gamma emitter, or by direct X-ray imaging or CT scanning. Furthermore, there are other disadvantages to the previously used tests, such as the fact that they rarely give real time information about the organ function or status being observed. In some cases, such as in the case of blood tests for antibodies of bacterial infections, they give historic results which may have no therapeutic relevance currently, since antibodies to a particular bacterium can remain in the body for up to 2 years from the date that the infection has been eradicated.
The above mentioned breath tests are completely non-invasive, and are executed in comparative real time, so that they have a great advantage over previously available tests, and their use is gaining popularity in the medical community, as evidenced by the fact that suitable isotopically labeled substances are currently available commercially from a number of sources.
However, in spite of the advantages of isotopically labeled breath tests, current instrumentation and procedures for performing it still have a number of serious drawbacks, which continue to limit its usefulness. The major disadvantage, which becomes apparent when a review of prior art breath test performance techniques and instrumentation is performed, is that none of the currently used techniques are sufficiently rapid to permit immediate measurement of the requested parameter, allowing a diagnosis for the patient in a single short visit to the physicians office.
One of the early breath tests to be proposed is that for detecting the presence of the Helicobacter Pylori bacterium in the upper gastro-intestinal tract, by means of the oral administration of isotopically labeled urea, and the detection of the presence of isotopically labeled carbon dioxide or ammonia in the patient""s breath resulting from the hydrolysis of the urea by the urease which always accompanies H. Pylori infections. This method is described by Marshall in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,010. In this implementation of the test, the breath of the subject is collected, preferably from 10 to 120 minutes after administration of the substance, in a balloon inflated by the subject, and from there is transferred to a storage and transport container, such as a Vacutainer(copyright) sold by Becton-Dickenson Inc.
According to a method proposed by Marshall, the sample is then analysed by mass spectrometry or by infra-red or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, for the presence of isotopically labelled CO2 resulting from the hydrolysis of the urea. If the radioactive carbon-14 is used to label the urea, then the breath sample is analysed by bubbling it through a scintillation solution, which is transferred to a scintillation counter to determine the presence of beta radiation in the exhaled breath specimen. Because of the cost and complexity of the analysis instrumentation, in none of the preferred methods described by Marshall is it suggested that the analysis of the breath may be performed on site at the point where the sample is taken from the patient. The subject must thus wait at least ten minutes to give the sample, and must then wait for the laboratory to return the results. Clearly this method cannot be used to provide the results of the test within the context of a single visit to the office of the physician.
In a recent article entitled xe2x80x9cMinimum Analysis Requirements for the Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infection by the 13C-Urea Breath Testxe2x80x9d by P. D. Klieg and D. Y. Graham, published in Am. J. Gastroenterol., Vol. 88, pp. 1865-1869, 1993, a statistical study of the reliability and minimum criteria for conducting this test is presented. The breath analyses were again performed by gas isotope ratio mass spectrometry at a remote site. Amongst their findings are that breath sampling at 30 minutes after urea ingestion is likely to lead to significantly less false-positive and false-negative results, than sampling after 20 minutes, and that sampling after 30 minutes is therefore their proposed protocol time. They also conclude that xe2x80x9cIn the current environments of clinical research and patient care, the costs and turnaround times of CO2 isotopic abundance measurements continue as the major barriers to commercial propagation of the 13C-urea breath test.xe2x80x9d
In another described prior art method of executing the urea breath test, Koletzko and co-workers describe the analysis of the exhaled breath by means of an isotope-selective non-dispersive infrared spectrometer [Koletzko et al., Lancet, 345:961-2, 1995]. Even using such a sophisticated instrument, the subjects are still required to wait 15 to 30 minutes for successive breath samples to be taken. Such a long delay to obtain breath samples, as well as the long wait between samples, is inconvenient and potentially reduces patient compliance.
Furthermore, as in the previously mentioned prior art, the sample or samples are collected from the patient and then sent to a laboratory for analysis, causing a delay in the determination of the results and forcing the subject to return to the office of the physician to obtain the results. If the test does not yield meaningful results, the entire process must be repeated again. The requirement for multiple office visits potentially further reduces patient compliance. The potential reduction in patient compliance can have serious consequences, since Helicobacter pylori is implicated by the World Health Organisation as a possible cause of stomach cancer, in addition to its role in gastric and duodenal ulcers.
The most rapid breath test currently proposed, the xe2x80x9cPytestxe2x80x9d from Tri-Med Specialties, Charlottesville, N.C., USA, takes about 10-15 minutes to perform but uses radioactive carbon-14 isotopically-labeled urea [D. A. Peura, et al., Am. J. Gastro., 91:233-238, 1996]. The presence of 14CO2 in the subject""s exhaled breath is detected by direct beta counting. This test thus has all the disadvantages of the use of radioactive materials. Not only is the ingestion of radioactive materials potentially hazardous, but it also restricts the test to large testing centers which can handle such materials. Thus, the test cannot be performed in the office of the average physician, so that multiple office visits are again required.
Another recent prior art method which discusses implementations of the 13C-urea breath test, is shown in PCT Application No. WO97/14029, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod for Spectrometrically Measuring Isotopic Gas and Apparatus thereofxe2x80x9d, applied for by the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company of Tokyo, Japan. In this application too, the exhaled breath sample is transferred in sample bags from the patient to the spectrometer, which, because of its cost, complexity and size, has perforce to be installed in a central sample collection laboratory, and not in the doctor""s office or near the patient""s bed. The inventors in fact state that xe2x80x9cThe measurement of such breath samples is typically performed in a professional manner in a measurement organisation, which manipulates a large amount of samples in a short time.xe2x80x9d This prior art proposes the use of one breath sample before the administration of the urea, and another after a lapse of 10 to 15 minutes.
Other prior art which describe sensitive analyzer systems for measuring the isotopic ratios of 13CO2 to 12CO2 in a gaseous sample, such as is required in an exhaled breath analyzer for performing the above mentioned breath tests, includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,469, granted to W. Fabinski and G. Bernhardt, which describes a double reference path non-dispersive infra-red gas analyzer. A further development of such an instrument described in European Patent Application No. EP 0 584 897 A1 can be used to compare the two isotopic CO2 concentrations in the exhaled breath by means of infra-red absorption measurements on two IR-cells filled with gas from the same breath sample.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,805 and RE 33493, granted to P. S. Lee, R. F. Majkowski and D. L. Partin, an infra-red absorbtion spectrometer is described for discriminating between the two isotopic CO2 molecules for the breath tests. Their spectrometer design uses lead salt laser diodes as the source of radiation. Such laser diodes have emission lines in the 4 xcexcm to 5 xcexcm wavelength region of the infra-red spectrum, where the strongest CO2 absorption lines are located. As a consequence, despite the lack of temperature stability of such laser diodes, and the fact that they must be operated at liquid nitrogen temperatures, their use enables the spectrometer to achieve the high selectivity and sensitivity required for breath test analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,156, granted to D. E. Cooper, C. B. Carlisle and H. Riris, describes an FMS (Frequency Modulation Spectroscopy) laser absorption spectrometer for distinguishing between the weak 12CO2 and 13CO2 absorption lines in the 1.6 xcexcm infra-red region, where highly stable laser diodes are available. Even though the CO2 lines are very weak in this region, the stability of the GaAs laser diodes used as the source in this range, and the sophisticated TTFMS (two-tone Frequency Modulation Spectroscopy) technique used enables the inventors to provide sufficient differentiation between the two isotopes of CO2 that the spectrometer can be used in breath test analysis.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,236, granted to D. E. Murnick, an apparatus for isotopic analysis of CO2 is described by means of laser excited spectroscopy, utilising the optogalvanic effect to differentiate between the light of different wavelengths.
Because of the need to provide high sensitivity and good mass discrimination, all of the above described analysis systems are complex in nature. They are therefore, costly to manufacture and generally of large dimensions, making them suitable for commercial exploitation only for large and high sample volume installations.
A number of commercial companies offer complete systems for performing breath tests for the detection and study of the various gastro-enterologic conditions mentioned previously, using the isotopically labeled substances commercially available.
The Alimenterics Company of Morris Plains, N.J., markets the Pylori-Chek 13C-Urea breath test kit for use with its LARA(trademark) System, for detecting the presence of H. Pylori in the gastro-intestinal tract. The company is developing kits for the clinical use of the other breath tests mentioned above. Breath is collected in a uniquely designed breath collection device, that also serves to transport the sample to the LARA(trademark) System. This system, which stands for Laser Assisted Ratio Analyzer, is a sophisticated infra-red spectrometer designed to provide the sensitivity required to detect tiny percentage changes in the level of 13CO2 in the patient""s exhaled breath. Because of the complexity of the LARA(trademark) System, it is a large piece of equipment, weighing over 300 kg. and very costly. Consequently, this system too is only feasible for very large institutions and central laboratories, where the large number of tests performed can justify the cost.
Meretek Diagnostics Incorporated of Nashville, Tenn., has also developed such a 13C-Urea breath test diagnostic system, and use an isotope ratio mass spectrometer called the ABCA (Automated Breath 13C Analyzer) manufactured by Europa Scientific Limited, of Crewe, Cheshire, U.K. for analyzing the breath samples. In this system too, the analyzer unit is large, costly and sophisticated, and therefore is usually located remote from the collection point.
Wagner Analysen Technik GmbH of Worpswede, Germany, offers an infra-red non-dispersive spectrophotometer-based system called the IRIS(copyright)xe2x80x94Infra Red ISotope Analyser, which is based on the above-mentioned European Patent Application No. EP 0 584 897 A1. Though the main useage mode is by means of transport of the breath samples from the collection point to the analyzer in sample bags, this system, according to the manufacturer""s sales literature, also has a sample port whereby connection can be made directly to a breathing mask, an incubator, or a breathing machine. No details of such a connection tube accessory are however given in the technical manual accompanying the analyzer, nor does the manufacturer provide any programs with the system""s operational software to enable such an accessory to be used for performing on-line analyses. This analyzer has dimensions of 510xc3x97500xc3x97280 mm and weighs 12 kg., and in addition, a PC is required for control. Though smaller and less costly than those mentioned above, it is still too large and heavy to be described as a truly portable device. Furthermore, its reported cost of several tens of thousands of U.S. Dollars, though considerably less than that of the two above-mentioned commercial systems, still makes it unsuitable for point-of-care or physician""s office use.
In the preferred procedures described in all of the above mentioned prior art, the patient must wait typically 20-30 minutes before the active sample is collected, mainly because only one sample is taken beyond a background sample. This time is necessary to allow the level of isotopically labeled exhaled gas to reach a relatively high value, close to its end value, to enable the analyzer to measure the gas with a sufficient confidence level. However, such a single point determination potentially decreases the accuracy of the test, as well as increasing the risk of ambiguous results.
To the best of our knowledge, no breath test analyzer system has been described in the prior art which is sufficiently small, fast in producing reliable results, low in production cost, portable and sensitive, to enable it to be used as for executing tests in real time in the physician""s office or at another point of care.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved breath test analyzer which overcomes disadvantages and drawbacks of existing analyzers, which provides accurate results on-site in times of the order of minutes, and which is capable of implementation as a low cost, low volume and weight, portable instrument. The breath analyzer of the present invention is sufficiently sensitive to enable it to continuously collect and analyze multiple samples of the patient""s breath from the beginning of the test, and process the outputs in real time, such that a definitive result is obtained within a short period of time, such as of the order of a few minutes.
Such a breath test analyzer is suitable for the detection of various disorders or infections of the gastro-intestinal tract, or metabolic or organ malfunctions, and since it can provide results in real time without the need to send the sample away to a special testing center or central laboratory, can be used to provide diagnostic information to the patient in the context of a single visit to a physician""s office, or at any other point of care in a health care facility.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer, including a very sensitive gas analyzer, capable of measuring the ratio of two chemically identical gases but with different molecular weights, resulting from the replacement of at least one of the atoms of the gas with the same atom but of different isotopic value. Since the isotopically labeled gas to be measured in the patient""s breath may be present only in very tiny quantities, and since, in general, it has an infra-red absorption spectrum very close to that of the non-isotopically labeled gas, the gas analyzer must be capable of very high selectivity and sensitivity, to detect and measure down to the order of a few parts per million of the host gas.
The breath test analyzer is also sufficiently small that it can easily be accomodated in the office of a physician, such as a gastro-enterologist, and its cost is also sufficiently low that its use in such an environment can be economically justified.
There are a number of different operational modes for each type of test for such a breath analyzer, the common denometer being that the analysis is performed in real time whilst the patient is continuing to provide breath for subsequent analyses. In the most common mode of operation, the breath test analyzer senses a patient""s exhaled breath before ingestion of an isotopically labeled substance, analyzes the patient""s exhaled breath for the percentage of the isotopically labeled gas in the total exhaled gas of that composition in order to obtain a baseline reading, performs at least one similar analysis after ingestion of an isotopically labeled substance, and provides an indication of a medical condition within a time period following the last sensing which is less than the difference in time between the first sensing of the patient""s exhaled breath and the second sensing. This delineates it from previous breath analyzers, which, because of the generally remote location of the analyzer from the point at which the samples are given, cannot provide this indication within such a time limit.
In an alternative mode of operation, the analyses are made successively at times after ingestion of an isotopically labeled substance, and before the end of production of the isotopically labeled by-products of the substance, and the analyzer performs comparisons of the change from sample to sample of the percentage of the isotopically labeled gas in the total exhaled gas of that composition, and thereby provides an indication of a medical condition as soon as the detected change in gas composition percentage permits it, and before the end of production of the isotopically labeled by-products of the substance.
There are also two modes of analyzing the breath samples. The analyser can either perform its analysis on individual exhaled breaths, or, as stated above, it can perform its analysis on multiple samples of the patient""s breath, continuously collected from the patient. The method of collection and subsequent analysis of multiple samples of the patient""s breath has been described in co-pending Israel Patent Application No. 121793, which is hereby incorporated by reference. That application describes an analyzer wherein the patient""s breaths are exhaled into a resevoir for collection, in this application called a breath collection chamber, and transferred from there by one of various methods to the sample measurement chamber. One of the advantages of the method described therein, is that the analyzer draws an averaged sample of breath for measurement, instead of individual breaths, thereby increasing accuracy. Another advantage is that it is possible, by suitable valving means, to collect only the plateau parts of multiple breaths for analysis.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer, which analyzes a first exhaled breath of a patient and a second exhaled breath of the patient for isotope labeled products generated in the patient""s body after ingestion by the patient of an isotope labeled substance, by performing a first analyzing of the patient""s first breath and a second analyzing of the patient""s second breath, at least the second breath being exhaled following patient""s ingesting the substance, the analyzer providing an indication of a medical condition within a time period following the exhalation of the second breath which is less than the difference in time between the exhalation of the first breath and the exhalation of the second breath.
There is further provided in accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer as described above and including a breath analysis chamber, a breath inlet conduit for conveying exhaled gas from a patient to the breath analysis chamber, and a gas analyzer operative to analyze gas in the breath analysis chamber and to conduct the first analyzing of gas exhaled by the patient""s first breath and the second analyzing of the patient""s second breath, at least the second breath being exhaled following ingestion by the patient of an isotope labeled substance.
Furthermore, for those preferred embodiments which analyze samples collected from exhaled breaths of a patient, instead of individual breaths, it is understood that the analyzer also incorporates a breath collection chamber, which may be a separate chamber, or part of the breath inlet conduit, or part of the breath analysis chamber. In the latter case, the analysis of the gas sample effectively takes place in the breath collection chamber.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer as described above, and wherein the patient""s first breath is exhaled prior to ingestation of an isotopically labeled substance, and the patient""s second breath is exhaled following ingestation of the isotopically labeled substance.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer as described above, and wherein both of the patient""s first and second breaths are exhaled following patient""s ingestation of the isotopically labeled substance.
There is further provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer which analyzes a patient""s breath for isotope labeled products generated in the patient""s body after ingestion by the patient of an isotope labeled substance, the analyzer providing an indication of a medical condition existent in the patient by analyzing at least two successive samples of the patient""s breath, wherein the at least two successive samples of the patient""s breath include at least one later sample exhaled following analysis of at least one earlier sample.
There is still further provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer as described above and including a breath analysis chamber, a breath inlet conduit for conveying exhaled gas from a patient to the breath analysis chamber, and a gas analyzer operative to analyze gas in the breath analysis chamber and to conduct analyses of the at least two successive samples of the patient""s breath, wherein the at least two successive samples of the patient""s breath include at least one later sample exhaled following analysis of at least one earlier sample.
In accordance with still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer which analyzes a patient""s exhaled breath before and after a product of an isotope labeled substance ingested by the patient could be detected in the patient""s breath, a first analyzing of the patient""s exhaled breath taking place prior to the product being detectable in the patient""s breath and a second analyzing of the patient""s exhaled breath taking place once the product could be detectable in the patient""s breath, the analyzer providing an indication of a medical condition within a time period following the exhalation of the second breath which is less than the difference in time between the exhalation of the first breath and the exhalation of the second breath.
There is further provided in accordance with other preferred embodiments of the present invention, a breath test analyzer which analyzes a first exhaled breath of a patient and a second exhaled breath of the patient for the products of an isotope labeled substance ingested by the patient while the patient is coupled to the device, or analyzes the above mentioned exhaled breath and provides an indication of a medical condition while the patient is coupled to the device, or is breathing into the device. The patient whose breath is being analyzed can be coupled to the device continuously from the analyzing of the first exhaled breath to the analyzing of the second exhaled breath.
There is still further provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer as described above and including a breath analysis chamber, a breath inlet conduit for conveying exhaled gas from a patient to the breath analysis chamber, and a gas analyzer operative to analyze gas in the breath analysis chamber while the patient is coupled to the device.
There is even further provided in accordance with still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer as described above and including a breath analysis chamber, a breath inlet conduit for conveying exhaled gas from a patient to the breath analysis chamber, and a gas analyzer operative to analyze gas in the breath analysis chamber and to provide an indication of a medical condition while the patient is coupled to the device.
There is also provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer as described above and including a breath analysis chamber, a breath inlet conduit for conveying exhaled gas from a patient to the breath analysis chamber; and a gas analyzer operative to analyze gas in the breath analysis chamber and to provide an indication of a medical condition while the patient is breathing into the device.
In accordance with still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer as described above and wherein the patient is coupled to a disposable breath input device.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a medical sample analyzer which analyzes samples taken from a patient, and wherein either the taking or the analyzing of the samples is terminated automatically at a point in time determined by the results of the analyzing of the samples.
In accordance with even another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a breath test analyzer which analyzes samples of a patient""s breath for isotope labeled products generated in the patient""s body after ingestion by the patient of an isotope labeled substance, and wherein either the taking or the analyzing of the samples is terminated automatically at a point in time determined by the results of the analyzing of samples.
There is also provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a medical sample analyzer as described above, which analyzes samples taken from a patient and including a sample input port for receiving samples taken from the patient and an analyzing apparatus for analyzing the samples, and wherein the analyzing is terminated automatically at a point in time determined by the results of the analyzing of the samples.
There is further provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a breath test analyzer as described above and including a breath analysis chamber, a breath inlet conduit for conveying exhaled gas from a patient to the breath analysis chamber; and a gas analyzer operative to analyze gas in the breath analysis chamber and wherein the analyzing of samples from the patient is terminated automatically at a point in time determined by the results of the analyzing of the samples.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a breath test analyzer as described above, and wherein the gas analyzer includes a gas discharge tube gas analyzer, or an infra-red source which emits a discontinuous spectrum.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breath test analyzer as described above, and wherein the results of the analyzing of successive samples are fitted to a curve, and an indication of a medical condition in a patient is determined by inspecting the derivative of the curve.
In accordance with even another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a method of breath testing which analyzes a first exhaled breath of a patient and a second exhaled breath of the patient for isotope labeled products generated in the patient""s body after ingestion by the patient of an isotope labeled substance, and comprising the steps of performing a first analyzing of the patient""s first breath, subsequently performing a second analyzing of the patient""s second breath, at least the second breath being exhaled following the patient""s ingesting the substance, and providing an indication of a medical condition within a time period following exhalation of the second breath which is less than the difference in time between exhalation of the first breath and exhalation of the second breath.
There is further provided in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of breath testing which analyzes a patient""s exhaled breath for the product of an isotope labeled substance ingested by the patient, and comprising the steps of performing a first analyzing of the patient""s exhaled breath prior to the product being detectable in the patient""s breath, performing a second analyzing of the patient""s exhaled breath once the product is detectable in the patient""s breath, and providing an indication of a medical condition within a time period following the exhalation of the second breath which is less than the difference in time between the exhalation of the first breath and the exhalation of the second breath.
Furthermore, whereas all of the above mentioned preferred embodiments have been described for breath analyzers which analyze a first exhaled breath of a patient and a second exhaled breath of the patient, it is understood that the operation of these preferred embodiments are equally valid for breath analyzers which analyze a first sample collected from at least a first exhaled breath of a patient, and a second sample collected from at least a second exhaled breath of a patient.


A method for forming a metal wiring of a semiconductor device. The method includes forming an etch stop layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming a first inter metal dielectric on the etch stop layer, and forming a second inter metal dielectric on the first inter metal dielectric. The method also includes forming a first photoresist pattern defining a via hole on the second inter metal dielectric, forming a via hole exposing the etch stop layer using the first photo resist pattern, and forming a second photoresist pattern defining a trench by exposing and developing the first photoresist pattern. The method further includes forming a trench by etching the second inter metal dielectric using the second photoresist pattern as a mask, removing the etch stop layer exposed through the via hole, and forming a metal wiring by filling the via hole and the trench.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming metal wiring of a semiconductor device and, in particular, to a method for forming the metal wiring in a semiconductor device through a dual damascene process.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Recently, as semiconductor devices have become highly integrated and process techniques have been enhanced, conventional aluminum wirings are being replaced by copper wirings for improving the device characteristics, such as operation speed and resistance of the device, and parasitic capacitance between the metals.
However, since the copper has very poor etching characteristics, a damascene process has replaced the conventional etching process.
In the damascene process, a dual damascene pattern having trenches for forming via holes and wirings in an inter metal dielectric is formed, and then a copper layer is deposited thickly enough to fill the contact holes. After forming the dual damascene pattern, an annealing process is performed on the copper layer so as to remove the impurities that are intruded during the deposition of the copper layer. A polishing process is carried out on the upper surface of the inter metal dielectric using a chemical mechanical polishing technique. Thus, metal wirings and plugs are formed.
However, the dual damascene technique has a drawback in that the photolithography process should be performed at least twice, since contact holes having different diameters are formed. Accordingly, it takes long time to fabricate the devices, resulting in a reduction of production yield.

Method of forming metal wiring of semiconductor device


One aspect of the invention provides a novel scheme to prevent multiple processing of the same system events of an Intelligent Platform Management Interface by providing a mechanism to determine the last processed event ID. Another aspect of the invention provides a mechanism to synchronize access to the system event log by granting one of one or more system management applications exclusive access to the system event log thereby preventing other system management applications from processing the same event more than once.

The Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI), version 1.5, revision 1.0, is an industry initiative for system management software that manages system components such as temperature sensors, voltage sensors, fan sensors, power controls, and other system components and devices. IPMI running on a system, such as a server, may be implemented as a distributed management platform where remote systems may access and manage the IPMI enabled system.
The event mechanism is a major feature in IPMI to indicate the occurrence of a system event to the system management software. The occurrence of an event is recorded in the IPMI System Event Log (SEL) as a SEL record. The management software periodically polls the IPMI SEL records to determine if a new event has been registered. The software may take appropriate actions based on the type of event. For example, if the event is Chassis Intrusion, the software may shutdown the system, and may send a corresponding page or message to the system administrator. In some implementations, it may be necessary for each SEL event to be processed one time only.
Under certain conditions, SEL events may be unnecessarily processed more than once. This is because when the system management software reads a SEL record, the IPMI does not indicate that the record has been read. This may cause the SEL record to be processed multiple times in some situations.
A few cases in which a SEL record may be unintentionally processed more than once include where 1) a system reboot has occurred, 2) a new operating system is installed in a host system running the system management software, and 3) multiple system management software processes access the SEL to manage the IPMI.

Method and apparatus for avoiding multiple processing of the same IPMI system event


A method of indicating operational status of an electronic device, the device providing an indication of device operational status as a result of a self-test, the method including the following steps: monitoring an environmental condition; changing an indication of device operational status from a first indication to a second indication if the monitored environmental condition changes from a first condition to a second condition, this changing step being performed without performing a self-test. In certain embodiments, the monitored environmental condition is a monitored temperature, the first condition is a first temperature and the second condition is a second temperature. The electronic device may be battery-operated, in which case the self-test is a battery capacity test. In these embodiments, the method also may include the step of performing the battery capacity test when the monitored temperature reaches the second temperature if there is no indication of device operational status corresponding to the second temperature stored in memory, the second temperature is lower than a temperature associated with an indication of a non-warning device operational status stored in memory, and the second temperature is higher than a temperature associated with an indication of a warning operational status; and indicating device operational status as a result of the battery capacity test. The method may also include the step of storing in memory an association between the second temperature and device operational status.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic devices and environment-dependent methods of maintaining the devices and indicating operational status of the devices. In particular, this invention relates to temperature-dependent methods of maintaining battery-operated external defibrillators and indicating their operational status.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic devices that are infrequently used may be designed to perform automatic self-tests on a preset schedule, in response to an event or condition, or otherwise and to indicate the results of those self-tests to a potential user. An example can be found in certain external defibrillators that automatically self-test battery capacity and other defibrillator functions and components and indicate the results of those self-tests (i.e., the device's operational status) through visual displays and/or audible tones.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/240,272 describes a battery-operated automatic external defibrillator (AED) designed for infrequent use. The device described in that patent application performs a variety of daily, weekly and monthly self-tests while in stand-by mode (i.e., when not powered-on to treat a patient, to review past treatment events, etc.) and indicates the operational status of the device using an "OK" or "Not OK" fail-safe visual display and using an audible tone generator. One of the device parameters monitored during the self-tests is remaining battery capacity.
The '272 application also suggests performing a group of self-tests automatically in response to exposure of the defibrillator to temperature extremes, although the exact nature of the environmentally-triggered self-tests is not disclosed. The disclosure of the '272 application is incorporated herein by reference.
There are many other types of battery-operated devices as well. Some battery-operated devices automatically track remaining battery capacity and indicate device status or make some other change based, at least in part, on remaining battery capacity. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,284; U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,514; U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,055; U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,119; U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,784; U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,737; U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,084; U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,659; U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,741; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,165. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference.
For example, Bates U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,741 describes a battery monitor that continuously samples the battery load current and temperature. The device continuously displays remaining battery capacity based on a temperature-compensated measurement of the amount of current drawn from the battery.
Hishiki U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,737 describes a battery capacity measurement circuit using a capacitor having thermal and age-variation characteristics to compensate for the thermal and age-variation characteristics of the battery. Specifically, the capacitor's capacitance, like the battery capacity, is maximum at room temperature and decreases with either an increase or decrease in ambient temperature. The capacitor is used to generate a pulse signal whose frequency varies with temperature as the capacitance (and therefore the battery capacity) changes, with the frequency being lowest at room temperature and increasing with an increase or decrease in ambient temperature. The pulse signals are counted by a counter to compute battery discharge and, thereby, remaining battery capacity.
Landau et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,710 describes a battery monitoring and display system which adjusts actual measurements of remaining battery capacity by fixed percentages when the ambient temperature is in certain defined ranges.

Environment-response method for maintaining an external medical device


A technique for calibrating sensor data used for dead reckoning positioning comprises the steps of simultaneously recording sensor data of at least one dead reckoning positioning sensor and position data of a position sensor during travel, comparing a first travel path derived from the position data with a second travel path derived from the sensor data, and calibrating the sensor data based on the comparison.

Dead reckoning is the process of updating a known absolute position during travel by using relative movement information like speed and angular velocity of a motor vehicle, robot, aircraft, ship, etc. Such relative movement information is typically provided by relative sensors like odometers, airspeed indicators, logs and gyroscopes. Odometer data, airspeed indicator data and log data are indicative of a covered distance d, while gyroscope data are indicative of a change of direction Δφ and, therefore, the course during travel. Once an absolute position and heading of a vehicle is known (i.e., the geographic coordinates and heading of the position), its subsequent positions can be determined from these relative sensor data.
Modern positioning systems utilize an absolute position sensor such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor to determine the current position during travel. The GPS sensor receives radio signals from different GPS satellites, and on basis of the measured signal runtimes the absolute position is determined. The determination of the vehicle position using the GPS sensor fails when not enough satellite signals are received (e.g., due to signal fading in tunnels or urban canyons). Moreover, the quality of the GPS signal can change very quickly, which is observable as position jumping around the real position.
In order to overcome such problems associated with absolute position sensors, modern positioning systems additionally utilize relative movement information from relative sensors for performing dead reckoning positioning during travel. In this context, the main task is an accurate calibration of the relative sensor data since the quality of the measured sensor data depends on the sensors used and external parameters, such as the ambient temperature. Moreover, the measured sensor data as such do not directly indicate the covered distance d and change of direction Δφ during travel. Accordingly, a transformation of the measured sensor data is required in order to perform dead reckoning positioning. This transformation is called "calibration" hereinafter, and the process of determining the current calibration parameters is called "learning".
Common learning algorithms determine the calibration of odometer data and gyroscope data in separate steps and under well defined conditions. For example, in order to obtain a good odometer calibration, the movement of the vehicle during calibration should be as straight as possible. Deviations from a straight movement (e.g., by unintentionally driving a wiggly line) introduce an error in the calibration which is difficult to estimate and, therefore, difficult to compensate electronically. Further, the calibration of a gyroscope sensor requires a precise measurement of a course change of the vehicle. When using a GPS sensor for determining the course change, a gyroscope calibration with small errors can only be obtained when driving a straight line with high enough speed two times and performing a well defined turn in between.
Hence, the commonly used learning processes require some effort and time in order to obtain good calibration results. In addition, calibration errors are difficult to estimate and compensate when using the above described learning process. However, a good calibration with small calibration errors is crucial, since calibration errors are summed up during dead reckoning positioning, leading therefore to large deviations of the calculated absolute positions from the real positions.

Technique for calibrating dead reckoning positioning data


The invention relates to a process for producing hot combustion waste gases (11), in particular for a gas turbine system. In a burner (2), a combustion that produces hot combustion waste gases (11) takes place. A portion (17) of the combustion waste gases (11) is branched off and fed to a first inlet (16) of an oxygen separation device (5). An oxygen-containing gas (20) is fed to a second inlet (23) of the oxygen separation device (5). The oxygen separation device (5) is provided with oxygen separation means (6) that remove oxygen from the oxygen-containing gas (20) and feed it to the branched-off waste gas (17), producing oxygen-containing gas (34) whose oxygen content has been reduced as well as oxygen-enriched, branched-off waste gas (25). The oxygen-enriched, branched-off waste gas (25) as well as a fuel (31) or a fuel/steam mixture are fed to the burner (2) and form a combustion mixture that burns in the burner (2) while forming the hot combustion waste gases (11).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and to a device for generating hot combustion waste gases, in particular to a gas turbine system having an oxygen separation device that receives a portion of combustion waste gas and feeds oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas to the waste gas which is then fed with a fuel or fuel/steam mixture to a burner for catalytically initiated or stabilized combustion.
2. Background of the Invention
EP 0 882 486 A1 discloses a device of the above-mentioned type provided with a burner whose outlet side is connected to a waste gas line, from which a return line branches off. In this burner, a combustion that generates hot combustion waste gases takes place. These combustion waste gases exit the burner through the waste gas line, whereby one part of the combustion waste gases is branched off via the return line. The device is provided with an oxygen separation device, the first inlet of which is connected to the return line, and the second inlet of which is connected to a gas supply that provides oxygen-containing gas. The oxygen separation device therefore is supplied with branched-off or returned waste gas via its first inlet, and with oxygen-containing gas, for example concentrated ambient air, via its second inlet. The oxygen separation device contains oxygen separation means, for example an ion transport membrane. These oxygen separation means remove oxygen from the oxygen-containing gas and supply it with the branched off waste gas, so that the oxygen content of the oxygen-containing gas is reduced, and oxygen-enriched, branched-off waste gas is generated. The oxygen separation device is provided with a first outlet for the oxygen-enriched, branched-off waste gas as well as a second outlet for the gas that has been reduced with respect to its oxygen content. An inlet side of the burner is connected to the first outlet of the oxygen separation device as well as to a fuel supply that supplies fuel. In this manner, a combustion mixture that burns in the burner while forming the desired hot combustion waste gases is created no later than in the burner. The combustion gases generated in this manner can be used, in particular, in a gas turbine system in order to generate electrical energy.
By using such a device or method, it is possible to reduce noxious emissions during energy generation, in particular to significantly reduce CO2 emissions during the combustion of fossil fuels.
The core concept of these methods and devices is that pure oxygen is used as an oxidant for the combustion, since this greatly simplifies the waste gas after treatment. The reason for this is that a combustion process with molecular oxygen provides a waste gas that essentially consists only of CO2 and H2O. Since oxygen, which is produced in refrigerated plants, is very expensive, new technologies have been developed for oxygen production. Important factors hereby are oxygen separation devices that are provided with a membrane that is conductive for oxygen ions and electrons, a so-called MCM membrane (mixed conducting membrane). Such an MCM membrane has a retention side on which the oxygen-containing gas is located and a pass-through side on which the gas to be enriched is located. The MCM membrane transports oxygen ions from the retention side to the pass-through side and causes an electron transport from the pass-through side to the retention side. For this purpose, oxygen is removed from the gas on the retention side and is supplied to the gas on the pass-through side. In order to increase the conductivity of such a MCM membrane, it is advantageous to set a relatively high flow speed on the pass-through side in order to keep the oxygen concentration on the pass-through side as low as possible. A high flow speed on the pass-through side results only in a relatively small enrichment of the returned waste gases with oxygen, however, so that this oxygen/waste gas mixture shows only weak reactance and is not suitable for standard combustion methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,223 discloses a method and a device for producing carbon dioxide and oxygen. Into a first oxygen separation device working with a MCM membrane, compressed, heated, and oxygen-containing gas is introduced on the retention side. On the pass-through side, a gaseous fuel is supplied that reacts with the added oxygen and forms carbon dioxide. The oxygen-containing gas whose oxygen-content has been reduced is heated by the exothermic reaction taking place hereby. The oxygen-containing gas heated in this manner is then fed to a second oxygen separation device working with an MCM membrane on its retention side. The desired oxygen then collects on the pass-through side of this second oxygen separation device.
WO 98/55394 describes a method in which an oxygen separation device working with an MCM membrane is used as a burner in order to produce hot combustion waste gases for a gas turbine system. Hereby ambient air is compressed, heated, and fed to the retention side of this membrane reactor. A mixture of returned waste gas and fuel is fed to the retention side. Then oxygen is removed from the fed-in air in the membrane reactor and is fed into the mixture. On the pass-through side, the fuel then reacts with the oxygen on the membrane surface that is coated with an oxidation catalyzer. The resulting hot waste gases are then fed to a turbine.
WO 98/55208 discloses a further method for the production of hot combustion gases for the operation of a turbine, in which compressed fresh air is heated in a first burner and is fed to the retention side of a oxygen separation device working with an MCM membrane. Returned waste gas is fed together with fuel to a second burner that may be constructed as a catalyzer. The combustion gases generated there are then fed to the pass-through side of the oxygen separation device, where they are enriched with oxygen. The waste gases enriched with oxygen are then fed to a third burner and burned there with fuel in order to generate hot combustion gases that drive a turbine.
The invention at hand concerns the objective of disclosing for a method or device of the initially mentioned type an embodiment that has a higher efficiency.
According to the invention, this objective can be realized by a method for producing hot combustion waste gas, comprising the steps of producing a hot combustion waste gas by combustion in a burner that is catalytically initiated or stabilized, feeding a first portion of the combustion waste gas to a first inlet of a first oxygen separation device, feeding an oxygen-containing gas to a second inlet of the first oxygen separation device, removing oxygen from the oxygen-containing gas by an oxygen separation means of the first oxygen separation device and reducing an oxygen content of the oxygen-containing gas, feeding said oxygen to the first portion of the combustion waste gas and oxygen enriching an oxygen content of the first portion of the combustion waste gas, and feeding the oxygen-enriched, first portion of the combustion waste gas and a fuel or a fuel/steam mixture to the burner to form a combustion mixture that burns in the burner in the step of producing the hot combustion waste gas. This procedure allows the combustion mixture to react adequately even in the presence of relatively low oxygen concentrations in order to produce the desired hot combustion waste gases.
Since this means that a relatively low oxygen content in the combustion mixture will be sufficient, the flow speed of the returned waste gases can be increased on the pass-through side of an oxygen separation device working with an MCM membrane, increasing its efficiency and thus the efficiency of the entire process.
The objective underlying this invention is also realized with a device for producing a hot combustion waste gas, comprising a burner comprising an outlet side, an inlet side, and a catalyzer that initiates or stabilizes a combustion and a first oxygen separation device comprising a first inlet, a second inlet, a first oxygen separation means that removes oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas and feeds the oxygen to a branched-off waste gas, a first outlet for the oxygen-enriched, branched-off waste gas, and a second outlet for the reduced oxygen-containing gas. The outlet side of the burner is connected to a waste gas line from which a return line branches off, the inlet side of the burner operatively communicates with the first outlet of the first oxygen separation device and a fuel supply line to supply a fuel or a fuel/steam mixture, the first inlet of the first oxygen separation device is operatively connected with the return line, and the second inlet of the first oxygen separation device is operatively connected to a gas supply line to supply the oxygen-containing gas. The divide also creates the possibility of burning combustion waste gases with a relatively low oxygen content in order to generate the desired hot combustion waste gases. As explained above, this makes it possible to increase the efficiency during the production of the hot combustion waste gases. With an integration of the device according to the invention or the method according to the invention into a gas turbine system, the latter""s efficiency also can be increased.
In a further development, a second oxygen separation device may be provided, whereby the non-branched-off or non-returned part of the hot combustion waste gases as well as fuel or fuel/steam mixture are fed to a first inlet of this second oxygen separation device and hereby form a mixture, and whereby the oxygen-containing gas that has been reduced with respect to its oxygen content is fed to a second inlet of this second oxygen separation device, whereby this second oxygen separation device also is provided with oxygen separation means, for example an MCM membrane, that is able to remove yet even more oxygen from the oxygen-containing gas and feed it into the mixture, whereby the mixture on the one hand burns with the oxygen and produces hot combustion waste gases, while on the other hand a gas that has again been reduced with respect to its oxygen content and heated, i.e. oxygen-poor gas, is produced. These measures make it possible to provide both hot combustion waste gas as well as hot, oxygen-poor gas, which can be used, for example, in a following gas turbine system for the production of electricity. Because of the higher starting temperatures that can be achieved, this results overall in a higher efficiency for the overall system.
In a preferred further development, the catalyzer of the burner can be designed as a metal oxide catalyzer. Suitable metals belong, for example, to the perovskite family, e.g. Lal-xSrxBO3, whereby the B side contains elements of the transition metals, for example Mn, Fe, Co. Simple metal oxides from Mn or Ce also can be used. Metal oxide catalyzers are characterized by their high heat resistance, but in contrast to noble metal catalyzers require higher inlet temperatures, which in the present case do exist, however.
Catalyzers with a monolithic carrier and parallel flow channels were found to be advantageous. Such catalyzers are characterized by their relatively low flow resistance. Catalyzers of this type are used, for example, in waste gas cleaning systems of vehicles, in so-called xe2x80x9c3-wax catalyzers.xe2x80x9d
In an especially advantageous embodiment, the burner may be connected in a heat-transferring manner with a heat exchanger that heats the oxygen-containing gas prior to its entrance into the oxygen separation device. The heat exchanger, for example, forms the outer sleeve of the burner, achieving an especially high efficiency for the heat exchanger.
Preferred is a first embodiment in which the oxygen separation device has a first chamber and a second chamber, and in which the oxygen separation means are provided with a membrane, for example an MCM membrane, that separates the two chambers from each other and transports oxygen from one chamber into the other chamber. Particularly advantageous hereby is an embodiment in which the flow passes through both chambers in the same direction and parallel to the membrane. This flow in the same direction makes it possible to create a relatively low temperature profile in the membrane, both parallel to the flow and vertical to it. As a result, thermal loads are reduced.
A gas turbine system comprises the device for producing a hot combustion waste gas and a first gas turbine for generating electricity, the first gas turbine in operative communication with the device to receive the hot combustion waste gas. A second gas turbine can also be in operative communication with the device. The second gas turbine can be connected to a compressor to compress the oxygen-containing gas prior to entry into the device and can be connected to a generator for electrical generation.

Method and device for generating hot combustion waste gases

Abstract: In order to improve the efficiency of such a method, the burner (2) contains a catalyzer that initiates and/or stabilizes the combustion.


A semiconductor device has a plurality of capacitors. The semiconductor device includes a first capacitor arranged on a substrate and including first upper and lower electrode layers between which a first capacitor insulation film is interposed, and a second capacitor arranged on the substrate and including second upper and lower electrode layers between which a second capacitor insulation film is interposed, the second upper and lower electrode layers having a same structure as that of the first upper and lower electrode layers, and the second capacitor having a per-unit-area capacity different from that of the first capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that includes a plurality of capacitors having different capacities. More specifically, the invention relates to a semiconductor device that includes an improved RF (radio frequency) capacitor having an MIM (metal-insulator-metal) structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
RF MIM capacitors are elements essential for embedding an analog circuit and a digital CMOS circuit on a single chip. Recently, it has been proposed to use a high dielectric film, such as a Ta2O5 film, as a capacitor insulation film in order to reduce the area of the occupation of MIM capacitors (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-177057).
The high dielectric MIM capacitor using a Ta2O5 film or the like has the same capacity as that of a conventional one though its area is small, whereas it has a drawback of increasing a leakage current. This drawback is caused for the following reason. Because of oxidation of the surface of a lower electrode and reaction with the material thereof at the time of formation of a Ta2O5 film, oxygen deficiencies due to a plasma atmosphere at the time of formation of an upper electrode, and the like, a leakage current flowing through the Ta2O5 film becomes difficult to control.
Some capacitors used for a semiconductor device require a large capacity, and others do a small leakage current rather than a large capacity. It is thus likely that when Ta2O5 is used in a capacitor insulation film, it will not meet the requirement that the leakage current should be small. The above-described problem will be solved if a capacitor using high dielectric materials and a capacitor having a small leakage current are manufactured separately from each other; however, manufacturing costs for the device will increase remarkably.
The use of a capacitor insulation film having a high dielectric constant has conventionally been considered in order to reduce the area of capacitors. Since, however, such a capacitor insulation film increases a leakage current, it is inapplicable to a capacitor that requires a small leakage current. Moreover, the separate manufacturing of a capacitor using high dielectric materials and a capacitor having a small leakage current causes an upswing in manufacturing costs.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same


Provided is an electrical junction box that enables appropriate protection of a bus bar and also enables downsizing. The electrical junction box includes a terminal reception block (11) that accommodates a connection terminal, and a casing (12) that accommodates the terminal reception block (11). The terminal reception block (11) is configured such that a bus bar (19) is inserted into the terminal reception block (11) and an end portion of the bus bar (19) at the side opposite to the direction of insertion protrudes from the terminal reception block (11). The casing (12) includes a protector (20) that is configured to cover the end portion of the bus bar (19) protruding from the terminal reception block (11). Making the terminal reception block (11) accommodated in the casing (12) causes the end portion of the bus bar (19) to be covered with the protector (20).

An electrical junction box is known that houses a number of electrical components such as a fuse and a relay in a vehicle such as an automobile. The electrical components are connected to electronic devices that are arranged in respective parts of the vehicle. Such an electrical junction box is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. The electrical junction boxes disclosed in the Patent Document 1 and the Patent Document 2 include a component mounting block (a relay block, a cassette block) to which electrical components are mounted, and a casing that houses the component mounting block.
In the electrical junction box, power supply to the electrical component may sometimes be made through a bus bar. An electrical junction box including the bus bar is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4. The Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which a bus bar is inserted into an insulating block from the upper side of the insulating block and screwed. The Patent Document 4 points out that the configuration disclosed in the Patent Document 3 requires that a slit for receiving the bus bar be formed in a cavity, which presents problems of a deterioration in the strength, a deterioration in the accuracy, and the like. To solve the problems, the Patent Document 4 discloses a configuration in which the bus bar is inserted from the lower side of the insulating block. The Patent Document 4 states that this eliminates the need to form a slit for the insertion of the bus bar in a cavity in an upper portion of the insulating block.


A system for automatically tracking objects through a video sequence uses a method which automatically tracks an object by estimating the location of the object in a subsequent frame, comparing test windows in the subsequent frame with an object window encompassing the object in the original frame, and selecting the best match window which is most similar to the object window. The location of the best match window corresponds to the location of the object in each frame of the video sequence. The resulting location information can be combined with the video sequence to create interactive video applications in which an user of the application can select individual objects in the interactive video sequence.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the tracking of objects in the frames of a video sequence for interactive multimedia applications, interactive television, and games, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computers have improved in processing power, display capability, and storage capacity, computer applications incorporating video sequences have become commonplace. One important feature for the success of these "video applications" is for a user to interact with objects in the video sequence.
For example, an educational program about marine life can incorporate a video sequence of marine life to more vividly display the various creatures of the ocean. Ideally, the program is interactive so that, when a child using a pointer on the screen selects a particular creature, the computer either states the scientific name and a short description of the creature or displays information about the creature on the screen. The computer must correlate the location of the pointer on the screen with the location of the creatures in the image to determine which creature was selected. If the video sequence is generated by the computer, then the computer should know the location of each creature. However, for realism an actual video sequence of real ocean creatures should be digitized and displayed by the computer. In this case, the computer is only given a series of images and will not know the location of each creature within the image. Consequently, a separate data structure must be created containing the location of each creature in each frame of the video sequence in order for the computer to correlate the location of the pointer to the location of the creatures to determine which creature was selected. In other programs, the location of other objects must be tracked much as the location of the ocean creatures are tracked. Typically, the interactive video application will combine the original video sequence and the location information into an interactive video sequence on a computer readable medium, such as CD-ROMS, magnetic disks, or magnetic tapes.
The advances in computing have been transplanted into the video industry in the form of microprocessor controlled "set-top boxes" for applications such as interactive television with video on demand systems. In an interactive television system, it is desirable to allow the user to select objects on the television screen and receive information regarding that object. For example, a customer may request a video about Pro Football's greatest games which will contain various video sequences of significant games. A customer will derive greater enjoyment from the video if he is able to select players using a pointer on the screen to receive additional information on the screen about the selected player. For example, the customer may be interested in the player's game statistics or career statistics. In order to determine which player has been selected, the microprocessor must be able to correlate the location of the pointer to the location of the players. Therefore, each player image must be tracked as a separate object throughout the video sequence. Furthermore, the microprocessor must receive the object data as well as the desired information about the players at the same time the video is sent to the set-top box. The interactive video sequence combining the original video and the location information can be sent to the set-top box using various transmission lines, such as co-axial cable, phone lines, or fiber-optic cabling. Alternatively, the interactive video sequence can be broadcast to the set-top boxes over the airwaves.
Unless the processor knows the location of all objects in the video sequence, the processor will be unable to discern which object the user wishes to select. Consequently, in order to provide interactive television or interactive video applications, the location of each object in each frame of the original video sequence must be tracked for the processor.
Typically, object locations are generated by having an operator manually mark objects on a computer display for each frame of the video sequence. For the marine life video the operator would first identify a particular creature to be tracked. The operator would then use a mouse or other user interface hardware to draw a rectangle around the creature on every frame of the image. The computer then stores the information on that creature for that frame. Once the operator finishes marking the frame, he must proceed to the next frame. This continues for each frame of the video sequence and for each creature on the video sequence. Alternatively, the operator can mark and label every creature on each frame before proceeding to the next frame.
Full motion video currently uses thirty frames per second so for even one minute of video 1800 frames of video are generated. Therefore it is extremely inefficient and tedious to track the objects manually. Since the objects will probably not move far between frames, some conventional systems attempt to estimate the motion of tracked objects using interpolation. For example an operator may manually track an object once for every second of the video sequence. The system then estimates the location of the object in the frames between the manually tracked frames by linear interpolation using the position of the object in the manually tracked frames. This method can produce reliable results for objects which exhibit linear motion; however, for non linearly moving objects this method is very inaccurate.
Hence there is a need for a method or system to automatically and accurately track an object through a video sequence more rapidly, more accurately, and more efficiently than conventional methods.

Video object tracking method for interactive multimedia applications


A foam-molded synthetic resin material in which a RBC or CRBC fine powder and bubbles are homogeneously dispersed. There is provided an electrically conductive molded resin material of sufficient porosity by using a fine powder of RB ceramics (RBC) or CRB ceramics (CRBC), in which a surface thereof is not covered with a skin layer while an electrically conductive material is directly bared on the surface, and a method for preparing same and uses thereof.

It has conventionally done to foam-mold an electrically conductive powder such as metallic powder and carbon particles by mixing with a resin in the presence of carbon dioxide of high temperature and high pressure or supercritical state, nitrogen, etc. The surface of thus foam-molded material, however, is covered by a so-called skin structure as a resinous layer of non-cellular structure in which the electrically conductive powder is imbedded and not bared thereon, so that electrical conductivity on the surface is not enough to yield an electrically conductive molded product.
Further, it has been impossible to make the surface of molded resin porous to fill a lubricant such as oil therein.

RBC or CRBC fine powder dispersing foam-molded synthetic resin material, method for preparing same and uses thereof


An apparatus and methods are provided to cross-check the reliability of data. Referring to one of the methods, the cross-checking includes receiving a client request containing data in the form of geographic-related information associated with a location. The method also includes determining one or more knowledge providers to determine one or more confidence levels for the data of the client request based on a type of the geographic-related information at the specific location. The method further includes causing the transmission of at least some of the geographic-related information the client request to the one or more knowledge providers. The method still further includes determining one or more confidence levels of the geographic-related information based on a comparison of the geographic-related information and a known resource associated the specific location. A corresponding apparatus and additional method are also provided.

Crowd-sourced data has been integral to the advancement of technology in recent years. However, data collected is only as useful as it can be verified that it is accurate. Put more precisely, in order to create reliable information from crowd-sourced data, there must be some way to verify, at least to some degree, that the data is correct. While this verification can be done manually by users, there are as of yet few automated methods of cross-checking the reliability of data. Therefore, data aggregators who rely on crowd-sourced data must either use large amounts of resources to verify this data or trust the users providing the data, which increases the risk that the information is inaccurate. One current method of crowd-sourcing is volunteered geographic information (VGI), in which the reliability of the data is only verified by users. VGI usage can be problematic as the user may not be informed as to how to accurately determine the reliability of the data, or the accuracy determination by the user may be incorrect for a number of other reasons. Data aggregators that use VGI, or other types of user verified geographic information, are only as reliable as the data they receive from the users and due to the unknown reliability of individual users, the overall reliability of the aggregated data is also in question.

Methods and apparatus for cross-checking the reliability of data