1. A system comprising:
a charging component physically coupled to a roadway;
a power source electrically coupled to the charging component; and
a vehicle that electrically couples with the charging component for receiving power from the power source via the charging component when the vehicle is on the roadway at a location proximate to the charging component.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging component is coupled to a top surface of the roadway.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the charging component is embedded below a top surface of the roadway.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein a top surface of the charging component is flush with the top surface of the roadway.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the charging component comprises:
a cavity defined by at least one wall; and
a component contact that is positioned within the cavity and that is electrically coupled to the power source; and
the vehicle comprises a vehicle contact that electrically couples with the component contact for receiving power from the power source via the charging component when the vehicle is on the roadway at the location proximate to the charging component.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein:
the vehicle further comprises:
a vehicle electronic component positioned within a main body of the vehicle; and
a conductor electrically coupling the vehicle electronic component with the vehicle contact; and
the vehicle contact is positioned outside the main body of the vehicle and within the cavity of the charging component when the vehicle contact is electrically coupled with the component contact.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein a portion of the conductor passes through an opening of the charging component and into the cavity when the vehicle contact is electrically coupled with the component contact.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the charging component further comprises a mechanism that is movable to unblock at least a portion of the opening for allowing passage of the portion of the conductor through the opening.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the charging component continuously makes available the power from the power source at the charging component.
10. The system of claim 1, further comprising another charging component physically coupled to the roadway, wherein:
the power source is electrically coupled to the other charging component; and
the vehicle simultaneously electrically couples with both the charging component and the other charging component for receiving power from the power source via both the charging component and the other charging component when the vehicle is on the roadway at the location proximate to the charging component.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein:
the charging component provides a positive pole for the power, and
the other charging component provides a negative pole for the power.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is operative to use the power received from the power source via the charging component to propel the vehicle along the roadway.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle simultaneously communicates data with the charging component and receives power from the power source via the charging component.
14. A vehicle for use with a system component physically connected to a road at a first location, the vehicle comprising:
a main body comprising a bottom surface;
at least one wheel coupled to the main body for moving the vehicle along the road;
an electronic vehicle component at least partially positioned within the main body; and
a probe electrically coupled to the electronic vehicle component, wherein the probe electrically couples the electronic vehicle component to the system component when the vehicle moves along the road proximate the first location.
15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein a portion of the probe is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the main body when the probe electrically couples the electronic vehicle component to the system component.
16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein:
a first portion of the probe is positioned lower than a top surface of the road when the probe electrically couples the electronic vehicle component to the system component; and
a second portion of the probe is positioned lower than the bottom surface of the main body but higher than the top surface of the road when the probe electrically couples the electronic vehicle component to the system component.
17. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein a portion of the probe rotates from a first position operative to pass a contact of the probe through an opening in the system component to a second position operative to align the contact of the probe with a contact of the system component.
18. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the electronic vehicle component:
receives power from the system component when the probe electrically couples the electronic vehicle component to the system component; and
uses the received power to propel the at least one wheel for moving the vehicle along the road.
19. A method comprising:
receiving power from a power source at a charging component that is physically coupled to a roadway;
temporarily electrically coupling the charging component to a vehicle moving along the roadway when the vehicle is proximate to the charging component; and
during the electrically coupling, providing the received power from the charging component to the vehicle.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, during the electrically coupling, communicating data between the charging component and the vehicle.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for determining a suppression factor of a suppression system, the suppression system arranged to suppress migration of a contaminant gas out of a first system, the suppression factor being an indication of the performance of the suppression system, the method comprising:
introducing a tracer gas in the first system;
detecting an amount of the tracer gas that has migrated out of the first system;
determining a first suppression factor for the suppression system for the tracer gas; and
determining a second suppression factor for the suppression system for the contaminant gas based on the first suppression factor,
wherein the second suppression factor, Scont, is computed from the first suppression factor, Stracer, by:
Scont=Stracer(DtracerDcont)
where Dtracer is the diffusion coefficient of the tracer gas and Dcont is the diffusion coefficient of the contaminant gas.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the suppression system is a gas lock.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the suppression system is provided in a lithographic apparatus and the suppression system is provided to prevent migration of the contaminant gas to a second system of the lithographic apparatus.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first system is a source sub-system and the second system is an illumination sub-system.
5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first system is a substrate table sub-system and the second system is a projection sub-system.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion coefficient of the tracer gas is greater than the diffusion coefficient of the contaminant gas: Dtracer>Dcont.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tracer gas is better detectable by the detection system than the contaminant gas: Setracer>Secont.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the suppression system has a detectability for the tracer gas Setracer and the suppression system has a detectability for the contaminant gas Secont and
Dtracer\xb7Setracer>Dcont\xb7Secont.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tracer gas is a noble gas.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tracer gas is formed by isotopes of gases that are already present in the first system and includes hydrogen enriched with deuterium or tritium.
11. A system comprising a first system and a suppression system arranged to suppress migration of a contaminant gas out of the first system, the suppression system having a suppression factor being an indication of the performance of the suppression system, the system further comprising:
a tracer gas supply configured to introduce a tracer gas in the first system;
a detector system configured to detect an amount of the tracer gas that has migrated out of the first system; and
a control unit configured to determine a first suppression factor for the suppression system for the tracer gas and to determine a second suppression factor for the suppression system for the contaminant gas based on the first suppression factor,
wherein the second suppression factor, Scont, is computed from the first suppression factor, Stracer, by:
Scont=Stracer(DtracerDcont)
where Dtracer is the diffusion coefficient of the tracer gas and Dcont is the diffusion coefficient of the contaminant gas.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the suppression system is a gas lock.
13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the diffusion coefficient of the tracer gas is greater than the diffusion coefficient of the contaminant gas: Dtracer>Dcont.
14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the tracer gas has a higher detectability than the contaminant gas: Setracer>Secont.
15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the suppression system has a detectability for the tracer gas Setracer and the suppression system has a detectability for the contaminant gas Secont and
Dtracer\xb7Setracer>Dcont\xb7Secont.
16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the tracer gas is a noble gas.
17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the tracer gas is formed by isotopes of gases that are already present in the sub-system and includes hydrogen enriched with deuterium or tritium.
18. A lithographic apparatus comprising:
a first system and a suppression system arranged to suppress migration of a contaminant gas out of the first system, the suppression system having a suppression factor being an indication of the performance of the suppression system;
a tracer gas supply configured to introduce a tracer gas in the first system;
a detector system configured to detect an amount of the tracer gas that has migrated out of the first system; and
a control unit configured to determine a first suppression factor for the suppression system for the tracer gas and to determine a second suppression factor for the suppression system for the contaminant gas based on the first suppression factor, wherein the second suppression factor Scont, is computed from the first suppression factor, Stracer, by:
Scont=Stracer(DtracerDcont)
where Dtracer is the diffusion coefficient of the tracer gas and Dcont is the diffusion coefficient of the contaminant gas;
wherein the suppression system is provided to prevent migration of the contaminant gas to a second system of the lithographic apparatus.
19. The lithographic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first system is a source sub-system and the second system is an illumination sub-system.
20. The lithographic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first system is a substrate table sub-system and the second system is a projection sub-system.
21. The lithographic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first system and the second system are from a group comprising:
a source sub-system configured to generate a radiation beam,
an illumination sub-system configured to condition the radiation beam;
a support structure sub-system constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;
a projection sub-system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate, and
a substrate table sub-system constructed to hold the substrate.
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having machine executable instructions, the instructions being executable by a machine to perform a method for determining a suppression factor of a suppression system, the suppression system arranged to suppress migration of a contaminant gas out of a first system, the suppression factor being an indication of the performance of the suppression system, the method comprising:
introducing a tracer gas in the first system;
detecting an amount of the tracer gas that has migrated out of the first system;
determining a first suppression factor for the suppression system for the tracer gas; and
determining a second suppression factor for the suppression system for the contaminant gas based on the first suppression factor,
wherein the second suppression factor, Scont, is computed from the first suppression factor, Stracer, by:
Scont=Stracer(DtracerDcont)
where Dtracer is the diffusion coefficient of the tracer gas and Dcont is the diffusion coefficient of the contaminant gas.