Air required for measurement of exhaust gas components is supplied to an exhaust sensor without using a device for generating positive pressure. In a structure for arrangement, in an engine (1), of an exhaust sensor (10) that measures exhaust gas components and requires air for the measurement of the exhaust gas components, an exhaust pipe (5) of the engine (1) communicates with the exhaust sensor (10) through an introduction pipe (15), the exhaust sensor (10) communicates with an intake pipe (2) of the engine (1) through a discharge pipe (16), and an atmosphere pipe (17) open to the atmosphere is connected to the exhaust sensor (10), so that exhaust gas is sucked into the exhaust sensor (10) through the introduction pipe (15) while air is sucked into the exhaust sensor (10) through the atmosphere pipe (17) due to intake negative pressure generated during an intake stroke of the engine (1).

Some exhaust sensors exposed to exhaust gas require air for avoiding contamination with exhaust gas components, or for using the air as a reference in concentration measurement of the exhaust gas components. Such air is supplied in different ways depending on characteristics of the exhaust sensors.
When the exhaust sensor is used as an on-vehicle PM sensor, the PM sensor requires air for measurement of exhaust gas components, and is typically designed on the assumption that the air is supplied to the PM sensor by positive pressure generated by an air compressor or turbo compressor.
One prior art document is WO2009/109688.


One or more embodiments include systems and methods for regulating control of a vehicle infotainment system. In one embodiment, a vehicle computing system includes a user interface which has one or more output components and one or more input components. Software executing in memory of the vehicle computing system may be programmed with rules to reduce driver distraction such as preventing inputs or outputs during vehicle operation. Inputs may be intercepted from the one or more input components of the user interface. Additionally or alternatively, outputs may be intercepted to the output components of the user interface. The intercepted inputs or intercepted outputs may be evaluated for one or more violations based on the rules. If the one or more violations are detected, the inputs or outputs may be prevented during vehicle operation.

Various examples of tools for controlling vehicle infotainment use exist in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,221 to Harter et al. ('221 Patent) is one example of such a tool. The '221 Patent discloses a user discrimination control system which controls functionality made available by a vehicle infotainment device by reducing functionality provided to the driver while allowing enhanced functionality to another passenger in the vehicle. A human machine interface located in a vehicle allows an occupant to interface with the infotainment device. A passenger detection sensor senses a condition indicative of a passenger other than the driver interfacing with the human machine interface. A video imaging system detects a driver distraction condition. A controller controls functions made available by the infotainment device by allowing one of first and second levels of functionality based on the sensed conditions.
As another example, U.S. Publication No. 2006/0142917 discloses a system which is operative to disable at least one infotainment device under certain conditions relative to the current driving environment of the user. The system uses a weighted matrix to assign risk to certain sensed conditions while driving. A changed condition is assigned a weight and the weighted risks are summed to calculate risk level information. The risk level information is thereafter compared to priority level information associated with at least one infotainment device. When the risk level information exceeds or is equal to the priority level information of the at least one infotainment device the system temporarily disables the infotainment device until the driving environment changes to a condition where it is safe to operate the infotainment device.

Systems and methods for regulating control of a vehicle infotainment system


A new rose plant designated ‘ZARsunfrapk’ particularly distinguished by being a landscape (miniature) shrub rose having fragrant pink flowers, a compact growth habit requiring little pruning, easy to root and propagate, shows resistance to powdery mildew, rust, and black spot, grows vigorously on its own roots, shown to be heat tolerant and cold hardy in trials, and hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 10 is disclosed.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of rose, botanically known as Rosa×hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name 'ZARsunfrapk'. 'ZARsunfrapk' originated from a cross conducted in June 2009 in Somis, Calif. between the female rose variety 'MORsegold', also commercially known as 'Sequoia Gold' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,617), and the male rose variety KNOCK OUT 'RADrazz' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,836).
The seeds from the cross were sown and plants were grown for evaluation. An individual plant designated 'ZARsunfrapk' was selected in July 2010 in Somis, Calif. 'ZARsunfrapk' was first vegetatively propagated in July 2011 in Tipp City, Ohio by softwood cuttings rooted under mist. 'ZARsunfrapk' was found to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation via softwood cuttings, hardwood cuttings, and by budding onto rootstock.

Miniature rose plant named ‘ZARsunfrapk’


A filtering capacitor feedthrough assembly for an implantable active medical device is disclosed. The filtering capacitor feedthrough assembly includes a capacitor having an aperture, the capacitor is electrically grounded to an electrically conductive feedthrough ferrule or housing of the implantable active medical device. A terminal pin extends into the aperture and an electrically conductive continuous coil is disposed within the aperture and between the terminal pin and the capacitor. The electrically conductive continuous coil mechanically secures and electrically couples the terminal pin to the capacitor.

Implantable active medical devices, such as cardiac disease rhythm management devices (pacemakers and defibrillators) and a variety of implantable muscle/nerve stimulators generally include a battery and battery-powered electronic pulse generator and may include a variety of sending, processing, and telemetry circuits all contained within a hermetically sealed housing or case and attached to a lead connector housing or block. The lead connector block is often affixed to the hermetically sealed housing with brackets, metal solder, and/or a medical grade adhesive.
Electronics within the hermetically sealed housing are conductively coupled to the lead connector block with an electrical feedthrough assembly. Electrical feedthroughs serve the purpose of providing a conductive path extending between the interior of a hermetically sealed container and a point outside the hermetically sealed housing. The conductive path through the feedthrough usually includes a conductor pin or terminal that is electrically insulated from the hermetically sealed housing. Feedthrough assemblies are known in the art to provide the conductive path and seal the electrical container from its ambient environment. Such feedthroughs include a ferrule, and an insulative material such as a hermetic glass or ceramic seal that positions and insulates the pin within the ferrule. Sometimes it is desired that the electrical device include a capacitor/filter within the ferrule and around the terminal, thus shunting any electromagnetic interference (EMI) and other high frequencies radiation at the entrance to the electrical device to which the feedthrough device is attached thereby preventing or substantially reducing EMI from entering the device. The capacitor electrically contacts the pin lead and the ferrule.
The pin lead/capacitor and capacitor/ferrule connection has been made using solder, weld, braze, and conductive adhesives. While this arrangement has proven to be highly reliable, it involves a variety of expensive manufacturing processes and parts that necessarily increase the cost of the resulting product.

Filtering capacitor feedthrough assembly


A computer implemented method for determining recipient disposition characteristics of an electronic message that was acted upon by an electronic message reader is described. The method includes receiving by a computer system message requests in response to the electronic message reader acting on the electronic message and executing by the computer system one or more rules that compare a value of one or more fields included in the one or more message requests to one or more field values included in the one or more rules.

An e-mail tracker monitors the delivery of an e-mail to the intended recipient. E-mail trackers use a digitally time-stamped record to monitor the time and date that an e-mail was received or opened, as well the internet protocol ("IP") address of the recipient. Through an e-mail tracker, a sender ascertains whether the intended recipient received the e-mail, or if the intended recipient clicked links included in the e-mail. E-mail trackers also provide the sender of the e-mail with a delivery service notification ("DSN"): a request to the recipient's e-mail server to send the sender of the e-mail a notification about the delivery of an e-mail. The DSN is an e-mail and includes information indicating whether delivery succeeded, failed, was delayed, or whether the recipient's email server was unable to provide a receipt of delivery.
One technique for tracking the delivery characteristics of an electronic message involves the use of seed lists (e.g., a list of decoy email addresses included in a marketing organization's marketing list) to track how an internet service provider ("ISP") handles the electronic message.
For example, a marketing organization sends a large number of potential recipients marketing electronic messages as part of a marketing campaign. These recipients can have various ISP's. Included in the e-mail addresses are seed e-mail addresses, e.g., e-mail addresses of dummy accounts at some or all of the various ISPs. By sending the marketing electronic messages to the seed email addresses, the marketing company tracks whether the targets' ISPs block or deliver the marketing electronic messages.

Electronic message recipient disposition characteristics

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A tamper evident delivery enclosure assembly that includes a thin base portion having a seating aperture configured to supportably seat a beverage container. A pair of foldable wing extensions coupled to generally opposed sections of the base portion that foldably extend upwardly in a manner such that the foldable wing extensions substantially extend over the container mouth portion and mounted lid to form an interior pocket, in an engaged condition that substantially prevents access to the lid. A single use closure tape, laterally mounted to the wing extensions, has an upper lateral portion extending beyond the wing member, in an unsealed condition. A removable protective strip removably covers the tape adhesive of the tape lateral portion. When the protective strip is removed, and the wing extensions are in the engaged condition, the tape upper lateral portion can be folded over such that the adhesive is brought into contact with an exterior surface of the enclosure assembly, substantially locking the wing extensions in a sealed condition.

Conventional prior art disposable cups 22 and lids 23, as shown in FIG. 1, have been in use in the food industry since at least the commencement of take-out fast food services. These tapered cups typically have upper open mouth portions defined by a circumferential lip portion that easily accommodates a press-on lid that prevents spillage, but also provides simple access to the cups contents.
More recently, these food/beverage container and lids, as well as tapered food containers for soups for example, are commonly used in food and beverage delivery. While the use of these tapered containers and lids continues to proliferate in the food and beverage service industry, especially with the recent growth of third party food and beverage delivery services, the potential for food and beverage tampering also increases. Both the food and beverage preparer/provider and the consumer would like assurance the food and beverage prepared have not in any manner been touched or tampered prior to the delivery.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a single use, tamper evident enclosure to cover and conceal the upper mouth portions of disposable beverage cups and food containers in a manner that enables the end consumer assurance that the beverage cup and/or food container has not been opened, and that the prepared food or beverage therein has not been tampered with.

Tamper evident enclosure for a food/beverage container and method


A roadway or pavement sweeper with multiple sweeping modes for the removal of debris from a swept surface may, in some embodiments, include a sweeper vehicle having a pair of side-brooms independently movable between a retracted and extended position for sweeping debris into an area therebetween and at least one material-transfer broom to sweep a portion of the debris accumulated between the side-brooms as the vehicle moves in its direction of travel. A fan-driven suction-inlet may be provided at or adjacent each side of the vehicle. The at least one material-transfer broom may rotate in a first or other direction to transfer debris for entrainment into a selected suction-inlet for transfer to a debris hopper. Other embodiments are also described.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Various types of vehicles have been developed to sweep or vacuum debris from pavements, roadways, and streets. In general, these vehicles can be classified as mechanical broom sweepers, regenerative air sweepers, vacuum sweepers, and, in some cases, combinational variants thereof.
Mechanical broom sweepers use a motor-driven broom or brooms to mechanically sweep paper, plastic, litter, trash, vegetation (leaves, twigs, grass clippings, etc.), asphalt debris, concrete debris, and larger sand or gravel particles toward and onto a conveyor for transport into a debris collection hopper.
Regenerative air sweepers use a motor-driven fan to create a high-velocity recirculating air flow to entrain dust, particulates, and other debris from the pavement or street surface. The recirculating air flow may be passed through a debris container or hopper that includes various types of partitions, screens, and/or baffles that are designed to slow the airflow and cause the entrained debris to collect in the debris hopper.
Vacuum sweeper vehicles use a motor-driven fan to develop a sub-atmospheric pressure within the vehicle air flow pathway(s) so that ambient air at atmospheric pressure enters a suction-inlet or suction-inlets to create a suction effect to entrain debris into the air flow. The debris-entrained air flow may be delivered to the debris-collecting hopper where the debris may be separated from the air flow with the air flow being exhausted from the sweeper vehicle. Brooms are often used to move debris in the direction of the suction-inlet to improve sweeping efficiency. For example, a cylindrical tube broom may be aligned in a side-to-side alignment (or at a selected angle) in relationship to the direction of travel to move debris toward the suction-inlet.
Optionally, a side-broom (also known as a gutter broom) carried on a pivotally mounted arm may be mounted on one or both lateral sides of the sweeper vehicle to brush debris into the path of an intake hood (also known as a pick-up head).
While tube brooms may be effective where the road surface is flat, many streets and road surfaces have an irregular profile. For example, many road surfaces are intentionally crowned in the center of the roadway and may also have unintentional spaced-apart depressions caused by the front and rear tires of heavy vehicles. In these situations, a tube broom may efficiently sweep the raised surfaces but in some instances may be less effective or ineffective for sweeping the depressed areas. It is common for the tube broom to wear unevenly and often become tapered at one or both opposite ends (a condition known as "coning").
It would be a significant advancement in the art to provide an improved sweeper vehicle that may be more effective in sweeping road surfaces having a variety of different profiles.

Roadway sweeper with multiple sweeping modes


Disclosed are blends of about 99 to about 10 weight % of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and about 1 to about 90 weight % of a polyester of trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid and at least one aliphatic glycol having 2 to 16 carbon atoms. The blends have improved gas barrier properties and improved chemical resistance.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,822 discloses shaped articles prepared from copolyesters of terephthalic acid, trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid, and ethylene glycol having improved gas barrier properties and U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,510 discloses copolyesters of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid, trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid, 1,2-propanediol, and 1,3-propanediol having improved gas barrier properties. Blends of these polymers with other polymers are not disclosed in either patent.
Japanese Kokai 72348/74 discloses specific blends of 40 to 45 weight % of the homopolyester of trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid and 1,6-hexanediol with the polyester prepared from dimethyl terephthalate and 1,4-butanediol (PBT). These blends have enhanced heat resistance compared to unmodified PBT. No poly(ethylene terephthalate) blends are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,194 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,195 broadly or generally disclose polyesters of various stilbenedicarboxylic acid isomers with oxyalkylene glycols having 2 to 6 oxyalkylene linkages, as well as certain other glycols, aminoalcohols, and diamines. Various glycols are disclosed containing 2 to 16 carbon atoms but blends of these polymers with other polyesters or other polymers are not disclosed (see column 8, line 36 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,195). U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,839 relates to low molecular weight homopolymers of 4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid and aliphatic glycols useful in radiation-cured crosslinked polyester coatings. Our own U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,607, U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,402, U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,510, U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,822, all disclose polyesters based on trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid using various glycols. No examples or teachings of blends are given.
Other patents which disclose trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid polyesters are U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,194, U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,774, U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,043, U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,040, U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,041, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,777. Polyesters of trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid and neopentyl glycol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, and 1,10-decanediol are disclosed by Meurisse, et al., in the British Polymer Journal, Volume 13, 1981, page 57 (Table 1). Jackson and Morris disclose homopolyesters from trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid and various aliphatic glycols in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Applied polymer Symposia, 41, 307-326 (1985).
Heretofore, blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and copolyesters from trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid and aliphatic glycols have been unknown.

Blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and trans-4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid polyesters


An electrodeposition coating composition comprising a fluorine-containing copolymer, a curing agent and an aqueous medium, said composition having a fluorine ion content of not more than 15 ppm.. According to the composition of the present invention, since a bad influence to electrodeposition due to fluorine ion can be remarkably inhibited, the excellent electrodeposited film can be obtained therefrom.

The present invention relates to an electrodeposition coating composition containing a fluorine-containing polymer.
It has been known that electrodeposition coating compositions containing a fluorine-containing polymer can give films which are more excellent in chemical resistance, weatherability, and the like compared to known electrodeposition coating compositions containing an acrylic resin, as disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59676/1987 and No. 127362/1987, and the like.
However, when conducting electrodeposition using the composition containing the fluorine-containing polymer, there occur problems that a metal as an anode is eluted, the stability of the electrodeposition coating composition is lowered, and the like.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrodeposition coating composition containing a fluorine-containing copolymer which can solve the above-mentioned defects and can give electrodeposited films having excellent properties.
This and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.


A voltage-controlled variable oscillator, in particular for phase-lock loops, comprising a differential stage formed by a pair of transistors and collectors whereof define the output terminals between which an external resonating circuit is connected, a voltage generator which is connected between the two output terminals and is suitable for generating a voltage which is proportional to the terminal voltage which exists across the resonating circuit, and a pair of capacitors connected between a respective output terminal and the voltage source.

The present invention relates to a voltage-controlled variable oscillator, in particular for phase-lock loops.
As is known, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is an oscillator the frequency whereof varies according to the variation of an externally applied voltage. Said variable oscillators are extensively used in phase-lock loops (PLL), for example for conversion to video medium frequency. In particular, integratable variable oscillators, with a central frequency of 38.9 MHz and a variation interval of .+-.500 KHz, are currently required for this application. The oscillator is furthermore required to provide a signal which must be as stable as possible in terms of frequency and peak-to-peak value as the temperature and the process parameters vary.
In order to obtain the variability of the operating frequency, all current circuits use a capacitor in resonance with a fixed inductance. A known solution (shown in FIG. 1) has voltage-controlled varactors connected in parallel to the resonating circuit. These varactors can be internal or external to the integrated circuit; however, the integration of these varactors has problems in high-speed processes since generally they cannot be integrated conveniently. On the other hand, the use of external components necessarily entails a more complicated application which in some cases is therefore undesirable.
Another known solution provides the use of current-controlled saturation capacitors obtained within an integrated circuit (see FIG. 2). According to this solution, by varying the current I, it is possible to directly bias the collector junctions of the transistors, thus modulating the equivalent capacity of the transistors themselves. However, this solution, despite being easily integratable, has numerous disadvantages related to the fact that the peak-to-peak output value depends on the operating frequency, the output frequency depends on the process parameters (e.g. on the inverse transit time) and the output characteristics depend on the temperature (through the saturation characteristics of the transistors).

Voltage-controlled variable oscillator, in particular for phase-lock loops


A modular I-beam comprises first and second sets of nested channels disposed in back-to-back relation to one another and fastened together. The modular I-beam may further include a central beam disposed between the first and second sets of nested channels.

The present invention related generally to steel beams and, more particularly, to a modular steel beam that can be assembled in place.
Trends in residential building call for large, open spaces and high ceilings, creating a demand for structural members that provide higher strength and greater stability over longer spans than conventional lumber. Engineered lumber, such as wood I-beams, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and glulam beams, are often used in place of conventional lumber in residential designs where high loads and/or long spans are present. Engineered lumber, however, is more expensive than conventional lumber and, therefore, increases the cost of construction. Also, engineered lumber is frequently custom-designed for a particular application, creating a logistical problem for the builder, who must coordinate the design, manufacture, and transportation of the engineered lumber to the work site.
Structural steel, such as steel trusses and I-beams, provide another alternative to conventional lumber in residential designs where high loads and/or long spans are present. Steel members are relatively inexpensive and come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes which are readily available. However, large steel members can be difficult to handle due to their size and weight. Oftentimes, special equipment such as cranes or other lifting equipment is needed to put steel members in place.
Accordingly, there is still a need for structural members for residential construction that provide greater strength and stability over long spans than conventional lumber, yet are relatively inexpensive, readily available, and easily handled on the work site.
The present invention is a modular steel I-beam that can be assembled in place at a construction site. In one embodiment, the modular I-beam comprises a plurality of nested steel channels fastened to a central beam made of wood to form an I-beam. The builder chooses the size and number of steel channels to fasten to the central beam depending upon the requirements of a particular application. The steel channels may be combined in a variety of ways, allowing the builder to effectively build a custom designed I-beam for a given application.
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the nested channels are provided in paired sets. Each paired set comprises an outer channel and an inner channel. The outer and inner channels each comprise two flanges connected by a central web. The outer ends of the flanges are angled inwardly toward a midline of the channel. In the preferred embodiment, the flanges of the inner channel angle outwardly such that the flanges of the inner channel bear against the flanges of the outer channel. This arrangement makes the inner channel self-aligning with respect to the outer channel and facilitates assembly at the construction site. The inner channel effectively snaps into the outer channel and the angle on the outer end of the flanges for the outer channel helps retain the inner channel in a nested position.
An I-beam may be constructed by arranging two paired channels on each side of a central beam. Additional paired channels can then be nested inside the first set of paired channels. The nesting of paired channels may continue until a beam with the desired strength characteristics is formed.


A display device including: a display panel including a gate line and a data line; and a shift register including a stage for driving the gate line. The stage may include a first driving unit in a display area of the display panel and a second driving unit in a non-display area of the display panel.

Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a display device having a narrow bezel.
Discussion of the Background
Display devices have large bezels which increase as the size of the display device increases. An increase in bezel size translates to an increase in volume of the display device. The increased volume of the display device decreases a sense of an immersion into the display device.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


The present disclosure relates to technologies for a sensor network, machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, or machine type communications (MTC), and Internet of things (IoT), and may be utilized in intelligent services, based on the above technologies, such as a smart home, a smart building, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart electronics, advanced medical services, public safety network communications through fusion and convergence with conventional IT technologies and various industries. Data transmission control between a group of uncoordinated electronic devices in a computer network including the use of transmission authorization request messages and transmission authorization grant messages.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a communication method in a terminal, a terminal performing the communication method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein program instructions for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet is evolving from a human-oriented network that human generates and consumes information to an Internet of things (IoT) network in which distributed entities such as things exchange and process information. Furthermore, on the rise is a new technical concept of Internet of Everything (IoE) that the IoT technology is combined with a technology of processing big data in a cloud server or the like. The implementation of the IoT requires sensing technologies, wireless or wired communications and network infrastructure, service interface technologies, and security technologies. In this regard, a sensor network, machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, or machine type communications (MTC) for networking things is being researched recently.
The IoT environment will bring an intelligent Internet Technology (IT) services in which data generated by connected things is collected and analyzed to create a new value to human life. The IoT may be applied to a variety of areas such as a smart home or home automation, a smart building or building automation, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart electronics, advanced medical services, public safety network communications through fusion and convergence with conventional IT technologies and various industries.

Communication method in terminal and terminal suitable for the same


It is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit board trimming apparatus and method used, in which apparatus and method a wiring pattern on a printed circuit board is trimmed, and to provide a circuit board trimming apparatus and method, in which apparatus and method a wiring pattern is trimmed efficiently while damage to the circuit board is minimized.. A force exerted by a cutter against the circuit board is measured when the wiring pattern is cut by pressing an ultrasonic cutter against the wiring pattern on the circuit board and by moving the circuit board and the cutter relative to each other, a shape of the wiring pattern being determined on the basis of the force thus measured and a cutting process being controlled in accordance with the shape of the wiring pattern.

Electronic equipment, an example of which is a computer, generally uses a printed circuit board for the purpose of wiring various elements. In a printed circuit board, a wiring pattern is formed on an insulating substrate formed generally of a polyimide such that a conducting layer is formed by sputtering or plating and the layer is etched thereafter. It is required that information processing apparatuses today provide a high density of mounted elements in order to satisfy a need for smaller and faster operating apparatuses. As a result, wiring patterns formed on printed circuit boards today have a very fine and concentrated pattern. In an apparatus required to perform especially fast operations, such as a supercomputer, a multi-layer circuit board is employed for the purpose of minimizing length of wires in a wiring pattern.
Forming a fine wiring pattern on a circuit board is liable to produce errors during exposure process or during etching process, thus necessitating an introduction of technique for trimming a wiring pattern on a circuit board. In order to improve yield of the production process, circuit board trimming technique is essential with circuit boards produced through a large number of processes, such as multi-layer circuit boards having a high density of mounted elements and used in supercomputers and the like.
FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2(A), 2(B) show an example of multi-layer circuit board. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the circuit board and FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) are cross-sections.
Referring to FIG. 1, the multi-layer circuit board comprises: a polyimide layer 10 formed on a ceramic substrate (not shown in the figure) by spin coating means; and a first wiring pattern 11a formed on the polyimide layer 10. As shown in the cross-section of FIG. 2(A), the wiring pattern 11a is embedded in a first polyimide interlayer dielectric 11b. The layer 10, the wiring pattern 11a and the interlayer dielectric 11b constitute a first-layer structure 11 of the circuit board.
A second wiring pattern 12a is formed on the upper main surface of the interlayer dielectric 11b; a second interlayer dielectric 12b is formed so that the second wiring pattern 12a is embedded therein. Thus, the second-layer structure 12 of the circuit board is formed. As shown in FIG. 2(A), a viahole 13.sub.1 is provided in the interlayer dielectric 11b so as to connect the first wiring pattern 11a and the second wiring pattern 12a. A viahole 13.sub.2 is provided in the second interlayer dielectric 12b so that the second wiring pattern and a third wiring pattern formed on the interlayer dielectric 12b are electrically connected via the viahole 13.sub.12.
Since the interlayer dielectrics 11b and 12b are very thin (20-50 .mu.m), a defect, such as a pinhole as indicated by a numeral 15 in FIG. 2(B), could cause the otherwise coated wiring pattern to be exposed. When a conducting layer is formed on the interlayer dielectric 12b so as to form the wiring pattern 14 thereon, the pinhole 15 becomes embedded in the conducting layer, possibly causing the wiring pattern 14 formed on the upper main surface of the interlayer dielectric 12b and the second wiring pattern 12 to be short-circuited. The likelihood of a short circuit becomes particularly great in a circuit board used in high-speed electronic devices, since spacings provided in a wiring pattern therein are small. In such a device, a minor error in an exposure process or etching process might even lead to a short-circuited wiring pattern in a layer.
In order to improve yield in producing circuit boards and in order to lower the cost of electronic apparatuses, a technique is required for trimming a circuit board where a short circuit as described above is created. FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), FIGS. 4(A), 4(B) and FIGS. 5(A), 5(B) show examples of trimming a wiring pattern on a circuit board. FIGS. 3(A) and (B) show an example of how an interlayer short circuit is trimmed; FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) show an example of how an intra-layer short circuit is trimmed; and FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B) show an example of trimming a wiring pattern provided to penetrate a multi-layer circuit board in such a manner that the pattern is clear of a power source pattern. In the case of the example shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), the wiring pattern 12a short-circuited due to the pinhole 15 shown in FIG. 3(A) is trimmed by detaching the part in contact with the pinhole 15 from the other parts, as shown in FIG. 3(B). In the case shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), a short-circuited part 16a shown in FIG. 4(A) is trimmed by being cut out as shown in FIG. 4(B). In the case shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B), a short-circuited part 12x between a pattern 12a', provided to penetrate the layers constituting a multi-layer circuit board as shown in FIG. 5(A), and a power source pattern 12a, provided to surround the pattern 12a' via the insulating region 12b, is cut and thus removed as shown in FIG. 5(B).
Conventionally, such trimming of a wiring pattern on the circuit board has been carried out manually by an expert. However, a board having highly-concentrated patterns such as the circuit boards used in today's high-speed information processing apparatuses has such a narrow patterning width (20-50 .mu.m) that manual trimming has become almost impossible to perform. Although a method has been proposed for cutting out a defective part by using a high-power laser, such a method is liable to cause a damage to a polyimide insulating coat and is impractical because it requires delicate adjustment of irradiation power.
The Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 3-57293 proposes a method of cutting out a defective wiring pattern using an ultrasonic cutter in order to resolve the problem of trimming the circuit board pattern. FIG. 6 shows an example of how a defective pattern is trimmed according to the above-mentioned known art. In the figure, those parts that correspond to those in the figures already explained are given the same reference numerals from figure to figure.
Referring to FIG. 6, the above-mentioned known art uses a cutter 18 having a cutting edge 18c is used to cut out a defective pattern indicated by a numeral 12x. The cutting edge 18c is provided with ultrasonic oscillation by an excitation part 18a via an oscillation transmitting part (horn) 18b. The defective pattern 12x is cut and thus removed, by applying the cutting edge 18c to the pattern to be cut, and by moving the circuit board (11+12) in a direction V coinciding with the direction of the ultrasonic oscillation indicated by an arrow in the oscillation transmitting part 18b. Typically, an ultrasonic oscillation having a frequency in the order of several tens of a kHz is supplied to the cutter 18 so as to apply, to the cutting edge thereof, an ultrasonic oscillation having an amplitude of between several microns to several tens of micron.
FIG. 7(A) shows an example of trimming a wiring pattern on a circuit board where an apparatus according to the above-mentioned known art is employed. Referring to FIG. 7(A), the cutting edge 18c of the ultrasonic cutter 18 is lowered below the upper surface of the pattern 12a by a depth Z.sub.1 and the pattern 12a is scraped by the depth Z.sub.1 by moving the circuit board (11+12) in a direction indicated by an arrow V. This process is repeated until the pattern 12a is completely removed. According to the aforementioned known art, the pattern 12a can be removed by a width b corresponding to a width B of the cutting edge 18c, thus greatly improving yield in producing the circuit board.
According to the known method mentioned above, the position of the cutting edge 18c determines the depth of cutting. It is to be noted, however, that warp or irregularity of the dimension of more than 10 .mu.m may exist on the printed circuit board. Such a warp or irregularity causes the relative position of the cutting edge 18c with respect to the board to be altered. When there is a depression on the board, the cutting edge is positioned above the depression so that the pattern 12a can not be cut. On the other other hand, when the cutting edge meets a raised part, it cuts not only the pattern 12a but also the insulating coat 11b of the board. As shown in FIG. 9(A), a depression tends to be formed on the insulating layer 12b immediately above the viahole 13.sub.1. When a defective pattern 14x formed on such a depression is removed by means of an apparatus employing the above-mentioned known art, a problem results that a part of the pattern 14x remains unremoved, while the insulating layer 12b is scraped off to an undesired depth, as shown in FIG. 9(B). This is because the cutting edge 18c of the aforementioned known art can be moved only in the horizontal direction. A repetitive cutting operation for removing the residual of the pattern 14x causes the damage to the board to grow. Such a problem of circuit board damage becomes even more serious with multi-layer circuit board used in high-speed information processing apparatuses such as supercomputers.
It is also to be noted that, in the above-mentioned known art, it is assumed that the pattern is removed with the cutting depth Z.sub.1 by feeding the cutting edge 18c with the cutting depth Z.sub.1, as shown in FIG. 7(A). However, the cutting depth of an ultrasonic cutter varies due to change, through wear, of the state of the cutting edge, the manner in which the exchangeable cutting edge 18c is screwed to the oscillation transmitting part (horn) 18b, variation in the relative position of the cutting edge 18c with respect to the oscillation transmitting part 18b and temperature-induced variation in ultrasonic oscillation transmitted along the cutting edge. It happens, therefore, that, when the cutting depth is small, the pattern is not removed to the desired depth Z.sub.1 even when the cutter is fed to the depth Z.sub.1 in the direction toward the board as shown in FIG. 7(A), resulting in the pattern being removed only by the depth Z.sub.O. In such a case, even after stepwise cutting operations, which feed the cutter below the surface of the board, causes a part of the pattern remains to be cut, as shown in FIG. 7(C). A further stepwise cutting operation intended to reach the desired depth and to prevent any part of the pattern from remaining unremoved, causes the damage to the insulating layer on the board to grow. Although this damage can be reduced by presetting the unit cutting amount Z.sub.1 to be relatively small, such an arrangement causes the number of repetitive operations for removing the whole pattern to increase, thereby requiring a lot of time for a cutting process and reducing throughput of the repair process.
When removing conductor path bridges and normal wiring patterns having a known pattern thickness, the process can be achieved by presetting the unit cutting amount Z.sub.1 such that Z.sub.1 multiplied by the number of repetitive operations exceeds the pattern thickness. However, a defective part created by a short circuit has an unknown thickness and an unknown shape. Accordingly, the above-mentioned known art presets the number of repetitive operations to be five so that a pattern having a maximum thickness as shown in FIG. 8(A) can be cut. However, a more common type of defective part such as the one shown in FIG. 8(B) would require only two repetitive operations. That is, the five repetitive operations as shown in FIG. 8(A) is superfluous because three of the five operations do not make contact and are unnecessary. Generally speaking, it is impossible, by using the above-mentioned known art, to remove a defective pattern formed on a board having a complex surface shape or a defective pattern having a complex shape itself, while the damage to the board can be minimized.

Circuit board trimming apparatus and method


The use of fine fiber or fiber having a fiber diameter of about 0.0001 to 0.5 microns has become an important design tool for filter media. Common filter media have been prepared with a layer of fine fiber on typically formed the upstream or intake side of the media structure. The fine fiber increases the efficiency of filtration by trapping small particles which increases the overall particulate filtration efficiency of the structure. Improved fine fiber structures have been developed in which a controlled amount of fine fiber is placed on both sides of the media to result in an improvement in filter efficiency but a substantial improvement in lifetime.

This disclosure relates to unique filter constructions for filtering fluids including gaseous or liquid streams. In particular, a unique arrangement of filter components is disclosed that can provide substantially increased lifetime for a filter construction while maintaining or improving filter efficiency. Such filters typically comprise fine fiber, a porous substrate layer that can be used in combination with a variety of supports, housings, hardware and other components in a filter structure. A fluid stream passes through the filter to remove unwanted materials such as a particulate material. As the streams pass through the filter, particulates that can be in the form of liquids, solids and mixtures thereof are removed from the mobile fluid streams.
In the practice of filtration technology, a fluid stream is typically passed through a filter structure for the purpose of removing a particulate from the stream. Any filter element will be able to remove some proportion of the particulate from the stream during the lifetime of the filter. Filter efficiencies are typically defined as the proportion of the particulate, entrained in the mobile fluid phase, removed by the filter. Filter lifetime is typically considered to be related to the period of time that the pressure drop across the filter remains below a certain predetermined level to permit acceptable operating parameters for the filter and operating equipment. A filter must obtain a sufficient removal efficiency while maintaining a sufficiently low pressure drop to obtain useful performance. A high pressure drop is characteristic of poor operating efficiency for the equipment using the filter.
As is true in many technologies, substantial trade-offs arise in any embodiment of a successful technology. Very often as efficiency increases, pressure drop also increases and lifetime often is substantially reduced. For reasons that are not entirely well defined, the pressure drop across any filter can increase substantially during operations. Filtering streams containing substantial proportions of mist or fog, inorganic aerosol, organic aerosol formed from oils, fats, carbon or other sources, or mixed aqueous inorganic organic aerosol structures often results in reduced useful life. The tightly interlocked nature of efficient fine fiber layers can cause increased pressure drop across the fine fiber layer will substantially and rapidly increase when contacted with such a fluid particulate stream. While these filters are excellent in initial operation, the filter lifetime, not efficiency is often a problem. The filters are adequate for the task but must be replaced. In view of the rapidity that such structures can increase in pressure drop, i.e. have substantially reduced service lifetimes, improvements to such filters are needed.
As is typical in any technological application, the improvement of both filter efficiency and lifetime is a long sought goal for filter manufacturers. In view of this, substantial need exists in the art for filter technology and structures that can obtain increased filter lifetime while maintaining or improving filter efficiency.
We have found that a substantially improved filter media, filter structure, and filtration process can be obtained by using a filter media having a controlled amount of fine fiber in two or more layers in a media substrate or structure. By forming the fiber in reduced amounts in two or more layers filter efficiency can be maintained or increased while lifetime can be increased. In a preferred embodiment, a first layer of fine fiber is placed on an upstream surface of the substrate, then a second layer is formed as a second surface typically downstream. The efficiency of the upstream and the downstream layers can be intentionally selected to be different. The downstream layer can have an efficiency greater than the upstream layer. The layers are placed such that the filtered fluid passes through two layers. The media can be formed into a filter structure in a variety of filter structure geometries and formats. The double sided layer of fine fiber maintains or increases the efficiency of filtration but substantially increases the lifetime of the filter. We have surprisingly found that by placing an amount of fine fiber that results in an efficiency less than about 90% in a first layer on a side of a substrate combined with one or more second layers, in a filter structure, obtains a filter having greater than 90% overall efficiency and extended lifetime. We have found that by placing an amount of fine fiber in any one layer that ranges from about 50% to less than about 90% efficiency provides these unique advantages, preferably we have found that the amount of fine fiber placed on the substrate should range from about 65% to about 85% efficiency.
We believe one mechanism by which the fine fiber layer obtains a substantially increased pressure drop results from the xe2x80x9cfilming overxe2x80x9d phenomenon. As filtered particulate materials interact with the fine fiber and become trapped in the fine fiber mesh or web, the particulates, particularly if they are low volatility liquids, can form a liquid film completely filling an opening pore or space in the fine fiber mesh. As these areas in the mesh are filled with fluid, the pressure across the filter rapidly increases. The filming over property can also result from interaction between particulates and the fine fiber but simply results from the filling of the unoccupied space within the fiber web causing pressure increase. Having a layer on the downstream side that is greater in efficiency than the upstream side, by more than 3% preferably 5% or more, increases overall efficiency but does not reduce lifetime because the upstream layer and the substrate remove entrained particulate and reduce the tendency of the downstream fine fiber to plugging. One measure of defining lifetime can indicate that the filter structure has completed its lifetime when the pressure drop across the filter increases to about 3 inches of water or more at a test condition of 10 ft/min of flowing medium.
The invention relates to polymeric compositions in the form of fine fiber such as microfibers, nanofibers, in the form of fiber webs, or fibrous mats used in a unique improved filter structure. The polymeric materials of the invention comprise a composition that has physical properties that provide improved efficiency and service lifetime in the unique filter structure. The polymeric materials of the invention are compositions that have physical properties that can also permit the polymeric material, in a variety of physical shapes or forms, to have resistance to the degradative effects of humidity, heat, air flow, chemicals and mechanical stress or impact while maintaining effective filtration during use.
In typical applications, fine fiber is placed on the substrate, the fine fiber layer comprises a fine fiber having a diameter of about 0.0001 to 5 microns, preferably about 0.0001 to about 0.5 micron, most preferably about 0.001 to about 0.3 micron formed in a layer that has a layer thickness of less than about 5 microns, preferably about 0.1 to 3 microns, often from about 0.5 to about 2 microns. Each fine fiber layer comprises an interlocking randomly oriented mesh of fibers that results in a mesh having a relatively broad distribution of pore size openings. For the purpose of this patent application, the term xe2x80x9cporexe2x80x9d refers to a passage or opening in the web through the fine fiber layer that is formed from a periphery of 2 or more fine fibers. The pore can result from the intermingling of a variety or large number of fine fibers creating or forming openings of a size that can be effective in traping particulate materials. While any fine fiber layer can have openings of a variety of sizes, the fine fiber layers of the invention have a substantial number of pores of a size that range from very small, i.e. about 0.001 to about 5 microns, but often range between about 0.5 and 3 microns for effective filtering. Preferably, in the structures of the invention, the pores are formed with openings having a open pore size less than 3 microns, often less than 1 micron in the form of an interlocking mesh having openings in which a major dimension of the opening is less than the diameter of the particle typically removed from the fluid passing through the filter. We have found that the tendency of fine fiber layers to obtain an increased pressure drop or to film over can be minimized by reducing the fine fiber coverage on opposite sides of a substrate layer. By placing a reduced amount of fine fiber on both sides of the substrate, the tendency of the fine fiber layers to have smaller easily closed pores as a result of filtering operations with liquid substances is substantially reduced. We believe this reduction results from a somewhat larger pore size in the reduced layer structure, however, the reduced increase in pressure can also result from reduced surface area of the fiber layer. In other words, for example, an improved filter structure can be manufactured by modifying a filter structure having a single fine fiber layer on one side of a substrate displaying an average efficiency of about 90% into a filter structure having two fiber layers that have an efficiency of less than 80%. While the first single layer fiber structure will permit about 10% of the particulate (90% efficient) to pass through the layer, a single efficient layer will have an enhanced tendency to experience quick pressure drop increase. By forming two layers having an efficiency of about, for example, 75%, a filter having an overall efficiency of about 87.5% can result with substantially reduced tendency to an increased pressure drop because of the reduced amount of fiber in the fine fiber layer.
The combination of two layers of fine fiber on opposite sides of a planar media layer, each layer having a reduced efficiency, provides across the entire layered structure, a substantially high efficiency. Surprisingly, this combination of two layers of fine fiber on opposite sides of a planar media layer displays an extended lifetime due to a reduced tendency to plug or film. By distributing the filter particulate throughout the layers of the construct, we believe that any undesired increase in pressure during the lifetime of the filter can be reduced since the filtered particulate does not reside in a relatively narrow portion of the fine fiber structure. We believe it is a surprise that the layered structure distributes the fine fiber throughout the layers, thus substantially improving and extending the time the filter maintains a pressure drop less than the designed maximum pressure drop. Such a distribution of fine fiber also distributes Filter constructions have obtained a variety of physical formats. Filters have been developed into planar sheet-like filter barriers, pleated panels, cylindrical or oval elements, elements formed within cylindrical cartridges, corrugated elements and others. Each of these filter formats can be constructed and arranged in a variety of known technologies. Any filter format can be used that results in the filtered media passing twice through a fine fiber layer.
The media in the filter element or structure can be treated with a fine fiber, for the purpose of this invention, the term xe2x80x9cfine fiberxe2x80x9d indicates a fiber having a fiber size or diameter of 0.0001 to 5 microns or less often 0.001 to 0.5 microns and, in some instances, substantially submicron diameters. A variety of methods can be utilized for the manufacture and application of fine fiber to the media. Kahlbaugh et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,892; McLead, U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,014; Prentice, U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,242; Lohkamp et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,953; and Butin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241; all of which are incorporated by reference herein, disclose a variety of fine fiber technologies.
The conventional filter construction involves the application of fine fiber to the substrate in a single layer in a substantially complete coverage of the media. Sufficient fine fiber is typically used in the fine fiber layer such that the resulting media construction has an initial efficiency of greater than 50%, preferably greater than 80% (on an average basis) with no individual construction having an efficiency less than 30% (the efficiency test is ASTM 1215 89 using monodisperse 0.78 micron polystyrene latex particulate at 20 ft-minxe2x88x921). This efficiency test generally measures the effectiveness of the test substrate to remove from a moving air stream the recited particulate that is moving at the recited rate. The efficiency is expressed as a percent relating to the percent of the total particles tested that is removed by the filter. This test method measures the initial efficiency of a flatsheet filter medium by sampling representative volumes of the upstream and downstream latex aerosol concentrations in a controlled airflow chamber. Filtered and dried air is passed through an atomizer to produce an aerosol containing suspended latex spheres. This aerosol is then passed through a charge neutralizer. The aerosol is then mixed and diluted with additional preconditioned air to produce a stable, neutralized, and dried aerosol of latex spheres to be used in the efficiency test. These test techniques can be used in filter medium testing for aerosol efficiency performance at discrete aerosol particle sizes for both manufacturers and users. It establishes a basis of efficiency comparison of one filter medium to another. For conventional filters, efficiencies less than about 30% on the average or for any particular filter is typically considered unacceptable since such a filter would pass a substantial proportion of the impinging particulate in the mobile fluid phase. Such an amount of particulate, in an engine application, in a gas turbine application or other such applications would pass substantially more particulate to the working parts of the mechanism such that substantial wear or failure of the mechanical device could result.
For the purpose of this patent application, the term xe2x80x9cmediaxe2x80x9d refers to a woven or non-woven sheet like substrate, having a thickness of about 0.1 to 5 millimeters and an efficiency of about 5% to 80% often 20% to 80%, made from a natural or synthetic fiber such as cellulose, polyester, nylon, polyolefin, etc.
For the purpose of this patent application, the term xe2x80x9cfine fiberxe2x80x9d refers to a fiber having a indeterminate length but a width of less than about 5 microns often, less than about 1 micron, formed into a randomly oriented mesh of fiber in a layer that substantially covers a surface of the media. We have found that there is a critical add-on amount of the fine fiber in this application. The fine fiber is placed onto opposing sides of a sheet like substrate an amount obtaining in a single layer of fine fiber an efficiency of about 15% to about 80%. Preferred add-on parameters are as follows:
In one embodiment, a reduced amount but useful add-on amount of fine fiber would be a 0.1 to 1.75 micron thick layer of 5% to 40% solidity fiber layer (95% to 60% void fraction). In this case the basis weight is 0.00045 to 0.11 mg-cmxe2x88x922 or 0.0028 to 0.7 lb.-3000 ftxe2x88x922 (lbs/3000 ftxe2x88x922 is a textile and paper makers standard unit).
In another embodiment, an add-on amount of fine fiber would a 0.75 to 1.25 micron thick layer of 15% to 25% solidity fiber layer (85% to 75% void fraction) In this case the basis weight is 0.010 to 0.05 mg-cm or 0.06 to 0.31 lb.-3000 ftxe2x88x922.
In a final embodiment, the upper end of the add-on amount of fine fiber would be a 1-3 micron thick layer of 10% to 40% solidity fiber layer (90% to 60% void fraction). In this case the basis weight is 0.009 to 0.2 mg-cmxe2x88x922 or 0.055 to 1.2 lb.-3000 ftxe2x88x922.
For the purpose of this patent application, the term xe2x80x9cseparate layerxe2x80x9d is defined to mean that in a filter structure having a substantially sheet-like substrate, that a fluid stream passing through the substrate must first pass through a first fine fiber layer, the substrate and subsequently pass through a second fine fiber layer. These layers can have a variety of filter geometry motifs. The fine fiber layers can in theory be manufactured in one processing step which covers the entirety of both surfaces of a two sided sheet-like substrate resulting in two separate fine fiber layers formed in the entirety on opposing sides of the substrate. In most applications, we envision that a first fine fiber layer will be formed on a substrate side and the substrate will then be passed again through the fine fiber generating step to form the second layer.
For the purpose of this patent application, the term xe2x80x9cfine fiber layer pore size or fine fiber web pore sizexe2x80x9d refers to a space formed between the intermingled fibers in the fine fiber layer.

Filter structure with two or more layers of fine fiber having extended useful service life


A refrigeration and heat pump system of the refrigerant gas compression type having selectively operable first and second heat exchangers, respectively, in heat exchange relationship with a heat sink or source and a heating or cooling load, and with a an internal combustion engine driving a plurality of refrigerant gas compressors with more than one of the compressors selectively engagable when the system is operated in the heat pumping mode and the heat source is at low ambient temperature. The system includes at least one speed increaser connected between the plurality or compressors, so that the compressors operate at difference speeds although driven by the same engine.

This invention is directed primarily to heat pump systems which are applied to heating and air conditioning loads of the environment in the living spaces of buildings. As used herein, the term air conditioning means the adjustment of the temperature and humidity in the living space to selected comfortable norms when the outside environment and particularly the ambient temperature is either too high or too low for comfort. However many of the objectives in concepts of this invention also have application to other types of thermal loads. Therefore the term "load" as used herein while specifically in the context of air conditioning, may be interpreted broadly to apply to other thermal loads by those familiar with heating and cooling technology.
It is well recognized that air conditioning and heat pumping thermal systems require a heat source from which the heat load may be transferred in the heating mode. In recent time, and in and particularly in connection with air conditioning activity, efforts have been directed to the convenient economical use of ambient outside air as the heat sink for the cooling load and also as the heat source in the heating or heat pumping mode. An additional problem with the operation of heat pumping systems of the air source type is that when the outside temperature is very low it is difficult to efficiently operate the refrigerant gas compressor as the refrigerant gas is very thin at low temperature and therefore the load on the compressor is drastically reduced in many cases to the point where auxiliary heat is required. However, with an engine driven heat pump system the engine can be speeded up by increasing the throttle setting to a point where effective heating can take place although the compressor is operating relatively inefficiently for the shortened period of time.
With engine driven heat pump operation this "limited breathing" (swallowing capacity) of a positive displacement compressor at cold outdoor ambient temperatures is accentuated. Not only is the mass flow of refrigerant so low that insufficient condensation energy is delivered to the living space, but also the load on the engine is so low that there is only a small amount of waste heat to be recovered. This would not be true if sufficient refrigerant flow could be induced. Sufficient refrigerant flow can be induced by increasing the compressor speed relative to the engine. Nevertheless, in some circumstances the engine speed required would be too great to overcome the loss in capacity so that the requirement for auxiliary heat would not be overcome. In the concept of this invention a unique alternative approach is presented in which a first "main" compressor is matched to the engine for cooling service and a second "boost" compressor is provided.
Others have sought the solutions to the problems previously stated above including inventors of various patents that are found in the prior art.
Such patents include U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,823 Mochizuki, et al. which discloses a heat pump apparatus having a plurality of compressors and heating condensers connected to the compressors. Vapor and liquid refrigerants are separated after leaving the condensers. The vapor is directed to the next stage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,725 Cann relates to the method and apparatus for integrating a supplemental heat source with staged compressors in a heat pump which is reversible. Supplemental heat is applied to the suction line of the high compressor.
U.S Pat. No. 4,347,714 Kinsell, et al. reveals heat pump systems to provide efficiency for residential use. An auxiliary turbine is connected to provide energy from natural gas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,721 Wilmers, et al. shows a compression heat pump in which the required compressor speed is reduced by injection pumping refrigerant into the compressor suction when higher compressor speed would otherwise be required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,965 Girard discloses a heat pump having a precompressor super heater to enhance the compressor operations when the condenser cooling is in excess of requirements. U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,469 Quick relates to a heat reclaiming system for buildings that have a refrigeration load as well as an air conditioning load. Heat pump operation is augmented by selectively passing room air across the condensers of the heat pump or refrigeration system.

Heat pump booster compressor arrangement


In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, mask patterns are formed on a semiconductor substrate. An organic layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate to cover the mask patterns. An upper portion of the organic layer is planarized using a polishing composition. The polishing composition includes an oxidizing agent and is devoid of abrasive particles.

In a fabrication of a semiconductor device, a chemical mechanical polish (CMP) process may be utilized for planarizing, e.g., an inorganic layer including silicon oxide, silicon nitride or a metal. The CMP process may be performed using a polishing pad and a CMP composition that may include abrasive particles, a dispersing agent, a deionized water, etc.
Various types of materials are employed in the semiconductor device, and a development of a process condition for the CMP process may be needed.

Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices


Parts and structures are described for micro and nano machines and the creation of macro structures with nano and micro layers of special materials to provide improved performance.

The present invention relates to micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and to Nano Electromechanical Systems (NEMS™). In particular, the present invention is directed to forming parts and structures for micro and nano machines and the creation of macro structures with nano and micro layers of special materials to provide improved performance.
In the foregoing listed related commonly owned issued patents and pending patent applications, various methods, apparatus, and techniques have been disclosed relating to micromachining and nanomachining technology. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/094,408, various cantilever configurations are discussed, along with possible uses in the fabrication of very small machines. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/093,842, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/093,947, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/094,411, tools and techniques for performing micro and nano scale machining operations are discussed. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/094,149, fabrication of MEMS components using diamond as a construction material to substantially eliminate stiction and friction is discussed.
The foregoing are fundamental technologies and techniques that can be used to pave the way to the world of the very small, where structures and machines are measured at micron and nanometer scales. What is needed are improvements to existing tools to facilitate their manufacture and to enhance their performance. There is a need for additional tools to facilitate the creation of ultra-small structures. Techniques and devices are needed for making very small mechanical components and machines such as micro and nano gears, bearings, journals, shafts, cutters, cams, cantilevers, pumps, simple, complex and planetary gear assemblies, latches, locks, calculators, angle drives, propellers, linear motion translators, unique diamond coatings arrangements for knifes and compensatory deformation of target surfaces to use the coating induced stress to create the final form. It is desirable to have useful nanostructures that can be fabricated by these tools which can then serve as building blocks for larger micromachines.

Method and apparatus for micromachines, microstructures, nanomachines and nanostructures


An attachment for a fluid sprayer comprises a main flow passage, a quick disconnect portion that facilitates connection of the attachment to a first flow constrictor providing flow at a first pressure and a second flow constrictor between the main flow passage and the quick disconnect portion. The second flow constrictor provides flow at a second pressure less than the first pressure.

Fluid sprayers, sometimes referred to as pressure washers, are utilized to deliver liquid at one or more pressures and in one or more spray patterns for various applications. To provide the different pressures and spray patterns, multiple different nozzles must be removed and replaced. This current practice is tedious and time-consuming and requires a separate nozzle attachment for each and every different pressure and/or spray pattern. As the number of nozzle attachments increases, so does the cost of the pressure washer as well as the likelihood that one or more of the nozzle attachments may become lost or misplaced.


A Radio Frequency RF transmitter includes a translational loop architecture that supports non-constant envelope modulation types and includes by adjusting the envelope of the translational loop at the translational loop output. The RF transmitter includes an Intermediate Frequency (IF) modulator, a translational loop, an envelope time delay adjust block, an envelope adjust block, and a time delay calibration block. The IF modulator receives a modulated baseband signal and produces a modulated IF signal having a non-constant envelope. The translational loop receives the modulated IF signal and produces a modulated RF signal having a constant envelope. The envelope time delay adjust block receives an envelope signal corresponding to the original modulated signal and produces a time delayed envelope signal based upon a time delay control signal. The envelope adjust block adjusts the modulated RF signal based upon the time delayed envelope signal to produce an envelope adjusted modulated RF signal. Finally, the time delay calibration block receives the envelope adjusted modulated RF signal and produces the time delay control signal.

The structure and operation of wireless communication systems is generally known. Examples of such wireless communication systems include cellular systems and wireless local area networks, among others. Equipment that is deployed in these communication systems is typically built to support standardized operations, i.e. operating standards. These operating standards prescribe particular carrier frequencies, modulation types, baud rates, physical layer frame structures, MAC layer operations, link layer operations, etc. By complying with to these operating standards, equipment interoperability is achieved.
In a cellular system, a governmental body licenses a frequency spectrum for a corresponding geographic area (service area) that is used by a licensed system operator to provide wireless service within the service area. Based upon the licensed spectrum and the operating standards employed for the service area, the system operator deploys a plurality of carrier frequencies (channels) within the frequency spectrum that support the subscribers' subscriber units within the service area. These channels are typically equally spaced across the licensed spectrum. The separation between adjacent carriers is defined by the operating standards and is selected to maximize the capacity supported within the licensed spectrum without excessive interference. In most cases, severe limitations are placed upon the amount of adjacent channel interference that may be caused by transmissions on a particular channel.
In cellular systems, a plurality of base stations is distributed across the service area. Each base station services wireless communications within a respective cell. Each cell may be further subdivided into a plurality of sectors. In many cellular systems, e.g., GSM cellular systems, each base station supports forward link communications (from the base station to subscriber units) on a first set of carrier frequencies and reverse link communications (from subscriber units to the base station) on a second set carrier frequencies. The first set and second set of carrier frequencies supported by the base station are a subset of all of the carrier frequencies within the licensed frequency spectrum. In most, if not all cellular systems, carrier frequencies are reused so that interference between base stations using the same carrier frequencies is minimized but so that system capacity is increased. Typically, base stations using the same carrier frequencies are geographically separated so that minimal interference results.
Both base stations and subscriber units include Radio Frequency (RF) transmitters and RF receivers, together "RF transceivers." RF transceivers service the wireless links between the base stations and subscriber units. The RF transmitter receives a baseband signal from a baseband processor, converts the baseband signal to an RF signal, and couples the RF signal to an antenna for transmission. In most RF transmitters, because of well-known limitations, the baseband signal is first converted to an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal and then the IF signal is converted to the RF signal. The RF receiver receives an RF signal, converts the RF signal to an IF signal, and then converts the IF signal to a baseband signal, which it then provides to the baseband processor.
The fast growth of the mobile communications market demands multi-band RF transceivers that are small in size, low in cost, and have low power consumption. These market demands require that the architecture of the RF transceiver to be suitable for a high level of system integration on a single chip for reduced cost and miniaturized mobile device size. Low power consumption is very critical for increasing mobile device battery life and is very important for small mobile devices that include small batteries. To meet these design challenges, some RF transmitters now use translational loop architecture to convert the IF signal to an RF signal. Translational loop architectures are useful for constant envelope modulated wireless systems, such as the new generation Global Standards for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio System (GPRS) phones that employ Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) modulation. However, so far, the translational loop architecture has not been successfully applied in systems that employ a non-constant envelope modulation format, such as QPSK for CDMA (IS-95) and US-TDMA (IS-136) standardized systems, for 8-PSK for EDGE standard based mobile devices, and for mobile devices that support other non-constant envelope modulation formats, such as 16 QAM, 32 QAM, 64 QAM, 128 QAM, etc.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a lower power consumption RF transmitter that supports both constant envelope modulation formats and non-constant envelope formats, among other shortcomings of the prior devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Translational loop transmitter architecture employing channel power ratio measurements for modulation accuracy calibration


The present invention relates to a method for determining the orientation of text, so that the text can be correctly read. In one embodiment, the method analyzes the “open” portions of text characters to determine in which direction the open portions face. By determining the respective densities of characters opening in each direction (e.g., right or left), the method can establish in which direction the text as a whole is orientated. The present invention may be adapted for use in automated mail processing, to determine the orientation of checks in automated teller machine envelopes, or the orientation of scanned or copied documents, or documents sent via facsimile, or to determine the orientation of digital photographs that include text (e.g., road signs, business cards, driver's licenses, etc.), among other applications. A fast, substantially automatic determination of text orientation according to the present invention will reduce the labor expense and processing delay required for manual orientation.

Many conventional Optical Character Recognition (OCR) methods require that text be orientated right side up to be accurately read. However, numerous practical applications involve documents of unknown orientation; for example, as mail is collected in a mail collection box, the right side up orientation cannot be guaranteed. Similarly, when documents are scanned, photocopied, or received via facsimile, the orientation could be right side up or upside down, or sideways, or on an angle.
To address practical concerns such as these, a number of solutions have been put forth. For instance, optical character recognition may be performed in both directions (i.e., right side up and upside down) on a document, and the two (OCR) confidences may be used as indications as to whether the document is upside down or right side up. Alternatively, watermarks or magnetic ink may be used to mark a document in a way that facilitates a determination of orientation. A third solution relies on the fact that, statistically, English text comprises more "ascenders" (e.g., letters such as a lowercase b, d, or h, that have character strokes extending above a base line of text) than "descenders" (e.g., letters such as a lowercase p, q or j, that have character strokes extending below a base line of text). Thus, it is assumed that a document in which a greater number of characters have strokes extending above base lines of text, as opposed to below the base lines, is orientated right side up.
While such solutions have generally proven to be successful, their utility is limited to a very small number of situations. Those methods that are not computationally expensive or slow typically do assume prior knowledge of special formats, or will not work for documents that (a) comprise characters that are all capital letters (e.g., addresses, tax forms); (b) are written in italics; or (c) are printed in another language or alphabet.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for determination of text orientation that is economical and efficient, and is capable of use in a variety of formats.

Method and apparatus for determination of text orientation


An Atomic Photo-Absorption Force Microscope 1 includes an Atomic Force Microscope 10 and a radiation source 20 having an output radiation 22 wavelength selected to be preferentially absorbed by atoms or molecules associated with a sample surface 24a under investigation. Absorption of the radiation raises at least one outer shell electron to a higher energy level, resulting in an increase in radius of the atom or molecule. A tip 12 coupled through a lever 14 to the Atomic Force Microscope 10 is scanned over the surface and operates in conjunction with a laser heterodyne interferometer 18 to directly measure the resulting atomic or molecular increase of size, thereby detecting both the presence and location of the atoms or molecules under investingation. Operation in an a.c. mode by chopping the incident radiation 22 and measuring the corresponding a.c. induced tip movement beneficially increases the sensitivity of the technique, particularly if the a.c. frequency is chosen at a resonance of the tip-lever combination.

The term microscopy is employed where a surface is imaged with radiation of a same energy. Where radiation of different or varying energies is used the term spectroscopy is generally employed. Dual purpose instruments are generally designated as microscopes even when they perform spectroscopic investigation as well.
Spectroscopic analysis of surfaces at atomic scales is desirable for a number of reasons, including the identification and characterization of surface impurities in semiconductor, superconductive and other structures.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,993, Aug. 10, 1982, Binnig et al. describe a vacuum electron tunneling effect that is utilized to form a scanning tunneling microscope. In an ultra-high vacuum at cryogenic temperature, a fine tip is raster scanned across the surface of a conducting sample at a distance of a few Angstroms. The vertical separation between the tip and sample surface is automatically controlled so as to maintain constant a measured variable which is proportional to the tunnel resistance, such as tunneling current.
In a journal article entitled "Atomic Force Microscope", Physical Review Letters, Vol. 56, No. 9, G. Binnig et al. at pages 930-933 described an atomic force microscope that is said to combine the principles of the scanning tunneling microscope and a stylus profilometer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,318, Feb. 9, 1988, Binnig describes an atomic force microscope wherein a sharp point is brought near enough to the surface of a sample to be investigated that forces occurring between the atoms at the apex of the point and those at the surface cause a spring-like cantilever to deflect. The cantilever forms one electrode of a tunneling microscope, the other electrode being a sharp tip. The deflection of the cantilever provokes a variation of the tunnel current, the variation being used to generate a correction signal which can be employed to control the distance between the point and the sample. In certain modes of operation, either the sample or the cantilever may be excited to oscillate in a z-direction. If the oscillation is at the resonance frequency of the cantilever, the resolution is enhanced.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,698 Wickramasinghe et al. describe a scanning thermal profiler wherein a fine scanning tip is heated to a steady state temperature at a location remote from the structure to be investigated. Thereupon, the scanning tip is moved to a position proximate to, but spaced from the structure. At the proximate position, the temperature variation from the steady state temperature is detected. The scanning tip is scanned across the surface structure with the temperature variation maintained constant. Piezo electric drivers move the scanning tip both transversely of, and parallel to, the surface structure. Feedback control assures the proper transverse positioning of the scanning tip and voltages thereby generated replicate the surface structure to be investigated.
In a journal article entitled "Atomic Force Microscope-Force Mapping and Profiling on a Sub 100-A Scale", J. Appl. Phys. 61 (10), 15 May 1987, Y. Martin et al., at pages 4623-4729 describe a technique for accurate measurement of the force between a tip and a material, as a function of the spacing between the tip and the material surface. The technique features a tip that is vibrated at close proximity to a surface in conjunction with optical heterodyne detection to accurately measure the vibration of the tip. The technique enables the measurement of tip displacements over large distances and over a wide range of frequencies, which is a major advantage over the previous methods. The technique is applicable to non-contact profiling of electronic components on scales varying from tens of microns to a few tens of angstroms. A second application is described wherein material sensing and surface profiling are achieved simultaneously.
In a journal article entitled "High-resolution capacitance measurement and potentiometry by force microscopy", Appl. Phys. Lett. 52 (13), Y. Martin, D. W. Abraham and H. K. Wickramasinghe at pages 1103-1105 describe an atomic force microscope employed for potentiometry and for imaging surface dielectric properties through the detection of electrostatic forces.
The electron tunneling effect is shown to be applicable to spectroscopic analysis is a journal article entitled "Tunneling Spectroscopy", B. J. Nelissen and H. van Kemper, Journal of Molecular Structure, 173 (1988) at page 141-156. This article describes the use of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope as a spectroscopic probe. These authors note that spectroscopic methods use energetic probes, usually photons, to gain desired information. They further note that for spectroscopy in conducting solids the use of photons is not an obvious choice, since the electrons inside the solid can be used as spectroscopic probes.
In a journal article "Photothermal Modulation of the Gap Distance in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy", Appl. Phys. Lett. 49 (3), 21 July 1986, by Nabil M. Amer, Andrew Skumanich and Dean Ripple at pages 137-139 describe the use of the photothermal effect to modulate the gap distance in a tunneling microscope. In this approach, optical heating induces the expansion and buckling of a laser-illuminated sample surface. The surface displacement can be modulated over a wide frequency range, and the height (typically .sctn. 1 Angstrom) can be varied by changing the illumination intensity and modulation frequency. The method is said to provide an alternative means for performing tunneling spectroscopy.
As is apparent the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) and the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) have provided an efficient and accurate means to perform the observation of atomic features on surfaces However, such prior art techniques have not overcome the problem of providing an efficient and accurate means to perform spectroscopy on the atomic and/or molecular scale, although certain attempts have yielded some limited results, namely voltage spectroscopy in STM, "peak force detection" spectroscopy with the AFM, temperature spectroscopy with the Thermal Profiler, and Auger spectroscopy with a Field emission microscope.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide apparatus and method for performing spectroscopy at atomic scales.
It is another object of the invention to provide method and apparatus for practicing Atomic Photo-Absorption Force Microscopy (APAFM) that beneficially combines both atomic resolution and spectroscopy for use in wide range of analytical applications.

Atomic photo-absorption force microscope

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of rolling metal in a plurality of rolling stands with each of the stands having two or more rolls. The method includes first polishing the surfaces of the rolls to a mirror finish, after which the roll surfaces are textured with a plurality of minute micron size craters. The roll surface and craters are then coated with a dense, hard material before the rolls are lubricated and used to reduce the thickness of the metal in the stands. To this end, the metal is directed through the stands, the craters being capable of retaining and carrying lubricant into the bites of all of the rolls without substantial adherence of metal to the roll surfaces and without substantial generation of wear debris on the surfaces of the rolls and rolled material.

The present invention relates generally to rolling metal plate, strip and foil, and particularly to a tooling surface finishing process that provides both the work rolls and backup rolls in each stand of a rolling operation with micro-engineered surface textures and coating material. The surface textures and coating material act to minimize the generation of wear debris, provide sufficient rolling traction and control frictional forces by ensuring adequate lubrication in the tooling/workpiece interface. The tooling surface finishing process begins with those rolls used in a reversing (breakdown) mill, that prepares an ingot for further hot and cold rolling by reducing its thickness, and ends with those rolls used in the last stand of a cold rolling mill or foil mill.
With reference to traction, a certain minimum traction is necessary between the work rolls of a mill and plate, strip or foil being rolled to achieve desired reductions in the thickness of the rolled material (i.e., the plate, strip or foil). Traction between back-up rolls and work rolls and between work rolls and the rolled material is problematic since, with liquid lubrication and highly polished rolls, slipping tends to occur between the back-up rolls and the work rolls as well as between the work rolls and rolled material. If the surfaces of ground and chrome plated rolls are rough to the extent that substantial traction is assured, then the rolls will tend to micro-machine the surface of the material being rolled by dislodging material from the rolled surface. This machined material is comprised of metal and hard metal oxide particles which collect on the surface of the rolled material. This is a particularly tenacious problem with aluminum plate, strip or foil since the relatively hard aluminum oxide particles machined from the surface of the rolled material embed themselves into the softer (nascent or un-oxidized) aluminum which can then adhere or back-extrude into the texture of the roll surface producing a roll coating effect. This leads to a continuation of the re-transfer process of hard particles from the roll to the rolled material surface.
The previously mentioned problems attain an even greater significance in a tandem rolling mill with conventionally ground rolls. The individual stands in a tandem rolling mill generally use a single coolant-lubricant which coolant-lubricant is filtered at a single lubricant cleaning location, often referred to as an "oil house." With the generation of excessive quantities of wear debris, the filtering demands on the oil house are substantially increased.
An additional aspect of the tandem mill is the differing lubrication conditions which exist within each stand. These differences in lubrication conditions between individual stands arise from the differing rolls speeds, temperatures, reduction ratios, material thicknesses and front/back tensions applied to the rolled material in each stand. The difference in lubrication conditions are not caused by the use of different coolant/lubricant systems. Rather, the physical and chemical properties of the coolant/lubricant are the same across the mill; one way to change the lubrication conditions in each stand is to optimize the texture of the roll surfaces for that stand.
Difficulties in rolling aluminum arise in part because of the tendency of nascent aluminum to adhere to the roll surfaces. Adhesion is especially pronounced when there is an inadequate amount of lubricant in the roll bite, the quality of the lubricant is poor and the roll surface roughness is such that it contributes to the adhesion problem by ploughing the worked material surface and retaining a small portion of the material. Since the aluminum surface itself is soft, adhesion to the roll surface with subsequent re-transfer of the adhered material to the surface of the rolled material results in severe surface damage to the rolled material in the form of rolled-in dirt and/or black surface streaks which are a mixture of aluminum wear debris and lubricant residue. The rolled material will, therefore, have little market value and must be relegated to scrap, with subsequent recycling. The roll surfaces must be refinished to remove adhered material in order to ensure the surface quality of rolled material in future operations.
In the operation of continuous hot mills and reversing (breakdown) mills, proper lubrication conditions are very difficult to achieve and excessive wear debris transfer to the work roll surface is the rule due to high roll surface and rolled material surface temperatures. The extreme temperatures cause partial evaporation of the lubricant prior to its entering the roll bite. A resulting vapor layer prevents oil "plate-out" on the roll surface. This promotes decomposition of organic lubricant inside the roll bite and subsequently leads to rupture of protecting boundary films on the roll surface. Excessive wear debris transfer is also due to lower rolling speeds, higher roll surface roughness and the substantial thickness reductions of the rolled material. When combined, these factors preclude a hydrodynamic effect and lead to elevated interface pressures, temperatures, high micromachining of the strip surface and an extension of the length of contact between the roll and rolled material in the roll bite. Auxiliary equipment, such as scratch brushes, must be employed to remove metal transferred to the roll surfaces. Failure to remove the transferred material results in substantial metal re-transfer to the rolled material surface, as discussed above. Additional steps, such as the use of a scratch brush, contribute to the mechanical intensity (i.e. another process step and apparatus) of the hot rolling operation, and increase rolling costs.
Severe roll wear between work rolls and backup rolls due to three body abrasion and localized plastic deformation occurs at the location where the largest wear particles preside. This requires redressing of the rolls surfaces which leads to costly down time and an excessive inventory of ground rolls.
All of the previously discussed problems pertaining to the rolling operation may be attributed to current roll shop finishing operations, which generally involve one or more grinding operations. Since grinding is a stochastic process which produces a random surface roughness on the rolls, a roll surface will be unable to properly mitigate lubricant rheology and friction in the roll bite.

Method of providing textures on material by rolling


An imaging lens may include a first lens L1 having negative power, a second lens L2 having negative power, a third lens L3 having positive power, a fourth lens L4 having negative power, and a fifth lens L5 having positive power, arranged in order from the object side. At least one of the third lens L3 and the fifth lens L5 may be formed of glass having a negative temperature coefficient of refractive index. A focal length of an entire system of the imaging lens is represented by f, the temperature coefficient of refractive index of the at least one of the third lens and the fifth lens formed of glass having a negative temperature coefficient of refractive index is represented by dn/dt, and the following conditions may be satisfied: dn/dt<−0.5 and −2.90<f/(dn/dt)<−0.65.

In recent years, surveillance cameras, in-vehicle cameras and so on are in widespread use. As an imaging lens for the surveillance cameras and in-vehicle cameras (referred to as the "in-vehicle cameras, etc."), for example, an imaging lens having a configuration of five lenses in five groups has been described (JP2003-307674A, JP3943988B (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,967B2), JP5065159B (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 7,684,127B2), and JP2016-057563A). Since the in-vehicle cameras, etc. are used in harsh environments such as large temperature changes, for example, an imaging lens that can maintain optical performance even when a temperature change is caused (referred to as the temperature compensation) has also been described (JP5272614B (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 8,830,298B2) and JP2014-197130A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 9,310,589B2)).
In addition, as an imaging lens having a configuration of five lenses in five groups to be used other than the in-vehicle cameras, etc., for example, an imaging lens has been described in each of JPH05-045583A and JPH09-090213A. Further, as an imaging lens performing temperature compensation to be used other than the in-vehicle cameras, etc., an imaging lens has been described in each of JP2016-114648A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 9,411,135B2), JP2016-126133A and JP2016-142767A.

Imaging lens with five lenses of --+-+ refractive powers