The present disclosure discloses a light bulb and a crystal lamp. The light bulb includes a light emitting module and a light-transmitting cover; the light emitting module includes a mounting column and a plurality of LED lamp beads, the mounting column includes a circumferential surface and a top surface, and the plurality of LED lamp beads are arranged at least on the circumferential surface; the light-transmitting cover is arranged to cover a periphery of the light emitting module and distributes light for the plurality of LED lamp beads, the light-transmitting cover includes a plurality of micro-lens units, and each of the plurality of micro-lens units has a light incident surface and a light exit surface, and is in a configuration of converging light from the light incident surface to the light exit surface.

In the field of lighting, the crystal lamp is loved and purchased by many consumers because the crystal lamp can bring elegance and fashion to the room. With the development of optical fiber and diode technology, the crystal lamp is more miniature, lighter, and more suitable for modern-style home decoration. Combined with the development of crystal cutting technology, the crystal lamp has become more compact, and has very modern lines and dream-like colors, so that the crystal lamp will become a highlight of the modern living room. With the advancement and development of these technologies, crystal lamps still occupy a very important position in the market and are still favored by consumers.


A Group Equity-Indexed Annuity (GEIA) with a guaranteed minimum equity related return for a set of individuals are provided. An algorithm sets a “participation rate” of a GEIA contract as well as the carrier margin, risk and opportunity for recovery. The carrier is held accountable to the participation rate produced by the model investment portfolio in the formula and subject to the guaranteed minimum. The selection of the participation rate is entirely visible to a GEIA contract-holder. A “hedge budget” is based on a formula-driven amortization process that blends old and new money. Underlying assets are also managed to a “constant” duration, such as the duration of a bond index selected by the GEIA contract-holder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a design, computer implemented method, a computer-based system, and computer program product for the design and operation of an investment contract or an insured annuity contract that credits interest on principal in a manner relating to equity returns while offering protection of principal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, computer-based system, and computer program product for creating and implementing a Group Equity-Indexed Annuity (GEIA) with a guaranteed minimum equity related return for a set of participants in 401(k) plans and other tax qualified and non-qualified group savings arrangements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of investment vehicles are available to individuals including, but not limited to, stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities, annuities and mutual funds. Each of these investment vehicles yields the investor a given combination rate of return and level of risk. While young investors can tolerate a higher level of risk in their retirement savings accounts since they have many years to recover from losses, retired individuals and individuals near retirement have a lower risk tolerance. This is because principal on which they are relying to recover from an investment loss is being constantly depleted for living expenses. The future income plans of individuals in or near retirement can be critically disrupted by even modest investment losses. Accordingly, retirees and individuals near retirement need to minimize or avoid investment losses.
A type of fixed annuity contract currently available to individuals, called an Equity-Indexed Annuity (annual ratchet type), addresses this problem. The individual EIA contract provides a guarantee of principal plus interest, at least equal to the requirements imposed by the state insurance Standard Non-Forfeiture Law, while also promising alternative interest credits equal to a percentage of the increase (i.e., positive change) in a standard equity index, like the S&P 500 without dividends (S&P). As a result, an individual annual ratchet type EIA contract delivers equity related returns while offering protection of principal and guaranteed interest. Very high loads and carrier discretion over benefits (i.e., interest crediting) currently characterize the individual EIA contracts available in the retail marketplace.
The individual EIAs that exist in the retail market (e.g., those sold to individuals by agents and brokers) are designed with various features. The impact that these features have on interest credits, minimum guarantees, loads, and liquidity (i.e., the ability to make penalty-free withdrawals) will ultimately drive customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Aside from the minimum interest guarantees, surrender charges, and loads, the two features that have a large value impact are the "participation rate" and the "indexing method". Indexing methods vary from product to product. Three are in common use, including the annual resets (ratchets), the point-to-point, and the high-water mark. In most cases, equity-linked interest is credited, over a pre-defined term, using one of these methods.
Participation Rates
The participation rate determines how much of the index increase will be credited. For example, a 50% participation rate means the individual will receive ½ the increase in the equity index during the measurement period credited as interest. In the annual ratchet design, this equity related interest would be credited every year. In the point-to-point design the interest crediting is calculated using the change from point A (contract issue) to point B (say, 7 years after issue). The participation rate is reset annually in the annual ratchet EIA design. For the point-to-point design, the participation rate is set for the point-to-point period. At the end of the period (annually for the annual ratchet deign), the participation rate may change. How participation rates change is not always disclosed in the retail (i.e., individual) market. There are several possible reasons for this. First, the reset process is complex—both to explain and understand. Second, a full explanation requires complete disclosure of fees and margins. Third, some carriers want to retain flexibility to increase fees and margins in the future, without the problems that may come with communication of the fee increase. In the retail market, absent more restrictive regulatory controls, the reset process is likely to remain in the proverbial "black box."
Interest Credits May be Limited
Some retail EIA designs place limits on the interest credited. For example, if the participation rate is 75% and the equity index, for example, the S&P, delivers a 40% return over the measuring term, the calculated participation rate would be 30% but the contract may limit the interest credited to, say, 10%. These limits are called "rate caps" or simply "caps." As another example, the contract may credit 100% of the increase in the index, but cap the interest credit to, say, 10%. With some EIA designs, the change in the index may be measured by using an average of the index values, instead of the index value on a particular day. Some contracts credit interest using a "simple interest" basis instead of compound interest. With simple interest, only the original contribution grows with interest. In other words, interest credits do not grow with interest. Each of these design features play a key role in how the contract will perform relative to the buyer's expectation. For example, buying the point-to-point design at the start of a bull market may create dissatisfaction if the reset "point" comes in the middle of a bear market. If the individual tries to withdraw contributions invested before the end of some "holding period" (e.g., essentially a "maturity" date), surrender charges make it economically painful.
Early Withdrawals are Charged Exit Fees
Surrender charges vary from EIA contract to EIA contract. However, most EIA contracts are designed to provide "free" access for small withdrawal requests, such as up to 10% per year, and "free" access for death. In general, the charges for other premature withdrawals can be quite high, in some cases in excess of 10%. These charges, of course, accrue to the benefit of the carrier. Some EIA contracts are also designed to provide access using an "imputed" market value calculation. This calculation, while intended to be fair, could be confusing and difficult for individual buyers to understand and also exposes the individual to significant economic loss.
Early withdrawals may also cost the carrier because sales expenses, amortized over a period of, say, five to ten years, must be recovered from the amount withdrawn. Otherwise the carrier could realize a loss. However, insurance laws provide protection for the consumer. By law, carriers are required to pay minimum surrender values, and thus, collect no more than some pre-specified maximum surrender charges. The minimum surrender values required by the Standard Non-forfeiture Law (SNFL) are meaningful, but still unattractive to many consumers. In a typical case, for example, the law requires a guarantee that each $100 contributed (i.e., invested) can be surrendered at a value equal to $87.50 plus interest at 2.85% per year. Even with these relatively low surrender values, the carrier is still at risk of not fully recovering its contract acquisition expenses.
Carrier's Asset Strategy for the Retail EIA
In implementing an EIA contract, the carrier invests the premium in bonds and a portion of the anticipated interest on those bonds is advanced and used to buy one-year call options on the measuring equity index, say the S&P. If the interest that can be advanced from the bonds is 4.00%, the contract's participation rate is dependent on how many call options the carrier can buy with the $4 of interest (per $100 of premium). If the price of the call option is $5 per $100 of S&P value, the participation rate is 80%. At the end of the year, the call option will expire worthless if the index is down. But, if the index is up, the call option will provide the "payoff" needed to credit the proper interest. In either case, the carrier will have sufficient assets to pay the customer what was promised. This asset/liability management process is repeated each year for the term (or holding period) of the contract (at which point the surrender charges no longer apply).
The participation rate for the EIA is, in effect, a hedge ratio. The participation rate depends on the amount of money spent by the carrier (4% in our example) and the price of the call options. If call options cost $8 per $100, then the carrier can "hedge" 50% and pay the customer 50% (participation rate) of the positive change in the equity index. The amount of money used to buy options ($4) is a function of the interest available on the bonds purchased. The carrier wants their bond portfolio to return the original $100 in a year's time. Therefore, if bonds deliver an annual yield of 4.16%, the carrier could, at the beginning of the year, afford to "advance" (i.e., spend) one year's interest toward the purchase of call options. The interest advanced ($4) merely represents the discounted, or current, value of the interest it expects to receive on the bonds at the end of the year. This "advanced" interest is commonly thought of as "interest available". The insurance company has no control over option prices. If option prices increase, but bonds were locked into a yield of 4.16%, then the participation rate will fall.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method, system and computer program product for minimizing the undesirable aspects of an EIA contract—the undisclosed process for resetting participation rates, high surrender charges, and very restrictive liquidity. There is a need for the EIA contract to be for a set of participants and guarantee a minimum participation rate, while also offering a reasonable profit margin to the carrier. There is a need for the method, system and computer program product to minimize downside risk with respect to the purchase of EIAs to be available to a plurality of individuals. There is a need for the plurality of individuals to be participants of a group sponsored savings program (either tax qualified or non-qualified). There is a need for the method, system and computer program product for minimizing downside risk with respect to the purchase of EIAs to carry low loads. There is a need to guarantee a minimum participation rate (i.e., a guaranteed minimum percentage of the increase in a standard equity index). There is a need for the participation rate to be based entirely on a formula that removes carrier discretion. There is a need for the formula to take advantage of the unique economic benefits available to individuals (e.g., participants in savings programs) by pooling their collective contributions (both from previous years and the current year).

Equity-indexed annuity for group savings programs


An actuator provides linear motion between two points, and includes a motor, a spindle assembly and a gear assembly that connects the motor to a spindle of the spindle assembly and drives the spindle to rotate about a spindle axis. The gear assembly includes a gear housing that encloses gears and a portion of the spindle. The gear assembly including the gear housing is modular in that it includes features that allow it to be easily adapted by a rearrangement of components, and/or by substitution of certain components, to accommodate the requirements of multiple different applications.

Vehicles frequently include multiple actuators that are used to adjust the position of vehicle components to accommodate driver requirements. For example, the vehicle may include a seat positioning actuator that is used to adjust vehicle seat position, including fore-aft seat position. The vehicle may also include a steering column positioning actuator that is used to adjust the fore-aft position of a vehicle steering wheel within the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Additional actuators may be used to adjust seat tilt, seat height, etc. Some or all of the actuators may be, for example, linear actuators in the form of a drive motor that engages a spindle assembly via a gear assembly. The spindle assembly includes connection interfaces that secure the actuator to the vehicle and to the vehicle component to be moved. Each actuator used includes adaptations that accommodate the requirements of the specific application. Because of the large number of actuators used in vehicles, a need exists to be able to manufacture the actuators at a lower cost.

Modular actuator for providing relative motion between two points

Robert Bosch Mexico Sistemas Automotrices S.A. de C.V.


An electrical connector comprises a housing and a terminal module. The housing has a top portion, a bottom portion and two side portions connecting the top portion and the bottom portion. The top portion, the bottom portion and the two side portions form an accommodating chamber and the terminal module is accommodated in the accommodating chamber. The two side portions have positioning posts preventing horizontal displacement of the housing relative to the terminal module, and the top portion and the bottom portion prevent vertical displacement of the housing relative to the terminal module. Methods of assembling the electrical connector are also provided.

Circuit board connectors are widely used in electrical apparatus for establishing electrical connection between circuit boards.
Traditional circuit connectors have the housings integrated with terminal modules thereof. It requires mounting the electrical connector as a whole to a printed circuit board. However, this requirement leads to mounting complexity in some applications. It is therefore desirable to improve the mounting process of circuit board connectors.

Electrical connector and method of assembling the same

Amphenol FCI Connectors Singapore Pte. Ltd.


A hygienic cover for a hair brush is an elastic plastic netting of lycra polyester stitched into a tunnel shape with open and closed ends. This cover is rolled on a hollow insert with two open ends. A hairbrush is inserted into and through the insert. The closed end of the cover hits the end of the brush and the cover is stretched over the brush and slides off the insert and compresses around the brush head. The cover is porous and the holes grow when stretched, allowing the brush bristles to pass through the cover. When allowed to slide off the insert and collapse around the brush, the cover closes tightly around the bristles to prevent debris from reaching the brush head. The cover protects the brush in use. After each use, the hygienic cover can be taken off and replaced by a new cover.

The present invention relates generally to hygienic devices for hair brushes. Hair brushes readily accumulate a large quantity of hair, dandruff, and other detritus in use. Cleaning them can be a difficult and time-consuming process. For the average consumer, this can be an occasional annoyance. For a professional hair dresser, who may brush the hair of ten different people in a single day, it is a costly and frustrating necessity. After every client the brush must be thoroughly cleaned, which is can take several minutes, depending on brush type etc. If multiple brushes are used, each must be cleaned.
Over the years, various devices have been developed in an attempt to mitigate this problem. However, none have worked in a satisfactory manner. Most such devices are designed for use with one specific brush, or are unsuitable for use with a blow-dryer, or simply have unsatisfactory performance.
Needs exist for improved methods for protecting and cleaning hair brushes.


The present invention provides antibodies and antigen-binding fragments (e.g., human antibodies) that bind specifically to human Interleukin-36 receptor (IL36R). Methods for treating or preventing diseases mediated by IL36R (e.g., skin or colon inflammatory conditions such as palmo-plantar pustular psoriasis, palmoplantar pustulosis, generalized pustular psoriasis, ulcerative colitis or IBD) using the antibodies and fragments are also provided along with methods of making the antibodies and fragments.

The interleukin (IL)-36 cytokines include 3 agonists, IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ that bind to a common receptor composed of IL-36R and IL-1RAcP to stimulate inflammatory responses. IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) is a single-pass membrane receptor for a subset of the IL-1 family of cytokines, IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ, and upon binding to any of these ligands, there is recruitment of its co-receptor, the IL-1R accessory protein (IL-1RAcP), which induces a signaling cascade that involves NFκB and mitogen-activated kinase pathways (Sims et al, 2010.
A mediator of some inflammatory skin conditions, such as psoriasis, is IL-36. Psoriasis is a common, immune-mediated, inflammatory skin disease which includes the variants plaque psoriasis and generalized pustular psoriasis. Standard therapeutic guidelines include the use of topical steroids, topical vitamin D, systemic immunosuppressants and various biologics, such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, anti-interleukin (IL)-23 and anti-IL-17 antibodies. IL-36 members are overexpressed in the lesional skin of plaque psoriasis and activation of IL-36R might contribute to the persistence and perpetuation of psoriatic inflammation together with the TNF-α/IL-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis. (Di Cesare et al., The IL-23/Th17 axis in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis, Journal of Investigative Dermatology 129: 1339-1350 (2009) and Blumberg et al., IL-1RL2 and its ligands contribute to the cytokine network in psoriasis. J Immunol 185: 4354-4362 (2010)).
Currently available treatments for palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) and palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPPP), however, are limited. Spesolimab and ANB019 are anti-IL36R antibodies in clinical development which suffer from drawbacks related to immunogenicity and potency.


A twine delivery needle is constructed so as to include metal tip and mounting base sections or regions joined together by a relatively light weight central section having a composite structural sandwich construction comprising a low-density rigid foam core encased within a thin, high strength, skin or covering comprised of plies of woven and substantially continuous fibers disposed within a hardened matrix resin material.

A twine delivery needle arrangement of a large square baler includes needles mounted to a needle yoke or frame which is mounted to a baling chamber for pivoting so that twine-carrying tip sections of the needles move upwardly through the baling chamber from a location below the baling chamber to deliver respective lengths of twine to knotters forming part of a knotter table mounted to a top wall of the baling chamber. The needle yoke is U-shaped and includes a pair of parallel arms respectively joined at right angles to opposite ends of a cross tube that extends beneath the baling chamber. The number of needles used depends on the number of loops needed to adequately bind a bale of a given size, with common bale sizes requiring four or six loops and thus four or six needles, for example. Each needle includes a base mounted to the cross tube by a clamp which has four bolts. The cross tube of the needle yoke extends transversely below the baling chamber, with the parallel arms of the yoke having upper ends pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the baling chamber for rotation about a horizontal transverse axis. The needle yoke arms are respectively coupled to opposite ends of a knotter gear drive shaft of the knotter table by four-bar linkages. One tie cycle is 180° rotation of the needle yoke over 360° rotation of the knotter gear drive shaft, which in a known design operates at 45 RPM. During a first half of a tying cycle, the knotter gear drive shaft rotates 180° with the needle yoke initially rotating 90° so as to carry the needles upwardly from a home position (0° needle yoke rotation), wherein the twine-carrying tip sections of the needles are beneath the baling chamber, to a top dead center (TDC) position, wherein the twine-carrying tip sections of the needles project into the knotter table. During a second half of the tying cycle, the motion of the needle yoke reverses and it rotates 90° back to the home position. This movement of the needles during a tying cycle is accommodated by vertically aligned needle slots, respectively provided in the bottom and top walls of the baling chamber, a bottom wall of the knotter table and in a baler plunger positioned in a rearward compaction stroke (U.S. Pat. No. 8,069,780, granted Dec. 6, 2011 clearly shows needle clearance slots provided in a plunger and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).
A typical twine-delivery needle of a known design is constructed of metal and weighs about 20 pounds. A known baler is equipped with six twine-delivery needles which are carried by a yoke which weighs about 150 pounds. Therefore, the total weight of the needle arrangement (weight of needles plus weight of needle support yoke) is about 270 pounds, resulting in substantial torque being required to get the needle system moving, and, thereafter, in substantial inertia being developed as the needles move between the home and TDC positions causing over-running unless a damper is used. Since the needle arrangement is linked for being driven by the knotter gear drive shaft, substantial cross bracing is required between the drive shaft and the pivot structure of the needle yoke in order to provide sufficient strength for accommodating the initial torque requirement. Also, the yoke arms must be constructed to have sufficient rigidity to prevent the yoke from twisting due to the initial torque requirement. The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 8,671,834, granted Mar. 18, 2014 discloses a needle arrangement of the above-described type.
Another drawback of using metal needles is that, if the needles are stranded in the bale chamber or are mistimed relative to the stroke of the plunger for compacting crop material in the baling chamber, the plunger will contact the needles and cause major damage to one or more of the needle arrangement, the plunger system and the knotter table, which includes the knotter gear drive shaft.
The problem to be solved then is that of reducing the weight of the needle arrangement while maintaining sufficient strength in the needles for preventing them from being deflected sideways resulting in interference and possible damage.

Light weight needle construction for delivering twine in a large square baler


The process of manufacturing a thermoplastic organic material containing reinforcing fibers and optionally mineral materials and organic additives by combining the fibers and materials in an extruder, and introducing at least some of the organic material into the extruder in the form of continuous filaments or fibers.

Manufacturing profiled parts obtained by extruding organic material and reinforcing fibres, such as glass fibres, through a die plate and manufacturing objects obtained by injecting these same constituents into a mould encounter the same difficulties when the said constituents are mixed: firstly, the mixture of the organic material and the reinforcing fibres must be as homogeneous as possible before the moulding operation; secondly, it is desirable that the reinforcing fibres impart the best mechanical properties to the composite product manufactured and, to this end, it is in particular desirable to avoid the fibres breaking to too great an extent.
It is known to perform this mixing operation using an extruder which is formed of a heated cylinder in which a lifting screw is rotated by means of a motor. At the top of one of its ends, this cylinder comprises a hopper of which the base opens directly above the lifting screw. The extruder is fed with organic material and glass fibres via this hopper.
The organic material and the reinforcing fibres, for example glass fibres, can be introduced simultaneously into the hopper in a number of ways:
The organic material is stored in the form of granules in a hopper disposed above a conveyor belt of which the velocity of advance is adjustable; the glass fibres are stored in the form of cut fibres in a further hopper, disposed above a further conveyor belt of which the velocity of advance is also adjustable. These belts discharge their contents into the extruder feed hopper. This method requires the use of heavy or bulky metering devices to maintain the respective proportions of organic material and cut fibres constant.
A second method consists in mixing beforehand the organic material and the cut fibres. This mixture, discharged into a hopper, is conveyed to the extruder feed hopper by a conveyor belt. This method also requires additional equipment for mixing the two constituents.
The extruder can also be fed directly with granules comprising glass fibres coated with organic material. These granules can be obtained by different processes. Thus, patent application EP-A-O 393 532 recommends impregnating the glass fibres under pressure and then cutting them into pieces.
A variant is mentioned in patent application EP-A-O 367 661. It consists in coating the filaments of a composite fibre with an organic finish before it is exposed to actinic radiation. The aim thereof is to impart cohesion to the composite fibre which can then be cut into sections by a cutting machine.
Introducing the organic material and glass fibres into the extruder at two different points is also known. The organic material is introduced in the form of granules, upstream of a double lifting screw, in the same manner as in the first process described above. The glass fibres are introduced into the extruder downstream of the area in which the organic material is mixed and melted. They are introduced in the form of continuous fibres, extracted from one or more rolls disposed on a creel. A process of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,282 for example.
The factor common to these various processes is that they are performed by very long extruders equipped with profiled screws which in some cases are complex.
The aim of the single or double lifting screw upstream of the extruder is to mix and melt the granules of organic material which may or may not comprise reinforcing fibres. In order to fulfill this function, the screw can have different profiles depending on the grain size of the organic material used. The helix angle of the screw thread, the depth of the thread, the shape of the screw core, cylindrical or conical, the screw pitch, etc. are all factors which determined the degree of compression and shearing of the organic material.
In addition to the length and complexity of the screw used, it should also be stressed that a large amount of energy is needed to obtain a homogeneous molten mixture.
When the reinforcing fibres are introduced into the extruder mixed with the granules of organic material, these fibres are also subjected to shear stresses causing the material to melt, which results in their breaking up.
This disadvantage could in part be avoided if the reinforcing fibres were introduced into the extruder in the form a continuous fibre, downstream of the area in which the thermoplastic organic material is melted. The reinforcing fibres must in turn be subjected to intense mixing in the molten material in order to be distributed homogeneously in the said material. This operation also causes large-scale breakage of these fibres.

Process for manufacturing a composite product by moulding


A quaternary semiconductor diffraction grating, such as an InGaAsP grating suitable for a DFB laser, is embedded in a semiconductor substrate, such as InP. In one embodiment, the grating is fabricated by. (1) forming on the top surface of an InP substrate body an epitaxial layer of InGaAsP coated with an epitaxial layer of InP; PA0 (2) forming a pattern of apertures penetrating through the layers of InP and InGaAsP; and PA0 (3) heating the body to a temperature sufficient to cause a mass transport of InP from the InP epitaxial layer, the thickness of the InP layer being sufficient to bury the entire surface of the InGaAsP layer with InP.

Semiconductor gratings are useful in such contexts as an optical filter and a distributed feedback (DFB) laser. In such a laser, for example, the optical feedback is supplied by a semiconductor grating layer which is fabricated as an epitaxial (crystal) layer in proximity to an epitaxial active layer (light-generating region) of the laser.
In a paper authored by A. Takemoto et al, entitled "1-3 .mu.m Distributed Feedback Laser Diode with Grating Accurately Controlled by New Fabrication Technique," and printed in Electronics Letters, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 220-221 (2 Feb. 1989), an indium phosphide (InP) based laser was described in which a grating was formed by epitaxial growth of a continuous layer of indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP) on a "barrier" (spacer) layer of InP. The barrier layer separated this InGaAsP layer from the active region of the laser. Then grooves were etched into the InGaAsP layer down to the barrier layer to form a corrugated InGaAsP layer. Next, an InP cladding layer was grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) over the corrugated InGaAsP layer, in order to preserve the corrugations. However, lasers made this way suffer from degradation of the corrugations--that is, roundings of the sharp corners of the crests of the InGaAsP layers and lattice defects in their crystal structure. Hence a deterioration of optical coupling between grating and active region, as well as poor laser device reliability, resulted.
In a paper authored by P. Daste et al, entitled "Fabrication Technique for GaInAsP/InP Quantum Wire Structure by LP-MOVPE," published in Journal of Crystal Growth, Vol. 93, pp. 365-369 (1988), there was disclosed the growth of a relatively thin (20 nm) InP topping layer on top of a (30 nm) InGaAsP active layer prior to etching the grooves, in order to protect the wire-like (corrugated) active layer during epitaxial regrowth of the InP cladding layer. The regrowth can be performed by MOCVD or other epitaxial growth method, such as hydride vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) or liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). Such epitaxial regrowth advantageously is performed at temperatures high enough to prevent proliferation of defects in the epitaxially regrown InP cladding layers, typically temperatures in the approximate range of 600.degree. C. to 650.degree. C. or more. At these temperatures, I have found that the topping layer taught by P. Daste et al does not prevent defects in the regrown InP cladding layer. These defects are undesirable because during laser operation they tend to propagate into the active layer and degrade laser lifetime.
Therefore it would be desirable to have a method for fabricating corrugated quaternary InGaAsP layers, for example, which are stable at the relatively high temperatures (above approximately 600.degree. to 650.degree. C.) required for the subsequent epitaxial growth of the desired high quality (crystal defect free) binary InP cladding layers.

Method for fabricating self-stabilized semiconductor gratings


A security implementation method, a related apparatus, and a system, where the method includes receiving, by a first network element, a request for handing over a user equipment from a source access network device to a target access network device to perform communication. The method further includes: obtaining, by the first network element, a security key, where the security key is used for protecting the communication between the user equipment and the target access network device after the user equipment is handed over from the source access network device to the target access network device; and sending, by the first network element, the security key to the target access network device.

At present, user equipments (such as mobile phones) have been widely used, greatly facilitating people's life. A user equipment may directly establish a communication connection to a base station, to perform communication and provide a user with rich communication experience using a data transmission service provided by a network. In some application scenarios, if user equipment moves from a cell of a base station to a cell of a current base station, a network connection of the user equipment needs to be handed over from the original base station to the current base station before communication can continue to be maintained.
For a future mobile communication architecture (such as a fifth generation (5G) communications system), a network also needs to satisfy a handover requirement of user equipment. Currently, in an existing 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard for mobile communication, an SA2 architecture group has proposed a rough architecture of a 5G network. In this architecture, an access management function (AMF) of a core network is usually deployed in a location relatively close to a base station. Therefore, when user equipment hands over between base stations for communication, inter-AMF handover may also be caused.
However, a current communication security implementation method (an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) method) is not applicable to security protection for inter-AMF handover in a 5G network. Therefore, how to establish a security mechanism based on a future mobile communication architecture becomes a problem that currently needs to be urgently resolved.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Security implementation method, related apparatus, and system


A vehicle floor mat that includes a flexible upper layer having a non-wood surface with a visible wood-grain pattern on substantially the entire non-wood surface, the non-wood surface being of a scratch-resistant and water-resistant material and able to repeatedly flex at least 70 degrees from planar at least 100 times without exhibiting a change in the visible wood-grain pattern. A flexible non-wood underlayer is coupled to an underside of the flexible upper layer and has a slip-resistant surface that is able to repeatedly flex at least 70 degrees from planar. The flexible upper layer and the flexible non-wood underlayer have a shared non-uniform outer-edge shape that corresponds to a non-planar foot area of a vehicle.

Virtually every vehicle, from high-traffic commercial vehicles to the most expensive exotic cars, is equipped with some type of a floor mat on the foot area in front of each of the seats with in the vehicle. The floor mats, which are generally easily and quickly removable for cleaning, serve to protect the vehicle's permanent flooring material from normal wear and tear.
In most cases, the floor mats of a vehicle are made of a material that matches the permanent or semi-permanent flooring material installed within the vehicle during manufacturing thereof. Not only do these mats typically match the interior of the vehicle, they are usually made of the same material. For instance, if the floorboards of the vehicle are covered in carpet, the floor mats are usually made of the very same carpet material. Because most interior floor areas are covered in carpet, most floor mats are also manufactured from a carpet-type material. Alternatively, the floor-mat material can be, for instance, a lower-cost plastic, or other materials.
Carpet-type material suffers from the disadvantage of being easily stained. Because the carpet-type material is of a fiber, the material easily absorbs dirt and other staining substances that come in contact with the fibers. Although stain-resistant chemicals have been developed that help protect the carpet-type material, eventual staining is inevitable. Plastic floor mats have the advantage of being easily cleaned. However, plastic floor mats simply do not offer a visual appearance that is acceptable for use with higher-priced cars or in other applications where an owner or user is conscientious about appearance.
One known floor mat that attempts to avoid the disadvantages of both fiber-type floor mats and plastic-type floor mats is a wooden board described in U.S. Design Pat. No. D424,497. Although the wooden boards provide improved visual aesthetics, the wooden floor mats in U.S. Design Pat. No. D424,497 are described and shown as being entirely planar. This can, of course, be attributed to the fact that wood is generally inflexible. This floor mat is disadvantageous as very few vehicles have an entirely planar, i.e., flat, foot area. For this reason, a flat wooden floor mat is unacceptable for use in most vehicles.
In addition, during the life of a car, the floor mats must be removed each time the car is cleaned, which is usually quite frequently, e.g., once a week. Even if the wooden floor mats were to be provided in a particular shape that would conform to the shape the foot area within a vehicle, these wooden floor mats would be susceptible to damage once they are removed from the car. For example, if a curved wooden floor mat were placed on the ground during a cleaning process, any pressure placed on top of that floor mat would have a high likelihood of causing the floor mat to crack and/or break. Furthermore, shaped wooden floor mats, which, notably, are not described in the known prior-art, would be prohibitively expensive.
In addition, a flat wooden board resting on the vehicle's permanent flooring material, e.g., carpet, is prone to undesired and unexpected sliding along the surface. This can be dangerous in most driving situations. Also, wood is known to be highly susceptible to water damage, which renders them a poor choice for use in automobile floors, where moisture is frequently present. Furthermore, the upper surface of the wooden floor mat is prone to being slippery, creating a dangerous situation. For example, the driver's foot can accidentally slide along the surface of the mat and into the gas pedal.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

Floor mat and method for manufacturing a floor mat


An exposure apparatus of the present invention is configured to expose a pattern on an original onto a wafer via a projection lens system 110. The exposure apparatus includes a setting leg 105, platens 103, 107, and 109 on which at least one of a reticle stage apparatus 108 configured to hold the original, the projection optical system 110, a wafer stage apparatus 102 configured to hold the wafer, and an interferometer configured to measure a position of the original stage or the wafer stage is mounted, a vibration isolation support mechanism 105 which is provided between the platens 103, 107, and 109 and the setting leg 105 and configured to reduce a vibration, and a filling member 122 formed by hardening a hardening type liquid 113 which is filled between the setting leg 105 and a setting floor 101.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, a structure, a method for setting up an apparatus, and a device manufacturing method, which are particularly suitably used for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal substrate manufacturing apparatus, a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus, and a micromachine manufacturing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in accordance with high integration of semiconductor devices, the resolution required for a semiconductor exposure apparatus is higher. In order to improve the resolution, NA (numerical aperture) equal to or greater than 0.9 is required for a projection optical system. Therefore, the projection optical system is getting larger. Furthermore, in order to improve the performance, it is necessary to suppress a disturbance such as a vibration. As a result, in order to improve the stiffness of the apparatus, the apparatus gets larger and the weight of the apparatus also increases.
FIG. 5 is a configuration of an exposure apparatus which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-297587. A lens-barrel platen 10 which supports a projection optical system 9 is supported by an active mount 12 including an actuator for reducing a vibration. A Z-interferometer 16 and an XY-interferometer 17 for measuring a position of a wafer stage 7 which mounts a wafer 6 are attached to the lens-barrel platen 10.
The Z-interferometer 16 and the XY-interferometer 17 measure a relative position of the wafer stage 7 with respect to the projection optical system 9. Based on the measurement result, the wafer stage 7 is positioned. The active mount 12 is supported on an apparatus support leg and the apparatus support leg is directly supported on an apparatus setting floor.
As described above, in a method for directly setting up the apparatus on the setting floor, the floor is subducted by the increase of the weight of the apparatus in accordance with growth in size of the apparatus and by the point contact between the setting leg of the apparatus and the setting floor caused by a local irregularity of the floor surface. Usually, since the floor on which the apparatus is set up is made of concrete, in the case of the point contact, the force acting on the concrete may exceed a load capacity or an intensity of the concrete. The subduction amount is different by the difference of the load distribution of the apparatus or the difference of the state of the floor, and an ideal apparatus attitude can not be duplicated. Furthermore, when the subduction of the floor occurs, the attitude of the apparatus changes and a distortion such as a twist of the structure of the main body of the exposure apparatus occurs, which is led to the performance degradation.
Recently, in order to respond to a miniaturization requirement which is required for the semiconductor exposure apparatus, the requirement for the vibration environment is stricter. In particular, an exposure apparatus called a scanner synchronously scans a wafer stage placing a semiconductor wafer and a reticle scan stage placing a reticle that is an original of a circuit pattern in opposite directions to each other with a predetermined velocity ratio, and the exposure is performed during the scan. Therefore, when the disturbance due to a vibration occurs in the synchronous scan, the quality of manufactured ICs is significantly deteriorated. In other words, the scanner is extremely sensitive to the vibration of the floor on which the scanner is set up, or the like.
Conventionally, with respect to the vibration of the floor in a clean room where the semiconductor exposure apparatus is set up, it is considered that a basis called a pedestal is laid and the overall exposure apparatus is set up on it. However, even if the pedestal which has a large amount of weight and an appropriate decay action is laid in order to reduce the vibration which intrudes into the scanner, the intrusion of the vibration can not be fully blocked. Furthermore, a setting surface of the setting leg part of the apparatus jounces and a vibration problem occurs because of the local irregularity of the setting floor surface. This vibration is transmitted to the interferometer or the projection optical system in the main body of the exposure apparatus from the setting leg. In other words, the vibration from the setting floor can not be adequately reduced by the active mount equipped with the conventional exposure apparatus, and it is transmitted to each unit of the exposure apparatus via the setting leg and the platen. This negatively affects the positioning accuracy of the wafer stage which controls the position so that the signal from the interferometer indicates a target value or the exposure performance of the projection optical system.
In the latest pedestal, although the irregularity of the concrete surface may be smoothed by machining or polishing, there is a problem that it takes extremely much cost and lead time. Furthermore, the pedestal can be processed only when it is alone before it is set up in the clean room. Therefore, if the overall pedestal is tilted at the time of setting up the pedestal in the clean room, the setting surface of the apparatus is also tilted. In this case, the main body of the semiconductor exposure apparatus usually performs a leveling using a level. Therefore, if the overall pedestal is tilted, the setting leg of the apparatus and the setting surface of the pedestal are in contact with each other by a point after all.
The apparatus needs to keep an initial setting state for a long time. Generally, in the case of a large apparatus, there is great possibility that the setting floor is subducted because the weight of the apparatus is great. Furthermore, the change of the floor with the passage of time is also concerned by using the apparatus for a long time.

Exposure apparatus, structure, method for setting up apparatus, and device manufacturing method having filling member formed by hardening liquid to support setting leg


A single sideband mixer is constructed with digital logic elements such as T-type flip-flops and inverters and with FETs, and the resulting mixer circuit simultaneously improves control over the frequency resolution, noise floor and operating frequency range. The use of this group of elements also allows the mixer circuit to be easily realized in an integrated circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mixer circuits and more particularly to a single side band mixer incorporating digital logic switching elements and field effect transistors (FETs) in order to accomplish signal mixing over a wide frequency range including direct current (DC) levels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A mixer is an electronic circuit that performs frequency conversion by multiplying two signals, a function that is applicable to many areas of radio and other high frequency communications systems. The most prevalent use for a mixer circuit is in a radio circuit to obtain an intermediate frequency (IF) signal by multiplying a radio frequency (RF) signal by a local oscillator (LO) signal. The simplest mixer circuit uses a single diode, but for increased performance more sophisticated circuits are often used.
For high frequency applications, the two main types of mixers are switching mixers and nonlinear mixers. Switching mixers include both single balanced and double balanced types, and nonlinear mixers use a nonlinear device such as a schottky diode, field effect transistor (FET) or other transistor to perform the multiplication function. Switching mixers also require a nonlinear device for performing the mixing function. An advantage of the double balanced mixer is that it can isolate the two input signals from each other and from the output signal, thus allowing the bandwidths of the two input signals to overlap without producing noise in the form of spurious signal artifacts.
A mixer circuit has three terminals that in general use are identified as the radio frequency (RF) terminal, the local oscillator terminal (LO), and the intermediate frequency terminal (IF). The RF terminal is where the high frequency signal is applied when the desired output will be the IF signal at a lower frequency, also known as a downconverted signal, or where the high-frequency signal is output when an IF input signal is upconverted. The LO signal is generally the stronger input signal, and is used to modulate the FETs with a switching action that effectively reverses the path of the signal between the other two terminals. In the case of a downconverter, the IF terminal is where the RF signal that was modified by the LO signal is passed. In the case of an upconverter, the IF terminal and the LO terminal have the input signals that are multiplied to produce the higher frequency RF output signal.
As stated hereinabove, a mixer may be used to convert a signal down in frequency (as in a radio receiver) or up in frequency. When two sine waves are multiplied or beat against each other, the result includes both sum and difference frequencies. This can be expressed as:sin(ω1t)×sin(ω2t)=½{(cos [(ω1−ω2)t]−cos [(ω1+ω2)t]}In a single sideband (SSB) mixer, either the sum or the difference frequency will be used but not both. Efficient and complete removal of the unused frequency is necessary to prevent noise. A high-side mixer is one in which the LO is higher in frequency than the RF, a low-side mixer is one in which the LO is lower in frequency. When an SSB mixer is used in a downconverter or most receiver circuits, the conversion loss is the difference in amplitude of the available RF signal to the IF signal output. In an upconverter application, the conversion gain is the difference in amplitude from the IF signal to the RF signal.
Since the operation of a mixer depends on a nonlinear device, there are unavoidably some intermodulation products generated along with the desired output signal. Of particular concern are the third order intermodulation products, which in a receiver circuit are close in frequency to the fundamental IF frequency and thus are difficult to filter out. These products affect the maximum dynamic range for the mixer. The measurement used to define this maximum dynamic range is taken to be the point on a curve of the RF input versus the IF output where the desired output signal and the third order intermodulation products have equal amplitude as the RF input is raised. This point at which the power of the fundamental IF signal equals the power of the third order product is called the third order intercept point or IP3, and input IP3 is used as an important figure of merit for the quality of a mixer circuit. The output third order intercept point is defined as the difference between the input IP3 and the conversion loss, where higher conversion losses result in a lower output IP3.
An example of a double-balanced single sideband mixer with a high IP3 is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,055 entitled DOUBLE BALANCED FET MIXER WITH HIGH IP3 AND IF RESPONSE DOWN TO DC LEVELS. This circuit uses FETs as nonlinear elements to accomplish the mixer function, but also incorporates several balun transformers to allow a signal path down to DC. Having the circuit's IF frequency response reaching down to DC allows the mixer to be used in in-phase quadrature (I/Q) modulators, which are useful in circuits including certain types of phase-locked loops (PLLs).


A dispensing head for container having an outlet nozzle includes a coupling member for fitting on the nozzle and is provided with a central conduit, a chamber for an additive product surrounding the central conduit with the chamber having at its base an annular opening to the central conduit; a tube is slidably disposed in the central conduit and has at one end adjacent the coupling member openings so that when the head is mounted on the nozzle the tube will be moved from a storage position, where the opening of the chamber to the central conduit is closed, to another position where the openings of the tube establish communication between the chamber's opening and the central conduit; the end of the chamber remote from the nozzle has a plurality of openings to permit dispensing of the additive with the main product.

A dispensing head of this type is known for example from French Patent Application 1341226 wherein there is provided the supply to the product of the container of an additive such as a coloring agent or a perfume at the point or moment of use. This avoids prolonged contact during storage between the additive and the main product and undesirable alteration of these components.
The storage of the dispensing head sometimes poses problems concerning the conservation or preservation of the additive and its protection from the ambient atmosphere. Moreover, it is desirable that the mounting of the dispensing head on the receptacle be effected simply and rapidly.

Dispensing head for an additive product for mounting on a receptacle and a receptacle equipped with such a head


An electronically adjustable, combinational color filter device is provided for generating color light. Incoming light is split in a polarizing beam splitter/combiner into a first and a second element of light. One or more wave plates operate to modify the polarization state of the first element of light, and one or more dichroic reflective filters reflect portions of the first element of light having a predetermined wavelength. Similarly, one or more wave plates operate to modify the polarization state of the second element of light, and one or more dichroic reflective filters reflect portions of the second element of light having a predetermined wavelength. Reflected portions of the first element and the second elements of light are combined in the polarizing beam splitter/combiner to create color light. A spatial light modulator may be used to create color images.

Color lighting systems are found in a variety of entertainment facilities, to include theaters, auditoriums, concert halls and stadiums. Regardless the size of the venue, in almost all instances a color lighting system is required or desired. The quality of the entertainment provided is often dependent, in part, on the quality of the color lighting system.
Aside from professional and amateur entertainment venues, theme parks and other such attractions use color light to enhance the experience of their customers. Private and public facilities, such as churches and museums, also have a need for variable color lighting. Further, sales oriented facilities and events, to include shopping malls and trade shows, rely on color lighting to help market products. Also, there are many scientific/engineering applications where discriminating color light is important. It is simply a fact of life that color lighting is part of almost every person's daily routine.
Typically, color light systems include a broad band, white light source, the output of which must be filtered to produce the desired color(s) of light. Often, the broadband light is unpolarized, and a portion of the light is reflected ("thrown away") in a first, polarizing step. The loss of 50% or more of the incoming light at the onset reduces the intensity of the generated light, as well as the variations in color that may be achieved.
In many instances, color filtering includes the use of "color wheels". Generally speaking, color wheels rely on the movement (rotation or otherwise) of color filters into and out of optical alignment with a transmitted white light. In many instances, the color filters are dichroic filters, which is to say they filter (reflect or absorb) light within one wavelength band and pass through all remaining light. The filters may be glass, gelatin, or other transparent/semi-transparent materials. Often, the number of possible color combinations is limited by the number of color filters that can be mounted into the color wheel. Further, the clarity of colors is affected by filter movement, alignment, etc.
Absorption is the most prevalent means for filtering colored light. Unfortunately, absorbed light can generate significant quantities of heat which must be dissipated by the lighting system. Operational heating also limits the optical power of a system, as there is a direct correlation between optical power and absorbed heat. System cooling requirements typically require active (e.g. fans) or passive (e.g. cooling fins) cooling subsystems. In addition to heating concerns, standard color wheel systems include multiple moving, mechanical components. The process of changing colors is distracting to the audience. Also, moving parts impede or limit the response time/speed of a system, as well as reduce system reliability. In most instances, the useful operational life of a system is severely limited by reliability issues.
Pixilated color lighting systems are yet another lighting option found in the prior art. Unlike color wheel systems which are subtractive (filtering) in nature, pixilated systems are additive. Stated differently, pixilated systems achieve desired color combinations by adding colors together at a level unresolved by the naked human eye. Red, green and blue pixels produce an image on a screen, or alternatively direct color light to a designated region. Fiber optics or other delivery methods carry the colored light from light sources to the pixilated surface. Although operationally cooler, and void of multiple moving parts, pixilated systems are not without their limitations. A ⅔ decrease in light intensity results from the use of a broadband while light source and red, green and blue pixel elements. To obtain red, green and blue light from the broadband white light, the light must pass through a matrix of red, green and blue absorptive "dots". On each dot or pixel, two of the three colors (i.e. green and blue on a red dot) are absorbed. Therefore, by converting the broadband white light to red, green, and blue, ⅔ of the light is lost in the conversion. This loss precedes any further losses associated with transmitting and mixing the light.
In addition to needing color light, venues such as theaters, theme parks and trade shows often desire to shape the color light to create various images. The methods used, e.g. gobos or reflective display devices, are often times separate from the color lighting system. Integration, therefore, of the color lighting system and the imaging generating device can be cumbersome and inefficient.
Hence, there is a need for a color filter device and color filter system that overcome one or more of the limitations discussed above.

Electronic adjustable color filter device


A flow control valve to regulate the bleed flow rate of a pressurized vessel at one of only two available bleed flow rates. The flow control valve comprises an axial main gas flow passageway with an integral check valve that allows pressurization of the vessel, a bleed passageway for depressurization of the vessel, and a threaded bleed passageway cap that allows bleeding of the vessel at one of only two rates available, based on the counter-rotated position of the bleed cap.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to flow control valves operable to bleed pressure from a pressurized source. More particularly, this invention relates to flow control bleed valves having a check valve incorporated therein allowing pressurization of the pressure source.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exist many types of flow control valves operable to regulate the flow of a fluid into and out of a tank or other container. Basically, the more predominate type of flow control valve comprises a spring-loaded ball which is urged against a valve seat by means of a vented turn knob. During operation, rotation of the turn knob increases (or decreases) the space between the ball and the valve seat, thereby regulating the flow of fluid therethrough. These types of flow control valves work quite suitably and reliably. However, since each component part of the flow control valve requires machining and deburring, these valves are manufactured at a relatively high cost.
In many applications, it is desirable to incorporate a check valve into the flow control valve such that the flow of fluid in one direction is uninhibited, while the flow of fluid in the opposite direction is controlled. For example, in the medical field, it is almost universal practice to utilize a flow control/check valve in-line between the pump bulb and the inflatable cuff of a blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer). The check valve of a control valve of this nature allows the inflatable cuff to be freely inflated to a desired pressure by pumping of the pump bulb. After the cuff is suitably inflated to the desired constricting pressure about the patient's arm, the cuff is slowly deflated by slowly bleeding the pressure contained therein through the use of the flow control valve. Of course, many other applications exist which require the use of a flow control valve having a check valve incorporated therein.
In regard to sphygmomanometers, there exists a need for a flow control valve having a preset bleed rate which allows the inflatable cuff to be bled at a preset, constant rate so that the inflatable cuff is not deflated too rapidly. The operator thus obtains an accurate systolic and diastolic pressure reading.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the flow control valve art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve which is economical to manufacture and highly reliable in operation.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve composed of injection molded parts which do not require machining or deburring prior to assembly thereby reducing the cost of manufacture thereof.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve having a turn knob which, on rotation, variably controls the flow of fluid therethrough.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve having a check valve incorporated therein, allowing a tank or other container to be inflated to a pressurized state by means of the check valve and then slowly deflated to a depressurized state by means of the variable flow control valve.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve operable as a bleed valve to bleed pressure from a pressurized source.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve having a turn knob, which, on rotation, controls the flow of fluid therethrough at a preset rate allowing the flow control valve to be utilized in conjunction with a sphygmomanometer to obtain systolic and diastolic pressure readings.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flow control valve having a turn knob which, upon rotation by approximately a quarter turn, controls the flow of fluid therethrough at a first preset rate, and then, upon further rotation of the turn knob, controls the flow of fluid therethrough at a second, higher rate.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A work transfer device employed in a multi-process press machine is provided with a drive unit formed of a servo motor, a cam shaft vertically provided so as to be rotatably driven by the drive unit, a cam mechanism formed of three cams including an X-axis feed cam that moves a feed bar provided with a work holding fitting for holding a work toward an X-axis direction, a Y-axis feed cam that moves the feed bar in parallel toward a Y-axis direction in parallel, and a Z-axis feed cam that moves the feed bar in parallel toward a Z-axis direction, a group of swing levers formed of three types of swing levers which are swingably operated in engagement with the corresponding cams that constitute the cam mechanism, and a link mechanism connected to each end portion of the swing levers such that the feed bar is linearly driven toward the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a work transfer device which is employed in a multi-process press machine combined with a plurality of metal mold sets for sequentially transferring the work from one process step to another.
2. Description of Related Art
A generally employed work transfer device has been disclosed in Patent Publication No. 2504382, for example. The disclosed device is structured such that the feed bar to which the work suction fitting (holding fitting) is attached is moved two dimensionally, that is, longitudinal direction and lateral direction on the vertical plane including the work transfer direction such that the work is sequentially transferred from one process step to another. The aforementioned two dimensional movement of the feed bar is performed by two cams. Meanwhile Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-328766 discloses the transfer press carrying device structured to move the work suction fitting (holding fitting) three-dimensionally in X-axis,Y-axis, and Z-axis directions such that the work transfer may be performed more smoothly at higher rates.
The transfer press carrying device in which the work is three-dimensionally transferred as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-328766 is provided with a plurality of servo motors, a position detection sensor, an encoder, and a controller that execute predetermined computing operations based on data detected by various detection units as described above such that the work suction fitting (holding fitting) is moved to a predetermined position based on the computed result. Accordingly, the resultant structure of the device for the work transfer becomes complicated and large in size.

Work transfer device in multi-process press machine


An actuating system for operating transverse doors of a railroad hopper car. The mechanism includes an operating member which is coupled to a door or doors of the car by a shaft and a linkage which couples a power source to the operating member, where the operating member rotates to move the door away from the hopper. The mechanism can operate doors which open in opposed direction with a single power source. The mechanism can be used in new car construction, and can be retrofitted onto existing hopper cars.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to a device for opening the hopper doors of a railroad car, and, in particular, to a system for automatically opening and closing the hopper doors of a railroad car.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common type of railroad freight car in use today is the freight car of the type wherein the load is discharged through hoppers in the underside of the body. Such cars are generally referred to as hopper cars and are used to haul coal, phosphate and other commodities.
After hopper cars are spotted over an unloading pit, the doors of the hoppers are opened, allowing the material within the hopper to be emptied into the pit.
Hopper cars, which may be covered, are usually found with one of two hopper configurations: transverse, in which the doors closing the hoppers are oriented perpendicular to the center line of the car; or longitudinal, in which the doors closing the hoppers are oriented parallel to the center line of the car. An example of a hopper car with transverse doors is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,531, while an example of a hopper car with longitudinal doors is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,877.
Prior art references which teach operating mechanisms for opening and closing hopper doors include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,596,609; 4,741,274; 3,187,684; 3,611,947; 3,786,764; 3,815,514; 3,818,842; 3,949,681; 4,222,334; 4,366,757; 4,601,244; 5,823,118; and 5,249,531. There are several disadvantages to the hopper door operating mechanisms described in some of the aforementioned patents. One problem is that some of the prior art mechanisms are designed such that each actuating mechanism is connected to doors from two separate hoppers. Thus, if the mechanism fails, it effects the operation of two hoppers. Another disadvantage of some of the above described hopper door mechanisms is that the operating mechanisms limit the distance of the door motion, thus limiting the open area of the car's bottom. This arrangement slows the unloading process and causes additional costs and potential damage to the car due to increased periods in thaw sheds. However, many of these systems usually require automatic operation of the doors, which requires an operating cylinder and valving.
Finally, it is often desirable to empty the contents of a railcar while the car is in motion, thus allowing the car to be emptied quicker. This method of operation also normally requires the use of expensive air cylinders and valving.

Railroad hopper car transverse door actuating mechanism


A torsionally tuned damper assembly for a geared power transmission is disclosed. The damper assembly, at a power output end of a transmission power output shaft, has an inertia ring with a calibrated natural torsional frequency that reduces the resonance energy developed by gear rattle forces at a transmission gear mesh.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vibration damper for attenuating gear rattle due to torsional vibrations in a power output shaft for a geared transmission.
2. Background Art
In a power transmission mechanism for an automotive vehicle, a vehicle engine delivers driving power to a transmission power output shaft through multiple torque flow paths defined by torque transmitting gearing. In the case of a manually-controlled multiple-ratio transmission, the torque flow paths are established and disestablished by torque delivery transmission synchronizers and an engine clutch with an engine torsional vibration damper. The transmission power output shaft is subjected to high frequency torque disturbances due to the combustion forces of the engine transmitted through the engine clutch and inertia forces developed by the gears at each gear mesh. The forces at a gear mesh to which the power output shaft is subjected are referred to commonly as gear rattle forces.
The meshing engagements of the teeth of individual transmission gear elements, of necessity, have a degree of backlash since a zero backlash gear mesh would result in unacceptable gear tooth forces at the gear tooth surfaces. The gear elements, which typically have involute profiles, require a predetermined backlash condition to compensate for dimensional changes in the gearing geometry due to temperature changes in transmission lubricating fluid during normal vehicle operation. A so-called gear rattle condition is a result of the pre-designed backlash at each gear mesh. The gear rattle resulting from torsional vibration, as well as torsional vibrations resulting from the engine combustion forces transferred through the clutch damper, cause transmission power output shaft torsional vibrations.
The transmission power output shaft has a natural resonant torsional vibration frequency. The rotary speed of the transmission power output shaft at which that resonant frequency occurs depends upon the shaft geometry, the inertia mass of transmission components connected to the shaft and the characteristics of the clutch torsional vibration damper.
In a typical automotive power transmission mechanism in contemporary automotive powertrains, a transmission power output shaft resonant frequency may occur at intermediate transmission output shaft speeds between 1,000 rpm and 2,000 rpm. A typical resonant frequency for a power output shaft in a contemporary automotive transmission may be approximately 68 Hz, which may occur at about 1,375 rpm.
Attempts have been made to attenuate the torsional vibrations in a rotary power delivery shaft in various driveline environments by mounting on the shaft a torsional damper with a natural resonant frequency that can be tuned to counteract the natural resonant frequency of the shaft. An example of a damper of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,694, which is specifically designed for eliminating torsional vibrations resulting from a differential gearing in a differential and axle assembly to which an engine driven driveshaft would be connected in a vehicle driveline. It is intended to attenuate gear noise created by the differential gearing. A gear noise condition, however, is a phenomenon that is different than a gear rattle condition, which is the condition with which the present invention is concerned. The device of the '694 patent would be incapable of attenuating torsional vibrations in a transmission power output shaft caused by gear tooth impact and gear rattle at a gear mesh.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,666 is an example of another design approach for using a torsional damper for an automotive vehicle driveshaft at a location in the driveline remote from the transmission itself. The design of the '666 patent is intended to deal with gear noise in an axle rather than gear rattle due to torsional vibrations. The damper of the '666 patent is mounted at a selected location on an automotive driveshaft, which is formed in two pieces. The adjacent ends of each driveshaft piece of that design are secured together by the damper assembly, each adjacent end being welded to opposite sides of the damper assembly.

Torsional damper for a transmission output shaft


The method comprises segmenting lines into regions of saturated pixels, and, for each of these saturated regions, selecting at least one color channel that is not saturated, then, for each pixel of said region, adding to the color information provided by the saturated color channel for said pixel a difference between the color information provided by the selected non-saturated color channel for said pixel and a baseline color value computed for the region of this pixel.

Most existing cameras can only capture a limited range of illumination within a single exposure. Wrong selection of camera settings, combined with the physical constraints of camera sensors limit the maximum irradiance value which can be captured and stored as images for a given exposure time and amplifier gain. Therefore, scene irradiance values, which are beyond the maximum capacity of the camera sensor elements, cannot be accurately captured, resulting in over-exposed or color-saturated regions in the captured images.
Saturation of bright image regions of an image is of course undesirable as it visually degrades the image. Missing detail in bright image regions is particularly problematic in the context of high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, and in particular in reverse tone mapping. Recent developments in display capabilities suggest that consumer displays are likely to display HDR content in the near future, requiring solutions for preparing legacy content for this new display modality. As most current reverse tone mapping solutions detect and expand bright regions in the image, it is crucial that missing color information in these regions is recovered in a robust manner.
Image color saturation can take two forms, which are typically treated using significantly different methods. If all three color channels of colors of saturated parts of an image are clipped due to saturation, no robust color information is present in that part of the image and therefore correction methods either rely on probabilistic information obtained from the rest of the image to hallucinate the missing pixels or on filling in the missing information based on a global prior part of this image. On the other hand, if only one or two of the RGB components are saturated in a part of the image, it is possible to reconstruct missing information in clipped color channels using the color information in non-clipped channels or by combining it with information from nearby image regions. The invention concerns this second form of image color saturation.
Because of the strong correlation between color channels specifically in the RGB color space (see E. Reinhard and T. Pouli, "Colour spaces for colour transfer," in IAPR Computational Color Imaging Workshop, ser. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, R. Schettini, S. Tominaga, and A. Tremeau, Eds. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011—invited paper, vol. 6626, pp. 1-15), most methods related to the second form above process images in the RGB color space. In the simplest case, the global correlation between color channels can be determined in the form of a global Bayesian model and used in the process of recovery of the missing color information due to saturation (see X. Zhang and D. H. Brainard, "Estimation of saturated pixel values in digital color imaging," JOSA A, vol. 21, no. 12, pp. 2301-2310, 2004).
Correlation between color channels can be exploited by using information in unclipped color channels within the same spatial region. In S. Z. Masood, J. Zhu, and M. F. Tappen, "Automatic correction of saturated regions in photographs using cross-channel correlation", Computer Graphics Forum, vol. 28, no. 7. Wiley Online Library, 2009, pp. 1861-1869, the Bayesian modelling method of Zhang et al. (see above) is extended and used the relationship between pixels and their neighbourhood to estimate ratios between RGB channels.
This approach relies on the minimization of two cost functions, which significantly increases its computational complexity. In addition, the use of neighbourhood information may result in incorrect hue values.
An object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks.

Method for conversion of a saturated image into a non-saturated image


Continuous hot dip aluminum coated ferritic chromium alloy steel strip. Strip is cleaned by heating to a temperature no greater than about 650.degree. C. in a direct fired furnace. The cleaned strip is further heated in a protective atmosphere containing at least 95% by volume hydrogen, cooled in the protective hydrogen atmosphere to near or slightly above the melting point of an aluminum coating metal, and passed into a bath of the aluminum coating metal. The low direct fired furnace cleaning temperature and hydrogen protective atmosphere provides good wetting of a chromium alloy steel surface to prevent uncoated areas or pin holes in the aluminum coated layer.

This invention relates to a continuously hot dipped metallic coated ferritic chromium alloy ferrous base strip and a process to enhance the wetting of the strip surface with molten aluminum.
Hot dip aluminum coated steel exhibits a high corrosion resistance to salt and finds various applications in automotive exhaust systems and combustion equipment. In recent years, exhaust system requirements have increased with respect to durability and aesthetics. For this reason, there has become a need to increase high temperature oxidation resistance and salt corrosion resistance by replacing aluminum coated low carbon or low alloy steels with aluminum coated chromium alloy steels. For high temperature oxidation, at least part of the aluminum coating layer can be diffused into the iron base by the heat during use to form an Fe-Al alloy layer. If uncoated areas are present in the aluminum coating layer, accelerated oxidation leading to a perforation of the base metal may result if the Fe-Al alloy is not continuously formed on the base metal. For lower temperatures, the aluminum coating layer acts as a barrier protection for atmospheric conditions and as a cathodic coating in high salt environments. Again, if uncoated areas are present, accelerated corrosion may occur leading to failure of the coated structure.
It is well known to hot dip metallic coat low carbon steel strip without a flux by subjecting the strip to a preliminary treatment which provides a clean surface free of oil, dirt and iron oxide which is readily wettable by the coating metal. One type of preliminary in-line anneal treatment for low carbon steel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,085 issued to C. A. Turner, Jr. The Turner process, also known as the Selas process, for preparation of low carbon steel strip for hot dip metallic coating includes passing the strip through a direct fired furnace having an atmosphere heated to a temperature of at least 2400.degree. F. (1316.degree. C.). The atmosphere is formed from the gaseous products of combustion of fuel and air and has no free oxygen. The fuel-air ratio is controlled to provide the necessary reducing characteristics for effecting cleaning of the steel strip. The fuel-air ratio is regulated to provide a slight excess of fuel so that there is no free oxygen but excess combustibles in the form of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Maintaining a furnace atmosphere of at least 1316.degree. C. having at least 3% excess combustibles is reducing to steel up to 1700.degree. F. (927.degree. C.). Turner teaches his cleaned strip is then passed through a sealed delivery duct having a neutral or protective atmosphere prior to passing the cleaned strip into a coating pot. For coating with molten zinc, Turner teaches heating the strip up to 1000.degree. F. (538.degree. C.). For coating with molten aluminum, Turner teaches heating the strip within the temperature range of 1250.degree.-1300.degree. F. (677.degree.-704.degree. C.) in the direct fired furnace since the atmosphere is still reducing to the steel at these temperatures.
Modern direct fired furnaces include an additional furnace section normally heated with radiant tubes. This furnace section contains the same neutral or reducing protective atmosphere, e.g. 75% nitrogen -25% hydrogen, as the delivery duct described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,579 issued to C. Flinchum et al describes an in-line pretreatment for hot dip aluminum coating low alloy steel strip to enhance wettability by the coating metal. The steel contains one or more of up to 5% chromium, up to 3% aluminum, up to 2% silicon and up to 1% titanium, all percentages by weight. The strip is heated to a temperature above 1100.degree. F. (593.degree. C.) in an atmosphere oxidizing to iron to form a surface oxide layer, further treated under conditions which reduce the iron oxide whereby the surface layer is reduced to a pure iron matrix containing a uniform dispersion of oxides of the alloying elements.
The problems associated with nonwetting of aluminum coatings onto ferritic chromium alloy steel are also well known. Hot dip aluminum coatings have poor wettability to ferritic chromium alloy steel base metals and normally have uncoated or bare spots in the aluminum coating layer. By poor adherence is meant flaking or crazing of the coating during bending the strip. To overcome the adherence problem, some have proposed heat treating the aluminum coated steel to anchor the coating layer to the base metal. Others lightly reroll the coated chromium alloy steel to bond the aluminum coating. Finally, those concerned about uncoated spots have generally avoided continuous hot dip coating. Rather, batch type hot dip coating or spray coating processes have been used. For example, after a chromium alloy steel article has been fabricated, it is dipped for an extended period of time within an aluminum coating bath to form a very thick coating layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,214 issued to F. M. Kilbane et al, incorporated herein by reference, proposes a solution for enhancing the wetting of ferritic chromium alloy steel strip continuously coated with hot dip aluminum coatings. The Kilbane process includes cleaning a ferritic chromium alloy steel and passing the cleaned steel through a protective hydrogen atmosphere substantially void of nitrogen prior to entry of the steel into an aluminum coating bath. This process resulted in improved wetting of ferritic chromium alloy steel so long as the steel was not cleaned by heating to an elevated temperature in a direct fired furnace. According to Turner, a direct fired furnace having an atmosphere with at least 3% combustibles heated to 2400.degree. F. (1316.degree. C.) is reducing to steel up to 1700.degree. F. (927.degree. C.). Nevertheless, heating ferritic chromium alloy steel at temperatures about 1250.degree. F. (677.degree. C.) and above in a direct fired furnace whose atmosphere has no free oxygen and subsequently passing the steel through a protective atmosphere of substantially pure hydrogen immediately prior to hot dip coating with aluminum still had large uncoated areas. Not being bound by theory, it is believed a direct fired furnace atmosphere having no free oxygen does have significant oxidizing potential due to the presence of water and apparently is oxidizing to the chromium contained in a chromium alloy ferrous strip. The chromium oxide formed on the surface of the strip apparently is not removed sufficiently by the protective hydrogen atmosphere prior to entry into the coating bath thereby preventing complete wetting of the strip surface.

Hot dip aluminum coated chromium alloy steel


A melodic candle assembly having a generally cylindrical wax body seated in the top of a tubular base. The wax body has an axial wick. Adjacent the wick is a thermoresponsive member comprising a thin piezoelectric strip with metal films on opposite sides thereof which serve as electrodes. An electronic circuit in the base has an integrated circuit comprising a memory stage containing prerecorded signals representing audible sounds. A loudspeaker in circuit with the memory stage reproduces the audible sounds when activated. The thermoresponsive member is connected to the electronic circuit and applies thereto a piezoelectrically generated voltage when the candle is ignited to thereby trigger the memory stage and activate the loudspeaker. When the candle flame is extinguished, the audible sounds are stopped.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of festive candles used on cakes and other objects for celebrating red-letter days such as birthdays, anniversaries, parties, engagements, holidays, retirements, etc.; and more particularly concerns a festive candle assembly which emits an audible melody, musical tones, vocal rendition, song or spoken message when the candle is ignited and which ceases emitting audible sounds when the candle flame is extinguished.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional candles used on cakes for festive occasions are generally cylindrical or tapered bodies of wax, tallow, or other solid fat with a an axial wick which is lighted to produce a flame of low intensity when burning. Such candles burn silently. Since they emit no sound they do not enhance the festivity of the occasion melodically.

No. 305, 119-dong, Chugong A.P.T., Gayemjong-dong


An ignition plug capable of improving ignition performance while preventing pre-ignition includes a center electrode, a bottomed cylindrical insulator enclosing a front end portion of the center electrode and a cylindrical metal shell holding therein the insulator. The insulator has, on a front end side thereof, a protruding portion protruding from and located frontward of a front end of the metal shell. In the ignition plug, a difference between an outer diameter of the center electrode and an inner diameter of the insulator is 0.01 mm or more; an axial length of the protruding portion is 6.7 mm to 12.7 mm; and the following condition is satisfied: 1.07≤S/V1≤1.35 where S is an outer surface area of the protruding portion; and V1 is a volume of the protruding portion.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2014-22341 (abbreviated as JP 2014-22341 A) discloses an ignition plug for ignition of air-fuel mixture by non-equilibrium plasma in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. This ignition plug includes a center electrode, a bottomed cylindrical insulator enclosing a front end portion of the center electrode, and a metal shell holding therein the insulator, with a front end portion of the insulator protruding from a front end of the metal shell, so that non-equilibrium plasma is generated in a space around the insulator for ignition of air-fuel mixture. The ignition performance of the ignition plug is improved as the amount of generation of non-equilibrium plasma is increased with increase in the surface area of the front end portion of the insulator.
However, the larger the surface area of the front end portion of the insulator, the more susceptible the front end portion of the insulator is to heat of combustion gas. When the surface temperature of the heated insulator becomes excessively high, there arises a problem of pre-ignition due to heat from the insulator.
On the other hand, the larger the volume of the insulator becomes with increase in the surface area of the front end portion of the insulator, the more easily the heat can be radiated (dissipated) from the front end portion of the insulator through the insulator. When the surface temperature of the front end portion of the insulator becomes low, it is likely that carbon will be deposited on the front end portion of the insulator. Due to such carbon deposition, it becomes difficult to generate non-equilibrium plasma so that there arises a problem of deterioration in ignition performance.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An advantage of the present invention is an ignition plug capable of improving its ignition performance while preventing pre-ignition.


A method of manufacturing a marker post includes the steps of preheating a tubular barrel adjacent to a lower end thereof to soften same and deforming the tubular barrel lower end to form a flange assembly. The pre-softened tubular barrel is received in a barrel holder. A mandrel assembly is reciprocated into and out of engagement with the barrel lower end. The mandrel assembly reshapes the barrel lower end to form the flange assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to markers, and in particular to a terrestrial marker post adapted for locating buried utility lines and the like, and a method and apparatus for manufacturing same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Marker posts are commonly used for marking the locations of various underground objects. For example, utility lines are often buried. In many locations utility lines are required to be placed underground for aesthetic reasons.
In recent years fiber-optic cable networks have been installed in many parts of the country. A common installation procedure involves trenching or boring underground and placing the fiber-optic cables within protective plastic conduit. The fiber-optic cables have many advantages for telecommunications, including the ability to efficiently transmit large amounts of data. However, the potential earnings losses associated with an inoperative fiber-optic cable can be very large, because relatively high revenues are commonly generated from their transfer of correspondingly large amounts of data for telecommunications customers.
Excavating equipment and operations pose significant threats to buried utility lines, including fiber-optic cables. Natural gas pipelines, for example, pose an explosion risk. Electrical power lines have attendant risks of damage and injuries related to electrical power. Accidentally severing a buried fiber-optic cable can subject an excavation contractor to significant liability for interrupted service.
In order to control such risks, utility companies and service providers have marked the locations of their underground lines and provided information regarding same, such as toll-free numbers, which excavators are encouraged to xe2x80x9ccall before diggingxe2x80x9d. A common pre-existing type of marker includes a length of plastic pipe with one end embedded in the ground and the other end mounting a cap. The cap can have printed thereon warning information, and can be color-coded for the type of buried utility, e.g.: bluexe2x80x94water; yellowxe2x80x94natural gas; redxe2x80x94electric; orange (white)xe2x80x94fiber-optic, etc. Such utility markers tend to be relatively effective and are widely recognized. Another advantage is that they are relatively easy to install, but unfortunately many of the prior art designs were easily removed. For example, the surrounding soil can often be loosened by manipulating the above-ground portion of a marker post. The prior art marker posts were thus susceptible to vandalism, theft, etc. A previous solution to this problem involved extending a peg through the embedded portion of the marker post and into the surrounding soil for pullout resistance. However, the pegs and their receivers represented additional components and installation steps, thus adding to the installed costs of the marker posts. Moreover, installing the pegs was sometimes overlooked whereby the marker posts were unprotected.
Heretofore there has not been available a marker post and manufacturing method with the advantages and features of the present invention.


A method of preparing one-dimensional trimanganese tetroxide (Mn3O4) nanoparticles from an exfoliated two-dimensional manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanosheet using a solid-state decomposition method, and Mn3O4 nanoparticles prepared according to the method are provided. The Mn3O4 nanoparticles can be prepared at a very low temperature without using an organic solvent or a chemical additive, compared to conventional synthesis methods.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preparing trimanganese tetroxide (Mn3O4) nanoparticles from an exfoliated manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanosheet using a solid-state decomposition method, and Mn3O4 nanoparticles preparing according to the method.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, Mn3O4 powder is prepared by reduction of MnO2 or MnOOH or oxidation of Mn(OH)2. In the reduction process, Mn3O4 can be obtained by reducing a manganese oxide using a method of heating a manganese oxide such as Mn2O3, MnO2 or MnOOH in a kiln using methane gas as a reducing agent. When this process is applied, the heat treatment is carried out at 250° C. to 550° C. so as to prevent generation of MnO by excessive reduction. A method of yielding Mn3O4 powder using this process has an advantage in that the process is very simple. However, the method has problems in that it is difficult to prepare Mn3O4 powder in high purity since MnO is generated as impurities due to the excessive reduction during the heat treatment, and the reactivity is poor when used as a source material for preparing ferrite since a surface area of powder prepared by sintering Mn3O4 at a high temperature increases with an increasing particle size of the powder.
Another method of preparing a high-purity Mn3O4 powder includes a method of oxidizing a manganese metal powder in a pressurized reactor while the powder is dispersed in water. In this case, the method generally has advantages in that the reaction time is short, the prepared powder has high purity, and its particles are small and uniform in diameter. However, the method has problems in that the instrument is expensive, and it is uneconomic due to excessive use of energy since it requires high temperature and voltage.
Also, there is a method of preparing Mn3O4 which includes adding an alkaline solution such as an ammonia solution to an aqueous manganese sulfate solution to generate manganese hydroxide and adding an oxidizing agent to the manganese hydroxide. This method has an advantage in that the prepared Mn3O4 has a small particle diameter, but has problems in that wastewater containing sulfuric acid ions exuded from manganese sulfate is formed during the preparation of the Mn3O4, and thus it requires an additional process of disposing of the wastewater, and the sulfuric acid ions remaining in the Mn3O4 degrade product qualities as a magnetic material, and thus it requires an additional washing process to remove the sulfuric acid ions.
In recent years, a method of preparing Mn3O4 powder, which includes dispersing a metal manganese powder in an aqueous solution together with an ammonium salt selected from NH4Cl, NH4Br, NH4I, NH4NO3 and (NH4)2SO4 and introducing oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas as an oxidizing agent into the aqueous solution while heating the resulting mixture, has been known in the art. This method has problems regarding the corrosion of a reaction container by negative ions (Cl—, Br—, I—, NO3—, (SO4)2—, etc.) included in the ammonium salt, the wastewater disposal for removing negative ions, and the washing process used to prevent the negative ions from remaining in the final product, Mn3O4. Also, the method has problems in that the metal manganese powder may be condensed into lumps during the reaction as the sudden reaction is carried out on a surface of the metal manganese powder, and the purity of the condensed lumps of the metal manganese powder may be lowered due to insufficient oxidation of the metal manganese powder.

Dongguk University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation