A retainer assembly for preventing food containers placed on a shelf of a refrigerator door from falling off the shelf when the refrigerator door is abruptly opened or closed includes a retaining element which is connected to a crosspiece extending above a base of the shelf and pivotally movable relative to the crosspiece between first and second extreme positions, as well as a substantially infinite number of intermediate positions. The retaining element is either directly attached to the crosspiece or pivotally connected to a supporting sheath that is snap-fit onto the crosspiece. In either case, the retaining element rides along one or more camming surfaces which causes the retaining element to be physically deformed as it is pivoted between the first and second extreme positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to an adjustable retainer assembly for maintaining food containers in a desired storage condition upon a shelf provided on an interior portion of a refrigerator door.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art to form refrigerator doors with inner liners which incorporate a plurality of shelves upon which various food containers may be stored. These shelves are often designed to hold narrow containers, such as wine bottles or salad dressings. Most often, a refrigerator door shelf will be provided with an associated front wall or a cross bar such that, when the refrigerator door is abruptly opened, the front wall of the shelf will serve as a retainer and prevent any forward motion of the food container. Thus, the front wall would prevent undesirable movement of the container upon the shelf, thereby hindering any tipping over of the food container.
Recently, refrigerator shelves have been made much deeper than in the past in order to acconmmodate much wider and taller containers, such as large mayonnaise jars or one gallon milk jugs. In a manner similar to prior known arrangements, the shelf has an associated front wall or cross bar which prevents fore-to-aft movement of the containers in order to prevent the containers from falling off the shelf when the refrigerator door is opened. However, when a rather tall and narrow food container is placed on the same shelf, the front wall of the shelf cannot prevent a substantial amount of fore-to-aft movement of the container. Thus, such containers will be prone to toppling over, spilling and perhaps even breaking when the refrigerator door is abruptly opened.
In an attempt to solve this known problem, it is heretofore been proposed to attach additional retaining structure to the refrigerator door liner itself. Such retaining structures, typically taking the form of retaining bars, are used to effectively change the depth of the shelf by applying pressure to an upper portion of the food container, thus holding the container in place when the refrigerator door is opened. U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,029 discloses various retainer arrangements, each including a removable retainer element mounted to the inner liner of a refrigerator door and capable of being pivoted to adapt modern deep refrigerator door shelves for use with varying food container sizes. More specifically, in accordance with this patented arrangement, a retainer bar can be pivoted to various discreet positions relative to the liner, while being maintained in a desired position by cooperating with detent structure. Although this known prior art solves numerous problems encountered with deep refrigerator shelves, the adjustable retainer assembly still has certain drawbacks. Primarily, the number of positions in which the bar can be retained is preset and therefore limited.
Based on the above, it would be desirable to have an adjustable retainer assembly which can be set in a substantially infinite number of positions such that it could be adjusted to a selected position dedicated to the specific size of the food container supported on the shelf. In addition, it is desirable to provide an adjustable retainer assembly which can be selectively incorporated into new refrigerators or readily retrofitted onto existing refrigerator door shelving arrangements.

Adjustable retainer assembly for a refrigerator door shelf


A reloading system for dispensing spherical projectiles is disclosed. The reloading system has a removable cartridge that removes from a base unit attached to a spherical projectile device. Upon insertion of the cartridge, a sliding gate on the removable cartridge permits direct feed of the projectiles to the projectile device. An ejection mechanism releases the cartridge for insertion of another cartridge.

In many different situations, luck is simply opportunity meeting preparation. In paintball, opportunities are created when your opposing force becomes vulnerable. Preparation is reducing your own vulnerabilities and defining tactics and strategies that reduce the probability of the opponent taking advantage of your vulnerabilities.
In the game of paintball, players may fire several hundred paintballs in a matter of minutes. Covering avenues of egress effectively so as to dissuade opposing teammates from attack may require a consistent barrage of paintballs. The amount of this type of coverage is limited by the amount of paintballs available to the player. In some settings, a large hopper may provide an adequate supply but the larger hopper increases the target profile for the opposing force. A smaller hopper reduces the user's target profile but limits the number of paintballs a player has available to his or her disposal. The capacity of any system can be increased by using an external cartridge to reload the base unit with additional paintballs. The use of cartridges allows the user to gain the benefit of a decreased target profile while still maintaining the high volume of coverage.
In utilizing the base unit-cartridge combination, the depleted base unit must be refreshed with additional paintballs. First, both the base unit to be refilled and the cartridge holding fresh paintballs must be opened, which generally consists of opening a lid to both units. Next, the contents of the cartridge are dumped into the base unit. Finally, the lid to the base unit is closed and the depleted cartridge is discarded for collection after the game is completed. This process may be repeated numerous times throughout the course of a game. If the game consists of several rounds, the cartridges may be refilled in between rounds for continued use. Reloading the base unit provides the user with additional paintballs but also makes the user vulnerable to attack during the refilling process.
During reloading, the user's resources must be divided between the game and the reloading process. First, the reloading process may require the use of two hands to open the hopper and cartridge. Second, the user must partially divert his or her attention away from the game to the reloading process. A user who focuses too much on the reloading process may open himself or herself to attacks from other players while players focusing too much on the game may spill and waste a significant portion of their paintballs thereby increasing the frequency of reloading sessions. Depending on the complexity of the system, problems may also arise from components in the system failing. Increasing the complexity of the system increases the probability of component failure. Third, the time it takes to refill the hopper is also time that an avenue of egress remains uncovered by suppression fire. The player is also left effectively defenseless; opposing forces may capitalize on this time and make significant advances. Furthermore, the use of a hopper with a lid requires that the user ensure that the lid is closed before engaging in high-intensity activities. Failure to properly close the hopper may result in paintballs falling out of the hopper thereby decreasing the number of balls available for attack. Therefore there is a need for a quick, simple device to provide paintballs to a paintball marker that requires a minimum of interaction between the player and the paintball marker and that does not require a lid.


Provided herein is a terminal device including a communication interface configured to receive a moving picture; a fingerprint extractor configured to extract a fingerprint from a frame of the moving picture; a controller configured to detect a target object from the frame, and control the communication interface to transmit the fingerprint to a server, and receive object information corresponding to the transmitted fingerprint from the server; and an outputter configured to output the received object information when content corresponding to the object information is output.

1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a terminal device and information providing method thereof, and more particularly, to a terminal device that is capable of reducing information processing load on the terminal device and on a server when providing contents-related information, and an information providing method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the gradual increase of users' needs, the source of broadcasting contents and multimedia contents is changing from a skywave-oriented single source to various sources such as cables, Internet Protocol Televisions (IPTVs), and Videos On Demand (VODs). Furthermore, sources are emerging that provide information such as customized advertisements and program recommendations and the like.
Such information including customized advertisements and program recommendations needs to be provided such that it corresponds to an image that is being output through an outputting device. For example, it is effective that an advertisement message about a certain product is shown when an image where the product is exposed is being shown.
A related art apparatus used a fingerprint of an image, that is, feature data for identifying a content part currently being output in order to provide such an information providing service.
However, in the related art apparatus, the fingerprint had to be transmitted to a server on a very short cycle in order to recognize the content part currently being output. That is because, a meaningful object may appear and disappear on the content part currently being output while the fingerprint is not being transmitted, in which case the user may not receive the information on a timely basis.
However, the aforementioned related art method is problematic since it may place too much operational load on the apparatus that outputs contents and to the server. Furthermore, in the perspective of the network, too much traffic costs may incur.

Terminal device and information providing method thereof


An electron tube, such as, a photomultiplier, includes an aluminum seal ring 4 disposed between a Kovar cylinder 1, and a quartz faceplate 5 having a photocathode 6. The electron tube further includes a borosilicate stem plate 2, an anode 8, and a dynode 7. The aluminum seal ring 4 provides for increased air tightness, reliability, quantum efficiency, and gain.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an electron tube, e.g., a photomultiplier, image intensifier or streak camera.
2. Related Background Art
An electron tube having a photoelectric surface (photoemissive cathode) is constituted to include a light-receiving surface plate, a cylinder, and a stem member. Borosilicate glass or the like is used as the material of the stem member so that external terminals (pin members) extend through the stem member. A glass plate is often used as the light-receiving surface plate. Therefore, the cylinder and the light-receiving surface plate must be adhered.
A conventional method for sealing the cylinder with the light-receiving surface plate without using heat treatment, that is a so called cold seal method, is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 9648/1982.

Electron tube including aluminum seal ring


A zoom lens having a high zoom ratio (>4.times.) and a large aperture ratio (FNO 2.8) and capable of providing close-range focus with only a small amount of aberration fluctuations. The zoom lens comprises either five or six lens groups. An exemplary zoom lens comprises, objectwise to imagewise, a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power and separated from the first lens group by a first air space, a third lens group having negative refractive power and separated from the second lens group by a second air space, a fourth lens group having positive refractive power and separated from the third lens group by a third air space, and a fifth lens group having a positive refractive power and separated from said fourth lens group by a fourth air space. The zoom lens is designed such that when zooming from the maximum wide-angle state to the maximum telephoto state, at least the second lens group moves imagewise and at least one of the first lens group and said fourth lens group moves so as to increase the first and second air spaces and decrease the third and fourth air spaces. The zoom lens also satisfies one or more of a number of preferred design conditions.

As zoom lenses having high zoom ratios and large apertures have become more common, there has been market demand for zoom lenses having even larger apertures and higher zoom ratios. Nevertheless, it has heretofore been impossible to realize a zoom lens based on the prior art that simultaneously achieves an increased aperture size while achieving a high zoom ratio.
Generally, zoom lenses are classified either as a positive lead type, wherein the most objectwise lens group has overall positive refractive power (i.e., is "positive"), or as a negative lead type, wherein the most objectwise lens group has overall negative refractive power (i.e., is "negative"). In positive lead type zoom lenses, the overall length of the lens is easily reduced. Accordingly, these zoom lenses are widely used as telephoto zoom lenses. On the other hand, in negative lead type zoom lenses, the back focus is easily lengthened. Accordingly, these zoom lenses are widely are used as wide-angle zoom lenses.
Telephoto zoom lens designs having a positive-negative-positive-positive four-group arrangement (i.e., wherein a positive master lens group is arranged after a positive-negative-positive focal variable power system) and a positive-negative-positive-negative four-group arrangement have been disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,258.
Among photographic lenses for 135-sized film format (Leica size), zoom lenses that include a focal length state wherein the focal length is 50 mm are generally called standard zoom lenses. Standard zoom lens designs having a negative-positive-negative-positive four-group arrangement have been disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,591,235, 4,750,617 and 4,846,562. Further, a positive-negative-positive-positive four-group arrangement of a standard zoom lens is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,017. Conventional positive-negative-positive-positive four-group type zoom lenses divide the third lens group of a positive-negative-positive three-group type zoom lens into two positive lens groups, and change the air space between the two positive lens groups when changing the positional state of the lens (i.e., when "zooming"). It is known that this lens configuration allows the fluctuation of off-axis aberrations generated as the positional state of the lens changes (i.e., as the power is varied) to be satisfactorily corrected. Accordingly, an increased zoom ratio can be realized.
With the progress in fabrication technology of aspherical lenses in recent years, it has been possible to introduce aspherical lenses at low cost. This has increased the number of aberration correction degrees of freedom. In addition, due to progress in fabrication technology for lens barrels, it has become possible to control with high precision the position of each lens group comprising a zoom lens. As a result, by increasing the number of moveable lens groups, it has become possible to further increase the number of aberration correction degrees of freedom. This, in turn, has made it possible to reduce the number of lenses in a zoom lens, increase zoom lens performance, and to improve their specifications.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,557 and Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. Hei 6-34885, a zoom lens is disclosed wherein an increased zoom ratio was achieved using a positive-negative-positive-negative-positive-negative six-group arrangement. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,476 discloses a zoom lens wherein an increased aperture size and an approximately three-fold zoom ratio were simultaneously achieved by introducing an aspherical surface in a positive-negative-positive-positive four-group type arrangement.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. Hei 6-34885 discloses a zoom lens having a positive-negative-negative-positive-positive five-group arrangement. This zoom lens realizes an increased worn ratio by arranging two negative lens groups imagewise of the first lens group. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. Hei 8-94933 discloses a zoom lens having a positive-negative-positive-positive four-group arrangement that realizes an increased variable power by introducing an aspherical surface in the second lens group.
Generally, negative lead type zoom lenses are used in zoom lenses that cover a field angle of 70.degree. or greater. The zoom lens disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. Hei 8-94933 is a positive lead type zoom lens through the introduction of an aspherical surface in the second lens group. It satisfactorily corrects fluctuation of coma due to changes in the field angle which tend to occur in the wide-angle state, and realizes high optical performance. However, since the second lens group of this zoom lens has strong negative refractive power, an attempt to increase the aperture size would greatly increase the surface area occupied when the on-axis light beam passes through the second lens group in the telephoto state (i.e., the lens positional state wherein the focal length is longest), as compared with when the worn lens is in the wide-angle state (i.e., lens positional state wherein the focal length is shortest). As a result, the off-axis aberrations in the wide-angle state and the on-axis aberrations in the telephoto state cannot be simultaneously corrected. Consequently, the coexistence of an increased aperture ratio and an increased zoom ratio is problematic.
In addition, if an attempt is made to increase the zoom ratio in a negative lead type zoom lens, the overall length of the lens in the telephoto state tend to increase, and the on-axis light beam emitted from the first lens group diverges and impinges on the positive lens group arranged imagewise of the first lens group. Consequently, the lens diameter tends to increase. In addition, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,141 (the "'141 patent"), by changing the air space between two adjacent negative lens groups when changing the lens positional state, the number of degrees of freedom is increased for correcting the fluctuation of off-axis aberrations generated as the lens positional state changes. Consequently, increased variable power and an increased optical performance are realized. The design in the '141 patent is such that if the air space between two lens groups having refractive powers of the same sign is changed when changing the lens positional state, the fluctuation of off-axis aberrations generated as the lens positional state changes can be satisfactorily corrected.
Zoom lenses generally focus at close range by moving one lens group, and are broadly classified by the following three systems: front focus systems, inner focus systems, and rear focus systems. In front focus systems, control is easier during manual focusing, since the amount of focusing movement of the first lens group needed to focus on a predetermined object is nearly fixed regardless of the lens positional state. Nevertheless, as autofocusing has become a common function in recent years, efforts have been made to increase its speed. To increase the speed of the autofocus function, it is vital that the amount of work required to move the focusing group (i.e., weight.times.amount of movement) be small. In the case of front focus systems, the lens diameter is extremely large and is thus not well-suited for autofocusing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,017, for example, discloses a zoom lens wherein the off-axis light beam passing through the first lens group arranged at a position removed from the aperture stop deviates greatly from the optical axis. Accordingly, the lens diameter of the first lens group, which is the focusing group in the front focus system, greatly increases.
The inner focus system and the rear focus system are suited to increasing the speed of autofocusing since a lens group having a small lens diameter can be selected as the focusing group. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,141 discloses a zoom lens having, objectwise to imagewise, a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power and a third lens group having a negative refractive power. Close-range focusing is performed by moving the third lens group. In this zoom lens, if an inner focus system or a rear focus system is used as to achieve close-range focusing, it is difficult to control the lens position of the focusing group, since the amount of focusing movement changes as the lens positional state changes from the wide-angle state to the telephoto state. In particular, if the zoom ratio of the zoom lens is increased, the change in the amount of focusing movement increases greatly as the lens positional state changes. Thus, it becomes even more difficult to control the lens position of the focusing group. In addition, in such a zoom lens having a large aperture, fluctuations of aberrations generated when focusing at close range tend to increase. Thus, it becomes difficult to reduce the fluctuation of aberrations as the lens positional state of the lens changes.
Further, the zoom lens disclosed in the abovementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,141 has a zoom ratio on the order of 3.times. and an FNO on the order of 10 in the telephoto state, and is not suited to increasing the zoom ratio and the aperture size.


A BLE-Mesh device includes a controller coupled to a memory and to a transceiver adapted to be coupled to an antenna, wherein the controller implements an applications layer including BLE and Mesh applications, and a BLE stack and a mesh stack. The BLE-Mesh device has a switchable high-speed and low-speed mode and a speed switching algorithm for implementing a method of communications in BLE-mesh network. A broadcast ping is sent to neighborhood devices with a time to live (TTL)=1. A manufacturer's ID is analyzed to identify in a manufacturer's ID field in pongs received to determine a higher-speed capable device or a lower-speed device. A higher-speed data rate is utilized for mesh communications if a percentage of higher-speed capable devices is≧a threshold percentage or a lower-speed data rate is utilized for the mesh communications if the percentage of higher-speed capable devices is<the threshold percentage.

BLE-Mesh is a wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology that uses a flooding-based packet protocol that with packet retransmission extends the range of BLE devices by including the ability to send messages to and amongst groups of devices. The devices in the BLE-Mesh network can support both BLE and BLE-mesh, but not necessarily both. A rebroadcasting mesh network works by flooding each message to all device nodes in the network through broadcasts.
The nodes in the mesh network all share a set of indexed data slots. Each time a device receives a broadcast message from another device in the mesh, the device repeats the message (rebroadcasts it), enabling its neighboring devices to 'hear' the new message. The neighboring devices rebroadcast this message to all their neighbors, and the process is repeated until all devices in the Mesh have received the same message. Flooding thus enables wireless devices to 'talk' to each other without being within a direct radio range, as devices between them help by relaying the messages. In a typical WPAN there are edge device(s) which are battery powered, relay devices that are always on as they are always in the listening mode, and there are functional end device(s), such as lights.
Each packet contains the sender's source address (SRC) for packet addressing as well as a packet sequence (SEQ) number, and the payload is also tagged with the type of message that is called a model. The packet also contains the address to whom (which device node) the packet is addressed. The packet generally specifies a unique address of each device in the mesh than can be derived from the device's Universally Unique Identifier (UUID). The SEQ number is a field indicating the sequence number of a message, which prevents device nodes from relaying packets that they have received before. For example a single bit for a single bit SEQ where the SEQ number bit is initialized to 0 by the device upon entering the connection state, and where the SEQ number bit is changed (from 0 to 1 or vice versa) for each new packet sent by the device, but the SEQ number bit is not changed when a packet is relayed (resent, so not new) by the device. Models are application implementations, such as a lighting model that defines the command to dim a light, or get status.
A network device that receives the packet checks the intended address to determine if it is the intended receiver of the packet, and if so begins processing the information within the packet. Devices that hear the packet but are not the intended receiver discard them, or send them back out as a broadcast. This relay function is possible, since a time-to-live (TTL) counter is used so that the packet will only be repeated so many times and since packets that come around are being recognized as already received, they will not be repeated. With this TTL-based packet relaying arrangement flooding the mesh can be avoided.

Mode-speed switching for exploiting high-speed in BLE-Mesh systems


Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to generating roadgraphs for use by autonomous vehicles. A computer may receive input defining aspects of a roadway including an intersection with another roadway, one or more traffic control features, and one or more locations at which a vehicle is required to observe at least one traffic signal before entering the intersection. A user may identify the intersection, for example, by tracing a perimeter around the intersection. In response, for each particular location of the one or more locations, the computer may identifying a route through the intersection from the particular location and determine, based on the boundary of the intersection and the particular location, a set of the one or more traffic control features must be observed by the vehicle before entering the intersection. This information may then be used to generate a roadgraph.

Autonomous vehicles use various computing systems to aid in the transport of passengers from one location to another. Some autonomous vehicles may require some initial input or continuous input from an operator, such as a pilot, driver, or passenger. Other systems, for example autopilot systems, may be used only when the system has been engaged, which permits the operator to switch from a manual mode (where the operator exercises a high degree of control over the movement of the vehicle) to an autonomous mode (where the vehicle essentially drives itself) to modes that lie somewhere in between.
Such vehicles must have access to highly detailed maps in order to maneuver between two locations. The maps may include information such as the direction and location of roadways, lane data, traffic signals, etc. The maps may also include connections identifying the relationships between these features. In one example, a map may include a location at which a vehicle must begin to make a turn at an intersection. The location may be associated with one or more connections to traffic signals which the vehicle must observe before safely making the turn at the intersection.
These maps may be generated manually by comparing multiple sources of information such as road maps, photographs, laser intensity data, etc., and mapping the various features and the connections between them. For example, connecting the traffic signals at a typical four-way intersection (two streets crossing one another) to the locations at which the vehicle must observe the traffic signals may take a human mapper a half hour or more to complete. Thus, generation of these maps may require significant human resources.


The present disclosure discusses systems and methods for controlling a hemorrhage. The hemorrhage control device can include a harness that is worn around an upper junctional area and a lower junctional area of a user. The hemorrhage control device can also include a compression device that is configured to reversibly couple with the harness. The compression device can include a compression puck and a handle. The handle can be coupled with the harness. When rotated the handle can constrict the harness around the upper junctional area or the lower junctional area. The constriction of the harness can also cause the compression puck to compress the upper junctional area or the lower junctional area.

A tourniquet can be used to stop or reduce bleeding that can occur as the result of an injury. The tourniquet can be used to control venous and arterial circulation to the cite of the injury. The tourniquet can control the blood flow by applying pressure to the tissue underlying the tourniquet. The applied pressure can occlude the vessels, and prevent or reduce flow therethrough.


Apparatus for taking a sample of earth formations surrounding a borehole. A core sampling projectile is provided which has a core-taking barrel with a frontal cutting edge and is releasable secured to a base member of relatively more mass than the barrel. The base member has an enlarged outer diameter annular abutment thereby limiting the depth of penetration of the core-taking barrel to a predetermined distance.

The present invention relates to apparatus for obtaining samples of earth formations and, more particularly, to new and improved core-sampling apparatus for obtaining a sample of earth formation surrounding a borehole.
There is a need in the oil and gas industry for a means for obtaining intact samples representative of the earth formations at various elevations of a borehole. Such samples, commonly referred to as "cores", may have structures ranging from relatively hard to those which are soft and fragile. Retrieved core samples may be analyzed to determine the nature of the fluids, whether gas, oil or water, with which they are saturated. Further, certain physical characteristics of the formation, such as permeability and porosity, may be determined.
A technique for obtaining core samples of the formation involves the use of a wireline-type instrument for selectively taking samples from the wall of the borehole of any desired level. This tool, referred to as a "Sidewall Sampler", generally includes an elongated body member containing along its length a plurality of sample receiving projectiles. The projectiles each consist of a hollow cylinder having an open end and capable of receiving a sample of the material of the side wall formation upon shooting the cylinder into the formation.
The projectiles are shot into the formation by igniting a propellant charge placed in the instrument behind the projectile. The propellant charges are detonated electrically at the desired level within the borehole by remote control. The projectiles are attached to the housing of the instrument by means of small cables, so that after they have been fired they may be retrieved, with the core sample therein, upon raising the instrument to the surface.
It has been shown that the design of the projectile is influenced by the hardness of the formation from which the core is desired. One prior art design attempts to facilitate recovery of the core projectile by providing a core barrel with a separable forward portion in the form of an annular cutting ring which generally has a slightly greater diameter than the core barrel. When a core barrel of this design enters a formation the enlarged annular ring creates a core hole slightly larger than the core barrel. Upon withdrawal of the core barrel from the formation, the core barrel separates from the annular ring and is easily extracted since the core hole is slightly larger than the core barrel. Such prior art core barrels have been shown to be less than ideal in that the annular ring will at times separate from the core barrel prior to contacting the formation or the ring will stick on the core barrel within the formation making core barrel retrieval a difficult task.
Another prior art core barrel has attempted to solve the retrieval problem by providing a relatively heavy core barrel with a large frontal cutting area. Upon penetration of the formation this core barrel fractures the surrounding formation thereby reducing the resistance to the extraction of the barrel. However, quite often the fracturing of the surrounding formation also causes fracturing of the core sample. Such fracturing can result in large portions of the core sample falling from the barrel during recovery. Another problem with a relatively massive core barrel is that the size of the charge required to cause the needed formation penetration is unnecessarily large.
Accordingly, the present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing method and apparatus for obtaining subsurface formation samples by the use of a replaceable core sample barrel utilizing a relatively small cutting head and a limited penetration distance.


A tissue biopsy device comprising an inner needle loaded by a first spring and held in place by a first trigger; an outer needle loaded by a second spring and held in place by a second trigger; an outer housing that surrounds the first and the second needles; and a handle attached thereto.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
Skin tissue biopsies are commonly used to extract skin from a person's body to either study for research or for clinical diagnostic purposes. The present teachings provide a skin tissue biopsy device that can extract a piece of skin with minimum pain and store it for research and disease diagnosis. Separate from the new tissue biopsy device, the present teachings further provide a tissue storage and transportation device. The two devices can be used in combination for any skin biopsy application that requires a relatively fast procedure, minimum pain, ease of performance, and minimum invasiveness. These applications include tests for any markers for diseases such as osteoporosis, skin cancers or other skin diseases. The present teachings provide a device that contains an outer housing, two latch components, inner needle, and an outer needle. The present disclosure provides a description of the design of the components and assembly thereof.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN


An apparatus for actuating a locking device, security system and the like and for arming and disarming associated alarm systems. The apparatus includes an information carrier, preferably carrying a digitally coded set of data which is presented to a reading device by manual insertion of the data carrier. The data carrier may be a key-like object on which the data track occupies the central tang portion or it may be an actual mechanical key used to operate a tumbler cylinder and additionally provided with a central data track. Preferably, the data track is a series of transparent and opaque fields which are subjected to infrared radiation in the reading device. The read-out data from the data track is compared in the apparatus with stored information and, when coincidence occurs, an actuation signal is generated to operate the associated locking system and/or alarm system. The apparatus includes a program memory which contains stored information regarding the clock cycle to be expected and is thus able to read out the information contained on the data carrier without automatic mechanical transporting devices for passing the data carrier past the reading assemblies. The apparatus also provides the read-out and status determination during standby operation with low power sensing pulses and a switchover to data read-out in the presence of the data carrier with high-powered pulses of a current density which exceeds that normally acceptable to the light sources under continuous operation. In a preferred embodiment, the coded information on the data carrier is so distributed that, during the read-out of these data, a local clock sequence is generated automatically from the data per se without the requirement for a separate timing track.

It is known in the art to provide highly complicated lock and access-preventing systems in buildings, rooms and automobiles which are closed by doors or other means so as to prevent the unauthorized access to such installations to prevent theft and other undesirable activities. The commonly used tumbler locks permit a large variety of key combinations, for example five thousand different combinations, which would normally make it extremely unlikely that the wrong key will accidentally open a lock for which it was not intended. Moreover, the installations, automobiles, buildings, etc. may then be separately secured by the installation of alarm systems which may signal any unauthorized entry or tampering which bypasses the lock/key system. These alarm installations are known in a large variety of designs and embodiments. Normally, these alarm systems are enabled or disabled separately from the operation which unlocks the mechanical lock on the doors, etc. For example, in motor vehicles, the removal of the ignition key and the closure of the driver's door may initiate a timed process which sets the alarm after a period of time has elapsed. In alarm systems used in buildings and the like, a separate key and lock system is normally used to set the alarm.
In spite of these precautions, it has been found, in fact, that even very complicated lock and key systems, for example the commonly used tumbler locks, cannot prevent unauthorized entry into the protected areas or unauthorized possession of secured objects. For example, the tumbler cylinder locks have often been defeated by the insertion of a deformable element which detects the pin configuration in the tumbler lock so that the person using this detector may have a duplicate key made which may be used immediately or at some opportune future time to gain access to the protected facility.
The alarm systems intended to protect the installation cannot afford protection against this type of circumvention because their existence is often known to the unauthorized party and they may be disabled rapidly. Even if they sound the alarm, which normally is a loud noise, the unauthorized party often will accept the risk of such an alarm. Yet again, the correct key may make it possible to turn off the alarm prior to its sounding. Similar considerations apply to various other localities and systems which protect buildings, rooms and objects by means of locks and the like. In the field of motor vehicles it has been shown by statistics that no apparent solution has been found for preventing the theft of, especially, expensive models of motor vehicles.
In alarm systems used in buildings and rooms which require the use of two separate keys, it is possible to insert the wrong key into the alarm system, causing the system to respond and sound a false alarm. If such false alarms occur with regularity, there is a tendency of the concerned person to become habituated to the occurrence of false alarms and this habit will tend to prevent a proper response in the event of a real alarm. All of these facts imply the need for an absolutely secure and trouble-free alarm system which can be set and disabled by the authorized party without concentrated attention and without triggering a false alarm.

Locking apparatus for preventing unauthorized access


A hypodermic syringe (10) has a retractable needle (18) carried in A hypodermic syringe (10) has a retractable needsyringe body (11). The needle (18) is attached to a needle holder (22) which has a conical head (26) on its forward end. A passage (30) in the holder enables the needle bore to communicate through holes (29) in the holder (22) with the chamber (14). The plunger and piston assembly (32) has a piston (33) with a sealing cap (35) engaged therewith. The piston (33) has a forwardly extending tubular portion (39) defining an opening with a tapered wall (40) which engages over the head (26) to lock the head behind an abutment surface (41). At the same time a diaphragm (38) formed by the sealing cap (35) extending across the tubular portion (39) is ruptured so the chamber (14) is no longer sealingly enclosed.

The present invention relates to a syringe and relates particularly to a hypodermic syringe incorporating a needle retractor.
Syringes currently in use have a fixed needle which is kept or sealed with an appropriate shield but which is otherwise permanently fixed to the syringe body for use. After the syringe has been used for the administration of a serum, an antibody or the like, a danger often exists with the exposed needle of the used syringe particularly if the needle has not been safely capped. Also, there is a danger that a used syringe may be reused in which case a danger exists of infection from the now non-sterile syringe.


An electrical line system for a vehicle, includes a first line arrangement for electrically connecting a first vehicle system to a first controller, a second line arrangement for electrically connecting a second vehicle system to a second controller, and an external sheath which surrounds the first line arrangement and the second line arrangement at least in sections, wherein an isolating medium is arranged within the external sheath, wherein the isolating medium is designed to surround the first line arrangement and the second line arrangement and to keep the line arrangements at a distance from the external sheath in order to reduce a pull-off force when pulling off the external sheath.

Modern vehicles often have a large number of vehicle systems which, in turn, comprise a large number of sensors and actuators which are electrically connected to controllers of the vehicle via electrical lines.
Antilock brake systems (ABS) comprise, for example, wheel rotation-speed sensors which detect wheel rotation-speed information and transmit said wheel rotation-speed information to an associated controller (ECU, electronic control unit) of the vehicle. The controller can optimize braking performance of the vehicle based on the wheel rotation-speed information.
Active wheel suspension systems allow the driver to adjust the suspension of a vehicle, for example in order to increase driving comfort or to adapt the vehicle to different environmental conditions. To this end, control and sensor information is exchanged between the wheel suspension system and an associated vehicle controller.
For the signal interchange between the vehicle systems and the controllers that is required for this purpose, a large number of electrical lines usually have to be individually laid in the vehicle. This can lead to a considerable amount of work on account of the large number of vehicle systems. Furthermore, the individually laid electrical lines often take up a considerable amount of installation space in the vehicle.


A vane axial fan housing includes a main body having an outlet end and an inlet end opposite the outlet end. An inlet endplate is secured across the inlet end of the main body and has an inlet opening therein circumscribed by an adjacent venturi-shaped flange integrally formed in the inlet endplate so as to extend toward the outlet end. The venturi-shaped flange also serves to mount the inlet endplate to the inlet end of the main body.

The present invention relates to the field of fans for displacing air. More particularly, the invention relates to vane-axial fans for aerating, heating, or drying agricultural spaces and grain stored therein. The present invention provides an improved housing having an integral venturi for such fans.
Axial fans and heaters are well known in the agricultural arts. Such fans are typically mounted to the outside of a grain bin near its bottom. The outlet end of the fan housing communicates with the grain bin while the inlet end extends outside the bin. The inlet end typically includes a vertical endplate having an inlet opening. Outside air is drawn through the inlet opening then circulated through the bin to dry or aerate the grain before being vented from the bin.
Attaching a venturi to the inlet end of the fan has been found helpful in reducing fan inlet losses due to turbulance, and thus enhances air flow performance. Existing venturis for axial fans comprise a separate ring-shaped attachment mounted on the inlet endplate outwardly adjacent the intake opening. These venturi attachments protrude outwardly beyond the inlet endplate, which lengthens the overall package length of the fan and invites damage from collisions.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a fan housing with a venturi integrally formed therein.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a fan housing with a venturi that minimizes the overall length of the fan.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a fan housing that streamlines the profile of the fan to minimize the risk of damage due to collisions, and to reduce cost of fabrication.
These and other objects will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.


An improved filling machine is used for filling like containers with a like measured amount of divided material. The filling machine includes a housing and a drive connected to the housing. A filling turret is mounted in the housing. The filling turret includes a filling tank with a rotatable floor connected to the drive. A plurality of measuring flasks is arranged in a circle in the rotatable floor. Each measuring flask includes an open ended measuring tube and a sleeve telescopically mounted on the tube. The measuring flasks receive divided material from the filling tank. A container support maintains the containers in a horizontal plane. A control selectively lowers and raises the sleeve relative to the respective tube as the containers move with the flasks to measure the amount of divided material to be delivered to the respective container and then deliver the measured divided material into the container.

Automated machines for filling containers with flowable powdered or granular material are well known and generally accepted in many industries for packaging goods. The powdered or granular materials include, as an example, a broad range of food materials, including but not limited to, milk products, condiments, tea, coffee, sugar, cocoa, rice, seeds and the like, as well as, a line of chemicals, including but not limited to, cleaners, lyes, crystals, and the like. Machines of this general type are disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,662, entitled, "Container Filling Apparatus", issued Jul. 6, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,146, entitled, "Measuring Flask For Use In A Filling Machine" issued Apr. 10, 1990; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,443, entitled, "Measuring Flask Construction For Use In A Filling Machine", issued Jun. 11, 1991, Graeme W. Warner of Hinsdale, Ill. is the patentee of each of the aforementioned patents. The filling machines disclosed in the three mentioned patents have one characteristic in common, wherein a plurality of containers enter the filling machines serially and each container is aligned with a respective measuring flask. The container is raised so that the bottom of the container engages the bottom of a filling flask. A fill material is delivered to a measuring tube of the measuring flask. The container is then lowered away from the measuring flask, so that the fill material discharges from the measuring flask into the respective container. The raising and lowering of each container places a limitation on the speed of operation of the filling machine. The amount of fill material which is delivered to each container is determined largely by the size of the measuring tube which is fixed. An adjustment of the amount of material delivered to the containers is not easily made.
It is desirable to provide a filling machine wherein the amount of fill material delivered is easily adjusted. The containers which are the receptacles for fill material need not be moved vertical to improve the speed of operation. Elimination of vertical movement of the containers provides for more gentle handling of the containers. Additionally, the holder parts which hold the containers are simpler and less expensive than those in the prior art machines, and the holder parts may be easily changed to accommodate containers of different sizes.

Measuring flask for use in a filling machine


A feedback shift register for generating digital signals representing pseudo-random number sequences has n-stages and exclusive OR-circuits in the feedback logic, as well as a clock-pulse generator. To be able to generate digital signals, which are well suited for a further digital processing, the clock-pulse generator (17) is linked with the n-stages (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) of the shift register (10) via a controllable gate circuit (18), which blocks one clock pulse of 2.sup.n clock pulses (CLK) of the clock-pulse generator (17) in each case.

The present invention relates to a feedback shift register for generating digital signals representing pseudo-random number sequences comprising n-stages and exclusive OR-circuits in the feedback logic, as well as comprising a clock-pulse generator.
A. Wolf "Me.beta.technik fur das BISDN" [Measuring Technique for the BISDN], VDE Publishers, 1992, pp. 72-75 or U. Tietze/Ch. Schenk "Halbleiter-Schaltungstechnik" [Semiconductor Circuit Engineering], Springer Publishers 1976, pp. 590-593 disclose one such feedback shift register. FIG. 1 depicts a known shift register 1 of this type that includes five stages 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, each constituted by for example, a D-flip-flop. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the shift register 1 goes through a feedback loop, an exclusive OR-gate 7 being arranged between the stages 3 and 4. The operation of this register can be expressed by the following generator polynomial G.sub.KKF (x): EQU G.sub.KKF (x)=x.sup.0 +x.sup.2 +x.sup.5 =x.sup.5 +x.sup.2 +1(1)
This generator polynomial G.sub.KKF (x) is a so-called irreducible polynomial with the degree g=5; the period of a 2.sup.5 -m-sequence able to be generated with it as a pseudo-random number sequence amounts to 2.sup.g -1=31.
For the sake of having a simplest possible description, neither the clock-pulse generator common to all stages nor the customary blocking protection are depicted in the case of the known shift register shown in FIG. 1. In the case of the known shift register, all stages receive the same clock signal, through which means the contents i.sub.1 (x).x.sup.0, i.sub.2 (x).x.sup.1, etc. of the individual stages 2 through 6 change with every clock signal. The contents of the individual stages can be expressed by the polynomial I(x) indicated in the following equation (2): EQU I(x)=x.sup.4 .multidot.i.sub.5 +x.sup.3 .multidot.i.sub.4 +x.sup.2 .multidot.i.sub.3 +x.sup.1 .multidot.i.sub.2 +x.sup.0 .multidot.i.sub.1( 2 )
Here, the state in which all stages have a "0" contents is excluded.
In a generally known manner, the contents of the shift register make up the rows of a binary Galois field, and can generally be expressed by the following relation (3) EQU x.sup.i mod G.sub.KKF (x), (3)
when a "1" is input for i=0 in the first stage (x.sup.0). The states depicted in FIG. 2 result then for the contents of the stages 2 through 6 when a shift register in accordance with FIG. 1 is used. From x.sup.31 on, the states of the individual stages 2 through 6 repeat themselves because of the period of 31 of the 2.sup.5 -m-sequence. One obtains the 2.sup.5 -m-sequence as a binary sequence of numbers: EQU c.sub.0 (n)={0000100101100111110001101110101}, (4)
which is identical to the contents of the stage 6.
An inadequacy of the digital signals produced with the known shift register is that they have a period of 2.sup.n -1 where n denotes the number of stages of the shift register. Thus in the case of the depicted 2.sup.5 -m-sequence the period duration is 31. Therefore, the thus generated digital signals are not easily suited for further digital processing using customary digital measured-value processing devices. This is true, for example, when a fast Fourier transform is supposed to be made, for which it is a condition that the data record has 2.sup.n values.

Feedback shift register for generating digital signals representing series of pseudo-random numbers


A device for controlling beams of particles, X-rays and gamma rays including a plurality of channels with total external reflection inner surfaces, input butt-ends facing a radiation source and output butt-ends aimed at a radiation receiver is taught. Channel-forming elements are in the form of surfaces, tubes, and structures with multiple channels and are rigidly positioned one relative to another with a spacing between supports such that the sagging of the channel-forming elements does not interfere with beam propagation. The device can be used to capture radiation from sources which produce parallel or divergent radiation. The resulting beam or beams can be of a variety of shapes or angular orientations including quasi-parallel, convergent, and split beams. Energy filtering is accomplished by selective absortion of radiation by the channel-forming elements and by selective reflection, by geometrics which cause some energies to be discriminated against because of the angle of total external reflection associated with that energy.

Various devices are used to control particle, X-ray and gamma ray beams; these devices are based on radiation interference and diffraction, for instance Fresnel microzone plates, multilayer mirrors, and Bragg crystals. Also used for charged particle beam control are magnetic and electrostatic elements. A critical shortcoming of these devices is their narrow spectral band, principally due to the physical phenomena on which they are based.
As is known, incidence of beams of various charged particles, neutrons, X-rays and gamma rays onto boundaries of condensed media, features a certain value of the grazing angle, called the critical angle of total external reflection, below which reflection is accompanied by very low losses. In the case of very smooth surfaces and low radiation absorption in the material of the reflective surface, the losses with total external reflection are so low that they allow efficient beam control via multiple reflections at angles below critical. Known in the art are devices functioning with multiple total external reflection in bent tube channels to concentrate and shape quasi-parallel beams of X-rays (Soviet Physics +Uspekhi, vol. 157, issue 3, Mar., 1989. V. A. Arkad'ev, A. I. Kolomijtsev, M. A. Kumakov, I. Yu, Ponomarev, I. A. Khodeyev, Yu. P. Chertov, I. M. Shakhparonov. "Wideband X-ray Optics With Wide-Angle Aperture", pp. 529-537).
This prior art device for controlling beams of X-ray and gamma quanta, charged particles and neutrons, comprises a plurality of channels with inner surfaces featuring total external reflection, with input butt-ends facing a radiation source, and with output butt-ends directed at a radiation receiver. The channel-forming elements are located on the generatrices of imaginary coaxial barrel-shaped surfaces, and can, for instance, be bent tubes with longitudinal axes positioned along said generatrices.
A shortcoming of this device is the considerable loss in radiation transfer efficiency along the tube channels, due to the inaccuracy of positioning of the tube channels along the generatrices of imaginary barrel-shaped surfaces and non-optimal orientation of the input and output butt-ends at the source and receiver of radiation, respectively. Another shortcoming is the device's relatively narrow spectral band which arises from non-optimal tube channel size. Attempting to optimize such prior art devices involves considerable engineering difficulties, inherent to the positioning of the particular channel-forming elements selected. These restrictions make device assembly a very labor consuming task and, in turn, place restrictions on the minimal channel size and possibility of reducing the beam control device dimensions, restrict the size of the minimal focal area and, thus, the efficiency of concentrating the radiation beam energy.

Device for controlling beams of particles, X-ray and gamma quanta


A beam receiver secured to an upper portion of a blade of an earth working equipment can rotate in a horizontal plane and move in a vertical direction and, accordingly, can catch a laser beam from a beam projector regardless of a direction of the equipment. When the beam has been deviated out of the beam receiver, the direction of the deviation is detected so that the beam can be received by the beam receiver again. The height of the beam receiver relative to the blade can be adjusted and the level of the blade can thereby be controlled very accurately.

This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically controlling a blade of earth working equipment such as a bulldozer.
The following proposals have been made in the art of automatic controlling of blades of earth working equipment:
1. The specification of U.S. Pat. No. 2,796,685 discloses a method for controlling a position of a construction equipment by forming parallel radiation energy planes and automatically controlling the position of the equipment in accordance with deviation from the energy planes.
2. The specification of U.S. Pat. No. 2,916,836 discloses a method according to which a reference plane is formed by rotating a visible radiation source and detecting light by a light receiving device attached to a blade for controlling the blade by means of a motor or a hydraulic system using an electromagnetic valve.
It will be difficult to achieve the control as described in the patent by this method in view of the response speed realized by this method, for the light source is a lamp and the light receiver can detect only a vertical position.
3. The specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,121 discloses a system for automatically controlling a blade of a construction equipment in a vertical direction in which a reference plane is formed by a light beam and a light receiver is provided for detecting whether the center of the light receiver coincides with the center of the reference light beam and emitting a signal of a different polarity depending upon whether the center of the reference light beam is above or below the center of the light receiver.
4. The specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,012 discloses a circuit for controlling an earth working equipment which, in a device having a certain relation with a plane formed by narrow rotating beam of radiant energy of a fixed wavelength, a receiver has at least three channels and a light receiving element cathodes a light beam incident from all directions within 180.degree. or 360.degree. thereby to control the earth working equipment so that the light receiving element catches the light beam at its center.
The proposed circuit is mainly directed to the control of a motor grader and is not convenient for application to a bulldozer in which light beams may enter two channels simultaneously.
5. There has also been proposed a device which, in an apparatus for detecting height of a laser beam emitted from the laser emitter by a beam receiver and controlling a blade by driving an electromagnetic valve, prevents stopping of an engine when an excessive load is applied.
It is an object of the invention to provide a control apparatus capable by controlling lifting, lowering and turning of the beam receiver effectively and enabling the beam receiver to face the beam projector directly regardless of direction of the equipment.
It is another object of the invention to provide a control apparatus in which even if a laser beam is deviated from the beam receiver, the deviation is promptly corrected so that the beam receiver can catch the laser beam again.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a control apparatus in which height of the beam receiver relative to the blade can be adjusted so that the level of the blade can be controlled very accurately.

Automatic control system for maintaining blade in predetermined relationship to laser beam


A communication apparatus and method in a wireless communication system that support multiple Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) parameter sets. A method includes determining a respective OFDM parameter set for each of multiple Radio Frequency (RF) chains; and processing an OFDM signal in each of the multiple RF chains based on a parameter value defined in the respective OFDM parameter set.

In traditional OFDM/Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, one set of OFDM parameters, for example, one Cyclic Prefix (CP) length, one subcarrier spacing, and one Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size, is supported within one cell. The system informs Mobile Stations (MSs) about its OFDM configuration via a broadcast channel.
However, MSs within one cell may have different mobility conditions, from being static to highly mobile. For each mobility type, there is a set of OFDM parameters that is best suitable.
When an operator or a user wants to select only one subcarrier spacing, the subcarrier spacing should support mobility. Thus, when the single subcarrier spacing is used, the selected subcarrier spacing is much larger than is actually needed for low mobility. Further, the larger subcarrier spacing results in increased overhead due to an enlarged symbol duration.

Communication method and apparatus in a wireless communication system supporting multiple OFDM parameters sets


A zoom lens includes a first lens group having a positive focal length, a second lens group having a negative focal length, a third lens group having a positive focal length, a fourth lens group having a negative focal length which are arranged in order from an object side to an image side, and a diaphragm disposed between the second and third lens groups. During a change of zoom ratio from short to long focus end, the first to fourth lens groups move so that an interval between the first and second lens groups increases, an interval between the second and third lens groups decreases, and an interval between the third and fourth lens groups increases. The first lens group includes first and second negative lenses, a reflective optical element, and at least one positive lens arranged in order from the object side to the image side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens and a camera device including the zoom lens. The zoom lens can be a photographic lens of a digital camera, a mobile terminal, a video camera, or a silver film camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there have been increasing demands of various kinds for digital cameras such as high image quality, downsizing, wider angle, or higher zoom ratio. In order to achieve these, photographic lenses are required to have a zoom ratio of 5 or more, a half field of view of 38 degrees or more, generation of high-quality images adaptable to an image sensor of over 10 million pixels, downsizing, and a larger aperture.
In the prior art, there are compact-size digital cameras which realize thickness reduction of a camera case by including a reflective optical element in a lens system to bend the optical path of an incident light as well as by fixing the first lens group to prevent a change of the outer form of the camera in accordance with zooming operation.
Further, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2005-215165, No. 2005-352348, No. 2007-171456, and No. 2007-3598 disclose zoom lenses each of which comprise a first lens group with a positive focal length and including a reflective optical element to bend the optical path of an incident light, a second lens group with a negative focal length, a third lens group with a positive focal length, and a fourth lens group with a negative focal length arranged in order from an object side to an image side.
However, there is a drawback in such zoom lenses having four or five lens groups with a positive-negative-positive-negative-positive reflective index distribution and a diaphragm between the second and third lens groups that to aim for a wider angle range, the first and second lens groups arranged closer to the object side than the diaphragm need be in larger size. Also, the reflective optical element in the first lens group need be increased in size.
Further, in order to improve the zoom ratio of the zoom lens, a longer optical path of incident light is needed. From camera designing point of view, the optical path should be bent in a longitudinal direction of an image sensor, which also increases the size of the reflective optical element. Moreover, with an improved zoom ratio, a distance between the reflective optical element and the diaphragm is elongated, which also leads to increasing the size of the reflective optical element. As described above, to increase wide angle range and zoom ratio with the zoom lens with such a configuration, there is a problem that a reflective optical element in a larger size is required.
In the prior art, a single negative lens is disposed on the object side of the reflective optical element for prevention of increasing the size of the reflective optical element. To achieve wider angle range and higher zoom ratio of the zoom lens, this single negative lens is required to properly correct aberration from an off-axial light beam passing through a higher position thereof at the short focus end and an axial marginal light beam passing through a higher position thereof at the long focus end. Also, the negative lens is required to have a large negative power in order to realize downsizing of the zoom lens.
With only one negative lens on the object side of the reflective optical element, it is extremely difficult to achieve a large negative power and proper aberration correction of the off-axial light beam and the axial marginal light beam at the same time, as well as increase in the zoom ratio and half the field of view.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2005-215165 discloses a variable zoom lens with a high zoom ratio of 7 or more. However, it fails to realize a wide angle range with half the field of view of 38 degrees or more at short focus end. Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2005-352348 discloses a wide angle, high zoom ratio zoom lens with a zoom ratio of about 35 and half the field of view of 38 degrees or more, however, it is not compact enough in size and has a very large distortion so that it cannot achieve good optical performance. Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2007-171456 discloses a variable zoom lens with a zoom ratio of 7 and half the field of view of 38 degrees or more at short focus end. However, it causes a difficulty in camera layout since a reflective optical element is configured to bend an optical path of incident light in a short side direction of an image sensor. A zoom lens disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2007-3598 cannot achieve half the field of view of 38 degrees or more and zoom ratio of 5 or more at the short focus end.

Zoom lens and camera device including the same