Abstract: An aperture regulating apparatus includes a moving barrel moving straight in an optical axis direction, a rotation barrel rotatably held by the moving barrel, a cam member movably fitted on the moving barrel, and a shutter unit movably contained in the moving barrel. In moving the moving barrel in the optical axis direction by magnifying operation, the rotation barrel moves in the optical axis direction with the moving barrel with rotation, and the cam member moves in the optical axis direction on an outer surface of the moving barrel in accordance with rotation of the rotation barrel. The shutter unit has a regulation lever getting in rotational range of shutter blades. The regulation lever is displaced according to movement of the cam member to control a rotational amount of the shutter blades. An aperture size is regulated according to a focal length of a taking lens.

Abstract: Personal care appliances, such as hair care appliances, facial care appliances and body appliances, and attachments therefor are disclosed. The personal care appliances and attachments therefor according to the present invention are made of a blended material of thermo-resistant material and ion powders by injection moulding such that far infrared radiation and negative ions can be emitted naturally and continuously during operation. The present invention further provides individual hair arranging appliances for adjusting, cleaning or confining hair.

Abstract: A wire harness including at least one cable including at least one conductive line for electrically connecting electric components, and a core insulating tube covering the at least one conductive line, wherein the core insulating tube comprises a non-hazardous material which does not produce at least one of a poisonous gas and material containing at least one of bromine, chlorine and dioxin.

Abstract: A zoom lens device includes a zoom optical system, in which front, middle and rear lens groups are set at one focal length between a wide-angle end where a focal length is short and a telephoto end where the focal length is long. Lens barrels move in first and second regions to move the front, middle and rear lens groups along an optical axis. The lens barrels, when in the first region, focus the zoom optical system with a predetermined focal length kept by maintaining an interval between the front and middle lens groups, and when in the second region, change the focal length of the zoom optical system. A combination of a cam follower pin and a cam groove effects focusing by moving the middle lens group relative to the front lens group along the optical axis when the lens barrels are in the second region.

Abstract: A lens barrel includes first and second cylinders, a base, a single motor, a feed screw, a rotation mechanism, a helicoid mechanism, and a drive gear for transmitting a drive force of the motor to the feed screw and the rotation mechanism. The drive gear includes a cylindrical gear and a shaft gear having a shaft inserted in the cylindrical gear. The cylindrical gear and the shaft gear rotate about a common rotation axis. The cylindrical gear is interposed between the rotation mechanism and the motor, and the shaft gear is interposed between the feed screw and the motor. Accordingly, zooming and focusing can be driven by one motor, increasing integration and providing excellent space efficiency.

Abstract: A moving mechanism for a cylinder is provided, in which a projection and groove are engaged by relative movement different from that of a helicoid mechanism and movement of inner and outer cylinders relative to each other can be freely set. In the moving mechanism, a first helicoid thread is helically formed on the inner surface of an intermediate cylinder, a second helicoid thread that threadably engages with the first helicoid thread is helically formed on the outer surface of a movable cylinder, and the intermediate cylinder is rotated so the movable cylinder is moved relative to the intermediate cylinder. A projection is formed on the outer surface of the movable cylinder and a groove engageable with the projection is formed in the inner surface of the intermediate cylinder. In a range where the first and second helicoid threads threadably engage with each other upon relative movement of the movable cylinder, the groove is formed parallel to the first helicoid thread.

Abstract: A lens barrel includes first and second tubes, a base, a single motor, and a drive gear for transmitting a drive force of the motor to the first and second tubes. The drive gear includes a cylindrical gear and a shaft gear having a shaft inserted in the cylindrical gear. The cylindrical gear and the shaft gear rotate about a common rotation axis. The cylindrical gear is interposed between a first feed screw and the motor, and the shaft gear is interposed between a second feed screw and the motor. Accordingly, zooming and focusing can be made by one motor, increasing density and integration and providing excellent space efficiency.

Abstract: A lens driving apparatus includes an intermediate barrel expandable and collapsible in an optical axis direction, for moving a rear lens group in the optical axis direction along with expanding and collapsing; a movable barrel, concentric with the intermediate barrel, expandable and collapsible with respect to the intermediate barrel along with the expanding and collapsing of the intermediate barrel, for moving a front lens group in the optical axis direction when expanding from the intermediate barrel; and a click ball for holding the front lens group when the movable barrel collapses, so as to move the front lens group together with the intermediate barrel. As a consequence, when the movable barrel collapses, the front lens group can be held and moved together with the intermediate barrel so the focus can be adjusted appropriately, and the apparatus can be made smaller at a lower cost.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a line sensor for reading an image of an original, a scanning optical system that has a light source and scans the original, a reference reflection member provided in such a position as to reflect a light emitted from the light source, a buffer memory for storing data of the image, an intermittent reading part interrupting and restarting scanning performed by the scanning optical system based on a residual storage capacity of the buffer memory, and a light amount variation correction part correcting a variation in an amount of light of the light source during an interruption of the scanning based on an amount of reflected light from the reference reflection member.

Abstract: A barrier opening and closing apparatus for opening and closing a barrier according to a rotation of a lens barrel containing an optical lens system includes a ring member rotatable about an optical axis of the optical lens system and opening and closing the barrier according to rotation of the ring member. The ring member has rotational force transmitting parts extending rearward, parallel to the optical axis and engaging the lens barrel. The ring member is directly rotated by the rotational force transmitting parts engaged with the lens barrel, to open and close the barrier so the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Abstract: A lens barrel comprises first and second cylinders, a base, a single motor, a feed screw, a rotation mechanism, a helicoid mechanism, and a drive gear for transmit a drive force of the motor to the feed screw and the rotation mechanism. The drive gear comprises a cylindrical gear and a shaft gear having a shaft inserted in the cylindrical gear. The cylindrical gear and the shaft gear rotating about a common rotation axis. The cylindrical gear is interposed between the rotation mechanism and the motor, and the shaft gear is interposed between the feed screw and the motor. Accordingly, zooming and focusing can be made by one motor, increasing density and integration and providing excellent space efficiency.

Abstract: A lens barrel comprises first and second tubes, a base, a single motor, and a drive gear for transmitting a drive force of the motor to the first and second tubes. The drive gear comprises a cylindrical gear and a shaft gear having a shaft inserted in the cylindrical gear. The cylindrical gear and the shaft gear rotating about a common rotation axis. The cylindrical gear is interposed between a first feed screw and the motor, and the shaft gear is interposed between a second feed screw and the motor. Accordingly, zooming and focusing can be made by one motor, increasing density and integration and providing excellent space efficiency.

Abstract: A barrier opening and closing apparatus for opening and closing a barrier according to a rotation of a lens barrel containing an optical lens system comprises a ring member disposed rotatable about an optical axis of the optical lens system and adapted to open and close the barrier according to a rotation thereof, whereas the ring member forms a plurality of rotational force transmitting parts extending rearward therefrom in parallel to the optical axis so as to be engaged with the lens barrel. The ring member is directly rotated by way of the plurality of rotational force transmitting parts engaged with the lens barrel, so as to open and close the barrier, whereby the cost of apparatus can be cut down.

Abstract: The ZnS-series sintered material of the present invention includes ZnS as a main component and niobium oxide. The content of the niobium oxide in the sintered material is preferably in the range from more than 5 to 50% by weight, in terms of Nb2O5. The sintered material can be used as the sputtering target. Since this target has a low resistance, it is possible to deposit a thin film using this target by direct current (DC) sputtering. By employing the DC sputtering, the deposition rate of the thin film can be increased. The resultant thin film is used as a protecting layer for protecting a recording layer in an optical recording medium for recording a signal of a laser beam.

Abstract: A camera has a camera body being made of an electro-conductive material and a plurality of windows for light-projection or a light intake thereon. At least one of covering members for the windows includes an exposed part being exposed toward an outside of the camera and a hidden part being located in an inside of the camera. A first electrode is attached to the exposed part and a second electrode is attached to the hidden part. When a finger obstructs the window, a detecting means detects a finger obstruction by comparing the electrostatic capacity at the first electrode with that at the second electrode relatively. Then, warning is generated for indicating the finger obstruction by a warning generating means.

Abstract: A photographic camera has a film magazine chamber and a film take-up chamber disposed on opposite sides of an optical system of a viewfinder. A gear train transmits power for taking up the film between the film magazine chamber and the film take-up chamber. The gear train has a power transmission shaft which extends right and left of the camera body and has a length sufficient to extend across the optical system of the viewfinder, and a recess is formed in the contour of the optical system of the viewfinder as viewed from a side of the optical system. The power transmission shaft extends through the recess.

Abstract: A finder structure for a camera, in which the finder is divided into an objective block and an eyepiece block. The housings of these blocks are removably connected with each other, thereby allowing one of the housings to move with respect to the other housing in a direction transversely of the optical axis of the finder to correct parallax. The structure comprises in the finder, a field frame plate, panoramic field frame members defining panoramic field frames, and a field frame changeover lever which engages with the panoramic field frame members. A shaft of the field frame changeover lever is rotatably received in an opening formed in the housing of the finder to engage with a finder drive lever disposed outside the finder, allowing the finder drive lever to be linked to a photography mode changeover lever to slide the panoramic field frame members by operation of the photography mode changeover lever.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus. In a copy control mode, a main motor, an eraser, a cleaning bias power source, a cleaning motor, a developing bias power source, a discharge lamp, and a pretransfer discharger are turned on. Then, a precleaning discharger and a main charger are turned on. After such units have been stabilized, a developing motor is energized. Even when a developing unit is operated while an image forming operation is not under way, a toner and a carrier forming a magnet brush on a developing roller included in the developing unit are prevented from depositing on a photoconductive element and, therefore, from being scattered around, damaging the photoconductive element or contaminating the background. Further, the carrier is prevented from causing a spark to occur in a corona discharger and burning the discharger by entering it.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polyphenylene sulfide film which consists essentially of a resin composition containing polyphenylene sulfide as major constituent, in which fine particles with an average particle size of 0.05-3 .mu.m are dispersed, the fine particles having a single particle index of not less than 0.5. The polyphenylene sulfide film of the present invention is excellent in not only the slipping property but also the number of electrical insulation defects are extremely small, so that the film of the present invention is useful for the dielectric film of film capacitor with stable initial characteristics. Further, since the film of the present invention is excellent in the slipping property and surface smoothness, so that it is useful as a base film for magnetic recording media with excellent magnetic conversion characteristics and excellent drop out characteristics.

Abstract: A steel comprising 0.1 to 1.5% of C and 0.25 to 2.0% of Mn is heated to 900.degree. to 1250.degree. C., and the heated steel is hot-rolled at a temperature in the range of from Ar.sub.3 to (Ar.sub.3 +200).degree. C. or Arcm to (Arcm+200).degree. C. with a total reduction of area of 30% or more. The hot-rolled material is cooled to complete a ferrite/pearlite transformation or a pro-eutectoid cementite/pearlite transformation. The transformed material is subjected to finish hot rolling at a temperature in the range of from (Ac.sub.1 -400) to Ac.sub.1 .degree. C. with a total reduction ratio of 10 to 70%. If necessary, the material after the finish hot rolling is cooled to 300.degree. C. at an average cooling rate of 1.degree. C./sec or less. A spheroidization annealing of the steel bar wire rod produced according to the process of the present invention enables a good spheroidized texture to be formed.