JPH0411416Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] The present invention relates to a photographing device for an unmanned underwater vehicle, and in particular,
The present invention relates to a photographing device for an unmanned underwater vehicle suitable for photographing the outside of the aircraft through a hemispherical observation window.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, a photographing device for an unmanned underwater vehicle is required to have a function of adjusting the camera angle in a desired direction by remote operation, and various angle adjustment methods have been proposed.

For example, the main body of the camera is housed in a pressure-resistant container, and the entire container is rotated around two axes to adjust the vertical (elevation angle) and left/right (swivel angle) directions, or either one of them can be adjusted. A device in which a direction angle adjustment mechanism is housed in a pressure-resistant container is known.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, according to the above conventional system, at least one of the elevation angle adjustment mechanism and the turning angle adjustment mechanism is provided outside the pressure vessel, so these adjustment mechanisms are large and large in order to satisfy water resistance and pressure resistance. The problem was that it became complicated.

It is also known that the elevation angle adjustment mechanism is housed in the same pressure container as the camera, and the turning angle direction is adjusted by operating a thruster attached to the submersible. There is a problem in that fine adjustment of the angle is difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide a photographing device for an unmanned underwater vehicle that can be simplified in configuration and downsized.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a hemispherical viewing window in the wall of the diving vessel, and a camera that takes pictures of the outside through the viewing window, as well as a support base that holds this camera, can be rotated freely. an intermediate support base supporting the
a fixed base that holds the intermediate support base in a freely rotatable manner; , characterized in that the photographing device is arranged so that the center of the lens passes through the center of curvature.

[Effect]

With this configuration, the camera angle of the camera can be adjusted via the support stand and the intermediate support stand.
This means that adjustments can be made easily and accurately in all directions with the fixed base as a reference.

In addition, since the center of curvature of the viewing window is aligned with the intersection of the rotation axes of the support base and the intermediate support base, and the camera is placed in a position where the center of the lens passes through the center of curvature of the viewing window. , regardless of the direction of the camera angle, the lens center axis and the normal to the curvature of the viewing window are aligned, and the distance between the imaging plane and the interface of the viewing window is kept constant, so that the lens action of the interface is maintained. Objects can be observed and photographed without being distorted by such factors.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained below based on examples.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a side view, a plan view, and a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with the photographing device of this embodiment. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the unmanned underwater vehicle includes a diving container 1 made of a horizontal cylindrical pressure-resistant container, horizontal thrusters 2 provided on both wings of this diving container 1,
A vertical thruster 3 that penetrates the center of the body of the diving vessel 1, a skid 4 that is attached to the lower part of the diving vessel 1, and an underwater lighting lamp 5, a depth gauge 6, and an orientation that are attached to the skid 4, respectively. Total 7
It is formed by including. And diving container 1
A hemispherical viewing window 8 made of a transparent material such as acrylic is provided at the end (forward end) of the diving vessel 1, and a television camera device 10 serving as a photographing device is placed inside the diving vessel 1 facing the viewing window 8. is installed.
The operation of this television camera device 10, the thruster 2,
3 can be remotely controlled from a ship on the sea via a tether cable 9.

The television camera device 10 is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. That is, the television camera 11 is formed to include a main body 13 including a camera lens 12 and a signal processing section, and this television camera 11 includes a support base 14 and an intermediate support that supports the support base 14 freely. A stand 15 and a fixed stand 1 that rotatably supports the intermediate support stand 15.
It is fixed to the diving container 1 via angle adjustment means comprising 6.

The support stand 14 and the intermediate support stand 15 are formed in a U-shape with ends formed by bending both ends of a flat plate at right angles in the same direction, and both ends of the support stand 14 are connected to the corresponding ends of the intermediate support stand 15. axis 17, 17a, 1
It is rotatably supported by the shaft via 7b. The intermediate support base 15 is rotatably supported by having its center portion pivotally connected to a fixed base via a shaft 18. In this embodiment, the shaft 17 is used as a pivot shaft for swinging the television camera 11 in the horizontal direction, and the shaft 18
is an elevation axis that swings the camera angle of the television camera 11 in the vertical direction, and these axes 1
7 and 18 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other, and the intersection point thereof is located at the center of curvature of the viewing window 8. Furthermore, the camera lens 12 is attached to the support base 14 so that its central axis also passes through the center of curvature.

A geared motor 20 is attached to the support base 14, and this geared motor 20 has a gear 21.
It is engaged with a gear 22 attached to the intermediate support base 15 via a shaft 17 (hereinafter referred to as a pivot shaft). That is, by driving the geared motor 20, the horizontal rotation angle of the camera angle can be adjusted.
Further, a geared motor 23 is attached to the fixed base 16, and this geared motor 23 is configured to rotate a shaft 18 (hereinafter referred to as an elevation shaft) via worm gears 24 and 25. By driving, the intermediate support base 15 is rotated around the elevation axis 18, thereby making it possible to adjust the elevation angle of the camera angle.

The operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described next.

First, when adjusting the camera angle in the elevation direction, drive the geared motor 23 to rotate the intermediate support 15 by an angle θ around the elevation axis 18 as shown in FIG. axis 18
rotated around it by an angle θ. The television camera 11 is then rotated by an angle θ via the support base 15 according to the tilt angle of the intermediate support base 15. At this time, as is clear from the figure, the axis of the elevation axis 18 is aligned with the center of curvature O of the viewing window 8, and the central axis 31 of the camera lens is arranged so as to pass through the center of curvature O. Therefore, TV camera 1
1 is rotated to any elevation angle position, the normal line of the interface at the intersection between the lens center axis 31 and the viewing window 8 coincides with the lens central axis 31, and the position of the image plane always remains at the angle of the viewing window 8. It will be kept at a constant distance from the interface.

Similarly, when adjusting the rotation angle of the camera angle, when the geared motor 20 is driven, the support base 1
4 is rotated around the pivot axis 17 with respect to the intermediate support base 15. As a result, the television camera 11 is rotated about the rotation axis 17 by a desired angle. At this time, the pivot axis 17 is positioned so as to pass through the center of curvature O, and since the lens center axis 31 passes through the center of curvature O as described above, the lens center axis 17 is located at any position of the pivot angle. 31 and the viewing window 8 are aligned, and the distance between the imaging plane and the viewing window 8 is kept constant.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the TV camera includes an intermediate support base that is rotatably supported on a fixed base, and a support base that is rotatably supported on the intermediate support base. Since the angle adjustment device is housed in the same container as the television camera, there is no need to particularly consider the water resistance and pressure resistance of the angle adjustment device, so the configuration of these devices can be simplified and miniaturized. I can do it.

Further, the shape of the viewing window is hemispherical, the intersection of the elevation axis and the rotation axis is aligned with the center of curvature of the viewing window, and the camera is positioned so that the central axis of the camera lens passes through the center of curvature. Because of this, the distance between the lens position and the interface of the viewing window remains constant regardless of the camera angle position, making it possible to observe and photograph objects without being distorted by the lens action of the interface. I can do it.

That is, when a well-known angle adjustment device is used, even if the lens center axis 31 is placed in the reference position so as to pass through the center of curvature O of the viewing window 8, as shown in FIG. The intersection point of the axes 36 is shifted from the center of curvature O by l. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, if the intersection of the axes 35 and 36 is made to coincide with O, the lens center axis 31 will be deviated from O by l. If the camera angle is changed mainly due to this eccentricity l, as shown by the dashed line in the figure,
The distance between the interface of the viewing window 8 and the lens position (or the imaging plane position) changes depending on the angle, and
The interface normal 30' at the point where the lens center axis 31 intersects with the viewing window 8 does not coincide with the center axis 31, and the declination value φ changes depending on the angle. Therefore, due to the lens effect formed by the interface of the viewing window 8 and the water, problems arise such as the image being distorted and the field of view greatly changing depending on the camera angle. However, according to the embodiment described above, such problems can be solved.

Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, since the viewing window is hemispherical, the observation and photographing range can be extremely widened. moreover,
Since a lateral thruster for adjusting the camera angle is not required and the entire television camera device is extremely miniaturized, the entire device can be downsized.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, the present invention has the effect of simplifying and downsizing the configuration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 are a side view, plan view, and front view of an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and Figure 4 is an example of an unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with the photographing device of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams for comparing and explaining the effects of the embodiment in FIGS. It is an explanatory diagram. 8...Peep window, 10...TV camera device, 1
1...TV camera, 12...Camera lens, 1
4... Support stand, 15... Intermediate support stand, 16... Fixed stand, 17... Axis (swivel axis), 18... Axis (elevation axis), 31... Lens center axis, O... Center of curvature.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A hemispherical viewing window is provided in the wall of a diving vessel, and a photographing device that photographs the outside through the viewing window, a support stand that holds this camera, and an intermediate support stand that supports this support stand in a freely rotatable manner. and a fixed base that rotatably supports the intermediate support base, the support base and the intermediate support base having mutual rotational axes orthogonal to each other, and the intersection thereof being aligned with the viewing window. What is claimed is: 1. A photographing device for an unmanned underwater vehicle, characterized in that the photographing device is positioned at the center of curvature of the vehicle, and the photographing device is arranged so that the center of the lens passes through the center of curvature.