FR2948523A1 - Autonomous sub-marine video device for use in e.g. sea, to record video images of e.g. aquatic fauna, has programmable control unit controlling driving mechanism and/or starting and stopping of video camera according to preset sequence - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a sealed case (2) for containing a video camera (5) that is used for capturing video images, where the case is mounted by a base (1). A driving mechanism (6) drives the camera in rotation with respect to the base around a vertical axis (X). A programmable control unit (8) controls the driving mechanism of the camera and/or starting and stopping of the video camera according to a predefined sequence. The base is adapted to rest on a sub-marine bottom. The driving mechanism is provided in an auxiliary sealed case integrated to the base.

Description

The present invention relates to subsea marine image recording devices.

The present invention more particularly relates to an underwater image recording device comprising: - a base, - a video image capture camera, - at least one sealed housing enclosing said camera 10 and carried by the base. Document US2002 / 0024594 discloses a method for counting aquatic fauna and an image capture device. But the presence of the vessel near the counting site disrupts wildlife and distorts measurements. The present invention is intended in particular to improve devices intended for the counting of aquatic fauna and underwater biodiversity. The subject of the present invention is an underwater image recording device characterized in that it comprises a drive mechanism capable of rotating the camera with respect to the base about an axis of rotation, and in that the device further comprises programmable control means for controlling both the rotational driving mechanism of the camera and / or the switching on and off of the video camera commander, in a sequence predefined. Thanks to these arrangements, the device can operate autonomously. Indeed, it can be installed at first, then the vessel from which it was installed can move away so as not to disturb the counting of species of aquatic fauna, then at the end of the counting period, the device is recovered by the ship. In various embodiments of the invention, it is possible further to use one and / or

2 the other of the following provisions: - the base is adapted to rest on the sea floor; - The camera is fixedly mounted in the sealed housing and the drive mechanism is contained in an auxiliary sealed casing integral with the base, the sealed housing being pivotally mounted relative to said auxiliary seal housing; the device further comprises at least two arms formed on said base, said arms having ends to which wires are attached by one of their ends, the other end of each wire being attached to an intermediate buoy intended to be immersed and to be maintained said wires in tension; at least one of the wires comprises a visual cue that makes it possible to identify in the captured video images a target angular sector; - said intermediate buoy is connected by a link to a marker buoy, intended to remain on the surface; the base is adapted to be suspended from a floating object - the camera and the drive mechanism are fixed in the sealed housing and the sealed housing is rotated by said drive mechanism relative to the base; the device further comprises a local memory adapted to record video images captured by said camera; the driving mechanism is adapted to rotate said camera over a complete turn, so as to capture 360 ° video images; said programmable control means are capable of generating a predetermined sequence comprising a phase of recording images without angular displacement of said camera and then a phase of predetermined angular displacement of the camera; said programmable control means are adapted to generate several successive predetermined sequences, the angular displacement of the camera being able to be achieved in both directions of rotation about the axis; said programmable control means are capable of generating a succession of six sequences, each of these sequences making it possible to capture images at approximately 60 ° of angle, thus making it possible to capture images over 360 °. the recorded images are transmitted by electromagnetic waves to a remote receiver. Other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of three embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting examples. The invention will also be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a general view showing an autonomous underwater video device according to the invention, according to a first embodiment of the invention; 2 shows a top view of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 represents a sectional view of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 represents a perspective view of the autonomous underwater video device of FIG. FIG. 5 shows an electrical block diagram of the device of FIG. 1 with programmable means; FIG. 6 represents a timing diagram of the control signals of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. and shows an electrical block diagram according to a variant of the first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 6 and represents a timing diagram of the control signals of the device of FIG. FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 3 and shows a second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 10 represents a schematic top view of the autonomous underwater video device of FIG. 9; FIG. a general view showing an autonomous underwater video device according to a third embodiment of the invention. In the various figures, the same references denote identical or similar elements. FIG. 1 presents an autonomous underwater video device intended to be immersed in a predetermined location of a sea or an ocean, the purpose of this video device being to record images of the aquatic fauna and the sea. marine biodiversity. The processing of the recorded images allows the counting of aquatic fauna species on the basis of statistical observation of the presence or passage of individuals of each species. According to a first embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 1, the autonomous underwater video device comprises a base 1 equipped with feet 3 adapted to land on the sea floor, a video recording camera 5 enclosed in a 2, said sealed housing 2 being rotatably mounted relative to the base about a vertical axis X. Furthermore, the autonomous underwater video device comprises arms 4 to which son 7, preferably transparent, are attached. small section, said son 7 having a first end 71 attached to the free ends 30 of the arms 4 and a second end 72 attached to an intermediate buoy 14, which intermediate buoy 14 is connected by a link 15 to a marker buoy 16 intended to float on the surface of the body of water. As shown in FIG. 2, the base 1 comprises inside an auxiliary sealed housing 9: - a driving mechanism 6, adapted to rotate the sealed housing 2 which encloses the camera 5, - means programmable controllers 8 which are able to control the driving mechanism 6 and the starting or stopping of the video camera 5. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the base comprises four feet 3 extending from the base 1 downwards and inclined outwards with respect to the vertical, the four feet 3 being distributed around the base 1, and four arms 4 disposed above respectively each of the feet 3, the arms 4 being intended to be connected to the aforementioned wires 7. The camera 5 enclosed in the housing 2 rotates about the vertical axis X and its position is marked by the angle a with respect to a predetermined reference position a0. In FIG. 3 is furthermore shown a cylindrical seal 12 centered on the vertical axis X, through which a shaft 63 extending from the inside of the auxiliary sealed housing 9 to the housing 2, said shaft passes. 63 being secured to the housing 2 in rotation about the axis X. Said seal 12 allows the rotation of the housing 2 relative to the auxiliary sealed housing 9 by preventing water from entering the interior of these two boxes 2.9. The autonomous underwater video device also comprises a local memory 51 adapted to record the video images captured by said camera 5. This memory can be integrated with the video camera itself as shown, or this local memory 51 can be a separate unit housed in the housing 2. The feet 3 extend from the bottom of the sealed auxiliary housing 9, obliquely downwardly at an angle of about 30 ° relative to the vertical, while the arms 4 extend horizontally from the top of said auxiliary watertight case 9 to ends 41 so that the wires 7 are attached thereto and said wires 7 are also connected to the intermediate buoy 14. Thus the intermediate buoy 14 exerts an upward force due to its buoyancy, and therefore the son 7 are put in tension. In this way, thanks to the sufficient length of arm 4, the son 7 do not interfere with the rotation of the housing 2 equipped with the camera 5.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each wire 7 is equipped with a visual cue 17 which appears in the field of the images captured by the camera 5 and makes it possible to check the angular orientation α of said camera 5. The mechanism of FIG. 6 comprises an electric motor 60, an output gear 61, which are not described here in detail because known in the art, and a toothed wheel 62 which forms with said pinion 61 a gear with a high reduction rate known in the art. itself, the toothed wheel 62 being integral in rotation with the shaft 63 mentioned above which carries the housing 2 enclosing the camera 5. Thus the rotation of the rotor of the motor 60 causes the rotation of the pinion 61 which in turn causes the rotation of the crown toothed 61 and the shaft 63 around the vertical axis of rotation X, and thus the camera 5 and its housing 2 are rotated about the vertical axis X. Furthermore the programmable control means 8 are connected to said motor 60 by a cable electrical 81 shown in Figure 3, and said programmable control means 8 are also connected to the video camera 5 by means of a second electrical cable 82. As shown in Figure 5, the electrical equipment of the underwater video device The invention comprises an accumulator battery 86, not shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, which makes it possible to deliver electrical energy for the video camera 5, the driving mechanism 6, as well as for the means of programmable control 8. The accumulator battery 86 delivers a voltage '+ V' and is referenced by its negative pole connected to the ground potential 'Gnd'.

The electrical equipment of the autonomous underwater video device of the invention further comprises the programmable control means 8, comprising a logic unit 40, an output transistor 85 and a control relay 87 connected to this output transistor 85. the output of the relay 87 being connected via the cable 81 to the motor 60 of the drive mechanism 6. The programmable control means 8 further comprises a second transistor-based output 86 controlling the coil of a relay 88, the output of said relay 88 being connected by means of the cable 82 to the video camera 5 of the device. The logic control unit 40, the transistors 85, 86 and the relays 87, 88 can be mounted on an electronic card 34 itself contained in a protective case 35, these being not described here in detail because known in art. When the relay 87 is controlled, its contact is closed and the motor 60 of the drive mechanism is powered which causes the rotation of the housing 2 with the video camera 5. In addition, when the relay 88 is controlled and that its contact is closed the video camera is powered by + V voltage and it then records the video images that are in its field of view. As can be seen in FIG. 6 which notably illustrates a timing diagram of the signals generated by the programmable control means 8, the latter are adapted to generate at least one predefined control sequence which comprises: a first phase of power supply of the video camera 5 for recording images, - a second supply phase of the driving mechanism 6 for rotating the video camera 5. In the first phase, the programmable control means 8 feed the video camera by controlling the relay 88, thus the supply voltage of the camera is at the voltage "+ VC" (reference 42 figure 6) and therefore the camera records the video images, this between the instants TO and Tl in Figure 6, for a predetermined time corresponding to a parameter stored in the logic unit 40. Meanwhile, the angle that makes the housing 2 relative to the base 1 is constant (reference 43 Figure 6). In the second phase, the programmable control means 8 supply the drive mechanism 6 to cause the housing 2 to rotate, this being done by controlling the relay 87, and thus by supplying the motor 60 (references M, 41, FIG. 6). with the supply voltage + V. Therefore, the angle that the orientation of the housing 2 with respect to the reference increases and this between the instants Ti and T2 in Figure 6. The rotation time, difference between T2 and Ti, corresponds to another stored parameter in the logic unit 40. During the time of rotation of the housing, the video camera can be powered, or its power supply can be interrupted as shown in Figure 6 between times Ti and T2.

Once the new angular orientation for the housing is reached then a new sequence begins with the video recording phase, between the instants T2 and T3. The duration of such a video recording phase depends on the observation needs of the aquatic zone and the underwater biodiversity as explained in the introduction of this description, this duration can be relatively long, for example of 30 minutes. at 2 o'clock, this parameter being, as indicated above, stored in logic unit 40.

Then, a new phase of rotation of the housing 2 occurs between the instants T3 and T4, the angle a is incremented by a predetermined value corresponding to the difference between two angular positions of image recording.

Then, a new sequence similar to that described above occurs, this sequence comprising an image recording phase between the instants T4 and T5 and then a phase of rotation of the housing 2 and the camera 5 between the instants T5 and T6. The following sequence is similar and comprises an image recording phase between the instants T6 and T7 and then a rotation phase of the camera body 2 and the camera 5 between the instants T7 and T8. illustrated in FIG. 6, the process comprises a succession of sequences as described above until a complete turn has been made in order to monitor the aquatic fauna by 360 °. In the illustrated example, the field of view of the camera makes an optical amplitude of about 60 °, and then six video recording positions are required, each of which can cover about 60 °, to cover the 360 ° necessary for all-round surveillance of aquatic fauna. Turning to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a variant of this first embodiment of the invention, in which it is possible to control the motor 60 of the drive mechanism 6 in both directions of rotation, namely the clockwise and trigonometric sense. In the electrical block diagram illustrated in FIG. 7, only the elements different from those already described in FIG. 5 will be described here in detail. In particular the element making it possible to control the electric motor 60 is no longer a relay but in the present case an "H" bridge which comprises on one side a high-side transistor 32h connected firstly to the supply voltage + V and on the other hand to one of the poles 81a of the motor 60, and a low-side transistor 321 connected on the one hand to this first pole 81a and on the other hand to the ground (Gnd ). In addition, the "H" bridge comprises on the opposite side another high side transistor 31h connected on the one hand to the supply voltage + V and on the other hand to the second pole 81b of the electric motor 60 and a transistor `low side '311 connected on the one hand to the second pole 81b of the electric motor 60 and other by the ground (Gnd). The timing diagram illustrated in FIG. 8 contains the elements of the timing diagram described in FIG. 6, which will not be described again in detail here and is extended by sequences in which the direction of rotation of the motor 60 is reversed and consequently the angle decreases instead of increasing as in the first part of the timeline.

The sixth sequence comprises an image recording phase between the instants T12 and T13 and then a phase of rotation of the housing 2 in the direction opposite to the direction of the beginning of the timing diagram between the instants T13 and T14, the angular position then decreases. . The succession of sequences can be continued by a symmetrical decay with respect to the growth as shown in solid line 45. The programmable control means 8 can also include a return to the initial position aO of the angular position a, as shown in dotted line in FIG. 8 (reference 46). During the return to the angular initial position a, the video camera can be powered or unpowered as illustrated by reference 47 in FIG.

Advantageously according to this arrangement, it is avoided that the electrical cable 82 which connects the camera to the programmable control means 8 does not roll up on itself. FIG. 9 illustrates an autonomous underwater video device according to a second embodiment of the invention, in which the camera 5 as well as the driving mechanism 6 and the programmable control means 8 are enclosed in one and the same waterproof housing 2 'integral with the base 1. In this configuration three feet 3 extend from the base 1 towards the seabed at an angle inclined for example 30 ° from the vertical, the three feet being distributed so balanced and spaced from each other by about 120 °. As in the first embodiment, the drive mechanism comprises a motor 60, a pinion 61, a toothed wheel 62 which forms with the pinion 61 a gear with a high reduction rate, a shaft 63 integral in rotation with this toothed wheel. 62 as well as the video camera 5, and the programmable control means 8 which are connected on the one hand to the motor 60 by a cable 81 and on the other hand to the video camera 5 by another cable 82. The upper part of the 2 'waterproof case is equipped with three rings 74 which are attached to the ends 71 of the son 7 which are also connected to the intermediate buoy 14 as in the first embodiment. In this configuration the housing 2 'has a cylindrical shape as illustrated in FIG. 10, for example a shape of revolution of axis coinciding with the axis of rotation X of the camera 5, and this sealed housing 2' is made, at less in the part that faces the camera lens 5, made of transparent material. The programmable control means 8 are similar or identical to those described in the first embodiment, and as in the first embodiment, all 360 ° of the space to be monitored is performed by six sequences each comprising one phase. recording video images for a predetermined time followed by a rotation phase of about 60 ° of the camera 5.

Figure 11 illustrates a third embodiment of such an autonomous underwater video device. In this third embodiment, the device does not rest on the seabed as before but is suspended by suspension son 7 under a floating object 32 in the form of a floating raft 32 of parallelepiped shape. This raft 32 is equipped with a marker flag 33 on its upper part and fastening rings 34 located on its sides, said hooking rings 34 for attaching the second ends 72 of the suspension son 7. In this configuration, the base 1 is connected to the floating raft 32 by at least two suspension son 7, the orientation of this base 1 along a vertical axis X is substantially constant relative to said floating raft 32. A sealed housing 2 "' preferably of parallelepipedal shape, encloses the camera 5, the programmable control means 8, and the driving mechanism 6, as in the second embodiment The sealed housing 2 "" is pivotally mounted about the X axis relative to the base 1 so that it rotates with the camera 5 and the drive mechanism 6 and the programmable control means 8. In the illustrated example the camera 5 is located in the lower part of the housing 2 "" and the m driving ecanism 6 and the programmable control means 8 in the upper part. The electric motor 60 and the camera 5 are rigidly fixed to the housing 2 °. The shaft 63 is integral with the base 1, and the toothed wheel 62 being integral with the shaft 63, is also integral with the base 1. When the motor 60 rotates, the gear connecting the pinion 61 to the toothed wheel 62 causes the rotation of the housing 2 "" and all the elements which are fixed therein, in particular the camera 5. A ballast 25 is fixed under the lower part of the housing 2 ° to improve the stability of the housing 2 "and therefore the The programmable control means 8 are similar or identical to those described in the first and second embodiments, and in a manner analogous to that described in the illustrated examples, the entire 360 ° the space to be monitored is made up of six sequences each comprising a phase of recording video images for a predetermined time followed by a phase of rotation of approximately 60 ° of the camera 5.

The images collected by the camera 5 and stored in the local memory 51 may be, in a variant of the invention, transmitted to a processing center by means of an emission of electromagnetic waves to a remote receiver able to pick up said waves. electromagnetic signals representing the collected images.

Claims (14)

REVENDICATIONS1. An autonomous underwater video device comprising - a base (1), - a video image capture camera (5), - at least one waterproof case (2; 2 '; 2 "") enclosing said camera and carried by the base (1), characterized in that it comprises a drive mechanism (6) adapted to rotate the camera relative to the base about an axis of rotation (X), and in that the device comprises furthermore, programmable control means (8) for controlling both the rotational driving mechanism of the camera and / or the starting and stopping of the video camera in a predefined sequence. 2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the base is adapted to rest on the seabed. 3. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the camera is fixedly mounted in the sealed housing (2; 2 '; 2 ") and the drive mechanism (6) is contained in an auxiliary waterproof housing (9) integral with the base (1), the sealed housing (2; 2 '; 2 ") being pivotally mounted relative to said auxiliary sealing case (9). 4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising at least two arms (4) formed on said base (1) said arms (4) having ends (41) to which are attached son (7) by one of their ends (71), the other end (72) of each wire being attached to an intermediate buoy (14) to be immersed and to maintain said son (7) in tension. 5. Device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the son (7) comprises a visual cue (17) 35 for identifying in captured video images a targeted angular detector. 6. Device according to claim 4, wherein said intermediate buoy (14) is connected by a link (15) to a marker buoy (16), intended to remain at the surface. 7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the base is adapted to be suspended from a floating object. 8. Device according to claim 7, wherein the camera (5) and the drive mechanism (6) are fixed in the waterproof housing (2 "') and in which the sealed housing (2" ") is driven in rotation by said drive mechanism (6) relative to the base (1). Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a local memory (51) adapted to record video images captured by said camera (5). Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the driving mechanism (6) is adapted to rotate said camera (5) over a complete revolution so as to capture 360 ° video images. 11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said programmable control means (8) are able to generate a predetermined sequence comprising a phase of recording images without angular displacement of said camera (5) then a predetermined angular displacement phase of the camera (5). 12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said programmable control means (8) are adapted to generate a plurality of successive predetermined sequences, the angular displacement (a) of the camera being able to be realized in both directions of rotation. around the axis (X). 35 13. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein said programmable control means (8) are able to generate a succession of six sequences, each of these sequences to capture images about 60 ° angle, allowing to capture 360-degree images. 14. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the recorded images are transmitted by electromagnetic waves to a remote receiver.