JP2000224449A - Underwater camera system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an underwater camera system for preventing the imprudent turning of a camera main body having a bell-like shape in which the diameter decreases from one end to the other end. SOLUTION: This underwater camera system is provided with a turning prevention means composed of a pair of projected parts 10 formed by integral molding at spots on the outer surface of the main body 1 shifted from the longitudinal direction center of a camera main body 1 toward the larger diameter part 5 for functioning with a part 11 of the outer surface of the small diameter part 6 and preventing the turning of the camera main body 1. Thus, the camera main body 1 is supported at three points by the pair of the projected parts 10 and a part of the outer surface on the side of the small diameter part 6 and the imprudent turning of the camera main body 1 is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof camera body having a built-in image sensor, an image display device having a display section for displaying an image captured by the camera body, and a camera body and an image display device. The present invention relates to an underwater camera system provided with a cable connected in a waterproof specification, and more particularly to an underwater camera system characterized by the shape of a camera body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a waterproof camera body and an image display for responding to a demand for visually observing or confirming the state of the sea, the seabed, a riverbed, or a place where a person cannot easily enter, or recording the image. Various underwater camera systems including an apparatus and a cable connecting the two have been proposed or put into practical use.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-131682 discloses an outer casing formed by providing a water outlet for an operation cable at an upper portion of a cylindrical waterproof case and a monitoring window having transparent side and lower surfaces at a lower portion. , While providing a drive mechanism inside this,
By housing the rotatable television camera, the mirror, the mirror surface switching mechanism, and the control unit, the television camera can be rotated in the jacket to enable multi-directional monitoring. An underwater television camera device has been proposed.

[0004] Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-26864 discloses a cylindrical housing case which is provided coaxially in a transparent cylindrical watertight case and has a viewing window at two axially spaced locations which are rotated. A motor for rotating the cylindrical housing case provided in the cylindrical housing case; a television camera device provided in the cylindrical housing case so as to be located at the two viewing windows; TV camera unit having a device, an operating power supply connecting device connected to the TV camera unit by a cable pulled in the watertight case in a watertight manner, a power switch, a forward / reverse rotation switch of the rotation motor, and an illumination light source There has been proposed an underwater observation device comprising a lighting switch of the device, a controller having a television receiver, and the like.

[0005]

Incidentally, in the conventional underwater camera system as described above, the camera section has a generally cylindrical outer shape regardless of the size of the entire system. It is formed so as to have a shape.

[0006] By forming the main body into a substantially cylindrical shape, the resistance of the camera main body underwater can be reduced, thereby preventing the camera main body from accidentally moving or rotating underwater. For example, it can be effectively prevented compared to the case where it is formed in a prismatic shape, and it is expected that the camera unit body is less likely to be caught on the seabed or river bottom during imaging than in the case where it is formed in another shape, and an effect is expected. it can.

Further, by forming the cylinder into a substantially cylindrical shape, water pressure is uniformly applied to the cylindrical portion, which is more advantageous than other shapes in terms of resistance to water pressure. For example, in the case of a prism having a corner, since the mechanical strength of the corner is inevitably weakened, it is necessary to design the mechanical strength of the corner to a strength in consideration of the applied water pressure at the time of manufacturing the main body. A substantially cylindrical shape is advantageous for realizing a watertight structure of the main body including the surface.

[0008] However, even if the camera body is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, if the size of the camera body is reduced by promoting the miniaturization of the entire system, for example, when the camera body is carried or when working on land, the camera body is not used. It is conceivable that it is likely to roll, possibly causing collision with surrounding objects and receiving an unnecessary impact.

Further, when the imaging optical system of the imaging device is configured in the axial direction of the camera body, it is not possible to easily recognize the state of the top and bottom of the captured image from the shape of the camera body. When it is desired to perform an imaging operation by installing the camera body on the riverbed, the top and bottom of the captured image displayed on the display unit of the image display device is shifted from the top and bottom of the display unit, so that the captured image is observed on the display unit. However, there is a possibility that the inconvenience may occur.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described points, and has a camera body which has a substantially trumpet shape but can prevent inadvertent rolling and can easily recognize the top and bottom of a captured image. An object of the present invention is to provide an underwater camera system provided with the camera.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An underwater camera system according to the present invention has a substantially trumpet shape in which the diameter changes smoothly from a large diameter portion to a small diameter portion, and the inside of the substantially trumpet shape has an axial direction. An image display device comprising: a camera body having an imaging system including an imaging device having an imaging optical axis at the same time and capturing an image captured from the large-diameter portion side; and a display unit displaying image information captured by the imaging system. And an underwater camera system including a cable connecting between the camera body and the image display device, wherein the camera body is provided on an outer surface on the large-diameter portion side from a longitudinal center of the camera body. The camera body comprises a pair of protrusions formed by integral molding, and is provided with rotation preventing means for preventing the camera body from rolling in cooperation with a part of the outer surface on the small diameter portion side.

Thus, when the camera body is mounted on, for example, a flat object, the camera body has a pair of protrusions integrally formed on the large diameter side and a part of the outer surface of the camera body on the small diameter side. As a result, the camera body is supported at three points on the object, so that careless rolling of the camera body is prevented.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention has a substantially trumpet shape in which the diameter changes smoothly from a large diameter portion to a small diameter portion, and the inside of the substantially trumpet shape is provided inside. An image having an imaging system having an imaging optical axis in the axial direction and including an imaging device for capturing an image captured from the large-diameter portion side, and a display unit displaying image information captured by the imaging system An underwater camera system, comprising: a display device; and a cable connecting the camera body and the image display device, wherein the camera body is provided on an outer surface on the large diameter side from a center in a longitudinal direction of the camera body. The camera body comprises a pair of protrusions formed integrally with the main body, and is provided with rotation prevention means for preventing the camera main body from rolling in cooperation with a part of the outer surface on the small diameter side. Yes,
This has the function of supporting the camera body at three points by the pair of protrusions and a part of the outer surface on the small diameter side.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an underwater camera system according to the first aspect, further comprising: And the top and bottom of the image displayed on the display unit of the image display device so as to match the top and bottom of the image display device. Can be recognized without checking the display state of.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the underwater camera system according to the first aspect, a pair of hemispherical protrusions are formed by integrally forming the antirotation means in a hemispherical shape on the outer surface of the camera body. And has the same function as the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the anti-rotation means in the underwater camera system according to the first aspect has an oblong dome shape, and is substantially parallel to each other along the axial direction of the camera body. This is constituted by a pair of long elliptical protrusions formed on the outer surface of the camera body so as to have the same function as the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an underwater camera system according to the first aspect, wherein the end of the small diameter portion which does not hinder the rotation preventing means of the camera body by the rotation preventing means in the camera body. In the vicinity of the portion, a plurality of suspension means having suspension holes formed integrally with the camera body are provided, and have the same operation as the invention according to claim 1.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of an underwater camera system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of a camera body denoted by reference numeral 1 in FIG.
2 is a schematic left side view of the camera body 1. FIG.

As is apparent from the drawings, the underwater camera system according to the present invention comprises a waterproof camera body 1 and an image display device 2 and a waterproof connector C1 on the camera body 1 side and a waterproof connector between the two. And a cable 4 connected via a connector C2.

The camera body 1 has a substantially trumpet shape in which the diameter changes smoothly from the large-diameter portion 5 to the small-diameter portion 6.
Although not shown in detail, an imaging system 7 that has a photographing optical axis L in the axial direction of the substantially trumpet shape and includes an imaging element that captures a captured image from the large-diameter portion 5 side is incorporated therein. .

At the end of the large-diameter portion 5 of the camera body 1, a protective hood 8 for protecting a transparent glass plate 12 shown in FIG. I have. The hole 9 provided in the protective hood 8 is used, for example, for directly attaching a fishing tackle. In such a case, the movement of the fish with respect to the bait, the situation where the fish eats the bait, and the like can be imaged by the imaging system 7.

Further, the camera body 1 is formed integrally with the camera body 1 on the outer surface on the side of the large diameter portion 5 from the center of the camera body 1 in the longitudinal direction, and has a small diameter indicated by reference numeral 11 in FIG. The camera body 1 cooperates with a part of the outer surface of the part 6 side.
A pair of hemispherical protrusions 10 having a hemispherical shape, which is a rotation preventing means for preventing rolling, is provided.

The image display device 2 connected to the camera body 1 by a cable 4 is provided with a display unit 3 for displaying image information picked up by an image pickup system 7.

Since the underwater camera system according to the present invention is constructed as described above, for example, when the camera body 1 having the built-in image pickup device is put into the sea, the fish, the seabed, and the underwater imaged by the camera body 1 are taken. Can be displayed on the display unit 3 of the image display device 2, and the state of the fish and the seabed can be visually observed or confirmed.

When a fishing tackle is attached to the hole 9 provided in the protective hood 8, it is possible to observe the movement of the fish with respect to the bait, the situation where the fish eats the bait, and the like.

Further, as schematically shown in FIG.
When the camera body 1 is placed on, for example, a flat object 13, the camera body 1 is provided with a pair of hemispherical projections 10, which are rotation prevention means integrally formed on the large-diameter part 5 side, and outside the small-diameter part 6 side. Three points are supported on the object 13 by the part 11 of the surface. As a result, careless rolling of the camera body 1 is prevented.

Further, by displaying the picked-up image picked up by the image pick-up system 7 on the side where the pair of hemispherical projections 10 is provided as the top and bottom of the display unit 3, in other words, the rotation of the camera body 1 By providing the rotation preventing means so that the top and bottom of the captured image in the blocking state matches the top and bottom of the display unit 3 of the image display device 2, the state of the top and bottom of the captured image can be easily recognized from the body shape of the camera body 1. The rotation preventing means in the present embodiment is also provided as such.

Therefore, for example, in a case where an image pickup operation is performed by installing the camera body on the seabed or riverbed, the camera body 1 is arranged such that the rotation preventing means is located on the ground side of the top and bottom of the image state to be displayed. Is installed, the top and bottom of the captured image can be displayed without being shifted from the top and bottom of the display unit 3 of the image display device 2, and the observation of the captured image on the display unit 3 can be performed easily.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 5 is a schematic front view (a) and a schematic left side view (b) showing another embodiment of the camera body 1 in the underwater camera system according to the present invention. In the figure, components having the same reference numerals as those in the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 indicate the same components.

In this embodiment, the rotation preventing means, which is constituted by a pair of hemispherical projections 10 having a hemispherical shape in the above-described embodiment, is replaced by an oblong dome shape, The camera body 1 comprises a pair of long elliptical protrusions 14 formed on the outer surface of the camera body so as to be substantially parallel to each other along the direction.
This is an example in which a plurality of suspension means 16 having suspension holes 17 formed at the end on the side of the small diameter portion 6 are integrally formed and provided.

Therefore, similarly to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1, a pair of long elliptical protrusions 14 and a portion 12 on the small diameter portion 6 side are provided.
Thus, the camera main body 1 can be supported at three points on the upper surface 13 and inadvertent rolling of the camera main body 1 can be prevented.

Further, since the rotation preventing means is constituted by a pair of long elliptical projections 14, it is sandwiched by the rotation preventing means as compared with the case where the rotation preventing means is constituted by a pair of hemispherical projections 10. An area that is less likely to come into direct contact with an object can be enlarged.

Specifically, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the area denoted by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 5 comes into direct contact with another object.
For example, when engraving a product serial number or the like in the area 15, the deterioration can be reduced.

Further, since the suspension means 16 is provided, the camera body 1 can be suspended in water without using the cable 4 by connecting another support such as a wire to the suspension hole 17. The degree of freedom of suspension can be increased as compared with the embodiment described above with reference to FIG.

[0035]

The underwater camera system according to the present invention has a pair of protruding portions formed integrally with the camera body on the outer surface of the camera body having a substantially trumpet shape, the outer surface being larger in diameter than the center in the longitudinal direction. Since the camera body is provided with a rotation preventing means for preventing the camera body from rolling in cooperation with a part of the outer surface on the small diameter side, the camera body is provided with a pair of protrusions and an outer surface on the small diameter side. This has the effect of providing an underwater camera system that can be supported at three points by a part and can prevent inadvertent rolling of the camera body.

Further, since the rotation preventing means is provided so that the top and bottom of the captured image in the rotation-prevented state of the camera body coincide with the top and bottom of the display section of the image display device,
This has the effect of providing an underwater camera system that can easily recognize the top and bottom of a captured image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of an underwater camera system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the camera body indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic left side view of the camera body 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic state diagram showing a state where the camera body 1 is placed on a flat object 13.

5A is a schematic front view showing another embodiment of the camera body in the underwater camera system according to the present invention. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera main body 2 Image display device 3 Display part 4 Cable 5 Large-diameter part 6 Small-diameter part 7 Imaging system 8 Protective hood 9 Hole 10 Hemisphere projection part 11 Part 12 Glass plate 13 Object 14 Oblong elliptical projection part 15 Area 16 Hanging Means 17 Hanging hole

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 2H039 AA07 AB42 AB52 AC07 2H105 AA17 AA31 AA34 AA36 BB02 5C022 AA07 AB65 AC01 AC21 AC75 AC77 5C054 AA01 CD01 CF01 HA40

Claims (5)

[Claims] The present invention has a trumpet shape in which the diameter changes smoothly from a large diameter portion to a small diameter portion, has a photographing optical axis in the axial direction of the substantially trumpet shape, and has a photographing optical axis therein. A camera body incorporating an imaging system including an image sensor that captures a captured image, an image display device including a display unit for displaying image information captured by the imaging system, and the camera body and the image display device. An underwater camera system including a cable connecting between the camera body and a pair of protruding portions formed integrally with the camera body on an outer surface on a side of the large diameter portion from a center in a longitudinal direction of the camera body. An underwater camera system comprising a rotation preventing means for preventing the camera body from rolling in cooperation with a part of the outer surface on the small diameter portion side. 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the rotation preventing means is provided such that the top and bottom of the image captured by the imaging system in the camera body when the rotation of the camera body is blocked coincides with the top and bottom of the display unit of the image display device. Item 2. An underwater camera system according to item 1. 3. The underwater camera system according to claim 1, wherein the rotation preventing means comprises a pair of hemispherical protrusions which are formed integrally with the outer surface of the camera body in a hemispherical shape. 4. The rotation preventing means has a long elliptical dome shape, and a pair of long elliptical protrusions formed on the outer surface of the camera body so as to be substantially parallel to each other along the axial direction of the camera body. The underwater camera system according to claim 1, comprising: 5. A hanging hole formed integrally with the camera body in the vicinity of the end on the small diameter side which does not hinder the rotation preventing means from preventing the camera body from rotating. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of suspension means formed.
2. The underwater camera system according to item 1.