JP3829194B2 - Imaging equipment for surveying underwater ecosystem - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus for investigating an underwater ecosystem used for investigating an underwater ecosystem such as environmental conservation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Traditionally, in order to observe the distribution of benthic species and coverage in coastal sea areas such as seaweeds, a skilled diver with expertise has taken a photo frame of 1m square or 0.5m square called quadrat. The distribution of benthic organisms at a predetermined point is obtained by visual observation, close-up photography, and sampling of benthos within the frame. However, there are problems in working with divers in terms of working time and safety, and there are problems that few divers have specialized knowledge. In order to solve this, photographing and investigation of benthic organisms have been performed by a remotely operated underwater robot equipped with an underwater camera shown in FIG. 6 (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By operating the underwater robot for remote operation on the ship, the work can be performed safely and for a long time, and the expert can analyze the data on the ship operating the underwater robot or at a later date. However, in this apparatus, since the power cable and the signal cable come out from the rear part, the photographing frame 21 is installed in front of the underwater robot 20 for remote operation, and the digital camera 22 is mounted on the frame 21 with the digital camera 22 facing directly below. Therefore, it is structured so that photographs within a certain frame can be taken. In order to ensure the angle of view of the digital camera 22, the mounting position of the digital camera 22 is set higher than the robot, and a part of the remotely operated underwater robot 20 is not photographed in the photographic frame 21. In order to achieve this, the mounting position of the digital camera 22 must be arranged in front of the underwater robot 20 for remote operation. For this reason, a large photographic frame is required, and the entire apparatus has to be large.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-58370
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As mentioned above, remote underwater robots equipped with conventional photography frames are large and heavy, so they are difficult to handle on small ships, and operate in shallow waters and corals. It was difficult in itself. In addition, because the container for transporting the underwater robot for remote operation becomes large, there is a problem that the air mail cannot be used for transportation to the point to be investigated.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to provide a remote work underwater robot that is small, light, and has good workability even when the distance between the water bottom photographing camera and the water bottom photographing frame, that is, the photographing area is the same as that of the conventional type. To do.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Water bottom ecosystem investigative imaging apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above object, the underwater ecosystem investigation imaging apparatus comprising photographable remote work underwater robot the water bottom is operated from the operation board or land Teleoperation The underwater robot is equipped with a horizontal thruster, vertical thruster, and horizontal thruster for suppressing and turning motions, and a water bottom photographing frame attached to the front part of the underwater robot for remote operation is approximately 45 ° ± 15 with respect to the horizontal plane. A water bottom photographing camera is mounted in an angle range of 0 °, and a water bottom photographing camera is mounted at an upper position substantially orthogonal to the surface of the water bottom photographing frame. When photographing, water for remote work is arranged so that the water bottom photographing frame is parallel to the water bottom. It is characterized by tilting the middle robot .
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an underwater robot for remote operation of a photographing apparatus for investigating underwater ecosystems according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the pressure-resistant grain 1 is placed on a skid 4, and the rear and side surfaces are guarded by a rear bumper 5 and a side bumper 6.
Further, three horizontal thrusters 7, two vertical thrusters 8, and one horizontal thruster 9 are mounted in order to obtain a propulsive force or perform a depression / turning motion. Suppression / swirl movement is performed by appropriately controlling the horizontal thruster 7, vertical thruster 8, and horizontal thruster 9. In order to facilitate the suppression movement, the center of gravity position and the buoyancy of the device are used. It is good to match the position.
In addition, the attachment position or radix of each thruster can be changed as appropriate, and a known configuration (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-79560) can also be adopted.
Further, a television camera 13 is mounted via the underwater illumination lamp 10 and the tilt device 14 so that the state of the seabed and the like can be transmitted on the operation ship or on land.
[0008]
Reference numeral 16 denotes a water bottom photographing frame attached to the front part of the skid 4, which has a rectangular frame shape and is attached to the front part of the skid 4 within an angle range of approximately 45 ° ± 15 ° with respect to the horizontal plane. . The mounting angle of the water bottom photographing frame 16 can be appropriately changed by adjusting a known hinge member or the like provided between the skid 4 and the bottom of the water bottom photographing frame 16. The mounting angle of the water bottom photographing frame 16 is normally set to 45 °, but is appropriately changed according to the topography of the water bottom and the like. In consideration of the balance, an angle range of approximately 45 ° ± 15 ° with respect to the horizontal plane is appropriate.
Reference numeral 18 denotes a digital still camera for water bottom photography, which is attached to the support frame 17 and is provided at a position corresponding to a photography area formed by the water bottom photography frame 16. That is, the digital still camera 18 for photographing the bottom of the water is positioned at an upper position with an appropriate angle from the bottom of the photographing frame 16 so that an angle of view can be formed at an attachment angle substantially perpendicular to the surface of the bottom of the photographing frame 16. The mounting angle can be changed by adjusting the support frame 17 in accordance with the mounting angle of the water bottom photographing frame 16 or the like. Reference numeral 19 denotes GPS.
[0009]
The horizontal thruster 7, vertical thruster 8, horizontal thruster 9, underwater illumination lamp 10, TV camera 13, digital still camera 18, and GPS 19, etc. are supplied with electric power from an operating ship or land via an underwater cable 2 extending from a suspension fitting 15. A control signal is supplied. Further, the image of the television camera 13 is transmitted on the operation ship or on the land via the underwater cable 2. The underwater cable 2 is configured by combining a transmission cable, a control cable, a television image transmission cable, and the like.
[0010]
As described above, when the water bottom photographing frame 16 is attached at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the horizontal plane, for example, even when the same photographing area as that in the conventional case, that is, the distance between the camera 18 and the water bottom photographing frame 16 is kept the same. The horizontal length of the water bottom photographing frame 16 can be shortened to about 1 / 1.4, and the mounting height of the digital still camera 18 can be similarly lowered. That is, the mounting angle of the digital still camera 18 is set to 45 degrees from the conventional vertical direction, whereby the total length and the overall height of the remote work underwater robot can be reduced.
Specifically, the length x height of the conventional device is 1400 x 850 mm, but according to the present embodiment, the size is reduced to 1220 x 730 mm and the weight is reduced from 50 kg to 40 kg. It was.
[0011]
FIG. 2 shows a state of photographing the bottom of the water. When photographing, the underwater robot for remote operation is tilted, for example, 45 ° so that the bottom of the photographing frame 16 is substantially parallel to the bottom of the water. Press 16 against the bottom of the water and take a picture.
FIG. 3 shows a seaweed image actually taken.
[0012]
Next, an example in the case of photographing using this remote working underwater robot will be described.
First, an underwater robot for remote operation is mounted on a small ship (control ship) and moved to the survey area.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, an underwater robot for remote operation is thrown into the sea from the operation ship. The inputted remote work underwater robot is operated by a monitor and a controller arranged on the operation ship shown in FIG. 5, and drives the horizontal thruster 7, the vertical thruster 8 and the horizontal thruster 9 to be propelled toward the photographing point. At this time, the state of the bottom of the water can be grasped on the operation boat by the television camera 13 mounted in front of the underwater robot for remote operation. After the shooting point is determined from the image of the TV camera 13, the hydraulic power of the upper and lower horizontal thrusters 7 is adjusted and the underwater robot for remote operation is tilted as shown in FIG. The bottom surface of the water is photographed with the still camera 18.
[0013]
The photographed image is recorded together with the position data measured by the GPS 19 and an acoustic positioning device (not shown), and is used as an analysis of the distribution of underwater organisms and data of a geographic information system (GIS).
The seaweed image photographed in this manner is shown in FIG. 3, and it can be seen that an image that is the same as that photographed by a conventional apparatus can be obtained.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following excellent effects.
(1) Even when the distance between the bottom camera and the bottom frame is the same as the conventional type, the external dimensions of the remote robot for remote operation are smaller and the weight is lighter than the conventional type. The size of the apparatus can be reduced.
(2) Along with the above (1), it is possible to facilitate the work on the operation ship of the remotely operated underwater robot. For example, in the conventional work, three workers were required for throwing into the water, but in the case of this apparatus, one or two people were possible.
(3) In addition, the underwater travel resistance of the remotely operated underwater robot can be halved.
(4) Furthermore, operation in coral reef sea areas and shallow sea areas becomes easy.
(5) According to the above (1) to (4), the observation of the surface distribution of the bottom ecosystem can be performed more safely and quickly than before, and it can greatly contribute to the creation of a detailed distribution map in the survey area.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an underwater robot for remote operation of a photographing apparatus for investigating an underwater ecosystem according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a state in which the bottom of the water is photographed using the remotely operated underwater robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a seaweed image actually taken.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state where a remotely operated underwater robot is thrown into the sea from an operation ship.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a monitor and the like arranged on an operation ship.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a conventional remote working underwater robot.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Pressure-resistant grain 2 Underwater cable 4 Skid 5 Rear bumper 5
6 Side bumper 7 Horizontal thruster 8 Vertical thruster 9 Horizontal thruster 10 Underwater illumination lamp 13 TV camera 14 Tilt device 15 Hanging bracket 16 Water bottom photographing frame 17 Support frame 18 Digital still camera 19 GPS

Claims (1)

In the underwater ecosystem investigation imaging device equipped with an underwater robot for remote work that can be operated from the operation ship or on land to photograph the bottom of the water, a horizontal thruster for vertical motion and swivel motion is provided for the underwater robot for remote work. A water bottom photographing frame equipped with a thruster and a horizontal thruster and attached to the front of the underwater robot for remote operation is attached in an angle range of about 45 ° ± 15 ° with respect to a horizontal plane and is substantially orthogonal to the surface of the water bottom photographing frame. For underwater ecosystem research, which is equipped with a camera for underwater photography at an upper position, and when photographing, the underwater robot for remote work is tilted so that the underwater photography frame is parallel to the bottom of the water. Shooting device.

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