JP7294596B2 - Underwater video camera - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Announced on the website of Kanagawa Prefecture (http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/sr4/prs/r4704818.html#) on July 26, 2018 2019 Announced on the Kanagawa Prefecture website (http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/sr4/prs/r5525754.html) on February 5 Held from February 6 to February 8, 2019 Announced at the exhibition "Sagami Robot Industry Special Zone" Robot Exhibition (40th Industrial Technology Trade Fair "Technical Show Yokohama 2019")

The present invention relates to an underwater image capturing apparatus that can be moved on water by remote control and that observes and captures underwater conditions.

Visual inspection of underwater conditions for maintenance and management of underwater facilities such as fixed nets, fish cages, and artificial reefs, surveys of seabed sediments, and surveys and confirmations of fish numbers and species. There is a need for timely observation. For example, if a fixed camera is installed underwater, it will be possible to observe the underwater state at all times. However, the fixed cameras are not suitable for observing all over a wide area because they can only be used for fixed-point observation. Although it is conceivable to increase the number of installed fixed cameras, there is concern that the burden of maintenance and management of camera equipment will increase.

On the other hand, if a diver dives into the water with a camera, it is possible to photograph an intended location underwater, but this is not suitable for long-term observation over a wide area in terms of cost and labor. Therefore, a system has been proposed in which an underwater camera is of a mobile type and an arbitrary location is observed by remote control. For example, an underwater photography buoy has been proposed that includes a main body that floats on water, an underwater camera that can move up and down from the main body, and a screw (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-110656 A

In the underwater photography buoy described in Patent Literature 1, the buoy body is movable above the water by means of a screw, but the buoy body cannot be accurately moved in the intended direction only by controlling the rotation direction of the screw. I have a problem that I can't. In addition, since the buoy body has a cylindrical shape, it cannot maintain a stable posture on the water, and there is a problem that propulsion resistance increases when the buoy moves on the water.

An underwater image capturing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a hemispherical main body that floats on water, an imaging section that is anchored to the hemispherical main body and captures underwater images, and a driving section that moves the hemispherical main body on the water. , has The drive section includes a pair of thrusters provided on the hemispherical surface of the hemispherical main body, and the pair of thrusters are provided on the bottom surface of the hemispherical main body.

The main body may be provided with a protrusion projecting from the hemispherical surface, and the protrusion may be provided on a center line perpendicular to the pair of thrusters. The imaging section may include a camera body and a housing that accommodates the camera body, and may be configured such that the housing is anchored to the body section and submerged in water. The hemispherical main body may have a flange on the upper surface and may be sealed with a sealing plate. The main unit may include a drive control circuit that controls the drive unit, and a repeater that controls the imaging unit and transmits an underwater image captured by the imaging unit to an external device.

According to the present invention, by providing the main body with a pair of thrusters, the main body can be stably floated on water and freely moved in an intended direction. Further, by making the shape of the main body part hemispherical, it is possible to float in a stable state on the water, and the position of the imaging part can be accurately controlled.

1 shows a configuration of an underwater image capturing apparatus according to the present invention, showing a mode in which a main body floats on the surface of water, an imaging section is submerged in water, and the main body is moored; 1A and 1B show a configuration of a main body of an underwater image capturing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 1A being a plan view and FIG. 1A and 1B show a front view and a side view, respectively, of a structure of a main body of an underwater image capturing apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of an underwater image capturing apparatus according to the present invention;

Hereinafter, the contents of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings and the like. However, the present invention includes many different aspects and should not be construed as being limited to the content of the embodiments illustrated below. In order to make the description clearer, the drawings may schematically show the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part compared to the actual embodiment, but this is only an example and does not limit the content of the present invention. not something to do. In addition, in this specification, when a certain element described in a certain drawing and a certain element described in another drawing are the same or have a corresponding relationship, the same reference numerals (or numbers Reference numerals such as a, b, etc. are attached later, and repeated description may be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the letters "first" and "second" for each element are convenient labels used to distinguish each element and have no further meaning unless otherwise specified. .

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an underwater image capturing device 100 according to the present invention. The underwater image capturing device 100 has a main unit 102 and an imaging unit 104 . The main unit 102 floats on water, and the imaging unit 104 is submerged in water. The body part 102 has a driving part 106 that enables self-propelling on water by remote control. When the body portion 102 floats on the water, the driving portion 106 gives a driving force to the body portion 102 . The drive unit 106 has a function of allowing the main body 102 to move straight on the water, move backward, and freely change the direction of travel.

The imaging section 104 is anchored to the main body section 102 by a wire 120 . Although the number of wires 120 is not limited, the use of a plurality of wires 120 makes it possible to stably moor the imaging unit 104 . When the main unit 102 moves on the water, the imaging unit 104 also moves in conjunction with it. The underwater depth of the imaging unit 104 can be adjusted by the length of the wire 120 . The imaging unit 104 includes a camera (imaging device). Camera 116 is preferably housed in housing 118 which is airtight. It is preferable that the housing 118 is provided with a transparent window so that the outside can be photographed even when the camera 116 is housed. By housing the camera 116 in the housing 118, it is possible to prevent failure due to water ingress or contact with an obstacle, and to maintain stable operation.

The type of camera 116 is not limited, and various cameras can be used. For example, as the camera 116, an omnidirectional camera using a circular fisheye lens can be used. The camera 116 preferably has a function of controlling its operation by wireless communication. As one configuration example, the imaging unit 104 may include a communication cable drawn into the housing 118 to assist wireless communication, and a wirelessly controlled camera 116 . Specifically, it may include a communication cable 122 that assists WiFi (registered trademark) communication, and a camera 116 that is controlled by WiFi. Also, the power source of the camera 116 may be drawn from a battery housed in the main body 102 through a power cable.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the imaging unit 104 may include an illumination device. The illumination device can be used to illuminate the object to be observed. The imaging unit 104 can capture a bright image by using a lighting device, for example, in a deep water area where sunlight does not sufficiently reach or in nighttime. In addition, the housing 118 may be provided with an angle adjustment base for adjusting the angle of the camera 116 (up, down, left, and right angles).

Preferably, body portion 102 has a hemispherical shape. The body portion 102 may have a shape that is substantially half of an elliptical body, as well as a shape that is substantially half of a sphere. Also, the body portion 102 may be conical (conical, triangular pyramidal, square pyramidal). The body portion 102 floats on the water with the spherical portion serving as a landing surface. As will be described later, the main unit 102 accommodates equipment such as a power supply for the driving unit 106, a control circuit, and a communication circuit. It is preferable that the upper portion of the body portion 102 be sealed so as to prevent water from entering.

2 and 3 show an example of the structure of the body portion 102. FIG. In FIG. 2, (A) shows a plan view of the main body 102, and (B) shows a bottom view. In FIG. 3, (A) shows a front view of the main body 102, and (B) shows a side view. The configuration of the main body 102 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

The body portion 102 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a hemispherical outer shape and is provided with a flange 108 on the top. When the body portion 102 lands on the water, the flange 108 portion is exposed above the water surface due to buoyancy. The body portion 102 has a bowl-shaped inner portion so as to accommodate the aforementioned equipment. A sealing plate 110 covers substantially the entire upper surface of the main body 102 . The sealing plate 110 is fixed at the flange 108 so as not to come off the main body 102 . For example, the sealing plate 110 is fastened to the flange 108 with fasteners such as bolts and nuts. By covering the upper portion of the main body portion 102 with the sealing plate 110, the devices housed in the main body portion 102 can be protected.

A vent pipe 112 may be provided in the upper portion of the body portion 102 . It is preferable that the ventilation pipe 112 is provided in an opening penetrating the sealing plate 110 and arranged so as to allow ventilation between the inside and the outside of the body portion 102 . By providing the ventilation pipe 112, the heat generated by the devices housed in the main body 102 can be dissipated to the outside. The vent pipe 112 may be bent in an inverted L shape or an inverted J shape as shown in FIG. 3(B). With such a shape, it is possible to prevent rainwater from entering the main body 102 even in rainy weather.

The body portion 102 is molded from a plastic material such as ethylene vinyl acetate or polycarbonate. Also, the sealing plate 110 is made of a resin material such as acrylic or polycarbonate. By forming the body portion 102 and the sealing plate 110 from a resin material in this manner, weight reduction can be achieved. The sealing plate 110 may be coated with, for example, a film or coating that cuts infrared rays. Since the sealing plate 110 has the function of cutting infrared rays, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the device even when the main body 102 is exposed to direct sunlight.

The driving portion 106 is provided so as to protrude from the body portion 102 . For example, the driving portion 106 is attached to the spherical portion of the body portion 102 . The driving part 106 has a function of moving the body part 102 on water by a reaction force that urges water. The drive unit 106 is not limited to any type as long as it applies a propulsive force to the main body unit 102, and for example, a propulsion device such as a rotary blade type or a water jet type can be used.

It is preferable that the driving section 106 is configured by a pair of driving devices so as to sandwich the body section 102 from both sides. By individually controlling the driving forces of the pair of driving devices provided on both sides of the main body 102, the moving direction of the main body 102 can be accurately controlled. FIGS. 2 and 3 show a pair of thrusters 107 composed of rotating blades as an example of the drive unit 106. FIG. The thruster 107 protrudes from the spherical portion of the main body portion 102 and is provided so as to be positioned below the waterline. That is, the thruster 107 is arranged at a position where it sinks into the water when the main body 102 lands on the water.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the thruster 107 is preferably provided on the bottom surface of the main body 102 in the advancing direction of the main body 102 (direction F indicated by an arrow in the drawing). For example, the thrusters 107 are preferably provided symmetrically on the center line a1-a2 of the main body 102. As shown in FIG. By arranging the thruster 107 on the center a, it is possible to control while maintaining balance even when changing the traveling direction of the main body 102 . Specifically, the thrusters 107 provided so as to sandwich the main body 102 from both sides can cause the main body 102 to advance straight by forward rotation of the rotating blades, and to advance backward by reverse rotation. In addition, the thrusters 107 provided on the left and right sides adjust the number of rotations of the rotating blades to make the propulsive force of one thruster different from that of the other thruster, so that the traveling direction of the main body 102 can be freely changed to the right or left direction. can be adjusted to For example, by rotating one thruster forward and rotating the other thruster in reverse, the course can be easily changed to the right or left.

As described above, by providing the pair of thrusters 107 as the driving section 106, the main body section 102 can be freely moved on the water. In particular, by forming the body portion 102 into a hemispherical shape and using the hemispherical surface as a water landing surface, the body portion 102 is less susceptible to water resistance, and the body portion 102 can move freely and smoothly. In other words, by making the water landing surface of the main body 102 spherical, not only when going straight (or moving backward), but also when changing the course in the left and right direction, only the pair of thrusters 107 can move the thruster 107. The course can be easily changed in the right and left direction without imposing a large load. Note that the number of thrusters 107 is not limited to one pair, and more thrusters may be provided in order to allow the main body 102 to self-propell on water. Further, a similar driving unit may be provided in the imaging unit 104 and may be interlocked with the driving unit 106 of the main unit 102 .

The main unit 102 is required to float stably on the water surface in order to pull the imaging unit 104 submerged in water. In the present invention, the center of gravity of the main body 102 can be lowered by having the main body 102 have a hemispherical shape and using the hemispherical surface as a landing surface. As a result, the body portion 102 can be stably floated on the water, and overturning can be prevented. For example, even when the waves are high, overturning of the main body 102 can be prevented. As a result, the imaging unit 106 that is submerged in water can be stably held in the water, and disturbance of captured images can be suppressed.

The body portion 102 may be provided with projections (fins) 114 . As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, it is preferably provided on the center line b1-b2 parallel to the advancing direction of the main body 102 (direction F indicated by an arrow in the drawing). It is preferable that the protrusion 114 has a plate-like shape extending parallel to the rectilinear direction of the main body. By providing such projections 114, the water flow can be rectified when the main body 102 moves straight, and the straightness can be improved. In addition, rolling of the body portion 102 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the protrusion 114 has a shape that protrudes along the hemispherical surface of the main body 102 . Furthermore, it is preferable that the protrusion 114 is provided with an opening 115 . By providing the openings 115 in the protrusions 114, it is possible to reduce the resistance force of the protrusions 114 even when the course of the main body 102 is changed in the left-right direction. As a result, the course of the body portion 102 can be easily changed by the pair of thrusters 107 as well.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the protrusions 114 are provided at two locations in front and behind the advancing direction of the main body 102 (direction F indicated by an arrow in the figure). It is not limited and may be provided in one of the front and back. Moreover, the projections 114 may be provided not only on the central axis b, but also on the left and right sides of the central axis b. In any configuration, by providing the hemispherical main body 102 with the fin-like protrusions 114, the stability of the main body 102 can be enhanced when the main body 102 is self-propelled on water.

FIG. 4 shows the system configuration of the underwater video camera 100. As shown in FIG. The underwater imaging apparatus 100 includes a receiver 124, a drive control circuit 126, a repeater 128, and a battery . Receiver 124 , drive control circuit 126 , and repeater 128 are housed in main body 102 . FIG. 4 also shows a transmitter (remote controller) 132 and a terminal device 134 that control the operation of the main unit 102 . Transmitter 132 is used to remotely control the operation of main unit 102 . The terminal device 134 remotely operates the camera 116 of the imaging unit 104 and displays an image captured by the camera 116 . The transmitter 132 is wirelessly connected to the receiver 124 and the terminal device 134 is wirelessly connected to the repeater 128 . For example, the transmitter 132 is connected to the receiver 124 by radio waves, and the terminal device 134 is connected to the repeater 128 by WiFi. As the terminal device 134, a multifunctional mobile phone called a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a laptop or desktop personal computer, or the like can be used.

The receiver 124 receives control signals transmitted from a transmitter (remote controller) 132 . Transmitter 132 transmits a control signal for controlling the movement of main body 102 , and receiver 124 outputs the control signal to drive control circuit 126 upon receiving the control signal. The drive control circuit 126 controls the operation of the drive units (thrusters) 106a and 106b. The drive control circuit 126 individually controls the operation of the drive section 106a and the drive section 106b based on the control signal. The battery 130 supplies electric power necessary for the operation of the drive unit 106 , the receiver 124 , the drive control circuit 126 and the repeater 128 .

The repeater 128 receives a command for controlling the operation of the imaging unit 104 from the terminal device 134, and transmits the received command to the imaging unit 104 via the communication cable. Communication cable 122 may be a WiFi extension cable. The repeater 128 also outputs an image captured by the camera 116 of the imaging unit 104 to the terminal device 134 . The terminal device 134 displays the image from the repeater 128 . The image may be a still image or a moving image.

Note that the drive control circuit 126 and the battery 130 must be connected to the driving unit (thruster) 106, and the repeater 128 and the imaging unit 104 by wires (cables). As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the body portion 102 is provided with a vent pipe 112 at its upper portion. By using the vent pipe 112, cables connecting the drive control circuit 126 and the battery 130 to the drive unit (thruster) 106 and the repeater 128 to the imaging unit 104 can be passed.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the main unit 102 further includes a memory for storing images captured by the imaging unit 104, a GPS (Global Positioning System) for knowing the position of the main unit 102 on the map, a micro A solar cell may be provided to charge the computer, battery 130 . Since the GPS is provided, the position of the main body 102 can be confirmed on the map, and the current position and moving direction can be known accurately. Then, the position of the main unit 102 may be controlled to move autonomously according to a behavior pattern programmed by GPS and a microcomputer. Moreover, consumption of the battery 130 can be suppressed by providing the solar cell. Furthermore, a light source using a light-emitting device (light-emitting diode, organic electroluminescence diode, etc.) may be provided so that the position of the main body 102 can be visually recognized at night.

As described above, according to the underwater image capturing apparatus 100 of the present invention, the main unit 102 and the imaging unit 104 are separated, and the driving unit 106 is provided in the main unit 102 to pull the underwater imaging unit 104. be able to. Further, by making the main unit 102 remotely operable by radio, the user can operate it from land, on a pier, on a ship, etc., and visually recognize an underwater image at an arbitrary position by moving the main unit 102. be able to. In this case, since the body part 102 can be visually recognized while floating on the surface of the water, the user can easily know which position in the water the user is observing. For example, by installing the underwater imaging device 100 in fixed nets, fish cages, artificial fish reefs, etc., it is possible to maintain and manage equipment installed under the water surface, survey seabed sediments, and survey and confirm the number and species of fish. can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Underwater imaging|photography apparatus, 102... Main-body part, 104... Imaging part, 106... Drive part, 107... Thruster, 108... Flange, 110... Sealing plate, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 112... vent pipe, 114... protrusion, 115... opening, 116... camera, 118... housing, 120... wire, 122... communication cable, 124... Receiver 126 Drive control circuit 128 Repeater 130 Battery 132 Transmitter 134 Terminal device

Claims (5)

A hemispherical main body that floats on water,
an imaging unit that is moored to the hemispherical main body and shoots underwater;
a drive unit that moves the hemispherical main body on water,
The drive unit includes a pair of thrusters provided on the hemispherical surface of the hemispherical main body,
The pair of thrusters are provided on the bottom surface of the hemispherical main body,
The hemispherical main body is provided on a center line orthogonal to the pair of thrusters and has a plate-like projection projecting from the hemispherical surface,
The underwater image capturing apparatus , wherein the protrusion has an opening . 2. The underwater image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said protrusions are provided at two locations on the front and rear of said main body on a center line perpendicular to said pair of thrusters. 2. The underwater image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said imaging unit includes a camera body and a housing for accommodating said camera body, said housing being submerged in water. 2. An underwater image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said hemispherical main body has a flange on the upper surface and is sealed with a sealing plate. 2. The underwater image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control circuit for controlling said driving section, and a repeater for controlling said imaging section and transmitting an underwater image captured by said imaging section to an external device.

Images