ES1284245U - REAL IMAGE CAPTATION SYSTEM BY CAMERA FOR TRAIL FISHING (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Real image capturing system by camera for deep-sea trawling characterized in that it comprises: A very hard and lightweight epoxy casing (1) that is configured as a solid and hermetic piece designed to always remain closed, which houses turn inside several elements: A remote control wide-angle camera (7); two Led lights (2), one near and one far; a lithium battery (9) with BMS card, which are interconnected by a solid electronic system (8) that controls the system ignition, powers the camera (7) and lighting and disconnects the batteries (9) before they are definitely download. This main casing (1) also incorporates a cylindrical tubular body of stainless steel and aluminum (3) that houses the camera (7), the solid electronic panel (8) and the battery (9); two clamps (12) with rings (10) positive and negative in order to charge the battery; two glass lenses 15 millimeters (11) and one 8 centimeters in diameter (5). A stainless steel cap (6) with two O-rings in parallel to ensure the sealing of the cap (6). Two radiofrequency remote controls that power the camera and activate the lights (not shown) A PDA to operate the camera, view and download videos (not shown) A charger with two connection clips for the positive ring and negative. (not represented)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Real image capture system by camera for trawling

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a real image capturing and recording system by video camera for trawling specifically designed to obtain maximum quality physical images in very deep areas, at very low temperatures without risk of deterioration of its elements, by means of of a special hermetic and robust casing that is placed in any part of the fishing nets, which houses in its interior the precise electronic means to work remotely and efficiently.

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention falls within the sector of electronic equipment for trawling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various systems are known in the state of the art for monitoring trawling processes in maritime fishing vessels. These systems work through devices that are placed on the fishing gear and that are used to measure the size of the opening of the trawl, its speed with respect to the water, as well as the amount of catch deposited in the net. Such information is transmitted to the operators on board in real time in order to be able to carry out the appropriate maneuvers to optimize the process, such as influencing the geometry of the net, modifying the speed of the ship, reducing the length of the towing cables , change the angle of the doors or even turn the course.

To optimize the operation of fishing nets, these systems that provide different data on their behavior, represent their information using network echograms on their monitors in real time via wireless links. Said systems receive the different information through a Hydrophone installed in the hull, about roll and pitch, detecting if there is a correct alignment, or if the sensor is trapped in a mesh when launching the net itself. These systems can be configured to adapt to different fishing systems by simply programming them with the bridge computer and changing the pulse length, echo range...

These so-called "net probes" are therefore used to optimize the capture, since they are capable of detecting overfilling of the net so that it is hauled. This is sophisticated equipment that operates at great depths and provides the Captain of the ship in real time with data on the correct placement of the gear, such as the height of the mouth, the width of the trawl doors or the amount of fishing in the inside of the cup.

On the other hand, hybrid capture sensors are applications that work by means of a system of acoustic sensors that also allow measuring the fill level of the trawl, indicating when the end is complete and being able to proceed to catch the fish. Most of them have a double frequency of 40 or 70 kHz, in such a way that they transmit to the operator a "full codend" message and simultaneously, any change in the network. The double frequency allows the acoustic Link to maintain and operate even in the midst of large external noise and at great depths, in order to prevent inefficiencies and damage to the network associated with excessive filling.

In the documents WO 2006/011807, WO 2005/077162, GB 1318537 and NO 20063139, various systems are described to describe the position of fishing gear, and the use of various sensor modules and a combination of measurements that allow providing a representation of the gear and display the position of the gear.

PCT/IB2012/055024 with publication number in Spain ES2589043 describes a system and procedure for the control and display of parameters during trawling. Specifically it is about a system for trawling control comprising two or more sensors for measuring trawling parameters during fishing, a processing unit for processing data from the sensors, a display for displaying data from the sensors and/or data from the processed sensors, wherein the processing unit is adapted to calculate the deviation between the desired value of the drag parameters and the value of the drag parameters measured by the sensor, comprising a display for displaying data from the sensors and a unit processing to process the data from the sensors themselves.

However, trawling control and monitoring systems have the drawback that the information is transmitted on the screen by means of echograms, and not by means of real and clear images of the bottoms and the position of the gear.

For their part, conventional underwater cameras have the drawback that the lenses tend to fog up due to sudden temperature changes that occur between the water and the atmosphere, in addition to the fact that the lenses themselves tend to deteriorate or fragment very easily due to the effect that pressure in deep water exerts on them.

In the current state of the art, sophisticated underwater cameras are known that allow images to be obtained at great depths, but none of them offers the advantages derived from the present invention, especially with regard to their handling and ability to deteriorate, It is usual that once the dive is done, the camera must be manipulated, either to extract the card with the videos or to download the contents. With the added drawback that they are not physically prepared to withstand continuous recording at high speeds and at the same time are resistant to impacts from materials, sandbanks or particles.

Another added problem is the heating of lighting equipment. Circumstance that frequently prevents very long dives and continued without risk to the conservation of the lenses.

EP Patent Publication Number 2655664 describes an underwater camera structured to prevent a camera lens from fogging up and deteriorating under high pressure in deep water. Specifically, an underwater camera is described that includes: a cover having a housing space in which a camera module is housed; a connector that attaches to a first side of the cover and transfers a signal output from the camera module to a controller installed outside the cover; a lens that is connected to the camera module and is attached to a second side of the cover such that a peripheral part of the lens is integrated into a part of the second side of the cover; a sealing means that engages the second side of the cover and prevents water from reaching the lens; and a valve which is attached to the first side of the cover and has a tube connected to a sealed space provided between the sealing means and a surface of the second side of the cover, thereby discharging air from the sealed space to the outside and supplying an inert gas into the sealed space, which may be nitrogen gas.

However, the aforementioned invention does not solve the problem of the need to extract the camera to obtain the images, nor does it prove effective to withstand the risks and almost extreme conditions in which trawling occurs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To solve the problems described, a high depth video recorder system is provided that solves the problems raised by means of a system capable of recording real and clear video images at very high depths, capable of withstanding great pressures while maintaining watertightness. and which is also shown to be suitable for not deteriorating over time due to the effect of salt water, as well as for withstanding large changes in temperature, as well as large impacts and loads without risk of breakage.

The present invention not only provides a solution to these problems, but also allows the charging of batteries without internal manipulation and the viewing of images without the need to remove the SD card from the camera to view the recorded videos, allowing switching on and off and access to camera functions by remote control as well as turning on specially designed light sources.

The image recording system for deep-sea trawling consists of an underwater casing specially designed to operate and withstand the effects of high depths for an unlimited time, which incorporates inside a wide-angle camera with a remote control system, which is in turn installed in an anti-vibration compartment; a lighting system with LED lights capable of offering near and far lighting; lithium battery and solid-state electronic equipment that controls the system on and off, powers the camera and lighting, and disconnects the batteries before they are completely discharged to prevent deterioration.

It has the advantage that it can be placed in any of the usual locations that conventional network probe sensors tend to occupy in networks and make video recordings that can be viewed later by a simple PDA on the bridge, managed by remote control and especially obtain images and videos with a field of vision of more than 10 meters in the marine environment both in length and width, through a specific and innovative lighting system combining near and far light, without compromising battery consumption and avoiding the heating of the lights.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 is a front view of the underwater housing of the system.

Figure 2 is a side view of the open casing before inserting the electronic elements into it.

Figure 3 is a front view of the cylindrical tubular body before it is covered by the casing and the external glass lenses.

Figure 4 is a view of the central lens of the housing.

Figure 5 is a view of the side lenses of the housing.

Figure 6 is a front view of the Led spotlights.

Figure 7 is an overall view of the metallic tubular body to be placed in the casing mould, before inserting the electrical elements therein and before being closed with the cap.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the proposed figures, a preferred embodiment of the proposed invention is described below.

As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the underwater vision system for trawling is made up of the following elements that cooperate with each other:

A.- A very hard and lightweight epoxy casing (1) that is configured as a solid and hermetic piece destined to always remain closed, which in turn houses several elements inside: A remote control wide-angle camera (7) ; two Led lights (2), one near and one far; a lithium battery (9) with BMS card, which are interconnected by a solid electronic system (8) that controls the system ignition, powers the camera (7) and lighting and disconnects the batteries (9) before they are definitively discharged, thus avoiding its deterioration. This main casing (1) also incorporates a cylindrical tubular body made of stainless steel and aluminum (3) that houses the camera (7), the solid electronic panel (8) and the battery (9); two clamps (12) with rings (10) positive and negative in order to charge the battery; two glass lenses 15 millimeters (11) and one 8 centimeters in diameter (5).

B.- A cap (6) made of stainless steel with two O-rings in parallel in order to guarantee the tightness of the cap (6).

C. - Two radiofrequency remote controls that power the camera and activate the lights. (not shown)

D. - A PDA to operate the camera, view and download the videos. (not represented)

E. - A clip charger. (not represented)

Said external body is therefore a casing (1) made of epoxy resin of great hardness but not very heavy, in order to facilitate its installation in the fishing nets without altering its geometry and functions as a block casing, which cannot be manipulated or opened by the user. user throughout its useful life. The casing (1) has a minimum thickness of 2 centimeters and houses and protects the elements listed and which will be described below so that they remain unchanged at all times.

The casing ( Figure 1) is characterized by its robustness. It has been tested in a preferred embodiment that it allows the set of elements that it houses to remain immune to high pressures, maintaining watertightness at a depth of more than 2,000 metres. It withstands without deterioration the effect of salt water and large changes in temperature, as well as large impacts that are usually frequent in the handling of nets and in trawling operations, without causing breaks in the assembly.

The inner camera (7) is a remote control wide-angle camera to which another longer-lasting battery must be attached. In an alternative embodiment, a camera without remote control is easily adaptable for any electronics expert. These cameras work via bluetooth connection and They also allow you to connect to a Wi-Fi network to view the images captured through a PDA, without having to remove it or its SD card. The recording method is loop recording.

The electronic system is a solid-state electronic panel (8), so it is housed in a two-component resin ring that allows the block to be compact, leaving only two small screws and a small connector (13), expressly provided to allow connection to the rest of the elements. This type of solidification of the resins on the electronic media has the purpose of avoiding the reception of vibrations and therefore the loosening of the electronic components, while preventing the filtration of humidity or corrosive elements.

The Led lights (2) are each located on both sides of the front of the casing (1), which allows clear recording both lengthwise and widthwise, taking advantage of the wide-angle format of the camera , in the manner that will be detailed later.

The lithium battery (9) is a 26 Volt 7 cell battery in series and incorporates a BMS card. The BMS card allows the leveling of the loads, provoking its duration. The battery is charged by means of clamps that are connected to the charging rings that in turn serve to hold the device to the network. The solid electronics incorporates a diode in order to avoid short circuits due to its constant contact with the water, also preventing the battery from being discharged through the rings when the assembly is placed in the water.

The way in which these elements referred to in point A are grouped into a compact and hermetic assembly that results in the achievement of a complete clear underwater vision system for trawling, with the characteristics of resistance and durability, is described below. above described:

The cylindrical tube (3) made of stainless steel and aluminum is inserted into a previously prepared two-half mold in order to be able to extract the casing (1) once the resin is dry.

Said cylindrical tube (3) has the objective of providing the unit with the precise consistency against crushing due to pressure or load, providing added protection to the electronic elements it houses.

Said resin is suitable for supporting loads of 320 kilograms per square centimeter.

Before mixing the two components of the resin that will cover the assembly and filling the mold, two clamps (12) provided with rings (10) are placed around the cylindrical tube (3) and with the same separation between them, whose purpose is to serve as positive and negative poles to be able to charge the battery through the clamp system, which must also be connected to the positive and negative poles of the batteries, so that they remain protruding outside of the casing (1) once it has been closed and sealed.

The lower end of the cylindrical tube (3) opposite the closure is covered with epoxy (4) in order to fit into it a central glass lens of 8 centimeters in diameter (5), which will be perfectly fixed, the tube remaining completely hermetic. interior of the tubular body (3). So that the lens (5) in its external part will remain in contact with the water, while in its internal part, it will allow, without fogging, the capture of images carried out by the camera (7) housed in the cylinder (3). To avoid reflections in the images that may be produced by the effect of the strong light from the spotlights, this layer of epoxy (4) with which the lower part of the cylindrical tube is covered must be tinted black.

On both sides of the camera objective and at the same distance, the two Led spotlights (2) are placed on the mold, one destined to emit light near and the other, light at a distance, leaving enough space for the subsequent placement of the external lenses (11) .

one

Before proceeding to fill the mold with the epoxy resin, it is verified that all the electrical connections are correctly distributed.

After 48 hours, the assembly is removed from the mold, the casing (1) is removed, it is closed and the tightness tests are carried out. Once these tests have been satisfactorily carried out, the rest of the electronics is inserted into the metallic tubular cavity (3) in the following order:

First, the camera (7) is inserted, secondly, the solid electrical panel (8) and lastly, the lithium battery (9).

The camera (7) is inserted into a silicone compartment (14) so that vibrations or sudden shocks do not damage it or affect its operation or deterioration. For its part, the solid electrical panel (8) is housed in a two-component resin ring, leaving only the cables with the connectors necessary for the passage of the wiring (15) on the outside. Lastly, and in order to reduce vibrations and facilitate its installation inside the metal tube (3), both elements are inserted into two separate PVC cylinders, which enter the same just and slightly tightened.

Finally, the stainless steel cap (6) is placed, which, as it is provided with O-rings in parallel, guarantees the perfect sealing of the assembly.

In order to achieve a clear vision and maximum image quality in very deep and dark areas where water particles make it difficult, the set has been provided with optimal lighting, which consists of providing greater visibility to the center by lowering the intensity of the light and increase the view across to achieve a light aperture of 160 degrees. To this end, two lights (11) are provided instead of just one, so that one of the lights works for distance vision and the other for near vision, the latter at maximum intensity, but without compromising consumption.

To avoid the heating of the Led spotlights and to prevent their breakage or deterioration, a cooling system has been provided that uses the outer aluminum body of the spotlight itself, which, when adhered to the 15 mm external lens (11), This causes the isolation of the water, but at the same time it cools it, avoiding its destruction due to excess temperature.

It is not considered necessary to make this description more extensive so that an expert in the field can understand the scope of the invention and the advantages derived from its use. The sizes, shapes, mechanisms, and constituent materials of the invention may be varied to adapt them to the advantages that may derive from their specific application, provided that this does not affect the essence of the invention. The terms used in this report should be taken as illustrative, not limiting

Claims (6)

1.- Real image capturing system by camera for deep-sea trawling characterized in that it comprises: A very hard and lightweight epoxy casing (1) that is configured as a solid and hermetic piece destined to always remain closed, which in turn houses several elements inside: A remote control wide-angle camera (7); two Led lights (2), one near and one far; a lithium battery (9) with BMS card, which are interconnected by a solid electronic system (8) that controls the system ignition, powers the camera (7) and lighting and disconnects the batteries (9) before they are discharge definitively. This main casing (1) also incorporates a cylindrical tubular body of stainless steel and aluminum (3) that houses the camera (7), the solid electronic panel (8) and the battery (9); two clamps (12) with rings (10) positive and negative in order to charge the battery; two glass lenses 15 millimeters (11) and one 8 centimeters in diameter (5). A stainless steel cap (6) with two O-rings in parallel in order to guarantee the tightness of the cap (6). Two radiofrequency remote controls that power the camera and activate the lights. (not shown) A PDA to operate the camera, view and download the videos. (not represented) A charger with two connection clamps for the positive and negative ring. (not represented) 2. Real image capturing system by camera for deep-sea trawling according to the previous claim, characterized in that the casing (1) has a thickness of at least 2 centimeters and maintains watertightness at a depth of 2,000 metres. 3. Real image capturing system by camera for deep-sea trawling according to the first claim, characterized in that one of the Led lights (2) is for far vision and another for near vision and both are cooled by adhering the external lenses (11) to the outer aluminum body of the Led (2) 4. - Real image capture system by camera for deep-sea trawling according to the first claim, characterized in that the solid electronics (8) incorporates a diode that prevents battery discharge when the rings contact the water. 5. - Real image capture system by camera for deep-sea trawling according to the first claim, characterized in that the cylindrical metal tube (3) incorporates a black epoxy layer (4) on its opposite side to the closure to fix the central lens (5) 6. - Camera real image capture system for deep-sea trawling according to the first claim, characterized in that the camera (5) is covered in silicone and the electronic panel is housed in a dual-component resin ring.