Underwater adaptive camera housing

• US 20070071423A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shaju Puthussery, Stephen Fantone
• Original Assignee: Shaju Puthussery, Stephen Fantone
• Inventors: Fantone, Stephen, Puthussery, Shaju
• Application Number:
  US11/526,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20070071423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/27
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings

Abstract

An adaptive underwater camera housing and control interface for use with a broad range of camera brands and models. The camera housing is preferably formed of front and rear housing sections that are molded of clear transparent plastic and arranged to be moved between an open position for mounting a camera within the housing and a closed position in which the housing provides a watertight enclosure for protecting and communicating with a camera. Residing in the housing are a controller and communications interface by which a camera can be operated from outside the housing. Magnetic signals are preferably passed to the controller by external signal buttons operated by the user. The external signal buttons do not penetrate the interior surfaces of the housing thereby enhancing its water tightness. The housing is provided with a truncated hemispherical lens through which a camera views scenes to be photographed to reduce distortion and not foreshorten viewing angle and a flat window and diffuser for providing controlled artificial illumination to a scene.

Claims

1. An underwater adaptive camera housing for providing a watertight enclosure and common control interface for cameras of the type configured to use a standardized protocol for electronically sending and receiving commands and/or data, said underwater adaptive housing comprising:

a watertight enclosure for a camera, said watertight enclosure having at least one transparent window for transmitting light to a camera and an inner mount for physically securing a camera in a predetermined relationship with respect to said at least one transparent window;

a controller and standardized electronic communications interface mounted within said watertight enclosure, said controller and standardized electronic communications interface being programmed for receiving signals generated in response to operator action originating outside of said watertight enclosure and transmitting commands and data to and from a camera in accordance with said standardized protocol; and

at least one human-operable signaling device configured to be responsive to human manipulation to generate said signals through said watertight enclosure to said controller and standardized electronic communications interface.

2. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said at least one human-operable signaling device is fixedly attached to the outside of said watertight enclosure without penetrating beyond its interior surfaces thereby enhancing the watertight properties of said watertight enclosure.

3. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said watertight enclosure is formed of a plurality of camera housing sections adapted to be moveable between open and closed positions to provide said watertight enclosure for a camera when in said closed position.

4. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 3 further including a locking arrangement for holding said camera housing sections in said closed position.

5. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said controller and standardized electronic communications interface comprise a microcontroller and a separate standardized communications interface.

6. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said standardized protocol for electronically sending and receiving commands and data to and from cameras is selected from the group consisting of PTP, PIMA 15740:

2000, and Microsoft WIA.

7. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said standardized electronic communications interface for transmitting signals between it and a camera is USB.

8. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein a portion of said transparent window is dome-shaped.

9. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said at least one human-operable signaling device is selected from the group consisting of standard waterproof spst momentary switches, Hall effect switches, reed switches, and LED switches.

10. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 3 wherein said watertight enclosure further includes an inner mount for physically securing a camera within said watertight enclosure in a predetermined relationship with respect to said at least one transparent window.

11. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 6 wherein said transparent window is a truncated hemisphere in shape and wherein said inner mount is configured to align the optical axis of a camera with the optical axis of said truncated hemispherical window and to place the entrance pupil of a camera'"'"'s taking lens approximately at the radius of curvature of said truncated hemispherical transparent window.

12. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said controller and standardized electronic communications interface is programmed to provide one or more of the following camera command set:

shutter, zoom-in, zoom-out, review/wake camera, scroll images, manual operation, automatic exposure operation, transfer image data, and delete image.

13. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said controller and standardized electronic communications interface further includes a camera identity function by which command sets for particular cameras can be selected.

14. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 4 wherein said locking arrangement comprises a pair of over-the-center latches mounted on opposed sides of said housing.

15. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein one of said camera housing sections includes a transparent window for viewing camera display screens so that pictures and camera menus can be viewed.

16. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 further including a source mounted within said housing for supplying electrical power to electronic components residing within said underwater adaptive camera housing.

17. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said controller and standardized electronic communications interface comprises a microprocessor.

18. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 1 wherein said underwater adaptive camera housing is adapted for use with cameras selected from the group consisting of still and video conventional film cameras, still and video digital cameras, cell phones with integral cameras, and PDAs with integral cameras.

19. An underwater adaptive camera housing for providing a watertight enclosure and common control interface for cameras that are configured to use a standardized protocol for electronically sending and receiving commands and data, said underwater adaptive camera housing comprising:

front and back housing sections moveable between open and closed positions to form the camera housing, said front and back housing sections being sized and shaped for enclosing a substantial segment of common hand-held cameras, at least one of said front and back housing sections having a seal and the other a seat by which said front and back housing sections can be made watertight when said seal and seat are mated;

said front housing section having at least one transparent window for transmitting and receiving light to and from a camera;

a locking arrangement adapted to hold said front and back housing sections in mated relationship to maintain the water-tight enclosure for a camera;

an inner mount for physically securing a camera within said underwater adaptive camera housing in a predetermined relationship with respect to said at least one transparent window;

a controller mounted within said underwater adaptive camera housing and programmed for receiving and transmitting commands and data according to said standardized protocol;

a standardized electronic communications interface for transmitting signals between said controller and a camera;

at least one human-operable signaling device fixedly attached to the outside of said housing, said signaling device being connected to said housing without penetrating it thus preserving its water tightness when closed, said signaling device being configured to be responsive to human manipulation to generate signals that are transmitted through said housing to said controller to initiate one or more commands that are passed to a camera via said communications interface.

20. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said standardized protocol for electronically sending and receiving commands and data to and from said cameras is selected from the group consisting of PTP, PIMA 15740:

2000, and Microsoft WIA.

21. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said standardized electronic communications interface for transmitting signals between said processor and a camera is USB.

22. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein a portion of said front housing section transparent window is dome-shaped.

23. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said at least one human-operable signaling device is selected from the group consisting of standard waterproof spst momentary switches, Hall effect switches, reed switches, and LED switches.

24. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 22 wherein said dome-shaped transparent window is a truncated hemisphere and wherein said inner mount is configured to align the optical axis of a camera with the optical axis of said truncated hemisphere and to place the a camera'"'"'s taking lens entrance pupil approximately at the radius of curvature of said truncated hemispherical transparent window.

25. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said controller is programmed to provide one or more of the following camera command set:

shutter, zoom-in, zoom-out, review/wake camera, scroll images, manual operation, automatic exposure operation, image data transfer, and delete image.

26. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said controller further includes a camera identity function by which command sets for particular cameras can be selected.

27. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said latch comprises a pair of over-the-center hinges mounted on opposed sides of said underwater adaptive camera housing.

28. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said rear camera housing includes at least on transparent window section for viewing camera display screens so that pictures and camera menus can be viewed.

29. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 further including a source mounted within said underwater adaptive camera housing for supplying electrical power to any electronic components residing within said underwater adaptive camera housing.

30. The underwater adaptive camera housing of claim 19 wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor.