Patent ID: 6680795
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
An apparatus for capturing and analyzing video images of river, lake, or sea bed sediment containing grains of various sizes from the bottom of a body of water, said apparatus comprising:a video imager, including a flat field close-up focus lens, for collecting images of bed sediment containing different grain sizes; a waterproof housing containing said video imager; a viewing window, disposed in a bottom exterior portion of said housing in alignment with said video imager, for, in operation, contacting the surface of the bed sediment so said video imager can capture images of the surface of the bed sediment; a weight member associated with said housing for ensuring that, in operation, said housing can be lowered down so as to rest on the bed sediment and permit the viewing window to contact the surface of the bed sediment; a video recorder for storing the images collected; and a processor for analyzing the images collected by said video imager to determine grain size of the bed sediment of the surface thereof.