Patent Document

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Underwater surveillance cameras are used for viewing underwater objects from a boat or the like. They are particular popular with fishermen who want to explore either underwater structure or the presence of fish. 
     Such underwater surveillance water apparatus may be found in U.S. Pat. No.: 6,262,761 issued Jul. 17, 2001 to Jeffrey P. Zernov and Anthony L. Capra for “Submersible Video Viewing System”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,824 issued May 16, 2000 to Philip A. Rink for “Underwater Camera Housing”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,879 issued May 2, 2000 to Eric D. Weber for “Fishing Surveillance Device”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,469 issued Aug. 17, 1999 to Richard Ford and Randolph K. Ford for “Underwater Connector”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,259 issued Jul. 7, 1998 to Philip A. Rink for “Underwater Video Camera Housing”. 
     The broad purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved underwater viewing apparatus which includes a housing for supporting a commercially available waterproof submersible camera, such as distributed by Strategic Vista Corporation of Markham, Ontario, Canada. Such a camera is elongated with a generally cylindrical housing. A cable is connected to one end of the housing. The other end of the housing supports the lens. The cable has a sufficient length that the user can submerge the camera at a desirable depth in the water while the upper cable end, above the water level, is connected to a viewing device, such as a television or a video camera recording device. 
     The preferred housing is formed in two symmetrical halves. Part of the housing has a planar configuration forming a rudder that is connected to a tubular camera supporting structure. The camera supporting structure is open at its opposite ends. The camera is clamped in the housing such that it may be suspended in a flowing body of water with the camera lens facing downwardly and the rudder guiding the camera in a stabilized position. The camera angle is adjusted by the user twisting the cable. 
     The housing has a cable-receiving channel around the periphery of the rudder so that the cable exits the housing at a 90° angle with respect to the axis of the camera. When the cable is connected in this fashion, the camera is suspended in a horizontal position. 
     The preferred apparatus provides an efficient and economical housing for suspending the camera in alternate underwater viewing positions. The cable can be manipulated to adjust the camera to different viewing angles with respect to the water current. 
     Still further objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The description refers to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a partially sectional view of a preferred underwater viewing apparatus in which the camera is supported in a horizontal position; 
     FIG. 2 is a partially sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but in which the camera is supported in an alternate, vertical viewing position; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one end of the camera supporting body; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the other end of the camera supporting body; 
     FIG. 5 is a view of one end of the camera supporting body; and 
     FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the camera supporting body. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred underwater viewing apparatus  10  which comprises a body  12  and a viewing camera  14 . The camera is preferably a submergible camera distributed by Strategic Vista Corp. and has an elongated cylindrical housing with a viewing lens  16  at one end and a cable connecting end  18 . An elongated camera viewing cable  20  has one end connected to cable end  18  of the camera and an opposite end connected to a video viewing apparatus such as a television  22  which may be mounted in a boat or the like on a body of water  24 . The body of water may have a current flowing in the direction of arrow  26 . 
     FIGS. 3-6 illustrate body  12  which is formed of two symmetrical halves  28  and  30 . The two halves are formed of any suitable plastic. Half  28  includes a lower flange  32 , a semi-cylindrical camera-supporting structure  34  and a planar rudder structure  36 . Similarly, the other body half  30  includes a lower flange  38 , a semi-cylindrical tubular camera supporting structure  40  and a planar rudder structure  42 . The two halves are joined together as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, and connected by suitable threaded fastener means  43  at locations  44 ,  46  and  48  in the rudder structure, and  50  and  52  in the flanges. 
     The two rudder structures are joined in a face-to-face relationship to form a rudder adjacent the tubular camera supporting structures. The camera is clamped between the tubular camera supporting structures when the two halves are joined together. 
     When the two halves  28  and  30  are joined together they form a slot  53 . 
     One body half has a semi-cylindrical channel  54  which mates with a semicylindrical channel  56  on the other body half around the periphery of the rudder. When joined together, one end of the two channels forms an opening  58  which faces opening  60  of the body. The opposite end of the two channels forms an opening  62  which is disposed along an axis  64  that is at right angles to the central axis  66  of the tubular camera supporting structure (the longitudinal axis of the camera). 
     Referring to FIG. 5, the two rudder structures, when joined together, are disposed in a plane  68 , that contains the central axis  66  of the camera supporting structure and the center of top opening  62 . 
     When the camera is to be supported for horizontal viewing as illustrated in FIG. 1, the cable is strung between the channels and exits through top opening  62  at right angles to the longitudinal axis  66  of the camera. 
     The camera cable can be removed from the channels to support the camera in the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 2 for viewing bottom structure. In either position, the rudder provides means for aligning the camera so that it remains in a fairly stable position with respect to the current flow. 
     The camera has a tapped opening  70 , see FIG.  1 . The tapped opening is aligned with slot  53 , and a threaded fastener  72  connects the camera to the housing so that the image viewed by the camera is properly aligned with the housing. Fastener  72  also prevents the camera from sliding out of its clamped position. 
     The camera supporting body is formed of relatively inexpensive components, is easy to assemble and provides a compact steering device for the camera.

Technology Category: h