Receiver separation and zoom lenses pan and tilt underwater optical viewing system with adjustable source

Claim 2

An optical instrumentation system for applications in an underwater environment comprising in combination: a submersible vehicle capable of attaining and maintaining a desired position in the underwater environment; camera means mounted on said submersible vehicle for receiving and recording time related images of objects located within the underwater environment in the vicinity of said submersible vehicle; light source means for providing an illuminating light beam to impinge selected areas adjacent said submersible vehicle; variable length support means connected between said light source means, said camera means, and mounted to said submersible vehicle for selectively varying the effective lateral separation between said light source means and said camera means; support drive means effectively connected to said variable length support means to selectively and laterally extend or retract the variable length support means for altering the optical and spatial relationship between said camera means and said light source means; and pan and tilt drive means operatively connected to said camera means and said light source means for simultaneously and selectively altering the direction of aim of said camera means and said light source means with respect to said submersible vehicle.

Claim 3

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 1 further including: a variable focal length lens mounted on said camera means and in the optical path thereof for altering the angle of view acceptance of said camera means; variable optical means mounted on said light source means in the optical path thereof for determining the angular beam width of the illuminating light beam; and drive means operatively connected to said variable focal length lens means and to said variable optical means for selectively and simultaneously adjusting the angle of view acceptance of said camera means and the angular width of the illuminating beam.

Claim 4

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 1 further including: circular polarizer means connected to said light source means and disposed in the optical path thereof for circularly polarizing the illuminating light beam; and a circular polarizer connected to said camera means and selectively insertable into the optical path thereof, whereby light backscattered from particulate matter in the underwater environment will be excluded from the camera means.

Claim 5

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 1 further including convergence drive means connected to said light source means for altering the angular displacement thereof with respect to said variable length support means, whereby the illuminating beam may be angularly directed independent of the movement provided by said pan and tilt drive means and connected to the focus control of said camera means for alteration of the angle between the light source means in response to the focus adjustment of the camera means whereby the illuminated area is maintained as the area photographed by the camera means.

Claim 6

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 1 further including transparent cooling oil means within said light source means for conducting the heat to the surrounding water and having a density which is chosen to cooperate with the structure of said light source means to cause the structure to have approximate neutral buoyancy.

Claim 7

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 1 which: said camera means includes a television camera having a circular polarizer in the optical path thereof; said light source means includes two sources of circularly polarized light; and said variable length support means includes two telescoping supports each of which is connected between one of said polarized light sources and said submersible vehicle for varying the separation between said light sources, whereby the angle of incidence of the object illumination may be varied by control of said telescoping supports and said circular polarizer minimizes image degrading backscatter to thereby produce an optimum image of a submerged object.

Claim 8

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 1 wherein said light source means includes: a plurality of reflectors adjustably mounted on the extensible ends of said variable length support means for intercepting and directing the illuminating right beam; and reflector drive means connected to said reflectors for movement thereof to an adjusted position to converge the illuminating light beam on the objects located in the underwater environment.

Claim 9

An optical instrumentation system for applications in an underwater environment comprising in combination: a submersible vehicle capable of attaining and maintaining a desired position in the underwater environment; two closed circuit television cameras having circularly polarizing filters in the optical paths thereof and mounted on said submersible vehicle for receiving and recording time related images of objects in the vicinity of said submersible vehicle; two sources of circularly polarized light for providing illuminating light beams to impinge selected areas adjacent said submersible vehicle; variable length support means connected to said closed circuit television cameras and to said light sources to support one light source and one camera in a non-displaceable position with resPect to the aforesaid submersible vehicle and to support the other camera and light source on two oppositely displaceable ends of the variable length support means for oppositely directed adjustable support thereof with respect to the aforesaid submersible vehicle; and pan and tilt drive means operatively connected to said displaceable and said displaceable light source means for simultaneously selectively altering the direction of aim of said displaceable camera and said displaceable light source with respect to said submersible vehicle, whereby one camera produces a flatly illuminated image while the other camera produces a cross illuminated image of a common object.

Claim 10

An optical instrumentation system for applications in an underwater environment comprising in combination: a submersible vehicle capable of attaining and maintaining a desired position in the underwater environment; two closed circuit television cameras having circularly polarizing filters in the optical paths thereof and mounted on said submersible vehicle for receiving and recording time related images of objects in the vicinity of said submersible vehicle; two sources of circularly polarized light for providing illuminating light beams to impinge selected areas adjacent said submersible vehicle; variable length support means connected to said closed circuit television cameras and to said light sources to support one light source and one camera in a non-displaceable position with resPect to the aforesaid submersible vehicle and to support the other camera and light source on two oppositely displaceable ends of the variable length support means for oppositely directed adjustable support thereof with respect to the aforesaid submersible vehicle; and pan and tilt drive means operatively connected to said displaceable and said displaceable light source means for simultaneously selectively altering the direction of aim of said displaceable camera and said displaceable light source with respect to said submersible vehicle, whereby one camera produces a flatly illuminated image while the other camera produces a cross illuminated image of a common object.

Claim 11

An optical instrumentation system according to claim 8 wherein said non-displaceable camera includes a variable focal length lens.