Device for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, with ballast cavities

Abstract

The invention is directed to a device (2) for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, comprising a housing (4) comprising a passage (10) for the aquatic animals, said passage comprising an image capture chamber with a transparent wall (12), and at least one access port to said image capture chamber; a camera support adjacent the image capture chamber; and a camera located on the camera support and configured for capturing images of the aquatic animals when located in the image capture chamber, through the transparent wall; wherein the housing (4) comprises at least one ballast cavity that is sealable and that can be filled with ballast material.

Description

DEVICE FOR CAPTURING IMAGES OF AQUATIC ANIMALS LIKE AMPHIBIANS, WITH BALLAST CAVITIES

[0001] The invention is directed to the field of aquatic life study, in particular the study of aquatic animals like amphibians, more particularly newts. More particularly, the invention is directed to the field of devices for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, more particularly newts, invertebrates like beetles and bugs, molluscs, fishes, reptiles, etc., in their natural aquatic environment, for instance watercourses, ponds, etc.

[0002] Prior art patent document published WO 2018 / 115301 A1 discloses a device for capturing images of aquatic animals, in the form of a trap with a passage for the aquatic animals, delimited by a transparent wall, and with a camera positioned in a watertight cavity below the transparent wall and intended to be filled with clean water. A purpose of that watertight cavity is to avoid buoyancy of the device intended to be at least partially immersed in water and thereby avoid stability issues when placing the device on site. The cavity filled with clean water requires however special care, consisting of regularly replacing the clean water and ensuring that the cavity does not contain any air which would otherwise accumulate on the lower side of the transparent wall and optically disturb the capture of images of the aquatic animals. The construction of the watertight cavity requires also special care and efforts when assembling the different walls forming said cavity. In addition, the transfer of such capturing devices from one study site to another study site requires special cleaning care for avoiding a possible transfer of contaminants like pathogens as well as of non-endemic plants or mosses that could turn out invasive.

[0003] The invention has for technical problem to overcome at least one of the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art. More specifically, the invention has for technical problem to provide a device for capturing images of aquatic animals that is easier to use and to manufacture.Technical solution

[0004] The invention is directed to a device for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, comprising: a housing comprising: a passage for the aquatic animals, said passage comprising an image capture chamber with a transparent wall, and at least one access port to said image capture chamber; a camera support area adjacent the image capture chamber; and a camera located on the camera support area and configured for capturing images of the aquatic animals when located in the image capture chamber, through the transparent wall; wherein the housing comprises at least one ballast cavity that is sealable and that can be filled with ballast.

[0005] According to a preferred embodiment, the housing comprises at least one rotomolded part comprising the at least one ballast cavity.

[0006] According to a preferred embodiment, the housing comprises a first part comprising the transparent wall and a second part assembled to the first part and delimiting with said first part and with said transparent wall the passage for the aquatic animals.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment, the first part comprises the camera support in a camera chamber delimited in a water-tight fashion by the transparent wall.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment, the first part comprises a unitary moulded wall forming the camera chamber and to which the transparent wall is fastened in a water-tight fashion.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment, the first part comprises a ballast cavity of the at least one ballast cavity, said ballast cavity surrounding the camera chamber.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment, the first part comprises a portion of plain material with a through-hole and a cable gland through which extends an electric cable connecting the camera to the outside of the device.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the second part comprises a tunnel-shaped open cavity delimiting with the transparent wall on the first part the passage for the aquatic animals.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, the second part comprises a ballast cavity of the at least one ballast cavity, said ballast cavity being located on both lateral sides of the tunnel-shaped open cavity.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the first part and / or the second part is a rotomolded part.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, the second part comprises a face in vis-à-vis of the first part, surrounding the passage for the aquatic animals, provided with at least one groove extending from said passage towards an outer edge of the second part and showing an inclination that naturally guides an air bubble trapped in the passage towards said outer edge when the device is immersed in water with the second part being above the first part.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises one or more spacers arranged between corresponding contact faces of the first part and of the second part, for adjusting a height and / or a section of the passage for the aquatic animals.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one ballast cavity comprises a ballast filling / emptying port and a plug removably engaging with said ballast filling / emptying port.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one ballast filling / emptying port comprises a first ballast filling / emptying port on the lower part and a second ballast filling / emptying port on the upper part, each of said first and second ballast filling / emptying ports protruding from the corresponding lower or upper part and being configured for being engaged by an elastic ring-shaped fastener for holding said lower and upper part against each other.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the housing comprises at least one lateral interface configured for being attached to a vertical post.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one lateral interface comprises a contact surface perpendicular to the transparent wall and configured for contacting the vertical post.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the contact surface a V-shaped recessed portion and two flat portions on opposite sides of the V-shaped recessed portion, for selectively contacting a rectangular or a circular post.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the housing comprises two lateral interfaces of the at least one lateral interface, aligned along a direction perpendicular to the transparent wall.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, each of the at least one lateral interface comprises two opposed grooves configured for engaging with an elastic ring-shaped fastener surrounding the post.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises a camera support located on the camera support area and receiving the camera, said camera support comprising at least one lateral portion configured for dissipating heat produced by the camera.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment the at least one access port to the image capture chamber comprises two transversally opposed recesses separated by a central longitudinal wall that prevents an animal entering said at least one access port by one of said recesses from reaching the opposed recess and not enter the passage.

[0025] Advantageously, the housing is made of plastic material, preferably of thermoplastic material.Advantages of the invention

[0026] The invention is particularly interesting in that it provides a device for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, that is easier to use and providing a better stability. The amount of ballast material can indeed by adapted depending on how deep the housing of the device is immersed in water, without any disturbance of the camera chamber and image capture chamber. The buoyancy forces can therefore be finely compensated. The manufacturing costs can be reduced when considering plastic roto-moulding, in particular for larger number of housings to be manufactured. The use of thermoplastic material reduces the production costs while still providing good performance to the device. The fixation of the transparent wall with reversible fasteners such as screws facilitates access to the camera chamber for maintenance purposes. Also, the integrated lateral interfaces substantially facilitate fixing the device on site.

[0027] Also, the construction of the housing, for instance of the first and second parts, with rounded edges and corners and with smooth curves surfaces renders their cleaning substantially easier and more efficient, thereby substantially reducing the risk of transferring pathogens or potentially invading mollusc or plant species to another site.Brief description of the drawings

[0028] is a perspective view of a device for capturing images of aquatic animals, according to the invention.

[0029] is a perspective view of the lower part of the device of.

[0030] is another perspective view of the lower part of the device of.

[0031] is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower part of the device of.

[0032] is a sectional view V-V of.

[0033] is a perspective view from below of the upper part of the device of.

[0034] is a transversal sectional view of the upper part of the device of.

[0035] is a perspective view from above of the upper part of the device of.Description of an embodiment

[0036] is a perspective view of a device for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, more particularly like newts, according to the invention.

[0037] The device 2 comprises a housing 4 consisting essentially of two parts assembled to each other, for instance a first and lower part 6 and a second and upper part 8. The housing 4 forms a passage 10 for the aquatic animals, the passage 10 comprising an image capture chamber with a transparent wall 12, and two access ports to said image capture chamber at each end of the passage 10. The passage 10 is delimited by each of the lower part 6 and the upper part 8 when assembled to each other as in.

[0038] The housing 4 can comprise lateral interfaces 14 and 16 for attaching the housing 4 to a vertical post 18. For instance, the lower part 6 of the housing 4 comprises a first lateral interface 14 and the upper part 8 of the housing 4 comprises a second lateral interface 16. These two lateral interfaces 14 and 16 are advantageously aligned along a vertical direction parallel to the vertical post 18. That alignment direction is advantageously perpendicular to a plane of the transparent wall 12 in the passage 10 for the aquatic animals. Each of the lateral interfaces 14 and 16 comprises a flat contact face that directly contacts a face of the vertical 18 having for instance a rectangular or even square cross-section. It is however understood that the shape of the cross-section of the post 18 can be different like circular, and that the contact faces of the lateral interfaces 14 and 16 can be adapted to such shape(s). Each of the lateral interfaces 14 and 16 is attached to the vertical post 18 by means of an elastic ring-shaped fastener 20. Each elastic ring-shaped fastener 20 is would around the vertical post 18 and has two opposed loop-shaped ends engaging with grooves on one of the lateral interfaces 14 and 16, said grooves being on opposed sides of the contact face. Although the post 18 is presented and illustrated as being vertical, it can be oriented differently. For instance, it can be slightly inclined relative to a perfect vertical orientation. It can also be oriented substantially different from vertical, for example it can be oriented horizontally, engaging in a bank of a watercourse, or the like, in which case the orientation of the housing 4 will be different, preferably however such that a main direction of the passage 10 remains substantially horizontal.

[0039] Each of the lower part 6 and the upper part 8 comprises a ballast cavity being watertight and designed for being filled with granular solid ballast like sand. Each of these ballast cavities comprises a ballast filling / emptying port 22 and a plug 24 removably engaging with said ballast filling / emptying port 22. The plug 24 preferably comprises a male threaded portion engaging a female threaded portion on the port 22, with a sealing barrier between said plug 24 and port 22 that is located to the outside relative to the male and female threads. This is advantageous in that it avoids contamination of the threads, being surfaces that are particularly difficult to clean and disinfect. As this is apparent, an elastic ring-shaped fastener 20 can be engaged on each of the filling / emptying ports 22 at a side of the housing 4 that is opposed to the lateral interfaces 14 and 16. Each of the filling / emptying ports 22 can protrude from the housing 4 and comprise a groove configured for engaging with the above mentioned elastic ring-shaped fastener 20.

[0040] Each of the lower part 6 and the upper part 8 is preferably a rotomolded part, allowing thereby the formation of the respective ballast cavities being watertight and separate from other functional cavity and / or chamber, so that the ballast material filling these ballast cavities will not reach the functional cavity and / or chamber. The lower part 6 and upper part 8 of the housing 4 are then formed essentially by a double wall delimiting the corresponding ballast cavity and other functional cavity and / or chamber that will be described hereafter.

[0041] is a perspective view of the lower part 6 of the housing 4. That lower part 6 comprises a contact face 6.1 intended to contact or at least be in direct vis-à-vis with the upper part 8 of the housing 4 (). The contact face 6.1 can be generally planar. As this is apparent, the lower part 6 of the housing comprises a chamber 6.2 that opens out in the contact face 6.1. That chamber 6.2 is a camera chamber intended to receive a camera. The lower part 6 of the housing comprises a joint 6.3 located on a joint plane of the contact face 6.1, surrounding the camera chamber 6.2, and intended to receive the transparent wall 12 visible in. That transparent wall 12 is intended to be applied on the joint 6.3 to close the camera chamber 6.2 in a watertight fashion. To that end, preformed holes 6.4 can be formed along the joint 6.3 for receiving screws engaging through the transparent wall, along an outer edge thereof. The wall of the lower part 6 of the housing 4, where the preformed holes 6.4 are provided can be thickened to be thicker than the portion of the screws engaging therewith, thereby keeping the ballast cavity being delimited by said wall watertight. It is however understood that other fixation means can be considered.

[0042] The camera chamber 6.2 is intended to receive a camera at a bottom of said camera chamber 6.2, with the camera having its optical axis orientated toward a central area of the transparent wall 12 (). Lighting means can also be provided in said camera chamber 6.2. As this is apparent in, the lower part 6 of the housing 4 comprises a through-hole 6.5 between the camera chamber 6.2 and the outside of said lower part 6, intended to receive a gland nut and an electric cable connecting the camera to the outside of the device.

[0043] The ballast cavity provided with its filling / emptying port 22 is delimited by the outer wall of the lower part 6 of the housing and by the inner wall thereof delimiting the camera chamber 6.2. The ballast cavity of the lower part 6 of the housing 4 thereby essentially surrounds the camera chamber 6.2.

[0044] Still with reference to, the contact face 6.1 of the lower part 6 of the housing can be provided with at least two opposed recesses 6.6 intended to engage with corresponding bossings on the upper part 4 of the housing (), for ensuring a proper relative positioning between the lower 6 and the upper part 8 when being assembled to each other. It is understood that the recesses and bossings can be inverted and that other means for ensuring a proper relative positioning can be considered.

[0045] is another perspective view of the lower part 6 of the housing 4, from the top. The camera chamber 6.2 is well visible. We can see the camera 26 located on the bottom of said camera chamber 6.2 and an optional heat diffuser 28 arranged between the bottom of the camera chamber 6.2 and the camera 26. The heat diffuser 28 is advantageously made of a metal plate with a central portion supporting the camera 26 and at least one, for instance two, lateral portions extending upright from the central portion and forming cooling fin(s).

[0046] is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower part 6 of the housing 4. The camera chamber 6.2 is well visible, housing the camera 26 and the optional heat diffuser 28. The camera chamber 6.2 is closed by the transparent wall 12 mentioned above, advantageously attached to the lower part 6 of the housing 4 by screws. As mentioned above, the camera chamber 6.2 can comprise lighting means, for instance light sources 30 advantageously arranged an elongated support e.g., an elongated circuit board.

[0047] is a sectional view V-V of. The essentially vertical wall of the lower part 6 of the housing 4 where the through-hole 6.5 is made is thickened, at least compared with the essentially horizontal wall forming the bottom of the camera chamber 6.5 supporting the camera. The ballast cavity is thereby not crossed by the through-hole 6.2. As this is apparent, the through-hole 6.2 forms a direct passage between the camera chamber 6.2 and the outside of the housing. It is for instance provided with an inner thread at an outer end thereof, engaging with a male thread of a gland nut 32. An electric cable, not represented, can extend through the gland nut 32 and the through-hole 6.5, so as to connect the camera located on the bottom of the camera chamber 6.2 to the outside of the device, for instance to a control unit which is not represented. The gland nut 32 forms a watertight barrier between the cable and the essentially vertical wall of the lower part 6 of the housing 4 where the through-hole 6.5 is made, thereby keeping the camera chamber 6.2 watertight despite the cable connecting to the outside. A cable retainer 34 can be provided on the cable, in vis-à-vis of an inner side of the wall with the through-hole 6.5, in order to avoid the cable from being pulled out of the camera chamber 6.2 in the presence of external forces exerted on the cable outside of the housing and tending to move the cable away from the camera 30.

[0048] is a perspective view from below of the upper part 8 of the housing 4 of.

[0049] As this is apparent, the upper part 8 of the housing comprises a contact face 8.1 intended to be in contact or last in direct vis-à-vis with the contact face 6.1 of the lower part 6 of the housing (). The contact face 8.1 comprises a tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2 configured for delimiting with the transparent wall 12 on the lower part 6 of the housing the passage 10 for the aquatic animals (). The upper part 8 of the housing further comprises recesses 8.3 at each of the two opposed ends of the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2, which form, once the upper part 8 and lower part 6 are assembled to each other, access passages or ports to the passage 10 for the aquatic animals (), for instance two access ports at each of the two ends of the passage 10, bearing in mind that the number of access ports can be different i.e., can be more or less than 4 as in the instance embodiment. At each longitudinal end of the upper part 8, the two opposed recesses 8.3 are separated by a central and longitudinal wall 8.3.1 that prevents the animals entering one of the access ports formed by the recesses 8.3 from reaching the opposed recess and not enter the passage 10 (). In other words, the central and longitudinal wall 8.3.1 forms with the adjacent recesses 8.3 two curved paths guiding the animal towards the longitudinal passage 10.

[0050] The contact face 8.1 can be provided with recesses 8.4 intended to accommodate the heads of the screws fastening the transparent wall to the lower port 6 of the housing, as mentioned above in connection with.

[0051] The contact face 8.1 can also be provided with bossings 8.5 on opposed lateral sides of the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2, intended to engage in corresponding large recesses formed on each lateral side of the camera chamber 6.2 on the lower part 6 of the housing ().

[0052] The contact face 8.1 can also be provided with bossings 8.6 on opposed longitudinal sides of the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2, intended to engage in the corresponding recesses 6.6 formed on each longitudinal side of the camera chamber 6.2 on the lower part 6 of the housing ().

[0053] The contact face 8.1 can also be provided with grooves 8.8 extending from the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2 towards edges of the upper part 8. These grooves are configured for allowing potential air trapped in the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2 to escape naturally when the device is immersed in water with the second part (8) being above the first part 6.

[0054] An adhesive with specific optical properties can be applied on the surface of the upper part 8 of the housing, forming the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2. That adhesive can be at least partially light diffusing, at least in the visible spectrum, and / or forming a clear, for instance white, background providing a good contrast with the animals to be imaged. In alternative to the adhesive, a coating or painting can be applied with the above-mentioned optical properties.

[0055] The lateral interface 16 can comprise a contact surface with a V-shaped recessed portion 16.1 and two flat portions 16.2 on opposite sides of the V-shaped recessed portion 16.1. The V-shaped recessed portion 16.1 is configured for contacting and engaging with a circular post whereas the flat portions 16.2 are configured to contacting a post with at flat side surface such as a post with a rectangular cross-section.

[0056] The lateral interface 16 can also comprise two opposed grooves 16.3 on both sides of the contact surface and configured for engaging with the elastic ring-shaped fastener 20 surrounding the post ().

[0057] The above features of the lateral interface 16 of the upper part 8 of the housing apply also to the lateral interface 14 of the lower part 6 of the housing.

[0058] is a transversal sectional view of the upper part 8 of the housing. The ballast cavity 8.7 is well visible is delimited essentially by the lateral outer walls of the upper part 8 of the housing and by the wall delimiting the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2. The ballast cavity 8.7 of the upper part 8 of the housing 4 is thereby located on each lateral side of the tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2.

[0059] is a perspective view from above of the upper part 8 of housing of.

[0060] The upper part 8 of housing comprises an upper face 8.9, opposed to the contact face 8.1 discussed here above in relation with. As this is apparent, the upper face 8.9 is formed by an upper wall that can comprise at least one deepening 8.10 that extends into the ballast cavity 8.7 () to reduce its volume. The at least one deepening 8.10 is located laterally to the (not visible) tunnel-shaped open cavity 8.2 on the opposed contact face 8.1 ().

Claims

A device (2) for capturing images of aquatic animals like amphibians, comprising:a housing (4) comprising:a passage (10) for the aquatic animals, said passage comprising an image capture chamber with a transparent wall (12), and at least one access port to said image capture chamber;a camera support area adjacent the image capture chamber; anda camera (26) located on the camera support area and configured for capturing images of the aquatic animals when located in the image capture chamber, through the transparent wall;characterized in thatthe housing (4) comprises at least one ballast cavity (6.7, 8.7) that is sealable and that can be filled with ballast material.The device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the housing (4) comprises at least one rotomolded part (6, 8) comprising the at least one ballast cavity (6.7, 8.7).The device (2) according one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the housing (4) comprises a first part (6) comprising the transparent wall (12) and a second part (8) assembled to the first part (6) and delimiting with said first part (6) and with said transparent wall (12) the passage (10) for the aquatic animals.The device (2) according to claim 3, wherein the first part (6) comprises the camera support area in a camera chamber (6.2) delimited in a water-tight fashion by the transparent wall (12).The device (2) according to claim 4, wherein the first part (6) comprises a unitary moulded wall forming the camera chamber (6.2) and to which the transparent wall (12) is fastened in a water-tight fashion.The device (2) according to one of claims 4 and 5, wherein the first part (6) comprises a ballast cavity (6.7) of the at least one ballast cavity (6.7, 8.7), said ballast cavity (6.7) surrounding the camera chamber (6.2).The device (2) according to claim 6, wherein the first part (6) comprises a portion of plain material with a through-hole (6.5) and a cable gland (32) through which extends an electric cable connecting the camera (26) to the outside of the device (2).The device (2) according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the second part (6) comprises a tunnel-shaped open cavity (8.2) delimiting with the transparent wall (12) on the first part (6) the passage (10) for the aquatic animals.The device (2) according to claim 8, wherein the second part (8) comprises a ballast cavity (8.7) of the at least one ballast cavity (6.7, 8.7), said ballast cavity (8.7) being located on both lateral sides of the tunnel-shaped open cavity (8.2).The device (2) according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the first part (6) and / or the second part (8) is a rotomolded part.The device (2) according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein the second part (8) comprises a face (8.1) in vis-à-vis of the first part (6), surrounding the passage (10) for the aquatic animals, provided with at least one groove (8.8) extending from said passage (10) towards an outer edge of the second part (8) and showing an inclination that naturally guides an air bubble trapped in the passage (10) towards said outer edge when the device is immersed in water with the second part (8) being above the first part (6).The device (2) according to any one of claims 3 to 11, further comprising one or more spacers arranged between corresponding contact faces of the first part (6) and of the second part (8), for adjusting a height and / or a section of the passage (10) for the aquatic animals.The device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the at least one ballast cavity (6.7, 8.7) comprises a ballast filling / emptying port (22) and a plug (24) removably engaging with said ballast filling / emptying port (22).The device (2) according to any one of claims 3 to 12 and according to claim 13, wherein the at least one ballast filling / emptying port (22) comprises a first ballast filling / emptying port (22) on the lower part (6) and a second ballast filling / emptying port (22) on the upper part (8), each of said first and second ballast filling / emptying ports (22) protruding from the corresponding lower or upper part (6, 8) and being configured for being engaged by an elastic ring-shaped fastener (20) for holding said lower and upper part (6, 8) against each other.The device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the housing (4) comprises at least one lateral interface (14, 16) configured for being attached to a vertical post (18).The device (2) according to claim 15, wherein the at least one lateral interface (14, 16) comprises a contact surface (16.1, 16.2) perpendicular to the transparent wall (12) and configured for contacting the vertical post (18).The device (2) according to claim 16, wherein the contact surface comprises a V-shaped recessed portion (16.1) and two flat portions (16.2) on opposite sides of the V-shaped recessed portion (16.1), for selectively contacting a rectangular or circular post.The device (2) according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the housing (4) comprises two lateral interfaces (14, 16) of the at least one lateral interface, aligned along a direction perpendicular to the transparent wall (12).The device (2) according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein each of the at least one lateral interface (14, 16) comprises two opposed grooves (16.3) configured for engaging with an elastic ring-shaped fastener (20) surrounding the post (18).The device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 19, further comprising a camera support (28) located on the camera support area and receiving the camera (26), said camera support comprising at least one lateral portion configured for dissipating heat produced by the camera (26).The device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the at least one access port to the image capture chamber comprises two transversally opposed recesses (8.3) separated by a central longitudinal wall (8.3.1) that prevents an animal entering said at least one access port by one of said recesses (8.3) from reaching the opposed recess and not enter the passage (10).

Images