Imaging apparatus or the like

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus which is mounted on a moving body and has a new configuration for a waterproof countermeasure in the imaging apparatus.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus 10 includes a housing 11, an accessory storage part 40 which is provided in the housing and stores an accessory, an accessory cover 20 which protects the accessory storage part, and a lock mechanism 200 for the accessory cover. The lock mechanism is structured so that a second operation part 202 can be moved by applying an operational force to a first operation part 201 and the lock state of the accessory cover can be released by moving the second operation part in such a state that the operational force is applied to the first operation part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques relating to waterproofing measures for devices mounted on moving objects such as vehicles have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-211129 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide new technology relating to devices mounted on a moving body, for example, to provide technology relating to waterproofing measures for an imaging device mounted on a moving body, to provide technology relating to an attachment mechanism for an imaging device mounted on a moving body to the moving body, or to provide technology relating to image synthesis using images captured by an imaging device mounted on a moving body.

[0005] In addition, the purpose of the present invention is not limited to this, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for configurations that aim to obtain effects from parts of the configurations disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc., by filing a divisional application, amendment, etc. For example, this specification discloses a problem in which the part described as "can be" in this specification is read as "the problem is to be". The problems are described as independent, and the applicant intends to obtain rights for the configurations for solving each problem separately by filing a divisional application, amendment, etc. Even if the problems are implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to include part of the configurations described in this specification in the scope of the patent claim by amendment or divisional application. In addition, the applicant has disclosed a configuration that solves a problem that combines these independent problems, and intends to obtain rights for it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An example of a technique for waterproofing an imaging device mounted on a moving body and an example of a technique for a mechanism for mounting an imaging device mounted on a moving body to the moving body are as follows.

[0007] (1) An imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention has a housing, an accessory storage section provided in the housing for storing accessories, an accessory lid for protecting the accessory storage section, and a locking mechanism for the accessory lid, wherein the locking mechanism is configured so that a second operating section can be moved by applying an operating force to a first operating section, and the locked state of the accessory lid can be released by moving the second operating section while applying an operating force to the first operating section.

[0008] In this way, when the user unlocks the accessory cover, the second operating part can be moved while applying an operating force to the first operating part. In other words, the user must apply an operating force to the first operating part in order to move the second operating part. With this configuration, a two-stage locking mechanism that is less likely to be accidentally released from the locked state can be realized.

[0009] (2) The first operating unit may be slidably movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, and the second operating unit may be slidably movable from a closed position to an open position when the first operating unit is positioned at the unlocked position while the operating force is applied to the first operating unit, and the sliding movement of the second operating unit from the closed position to the open position may be restricted when the first operating unit is positioned at the locked position.

[0010] In this way, when the user places the first operation unit in the unlocked position while applying an operating force to the first operation unit, the second operation unit can slide from the closed position to the open position, and when the first operation unit is in the locked position, the movement of the second operation unit from the closed position to the open position is restricted. In this way, in order to move the second operation unit to the open position, the user needs to continue applying an operating force to the first operation unit to place it in the unlocked position. In this way, a two-stage locking mechanism that is less likely to be accidentally released from the locked state can be realized.

[0011] (3) The device may further include a biasing member that biases the first operating unit toward the locked position, and the locked state of the accessory lid may be released by moving the second operating unit from the closed position to the open position while the first operating unit is moved to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the biasing member.

[0012] In this way, the first operating part is biased to the locked position by the biasing member that biases the first operating part toward the locked position. In this way, the user can move the second operating part to the open position by applying an operating force to the first operating part to position it in the unlocked position. In this way, a two-stage locking mechanism that is unlikely to be released from the locked state by mistake can be realized. It is particularly preferable that the first operating part is always biased to the locked position by the biasing member when it is not being operated.

[0013] (4) When the accessory lid is closed, by moving the second operating unit to the closed position, the first operating unit may move to the locked position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the accessory lid may enter the locked state.

[0014] In this way, when the user locks the accessory cover, the first operation unit is automatically locked by simply moving the second operation unit, allowing the user to easily perform locking with a single operation. Since the user can perform the locking operation more easily than the unlocking operation, the ease of use of the imaging device for the user can be improved.

[0015] (5) The second operating unit may have an engaged portion, and the first operating unit may have an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion to put the accessory lid in the locked state, and when the accessory lid is in a closed state, by moving the second operating unit to the closed position, the first operating unit moves to the locked position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the engaging portion of the first operating unit engages with the engaged portion of the second operating unit.

[0016] In this way, the engaging portion of the first operating portion and the engaged portion of the second operating portion engage with each other, so that the locked state is not easily released (reverse stop effect).

[0017] (6) The accessory lid may have a claw portion that moves together with the second operating portion, and when the accessory lid is in the locked state, the claw portion may be fitted into a groove portion formed in the accessory storage portion.

[0018] With this arrangement, the claw portion fits into the groove of the accessory storage portion, so that the accessory cover will not open in the locked state.

[0019] (7) A direction of movement of the first operating part and a direction of movement of the second operating part may be approximately perpendicular to each other.

[0020] In this way, by making the sliding direction of the first operating part and the sliding direction of the second operating part approximately perpendicular to each other, it is possible to prevent the locked state from being accidentally released by operating both operating parts at the same time.

[0021] (8) The direction of movement of the first operation part may be approximately parallel to a mounting surface of the imaging device, and the direction of movement of the second operation part may be approximately perpendicular to the mounting surface.

[0022] In this way, the user can easily position his or her fingers to slide the second operating unit relative to the attached imaging device, thereby improving operability and making it easier to unlock the device compared to when the first operating unit and the second operating unit are moved in the same direction.

[0023] (9) The accessory lid may be provided on a side of the housing so as to protrude from the side of the housing, and the accessory lid may have a cutout portion cut out from the side of the accessory lid that is located opposite the mounting surface of the imaging device, and the second operating portion may be provided in the cutout portion of the accessory lid so as to make it easy for a user to position their fingers for operation.

[0024] In this way, the second operation unit, whose sliding direction is approximately perpendicular to the mounting surface, is provided in the notch, and the user can operate the second operation unit by placing his / her finger on the notch, making it easy to operate the second operation unit.

[0025] (10) The accessory cover may further include a rotation shaft that supports the accessory cover so that the accessory cover can rotate in an opening and closing direction, and the rotation shaft may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the accessory cover.

[0026] In this way, the accessory lid rotates around the longitudinal axis, enabling compact opening and closing operations. In particular, since the space (e.g., working space) around the mounting surface of the movable body is limited, the range in which the accessory lid can rotate may be limited, but this is desirable because it requires only a small space for the accessory lid to pass through when rotating.

[0027] (11) The rotation shaft may be provided on a mounting surface side of the imaging device, and the accessory storage section may be open from the side opposite to the mounting surface of the imaging device.

[0028] In this way, the user can easily open and close the accessory lid and easily insert and remove the accessory with the imaging device attached to the attachment surface. Also, by opening the accessory storage section in this way, it is possible to prevent the accessory lid from closing by itself due to its own weight.

[0029] (12) The imaging device may further include a bracket, and a slide mechanism for removably engaging the housing with respect to the bracket by sliding the housing in the left-right direction.

[0030] In this way, the user can easily attach the housing of the imaging device to the bracket attached to the windshield by sliding it in the left-right direction. Also, since the bracket is attached by sliding it in the left-right direction and the weight of the imaging device is applied downward, it is possible to make it less likely to come off due to impact.

[0031] (13) The bracket may have a stopper that determines the position of the housing relative to the bracket in a mounting slide direction when the housing is mounted to the bracket.

[0032] In this way, the housing is positioned relative to the bracket by the stopper, so that the user can easily know the amount of sliding required for installation, and installation can be performed easily.

[0033] (14) The slide mechanism may be composed of a pair of slide rails provided on the housing and a plurality of rows of slide guide portions provided on the bracket and arranged at a predetermined interval in the mounting slide direction, and the pair of slide rails may have a plurality of pairs of cutout portions formed at the predetermined interval in the mounting slide direction so that at least one row of the slide guide portions of the plurality of rows can fit into the pair of slide rails.

[0034] In this way, the user can install the slide rail by sliding at least one of the multiple rows of slide guide sections while fitting it into the cutout formed in the slide rail, thereby saving space in the sliding direction and making the installation work space compact.

[0035] (15) The housing may be attached to the bracket by sliding the housing in the mounting slide direction with at least one row of the slide guide portions of the multiple rows fitted into the multiple pairs of cutout portions.

[0036] In this way, the user can install the slide rail by sliding at least one of the multiple rows of slide guide sections while fitting it into the cutout formed in the slide rail, thereby saving space in the sliding direction and making the installation work space compact.

[0037] (16) The bracket may be symmetrical with respect to the mounting slide direction.

[0038] In this way, by changing the direction in which the bracket is attached to the windshield, the imaging device can be attached from either the left or right side, improving the degree of freedom in installation.

[0039] (17) The bracket may have a mark indicating the mounting slide direction.

[0040] In this way, the user can easily understand the sliding direction and can easily attach the imaging device.

[0041] (18) The bracket may have a first marking for determining an up-down position of the housing relative to the bracket, and the housing may have a second marking at a position corresponding to the first marking.

[0042] In this way, the bracket and the housing can be aligned, and the imaging device can be easily attached. It is particularly preferable that the first marking 17c2 and the second marking 13 are combined to form a single arrow mark when the bracket is attached to the housing. It is also particularly preferable that the second marking 13 on the housing indicates an arrow mark and indicates the same mark as the single arrow mark. In particular, the third marking 17c3 is attached to the surface of the bracket opposite to the surface on the mounting surface side. It is preferable that the third marking 17c3 and the first marking 17c2 are combined to form an apparent single arrow to the user. In this way, when the imaging device is attached, the third marking 17c3 and the first marking 17c2 appear to be combined to form an apparent single arrow, and the user can easily attach the imaging device using this as a clue. In particular, it is particularly preferable to use a mark in which the part of the first marking 17c2 visible to the user is recognized as the tip of the arrow (the pointed tip), and the part of the third marking 17c3 visible to the user is recognized as the shaft of the arrow (the rod at the base).

[0043] (19) The second marking may be provided on a surface of the housing different from the mounting surface side, on either side in the left or right direction.

[0044] In this way, when a user attaches the bracket to a mounting surface and looks into it from either the left or right direction to attach the housing to the bracket, the user can easily view the second marking and easily position the housing by referring to the position of the second marking.

[0045] (20) The imaging device may further have a bracket stopper that generates a biasing force between the bracket and the housing engaged by the slide mechanism in a direction intersecting the mounting slide direction and fixes the housing to the bracket when the housing is attached to the bracket.

[0046] In this way, the imaging device is firmly fixed to the bracket by the bracket stopper. It is particularly preferable that the bracket stopper is made of the same material as the housing. In this way, the structure of the housing and the imaging device including the housing can be simplified compared to a case where the housing is made of a resin material and the bracket stopper is made of a metal material, for example. It is particularly preferable that the bracket stopper and the housing are made of a resin material, which also leads to weight reduction.

[0047] (21) An engaged portion may be formed on a surface of the bracket stopper, and an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion may be formed on a surface of the bracket.

[0048] In this way, the imaging device is securely fixed to the bracket by the engaging portion engaging with the engaged portion.

[0049] (22) The bracket stopper may have a leaf spring portion formed by providing a U-shaped slit in the bracket stopper, and the engaged portion may be provided on the leaf spring portion.

[0050] In this way, a configuration can be achieved in which a biasing force is generated in a direction intersecting the mounting sliding direction by the leaf spring portion formed by providing a U-shaped slit, and an engaged portion is formed on the leaf spring portion, whereby the engaging portion and the engaged portion engage with each other by the biasing force, so that the imaging device is more firmly fixed to the bracket.

[0051] The inventions shown in (1) to (22) above can be combined in any way. For example, at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (2) onwards may be added to all or a part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, it is preferable to add at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions from (2) onwards to the invention shown in (1). In addition, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (22) and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of this application intends to obtain rights to inventions including these configurations.

[0052] Furthermore, even if there is a statement such as "in the case of..." or "when...", this is not intended to describe a configuration that is limited to that case or time. These are merely examples of better configurations, and we intend to acquire rights to configurations that are not these cases or times. Furthermore, even if the description includes an order, this is not limited to this order. We have also disclosed configurations in which some parts have been deleted or the order changed, and we intend to acquire rights to these configurations. Effect of the Invention

[0053] According to the present invention, a new technique for a device mounted on a moving body is provided, and thus, for example, a technique for waterproofing an imaging device mounted on a moving body can be provided.

[0054] Furthermore, the effects of the invention of this application are not limited to this, and effects obtained from the configuration disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and it is the intention to obtain rights to the configuration that achieves said effects through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, the phrase "can" is a description that clearly indicates the effect that is achieved, and there are also parts that show the effect even without the phrase "can". Also, even without such a description, it can be understood from the configuration. The effect exists. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0055] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the system. [Diagram 2] 2(a) and (b) are external views of the imaging device. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a front view of the imaging device. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a left side view of the imaging device. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C is a right side view of the imaging device. [Figure 3D] FIG. 3D is a bottom view of the imaging device. [Figure 3E] FIG. 3E is a top view of the imaging device. [Figure 3F] FIG. 3F is a rear view of the imaging device. [Figure 4] 4(a) to 4(c) are diagrams illustrating a procedure for attaching the imaging device to the windshield of a ship. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the imaging device. [Figure 6] 6(a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the field of view and the angle of view of the camera unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the increase in vignetting on the mounting surface side. [Figure 8] 8(a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining images captured by the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the playback device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the opening and closing operation of the accessory cover. [Figure 11] 11(a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the accessory cover. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 10, and is a diagram for explaining the elastic member. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the unlocking operation of the accessory cover. [Figure 14] 14(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views taken along line BB in FIG. 13, and are diagrams for explaining the locking mechanism of the accessory lid. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the lock mechanism. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a waterproof structure around the lens of the camera unit of the imaging device. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a bracket of the imaging device. [Figure 18] 18(a) and (b) are diagrams showing a first mounting method. [Figure 19A] FIG. 19A shows a second mounting method. [Figure 19B] FIG. 19B is a diagram showing a second mounting method. [Figure 20] 20(a) and (b) are perspective views of the bracket stopper. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the bracket and the bracket stopper when the main body is attached to the bracket. [Figure 22] 22(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the relative positions of the main body case and the bracket, and the dimensional relationship in the thickness direction of the imaging device. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the imaging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0056] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain technical features that the present invention may employ. The configurations and shapes of the described devices are merely illustrative examples, and the present invention is not to be interpreted as being limited thereto. Various changes, modifications, and improvements may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the following description, labeling using numbers such as 1, 2, ... is for identifying each element, and does not define the number of elements. In addition, in each of the drawings referred to in the following description, the scale may be different from the actual scale in order to make each member, each region, etc. recognizable.

[0057] [Overall configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 includes an imaging device 10, a playback device 900, and a server device 950. The imaging device 10, the playback device 900, and the server device 950 are referred to as devices here, but may be understood as a system or the like. The imaging device 10 captures images and generates image data showing the captured images. The imaging device 10 is an imaging device that is mounted on a ship 800 and captures images of the periphery of the ship 800, and a specific configuration will be described later. The playback device 900 is a display device that displays images. The playback device 900 is used by, for example, the same user as the imaging device 10. When the imaging device 10 is owned by a corporation, the imaging device 10 is used by, for example, an employee of the corporation (for example, a sales employee), and the playback device 900 is managed and operated by, for example, an employee of the management department of the corporation (for example, an administrator). The playback device 900 is, for example, a personal computer. The playback device 900 may be a portable display device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a feature phone, or a wearable terminal. Various data such as images captured by the imaging device 10 is stored in a memory card 850. The memory card 850 is an example of a storage unit that stores data, and in this embodiment, is an example of a storage medium that is removable from the imaging device 100. The playback device 900 displays information such as images captured by the imaging device 10 based on the data stored in the memory card 850.

[0058] The server device 950 communicates with the imaging device 10 via a predetermined communication line NW. The server device 950 is managed and operated, for example, by a business that manufactures or sells the imaging device 10, or a business or public institution that provides a predetermined service based on an image captured by the imaging device 10. An example of a business that provides a predetermined service is an insurance company that grasps the situation of an accident or the like of the ship 800 based on an image captured by the imaging device 10 and pays insurance money. The server device 950 may be a server device or the like managed and operated by a public institution such as the Japan Coast Guard.

[0059] The communication line NW may be of any standard, but may be, for example, a network for communication using a satellite. The communication line NW may be capable of communication using a ship Internet communication service such as NetBreeze4w.

[0060] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a ship 800 floating on water, seen from the side. The ship 800 has a predetermined power source (which may be called a drive source) and travels on water, such as the sea, a lake, or a river. The predetermined power source may be an engine, a battery, or a combination of these, but is not limited thereto, and may include a power source for operating using natural energy such as solar power or wind power. The ship 800 may be used for any purpose, and may be a passenger ship often used for tourism, a cargo ship (merchant ship) that mainly carries cargo, or other ships. The ship 800 may be a ship that navigates on water for the purpose of performing a predetermined task, and may be, for example, a tugboat, a cleaning ship, a surveillance boat, a pilot boat, a security boat, a patrol boat, a port service boat, a fishing boat, or the like. The ship 800 may be a ship intended to transport people, and may be, for example, a pleasure boat, a water bus, a pleasure fishing boat, or the like. The ship 800 is not limited to a ship owned by a corporation, and may be an individually owned ship. The size (total tonnage) of the ship 800 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, a case where the ship is a relatively small ship will be described. Such ships 800 include, for example, pleasure boats, motor boats, fishing boats, and ships used as sightseeing boats. However, the ship 800 may be a large ship, such as a passenger ship or a cruise ship.

[0061] The imaging device 10 is a device (also called an aftermarket product) that is purchased by a user separately from the vessel 800 and later attached to the vessel 800. The user may be, for example, the owner, manager, or driver of the vessel 800. However, the imaging device 10 may be a device that is pre-installed (that is, standard equipment) in the vessel 800. The imaging device 10 is a front camera disposed on the front side of the vessel 800. The imaging device 10 is attached, for example, to a predetermined position on the front side of the cabin of the vessel 800. The imaging device 10 includes a camera unit 12 and captures the surroundings of the vessel 800 using the camera unit 12. In this embodiment, the imaging device 10 has a function of capturing an image in the front of the vessel 800 through the windshield as the capturing direction, and capturing an image in the cabin of the vessel 800 or the rear of the vessel 800 as the capturing direction. Such an imaging device 10 has a function of capturing an image in all directions (for example, 360 degrees horizontally) and generating an image. The imaging device 10 of the present embodiment has a function of capturing images and a function of recording image data representing the captured images. Such an imaging device 10 may be an imaging device called a so-called ship-oriented (marine) drive recorder.

[0062] [Overall configuration of imaging device 10] FIG. 2 shows an external view of a preferred embodiment of an imaging device 10 for a ship as an example of an imaging device according to the present invention. FIGS. 3A-3F are six-view diagrams of the imaging device 10. FIG. 3A is a front view, FIG. 3B is a left side view, FIG. 3C is a right side view, FIG. 3D is a bottom view, FIG. 3E is a top view, and FIG. 3F is a back view. The imaging device 10 of this embodiment can be attached to the windshield of a ship 800 as an example. The imaging device 10 of this embodiment can also be used for things other than moving bodies. The imaging device 10 of this embodiment has a function of capturing 360 degrees in all directions on a horizontal plane and 360 degrees in a vertical plane to generate an image. The image may be a celestial sphere image, or may be a base image for generating a celestial sphere image (for example, an image before being synthesized into a celestial sphere image). The imaging device 10 includes a main body 11 on which various circuit boards and devices are mounted and which executes various processes, and a camera unit 12 which is disposed below the main body 11 when installed on the ship 800. The main body 11 and the camera unit 12 are integrated.

[0063] The main body 11 has a flat rectangular main body case 13. The main body case 13 is formed by connecting a first main body case 14 and a second main body case 15. The first main body case 14 and the second main body case 15 are box-shaped with their opposing surfaces open, and are connected by a connecting means with their tip surfaces butted against each other. As the connecting means, a member that connects the first main body case 14 and the second main body case 15 may be used, for example, a screw. In addition, the connecting means may be, for example, a protrusion provided on one of the first main body case 14 and the second main body case 15 and a recess provided on the other into which the protrusion fits, and the protrusion and the recess may be fitted together.

[0064] The first body case 14 is a deep box shape, the periphery of the opening of the first body case 14 is a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners, and the depth of the first body case 14 is substantially uniform over the entirety. When the imaging device 10 is installed on the ship 800, the first body case 14 is located on the front side of the ship 800. Therefore, the surface opposite to the opening of the first body case 14 becomes the main body front surface 13a of the main body case 13. A pair of slide rails 16 is provided on the main body front surface 13a. The pair of slide rails 16 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the first body case 14, which is substantially horizontal in the installed state, and are provided at a predetermined interval above and below. A bracket 17 is detachably attached to the pair of slide rails 16.

[0065] The second body case 15 is a box-shaped body with a shallower bottom than the first body case 14, and the periphery of the opening of the second body case 15 is a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners, similar to the first body case 14. When the imaging device 10 is installed on the ship 800, the second body case 15 is located on the rear side of the ship 800. Therefore, the surface opposite to the opening of the second body case 15 becomes the main body rear surface 13b of the main body case 13. A portion adjacent to one of a pair of long sides of the rectangular main body rear surface 13b is a flat surface 13b', which is a plane parallel to the main body front surface 13a of the main body case 13. A portion adjacent to the other of a pair of long sides of the rectangular main body rear surface 13b is an inclined surface 13b". The inclined surface 13b" is formed so as to gradually approach the opening of the second body case 15 from the middle of the short sides of the rectangular main body rear surface 13b toward the outer long side. Therefore, the depth of second main body case 15 is uniform in the region including flat surface 13b', and gradually becomes shallower toward the long side in the region including inclined surface 13b". By providing inclined surface 13b", the external shape of main body case 13 is like a rectangular parallelepiped with one long side chamfered. The one long side to be chamfered is at the rear and upper side when imaging device 10 is installed on ship 800.

[0066] The camera unit 12 has a camera case 18. The camera case 18 is formed by connecting the first camera case 18a and the second camera case 18b with a connecting means, similar to the case of connecting the first body case 14 and the second body case 15. The first camera case 18a and the second camera case 18b are formed integrally with the first body case 14 and the second body case 15 so as to be connected to the long side of the first body case 14 and the long side of the second body case 15, respectively. At the center of each of the first camera case 18a and the second camera case 18b, circular window holes 19a and 19b are provided to expose the lens. In order to protect the exposed lens, a lens protection member 30 is provided on each of the first camera case 18a and the second camera case 18b. The lens protection member 30 is fixed by screwing to each of the first camera case 18a and the second camera case 18b as a base member.

[0067] Next, the mounting of the imaging device 10 to the windshield of the vessel 800 using the bracket 17 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. There are two methods for mounting the imaging device 10 of this embodiment to the windshield of the vessel 800, as will be described later. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for mounting the imaging device 10 to the windshield 2 of the vessel 800 by the first mounting method of the two mounting methods. Note that the bracket 17 shown in FIG. 4(a) looks different in shape from the bracket 17 of this embodiment, but this is merely for convenience in explaining the mounting method of the imaging device 10, and does not mean that they are different. In the imaging device 10 of this embodiment, the windshield 2 attached to the upper side of the windshield 2 of the vessel 800 has a surface (glass surface) that is approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vessel 800. When viewed from the side of the vessel 800, the windshield 2 may form a surface perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vessel 800, or may form an inclined surface in which the lower part protrudes more toward the traveling direction of the vessel 800 than the upper part. The user peers into the imaging device 10 from the side, aligns the upper and lower long side surfaces of the bracket 17 with the pair of slide rails 16, and slides the bracket 17 and the main body case 13 relatively in the left-right direction. This causes the main body case 13 to be attached to the bracket 17. The main body case 13 can be detached from the bracket 17 by sliding the main body case 13 in the opposite direction to when it was attached. It is assumed that the user will perform the attachment operation when attaching the imaging device 10 to the boat 800, peering into the imaging device 10 from the side. For example, the user attaches the bracket 17 to the attachment position of the windshield 2, and then performs the operation of attaching the main body case 13 to the bracket 17.

[0068] Returning to FIG. 4, an adhesive member 3 such as a double-sided tape is attached to the surface of the bracket 17 opposite to the surface facing the main body case 13. When attaching the imaging device 10 to the boat 800, the bracket 17 is removed from the main body case 13, and the removed bracket 17 is attached and fixed to the windshield 2 of the boat 800 via the adhesive member 3 (see FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b)). At this time, the bracket 17 is in a horizontal state, and a pair of long sides are horizontal. In this state, the main body case 13 is slid in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4(c) relative to the bracket 17 attached to the windshield 2, and the imaging device 10 is attached and fixed at a predetermined position on the boat 800. In this attached state, the main body front surface 13a and the flat surface 13b′ of the main body case 13 are disposed approximately parallel to the attachment surface of the windshield 2, the long sides of the main body case 13 are located in an approximately horizontal plane, and the short sides of the main body case 13 are located in an approximately vertical plane. Therefore, main body case 13 is fixed in a landscape orientation in a state where it is attached to windshield 2, and camera unit 12 is disposed on the lower side of main body case 13.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 2, an opening is formed on one short side surface of the first main body case 14, and an accessory cover 20 is attached to cover the opening. The accessory cover 20 functions as a cover body (or a cover portion) that covers the space in which the accessories are housed. When the accessory cover 20 is removed, a memory card slot 41 (see Fig. 10) mounted in the main body case 13 is exposed through the opening. A memory card 850 is removably attached to the memory card slot 41.

[0070] A DC jack 24 is provided on the side of the main body case 13 on which the accessory cover 20 is provided, to which a connector provided at one end of a power cable for supplying power is attached. The power cable may be detachable from the imaging device 10, or may be integrated with the imaging device 10 so as not to come off from the imaging device 10. The latter is particularly preferable because it prevents moisture and salt from adhering to the power terminal on the main body case 13 side of the imaging device 10. When the imaging device 10 is attached, the accessory cover 20 is opened and closed in the space at the bent part of the cable, so that a memory card 850, which is an example of an accessory, can be inserted and removed (see also Figs. 11(b) and 11(c)). External power supply is provided, for example, from a battery of the ship 800. Alternatively, a power supply device separate from the battery of the ship 800 may be prepared, and the imaging device 10 may receive power supply from that power supply device. This power supply device is a device that can supply power from a built-in battery even when power is not supplied from the battery of the ship 800. The built-in battery is, for example, a rechargeable battery, and when this power supply device is installed on the ship 800, the power supply device is disposed in the power line between the battery of the ship 800 and the imaging device 10. When power supply from the battery of the ship 800 is possible, power is supplied from the battery of the ship 800 via the power supply device to the imaging device 10. In this state, the built-in battery of the power supply device receives power supply from the battery of the ship 800 and is charged. When the power supply from the battery of the ship 800 is turned off, the imaging device 10 operates by receiving power supply from the power supply device.

[0071] In this manner, in this embodiment, the power cable and accessory cover 20 (for example, the SD card cover when memory card 850 is an SD card) are intentionally laid out (disposed) on the same side (the same direction when viewed from main body case 13). This allows the user to open and close accessory cover 20 in the space at the bent part of the cable at the installation location of imaging device 10, and insert and remove memory card 850.

[0072] A hole 13d is provided at a predetermined position on the flat surface 13b' of the second main body case 15. A microphone (not shown, an example of a voice input unit 821, described later) is disposed inside the main body case 13 near this hole 13d. The microphone collects surrounding sounds. In addition, a recording button 13e is provided at a predetermined position on the flat surface 13b' of the second main body case 15. By pressing the recording button 13e, the recording function of the imaging device 10 (an example of an event recording function) can be executed. The recording button 13e has a waterproof structure. A buzzer (an example of an audio output unit 83 described later) is provided as audio output means (not shown) inside the main body case 13 on the inclined surface 13b" of the second main body case 15. A waterproof sheet is attached to the buzzer. Light-emitting units 13g and 13h are provided to the right of the record button 13e when viewed from the front on the main body rear surface 13b, and emit light in a predetermined color depending on the state of the imaging device 100. For example, the light-emitting unit 13g emits green light when the imaging device 100 is in an energized state in which power is supplied to the imaging device 100. The light-emitting unit 13h emits red light when the imaging device 100 is recording, for example. When the camera is in the on-state, the camera emits blue light. As shown in FIG. 3E, a tripod screw 13f is provided on the top surface of the main body case 13. The imaging device 10 can be attached to a tripod using the tripod screw 13f. For example, a user attaches the imaging device 10 to a tripod with the tripod screw 13f side facing downward. In this way, the imaging device 10 also functions as an imaging device used in a state where it is attached to a tripod. The imaging device 10 in a state where it is attached to a tripod may be used on the ship 800, but may also be used on land or other places.

[0073] 2, the camera unit 12 includes a first imaging unit 26 and a second imaging unit 27 mounted in a camera case 18. The first imaging unit 26 captures an image of the front side of the ship 800, and the second imaging unit 27 captures an image of the rear side of the ship 800. The first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are disposed back-to-back and fixed so as to capture images in opposite directions, constituting the camera unit 12 (see FIGS. 3B and 3C).

[0074] 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the imaging device 10. The imaging device 10 has a control unit 10a, a storage unit 10b, and a communication unit 10c in addition to a first imaging unit 26 and a second imaging unit 27 constituting the camera unit 12. The first imaging unit 26 has a first lens 26a and a first imaging element 26b that captures a first image formed by the first lens 26a. The second imaging unit 27 has a second lens 27a and a second imaging element 27b that captures a second image formed by the second lens 27a. The second lens 27a has an angle of view that partially overlaps with the angle of view of the first lens 26b. The imaging element is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary MOS) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).

[0075] The control unit 10a is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each unit and the overall operation of the imaging device 10. The storage unit 10b stores a control program and various parameters written in a code that the control unit 10a can decode. The storage unit 10b is realized by a memory card 850, but a storage device (EEPROM, eMMC, etc.) inside the imaging device 10 or other storage devices may be used. The communication unit 10c is a communication circuit for the imaging device 10 to communicate with the server device 950 via a communication network NW. It is particularly preferable that the communication unit 10c is further configured to be able to communicate with the reproduction device 900 via the communication network NW. In this case, instead of or in addition to sharing image data and other data between the imaging device 10 and the reproduction device 900 using the memory card 850, it is preferable that the image data and other data be shared by communication via the network NW. The communication unit 10c is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication, but may also be a wired communication circuit that performs wired communication. In the case of a wired communication circuit, when connected to an external wireless communication interface, the communication unit 10c can communicate with an external device such as a server device 950. The imaging device 10 transmits the first image and the second image to the image processing device via the communication unit 10c. The image processing device generates a omnidirectional image by synthesizing the first image and the second image. In this embodiment, the reproduction device 900 (an example of an image processing device) synthesizes the first image and the second image, but it is preferable that the imaging device 10 has a function of synthesizing the first image and the second image to generate a omnidirectional image. The function of generating a omnidirectional image will be described in detail later.

[0076] The first imaging unit 26 has a first circuit board (not shown), and the first imaging element 26b and a processing circuit for shooting are mounted on the first circuit board. The second imaging unit 27 has a second circuit board (not shown), and the second imaging element 27b and a processing circuit for shooting are mounted on the second circuit board. It is particularly preferable that the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 have the same specifications and performance. The same state and performance means, for example, the angle of view, the optical system from the tip lens to the imaging element, the sensor size of the imaging element, etc., are the same, and when the same shooting subject is shot under the same shooting conditions such as exposure conditions, the shot images will be the same. In this embodiment, the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 do not have a physical aperture, and it is preferable to adjust the brightness of the shooting by changing the shutter speed to change the exposure time.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 3B, the optical axis of the first lens 26a of the first imaging unit 26 and the optical axis of the second lens 27a of the second imaging unit 27 are set to be located on the same straight line. As a result, the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 capture images in opposite directions (directions that are completely opposite, i.e., 180 degrees apart, in this embodiment). However, the optical axis of the first lens 26a of the first imaging unit 26 and the optical axis of the second lens 27a of the second imaging unit 27 do not necessarily need to be set to be located on the same straight line. It is sufficient that the angle of view of the first lens 26a and the angle of view of the second lens 27a are set to partially overlap each other.

[0078] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the field of view and the angle of view of the camera unit 12. As shown in FIG. 6(a), the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are cameras that can capture the surroundings as they are by setting the angle of view θ in the direction perpendicular to the plane to a predetermined angle greater than 180 degrees, and covering 360 degrees in the direction parallel to the lenses (first lens 26a and second lens 27a). In this embodiment, the predetermined angle is set to be the same for the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27, but the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 may have different angles as long as the angle of view of the first lens 26a and the angle of view of the second lens 27a are set to partially overlap. Since the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are arranged back to back in opposite directions, a predetermined gap is provided between the tip of the first lens 26a and the tip of the second lens 27a. For example, when the angle of view of both the imaging units 26, 27 is set to 180 degrees, a strip-shaped unphotographed area is generated over the entire circumference of the lens 26a, 27a, which is equal to the width of the predetermined gap between the lenses 26a, 27a. By setting the angle of view θ to be greater than 180 degrees, the area behind the plane perpendicular to the optical axis at the tip position of the lenses 26a, 27a can also be included in the shooting range. For example, there is an overlapping portion between the areas that can be photographed by both the imaging units 26, 27 (see the hatched portion in FIG. 6(a)), and an image of 720 degrees (360 degrees horizontally + 360 degrees vertically) can be photographed by one imaging device 10.

[0079] The images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are circular, as shown in Figs. 6(b) and (c), for example, and include a first region R1 in which a hemispherical portion on the front side of the lens is captured within an angle of view of 180 degrees in a direction perpendicular to the parallel direction of 360 degrees, and a second region R2 in which the rear side of the lens is captured with an angle of view of 180 degrees or more. As shown in Fig. 6(a), in the imaging device 10 of this embodiment, a part of the main body 11 is present within the angle of view of the first imaging unit 26. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6(c), a part of the main body 11 is reflected in the image captured by the first imaging unit 26. This reflection occurs because the position of the camera unit 12 is shifted from the center of the front-rear direction of the main body 11 toward the main body rear surface 13b so that the lens protection member 30 of the first imaging unit 26 does not come into contact with the windshield 2, as shown in Fig. 7.

[0080] An area beyond the predetermined angle becomes a blind area that cannot be captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27. Therefore, the area from the position where the capturing areas of the two imaging units 26, 27 overlap, shown by hatching in FIG. 6(a), to the vicinity of the camera unit 12 becomes a blind area R3 that cannot be captured by either the first imaging unit 26 or the second imaging unit 27. The closer the predetermined angle is to 180 degrees, the farther the point where the capturing areas start to overlap is from the camera unit 12, and the larger the blind area R3 becomes. On the other hand, the larger the predetermined angle is than 180 degrees, the smaller the blind area R3 becomes, but the smaller the first area R1 capturing the part of the hemisphere in front of the lens becomes, causing a problem that the resolution of the image captured in the first area R1 decreases and it becomes difficult to see. Therefore, in this embodiment, the specified angle is set to 210 degrees, so that the blind spot area R3 is appropriately reduced while maintaining high resolution of the view in front of the ship 800 captured in the first area R1 and the view behind the ship 800.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 6(a), in this embodiment, the camera unit 12 is disposed below the main body unit 11, and the position of the camera unit 12 is shifted from the center of the main body unit 11 in the front-rear direction toward the main body rear surface 13b. The flat rectangular main body case 13 is attached and fixed to the windshield 2, so that when the main body case 13 is attached to the windshield 2, the main body case 13 is disposed approximately vertically along the windshield 2, and more of the main body case 13 is reflected in the first imaging unit 26 than in the second imaging unit 27. In addition, by providing an inclined surface 13b'' on the main body case 13, the main body case 13 is prevented from being reflected in the second imaging unit 27.

[0082] As described above, in this embodiment, the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 capture images in opposite directions, both with angles of view of 210 degrees, and the peripheral areas of the captured images overlap. As described later, the images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are combined by a playback device 900 (an example of an image processing device) to generate a spherical image (also called a spherical image). The boundary of the images to be joined when combining the images of the two imaging units 26 and 27 passes through the center of a line segment connecting the tip of the first lens 26a and the tip of the second lens 27a, and becomes a vertical plane perpendicular to the line segment, and an area of ​​a predetermined width including the vertical plane becomes the overlapping area.

[0083] The user attaches the bracket 17 to a desired position on the windshield 2, and attaches the main body case 13 to the bracket 17. When the windshield 2 of the vessel 800 is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vessel 800, the optical axis of the first lens 26a and the optical axis of the second lens 27a are perpendicular to the windshield 2. In this case, when the imaging device 10 is attached to the windshield 2, the first imaging unit 26 captures an image of the front of the imaging device 10 in a range of 360 degrees vertically and 210 degrees horizontally, and the second imaging unit 27 captures an image of the rear of the imaging device 10 in a range of 360 degrees vertically and 210 degrees horizontally, and the rear of the imaging device 10 in a range of 210 degrees horizontally. In this embodiment, the peripheral areas of the images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are located at predetermined positions in the vessel 800, which are close to the camera unit 12. When the imaging device 10 is fixed at a desired position within the ship 800, the portion where the images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 are to be spliced ​​together is set to be at a predetermined position within the ship 800. The predetermined position within the ship 800 is a position that includes part of the camera body 13 and the ceiling, floor, etc. of the ship 800.

[0084] In this embodiment, the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 have a viewing angle θ of 210 degrees all around, so that the same surrounding object is captured by both imaging units 26 and 27 in the peripheral area of ​​the image captured by each imaging unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the image captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27. Note that the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 shown in FIG. 8(a) appear to have different shapes from those in this embodiment, but this is merely for convenience in explaining the images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27, and does not mean that they are different. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), assume that objects exist at positions P1, P2, and P3 in the peripheral area captured by both imaging units 26 and 27. The positions P1, P2, and P3 are near the boundary K2 of the area captured by the second imaging unit 27, and are at different distances from the camera unit 12. Even if the distances are different, if they are near the boundary K2, they will be in the same position in the circular image captured by the second imaging unit 27, as shown on the right side of FIG. 8(b). On the other hand, since the positions of P1, P2, and P3 are different in distance from the boundary K1 of the area captured by the first imaging unit 26, they are in different positions in the circular area captured by the first imaging unit 26, as shown on the left side of FIG. 8(b). Therefore, when combining the boundaries of two images in which the same object is captured, the objects in each image may be displayed separately and may not be recognized as the same object. For example, if the object is a human being, it may appear as if there are two people rather than the same person.

[0085] In this embodiment, fixed objects inside the ship 800, such as the ceiling and floor of the ship 800, are assumed as objects reflected in the boundary portions of the two imaging units 26, 27, and a part of the main body case 13, which is a fixed object inside the ship 800, is assumed as an object reflected in at least one of the boundary portions of the two imaging units 26, 27. Therefore, the outside scenery located behind the fixed object is not reflected, and even if it is reflected in the boundary portion, there is little deviation. The ceiling and floor of the ship 800 are located about 1 to 2 m away from the camera unit 12, and a part of the main body case 13 is located about several centimeters to several tens of centimeters away from the camera unit 12, so there is little deviation even if the part is reflected in both boundary portions.

[0086] [Image Composition] In the image synthesis, the two images shown in Fig. 6(b) and (c) are synthesized using the left and right halves. The inventor has found that the seam between the images looks better if they are gradually synthesized or if they are joined at a boundary somewhere. In addition, since the position of the subject in the back is different (because the focal position is shifted), there are various methods for synthesizing the overlapping parts, which differ greatly depending on the product manufacturer. With a complex synthesis method, it takes a lot of time to create a synthesized image. In an imaging device that captures images in all directions, due to its nature, unnecessary subjects such as a fixing jig that fixes the imaging device may be reflected. In the imaging device 10, which is the imaging device of this embodiment, a part of the main body case 13 is reflected. In particular, in the imaging device 10, as shown in Fig. 7, a lens protection member 30, which is a lens cover, is attached to the camera unit 12 as will be explained in the waterproof mechanism described later. The bracket 17 (corresponding to the mounting member) needs to be on the outside (front windshield 2 side) of the outer shape of the lens protection member 30 (corresponding to the lens cover). 7, if the lens protection member 30 is not on the left side in the figure (the cabin side of the ship 800), it will hit the windshield 2 and the imaging device 10 cannot be attached. Then, vignetting on the attachment surface side will become large.

[0087] Although imaging devices that process such vignetting (also known as reflections) are known in the art, they are not sufficient in that the processing is complicated and it is still difficult to avoid reflections of parts of the imaging device.

[0088] Therefore, in the imaging device 10 of this embodiment, the camera unit 12 is disposed on the lower side of the main body unit 11, and the position of the camera unit 12 is shifted from the center of the main body unit 11 in the front-rear direction toward the main body rear surface 13b side. In other words, when the mounting surface side of the main body unit 11 is the front side of the main body unit (which may be called the rear side, the bow side of the ship 800, or the traveling direction side), the lower part (first part) of the main body unit 11 where the camera unit 12 is disposed is located on the rear side (which may be called the front side, the stern side of the ship 800, or the opposite side to the traveling direction) in the front-rear direction of the main body unit 11. This makes it possible to prevent the main body unit 11 from being reflected in the second image captured by the second imaging unit 27, and to allow a part of the main body unit 11 to be reflected only in the first image captured by the first imaging unit 26. In this way, in the front-rear direction of the imaging device 10, the boundary position between the first imaging section 26 and the second imaging section 27 does not coincide with the center of the main body 11, but is slightly shifted toward the rear side in the front-rear direction of the main body 11, and the first imaging section 26 and the second imaging section 27 are provided asymmetrically with respect to the main body 11. Therefore, the amount of reflection of the main body 11 differs between the first image and the second image. In addition, the first portion is provided shifted toward the rear side so that the lens protection member 30 on the windshield 2 side does not come into contact with the windshield 2 when the imaging device 10 is attached to the windshield 2. This is also due to the waterproof mechanism provided to the camera section 12 as described above.

[0089] Furthermore, the vignetting caused by the reflection of the main body 11 is determined at the time of manufacture according to the model of the imaging device 10. Therefore, in the imaging device 10 of this embodiment, the storage unit 10b as a recording means stores information that uniquely identifies a synthesis position when the first image by the first imaging unit 26 and the second image by the second imaging unit 27 are synthesized to generate a celestial sphere image. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the information that uniquely identifies the synthesis position is a model code that is information that identifies the model of the imaging device 10. In the model code of this embodiment, since the main body 11 is reflected in the first image, it is determined that the image area of ​​the second image is used more than the image area of ​​the first image when the first image and the second image are synthesized. Specifically, it is as shown in FIG. 6(d). As shown in FIG. 6(d), for the second image, the usage rate (weight) of the image of the upper part in the figure is relatively high among the image areas of the image captured by the second imaging unit 27. In this example, a region T1 that is in contact with a part of the upper periphery and not in contact with other peripheries is used for synthesis. The regions to be synthesized are asymmetric, so that the region where vignetting occurs is cut off. As shown in FIG. 6(d), for the first image, the usage rate (weight) of the image of the upper part in the figure among the image regions of the image captured by the first imaging unit 26 is set to be less than that of the image captured by the second imaging unit 27, and a region T2 that is not in contact with the upper part of the periphery is used for synthesis. In this way, even if a lot of vignetting occurs in the image captured by the first imaging unit 26, by performing asymmetric synthesis in which the image captured by the second imaging unit 27 is used more in the region where the vignetting occurs, it is possible to generate a celestial sphere image that eliminates the influence of vignetting even with the configuration and installation mode of the imaging device 10 described above. On the other hand, the usage rate (weight) of the image of the lower part in the figure is the same (or almost the same) between the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27. In this example, in the lower part of the figure, the width from the periphery of the image area of ​​the captured image to the edge of the area used for synthesis is the same (or almost the same). This explains the function of generating a desirable omnidirectional image in the imaging device 10.

[0090] There are various image processing devices having a function of generating a celestial sphere image, and in particular, it is preferable that the image processing device is either the playback device 900 or the imaging device 10. In this embodiment, the imaging device 10 stores each image captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 in a memory card 850 (an example of the storage unit 10b) without combining them. The memory card 850 stores a model code of the imaging device 10. The model code may be stored in the memory card 850 packed with the imaging device 10 before the product is shipped, or the imaging device 10 (control unit 10a) may store the model code in the memory card 850 at a predetermined time (for example, during recording). The imaging device 10 may store the model code in the memory card 850 in association with the captured image, for example, by including the model code in a recording file including the recorded image.

[0091] The playback device 900 uses a model code corresponding to the model of the imaging device 10 to combine the first image and the second image, thereby complementing the area in the first image where part of the main body 11 is reflected, using the corresponding area in the second image. In this way, the playback device 900 combines the first image and the second image based on the model code as information specifying the model, so as to reduce the influence of the reflection of part of the main body 11. This makes it possible to eliminate the reflection of the main body 11.

[0092] FIG. 9 is an example of a hardware configuration of the display device 900. The control unit 91 controls each unit of the playback device 900. The control unit 91 may include, for example, a CPU, and may have the same hardware configuration as the control unit 10a. The input unit 92 accepts information input from a user. The input unit 92 has an operation unit exemplified by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch sensor. The display unit 93 displays an image. The display unit 93 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The communication unit 94 has, for example, a communication circuit and an antenna, and communicates with an external device. The storage unit 95 stores data. The storage unit 95 stores a viewer program 951 in addition to the program executed by the control unit 91. The viewer program 951 is a program for displaying an image captured and recorded by the imaging device 100. The storage unit 95 has an auxiliary storage device exemplified by, for example, a flash memory and a magnetic storage medium. The reader / writer 96 functions as a medium holding unit that holds a memory card 850 inserted inside from a memory card slot (not shown). The reader / writer 96 writes data to the memory card 850 and reads data from the memory card 850. The control unit 91 executes a viewer program 951 and causes the display unit 93 to display information such as images captured and recorded by the imaging device 10 based on the data read from the memory card 850 by the reader / writer 96.

[0093] The control unit 91 executes the viewer program 951 to operate as the image processing device described above. As described above, the imaging device 10 records various information including captured images in the memory card 850. When a user wants to play back images or the like recorded in the memory card 850, the user removes the memory card 850 from the memory card slot and sets it in the reader / writer 96. The activated viewer program 951 is executed to composite the recorded images or the like and display them on the display unit 93. The viewer program 951 is a program (for example, an application program) for causing a computer to realize a function of playing back images and a function of composite images. The viewer program 951 may be provided to a user in a state stored in the memory card 850, or may be provided via a communication line such as the Internet.

[0094] As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 91 joins together two images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 to create a spherical image. The angle of view of both imaging units 26 and 27 is 210 degrees horizontally when they are attached and fixed in the correct position. The surrounding area captured by each imaging unit is an overlapping area in which the same scenery or the like is captured, although a part of the main body unit 11 is reflected in the first image captured by the first imaging unit 26. When overlapping the overlapping areas, the control unit 91 uses a model code corresponding to the model of the imaging device 10 to complement the area in the first image in which a part of the main body unit 11 is reflected, using the corresponding area in the second image. This makes it possible to create a spherical image in which the reflection of the main body unit 11 has disappeared. The reason why the synthesis position is specified by the model code is that the configuration of the imaging device 10 differs depending on the model, and the position at which vignetting occurs differs. Although the model code is used, any information that uniquely identifies the composition position may be used, for example, information that can be used to grasp the vignetting occurrence area and composition position of the imaging device 100, such as the model number and product series name of the imaging device 10. Furthermore, the information that uniquely identifies the composition position may be position information (for example, information in the form of coordinates) that identifies the position of the seam.

[0095] The operation of such imaging device 10 can be summarized as follows. Imaging device 10, regardless of model, captures images in a way that generates a circular (circular) image using the same CMOS sensor and lens angle of view. At that time, imaging device 10 also records the model code that indicates how the images are to be composited. When playing back images on playback device 900, playback device 900 checks the model code, determines the composition position, and displays it. The composition position is considered to be a fixed setting for the device. Therefore, playback device 900 composites and plays back images at a composition position specific to the device that recorded the images.

[0096] In particular, it is preferable that the control unit 91 of the playback device 900 synthesizes the first image and the second image by applying a gradation when overlapping the overlapping areas. In this case, it is preferable that the control unit 91 make the display lighter toward the periphery in the overlapping joint area. For example, if the second area R2 is the area to be processed by the gradation, the control unit 91 sets the darkness at the periphery to 0%, the darkness at the boundary area with the first area R1 to 100%, and gradually changes the darkness in the middle area. Since the resolution becomes lower toward the periphery, it is preferable that the control unit 91 makes it less visible to reduce the impact on the display.

[0097] In this embodiment, the control unit 10a controls the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 to capture images under the same exposure conditions. The exposure conditions for adjusting the brightness during capture are achieved by adjusting the shutter speed. By setting the same shutter speed for the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27, the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 capture images under the same exposure conditions and brightness. In this way, in this embodiment, the two imaging units 26, 27 capture images under a common brightness.

[0098] In this way, there is no sudden change in brightness at the joint between the images captured by the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27, making the joint less noticeable and resulting in a continuous image all around without any sense of incongruity.

[0099] As described above, the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 capture images at the same shutter speed, but the shutter speed is determined based on the image captured by the first imaging unit 26 capturing the forward view. One of the functions of the imaging device 10 is to capture and record the situation in front of the ship 800 when an accident occurs, etc. As in this embodiment, by determining the shutter speed based on the image captured by the first imaging unit 26, the area including the forward view of the ship 800 can be captured clearly. This allows the imaging device 10 to fulfill the above-mentioned functions.

[0100] Specifically, an area spot is provided in the upper half of the circular image captured by the first imaging unit 26 for the front, excluding the peripheral area, and the brightness of the subject within the area of ​​the area spot is measured, and the shutter speed is determined based on the brightness of the subject. The reason why the peripheral area is excluded is that the scenery behind the lens with a vertical angle of view of 180 degrees or more is included in the peripheral area. The forward scenery seen through the windshield 2 is within the range of the area spot in the upper half, and objects inside the ship 800 are often present in the lower half. For this reason, the peripheral area and the lower half are not used when determining the shutter speed. This allows the scenery in front of the ship 800 to be beautifully captured and recorded. In addition, the main body case 13 of the imaging device 10 is reflected in the peripheral area, but since the main body case 13 is not originally desired to be reflected, it is not a problem if it is not visible. For this reason, the peripheral area is also not used when determining the shutter speed.

[0101] In this embodiment, the shutter speed is determined based only on the photometry results of the first imaging unit 26 on the front side, but the shutter speed may be determined by taking into consideration the photometry results of the second imaging unit 27 as well. For example, the photometry results of the first imaging unit 26 are weighted heavily, and the photometry results of the second imaging unit 27 are weighted lightly. This can prevent the image of the inside of the ship 800 captured by the second imaging unit 27 from being so dark that people are not visible. The photometry area of ​​the second imaging unit 27 is preferably the area spot on the upper center, similar to the first imaging unit 26. By measuring the photometry of the area spot and determining the shutter speed based on the photometry, the user can be beautifully photographed.

[0102] Also, the shutter speed may be determined by prioritizing the photometry results of the second imaging unit 27. In this way, the image inside the ship 800 can be captured beautifully. However, if the photometry results of the second imaging unit 27 are prioritized, the shutter speed becomes longer and the brightness of the first imaging unit 26 is set based on that, which may cause the scenery outside in front to become washed out. Therefore, in consideration of the original function of the imaging device 10, it is preferable to prioritize the photometry results of the first imaging unit 26.

[0103] Also, the shutter speed may be determined by treating the photometry results of the first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 equally without weighting them. In this way, the inside of the ship 800 does not become too dark when the first imaging unit 26 is given priority, and the scenery ahead does not become overexposed when the second imaging unit 27 is given priority, and it is possible to capture images in all directions. However, in order to record the situation outside the ship 800, such as before and after an accident, which is the original function of the imaging device 10, while also recording the situation inside the ship 800, it is preferable to give priority to the first imaging unit 26 at the front and also take into account the photometry results of the second imaging unit 27 at the rear.

[0104] Furthermore, the imaging device 10 may be provided with a mode setting function for setting whether the photometry results of the first imaging unit 26 or the photometry results of the second imaging unit 27 are to be prioritized. In this way, it is possible to set whether the view ahead or the view inside the ship 800 is to be prioritized depending on the user's usage situation. Modes that can be set using the mode setting function include, for example, a mode in which only one photometry result is used, and a mode in which the photometry results of both are used but which imaging unit is to be prioritized. In a mode in which the photometry results of both are used but which imaging unit is to be prioritized is to be set, it is even more preferable to be able to set the degree of weighting.

[0105] [Waterproof packing structure for accessory cover 20] Next, a description will be given of a packing structure for waterproofing the accessory cover 20. The accessory cover 20 is provided for the purpose of waterproofing the memory card 850 (for example, an SD card).

[0106] Conventionally, a waterproof structure for an accessory cover has been known that uses a packing. In the conventional waterproof structure, the packing is abutted against the inner wall surface of the accessory storage section that stores the accessory. However, the waterproofness achieved by the packing alone is insufficient.

[0107] Therefore, in this embodiment, an imaging device 10 is provided in which the accessory storage section 40, which is opened and closed by the accessory lid 20, has higher waterproofing. The imaging device 10 of this embodiment is a drive recorder for use on a vessel, and requires high waterproofing in case the vessel 800 sinks due to an accident.

[0108] 10 is a diagram for explaining the opening and closing operation of the accessory lid 20. The accessory lid 20 is supported rotatably in the opening and closing direction by a rotation shaft 21 provided along the longitudinal direction of the accessory lid 20. The accessory lid 20 rotates about the longitudinal axis, enabling a compact opening and closing operation.

[0109] The imaging device 10 of this embodiment has an accessory storage section 40 that stores a memory card 850, which is an example of an accessory, and an accessory lid 20 that opens and closes the accessory storage section 40. The accessory storage section 40 is provided on a side surface on the short side of the main body section 11 of the imaging device 10, and forms a space for storing accessories. The accessory lid 20 is provided with a packing as an elastic member 22 that seals the gap between the accessory lid 20 and the accessory storage section 40 when the accessory lid 20 is closed relative to the accessory storage section 40. The accessory lid 20 is closed by pressing in the elastic member 22 while rotating the accessory lid 20 in the closing direction.

[0110] The pivot shaft 21 is provided on the mounting surface side of the imaging device 10, and the accessory storage section 40 is configured to be opened from the opposite side of the mounting surface of the imaging device 10. This makes it easy to open and close the accessory cover 20 when the imaging device 10 is mounted on the mounting surface, and allows the memory card 850, which is an example of an accessory, to be easily inserted and removed. FIG. 11(a) is a bottom view of the imaging device 10 with the accessory cover 20 open. Since the accessory cover 20 opens away from the user (relative to the direction the person is looking) (because it is designed to open downward in the figure), the accessory cover 20 does not get in the way when removing the memory card 850. In addition, by opening the accessory storage section 40 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the accessory cover 20 from closing or opening by its own weight. For example, if the accessory cover 20 is provided on the imaging device 10 so as to rotate around a rotation axis provided along the short side direction of the accessory cover 20 as shown in Fig. 11(b) and Fig. 11(c), the accessory cover 20 will open and close by itself due to its own weight. Also, if the accessory cover 20 is provided on the imaging device 10 as shown in Fig. 11(b) and Fig. 11(c), the accessory cover 20 will get in the way when the memory card 850 is picked up to remove it with the accessory cover 20 open. Furthermore, if the accessory cover 20 is provided on the imaging device 10 as shown in Fig. 11(c), the accessory cover 20 will fight with a cable located above, making it even more difficult to remove the memory card 850 (for example, making it difficult to remove the memory card 850).

[0111] Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 10, and is a diagram for explaining the elastic member 22. The elastic member 22 has a first protruding portion 22a that protrudes toward the outer periphery of the elastic member 22. The first protruding portion 22a abuts against the entire circumference of a frame-shaped inner wall surface 43 of the accessory storage section 40 when the accessory lid 20 is closed relative to the accessory storage section 40. Furthermore, the elastic member 22 has a second protruding portion 22b that protrudes toward the accessory storage section 40. The second protruding portion 22b abuts against the entire circumference of a frame-shaped flat portion 45 that is continuous with the inner wall surface 43 of the accessory storage section 40 when the accessory lid 20 is closed relative to the accessory storage section 40.

[0112] In this embodiment, the elastic member 22 has, in addition to the first convex portion 22a, the second convex portion 22b that protrudes in a direction different from the first convex portion 22a, so that water from the outside cannot enter the inside of the accessory storage section 40 unless it breaks through the waterproof mechanism provided by the first convex portion 22a and then the waterproof mechanism provided by the second convex portion 22b. This makes it possible to further improve the waterproofness of the imaging device 10.

[0113] A first recess 46 corresponding to the shape of the first protrusion 22a is formed on the inner wall surface 43 of the accessory storage section 40 at a portion that abuts against the first protrusion 22a. Also, a second recess 47 corresponding to the shape of the second protrusion 22b is formed on the flat surface portion 45 of the accessory storage section 20 at a portion that abuts against the second protrusion 22b.

[0114] By forming a first recess 46 and a second recess 47 in the accessory storage section 40 according to the shapes of the first convex portion 22a and the second convex portion 22b, respectively, the elastic member 22 adheres closely at that portion, thereby further improving the waterproofness of the imaging device 10.

[0115] [Accessory cover 20 two-stage locking mechanism] Next, a locking mechanism for locking the accessory cover 20 in the closed state will be described.

[0116] In a waterproof camera, it is important to reliably lock the accessory cover. A two-stage locking mechanism for an accessory cover is conventionally known (Patent Document 1). In this two-stage locking mechanism, the lock is released by sliding the lock knob to the unlocked position, and then fixing the lock knob in the unlocked position, and then sliding the opening / closing knob to the open position. For this reason, it was often the case that the lock state was released by mistake without realizing that the lock knob was fixed in the unlocked position.

[0117] Therefore, in this embodiment, a two-stage locking mechanism is provided that is less likely to be released accidentally from the locked state.

[0118] 13 is a diagram for explaining the unlocking operation of the accessory lid 20 in the two-stage locking mechanism 200 of this embodiment. The imaging device 10 of this embodiment has a housing which is the main body case 13, an accessory storage section 40 provided in the main body case 13, an accessory lid 20 which protects the accessory storage section 40, and a locking mechanism 200 for the accessory lid 20.

[0119] 13, the lock mechanism 200 of this embodiment has a structure in which an opening / closing knob 202, which is a second operating part, can be moved in the direction of the arrow by applying an operating force in the direction of the arrow to a lock knob 201, which is a first operating part, and the locked state of the accessory cover 20 can be released by moving the opening / closing knob 202 while applying an operating force to the lock knob 201. In other words, the locked state of the accessory cover 20 can be released by moving the opening / closing knob 202 while applying an operating force to the lock knob 201.

[0120] In this embodiment, when unlocking the accessory cover 20 by the lock mechanism 200 having such a structure, the opening / closing knob 202, which is the second operating part, must be moved while applying an operating force to the lock knob 201, which is the first operating part. In other words, in order to move the opening / closing knob 202, which is the second operating part, an operating force must be applied to the lock knob 201, which is the first operating part. With this configuration, it is possible to realize a two-stage lock mechanism that is less likely to be released from the locked state by mistake.

[0121] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 13, and is a diagram for explaining the locking mechanism 200 of the accessory lid 20. Figure 14(a) shows the accessory lid 20 in an unlocked state, and Figure 14(b) shows the accessory lid 20 in a locked state.

[0122] 14, lock knob 201, which is a first operating part, is slidable between a locked position and an unlocked position. Opening / closing knob 202, which is a second operating part, is slidable from a closed position to an open position when lock knob 201 is positioned at the unlocked position with an operating force being applied to lock knob 201. When lock knob 201 is positioned at the locked position, the sliding movement of opening / closing knob 202 from the closed position to the open position is restricted.

[0123] The lock mechanism 200 has a coil spring 203 as a biasing member that biases the lock knob 201 toward the lock position. One end of the coil spring 203 abuts against a wall surface 201c of a recess 201b formed on the surface of the lock knob 201, and the other end of the coil spring 203 is fixed to the accessory cover 20. The coil spring 203 constantly biases the lock knob 201 toward the lock position. Therefore, unless the state in which the lock knob 201 is slid to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the coil spring 203 is maintained, the opening / closing knob 202 cannot be slid from the closed position to the open position. In this way, the lock state of the accessory cover 20 can be released by sliding the opening / closing knob 202 from the closed position to the open position while the lock knob 201 is slid to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the coil spring 203. Therefore, a two-stage lock mechanism 200 that is unlikely to be accidentally released can be realized.

[0124] In this embodiment, the direction of sliding movement of the lock knob 201 and the direction of sliding movement of the opening / closing knob 202 are approximately perpendicular to each other. Here, approximately perpendicular means that it includes perpendicular and may be slightly deviated from perpendicular. In this way, by making the sliding direction of the lock knob 201 and the sliding direction of the opening / closing knob 202 approximately perpendicular to each other, it is possible to prevent both knobs 201, 202 from being operated simultaneously and accidentally releasing the locked state. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the direction of sliding movement of the lock knob 201 is approximately parallel to the mounting surface of the imaging device 10, and the direction of sliding movement of the opening / closing knob 202 is approximately perpendicular to the mounting surface.

[0125] The accessory cover 20 is provided on the side of the main body 11 of the imaging device 10 so as to protrude from the side of the main body 11 (see FIG. 2(b)). Therefore, when the imaging device 10 is viewed from the front, the accessory cover 20 is structured to be visible. The accessory cover 20 has a cutout portion 20a cut out from the side of the accessory cover 20 located opposite the mounting surface of the imaging device 10 (see FIG. 3C). The opening / closing knob 202, whose sliding direction is approximately perpendicular to the mounting surface of the imaging device 10, is provided in this cutout portion 20a. This allows the opening / closing knob 202 to be visually confirmed, and ensures space for the user's fingers when operating the opening / closing knob 202, making it easier to operate the opening / closing knob 202.

[0126] In addition, in a conventional two-stage locking mechanism, a two-stage operation is required for the locking operation to lock the accessory lid. In the locking mechanism 200 of the accessory lid 20 of this embodiment, when the accessory lid 20 is closed, the opening / closing knob 202 is slid to the closed position, and the lock knob 201 moves automatically to the locked position by the biasing force of the coil spring 203. As a result, the opening / closing knob 202 is positioned at the closed position and the lock knob 201 is positioned at the locked position, and the accessory lid 20 is placed in the locked state.

[0127] In this way, in the lock mechanism 200 of this embodiment, in the locking operation of the accessory cover 20, the lock knob 201 is automatically locked by simply sliding the opening / closing knob 202 to the closed position, so that the accessory cover 20 can be easily locked with a single operation. In this way, the user can easily perform the locking operation compared to the unlocking operation, which improves the usability of the imaging device for the user.

[0128] The opening / closing knob 202 has a groove-shaped engaged portion 202a, and the lock knob 201 has a convex engaging portion 201a that engages with the engaged portion 202a to lock the accessory cover 20.

[0129] As described above, when the accessory cover 20 is closed, the opening / closing knob 202 is slid to the closed position, and the lock knob 201 moves to the locked position by the biasing force of the coil spring 203. This causes the engaging portion 201a of the lock knob 201 to engage with the engaged portion 202a of the opening / closing knob 202. The engaging portion 201a of the lock knob 201 and the engaged portion 202a of the opening / closing knob 202 engage with each other, limiting the movement of the opening / closing knob 202 to the open position, and making it difficult to easily release the locked state.

[0130] The accessory cover 20 also has a claw portion 202b that slides together with the opening / closing knob 202. In this embodiment, the claw portion 202b is formed integrally with the opening / closing knob 202, but the claw portion 202b may be formed separately from the opening / closing knob 202. The accessory storage section 40 also has a groove portion 40b into which the claw portion 202b fits when the accessory cover 20 is in the locked state. In this manner, the claw portion 202b fits into the groove portion 40b of the accessory storage section 40, so that the accessory cover 20 does not open in the locked state.

[0131] As shown in FIG. 14, an elongated through hole 202c is formed along the sliding direction in the vicinity of the side surface of the opening / closing knob 202 opposite to the side on which the engaged portion 202a is formed. In this way, by forming an elongated through hole 202c along the sliding direction in the vicinity of the side surface of the opening / closing knob 202, it is possible to provide elasticity. A protrusion 202d is formed on the side surface on the elastic side of the opening / closing knob 202. Meanwhile, in the accessory cover 20, a mountain portion 20d that the protrusion 202d overcomes when sliding is formed on a guide portion that guides the side surface on the elastic side of the opening / closing knob 202. The opening / closing knob 202 cannot slide unless the protrusion 202d overcomes the mountain portion 20d, but the side surface on which the protrusion 202d is formed in the opening / closing knob 202 has elasticity due to the through hole 202c. Therefore, the protrusion 202d can overcome the mountain portion 20d. When the protrusion 202d overcomes the mountain portion 20d, the user can feel a click.

[0132] In this manner, the configuration of the accessory cover 20 and its surroundings of the imaging device 100 of this embodiment is configured based on the following idea. The imaging device 100 has an accessory cover 20 that rotates around an axis to open, and employs a structure in which an elastic member 22 (e.g., packing) is provided on the accessory cover 20 side and the elastic member 22 is held down while the accessory cover 20 (e.g., a door) is rotated. Furthermore, the imaging device 100 employs a structure in which the lock is released by two knobs 201, 202 (e.g., lever switches (SW)), and the lock knob 201 is biased in one direction by the biasing force of a biasing member 203 (e.g., a spring) (here, a force is applied). The imaging device 100 also employs a structure in which the biasing member 203 and the lock knob 201 (e.g., a lock plate) engage with each other.

[0133] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of such a lock mechanism. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 15, the accessory cover 20 is provided on the side of the main body 11 of the imaging device 10 so as to protrude from the side of the main body 11. Therefore, when the imaging device 10 is viewed from the front, the accessory cover 20 is structured to be visible. The accessory cover 20 has a notch 20a cut out from the side of the accessory cover 20 located opposite to the mounting surface of the imaging device 10 (see the right diagram of FIG. 15). An opening / closing knob 202 (an example of a second-stage lock) whose sliding direction is approximately perpendicular to the mounting surface of the imaging device 10 is provided in this notch 20a. Since the opening / closing knob 202 slides approximately perpendicular to the mounting surface, the accessory cover 20 is intentionally hooked to form the notch 20a in order to secure as much finger space as possible for operation. In other words, the opening / closing knob 202 (for example, the knob portion) is protruded above the flat portion to make it easier to operate the opening / closing knob 202. This allows the opening / closing knob 202 to be seen, ensures space for the user's fingers when operating the opening / closing knob 202, and makes it easier to grip the opening / closing knob 202, facilitating operation of the opening / closing knob 202. On the other hand, the lock knob 201 (an example of a first-stage lock) is slid substantially parallel to the mounting surface, so that it is easy for the user to hold the lock knob 201 with their fingers in the first place. For this reason, the accessory cover 20 is not attached at the position where the lock knob 201 is located.

[0134] [Waterproof structure around the lens] Next, the waterproof structure around the lens of the camera unit 12 of the imaging device 10 will be described.

[0135] Conventionally, imaging devices having a lens protection member for protecting a lens do not have a waterproof structure for the lens protection member, which allows water to seep in through the portion where the lens protection member is attached.

[0136] Therefore, in this embodiment, an imaging device 10 is provided that has a waterproof structure for the lens protection member 30. The imaging device 10 of this embodiment is a drive recorder for a vessel, and requires high waterproofing in case the vessel 800 sinks due to an accident, so the lens protection member 30 is provided with a waterproof structure.

[0137] Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining the waterproof structure around the lens of the camera unit 12 of the imaging device 10, and is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in Fig. 3F. In Fig. 16, the waterproof structure around the first lens 26a of the first imaging unit 26 is explained, but the waterproof structure around the second lens 27a of the second imaging unit 27 is similar.

[0138] In the waterproof structure around the lens of the imaging device 10 of this embodiment, a lens protection member 30 that protects the first lens 26a is fixed to a first camera case 18a as a base member that holds the first lens 26a by screwing. The lens protection member 30 has a dome portion 30a made of a transparent member for covering the first lens 26a, and a holder portion 30b that is joined to a peripheral portion 30a1 of the dome portion 30a. The holder portion 30b has an extension portion 30b1 that extends toward the inside of the dome portion 30a. A packing 50 is provided between the lens protection member 30 and the first camera case 18a as a first waterproof member, and the packing 50 elastically deforms by screwing the lens protection member 30 into the first camera case 18a to come into close contact with the lens protection member 30 and the first camera case 18a.

[0139] The gasket 50, which is the first waterproofing member, is clamped between the first camera case 18a, which is the base member, by the screw-in type lens protection member 30, so that the gasket 50 can be subjected to large elastic deformation, thereby achieving high waterproofing performance.

[0140] The packing 50 has a base portion 50a and a ring-shaped inner circumferential rib 50b formed on the surface of the base portion 50a and abutting against the extension portion 30b1 when the packing 50 is sandwiched between the extension portion 30b1 and the first camera case 18a. The cross-sectional shape of the inner circumferential rib 50b is a mountain shape. In this way, by forming the inner circumferential rib 50b on the packing 50, when the packing 50 is sandwiched between the lens protection member 30 and the first camera case 18a, the inner circumferential rib 50b of the packing 50 is crushed significantly, improving the waterproof performance. Furthermore, by forming the inner circumferential rib 50b with a mountain-shaped cross section, the inner circumferential rib 50b is crushed more significantly, improving the waterproof performance. A pressing ring 70 is provided on the base portion 50a of the packing 50.

[0141] In addition, a ring-shaped groove 50b1 is formed in the packing 50 at a position corresponding to the apex of the mountain shape on the surface opposite to the surface on which the inner peripheral rib 50b is formed. This ring-shaped groove 50b1 allows the packing 50 to be more crushed, further improving the waterproof performance.

[0142] In addition, first camera case 18a is formed with a ring-shaped protrusion 18a1 radially outward from ring-shaped groove 50b1 formed in packing 50. This ring-shaped protrusion 18a1 causes packing 50 to be further crushed, further improving waterproof performance.

[0143] Furthermore, in the waterproof structure around the lens of this embodiment, an O-ring 60 is provided as a second waterproof member that is provided on the outer periphery of lens unit 28 having first lens 26a and comes into close contact with first camera case 18a in an elastically deformed state. O-ring 60 is provided in groove 28a formed along the outer periphery of lens unit 28.

[0144] This further improves the waterproofness of the imaging device 10 by providing a double waterproof structure with the packing 50 as the first waterproof member and the O-ring 60 as the second waterproof member provided on the outer periphery of the lens unit 28. Furthermore, this double waterproof structure can maintain the waterproof function even if, for example, the lens protection member 30 comes off.

[0145] [Mounting structure for the imaging device 10] Next, the mounting structure of the imaging device 10 will be described. As described above, the imaging device 10 is mounted on the windshield 2 of the ship 800 by attaching the bracket 17 to the windshield 2, aligning the upper and lower long side surfaces of the bracket 17 with the pair of slide rails 16, and sliding the bracket 17 and the main body 11 relatively in the left-right direction. In other words, the imaging device 10 of this embodiment has a slide mechanism including the slide rails 16 that detachably engage the main body 11 with the bracket 17 by relatively sliding in the left-right direction.

[0146] The imaging device 10 of this embodiment can be attached to a bracket 17 affixed to the windshield 2 by sliding it in the left-right direction. Since the weight of the imaging device 10 is applied downward, in a configuration in which the imaging device 10 is attached by sliding it in the left-right direction, it is possible to prevent the imaging device 10 from coming off due to an impact.

[0147] Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the bracket 17 of the imaging device 10 of this embodiment. The surface of the bracket 17 on the side not shown in Fig. 17 is the surface to be attached to the windshield 2, and the main body 11 of the imaging device 10 is attached to the surface on the side shown in Fig. 17.

[0148] The bracket 17 has a stopper 17a. The stopper 17a determines the position of the main body 11 relative to the bracket 17 in the mounting slide direction when the main body 11 of the imaging device 10 is mounted on the bracket 17. When the main body 11 is slid relative to the bracket 17, it becomes unable to slide at the position of the stopper 17a. In this way, the main body 11 is positioned relative to the bracket 17 by the stopper 17a, so that the user can easily know how far the main body 11 should be slid relative to the bracket 17 in order to mount the main body 11.

[0149] In addition, the bracket 17 is symmetrical with respect to the mounting slide direction, so that by changing the direction in which the bracket 17 is attached to the windshield 2 of the vessel 800, the main body 11 of the imaging device 10 can be mounted from either the left or right side of the bracket 17, improving the degree of freedom in mounting.

[0150] Also, the bracket 17 is provided with a mark 17b indicating the mounting slide direction. The mark 17b is an arrow as an example, but is not limited to this and may be any shape that indicates the mounting slide direction. By looking at the direction of the arrow of the mark 17b, the user can determine the mounting slide direction, which makes it possible to easily mount the imaging device 10.

[0151] Furthermore, the bracket 17 is provided with first markings 17c1 and 17c2 for determining the vertical positioning of the main body 11 relative to the bracket 17 (see FIG. 18). The first marking 17c1 is provided on the surface on which the mark 17b indicating the mounting sliding direction of the bracket 17 is formed. The first marking 17c2 is provided on the side surface of the bracket 17. In this embodiment, the first marking 17c1 is a linear mark, and the first marking 17c2 is a triangular mark, as an example. The first markings 17c1 and 17c2 may both be linear or arrow-shaped. In addition, the side surface of the main body 11 is provided with second markings 13c at positions corresponding to the first markings 17c1 and 17c2 (see FIG. 18). In this embodiment, the second marking 13c is an arrow-shaped mark, as an example, but it may be a linear mark, a mark indicating a direction other than an arrow (for example, a triangle), or other marks. The triangular portion at the tip of the arrow of the second marking 13c is located in an R-shaped portion connecting the main body front surface 13a of the main body portion 11 and the side surface of the main body portion 11. When attaching the imaging device 10, the user looks into the imaging device 10 from the side and slides the main body portion 11 in the attachment slide direction while aligning the second marking 13c of the main body portion 11 with the first markings 17c1 and 17c2 of the bracket 17 in the vertical direction. This allows the user to easily align the main body portion 11 and the bracket 17 in the vertical direction, making it possible to easily attach the imaging device 10.

[0152] The second marking 13c may be provided on either the left or right side surface of the main body case 13, on a surface different from the mounting surface side of the main body case 13. In this way, when the user attaches the bracket 17 to the mounting surface of the windshield 2 and looks in from either the left or right direction to attach the main body case 13 to the bracket 17, the user can easily visually recognize the second marking 13c and the first markings 17c1, 17c2, and can easily perform positioning by referring to the positions of the second marking 13c and the first markings 17c1, 17c2.

[0153] Further, the bracket 17 is provided with a plurality of rows of slide guides 17d arranged at predetermined intervals in the mounting slide direction. As an example, the bracket 17 of this embodiment is provided with three rows of slide guides 17d. The slide mechanism of the imaging device 10 of this embodiment is composed of a pair of slide rails 16 provided on the first main body case 14 of the main body 11 and the plurality of rows of slide guides 17d.

[0154] A pair of slide rails 16 provided along the longitudinal direction of the first main body case 14 are formed with a plurality of pairs of notches 16d at a predetermined interval in the mounting and sliding direction so that at least one of the multiple rows of slide guides 17d fits into the pair of notches 16d (see FIG. 18(a)). In the pair of slide rails 16 of this embodiment, two pairs of notches 16d are formed.

[0155] Incidentally, the imaging device 10 of this embodiment can be attached to the windshield 2 by two types of attachment methods. Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a first attachment method, and Figs. 19A-19B are diagrams showing a second attachment method. In either attachment method, the bracket 17 is attached to the windshield 2, and then while looking at the imaging device 10 from the side, the side surfaces of the upper and lower long sides of the bracket 17 are aligned with the pair of slide rails 16 in the vertical direction, and the main body 11 is slid relative to the bracket 17.

[0156] In the first mounting method of FIG. 18, while looking at the imaging device 10 from the side, the short side surface of the bracket 17 is aligned with the short side surface of the main body 11 (FIG. 18(a)), and then the first marking 17c1 on the bracket 17 is aligned with the second marking 13c formed on the side surface of the main body 11 (FIG. 18(b)). This determines the vertical position of the main body 11 relative to the bracket 17. Thereafter, the main body 11 is slid in the direction of the mark 17b on the bracket 17 indicating the mounting slide direction. This allows the user to easily mount the imaging device 10.

[0157] However, in the case of the first mounting method, the main body 11 is slid while the short side surface of the bracket 17 is aligned with the short side surface of the main body 11, so that the sliding amount of the main body 11 during mounting is large, and the working space required for mounting is large.

[0158] Therefore, in the second mounting method, the imaging device 10 can be mounted on the windshield 2 through a compact operation in which the sliding amount of the main body 11 is restricted.

[0159] In the second mounting method of Fig. 19A-19B, first, as shown in Fig. 19A, at least one of the slide guides 17d in the bracket 17 is fitted into a pair of notches 16d in the guide rail 16. In Fig. 19A, two of the three slide guides 17d are fitted into two pairs of notches 16d. At this time, as shown in Fig. 19A, the short side of the main body 11 and the short side of the bracket 17 are positioned on the same plane. In this case, as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 19B, the triangular first marking 17c2 on the side of the bracket 17 and the arrow-shaped second marking 13c on the side of the main body 11 overlap to form a single arrow shape. It is particularly preferable to make the single arrow, the arrow of the second marking 13c, and the triangular shape corresponding to the tip of the arrow of the first marking 17c2 have the same appearance, since this makes it easier for the user to understand the proper attachment of the bracket 17 to the main body case 13. However, the first markings 17c1 and 17c2 and the second marking 13c are only examples, and linear marks may be attached to the bracket 17 and the main body case 13. This allows the user to easily confirm that the vertical positioning of the main body part 11 relative to the bracket 17 has been correctly performed. As shown in FIG. 19B, the triangular first marking 17c2 on the side surface of the bracket 17 and the arrow-shaped second marking 13c on the side surface of the main body part 11 are overlapped to create the single arrow shape, so that two of the three rows of slide guide parts 17d are fitted into two pairs of notches 16d. Thereafter, the main body 11 is slid in the direction of the mark 17b on the bracket 17, which indicates the mounting slide direction. This allows the user to easily mount the imaging device 10. In addition, a third marking 17c3 is provided on the surface (user side surface) of the bracket 17 opposite to the mounting surface side (windshield 2 side). The third marking 17c3 is a linear mark.When the user attaches the main body case 13 to the bracket 17, for example, the user will see the bracket 17 and the main body case 13 from the diagonally left side of the front side of the main body case 13, and will see the bracket 17 and further the main body case 13 at an angle generally as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 19B. At this time, the user will recognize the visible part of the first marking 17c2 as the tip (pointed tip) of the arrow, and the visible part of the third marking 17c3 as the shaft (rod part at the base) of the arrow. In this way, the third marking 17c3 and the first marking 17c2 appear to be combined together to form a single arrow. The user can position the imaging device 10 relative to the bracket 17 using the arrow that appears to be a single arrow as a clue, and can easily attach the imaging device 10.

[0160] In this way, in the second mounting method, the imaging device 10 is mounted by sliding at least one row of the multiple rows of slide guide portions 17d while being fitted into a plurality of pairs of cutout portions 16d formed in the slide rail 16, thereby saving space in the left and right sliding directions and making the mounting work space compact.

[0161] In addition, a bracket stopper 70 that generates a biasing force in a direction intersecting the mounting slide direction (direction perpendicular to the surface of the bracket 17) is provided between the bracket 17 and the main body 11 engaged by the slide mechanism (see FIG. 18(a)). The bracket stopper 70 is attached to the main body 11. When the main body 11 is attached to the bracket 17, the bracket stopper 70 fixes the main body 11 to the bracket 17 by the biasing force. The bracket stopper 70 is a rectangular plate member made of resin.

[0162] Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the bracket stopper 70, Fig. 20(a) is a perspective view of the bracket stopper 70 seen from the front, and Fig. 20(b) is a perspective view of the bracket stopper 70 seen from the back. Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the bracket 17 and the bracket stopper 70 when the main body 11 is attached to the bracket 17.

[0163] The bracket stopper 70 has a shape symmetrical with respect to the mounting slide direction. The bracket stopper 70 has a main body 70a and two leaf springs 70b that generate a biasing force in a direction intersecting the mounting slide direction (direction perpendicular to the surface of the bracket 17). These leaf springs 70b are provided on the main body 70a of the bracket stopper 70, spaced apart in the mounting slide direction. The leaf springs 70b are formed by providing a U-shaped slit in the main body 70a, and the U-shaped slit is formed so that the opening side of the U faces the center of the main body 70a. The thickness of the leaf springs 70b is thinner than the thickness of the plate-shaped main body 70.

[0164] An engaged portion 70e is formed on the surface of the leaf spring portion 70b of the bracket stopper 70, protruding from the surface. The engaged portion 70e is a protrusion extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting sliding direction. The engaged portion 70e is provided on the side of the leaf spring portion 70b closer to the valley of the U-shape. In other words, the engaged portion 70e is provided at a location on the leaf spring portion 70b where the amount of deformation due to elasticity is large.

[0165] Meanwhile, two engaging portions 17e that engage with the two engaged portions 70e of the bracket stopper 70 are formed on the surface of the bracket 17 (see Figs. 17 and 21). The engaging portions 17e are grooves that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting sliding direction in correspondence with the engaged portions 70e. The engaging portions 17e that are grooves are formed on raised portions 17f that are raised from the surface of the bracket 17, and are formed so that the bottom of the grooves is flush with the surface of the bracket 17.

[0166] When the main body 11 is slid relative to the bracket 17, the engaged portion 70e protruding from the surface of the bracket stopper 70 hits the raised portion 17f protruding from the surface of the bracket 17. The engaged portion 70e overcomes the raised portion 17f due to the elasticity of the leaf spring portion 70b and fits into the engaging portion 17e, which is a groove. At this time, a clicking sensation is transmitted to the user, and the user can intuitively know that the attachment of the main body 11 to the bracket 17 is complete.

[0167] It is particularly preferable that the bracket stopper 70 is formed from the same material as the main body case 13. In this way, the configuration of the main body case 13 and the imaging device 10 including the main body case 13 can be simplified compared to a case where the main body case 13 is formed from a resin material and the bracket stopper 70 is formed from a metal material, for example, and the like, and the like, are formed from different materials. In this case, it is particularly preferable that the bracket stopper 70 and the main body case 13 are formed from a resin material, which leads to weight reduction. The bracket stopper 70 is preferably attached to the main body case 13, but is preferably formed integrally with the main body case 13. In this way, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the housing and the imaging device including the housing, compared to a case where the main body case 13 and the bracket stopper 70 are formed from separate members.

[0168] 22(a), the imaging device 10 of this embodiment has a configuration in which the bracket 17 is held by the main body case 13. In this case, the surface area of ​​the portion held by the bracket 17 and the main body case 13 is large, but the thickness of the imaging device 10 can be made thinner. As a result, it is desirable to adopt this method, since it is possible to reduce the reflection of the main body unit 11 in the camera unit 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 22(b), the imaging device 10 may have a configuration in which the bracket 17 holds the main body case 13. In this case, the surface area of ​​the portion held by the bracket 17 and the main body case 13 can be reduced, but the thickness of the imaging device 10 becomes thicker.

[0169] Such an imaging device 10 is designed to reduce the product thickness as much as possible when the main body and the slide mounting bracket are fitted together. The imaging device 10 was conceived by the inventor based on the following ideas. First, a stopper (corresponding to stopper 17a) of the bracket 17, which is the sliding part, is provided on the mounting bracket (corresponding to bracket 17), making this mounting bracket a dead end. In this case, by switching the left and right sides of the mounting bracket, the user can slide the main body into this mounting bracket on either the left or right side. Second, the mounting bracket is switched left and right and affixed to the mounting surface (corresponding to the windshield 2). Third, the main body 11 side is symmetrical and does not have a stopper. In this embodiment, the bracket stopper 70 has a symmetrical configuration and does not have a stopper that would make the mounting bracket a dead end. Fourth, the user can insert the main body from the right or left. Note that although it is referred to as a mounting bracket here, it is not limited to a member made of a metal material, and may be a member made of a resin material or other material.

[0170] [Explanation of matters related to SDGs] By introducing the imaging device 10 into the ship 800 as in the above-described system 1, it is expected that the following contributions can be made to several items of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

[0171] SDG9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure The introduction of the imaging device 10 to the ship 800 is expected to contribute to promoting innovation and the introduction of new technologies in the shipping industry. Furthermore, the collection and analysis of operation data including images captured by the ship 800 is expected to enable efficient navigation and maintenance work of the ship 800, and ultimately contribute to the sustainable development of the shipping industry as a whole.

[0172] SDG12: Responsible consumption and production The imaging device 10 is equipped with various waterproof structures to enhance water resistance, making it less likely to break down even if it gets wet. In this way, it is possible to prevent the imaging device 10 from being easily broken, thereby realizing sustainable product design and waste reduction. Through such sustainable product design and consumer awareness, it is expected that waste generation will be reduced.

[0173] SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals The data collected by the imaging device 10 may be shared with various stakeholders, such as various business operators, ship operators, ship manufacturers, governments, international organizations, NGOs, etc. Through information sharing and cooperation, partnerships for sustainable operation can be formed, which is expected to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

[0174] [Another Example of Electrical Configuration of Imaging Device 10] The imaging device 10 may have the following electrical configuration: The control unit 10a, the storage unit 10b, and the communication unit 10c are designated by the same reference numerals as those of the imaging device 10 described above.

[0175] FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the imaging device 10. The control unit 10a controls each unit of the imaging device 10. The control unit 10a is a computer including, for example, a processor 811 and a memory 812. The processor 811 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The memory 812 is a main storage device including, for example, a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM). The processor 811 temporarily stores a program read from the ROM of the memory 812 in the RAM. The RAM of the memory 812 provides a working area for the processor 811. The processor 811 performs various controls by temporarily storing data generated during the execution of the program in the RAM and performing arithmetic processing. The control unit 10a further includes a clock unit 813 that measures time. The clock unit 813 is, for example, a real-time clock. The clock unit 813 may be mounted on the motherboard of the processor 811 or may be external to the processor 811 .

[0176] The input unit 82 accepts information input from the user. The input unit 82 has, for example, an audio input unit 821 and a record button 13e. The audio input unit 821 has, for example, a microphone, and converts sound incident through a microphone hole into an electrical signal. As described above, the record button 13e is a button for performing operations related to recording.

[0177] The audio output unit 83 outputs audio. Examples of the audio include notification sounds such as a buzzer, background music, audio messages, etc. The audio output unit 83 includes, for example, an audio processing circuit and a speaker.

[0178] The camera unit 12 captures images and generates image data obtained by the capture. The camera unit 12 has a first imaging unit 26 and a second imaging unit 27. The first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 each have an imaging lens and an imaging element that captures light collected by the imaging lens. The imaging element is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary MOS) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The first imaging unit 26 and the second imaging unit 27 generate color (multi-color) images consisting of, for example, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color components.

[0179] The communication unit 10c communicates with an external device. The communication unit 10c has a function of connecting to a network using, for example, a satellite to be an external device. The communication unit 10c may perform communication using, for example, a ship Internet communication service such as NetBreeze4w. The communication unit 10c may have a communication circuit for wirelessly communicating with an external device using, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication or short-range wireless communication. The communication unit 10c may have a communication circuit for performing communication in accordance with standards of mobile communication systems such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, and 5G.

[0180] However, when the ship 800 travels on the sea, it is preferable that the communication unit 10c is configured to be capable of communicating with a device installed on land (the mainland), and it is particularly preferable that the communication unit 10c is configured to be capable of communicating using a satellite by using the function of the device itself or the function of a relay device installed on the ship 800. For example, to explain the necessity of sending information generated by the imaging device 10 to the mainland through the ship's Internet, if the ship 800 has an accident and sinks, it is questionable whether the imaging device 10 can be found in the sea even if it is saltwater-resistant and pressure-resistant. Therefore, it is considered better to send the data generated by the imaging device 10 to the mainland while the communication infrastructure of the ship 800 and the functions of the imaging device 10 are still available.

[0181] The sensor unit 84 has various sensors. For example, the sensor unit 84 has at least one of an acceleration sensor (G sensor), an air pressure sensor, a salinity sensor, a temperature sensor, and an inclination sensor. The acceleration sensor is a sensor that measures the acceleration acting on the imaging device 10, and is, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions. The air pressure sensor measures the air pressure at the location of the imaging device 10. The salinity sensor measures salinity. The salinity sensor is used to monitor, for example, changes in the salinity concentration and the inflow of saltwater due to overtopping waves. The temperature sensor measures the temperature (which may be called air temperature) at the location of the imaging device 10. The inclination sensor is a sensor that detects the inclination of the imaging device 10.

[0182] The reader / writer 85 functions as a medium holding unit that holds a memory card 850 inserted into the imaging device 10 through the memory card slot 41. The memory card 850 corresponds to the storage unit 10b. The reader / writer 85 writes data to the memory card 850 and reads data from the memory card 850. The memory card 850 is a storage medium in which images captured by the imaging device 10 are recorded, and is, for example, an SD card. The SD card includes any shape such as an SD memory card, a miniSD card, and a microSD card. The memory card 850 may further store a viewer (for example, a dedicated viewer) program for playing back the stored images on a playback device such as a personal computer. The reader / writer 85 may hold only one memory card 850, or may be configured to hold two or more memory cards 850 at the same time.

[0183] The light emitting unit 86 includes light emitting units 13g and 13h, each of which emits light in a predetermined color. The light emitting units 13g and 13h include, for example, light emitting diodes.

[0184] The position information acquisition unit 87 acquires position information indicating the position (more specifically, the current position) of the imaging device 10. The position of the imaging device 10 can be regarded as the position of the ship 800 on which the imaging device 10 is placed, and the position of a person on the ship 800. The position information acquisition unit 87 acquires position information (latitude information and longitude information) of the imaging device 10 based on a signal from a GPS (Global Posisioning System), which is one of the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The position information acquisition unit 87 may also use Michibiki as a QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System).

[0185] The power supply control unit 88 controls the supply of power to each unit of the imaging device 10. The power supply control unit 88 has, for example, a power switch and a power supply control circuit. The power supply control unit 88 is connected to, for example, a power supply terminal provided on the ship 800 side via a power cable. The power supply control unit 88 supplies power supplied from the ship 800 side to each unit of the imaging device 100. The power supply control unit 88 may be connected to an external battery so that the imaging device 100 and the imaging device 200 can operate even without power supply from the ship 800 side. The power supply control unit 88 may have, as a power storage means, a secondary battery, a button battery, or an electric double layer capacitor (also called a supercapacitor).

[0186] The imaging device 10 may further include an auxiliary storage device, such as a flash memory (e.g., eMMC, SSD), as an internal storage means. As the auxiliary storage device, various storage media, such as optical storage media, magnetic storage media, and semiconductor storage media, can be used.

[0187] [Image recording function of imaging device 10] The imaging device 10 has one or more of the following image recording functions. The image recording function is a function for recording an image captured by the imaging device 10 as image data in a predetermined file format. The image data may be image data in a moving image format, such as an MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) format (e.g., MPEG2, MPEG4), AVI, MOV, WMV, etc.

[0188] <Continuous recording function> The continuous recording function (also called the continuous video recording function) is a function that continuously (i.e., constantly) records images captured by the imaging device 10 while the imaging device 10 is in operation. When the control unit 10a is executing the continuous recording function, it stores image data captured from the start to the stop of the power source of the boat 800. The start of the power source is detected, for example, by the turning on of an accessory power source of the boat 800, and the stop of the power source is detected by the turning off of the accessory power source.

[0189] <Recording function using the record button> The recording function using the record button is a function for recording an image in response to the operation of the record button 13e. When the user operates the record button 13e while recording is not being performed, the control unit 10a causes the imaging device 10 to start recording. When the user operates the record button 13e while recording is being performed, the control unit 10a causes the imaging device 10 to end recording. Note that the control unit 10a may end recording even if the user does not operate the record button 13e when a predetermined time has elapsed since the record button 13e was operated to start recording. This predetermined time may be set to a fixed time, but is not limited to this, and may be set in advance by the user, for example.

[0190] <Event recording function> The event recording function is a function for recording an image captured by the imaging device 10 in response to the occurrence of a specific event. The event is an occurrence for which an image captured by the imaging device 10 should be recorded, and may be, for example, an operation such as a sudden turn by the user while the ship 800 is traveling (in other words, while sailing), a sudden acceleration or deceleration, or a collision of the ship 800 with another object. The control unit 10a determines that an event has occurred, for example, based on a measurement value by the acceleration sensor of the sensor unit 84. Specifically, the control unit 10a determines that an event has occurred when the measurement value of the acceleration sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value or shows a predetermined change over time. The determination condition for the occurrence of an event is not limited to this. The control unit 10a may determine that an event has occurred when the state of the ship 800, such as the vehicle speed or steering state, meets a predetermined condition based on the vehicle information. The control unit 10a may determine that an event has occurred when the control unit 10a analyzes an image captured by the camera unit 12 and detects dangerous traveling (for example, approach or abnormal approach) of the ship 800 or another ship.

[0191] When the control unit 10a determines that an event has occurred, it records images captured during a predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as "event recording period") before and after the occurrence of the event in the memory card 850. The control unit 10a may temporarily record images captured by the camera unit 12 in the memory 112 (for example, RAM), and when it determines that an event has occurred, record images during the event recording period read from the memory 112 in the memory card 850. The control unit 10a may record images for a total of 40 seconds, for example, 20 seconds before the occurrence of the event and 20 seconds after the occurrence of the event, as one file. The event recording period is an example, and may be different depending on the type of event, or may be changeable by the user. The control unit 10a may record images consisting of multiple files in the memory card 850 for the occurrence of one event. It is particularly preferable that the control unit 10a further has a function of associating values ​​measured by the sensor unit 84 during the event recording period (e.g., acceleration in each of the three axial directions) and location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 87 with images and recording them on the memory card 850.

[0192] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The following is an example of a modified example of the present invention.

[0193] Although the imaging device 10 is an imaging device for capturing images in all directions to obtain a celestial sphere image, the present invention can also be applied to imaging devices for generating images other than a celestial sphere image, such as images for capturing images to obtain a hemispherical image, images for generating planar images, etc. Furthermore, the imaging device of the present invention may be applied to a drive recorder of a vehicle including a general vehicle.

[0194] Although the accessory is the memory card 850 in the above embodiment, the accessory is not limited to this. The accessory may be an item such as a battery that functions as a power source for the imaging device 10, and is particularly preferably an accessory of the imaging device 10 or an item that enables the imaging device 10 to perform a predetermined function. The accessory is particularly preferably an item that should be sealed with the accessory cover 20 to prevent it from getting wet.

[0195] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations explicitly described in the specification, but includes combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed in this specification. The configurations of the present invention that are to be patented are specified in the attached claims, but it is our intention to include configurations disclosed in this specification in the claims in the future, even if they are not currently specified in the claims.

[0196] The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above-mentioned embodiment. The components of each of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Any components of each of the embodiments and modifications may be arbitrarily combined with any components described in the means for solving the invention or any components that embody any components described in the means for solving the invention. We intend to acquire rights to these as well through amendments to this application or divisional applications. Even if there is a description such as "in the case of" or "when", this is not intended to describe a configuration that is limited to that case or time. We also disclose configurations that are not in these cases or times, and we intend to acquire rights. Furthermore, the parts described in order are not limited to this order. We also disclose configurations in which some parts are deleted or the order is changed, and we intend to acquire rights.

[0197] In addition, in the portion where it is explained that A may be, for example, a1, a2..., and an, A may be specified as including one or more of a1, a2..., and an, but A may also be specified as not including one or more of a1, a2..., and an. Therefore, we intend to obtain rights to inventions that exclude at least some of the enumerated elements, such as "A (excluding a1)" and "A (excluding a1 and a2)."

[0198] In a section that describes A having B and B having C, A may have C. In a section that describes processing as performing B after A and C after B, A may have C. In a section that describes processing as being performed after a conditional judgment, this also discloses the execution of the processing part in question, which does not require a conditional judgment, and we intend to obtain rights to these as well. In a section that describes P having Q, an intervening object or intervening processing may be provided between P and Q. We intend to obtain rights to these as well.

[0199] The computer that realizes the function based on the program described in the above embodiment is not limited to the computer of the device described in the above embodiment. The function may be realized by another computer depending on the purpose, use, nature, etc. of the function. For example, the function realized by the viewer program of the imaging device may be realized by a computer program of a personal computer that plays back images captured by the imaging device, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or other device, as appropriate. In addition, the function based on the program described in the above embodiment may be realized by diverting it to a device other than the device described in the above embodiment, for example, by a computer for more general purposes. The program described in the above embodiment may be executed, for example, by a program executed by a personal computer (for example, personal computer software), a program executed by a smartphone (for example, a smartphone app), or a computer of another information processing terminal. Alternatively, the computer that realizes the function based on the program may be a computer used for a device for a specific purpose such as a home device or a commercial device.

[0200] In addition, we intend to obtain rights to the overall design or partial design by converting to a design registration application. The drawings depict the entire device in solid lines, but they include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for a part of the device. For example, some parts of the device may be partial designs, and the drawings include some parts of the device as partial designs regardless of the parts. A part of the device may be a part of the device, or a part of that part. We intend to obtain rights to the overall design, as well as partial designs in which any part of the solid line part of the drawing is shown as a broken line part. In addition, the modules, parts, and components inside the device's casing, all of which are shown in the drawings, are subject to trade independently, and we intend to obtain rights to them by converting to a design registration application.

[0201] [Note] This specification also includes the following inventions as inventions relating to waterproofing measures for an imaging device mounted on a moving body, or inventions relating to image synthesis using images captured by an imaging device mounted on a moving body.

[0202] (A) An imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention may have a configuration including a lens, a base member for holding the lens, a lens protection member for protecting the lens held by the base member, and a first waterproof member provided between the lens protection member and the base member, the first waterproof member elastically deforming when the lens protection member is screwed into the base member to come into close contact with the lens protection member and the base member.

[0203] In this manner, the first waterproofing member is clamped between the base member and the screw-in type lens protection member, allowing the first waterproofing member to be subjected to large elastic deformation, thereby making it possible to provide an imaging device with high waterproof performance.

[0204] (B) The imaging device may further include a lens unit having the lens, and a second waterproof member provided on an outer periphery of the lens unit and in close contact with the base member in an elastically deformed state.

[0205] In this way, the waterproofing of the imaging device can be further improved by a double waterproof structure using the first waterproof member and the second waterproof member provided on the outer periphery of the lens unit, which allows the waterproofing function to be maintained even if, for example, the lens protection member comes off.

[0206] (C) The lens protection member may have a dome portion for covering the lens and a holder portion joined to a peripheral portion of the dome portion, the holder portion may have an extension portion extending inwardly of the dome portion, and the first waterproofing member may have a base portion and a ring-shaped inner circumferential rib formed on the surface of the base portion and abutting the extension portion when clamped between the extension portion and the base member.

[0207] In this way, by forming an inner peripheral rib on the first waterproofing member, the inner peripheral rib of the first waterproofing member is significantly crushed, and the waterproof performance is further improved.

[0208] (D) The cross-sectional shape of the inner circumferential rib may be a mountain shape.

[0209] In this way, the inner peripheral rib having a mountain-shaped cross section is significantly crushed, further improving the waterproof performance.

[0210] (E) A ring-shaped groove may be formed in the first waterproofing member at a position corresponding to an apex of the mountain shape on a surface opposite to a surface on which the inner circumferential rib is formed.

[0211] With this configuration, the first waterproofing member is more easily crushed by the ring-shaped groove of the first waterproofing member, and waterproof performance is further improved.

[0212] (F) A ring-shaped protrusion may be formed on the base member outside the ring-shaped groove formed in the first waterproofing member.

[0213] With this configuration, the first waterproofing member is more easily crushed by the ring-shaped protrusion of the base member, further improving the waterproof performance.

[0214] (G) The lens may have a first lens and a second lens, and the imaging device may have a configuration including a main body, a first imaging unit provided in the main body and including the first lens and a first imaging element that captures a first image formed by the first lens, a second imaging unit provided in the main body and including the second lens having an angle of view partially overlapping with an angle of view of the first lens and a second imaging element that captures a second image formed by the second lens, and a recording means that records information that uniquely identifies a synthesis position when the first image and the second image are synthesized to generate a celestial sphere image.

[0215] In this way, the first image and the second image are synthesized using information recorded in the imaging device that uniquely identifies a synthesis position when the first image and the second image are synthesized to generate a spherical image, thereby making it possible to reduce the effect of reflections.

[0216] (H) The first imaging unit and the second imaging unit may be provided in a first part which is on the underside of the main body unit, and when the mounting surface side of the main body unit is the front side of the main body unit, when viewed from the side direction of the main body unit, the first part may be located on the rear side in the fore-and-aft direction of the main body unit.

[0217] In this way, the first and second imaging units are provided asymmetrically with respect to the main body unit when viewed from the side of the imaging device. As a result, the amount of reflection of the main body unit differs between the first image and the second image. In response to this, by combining the first image and the second image using information that uniquely identifies the combination position, it is possible to easily generate a combined image in which the influence of reflection is reduced. In addition, the first portion is provided shifted toward the rear side so that the lens protection member on the windshield side does not come into contact with the windshield when the imaging device is attached to the windshield. This makes it possible to make the amount of reflection of the main body unit differ between the first image and the second image.

[0218] (I) The imaging device may be mountable to the windshield of the ship via a mounting surface of the main body, the first imaging unit being provided in the first part so as to face the front side of the ship, the second imaging unit being provided in the first part so as to face the rear side of the ship, and the synthesis position being determined so as to use more of the image area of ​​the second image than the image area of ​​the first image.

[0219] In this way, a large part of the main body is reflected in the first image captured by the first imaging unit. Therefore, by using a large portion of the image area of ​​the second image, which is an image of the inside of the ship, during synthesis, a natural synthetic image can be generated with reduced effects of reflection.

[0220] (J) The first lens and the second lens may both have an angle of view greater than 180 degrees and be provided back-to-back in the first portion, and the area in which a part of the main body portion is reflected may be an area in which the angle of view is greater than 180 degrees.

[0221] In this way, areas with an angle of view greater than 180 degrees can be captured by both cameras, and the effects of reflections can be reduced by combining the images.

[0222] It is preferable to provide an image processing device, the image processing device including: a recording means used by an image capturing device (e.g., the image capturing device of (G)), the recording means recording the first image, the second image, and information identifying a model of the image capturing device, the recording means including an image processing means configured to synthesize the first image and the second image based on information identifying the model recorded in the recording means to generate a celestial sphere image, the image processing means synthesizing the first image and the second image so as to reduce an influence of reflection of a part of the main body identified based on the information identifying the model.

[0223] In this way, although the reflection of part of the main body in the first image and the second image differs depending on the model of the imaging device, the first image and the second image can be combined to generate a spherical image so as to reduce the influence of the reflection of part of the main body.

[0224] (L) It is preferable to provide a program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the image processing device.

[0225] The inventions shown in (A) to (L) above can be arbitrarily combined. For example, at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (B) may be added to all or a part of the configuration of the invention shown in (A). In particular, it is preferable to add at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (B) to the invention shown in (A). In addition, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (A) to (L) and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of this application intends to obtain rights to the inventions including these configurations. In addition, even if there is a description such as "in the case of" or "when", it is not intended to describe the configuration as being limited to that case or time. These are examples of better configurations, and the applicant intends to obtain rights to configurations other than these cases or times. In addition, the parts described in order are not limited to this order. Configurations in which some parts have been deleted or the order has been changed are also disclosed, and the applicant intends to obtain rights. [Explanation of symbols]

[0226] 10. Imaging device 13 Housing, main body case 40 Accessory storage area 20 Accessory Cover 200 Locking mechanism 201 First operation unit 202 Second operation unit 203 Pressing member 21 Rotating shaft 16,17d Slide mechanism 17 Bracket 70 Bracket stopper 18a Base member 26a, 27a Lenses 30 Lens protection material 50 First waterproofing component 28 Lens unit 60 Second waterproofing member 26 First Imaging Unit 27 Second Imaging Unit 10b Recording means

Claims

1. A housing and an accessory storage section provided in the housing for storing an accessory; an accessory cover for protecting the accessory storage section; A locking mechanism for the accessory lid; An imaging device, wherein the locking mechanism is structured so that a second operating part can be moved by applying an operating force to a first operating part, and the locked state of the accessory lid can be released by moving the second operating part while applying an operating force to the first operating part.

2. the first operating portion is slidable between a locked position and an unlocked position, 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the second operating unit is slidable from a closed position to an open position when the first operating unit is positioned at the unlocked position with the operating force being applied to the first operating unit, and the sliding movement from the closed position to the open position is restricted when the first operating unit is positioned at the locked position.

3. a biasing member that biases the first operating portion toward the lock position, 3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the accessory cover is unlocked by moving the second operating unit from the closed position to the open position while the first operating unit is moved to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the biasing member.

4. 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein when the accessory cover is closed, by moving the second operating unit to the closed position, the first operating unit moves to the locked position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the accessory cover enters the locked state.

5. The second operating portion has an engaged portion, the first operating portion has an engaging portion that brings the accessory cover into the locked state by engaging with the engaged portion, 4. The imaging device of claim 3, wherein when the accessory cover is closed, by moving the second operating unit to the closed position, the first operating unit moves to the locked position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the engaging portion of the first operating unit engages with the engaged portion of the second operating unit.

6. the accessory cover has a claw portion that moves together with the second operating portion, The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein, in the locked state of the accessory cover, the claw portion fits into a groove formed in the accessory storage portion.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a direction of movement of the first operation part and a direction of movement of the second operation part are substantially perpendicular to each other.

8. a direction of movement of the first operation unit is parallel to a mounting surface of the imaging device, The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a direction of movement of the second operation part is perpendicular to the mounting surface.

9. the accessory cover is provided on a side surface of the housing so as to protrude from the side surface of the housing, a cutout portion is formed in the accessory cover by cutting out a side surface of the accessory cover that is located on the opposite side to a mounting surface of the imaging device, The imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein the second operation portion is provided in a cutout portion of the accessory cover so that a user can easily position a finger thereon for operation.

10. The accessory cover further includes a rotation shaft that supports the accessory cover so as to be rotatable in an opening / closing direction, The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis is provided along a longitudinal direction of the accessory cover.

11. the rotation shaft is provided on a mounting surface side of the imaging device, The imaging device according to claim 10 , wherein the accessory storage section is open from the side opposite to the mounting surface of the imaging device.

12. A bracket and The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a slide mechanism for detachably engaging the housing with the bracket by sliding the housing in a left-right direction.

13. The imaging device according to claim 12 , wherein the bracket has a stopper that determines the position of the housing relative to the bracket in a mounting slide direction when the housing is mounted to the bracket.

14. The slide mechanism includes: A pair of slide rails provided on the housing; a plurality of rows of slide guide portions provided on the bracket and arranged at predetermined intervals in the mounting slide direction; The imaging device according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of pairs of notches are formed in the pair of slide rails at the predetermined intervals in the mounting slide direction so that at least one of the plurality of rows of slide guide portions fits into the pair of slide rails.

15. The imaging device of claim 14, wherein the housing is attached to the bracket by sliding the housing in the mounting slide direction with at least one row of the slide guide portions of the multiple rows fitted into the multiple pairs of cutout portions.

16. The imaging device according to claim 13 , wherein the bracket is symmetrical with respect to the mounting slide direction.

17. The imaging device according to claim 13 , wherein the bracket has a mark indicating the mounting sliding direction.

18. a first marking is provided on the bracket for determining a vertical position of the housing relative to the bracket; The imaging device according to claim 12 , wherein the housing has a second marking at a position corresponding to the first marking.

19. The imaging device according to claim 18 , wherein the second marking is provided on a surface of the housing different from the mounting surface side and on any one of the side surfaces in the left and right direction.

20. 14. The imaging device according to claim 13, further comprising a bracket stopper that generates a biasing force between the bracket and the housing engaged by the slide mechanism in a direction intersecting the mounting slide direction, and fixes the housing to the bracket when the housing is attached to the bracket.

21. An engaged portion is formed on a surface of the bracket stopper, The imaging device according to claim 20 , wherein an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion is formed on a surface of the bracket.

22. The bracket stopper has a leaf spring portion formed by providing a U-shaped slit in the bracket stopper, The imaging device according to claim 21 , wherein the engaged portion is provided on the leaf spring portion.

Images