Buoyancy adjuster and orientation adjustment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12503209-B2
Application number	US-202318092944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2023
Priority date	Jan 13, 2022
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A buoyancy adjuster includes: a buoyant portion detachably attached to a target object including a housing portion having a positive buoyancy, the buoyant portion having a neutral or negative buoyancy; and an orientation adjuster detachably attachable to the buoyant portion, the orientation adjuster configured to adjust orientation of the target object in a fluid. The orientation adjuster includes a weight portion detachably attached to a prescribed position of the buoyant portion, the weight portion having a negative buoyancy exceeding the positive buoyancy of the housing portion. A first height position of the housing portion relative to a second height position of the buoyant portion attaching the weight portion is lower than the first height position relative to the second height position of the buoyant portion without the weight portion in the fluid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A buoyancy adjuster for use in a system including the buoyancy adjuster and a target object, the buoyancy adjuster comprising:
a buoyant portion detachably attachable to the target object including a housing portion having a positive buoyancy, the buoyant portion having a neutral or negative buoyancy; and a weight which is detachably attached to a prescribed position of the system, wherein: the weight has a negative buoyancy exceeding the positive buoyancy of the housing portion, and attachment of the weight to the system at the prescribed position causes the target object to assume a first orientation in a fluid, and without the weight attached to the buoyant portion, the target object assumes a second orientation in the fluid, the housing portion in the first orientation being at a lower vertical position compared to the buoyant portion than in the second orientation.

2 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an attachment structure to detachably attach the weight to the prescribed position of the system.

3 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 2 , wherein;
the attachment structure includes an extension portion extending from the attachment position to the prescribed position, and the extension portion has a lower density than a density of the weight.

4 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 3 , wherein;
the weight is made of metal, and the extension portion is made of resin.

5 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 2 , wherein;
the attachment structure is for detachably attaching the weight to the target object, and the weight attached to the object using the attachment structure increases the negative buoyancy of the buoyant portion.

6 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein;
the weight includes a volume-changeable portion, a volume of which is changeable between a first volume and a second volume smaller than the first volume, an orientation of the target object with the weight having the first volume is higher than an orientation of the target object with the weight having the second volume.

7 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein;
the housing portion accommodates an object.

8 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 7 , wherein;
the object includes an image-capturing device including a lens.

9 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 8 , wherein;
the prescribed position is in a vicinity of the lens of the image-capturing device.

10 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 8 , wherein;
the prescribed position is outside an image-capturing range of the image-capturing device.

11 . An orientation adjustment system corresponding to the system of claim 1 , comprising:
the buoyancy adjuster according to claim 1 ; and the target object detachably attached to the buoyancy adjuster.

12 . The orientation adjustment system according to claim 11 , further comprising:
an attachment structure detachably attachable at an attachment position of the target object, wherein: the weight is detachably attached to the attachment portion, the attachment portion includes an extension portion extending from the attachment position to the prescribed position, the extension portion has a lower density than a density of the weight.

13 . The buoyancy adjuster according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an attachment structure to detachably attach the weight to the prescribed position of the buoyancy adjuster.

Assignees

• Kikuchi Atsushi
• Koseki Kazuhiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kikuchi Atsushi
• Koseki Kazuhiro

Classifications

• G03B17/561

  Support related camera accessories · CPC title

• B63G8/14 Primary

  Control of attitude or depth (of torpedoes F42B19/00) · CPC title

• G03B17/08 Primary

  Waterproof bodies or housings · CPC title