Marine camera mounting system

1 . A camera mounting system for a vehicle, said camera mounting system comprising:

a base mount configured to be coupled with an exterior surface of the vehicle, wherein the base mount includes an interior space;

a sub-housing received within the interior space of the base mount, wherein the sub-housing includes at least a bottom panel and the sub-housing is configured to rotate within the base mount;

a camera configured to be removably mounted to the sub-housing,

wherein the camera includes a lens section and an optical axis extending through the lens section,

wherein when the camera is mounted to the sub-housing the camera is configured to rotate in conjunction with the sub-housing, and is biased toward a normal operating position spaced from the bottom panel;

at least one damper positioned between the camera and the bottom panel of the sub-housing, wherein the damper is configured to permit a position of the camera to translate from the normal operating position toward the bottom panel along a direction parallel to the optical axis in response to an external object impacting the camera, and to bias the camera back to the normal operating position after the external object no longer contacts the camera; and

at least one attitude sensor configured to sense an orientation of the camera.

2 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the sub-housing is removably received within the interior space of the base mount.

3 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the base mount is elongated and presents a central longitudinal axis extending through the interior space of the base mount.

4 . The camera mounting system of claim 3 , wherein the base mount is configured to be rotated about the central longitudinal axis.

5 . The camera mounting system of claim 4 , wherein the sub-housing and the camera are further configured to tilt about a lateral axis, wherein the lateral axis is perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis presented by the base mount.

6 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one damper comprises a compression spring.

7 . The camera mounting system of claim 6 , wherein the base mount comprises a primary opening at an end of the base mount, wherein the primary opening provides access to the interior space, and wherein the camera is configured to be positioned in the normal operating position adjacent to the primary opening when the camera is mounted to the sub-housing.

8 . The camera mounting system of claim 7 , wherein upon the external object impacting the camera the compression spring permits the position of the camera to temporally translate toward the bottom panel along the direction parallel to the optical axis and within the interior space of the base mount, wherein upon the external object no longer contacting the camera the spring forces the camera back to the normal operating position.

9 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one damper comprises a plurality of compression springs positioned between the camera and the sub-housing.

10 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one attitude sensor comprises an accelerometer.

11 . The camera mounting system of claim 10 , wherein the accelerometer is integrated with the camera.

12 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , further comprising a visual indicator configured to provide an indication when the camera is properly oriented.

13 . The camera mounting system of claim 12 , wherein the visual indicator comprises a light-emitting diode.

14 . The camera mounting system of claim 13 , wherein the light-emitting diode is integrated with the camera.

15 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is configured to communicate with a control system of the vehicle, such that the control system can present images obtained from the camera on a display.

16 . The camera mounting system of claim 15 , wherein the camera is configured to communicate with the control system via a wired connection.

17 . The camera mounting system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a marine vessel, and the base mount is configured to be mounted to a hull of the marine vessel.

18 . A method of mounting a camera to a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a base mount engaged with an exterior surface of the vehicle, wherein the base mount includes an interior space;

(b) providing a sub-housing received within the interior space of the base mount, wherein the sub-housing includes at least a bottom panel and the sub-housing is configured to rotate within the base mount

(c) mounting the camera to the sub-housing, wherein the camera includes a lens section and an optical axis extending through the lens section, and wherein upon said mounting of step (c) the camera is configured to rotate in conjunction with the sub-housing and the camera is biased toward a normal operating position spaced from the bottom panel;

(d) sensing, from an attitude sensor, an orientation of the camera; and

(e) providing a damper between the camera and the bottom panel of the sub-housing, wherein the damper is configured to permit a position of the camera to translate from the normal operating position toward the bottom panel along a direction parallel to the optical axis in response to an external object impacting the camera, and to bias the camera back to the normal operating position after the external object no longer contacts the camera.

19 . The method claim 18 , wherein the base mount is configured to rotate about a central longitudinal axis of the base mount, and wherein the sub-housing and the camera are further configured to tilt about a lateral axis that is perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis presented by the base mount.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the attitude sensor comprises an accelerometer, and wherein the camera further comprises a visual indicator configured to provide an indication when the camera is properly oriented.