The deep-sea environment, inland reservoirs, and underwater transportation pipelines together form a complex and ever-changing underwater operational space. Multiple challenges—such as the naturally weak light conditions at great depths, suspended particles in the water that cause visual blurring, electromagnetic interference from onboard motors, and limited installation space within sealed compartments—overlap to create significant difficulties. As a result, conventional split-type visual equipment on the market struggles to simultaneously achieve wide-area inspection and microscopic observation. Moreover, issues such as incompatible protocols between the imaging module and control board, signal transmission delays, and frequent resets of power-off parameters severely hamper the operational efficiency of underwater robots used for inspection, marine scientific research, and underwater engineering surveys. Kaimorui has independently developed a unique combination of the CM8290D ultra-long-zoom imaging module and the CM2001S military-grade encoding control board. This integrated solution seamlessly aligns imaging, computing power, encoding, and control across the entire system pipeline, addressing at the hardware level the key integration and imaging challenges faced by underwater vision systems. It is compatible with all types of ROV and AUV underwater platforms.

I. The shortcomings of traditional underwater visual equipment are becoming increasingly apparent, and there is an urgent need for integrated, turnkey solutions for underwater operations.

The conventional pairing of standard single-camera modules with third-party control boards reveals several significant and often overlooked shortcomings in underwater applications. First, ordinary camera modules have limited zoom capabilities; after cruising across large ocean areas, they cannot zoom in to capture subtle corrosion on pipelines or intricate details of underwater archaeological sites. Second, generic control boards lack power-loss memory and transparent command-passing functionality. If the robot loses power mid-operation and needs to surface and restart, all zoom, exposure, and communication parameters are reset, forcing operators to spend considerable time reconfiguring them from scratch. Third, poor software-hardware compatibility leads to signal degradation when LVDS video signals are converted, resulting in frame stuttering and loss of control commands during long-distance underwater cable transmissions. Fourth, the control boards are relatively bulky, making it difficult to fit them into compact, sealed underwater housings and adding extra costs for modifying the equipment’s structural design. The CM8290D+CM2001S complete module set from Kaimorui is specially designed for integrated tuning in underwater environments. It requires no additional adapter accessories, features native hardware protocol interoperability, and simultaneously addresses three key requirements: compact size, high imaging performance, and stable signal control. This one-stop solution is ideally suited for diverse applications including hydraulic dam inspections, offshore oil and gas pipeline maintenance, deep-sea biological research, and underwater cultural heritage exploration.

II. CM8290D Ultra-Long Zoom Mechanism: 2-megapixel HD imaging with 90x optical zoom, covering both near and far underwater observations.

As the core visual perception component of underwater robots, the CM8290D is equipped with a 1/1.8-inch progressive-scan CMOS sensor offering full HD 2-megapixel resolution. It features a native 90x optical zoom combined with a 16x digital zoom, with a focal length range from 10.5 to 945mm and a horizontal field of view ranging from 38.4° down to 0.48°—perfectly suited for both near-field and long-range underwater observation needs. During comprehensive inspections, the wide-angle mode enables rapid scanning of entire dam structures, seabed pipelines, and marine topography, efficiently pinpointing areas of interest. Once a target is located, switching to the telephoto mode allows lossless magnification to capture details as fine as millimeter-level cracks, biological textures, and artifacts on shipwrecks—all without the need to frequently adjust the robot’s navigation posture, significantly reducing the duration of cruising operations. The camera module boasts starlight-level ultra-low-light performance: color sensitivity at 0.001 Lux and black-and-white sensitivity at 0.0005 Lux. Even in completely dark deep-sea environments, infrared illumination ensures clear imaging. Paired with optical defogging, electronic image stabilization, 120dB optical wide dynamic range, and 3D digital noise reduction, this system effectively mitigates the haze caused by suspended sediments and the jitter induced by water currents, while also preventing overexposure from strong light emitted by underwater floodlights. Built-in 1T of intelligent computing power supports the deployment of deep-learning algorithms, enabling automatic identification of underwater obstacles and defect marking. Additionally, it offers dual video outputs via LVDS and network interfaces, compatible with H.265/H.264 encoding. The device can be expanded with up to a 256G storage card for local image storage even in disconnected network conditions, ensuring the complete preservation of underwater operation footage.

III. CM2001S Miniature Military Control Board: Power-off Memory + Command Passthrough—Establishing a Robust Underwater Signal Control Hub

The CM2001S is the central control unit of the entire vision system. Its ultra-small size—50mm × 50mm—makes it perfectly suited for compact underwater sealed compartments. It features a 6-layer, military-grade gold-plated PCB and an imported ARM chip, offering exceptional resistance to moisture, vibration, and electromagnetic interference, making it ideal for long-term, harsh underwater operating conditions. The core boasts two key functions that directly address the pain points of underwater control: first,Power-off memory functionFirst, the zoom level, exposure parameters, communication baud rate, and device ID are all automatically saved. If the robot experiences a temporary power outage, is lifted for maintenance, and then restarted, there’s no need for secondary setup—upon power-on, it will directly resume the configuration from the previous operation cycle. Second,Full-channel instruction pass-throughIt features dual RS485 and RS232-TTL multi-communication interfaces, compatible with mainstream protocols such as VISCA and PELCO-P/D. The zoom, lighting, and pan/tilt commands sent from the master controller are seamlessly passed through to the mechanism without any loss, ensuring zero latency and no packet loss. The board card connects directly to the CM8290D via LVDS; upon power-up, it automatically identifies the mechanism’s parameters. It supports full-standard video outputs including 720P, 1080I, and 1080P, and comes equipped with a built-in SDI high-definition interface for long-distance underwater cable transmission. It is compliant with GB28181 and ONVIF standard protocols, enabling integration with terrestrial control platforms. Additionally, it offers OEM/ODM customization options, making it suitable for various models such as small observation submersibles and large deep-sea exploration AUVs.

IV. Dual-module collaborative adaptation for underwater robots, comprehensively upgrading operational efficiency across multiple scenarios.

The CM8290D imaging acquisition module, paired with the CM2001S encoding and control unit, forms a complete closed-loop vision system. These two components work in deep synergy, comprehensively overcoming the limitations of traditional underwater detection equipment. In hydraulic and offshore pipeline inspection scenarios, the wide-angle, high-speed, full-field scanning capability combined with the 90x telephoto lens enables precise detection of leakage and corrosion risks. The control board ensures stable transmission of high-definition video footage, allowing operators to remotely assess risks and replace high-risk manual diving operations. In deep-sea marine scientific research applications, the ultra-low-light imaging sensor fully captures images of dark, lightless deep-sea hydrothermal vents and plankton. Built-in intelligent computing power automatically prioritizes key observation targets, while offline storage safeguards the integrity of raw scientific data even in the event of network disruptions. In underwater archaeological salvage operations, the wide dynamic range and optical defogging technologies restore clear details of shipwrecks in turbid waters, enabling crisp identification of surface textures on cultural relics. The multi-protocol control board seamlessly integrates with the entire archaeological robot system, providing instant response to zoom and lighting adjustments. This all-in-one domestic visual hardware solution features lightweight integration, ample computing power, and exceptional anti-interference capabilities, effectively shortening the R&D and integration cycle for underwater robotics manufacturers and reducing the failure rate of underwater equipment. Kaimorui continues to deepen its expertise in specialized underwater vision solutions, constantly optimizing imaging and control algorithms for ultra-deep-water and highly turbid extreme aquatic environments. Leveraging the integrated CM8290D+CM2001S solution, Kaimorui provides highly stable and high-performance domestically produced visual support for a wide range of intelligent underwater robots used in marine resource exploration, hydraulic infrastructure maintenance, deep-sea scientific research, and underwater security applications.