JPH08282585A - Underwater obstacle detection device for ships - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To obtain an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship that can reliably detect underwater obstacles necessary for navigation safety by using existing detection technology that is simple and available. . [Structure] A pilot ship 3 is remotely operated from the main ship 1 so as to travel in the forward direction of the main ship 1.
Then, the underwater obstacle 2 is detected by the obstacle detecting device 14 mounted on the pilot ship 3, and the output information is sent to the main ship 1 via the antennas 10 and 4. In the main ship 1, the detection output information and the self-position detecting devices 7, 1
Based on the relative position information of the two ships 1 and 3 obtained from 3, the presence or absence of the underwater obstacle 2 whose position is the main ship position and its position are displayed. [Advantages] In the main vessel 1 of the ship, the pilot ship 3 is ahead, so that it is possible to detect the underwater obstacle 2 in the front and distance beyond the limit of the detection capability of the obstacle detection device 14, and in particular, the safe navigation of a large ship. Is extremely effective for

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship, which detects underwater obstacles under the surface of water in the traveling direction in order to ensure the safety of a traveling ship.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to prevent a collision with an obstacle, a method of selecting a safe route for navigation by using a nautical chart or adopting satellite navigation, and various radars are provided. The method used has been used conventionally. However, it has been difficult to accurately detect the presence or location of an underwater obstacle existing below the surface of the water.

That is, although there is a so-called sonar method using sound waves or ultrasonic waves, it is developed and applied mainly for military purposes such as submarines, and there are many restrictions on application to civilian purposes due to military secrets and the like. Moreover, it is generally very expensive. In addition, a method of using a so-called fish finder that is widely applied for consumer use can be considered, but these fish finder are intended to detect exclusively in the depth direction,
There is almost no ability to detect the direction of travel of a ship, and it is extremely insufficient as an obstacle detection performance required for large ships (for example, for a 100,000-ton class ship, it is usually at least about 1.5 km before stopping). Therefore, it was not possible to secure sufficient safety.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and surely achieves detection of an underwater obstacle necessary for navigation safety by using a simple and easy-to-use technique. An object of the present invention is to obtain an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship.

[0005]

The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 1 of the present invention is connected to the ship main vessel via a communication means, and navigates forward a predetermined distance in the traveling direction of the ship main vessel. Pilot vessel operated to operate, an obstacle detection means mounted on the pilot vessel for detecting an underwater obstacle, a relative position detection means for detecting a relative position between the ship main vessel and the pilot ship, and the obstacle detection means And the relative position detecting means, and the obstacle position calculating means for calculating the presence or absence of the underwater obstacle and the position thereof based on the position of the ship main vessel. in this case,
Direct obstacle detection is performed by a pilot ship traveling in front of the main vessel, so it is possible to detect underwater obstacles in a long distance ahead beyond the limit of the obstacle detection means when viewed from the main vessel. Becomes

Further, an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises the pilot ship, an underwater monitoring means mounted on the pilot ship for taking an image of the underwater surface in the traveling direction, and a relative position between the ship main ship and the pilot ship. It is provided with a relative position detecting means for detecting, and an underwater obstacle displaying means for displaying the output from the underwater monitoring means and the output from the relative position detecting means mounted on the ship main vessel via the communication means. . In this case, the underwater monitoring image information and the relative position information with respect to the pilot ship viewed from the pilot ship traveling ahead are displayed on the underwater obstacle display means of the ship main ship.

Further, the pilot ship of the underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 3 is configured to sail by remote control from the ship main ship. Therefore, in the ship Vessel,
By properly operating the route of the pilot ship, it is possible to detect obstacles efficiently and accurately.

Further, the pilot ship of the underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 4 is constructed so as to operate and control its own navigation so that the output of the relative position detecting means falls within a predetermined range set in advance. It is a thing. Therefore, the navigation of the pilot ship is automatically controlled while maintaining a required distance from the ship.

Further, the relative position detecting means of the underwater obstacle detecting device for a ship according to claim 5 is mounted on each of the main ship of the ship and the pilot ship, and a self-position detecting device for detecting the own navigation position and both of them. It is composed of a relative position calculation device that calculates the relative positions of both ships from the output of the self-position detection device. In this case, the absolute positions of the main ship and the pilot ship are detected, the relative position of the two ships is calculated from the difference between the absolute positions, and the calculation result is finally used to determine the distance from the main ship to the obstacle. To be

The relative position detecting means of the underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 6 is a radar device mounted on the main ship of the ship for detecting the relative position with respect to the pilot ship. In this case, the distance / direction to the pilot ship obtained from the radar device and the distance / direction to the obstacle obtained from the obstacle detection means mounted on the pilot ship are combined.

In the underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the separation distance between the main ship of the ship and the pilot ship is set to be larger than the obstacle detection possible distance of the obstacle detection means. Therefore, in the traveling direction of the ship,
It becomes possible to detect obstacles accurately over a distance beyond the capability of the obstacle detection means.

Further, the pilot ship of the underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 8 has a minimum detection distance smaller than that of the main ship. Therefore, the pilot ship can approach very close to the obstacle,
It becomes possible to detect the position and shape of the obstacle more accurately.

The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 9 further comprises a collision detection means for detecting that the pilot ship has collided with an obstacle, and the output of the collision detection means is used as a pilot signal via the communication means. It is transmitted from the ship to the ship main vessel, and even if an obstacle comes too close to cause a collision, the pilot ship detects this and the ship main vessel obtains the detection information and detects that it is an obstacle. It is possible to reliably avoid the collision.

[0014]

【Example】

Example 1. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram when an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1 is a ship main vessel that needs to detect an underwater obstacle 2 under the water surface WL in the traveling direction in order to ensure the safety of the navigation, and 3 is a pilot ship that travels forward a predetermined distance in the traveling direction of the ship main vessel 1. The ship is operated by remote control from the main ship 1. Here, the separation distance between the ship main vessel 1 and the pilot ship 3 is a value around the shortest stop distance of the ship main vessel 1 (the shortest distance from the time of full speed navigation to the point where braking can be stopped). When the main ship 1 is, for example, a 100,000-ton class ship, the shortest stop distance is about 1500 m, and therefore the separation distance is set to 1500 m as a reference value.

Next, the devices required for both ships 1 and 3 are shown in FIG.
This will be described below. In the figure, 4 is an antenna mounted on the ship main vessel 1 for transmitting data by radio communication with the pilot ship 3, 5 and 6 are a transmitter and a receiver connected to the antenna 4, and 7 is a self ( Main ship 1)
It is a self-position detecting device that detects the navigation position of
GPS that receives signals sent simultaneously from artificial satellites with four orbits and detects its position from the time difference
(Global positioning system) is used. Reference numerals 8 and 9 denote input / output display devices for displaying a detection control device and an input for remote control of the pilot ship 3 and a detection output, which will be described in detail later.

Next, the equipment mounted on the pilot ship 3 will be described. 10 is an antenna for transmitting data to and from the ship main vessel 1, 11 and 12 are transmitters and receivers connected to the antenna 10, and 13 is self-position detection for detecting the navigation position of the self (pilot ship 3). Like the self-position detecting device 7, the device uses GPS. Reference numeral 14 is an obstacle detection device for detecting the presence or absence of an underwater obstacle and its position, and employs an underwater acoustic wave detection method widely used as a fish finder, for example. Reference numeral 15 is an underwater monitoring device, and here, the pilot ship 3
It is equipped with an underwater television camera that can shoot water in front of the camera at a wide angle of, for example, 100 degrees or more. However, the television camera may rotate its field of view by 360 ° at regular time intervals. Reference numeral 16 denotes a marine vessel maneuvering control device which sends a control signal to the drive unit 17 to control the speed and direction of the pilot ship 3.

Next, details of the detection control device 8 and the input / output display device 9 mounted on the ship main vessel 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 81 separates a signal processed by the receiving unit 6 via the antenna 4, and a pilot ship position signal S1 from the self-position detecting device 13 and an obstacle detecting signal S2 from the obstacle detecting device 14, A signal distributor that outputs the underwater monitoring signal S3 from the underwater monitoring device 15, and 82 inputs the main ship position signal S4 and the pilot ship position signal S1 from the self position detecting device 7 to the ship main ship 1 and the pilot ship 3. Is a relative position detecting device that detects the relative position of the above and outputs a relative position signal S5.

Reference numeral 83 denotes an obstacle position calculation device for inputting the obstacle detection signal S2 and the relative position signal S5 and calculating the presence or absence of an underwater obstacle and the position thereof based on the ship main vessel position.
When the distance between the underwater obstacle 2 and the obstacle image signal S6 for displaying the positions of the underwater obstacle 2 and the pilot ship 3 on the screen of the CRT device 91 is less than a predetermined value, the buzzer of the alarm device 92 is activated. The alarm signal S7 for ringing is output. Reference numeral 84 denotes an image processing device that processes the underwater monitoring signal S3 and outputs an underwater image signal S8 for displaying an underwater image from the pilot ship 3 on the screen of the CRT device 93. Reference numeral 85 is a remote operation command for outputting to the transmitter 5 a remote operation signal S9 for controlling the navigation of the pilot ship 3 based on the pilot ship position signal S1, the ship position signal S4 and the operation signal from the input device 94 operated by the operator. It is a device.

Next, the operation will be described. Before that,
An example of the screen display contents of the CRT device 91 described in FIG. 3 will be introduced based on FIG. On the screen, Cartesian coordinate axes X and Y having the ship main vessel position as the base point O and the traveling direction as the Y axis, and circles C set at predetermined distance intervals centering on the base point O are displayed. And pilot ship 3
And the image showing the position of the underwater obstacle 2 is displayed on the screen in a clearly identifiable form by visual observation, for example, by changing the color or changing the display form, as shown in FIG. . It should be noted that reference numerals 18 and 19 at the lower ends are distance display devices for digitally displaying the distances separated from the underwater obstacle 2 and the pilot ship 3, respectively, based on the position of the main ship.

First, a procedure for remotely operating the pilot ship 3 will be described. In a steady state in which the detection device is operated to navigate, for example, the target of the pilot ship 3 is set to navigate 1500 m in front of the ship main ship 1, and a ship that requires the remote control command device 85 shown in FIG. A remote control signal S9 including a speed command and a steering command is created. This signal is transmitted from the antenna 4 of the ship main vessel 1 via the transmission unit 5, received by the antenna 10 of the pilot ship 3, and input to the marine vessel manipulating control device 16 via the reception unit 12. Here, as specific speed signals and direction signals, It is output to the drive unit 17, and the marine vessel maneuvering control of the pilot ship 3 is performed. The pilot ship position signal S1 and the main ship position signal S4 are input to the remote operation command device 85 as feedback signals, and the following tracking control to the target position is performed.

When the automatic control described above is unsuitable in a specific sea area, the operator operates the input device 9
4 to switch the automatic mode to the manual mode.
Alternatively, a detailed marine vessel maneuvering command may be issued by observing the screen of the CRT device 91 illustrated in FIG.

In addition, when it is not necessary to operate the detection device at the time of berthing at the harbor, at the berth, or at the berth at the harbor, a separate rope is used to attach the pilot ship 3 to the main ship 1 of the ship.
It should be moored near. Of course, the pilot ship 3 may be temporarily lifted and housed at a predetermined location in the ship main ship 1.

Next, the operation of detecting an underwater obstacle will be described. The obstacle detection device 14 mounted on the pilot ship 3 emits a sound wave into the water and detects the underwater obstacle 2 from the reflected wave. As the obstacle detection device 14, a device equivalent to a commercially available fish finder can be applied. As a matter of course, the detectable distance of these devices, as described above, can hardly be expected to detect the traveling direction, but in the present invention, since the detection information of the pilot ship 3 traveling in front of the main ship 1 is used, The detection range is substantially expanded by the distance to the front. This effect is further ensured by setting the separation distance between the ship main vessel 1 and the pilot ship 3 to be larger than the detectable distance of the obstacle detection device 14.

The description of the detection operation will be continued. The output of the obstacle detection device 14 is combined with the output of the self-position detection device 13 and transmitted from the antenna 10 of the pilot ship 3 via the transmission unit 11. In the main ship 1 of the ship, the transmitted radio waves are received by the antenna 4 thereof, and the pilot ship position signal S1 and the obstacle detection signal S2 are taken out by the signal distributor 81 via the receiver 6. A relative position signal S5 is created by the relative position detection device 82 from the pilot ship position signal S1 and the main ship position signal S4 of the own position detection device 7. Finally, the obstacle position calculation device 83 synthesizes the relative position signal S5 and the obstacle detection signal S2, and displays the obstacle detection screen on the CRT device 91. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG.
When the obstacle detection device is mounted on the ship main vessel 1, the underwater obstacle 2 located at a distance that must be outside the detectable range must be clearly captured on the screen of the CRT device 91 of the ship main vessel 1. That is the reason why As a result, it is possible to detect the other underwater obstacle 2 while ensuring a sufficient distance required for stopping the ship, and to reliably prevent collision with the underwater obstacle 2.

Further, the distances from the main ship 1 to the underwater obstacle 2 and the pilot ship 3 are indicated by distance display devices 18, 19
Can be read directly from. Furthermore, when these numerical values are less than the predetermined values, the obstacle position calculation device 83
An alarm signal S7 is output from the alarm device 92 and the alarm device 92 sounds to notify the operator.

In this embodiment, the obstacle detection device 1
In addition to detecting the underwater obstacle 2 at 4, an underwater monitoring device 15 is also mounted on the pilot ship 3 for underwater monitoring by a television camera. That is, like the signal from the obstacle detection device 14, the signal from the underwater monitoring device 15 is wirelessly transmitted from the pilot ship 3 to the ship main vessel 1, separated by the signal distributor 81, and processed by the image processing device 84. The image signal S8 is displayed on the screen of the CRT device 93. In this case, the underwater monitorable range may be considerably limited depending on the water quality, but since it is monitored from the pilot ship 3 traveling in front of the ship main vessel 1, the above-mentioned limit of performance is substantially reduced. The result will be relaxed. In particular,
By using the obstacle detection device 14 together with the detection device,
It is expected that the type of the underwater obstacle 2 itself, for example, the ability to discriminate between a rocky reef and a sunken ship will be improved.

Here, generally speaking about the identification ability of an underwater obstacle by an obstacle detection device, as a matter of course, the identification ability is improved as the distance to the underwater obstacle is shorter.
When the minimum distance that can avoid a collision with an underwater obstacle after the underwater obstacle is detected by the ship currently in flight is defined as the minimum detection distance, the pilot ship 3 is sufficiently smaller and lighter than the main ship 1. Therefore, naturally, the minimum detection distance of the pilot ship 3 is a value sufficiently smaller than the minimum detection distance of the main ship 1.

This means that the pilot ship 3 can approach very close to an underwater obstacle without causing a collision, and as a result, even if the same obstacle detecting device is used. The position and shape of the underwater obstacle can be identified at a more accurate level as compared with the case where the underwater obstacle is mounted on the main ship 1.

Example 2. In the first embodiment, the self-position detecting devices 7 and 13 that use so-called GPS are used to detect the position (ship position) of the self, but so-called LORAN that uses radio waves from a fixed station on land. (Lo
The ng range navigation) type may be adopted.

Example 3. Further, in the first embodiment, in order to detect the relative position between the ship main vessel 1 and the pilot ship 3, the self-position detecting devices 7 and 13 are respectively mounted on both ships, and it is determined from the relative difference between both outputs. The main ship 1 of the ship is equipped with a radar device, and this radar device enables the pilot ship 3
A method of detecting the position of may be adopted. Since a part of the hull of the pilot ship 3 exists on the water surface WL, even a laser device having a relatively simple and small output can sufficiently serve this purpose. In this case, if a so-called repeater (reflecting mirror) that efficiently reflects radio waves is installed on the pilot ship 3, the position detection accuracy from the ship main ship 1 is improved and the required specifications for the laser device are reduced. It is possible to improve the economic efficiency.

Example 4. Pilot ship 3 for some reason
The pilot ship 3 may be provided with a collision detection device on the assumption that the vehicle directly collides with the underwater obstacle 2. Then, if the output signal of the collision detection device is transmitted to the ship main vessel 1 through the above-mentioned communication means and necessary measures are taken, at least a collision accident with the ship main vessel 1 can be prevented. it can.

Example 5. Further, in the first embodiment, a so-called surface boat having a part of its hull present on the water surface is adopted as the pilot ship, but a so-called submersible ship capable of diving may be used. In this case, the ability to detect an underwater obstacle and the accuracy can be expected to be improved by appropriately controlling the diving depth. However, in order to detect the self-position, it is necessary to equip the antenna with a structure that always projects above the water surface. In this case, if the communication means with the ship main vessel 1 is a wired system, there is no need to worry about the disturbance of the propagation state of the radio waves due to the diving, and a stable transmission function can be secured.

Example 6. Further, as the operation method of the pilot ship 3, the information on the relative position with respect to the main ship 1 is also transmitted to the pilot ship 3 via the communication means, and the relative position of the pilot ship 3 is within a predetermined range set in advance. Therefore, it is possible to control the own navigation so that There is an advantage that the operation control contents on the ship main ship 1 are simplified accordingly.

[0034]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the predetermined pilot ship, the obstacle detecting means, the relative position detecting means, and the obstacle position calculating means are provided, it is substantially seen from the ship main vessel. This makes it possible to detect underwater obstacles in the front long distance beyond the performance limit of obstacle detection means, in other words, by using simple and easy-to-use detection technology, ensure detection of necessary underwater obstacles. This is extremely effective for safe navigation of large ships in particular.

Further, according to the present invention, since the predetermined pilot ship, the underwater monitoring means, the relative position detecting means, and the underwater obstacle display means are provided, the forward long distance substantially exceeding the performance limit of the underwater monitoring means. Underwater monitoring in the ship will be possible on board the ship.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the pilot ship is remotely controlled from the main ship, so that it is possible to detect obstacles efficiently and accurately according to the route.

According to the present invention, the pilot ship controls the navigation of itself so that the output of the relative position detecting means falls within a preset range. That makes it simpler.

Further, in the present invention, the relative position detecting means is composed of the predetermined self-position detecting device and the relative position calculating device, so that accurate relative position information can always be obtained.

In the sixth aspect, since the relative position detecting means is a predetermined radar device, the relative position information can be obtained with a simple device configuration.

Further, in claim 7, the separation distance between the main ship of the ship and the pilot ship is set to be larger than the obstacle detection possible distance of the obstacle detection means. Obstacle detection is possible.

Further, in claim 8, since the minimum detection distance of the pilot ship is smaller than that of the main ship of the ship, the pilot ship can approach very close to the obstacle, and the position of the obstacle is close. And the shape can be detected more accurately.

Further, in claim 9, collision detection means for detecting collision of the pilot ship with an obstacle is provided, and the output of the collision detection means is transmitted from the pilot ship to the main ship via the communication means. Therefore, even if an obstacle comes too close to cause a collision, the pilot ship detects this, and the ship main vessel can obtain the detection information to reliably avoid the collision with the obstacle. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram when an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing constituent devices mounted on the ship main vessel 1 and the pilot ship 3.

3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a detection control device 8 and an input / output display device 9 of FIG.

4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the CRT device 91 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ship main ship, 2 underwater obstacles, 3 pilot ship,
4,10 antenna, 7,13 self-position detecting device, 8
Detection control device, 9 Input / output display device, 14 Obstacle detection device, 15 Underwater monitoring device, 16 Ship handling control device, 8
2 Relative position detection device, 83 Obstacle position calculation device, 8
5 Remote operation command device, 91, 93 CRT device.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An underwater obstacle detection device for a ship, which detects the presence and position of an underwater obstacle below the surface of the water, in an underwater obstacle detection device for a ship, which is connected to the main ship via a communication means to determine a predetermined traveling direction of the main ship. A pilot ship operated to travel a distance forward, an obstacle detection means mounted on the pilot ship for detecting the underwater obstacle, a relative position detection means for detecting a relative position between the ship main ship and the pilot ship, and The underwater of the ship, which is equipped with an obstacle position calculating means for calculating the presence or absence of the underwater obstacle based on the position of the ship main vessel and its position from the outputs of the obstacle detecting means and the relative position detecting means. Obstacle detection device. 2. An underwater obstacle detection device for a ship for detecting the presence and position of an underwater obstacle below the surface of the water in a traveling direction of the ship, wherein the underwater obstacle detection device for a ship is connected to the main ship via a communication means to determine a predetermined traveling direction of the main ship. A pilot ship operated so as to travel a distance ahead, an underwater monitoring means mounted on this pilot ship for taking an image of the underwater surface in the traveling direction, a relative position detecting means for detecting the relative position between the ship main ship and the pilot ship, and the ship An underwater obstacle detection device for a ship, comprising an underwater obstacle display means mounted on the ship for displaying the output from the underwater monitoring means and the output from the relative position detecting means via the communication means. . 3. The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to claim 1, wherein the pilot ship is configured to sail by remote control from the main ship. 4. The ship according to claim 1, wherein the pilot ship is configured to operate and control its own navigation so that the output of the relative position detection means falls within a preset predetermined range. Underwater obstacle detection device. 5. The relative position detecting means is mounted on each of the ship main vessel and the pilot ship, and detects a navigation position of the ship itself and a relative position of both ships is calculated from outputs of the self position detecting devices. The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the underwater obstacle detection device comprises a relative position calculation device. 6. The pilot ship has a structure in which a part of the hull of the pilot ship exists above the water surface, and the relative position detecting means is a radar device mounted on the main ship of the ship and detecting the relative position with respect to the pilot ship. The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 7. The underwater obstacle of the ship according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the separation distance between the main ship of the ship and the pilot ship is set to be larger than the obstacle detection possible distance of the obstacle detection means. Object detection device. 8. The minimum detection distance with which a traveling ship can avoid collision with an obstacle after detecting the obstacle, the pilot ship has a minimum detection distance smaller than that of the main ship. The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. A collision detecting means for detecting that the pilot ship has collided with an obstacle, and the output of the collision detecting means is transmitted from the pilot ship to the main ship via the communication means. The underwater obstacle detection device for a ship according to any one of claims 1 to 8.