UNMANNED BOAT AUTOMATIC SURVEY SYSTEM AND UNMANNED BOAT AUTOMATIC SURVEY METHOD

• US 20100131133A1
• Filed: 03/05/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Coden Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Coden Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: KODA, Yoshiharu, KODA, Kojiro
• Application Number:
  US12/398,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131133A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles

Abstract

The present invention is about an unmanned boat automatic survey device and an unmanned boat automatic surveying method that automatically generate survey routes and automatically survey underwater and water bottom conditions under the survey routes.

Under the present invention, a reference survey line is entered for generating a survey route (S1), and a plurality of survey routes are generated by translating the reference survey line at a fixed distance (S2). It then determines the distances of the generated survey routes and instructs a traversing order of the determined survey routes (S3), and causes the unmanned boat to navigate automatically according to the instructed traversing order. It surveys at least underwater or water bottom condition during the navigation (S5), and display and store the surveyed underwater or water bottom condition (S6).

Claims

1. An unmanned boat automatic survey system comprising:

a GPS carried on said unmanned boat for measuring the unmanned boat'"'"'s present position;

a reference survey line input unit for entering said unmanned boat'"'"'s reference survey line;

a survey route designating unit for designating said unmanned boat'"'"'s survey routes based on said reference survey line;

a navigation control unit for controlling the navigation of the unmanned boat referencing the present position measured by the GPS and the survey route set up by the survey route designating unit;

a survey equipment for surveying at least underwater or water bottom condition; and

a storage unit for storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed by said survey equipment.

2. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 1, wherein

said GPS, said navigation control unit, and said survey equipment are carried on said unmanned boat;

said reference survey line input unit is carried on a wireless controller system that is capable of communicating with said unmanned boat; and

the other is carried on either on said wireless controller system or in the computer which is connected to said wireless controller system, or both said survey route designating unit and said storage unit are either carried on said unmanned boat or on said wireless controller system or in said computer.

3. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 1, wherein

said reference survey line input unit enters the start and end points of said reference survey line using latitudes and longitudes, or using X and Y-axis coordinates of a two-dimensional coordinate system with a specific point as its origin;

and

said survey route designating unit designates survey routes from the entered start and end points of the reference survey line.

4. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 1, wherein

said survey route designating unit designates a plurality of survey routes by translating said reference survey line at a fixed interval with reference to said reference survey line.

5. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 1, wherein

said survey route designating unit is characterized in designating a plurality of survey routes by designating straight lines extending at a fixed interval and perpendicular to a survey line that forms said reference survey line.

6. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

an instruction system for instructing an autonomous navigation of the designated survey routes and instructing a navigational order of the designated survey routes, wherein

said navigation control unit controls the navigation of the unmanned boat according to the navigational order instructed by said instruction system while referencing the present position and the designated survey route.

7. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a conversion system for modifying distances of the designated routes.

8. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 6, wherein said instruction system is provided on said wireless controller system or said computer.

9. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 7, wherein said conversion system is provided on said wireless controller system or said computer.

10. An unmanned boat automatic survey system comprising:

a GPS carried on said unmanned boat for measuring the unmanned boat'"'"'s present position;

a route storage unit for storing a loop-like route actually navigated based on the information of said GPS;

a survey route designating unit for designating survey routes with designated directions and at a designated interval within a stored loop-like route;

a navigation control unit for controlling the navigation of the unmanned boat referencing the present position measured by the GPS and the survey route set up by the survey route designation unit;

a survey equipment for surveying at least underwater or water bottom conditions, and

a storage unit for storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed by said survey equipment.

12. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 10, wherein

said GPS, said navigation control unit, and said survey equipment are carried on said unmanned boat;

and

either one of said route storage unit, said survey route designating unit, and said storage unit is carried on said unmanned boat while others are carried on the wireless controller system or said computer, or all of said route storage unit, said survey route designating unit, and said storage unit are carried on either said unmanned boat, said wireless controller system or said computer.

13. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 10, wherein

said designated directions and designated interval are instructed by a direction/interval instruction system provided on said wireless controller system.

11. An unmanned boat automatic survey system comprising:

a GPS carried on said unmanned boat for measuring the unmanned boat'"'"'s present position;

a route storage unit for storing a loop-like route generated by entering coordinates of a plurality of points;

a survey route designating unit for designating survey routes with designated directions and at a designated interval within a stored loop-like route;

a navigation control unit for controlling the navigation of the unmanned boat referencing the present position measured by the GPS and the survey route designated by a survey route computing unit;

a survey equipment for surveying at least underwater or water bottom conditions, and

a storage unit for storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed by said survey equipment.

14. The unmanned boat automatic survey system claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

a display control unit for displaying either underwater or water bottom condition surveyed by said surveying equipment on a display of said wireless controller system and a reproduction control unit for reproducing at least underwater or water bottom condition stored in said storage unit.

15. An unmanned boat automatic survey method comprising:

a step of entering reference survey line for designating survey routes;

a step of designating a plurality of survey routes by translating said reference survey line at a fixed distance;

a step of determining distances of a plurality of designated survey routes and instructing simultaneously a navigational order of the established survey routes;

a step of causing an unmanned boat according to the instructed navigational order;

a step of surveying at least underwater or water bottom conditions during its navigation, and

a step of displaying and storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed.

16. An unmanned boat automatic survey method comprising:

a step of entering reference survey line for designating survey routes;

a step of designating a plurality of survey routes by designating straight lines extending at a fixed interval and perpendicular to a survey line that forms said reference survey line;

a step of determining distances of a plurality of designated survey routes and instructing simultaneously a navigational order of the established survey routes;

a step of causing an unmanned boat according to the instructed navigational order;

a step of surveying at least underwater or water bottom conditions during its navigation, and

a step of displaying and storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed.

17. An unmanned boat automatic survey method comprising:

a step of storing routes for actually traversing an unmanned boat in a loop-like route;

a step of designating survey routes with designated directions and at a designated interval within the stored loop-like route;

a step of causing the unmanned boat to navigate the designated survey routes;

a step of surveying at least underwater or water bottom conditions during its navigation, and

a step of displaying and storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed.

18. An unmanned boat automatic survey method comprising:

a step for storing a loop-like route generated by entering coordinates of a plurality of points;

a step for designating survey routes with designated directions and at a designated interval within the stored loop-like route;

a step of causing an unmanned boat to navigate the designated survey routes;

a step of surveying at least underwater or water bottom conditions during its navigation, and

a step of displaying and storing at least underwater or water bottom condition surveyed.