JP7759302B2 - Underwater Navigation System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an underwater navigation system, an underwater vehicle, and a dive computer.

Conventionally, a system is known that notifies a diver of the location where he or she is walking underwater via a display device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-275920

For example, when diving, if guest divers want to see a particular underwater creature, a guide diver will usually go ahead of the guest divers to find the desired underwater creature and guide the guest divers to that location. Also, for example, when repairing a damaged area of a building underwater, a diver will first find the damaged area, and then other workers will move to the location and perform the work.

As such, conventionally, when diving or performing repair work underwater, a diver would search for the target location, and then other people would head to that location. While the system in Patent Document 1 allows divers to know their own location, it does not reduce the burden on divers of searching for the target object when diving, performing repair work, etc.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide technology that can guide divers to the location of a specified underwater search target.

The underwater navigation system of the present invention comprises an underwater vehicle that moves underwater, a dive computer capable of communicating with the underwater vehicle, and a positioning means for measuring the relative position between the underwater vehicle and the dive computer. The underwater vehicle has a search unit that searches for an underwater search target, an alarm information generation unit that generates alarm information when the search unit detects the search target, and a vehicle transmission unit that transmits the alarm information. When the dive computer or the positioning means receives the alarm information, the positioning means generates relative position information that indicates the relative position between the position of the underwater vehicle and the position of the dive computer. The dive computer has a terminal receiving unit that receives the alarm information and the relative position information, and a display processing unit that displays the relative position indicated by the relative position information associated with the alarm information on a display device.

The underwater vehicle may further have a vehicle control unit that operates the underwater vehicle to follow the search object after detecting the search object, and terminates following the search object and starts searching for other search objects when an acknowledgement notification is received from the dive computer indicating that the user has confirmed the alarm information.

The underwater vehicle may further have a vehicle control unit that operates the underwater vehicle to track the search object after detecting the search object, and that ends tracking the search object and starts searching for other search objects when the distance from the underwater vehicle to the dive computer becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

If the mobile transmitter detects the search object and then discovers another search object, it may transmit the warning information about the other search object, and the dive computer may store the relative position information generated by the positioning means in response to the warning information about the other search object in association with the warning information about the other search object.

The display processing unit may update the relative position displayed on the display device based on movement information indicating the route traveled by the dive computer and the relative position information received from the positioning means.

The display processing unit may update the relative position displayed on the display device based on the latitude and longitude information of the dive computer measured by the surface equipment and the relative position information received from the positioning means.

The display processing unit may display multiple relative positions between the dive computer and multiple underwater vehicles in response to multiple pieces of alarm information received from multiple underwater vehicles.

The search unit may identify the direction and speed of movement of the moving search object, and the moving object transmission unit may transmit the direction and speed of movement to the dive computer.

The underwater vehicle of the present invention is an underwater vehicle that moves underwater and includes a search unit that searches for a search target underwater, an alarm information generation unit that generates alarm information when the search target is detected, a positioning means that generates relative position information indicating the relative position between the position of the underwater vehicle and the position of a dive computer when the search target is detected, and a vehicle transmission unit that associates the relative position information with the alarm information and transmits them.

The dive computer of the present invention is a dive computer capable of communicating with an underwater vehicle, and includes a terminal receiving unit that receives alarm information indicating that the underwater vehicle has detected a search target, a positioning means that, when the alarm information is received, generates relative position information indicating the relative position between the underwater vehicle and the dive computer, and a display processing unit that displays the alarm information and the relative position indicated by the relative position information on a display device.

The present invention provides technology that can guide divers to the location of a specified underwater search target.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an underwater navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an underwater navigation system. 10 is a flowchart of the basic operation of the underwater navigation system after detecting a search object. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the underwater moving body after detecting a search target. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an underwater navigation system according to a modified example of the present invention.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an underwater navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the underwater navigation system.

[Overview of the Underwater Navigation System S100]
1 and 2, the underwater navigation system S100 of this embodiment includes an underwater vehicle 10, a dive computer 20, and positioning means 30. In the following, an example is given in which the first positioning device 31 and second positioning device 32 constituting the positioning means 30 are separate from the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, but in the present invention, the first positioning device 31 may be incorporated into the dive computer 20, and the second positioning device 32 may be incorporated into the underwater vehicle 10.

The underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 are connected in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other underwater. The positioning means 30 determines the relative positions of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20. The search object T searched for by the underwater vehicle 10 may be any object, but in the following, the search object T is shown as a marine organism as an example. The marine organism is not limited to a specific object, but may also be an organism that needs to be exterminated, such as a crown-of-thorns starfish.

One of the features of the underwater navigation system S100 of this embodiment is that when the underwater vehicle 10 detects a search object T, a notification is sent to the dive computer 20, and the positioning means 30 measures the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, which is then displayed on the dive computer 20. With this configuration, the underwater vehicle 10 detects the search object T in advance, and the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 is displayed on the dive computer 20, so the diver can be effectively guided to the location where the specified search object T is located. The relative position may be, for example, the position of the underwater vehicle 10 as seen from the dive computer 20. The configuration of each part will be described in detail below.

[Underwater vehicle 10]
The underwater vehicle 10 is, for example, an underwater drone capable of diving underwater. As shown in Fig. 2, the underwater vehicle 10 has a camera 11, a communication unit 12, a memory unit 13, and a control unit 14, and searches for a search target T that has been set as a search target. The underwater vehicle 10 can communicate with operating devices on the water surface via, for example, an underwater cable or wireless communication, and can be remotely controlled by a pilot on the water surface.

The camera 11 takes photographs at a predetermined interval and outputs the captured images. The communication unit 12 is a communications interface for communicating with external devices and is implemented using a known underwater communications module such as optical wireless communications or acoustic communications. The underwater vehicle 10 communicates with the dive computer 20 underwater via the communication unit 12. The memory unit 13 stores a computer program for operating the underwater vehicle 10 and various information referenced when this computer program is executed.

The control unit 14 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the underwater vehicle 10, and functions as a search unit 141, an alarm information generation unit 142, a vehicle control unit 143, and a vehicle transmission unit 144 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 13.

The search unit 141 searches for a search object T in the water. Specifically, the search unit 141 analyzes the captured image taken by the camera 11 and determines whether a specific search object T is captured in the captured image. The search unit 141 also identifies the type of search object captured in the captured image, for example.

If the search object T is a moving object such as a fish, the search unit 141 may identify the direction and speed of movement of the moving search object T. The search unit 141 may, for example, analyze multiple captured images taken consecutively to identify the direction and speed of movement of the search object T. Note that the search unit 141 may also, for example, identify the direction and speed of movement of the search object T that moves due to the current of the tide.

When the search unit 141 detects a search object T, the warning information generation unit 142 generates warning information associated with the search object. The warning information is, for example, information indicating that the search object T has been detected.

The mobile body control unit 143 controls the propulsion mechanism (not shown) of the underwater moving body 10 to move the underwater moving body 10. The mobile body control unit 143 controls the propulsion mechanism so that the underwater moving body 10 moves, for example, along a preset movement route. When the underwater moving body 10 discovers a search object T, the mobile body control unit 143 ends the search operation and operates the underwater moving body 10 to follow the search object T. If the search object T is a moving object such as a fish, the underwater moving body 10 will move in pursuit of the search object T. On the other hand, if the search object T is an object that does not move or is substantially stationary, the underwater moving body 10 will hover in place (the underwater moving body 10 will remain in a predetermined position underwater).

(Search for search object T)
In the underwater navigation system S100 of this embodiment, when the underwater vehicle 10 detects a search object T, alarm information is sent to the dive computer 20, and the relative position of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, as determined by the positioning means 30, is displayed on the dive computer 20. The diver can approach the search object T detected by the underwater vehicle 10 while viewing the information displayed on the dive computer 20. In such a configuration, it is preferable, for example, that when the diver approaches the underwater vehicle 10 to a certain extent, the underwater vehicle 10 be ready to start searching for the next search object T.

The mobile object control unit 143 may therefore terminate tracking of the search object T when the distance from the underwater mobile object 10 to the dive computer 20 falls below a predetermined threshold. Specifically, the mobile object control unit 143 determines whether the distance from the underwater mobile object 10 to the dive computer 20 falls below a predetermined threshold based on the positioning results of the positioning means 30. The "predetermined threshold" is determined, for example, based on the distance at which the search object T can be seen by a diver. The mobile object control unit 143 may, for example, identify the transparency of the water based on captured images, and determine the threshold so that the lower the identified transparency, the smaller the threshold. Here, the process of identifying the transparency may be performed by a functional unit different from the mobile object control unit 143.

After tracking ends, the mobile unit control unit 143 begins searching for other search objects T. With this configuration, after the underwater mobile unit 10 detects the search object T, the underwater mobile unit 10 can begin searching for other search objects T without waiting for the diver to move to the underwater mobile unit 10, allowing for efficient search for the search object T.

When the user, the diver, confirms the warning information transmitted from the underwater vehicle 10, the underwater vehicle 10 may end tracking and begin searching for another search object T. To achieve this, the vehicle control unit 143 may end tracking the search object T and begin searching for another search object T when it receives an acknowledgement notification from the dive computer 20 indicating that the diver has confirmed the warning information. With this configuration, the underwater vehicle 10 can begin searching for another search object T even if the diver does not approach the underwater vehicle 10, thereby enabling efficient searching.

Furthermore, the mobile unit transmitter 144 of the underwater vehicle 10 sends a notification to the dive computer 20 when the distance from the underwater vehicle 10 to the dive computer 20 falls below a predetermined threshold, and upon receiving this notification, the dive computer 20 may display a confirmation message on the display device 22 asking whether or not to end tracking and begin searching for the next search target T. The diver then inputs an acknowledgement into the dive computer 20, and the dive computer 20 sends an acknowledgement notification to the underwater vehicle 10.

The underwater vehicle 10 may not begin searching for the next search object T until it receives this acknowledgement notification, and may begin searching for the search object T on the condition that it has received the acknowledgement notification. With this configuration, the search for the next search object T will not begin simply because the dive computer 20 has approached the underwater vehicle 10. Therefore, for example, if the underwater vehicle 10 is located close to the diver but out of sight of the diver, the underwater vehicle 10 will not move before the diver has fully confirmed its location.

This method is effective when the underwater vehicle 10 functions as the parent unit of the positioning means (details below) and the dive computer 20 functions as the child unit (details below), since the underwater vehicle 10 has the positioning information. However, even in this case, similar processing is possible by transmitting the positioning information held by the parent unit to the child unit.

If the underwater vehicle 10 functions as a slave device of the positioning means and the dive computer 20 functions as a master device, the dive computer 20 may, for example, determine whether the distance between the devices has fallen below a threshold, and display a confirmation message asking whether it is OK to start searching for the next search object T. Once the diver has input their consent, the dive computer 20 may notify the underwater vehicle 10, and upon receiving the notification, the underwater vehicle 10 may begin searching for the next search object T.

The mobile body transmission unit 144 transmits the warning information generated by the warning information generation unit 142 to an external device. Specifically, the mobile body transmission unit 144 transmits the warning information in association with identification information for identifying the underwater mobile body 10. As described above, when the underwater mobile body 10 continuously searches for multiple search objects T, the mobile body transmission unit 144 transmits warning information about the detected search object T each time the underwater mobile body 10 detects a search object T.

The mobile unit transmitting unit 144 may transmit an image captured by the camera 11 showing the search object T in association with the warning information. The mobile unit transmitting unit 144 may also transmit the direction and speed of movement of the search object T identified by the search unit 141 to, for example, the dive computer 20. The dive computer 20 receives this information and displays it on the display device 22. Depending on the type of search object T, with this configuration, the diver can determine whether or not to quickly approach the search object T based on the information displayed on the dive computer 20.

[Dive Computer 20]
The dive computer 20 is a device used by a diver underwater and includes a communication unit 21, a display device 22, a memory unit 23, and a control unit 24. The dive computer 20 also includes, as an example, a housing (not shown) that houses the communication unit 21, the display device 22, the memory unit 23, and the control unit 24. The dive computer 20 is carried by or worn by the diver. The shape of the dive computer 20 is arbitrary, and may be, for example, a wristwatch-like shape or a tablet terminal-like shape.

The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices, and is implemented, for example, as a known underwater communication module for optical wireless communication or acoustic communication, similar to the communication unit 12 of the underwater vehicle 10. The dive computer 20 communicates with the underwater vehicle 10 via the communication unit 21. The display device 22 is a display that displays various information. The memory unit 23 stores a computer program for operating the dive computer 20 and various information referenced when this computer program is executed.

The control unit 24 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and functions as a terminal receiving unit 241 and a display processing unit 242 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 23.

The terminal receiving unit 241 receives information transmitted from external devices. Specifically, the terminal receiving unit 241 receives alarm information transmitted by the underwater vehicle 10. The terminal receiving unit 241 also receives relative position information generated by the positioning means 30, which indicates the relative position between the position of the underwater vehicle 10 and the position of the dive computer 20. For example, the terminal receiving unit 241 associates the relative position information received from the positioning means 30 with the alarm information and stores it in the memory unit 23.

When the underwater moving body 10 continuously searches for search objects T, the terminal receiving unit 241 associates multiple pieces of alarm information for multiple search objects T with multiple pieces of relative position information and stores them in the memory unit 23. In other words, if a specific search object T is detected and then another search object T is detected, the terminal receiving unit 241 stores alarm information for the other search object T in the memory unit 23 after the specific search object T has been detected, associated with the relative position information generated by the positioning means in accordance with that alarm information. In this way, information on multiple search objects T detected by the underwater moving body 10 is successively accumulated in the memory unit 23.

The display processing unit 242 controls the operation of the display device 22. Specifically, the display processing unit 242 causes the display device 22 to display the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, which is indicated by the relative position information associated with the alarm information received from the underwater vehicle 10. The display processing unit 242 causes the display device 22 to display, for example, the distance, depth, and direction from the dive computer 20 to the underwater vehicle 10. The display processing unit 242 causes the display device 22 to display, for example, the relative position and, as alarm information, that a search object T has been detected. As an example, when the diver inputs an input indicating that he has acknowledged the alarm information, the display processing unit 242 causes the communication unit 21 to send an acknowledgement notice to the underwater vehicle 10. Note that this input may be input, for example, via a button (not shown) provided on the dive computer 20.

[Positioning means 30]
The positioning means 30 is a known positioning device that measures the relative position of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 underwater. When the dive computer 20 receives alarm information, the positioning means 30 generates relative position information that indicates the relative position between the position of the underwater vehicle 10 and the position of the dive computer 20. Specifically, for example, when the dive computer 20 notifies the first positioning device 31 that it has received alarm information, the positioning means 30 performs positioning.

In this embodiment, the positioning means 30 includes a first positioning device 31 provided in the dive computer 20 and a second positioning device 32 provided in the underwater vehicle 10, and measures the relative positions of the first positioning device 31 and the second positioning device 32 (corresponding to the relative positions of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20). While not limited thereto, for example, the first positioning device 31 may function as a master device and the second positioning device 32 may function as a slave device. Both the first positioning device 31 and the second positioning device 32 include a means for generating sound and multiple microphones for receiving sound. The positioning means 30 utilizes, for example, known underwater acoustic positioning technology. Examples of underwater acoustic positioning technology include the SSBL (Super Short Baseline, also known as USBL: Ultra Short Baseline) system. This technology makes it possible to measure, for example, the relative position (direction, distance, and depth) of the second positioning device 32 on the underwater vehicle 10 relative to the first positioning device 31 in real time.

Specifically, first, the first positioning device 31 emits a sound underwater, and when the second positioning device 32 receives the sound, the second positioning device 32 emits a sound in response. The first positioning device 31 receives the sound from the second positioning device 32 using multiple microphones and calculates the direction of the second positioning device 32, which is the source of the sound, and the distance from the first positioning device 31 to the second positioning device 32. In this way, the relative positions of the first positioning device 31 and the second positioning device 32 are determined. As an alternative method, the first positioning device 31 can receive sounds emitted intermittently by the second positioning device 32 and calculate the direction of the second positioning device 32 and the distance to the second positioning device 32, etc. Here, distance, etc., includes, for example, depth in addition to distance.

The positioning means 30 transmits relative position information indicating the relative positions of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 to the dive computer 20 or the underwater vehicle 10. The positioning means 30 may continuously measure the relative position at predetermined time intervals and continuously transmit the relative position information to the dive computer 20 or the underwater vehicle 10.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the first positioning device 31 of the dive computer 20 is the positioning device and the second positioning device 32 of the underwater vehicle 10 is the device to be positioned, but the present invention is not limited to this. The second positioning device 32 may operate as the positioning device and transmit the positioning results to the first positioning device 31. Alternatively, the underwater vehicle 10 may acquire the positioning results from the second positioning device 32 and transmit them to the dive computer 20 via the communication unit 12. In such a case, the position of the first positioning device 31 as seen from the second positioning device 32 side may be converted into the position (azimuth, distance, and depth) of the second positioning device 32 as seen from the first positioning device 31 side. This processing may be performed by the positioning means 30, or by the underwater vehicle 10 or the dive computer 20. The display processing unit 242 displays the relative position, which is the position of the second positioning device 32 as seen from the first positioning device 31 side, on the display device 22.

The second positioning device 32 may be provided as part of the underwater vehicle 10; specifically, for example, the second positioning device 32 may be disposed inside a housing (not shown) of the underwater vehicle 10. In an underwater vehicle 10 provided with the second positioning device 32, which serves as a positioning means, the vehicle transmitter 144 may associate the relative position information generated by the second positioning device 32 with the alarm information generated by the search unit 141 and transmit this information to the dive computer 20.

The first positioning device 31 may also be provided as part of the dive computer 20; specifically, for example, the first positioning device 31 may be located inside the housing (not shown) of the dive computer 20.

[Example of operation of the underwater navigation system S100]
(Basic operation after detecting search target T)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the basic operation of the underwater navigation system S100 after the search object T is detected.

First, in step S1, the underwater vehicle 10 searches for a search object T as shown in FIG. 1 and detects the search object T based on an underwater image.

Next, in step S2, the alarm information generation unit 142 of the underwater vehicle 10 generates alarm information indicating that the search target T has been detected, and the vehicle transmission unit 144 transmits the alarm information to the dive computer 20.

Next, in step S3, when the dive computer 20 receives alarm information from the underwater vehicle 10, the positioning means 30 measures the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20. Specifically, as an example, the first positioning device 31 receives a sound emitted by the second positioning device 32 in response to a sound emitted by the first positioning device 31, and measures the relative position between the first positioning device 31 and the second positioning device 32. The first positioning device 31 generates relative position information indicating the measured relative position and transmits it to the dive computer 20.

Next, in step S4, the terminal receiving unit 241 of the dive computer 20 that has received the relative position information stores the relative position information in the memory unit 23 in association with the alarm information. The display processing unit 242 also displays the relative position indicated by the relative position information on the display device 22 of the dive computer 20. As a result, the display device 22 displays, for example, the distance, depth, and direction from the dive computer 20 to the underwater vehicle 10, and the diver can view this information and move toward the search target T detected by the underwater vehicle 10.

(Example of operation related to tracking of search target T)
4 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the underwater vehicle 10 after detecting the search object T. The underwater navigation system S100 may operate the underwater vehicle 10 as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S11, the underwater vehicle 10 detects the search target T and transmits alarm information to the dive computer 20. The relative positions of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 are measured by the positioning means 30 using the same method as described above, and the alarm information is displayed on the display device 22 of the dive computer 20 along with the relative positions of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20.

When the search object T is detected, in step S12, the underwater vehicle 10 stops searching for the search object T in the water and follows the detected search object T.

Next, in step S13, the mobile unit control unit 143 of the underwater mobile unit 10 determines whether it has received an acknowledgement sent from the dive computer 20. If an acknowledgement has been received (Yes in S13), then in step S14, the underwater mobile unit 10 ends tracking and begins searching for another search target T. If No in step S13, this step is repeated.

In this way, by configuring the underwater vehicle 10 to begin searching for another search object T upon receiving an acknowledgement notification, after the underwater vehicle 10 detects a specific search object T, it can search for the next search object T without waiting for the diver to move to the location of that search object T, thereby enabling efficient searching.

(Effects of the Underwater Navigation System S100)
As described above, according to the underwater navigation system S100 of this embodiment, when the underwater vehicle 10 detects a search object T underwater, the positioning means 30 measures the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, and the relative position is displayed on the dive computer 20, thereby enabling the diver to be guided effectively to the location where the specified search object T is located.

Furthermore, if the underwater vehicle 10 is configured to stop tracking the search object T and begin searching for another search object T when it receives an acknowledgement from the diver indicating that it has confirmed the alarm information displayed on the dive computer 20, the search object T can be searched for efficiently.

Furthermore, the underwater vehicle 10 can be configured to stop tracking the search object T and begin searching for another search object T when the distance from the underwater vehicle 10 to the dive computer 20 falls below a predetermined threshold, thereby enabling efficient search for the search object T.

<Modification 1>
As described above, in the underwater navigation system S100 of this embodiment, when the underwater vehicle 10 detects the search object T, alarm information is sent to the underwater vehicle 10, the positioning means 30 determines the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, and the determined relative position is displayed on the dive computer 20. Incidentally, it is convenient for the diver if the relative position between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 is updated while the diver is moving toward the underwater vehicle 10 and the updated information is displayed on the dive computer 20.

The display processing unit 242 of the dive computer 20 may therefore update the relative position displayed on the display device 22 based on movement information indicating the route traveled by the dive computer 20 and the relative position information received from the positioning means 30. Specifically, the relative position may be updated by identifying a position moved from the position of the dive computer 20 at the time the initial relative position was identified in the direction of movement indicated by the movement information of the dive computer 20 by the amount of movement indicated by the movement information, and calculating the relative position between the identified position and the underwater vehicle 10.

When the underwater vehicle 10 detects multiple search targets T and multiple pieces of relative position information are stored in the dive computer 20, the display processing unit 242 may update the relative positions of these multiple pieces of relative position information as described above. Note that the display processing unit 242 may update and display the relative position information corresponding to the search target T (as an example, one identified search target T) that is in the direction the diver is moving among the multiple search targets T, and may not update or display the relative position information corresponding to the other search targets T. By operating the display processing unit 242 in this way, information unnecessary for the diver is not displayed, making it easier for the diver to grasp the relative position of the search target T he is heading towards and reducing the processing load.

Any known device can be used as the device for detecting the path traveled by the dive computer 20, but it could also be, for example, an inertial navigation system that continuously measures the acceleration of a moving object to determine the path traveled from a predetermined reference point, and this inertial navigation system could be provided within the housing as part of the dive computer 20.

<Modification 2>
Figure 5 is a diagram showing an underwater navigation system according to a modified example of the present invention. The underwater navigation system S100A in Figure 5 further includes a surface facility 40 in addition to the configuration in Figure 2. The other components are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, so redundant explanations will be omitted.

The water-based facility 40 is a facility located on the water. The water-based facility 40 does not need to be fixed to a predetermined installation location and may, for example, be equipment that floats on the water. Specifically, the water-based facility 40 may be equipment located on a ship.

The surface equipment 40 is configured to be able to communicate with the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20. The surface equipment 40 measures the latitude and longitude of at least one of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20, and generates latitude and longitude information. The surface equipment 40 transmits the generated latitude and longitude information to the dive computer 20.

When the surface equipment 40 is provided as shown in FIG. 5 , for example, the surface equipment 40 may generate latitude and longitude information for the dive computer 20, and the relative position displayed on the display device 22 may be updated based on the generated latitude and longitude information and the relative position information between the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 generated by the positioning means 30. As a specific example, the dive computer 20 may acquire latitude and longitude information from the surface equipment 40, and the display processing unit 242 may update the relative position based on the latitude and longitude information and the relative position information received from the underwater vehicle 10. The display processing unit 242 displays the updated relative position on the display device 22. Such updating of the relative position and display on the display device 22 may be performed continuously at predetermined time intervals.

With this configuration, even if the dive computer 20 is not equipped with an inertial navigation system, the relative positions of the underwater vehicle 10 and the dive computer 20 can be updated using the latitude and longitude information generated by the surface equipment 40.

In the above example, shipboard equipment was used as the surface facility 40, but the surface facility 40 may also be a surface drone that forms part of a combined water-air drone. In this case, the surface facility 40, which is a surface drone, floats on the water, while the underwater vehicle 10, which is an underwater drone, separates from the surface drone and submerges underwater. The two drones are connected to each other, for example, by an underwater cable.

In the configuration of Figure 5, the underwater vehicle 10 may transmit alarm information to the surface facility 40 when it detects the search target T. The surface facility 40 may receive the alarm information in association with identification information that identifies the underwater vehicle 10, and transmit this information to an external server, etc.

When surface equipment 40 is present as shown in Figure 5, as an example, surface equipment 40 may be equipped with a positioning function (functioning as a parent device for positioning), and surface equipment 40 may measure the positions of dive computer 20 and underwater vehicle 10 and transmit this information to dive computer 20 and underwater vehicle 10. In other words, in this invention, a device other than underwater vehicle 10 or dive computer 20 may be equipped with a positioning function, and the positioning results of that device may be used; even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be achieved.

<Modification 3>
In the above-described embodiment, the underwater navigation system S100 includes one underwater vehicle 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The underwater navigation system may include multiple underwater vehicles 10 capable of communicating with the dive computer 20. In this case, for example, the terminal receiving unit 241 of the dive computer 20 receives multiple pieces of alarm information from each of the multiple underwater vehicles 10, associated with the identification information of each underwater vehicle 10. The display processing unit 242 may then display multiple relative positions between the dive computer 20 and the multiple underwater vehicles 10 on the display device 22 in response to each piece of alarm information. With this configuration, for example, if multiple underwater vehicles 10 detect search targets T in different locations, the position of each underwater vehicle 10 that detected the search target T is displayed on the display device 22. Therefore, the diver can move toward the desired search target T among the multiple detected search targets T in order of proximity to the current location, for example.

In the above-described embodiment, the search unit 141 of the underwater vehicle 10 detected the search target, but a functional unit equivalent to the search unit 141 may be provided in a device other than the underwater vehicle 10.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the positioning means 30 performs positioning in response to the dive computer 20 receiving an alarm notification as a trigger, but the positioning means 30 may also perform positioning in response to the positioning means 30 itself receiving an alarm notification as a trigger.

Furthermore, while the underwater vehicle 10 and diver searching for marine life have been shown as an example, the underwater navigation system of the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a variety of search targets. For example, the present invention can also be applied to underwater tourist guidance, inspecting damaged areas of buildings, and searching for and recovering lost items.

Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation."

The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and alterations are possible within the spirit of the invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of new embodiments resulting from the combination will also have the effects of the original embodiments.

This application also discloses any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, computer program, data structure, recording medium, etc.

10 Underwater moving body 11 Camera 12 Communication unit 13 Memory unit 20 Dive computer 21 Communication unit 22 Display device 23 Memory unit 30 Positioning means 31 First positioning device 32 Second positioning device 40 Water surface equipment 141 Search unit 142 Alarm information generation unit 143 Moving body control unit 144 Moving body transmission unit 241 Terminal reception unit 242 Display processing unit S100 Underwater navigation system S100A Underwater navigation system T Search object

Claims (7)

a dive computer capable of communicating with the underwater moving body; and a positioning means for measuring a relative position between the underwater moving body and the dive computer;
The underwater vehicle is
A search unit that searches for a search object in the water that is not a diver or an object attached to a diver;
an alarm information generation unit that generates alarm information when the search unit detects the search object;
a mobile transmitter that transmits the alarm information;
and
The positioning means
When the dive computer or the positioning means receives the alarm information, it generates relative position information indicating the relative position between the position of the underwater moving body and the position of the dive computer,
The dive computer
a terminal receiving unit that receives the alarm information and the relative position information;
a display processing unit that displays, on a display device, the relative position indicated by the relative position information associated with the alarm information;
and
The underwater vehicle is
a mobile unit control unit that operates the underwater mobile unit to follow the search object after detecting the search object, and terminates following the search object and starts searching for other search objects when an acknowledgement notice is received from the dive computer indicating that the user has confirmed the alarm information;
Underwater navigation system. a dive computer capable of communicating with the underwater moving body; and a positioning means for measuring a relative position between the underwater moving body and the dive computer;
The underwater vehicle is
A search unit that searches for a search object in the water that is not a diver or an object attached to a diver;
an alarm information generation unit that generates alarm information when the search unit detects the search object;
a mobile transmitter that transmits the alarm information;
and
The positioning means
When the dive computer or the positioning means receives the alarm information, it generates relative position information indicating the relative position between the position of the underwater moving body and the position of the dive computer,
The dive computer
a terminal receiving unit that receives the alarm information and the relative position information;
a display processing unit that displays, on a display device, the relative position indicated by the relative position information associated with the alarm information;
and
The underwater vehicle is
a mobile unit control unit that operates the underwater moving body to follow the search object after detecting the search object, and ends following the search object and starts searching for other search objects when the distance from the underwater moving body to the dive computer becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold;
Underwater navigation system. the mobile body transmitting unit, when detecting another search object after detecting the search object, transmits the alarm information about the other search object;
the dive computer stores the relative position information generated by the positioning means in response to the warning information about the other search object in association with the warning information about the other search object;
3. An underwater navigation system according to claim 1 or 2. The display processing unit
updating the relative position displayed on the display device based on movement information indicating the route traveled by the dive computer and the relative position information received from the positioning means;
3. An underwater navigation system according to claim 1 or 2. The display processing unit
updating the relative position displayed on the display device based on the latitude and longitude information of the dive computer measured by the surface equipment and the relative position information received from the positioning means;
3. An underwater navigation system according to claim 1 or 2. The display processing unit
displaying a plurality of relative positions between the dive computer and the plurality of underwater vehicles in response to a plurality of pieces of alarm information received from the plurality of underwater vehicles;
3. An underwater navigation system according to claim 1 or 2. The search unit identifies a moving direction and a moving speed of the moving search object,
The moving body transmitter transmits the moving direction and the moving speed to the dive computer.
3. An underwater navigation system according to claim 1 or 2.