JP2019073160A - Underwater probe device and terrain probe system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an underwater probe device capable of improving prove precision in underwater prove using a sensor emitting a sound wave such as that of a fish detector in a prescribed direction and receiving a reflection wave thereof.SOLUTION: An underwater prove device 100 includes: a small size unmanned aircraft (UAV body 101) with a rotary wing; an ultrasound sensor S for emitting sound waves in a prescribed direction and receiving a reflection wave thereof; a cup 300 having a porous part for having water flow inside to the height of a water surface when landing on water; and a link mechanism 200 connecting the cup 300 and the unmanned aircraft and controlling the stance of the cup 300 when the cup 300 is suctioned by the small sized unmanned aircraft. In addition, the cup 300 is formed so that a predetermined space is formed between the ultrasound sensor S and an inner wall of the cup 300 when the ultrasound sensor S is stored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to the technology of bottom surveying using a fish finder.

  In the ongoing survey of the topography of the bottom of the water, such as the sea, lakes and ponds (hereinafter sometimes referred to as bottom survey), ultrasonic sensors are mounted on ships such as surface boats, and a hand or screw is used. The probe is conducted while moving the ultrasonic sensor as a propulsive force (Patent Document 1).

  Further, Patent Document 2 aims to provide a fish finder capable of measuring water depth values with high accuracy, and the water depth value measured by the previous emission wave of ultrasonic waves in the fish finder (from the sea surface to the sea floor A configuration is disclosed that stores the distance up to, generally, the distance from the water surface to the bottom of the water.

JP 2002-250766 A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 08-029530

However, when using a fish finder to conduct underwater surveys, the fish finder is mounted on a ship or is towed to emit ultrasonic waves in a substantially vertical direction into the water at predetermined intervals, from an object in the water It is necessary to receive the reflected wave of That is, the fish finder can be said to be a sensor that emits sound waves in a predetermined direction and receives the reflected waves. In addition, with the movement of the ship, the ship is subjected to the resistance of water to cause irregular behavior on the ship, or waves are generated on the water surface to be affected.
Therefore, when using a sensor that functions as a fish finder for underwater surveying, it is difficult to project ultrasonic waves in the water every predetermined cycle in a substantially vertical direction, which causes a problem that the exploration accuracy in underwater surveying is significantly reduced. is there.

  In addition, even if the movement speed of the ship is limited to a speed that can suppress the generation of waves, in the bottom survey using the ship, the operation cost increases because the equipment and personnel are large and mobility decreases. There is a problem that you

  An object of the present invention is to provide a bottom surveying apparatus capable of improving the survey accuracy of bottom surveying using a sensor such as a fish finder which emits a sound wave in a predetermined direction and receives the reflected wave. As the main purpose. Also, the present invention provides a terrain survey system having the same.

  The present invention is a bottom surveying device for probing the bottom of a bottom, comprising a small unmanned aerial vehicle having a rotor, a sensor for emitting a sound wave in a predetermined direction and receiving the reflected wave, and the sensor Connecting the storage means and the small unmanned airplane to the storage means in which a hole is formed to allow water to flow therein to the height of the water surface when the water is landed, and the storage means is pulled by the small unmanned airplane When the housing unit accommodates the sensor, a predetermined space is formed between the sensor and the inner wall of the housing unit. It is characterized in that it is formed.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a bottom surveying apparatus capable of improving the survey accuracy of bottom surveying using a sensor such as a fish finder which emits a sound wave in a predetermined direction and receives the reflected wave. can do. In addition, the speed of movement and the labor saving of the search facility can be achieved.

The figure for demonstrating an example of a structure of the topography search system which concerns on this embodiment. The figure for demonstrating an example of the conventional method which pulls an ultrasonic sensor by UAV and performs a bottom survey. The figure for demonstrating an example of a structure of a bottom surveying apparatus. (A), (b) is a top view for demonstrating an example of a structure of a link mechanism. (A), (b), (c) is a figure for demonstrating an example of a structure of a cup.

Hereinafter, as an example, an embodiment of a terrain exploration system having a water floor exploration device according to the present invention will be described using the drawings.
In this embodiment, a small unmanned aerial vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a UAV) having a rotary wing (propeller) and a GPS (Global Positioning System) function has a GPS function that is a kind of fish finder. The case where it comprises as a bottom surveying apparatus which mounts an ultrasonic sensor is mentioned as an example, and is explained. Moreover, the case where it comprises as a topography survey system which can perform the survey of the topography shape of a ground surface part and the exploration of the topography of a water bottom part continuously is mentioned as an example, and is explained, including a bottom exploration device.

[Example of embodiment]
[Configuration of Terrain Exploration System]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of the terrain search system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that there is a terrain grasping area in which the terrain search is performed. Further, it is assumed that the topography grasping area is an area including the ground surface topography exploration area and the water bottom topography exploration area.

  In the conventional topography survey, exploration is performed using, for example, a UAV in the surface topography survey area in the topography grasping area, and in the water bottom topography survey area, for example, an ultrasonic sensor is mounted on a ship or an ultrasonic sensor is towed. Search (see the dashed arrow at the top of Figure 1). That is, it is not possible to continuously search the entire terrain grasping area.

On the other hand, the bottom surveying apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes the UAV main body 101, the container 300 in a state in which the ultrasonic sensor S is housed (hereinafter referred to as a cup 300), and a link connecting the UAV main body 101 and the cup 300. It comprises the mechanism 200. The details of the configuration will be described using FIG. 3 described later.
In addition, the terrain survey system which can survey the whole terrain grasp area | region continuously is comprised including the underwater surveying apparatus 100 which has these structures.

FIG. 2 is a figure for demonstrating an example of the conventional method which pulls an ultrasonic sensor by UAV and performs a bottom survey.
In the conventional method in which the UAV and the sensor are connected via a tow bar and the UAV is used to tow an ultrasonic sensor (sensor) to perform underwater survey, as shown in FIG. Depending on factors such as the velocity and the resistance of water received by the ultrasonic sensor, a predetermined tilt angle may occur.
Therefore, it can be seen that the ultrasonic sensor is also inclined, and the ultrasonic wave can not be directed into the water and can not be emitted substantially vertically. That is, since an inclination angle arises and inclination arises in an ultrasonic sensor, the search accuracy in the detection range of the said ultrasonic sensor will fall large.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of the bottom surveying apparatus 100. As shown in FIG.
The bottom surveying apparatus 100 includes a UAV main body 101, an imaging monitor 102, a portable information terminal 103, a link mechanism 200, and a cup 300 in which an ultrasonic sensor S is accommodated.

  The UAV main body 101 is a type of the small unmanned airplane described above. The imaging monitor 102 attached to the UAV main body 101 is a kind of sensor for searching the topography of the ground surface topography survey area. The portable information terminal 103 attached to the UAV main body 101 is, for example, a smartphone, and is a terminal having a function of recording various information and a communication function. The portable information terminal 103 also functions as a recording unit that records the detection result (search result) of the ultrasonic sensor S.

The ultrasonic sensor S is a type of fish finder described above, and is a sensor having a casing formed in a spherical shape. The ultrasonic sensor S has a GPS function.
The ultrasonic sensor S emits a sound wave in a predetermined direction, and receives the reflected wave. In addition, the ultrasonic sensor S is configured to float on the water surface so as to generate a predetermined buoyancy so that the ultrasonic sensor S does not sink in water at the time of landing. The ultrasonic sensor S is also configured such that its center of gravity is located at the lower part (lower part of the sphere). The ultrasonic sensor S is also configured to be able to transmit various types of information including detection results toward the portable information terminal 103.
In addition, for example, a wireless smart fish finder such as Deeper (registered trademark) can be used as the ultrasonic sensor S according to the present embodiment.

The cup 300 is connected to the UAV main body 101 via the link mechanism 200. After landing on the water, the cup 300 is configured to allow the outside water of the cup to be taken into the interior of the cup. This is to eliminate the water level difference between the inside and the outside of the cup by taking (inflowing) the external water of the cup into the inside of the cup, and freeing the ultrasonic sensor S in the cup.
As described above, since the ultrasonic sensor S is configured such that the position of the center of gravity is located below the sphere, the center of the detection range is always in the predetermined direction (vertical direction, Z-axis direction) in the free floating state. I will turn. Details of the configuration will be described later.

  The link mechanism 200 is a mechanism for performing posture control of the cup 300 in a state in which the ultrasonic sensor S is accommodated as shown in FIG. Specifically, the attitude of the cup 300 is controlled so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic sensor S can be directed into the water and emitted in a substantially vertical direction. Details of the configuration will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining an example of the configuration of the link mechanism 200. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the link mechanism 200 is configured to include tow bars 200 a and 200 b and connection mechanisms (hinge mechanisms) 201 and 202.
The connection mechanism 201 connects the UAV main body 101 and one end of each of the pulling bars 200a and 200b. By means of the connection mechanism 201, the tow bars 200a, 200b can swing relative to the UAV main body 101 in a predetermined direction (see FIG. 3).

  The connection mechanism 202 connects the cup 300 and the other end of each of the pulling bars 200a and 200b via the pin 202a, as shown in FIG. 4 (b). The tow bars 200a, 200b can swing relative to the cup 300 in a predetermined direction via the connection mechanism 202 (see FIG. 3).

The connection mechanism 202 is also connected to the cup 300 via a pin 202b disposed in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the pin 202a. The connection mechanism 202 can swing relative to the cup 300 in a predetermined direction via the pin 202b. This direction is perpendicular to the direction in which the tow bars 200a and 200b swing.
That is, the connection mechanism 202, the pin 202a, and the pin 202b constitute a gyro mechanism that is swingably supported around two orthogonal axes, and control is performed so that the cup 300 can maintain a predetermined posture. it can.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an example of the configuration of the cup 300. As shown in FIG.
The cup 300 is formed, for example, by using a material such as a hard transparent resin and a part of the upper bottom portion and the lower bottom portion is opened.
The cup 300 can also accommodate the ultrasonic sensor S, and a predetermined space (a gap, for example, about 5 mm) between the outer surface of the ultrasonic sensor S and the inner wall surface of the cup 300 at the time of storage. Are formed so as to be formed.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the cup 300 has a hole 310, slits 311 radially formed from the hole 310, and an insertion port 312 when the ultrasonic sensor S is accommodated in the cup 300.

The hole 310 is formed in a size such that the ultrasonic sensor S accommodated in the cup 300 does not drop out of the cup 300. The hole 310 is for causing water to infiltrate (inflow) into the inside of the cup 300 when the cup 300 lands.
As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the external water of the cup is taken into the cup after landing, so that there is no difference in water level inside and outside the cup, and the ultrasonic sensor S is free in the cup because there is the aforementioned gap. Float.

The slit 311 promotes the inflow (inflow) of water into the cup 300 when the cup 300 lands, and promotes the discharge of water remaining in the cup 300 when the cup 300 detaches above the water surface. It is a thing.
As shown in FIG. 5C, even when the hole 310 is covered by the surface of the ultrasonic sensor S, the water remaining in the cup through the slit 311 is discharged. It can be performed. In addition, the slit 311 has an effect of enhancing the uptake efficiency even when the outside water of the cup is taken into the inside of the cup after landing.

By configuring the cup 300 in this way, it is possible to improve the efficiency of water intake or water discharge, which contributes to shortening the working time in the case where the entire terrain grasping area is continuously searched. it can.
The slits formed radially from the hole can be one or more slits depending on the efficiency of water intake or water discharge. Further, slits may be formed continuously from the hole, or may be formed radially from a position separated by a predetermined distance (for example, about 2 mm) from the outer peripheral end of the hole. In this case, the tolerance (the degree of the load resistance) to the weight of the ultrasonic sensor acting on the hole increases when the cup is separated from the water surface.
Also, instead of the slit, one or more holes may be formed on the side of the cup. In this case, the hole formed on the side surface is sized so that the ultrasonic sensor does not drop out of the cup.

  Thus, the cup 300 and the link mechanism 200 function as posture control means for preventing the ultrasonic sensor S from being inclined. For example, it is assumed that the cup 300 is pulled by the UAV main body 101 via the link mechanism 200, and the cup 300 receives the water resistance and is inclined obliquely. Even in such a case, the posture of the ultrasonic sensor S which is accommodated in the cup 300 and in which the water is interposed between the cup 300 and the ultrasonic sensor S and is freely suspended in the cup has a predetermined posture. You will be able to maintain

As described above, in the terrain exploration system according to the present embodiment, the topography of the land area and the topography of the water bottom area can be continuously explored in one UAV exploration flight.
Moreover, in the bottom surveying apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, it has a link mechanism which performs behavior control of the ultrasonic sensor used for bottom survey. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the search accuracy due to the influence of waves and the like as compared to the case of towing a ship.

  Further, the characteristic structure of the container (cup) accommodating the ultrasonic sensor enables smooth entry of water at the time of landing and drainage at the time of detachment from the water surface. In addition, by securing the clearance between the inner wall of the cup and the outer peripheral surface of the sensor, the ultrasonic sensor can be stably floated in the cup after water contact, so that a decrease in detection accuracy can be prevented.

Further, by mounting the portable information terminal in the UAV, the restriction on the transmission distance of the recorded information, which has been a constraint condition of the search range, is eliminated, and the flight range of the UAV can be expanded.
Further, in the water bottom survey, construction of a system that can be expressed as a 3D image can be realized by performing a plurality of parallel surveys of UAV flight and analyzing these data with the advanced information processing device. This makes it easier to understand the bottom topography.
Furthermore, by providing the imaging sensor in the UAV, it is possible to provide a terrain exploration system capable of exploring the topography of the land portion and the water bottom portion in one line exploration flight.

  The embodiments described above are for more specifically describing the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

100: bottom surveying apparatus, 101: UAV main body, 102: imaging monitor, 103: portable information terminal, 200: link mechanism, 300: cup, S: ultrasonic sensor .

Claims (5)

A bottom exploration device for exploring the shape of the bottom,
A small unmanned airplane with rotors,
A sensor for emitting a sound wave in a predetermined direction and receiving the reflected wave;
Containing means for containing the sensor and having a hole for allowing water to flow therein to the height of the water surface when the water is received;
Attitude control means for connecting the accommodation means and the small unmanned airplane, and controlling an attitude of the accommodation means when the accommodation means is pulled by the small unmanned airplane;
The housing means is formed such that a predetermined space is formed between the sensor and an inner wall of the housing means when the sensor is housed.
Bottom surveying equipment. The sensor is a sensor configured to float on the water surface, and configured to have its center of gravity at a lower position,
The attitude control means is composed of a gyro mechanism which supports at least the accommodation means so as to be pivotable about two orthogonal axes.
The bottom surveying apparatus according to claim 1. The housing means is formed to include one or more slits radially formed from the hole.
The bottom surveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. It has a recording means for recording the information detected by the sensor,
The bottom surveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A terrain search system for searching a ground topography search area and a region including a bottom topography search area, comprising:
A small unmanned airplane with rotors,
An imaging monitor for searching for the topography of the surface topography survey area;
A sensor for detecting the bottom shape of the bottom topography area, emitting a sound wave in a predetermined direction, and receiving the reflected wave;
It is formed to be able to accommodate the sensor, has a hole that allows water to flow into the interior to the height of the water surface when the water is wet, and when the sensor is accommodated, between the sensor and the inner wall of the accommodation means Containing means formed to form a predetermined space;
Attitude control means for connecting the accommodation means and the small unmanned airplane, and controlling the attitude of the accommodation means when the accommodation means is pulled by the small unmanned airplane;
And recording means for recording the information detected by the sensor.
Terrain exploration system.

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