JP2021021591A - Underwater exploration device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an underwater exploration device that can easily observe fixed points in a fish group, for example.SOLUTION: The underwater exploration device includes: a wave sending/receiving unit for sending an ultrasonic wave and receiving a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave; a control unit having a sending unit for generating an ultrasonic wave signal to output to the wave sending/receiving unit, a reception unit for receiving the ultrasonic wave signal received by the wave sending/receiving unit, amplifying the ultrasonic wave signal, and generating a reception signal, and a data recording unit for recording the reception signal; and a power source unit having a secondary battery and a power source circuit, the power source unit supplying power to the control unit, the control unit and the power source unit being sealed in a sealing container and the sealed container connecting the wave sending/receiving unit and the control unit to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention mainly relates to an underwater exploration device that is stationary in water and detects fish shadows and the like.

A device called sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) is known that propagates an ultrasonic signal in water and receives the reflected wave to collect information about an object in the water or the bottom of the water. The sonar is used, for example, for detecting a school of fish, and is mounted on a ship (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-176757

The sonar mounted on a ship is suitable for use while moving in search of a school of fish. On the other hand, in order to investigate the movement of aquatic organisms such as fish by fixed point observation, it is necessary to berth at that point for a long time (long term), which causes an increase in human and economic burden. It is conceivable to attach sonar to a buoy floating on the water, but it is necessary to moor it on the seabed so that it will not be washed away by the ocean current, and the problem is that the cost for installation and maintenance will increase. It becomes.

An object of the present invention is to provide an underwater exploration device capable of easily performing fixed point observation of a school of fish or the like in order to solve such a problem.

The underwater exploration device of the present invention receives an ultrasonic signal received by a transmission / reception unit that transmits ultrasonic waves and receives the reflected wave, a transmission unit that generates an ultrasonic signal to be output to the transmission / reception unit, and a transmission / reception unit. It has a receiving unit that amplifies and generates a received signal, a control unit that includes a data recording unit that records the received signal, and a power supply unit that has a secondary battery and a power supply circuit and supplies power to the control unit. The unit and the power supply unit are housed in a sealed container, and the sealed container is provided with a connector unit for connecting the wave transmitting / receiving unit and the control unit.

The transmission / reception unit is detachably provided from the control unit at the connector unit, and the control unit has a signal processing unit that converts a received signal into an image signal and a display unit that displays an image generated by the image signal. You may. Further, it may have a time measuring unit (timer) that controls the time during which the control unit operates.

The underwater exploration device may have any one or more of a GPS sensor, a temperature sensor, a water depth sensor, and an illuminance sensor. It may further have a camera juxtaposed with the transmission / reception unit, and the data recording unit may have a function of recording an image taken by the camera.

The sealed container may have pressure resistance and may have a storage container for storing the sealed container. The wave transmitting / receiving unit and the storage container may be placed in water, and the sealed container may be detachably fixed to the storage container.

According to the present invention, it becomes easy to perform fixed point observation of the ecology of aquatic organisms in water (or in the sea) for a long period of time (or for a long period of time). In addition, it is possible to reduce the human burden and the economic burden in the fixed point observation.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the underwater exploration apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the underwater exploration apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the underwater exploration apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the aspect which installs the underwater exploration apparatus which concerns on this invention underwater. It is a figure explaining the installation example of the underwater exploration apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the underwater exploration apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings and the like. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different modes and is not construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments illustrated below. In order to clarify the explanation, the drawings may schematically represent the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part as compared with the actual embodiment, but this is merely an example and limits the interpretation of the present invention. It's not a thing. Further, in the present specification and each figure, the same elements as those described above with respect to the above-mentioned figures are designated by the same reference numerals (or reference numerals having a, b, etc. added after the numbers) to provide detailed explanations. It may be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the letters "1st" and "2nd" for each element are convenient signs used to distinguish each element, and have no further meaning unless otherwise specified. ..

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the underwater exploration device 100 according to the present invention. The underwater exploration device 100 includes a wave transmitting / receiving unit 102, a control unit 104, and a power supply unit 106. The underwater exploration device 100 has a function of detecting an object in water and on the bottom of the water by using ultrasonic waves propagating in water, and is also called an ultrasonic sonar device.

The transmission / reception unit 102 has a function of transmitting ultrasonic waves and receiving the reflected waves. The frequency of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 102 is approximately in the range of 20 kHz to 400 kHz. The frequency of the ultrasonic wave output by the transmitting / receiving unit 102 is appropriately selected according to the application. Among the ultrasonic waves used for detecting an object, ultrasonic waves in a low frequency band such as 50 kHz have a strong penetrating force and have a property of being propagated to a long distance, and are therefore suitable for detecting a wide range. On the other hand, ultrasonic waves in a high frequency band such as 200 kHz are suitable for detection in a narrow range, and can perform detection with high accuracy. In the present embodiment, the transmission / reception unit 102 is configured to transmit ultrasonic waves of 50 kHz or 200 kHz as a single frequency, for example. Further, the transmission / reception unit 102 may be configured to transmit ultrasonic waves having a plurality of frequencies such as 50 kHz and 200 kHz.

The control unit 104 includes a transmission unit 108, a reception unit 110, and a data recording unit 112. The transmission unit 108 generates an ultrasonic signal and outputs it to the transmission / reception unit 102. The receiving unit 110 receives an ultrasonic signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit 102, amplifies the ultrasonic signal, and generates a received signal. The control unit 104 having such a configuration has a function of controlling the operation of the transmission / reception unit 102 and recording the reception signal received by the transmission / reception unit 102.

The control unit 104 may include a signal processing unit 114 and a display unit 116. The signal processing unit 114 reads a received signal from the data recording unit 112, or directly inputs the received signal from the receiving unit 110, and converts the received signal into an image signal. The display unit 116 displays the image signal generated by the signal processing unit 114 as an image. The underwater exploration device 100 can display the information detected by ultrasonic waves in real time or as an image after exploration by these functional units. For example, the underwater exploration device 100 can collect information about the school of fish detected by ultrasonic waves, and the collected information can be displayed on the display unit 116.

The power supply unit 106 includes a power supply circuit 118 and a secondary battery 120. The power supply circuit 118 has a function of controlling charging / discharging of the secondary battery 120. Further, the power supply circuit 118 has a function of supplying electric power to the control unit 104. The secondary battery 120 has a function of storing electric power and is used as a power source for the underwater exploration device 100.

The control unit 104 and the power supply unit 106 are housed in the sealed container 128, and the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 is arranged outside the sealed container 128. The control unit 104 housed in the sealed container 128 and the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 arranged outside the sealed container 128 are connected by a cable 126. A connector 122 is provided on the sealed container 128. The cable 126 extending from the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 is detachably provided by the connector 122. The connector 122 is watertight and is configured so that water does not enter the inside even if the sealed container 128 is submerged in water or the sea.

The sealed container 128 has pressure resistance and water resistance, and has a structure in which water does not infiltrate even when submerged in water. By housing the control unit 104 and the power supply unit 106 in the sealed container 128, the control unit 104 and the power supply unit 106 can operate even in water. That is, the underwater exploration device 100 can be installed in water and operated.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the physical configuration of the underwater exploration device 100 according to the present embodiment. The power supply unit 106 has a configuration in which the power supply circuit 118 and the secondary battery 120 are connected by a cable 126a. The power supply circuit 118 is formed of a printed circuit board on which a CPU or the like is mounted, and is housed in a waterproof / dustproof case 124. The waterproof / dustproof case 124 may have an openable / closable lid, or may be made of a plastic material such as a polycarbonate resin. As the secondary battery 120, a lead storage battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a lithium ion secondary battery, a lithium polymer secondary battery and the like are used.

As described above, the control unit 104 has functions as a transmission unit 108, a reception unit 110, and a data recording unit 112 (furthermore, it may have functions of a signal processing unit 114 and a display unit 116), and a cable. It is connected to the power supply circuit 118 by 126b. Although the data recording unit 112 is shown as being included in the control unit 104, the data recording unit 112 is not limited to this and may be provided as a separate body. For example, the data recording unit 112 may have a configuration in which an external storage drive such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive is used and is connected to the control unit 104. The power supply unit 106 and the control unit 104 are installed in the sealed container 128.

The wave transmitting / receiving unit 102, also called a sonar head, is connected by a cable 126c at a connector 122 watertightly provided in the sealed container 128. The wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 is composed of, for example, an oscillator using a piezoelectric ceramic. The connector 122 has a portion exposed from the sealed container and is connected to a cable extending from the control unit 104. Water resistant connectors are used for the connector portions of the cables 126a, 126b, and 126c.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a sealed container 128 that houses the control unit 104 and the power supply unit 106. In FIG. 3, (A) shows a top view of the sealed container 128, and (B) shows a front view. The sealed container 128 includes a main body 130 having a volume capable of accommodating the control unit 104 and the power supply unit 106, and a lid 132 that closes the main body 130. The main body 130 and the lid 132 are preferably made of a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, or a hard plastic such as polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride. By forming the main body 130 and the lid 132 with such a material, corrosion resistance can be enhanced, and water resistance and pressure resistance (water pressure resistance) can be obtained. Flange portions are provided on the main body portion 130 and the lid portion 132, sandwiching a sealing member 134 such as an O-ring, and being fixed by fasteners 136 such as bolts and nuts. With such a configuration, the sealed container 128 has pressure resistance and water resistance, and can be configured such that water does not enter the inside even if it is submerged in water. The main body 130 is provided with a connector 122 for connecting to the transmission / reception unit 102. The connector 122 has watertightness, and a connector that does not impair the sealing property of the sealed container 128 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 3, the power supply unit 106 and the control unit 104 are housed in the sealed container 128. With such a configuration, the underwater exploration device 100 can be installed and operated in water for a long time (long period). Further, since the connector 122 is provided in the sealed container 128 and the power supply unit 106 and the control unit 104 can be connected to and disconnected from the transmission / reception unit 102, the transmission / reception unit 102 can be installed in water while the transmission / reception unit 102 is installed in water. The power supply unit 106 and the control unit 104 can be recovered from the water for maintenance and data collection on land or on the water. The configuration shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the underwater exploration device 100 is not limited to the structure shown in the figure. The sealed container 128 has another form (not shown) as long as it can be installed in water, has pressure resistance and water resistance, and has a connector 122 that can be connected to the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102. May be good. For example, a container in which the lid portion 132 is screw-closed with respect to the main body portion 130 may be used.

FIG. 4 shows an example when the underwater exploration device 100 is installed underwater. The underwater exploration device 100 is installed so as to be fixed to a structure provided underwater (or underwater). For example, the underwater exploration device 100 is installed in a storage container 140 fixed to a pile 138 driven into the bottom of the water or the seabed. A wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 is installed on the pile 138, and is connected to a connector 122 provided on the sealed container 128 by a cable 126c.

The underwater exploration device 100 charges the secondary battery 120 on water or on land, and sets and adjusts the control unit 104. The sealed container 128 is carried into water by a diver and installed in a predetermined place (for example, a place where the storage container 140 is installed). By having the connector 122, the sealed container 128 can be easily connected to the cable 126c connected to the transmission / reception unit 102. With such a configuration, the diver does not need to perform complicated work in water, and the sealed container 128 can be easily installed and collected. Since the sealed container 128 is stored in the storage container 140 in water (or underwater), it can be stably installed so as not to be washed away by water current (ocean current), and also underwater plants (for example, seaweed) and It is possible to prevent the adhesion of aquatic organisms (for example, shellfish).

The sealed container 128 carried underwater (or underwater) is connected to the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 by the connector 122, and an underwater (or underwater) monitoring operation is performed. Then, after a predetermined time (predetermined period) has elapsed, the sealed container 128 is recovered from water (or underwater) and transported on water or on land. The sealed container 128 transported on water or on land is opened, and the data recorded in the data recording unit 112 is collected. In addition, maintenance work such as charging the secondary battery 120 is performed.

As described above, the underwater exploration device 100 according to the present embodiment can perform fixed point observation by installing the main body including the control unit 104 and the power supply unit 106 in water as well as the transmission / reception unit 102. According to the present embodiment, in the underwater exploration device 100, the sealed container 128 is separated from the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 installed in the water, and the secondary battery 120 is charged and super-charged by reciprocating between the water and the water or land. Information obtained by ultrasonic waves can be collected on water or on land. Further, since the sealed container 128 has pressure resistance and water resistance, the control unit 104 can be operated as long as the power supply from the power supply unit 106 continues, and the underwater (or underwater) state can be monitored for a long time. ..

The place where the wave transmitting / receiving unit 102 and the sealed container 128 are installed is not limited to the pile, and can be attached to an underwater (or underwater) structure such as a fixed net or a fence of a farm. Furthermore, it can be installed in the underwater part of the pier, the foundation pile of the offshore wind power generation facility, and the like.

The ultrasonic waves transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 102 have directivity. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the transmission / reception unit 102 is fixed at a fixed point, only a certain direction can be observed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of transmission / reception units 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d and sealed containers 128a, 128b, 128c, 128d are provided in water (or underwater), and the plurality of transmission / reception units 102a, 102b, 102c are provided. By making the directions of, 102d different, a wide range can be observed. In this case, the transmission / reception unit 102c that observes a relatively narrow range transmits high-frequency ultrasonic waves (for example, 200 to 400 kHz), and the transmission / reception units 102a, 102b, 102d that observe the other wide range are Low frequency ultrasonic waves (eg, 50 kHz to less than 200 kHz) may be transmitted.

In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the underwater exploration device 100 may be provided with various sensors, cameras, and the like as shown in FIG. For example, the underwater exploration device 100 is provided with various sensors such as a GPS sensor 142, a temperature sensor 144, and a pressure sensor 146, a camera 148, and the like. The underwater exploration device 100 can obtain the installed position information by providing the GPS sensor 142. The position information detected by the GPS sensor 142 is stored in the data recording unit 112, so that the position where the information such as the school of fish searched by ultrasonic waves is acquired can be specified. The underwater exploration device 100 can detect the water temperature at the measurement point by having the temperature sensor 144. The information on the water temperature measured by the temperature sensor 144 is stored in the data recording unit 112, so that the relationship between the water temperature and the size and movement of the school of fish or the like searched by ultrasonic waves can be investigated. Further, since the underwater exploration device 100 has the pressure sensor 146, the water depth at the measurement point can be indirectly known. The information on the water pressure measured by the pressure sensor 146 is stored in the data recording unit 112, so that it is possible to investigate the relationship between the size and movement of the school of fish or the like searched by ultrasonic waves and the water depth.

Since the underwater exploration device 100 has a camera 148, it is possible to visually observe information about a school of fish detected by ultrasonic waves. That is, by using the image pickup by the camera 148 in addition to the detection by ultrasonic waves, it is possible to know the fish species forming the school of fish, and to visually know the ecology of the place where the underwater exploration device 100 is installed. Can be done. Therefore, it is preferable that the camera 148 is installed adjacent to the transmission / reception unit 102 in a direction in which ultrasonic waves are transmitted.

Further, although not shown, a configuration in which a solar cell panel is installed on the water surface and used as an auxiliary power source for the power supply unit 106 may be applied. By using such an auxiliary power source, the driving time of the underwater exploration device in water or underwater can be extended. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which an antenna for wireless communication is provided on the water, a communication circuit for wireless communication is provided in the control unit 104, and the control unit 104 and the antenna are connected. With such a configuration, it is possible to observe the state underwater or underwater in real time.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the underwater exploration device 100 may be provided with a time measuring unit 150 (timer). Since the underwater exploration device 100 has the time measuring unit 150, the time during which the control unit 104 operates can be set. The underwater exploration device 100 can control the time and period for ultrasonically exploring underwater or underwater information by the time measuring unit 150. For example, the underwater exploration device 100 can intermittently perform ultrasonic exploration by the time measuring unit 150. With such a setting, the underwater exploration device 100 can perform exploration for only a few hours in a day, and can perform observation for a long period of time by suppressing consumption of the secondary battery 120.

As described above, the underwater exploration device 100 according to the present embodiment operates in a state of being installed in water, and the data obtained by exploration on water or on land is evaluated. Such an underwater exploration device 100 can be useful for environmental evaluation by observing the distribution and movement of organisms and the like in water or in the sea. For example, when installed in a set net, it can contribute to the investigation of migratory fish schools and can be used for the analysis of marine resources. Furthermore, in order to install wind power generation on the sea, it is necessary to drive foundation piles into the sea. In such a case, by installing the underwater exploration device 100 in the underwater portion of the foundation pile, it is possible to search for a school of fish and investigate the impact of pile driving on the ecological environment. In such a case, since the underwater exploration device 100 is only large enough to be carried by the diver, the influence on the environment due to the installation can be ignored. Further, since the underwater exploration device 100 operates unmanned, the human burden and the economic burden can be reduced.

100 ... Underwater exploration device, 102 ... Transmission / reception unit, 104 ... Control unit, 106 ... Power supply unit, 108 ... Transmission unit, 110 ... Reception unit, 112 ... Data recording Unit, 114 ... signal processing unit, 116 ... display unit, 118 ... power supply circuit, 120 ... secondary battery, 122 ... connector, 124 ... case, 126 ... cable, 128 ... Sealed container, 130 ... Main body, 132 ... Lid, 134 ... Seal member, 136 ... Fastener, 138 ... Pile, 140 ... Storage container, 142.・ ・ GPS sensor, 144 ・ ・ ・ temperature sensor, 146 ・ ・ ・ pressure sensor, 148 ・ ・ ・ camera, 150 ・ ・ ・ timing part

Claims (9)

A transmitter / receiver that transmits ultrasonic waves and receives the reflected waves,
A transmission unit that generates an ultrasonic signal to be output to the transmission / reception unit, a reception unit that receives and amplifies the ultrasonic signal received by the transmission / reception unit to generate a reception signal, and data recording for recording the reception signal. And the control unit, including
A power supply unit that has a secondary battery and a power supply circuit and supplies power to the control unit,
A sealed container that houses and seals the control unit and the power supply unit,
A connector unit provided in the sealed container and connecting the wave transmitting / receiving unit and the control unit, and
Underwater exploration device. The underwater exploration device according to claim 1, wherein the wave transmitting / receiving unit is detachably provided from the control unit at the connector unit. The underwater exploration device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a signal processing unit that converts the received signal into an image signal, and a display unit that displays an image generated by the image signal. The underwater exploration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a time measuring unit that controls the operating time of the control unit. The underwater exploration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising any one or more of a GPS sensor, a temperature sensor, a water depth sensor, and an illuminance sensor. The underwater exploration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealed container has pressure resistance. The underwater exploration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a camera juxtaposed with the wave transmitting / receiving unit, and the data recording unit recording an image taken by the camera. The underwater exploration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage container for storing the sealed container. The underwater exploration device according to claim 8, wherein the wave transmitting / receiving unit and the storage container are placed in water, and the sealed container is detachably fixed to the storage container.

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