Underwater mobile body and non-transitory computer readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10716299-B2
Application number	US-201715591219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 15, 2016
Publication date	Jul 21, 2020
Grant date	Jul 21, 2020

Abstract

An underwater mobile body includes: a movement control unit that controls movement underwater; a detection unit that moves underwater under the control of the movement control unit and that detects a position of a fish; and a guidance unit that guides the fish based on the position of the fish detected by the detection unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An underwater mobile body comprising:
a controller configured to control a movement of the underwater mobile body that is fully submerged underwater;
a first detector configured to detect a position of a fish in water; and
a guidance generator configured to guide the fish based on the position of the fish detected by the first detector,
wherein the guidance generator guides the fish in a direction of a fishing net that is physically separated from the underwater mobile body, the fishing net being set in advance in a direction of a virtual line connecting the underwater mobile body and the fish, and
wherein the underwater mobile body further comprises:
a processor configured to:
determine whether a distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to a first threshold value;
calculate at least one of a movement direction or a movement speed to move the underwater mobile body closer to the fish based on the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish being less than or equal to the first threshold value;
determine whether the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to a second threshold value; and
output information to control the guidance generator to output a signal to guide the fish to a target location based on the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to the second threshold value.

2. The underwater mobile body according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guidance generator guides the fish in a direction in which the fish moves away from the underwater mobile body.

3. The underwater mobile body according to claim 2 ,
wherein the guidance generator generates waves which move toward the fish to stimulate the fish, and guides the fish in the direction in which the fish moves away from the underwater mobile body.

4. The underwater mobile body according to claim 3 ,
wherein the guidance generator generates the waves which move toward the fish, and guides the fish based on the waves in the direction of the fishing net.

5. The underwater mobile body according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller controls the movement of the underwater mobile body to move in a predetermined formation with other underwater mobile bodies present in surroundings of the underwater mobile body.

6. The underwater mobile body according to claim 1 ,
wherein based on information obtained from at least one of an imaging camera that captures an image of surroundings of the underwater mobile body and a second detector that detects a fish school in the surroundings of the underwater mobile body, the first detector detects a type of the fish or a size of the fish school including the fish.

7. The underwater mobile body according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guidance generator guides the fish in a direction in which the fish moves closer to the underwater mobile body.

8. The underwater mobile body according to claim 7 , further comprising
a feed spreader that spreads feed over the fish guided in the direction in which the fish moves closer to the underwater mobile body.

9. The underwater mobile body according to claim 7 ,
wherein the guidance generator emits light towards the fish, and guides the fish in the direction in which the fish moves closer to the underwater mobile body.

10. The underwater mobile body according to claim 9 ,
wherein the guidance generator changes an intensity of the light emitted towards the fish according to a distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish.

11. The underwater mobile body according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first detector captures an image of fish present in surroundings of the underwater mobile body, and
when the fish whose image has been captured by the first detector satisfies a predetermined condition, the guidance generator guides the fish in the direction in which the fish moves closer to the underwater mobile body.

12. The underwater mobile body according to claim 11 ,
wherein when the image captured by the first detector includes a plurality of fish, the guidance generator guides a fish which is out of the plurality of fish and which has a size or a movement speed satisfying a predetermined condition.

13. The underwater mobile body according to claim 1 , wherein the underwater mobile body is configured to autonomously navigate fully underwater.

14. The underwater mobile body according to claim 13 , wherein the underwater mobile body is configured to move in coordination with one or more other autonomous underwater bodies that are fully submerged in underwater.

15. The underwater mobile body according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera configured to capture an image including a plurality of fish; and
a feed spreader that spreads feed,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
identify an individual target fish, among the plurality of fish in the captured image,
control the underwater mobile body to move closer to the identified target fish, and
control the feed spread over the target fish.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to implement functions, the functions comprising:
controlling a movement of an underwater mobile body that is fully submerged underwater;
detecting a position of a fish in water; and
guiding the fish based on the detected position of the fish,
wherein the fish is guided in a direction of a fishing net that is physically separated from the underwater drone, the fishing net being set in advance in a direction of a virtual line connecting the underwater mobile drone and the fish, and
wherein the functions further comprises:
determining whether a distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to a first threshold value;
calculating at least one of a movement direction or a movement speed to move the underwater mobile body closer to the fish based on the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish being less than or equal to the first threshold value;
determining whether the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to a second threshold value; and
outputting information to control a guidance generator output a signal to guide the fish to a target location the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to the second threshold value.

17. An underwater drone comprising:
a memory configured to store one or more instructions; and
a processor configured to:
control a movement of the underwater drone that is fully submerged underwater;
detect a position of a fish in water; and
guide the fish based on the detected position of the fish,

wherein the processor is further configured to guide the fish in a direction of a fishing net that is physically separated from the underwater drone, the fishing net being set in advance in a direction of a virtual line connecting the underwater mobile drone and the fish, and
wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine whether a distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to a first threshold value;
calculate at least one of a movement direction or a movement speed to move the underwater mobile body closer to the fish based on the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish being less than or equal to the first threshold value;
determine whether the distance between the underwater mobile body and the fish is less than or equal to a second threshold value; and

output inform

Assignees

• Fuji Xerox Co Ltd

Inventors

• Baba Motofumi
• Kimura Tsutomu
• Tokuchi Kengo
• Yamauchi Akihito
• Nemoto Yoshihiko
• Sato Masahiro

Classifications

• G05D1/0094

  involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target · CPC title

• G05D1/0692

  specially adapted for under-water vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/0206

  specially adapted to water vehicles · CPC title

• G01S15/96 Primary

  for locating fish · CPC title

• Y02A40/81

  Aquaculture, e.g. of fish · CPC title