Submersible vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12515772-B2
Application number	US-202217947586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2022
Priority date	Mar 19, 2020
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A submersible vessel includes: a hull; a propulsor that propels the hull; a front sensor that sequentially detects locations of an inspection target in front of the hull; a controller that controls the propulsor such that the hull passes through above the detected locations; a movable arm attached to an arm reference point of the hull; an inspection tool at the movable arm that inspects the inspection target; and a position detector that acquires positional information including a position, attitude, or speed of the hull. Based on the information from the position detector, the controller estimates a pass-through position of the arm reference point after a predetermined time. The controller controls the movable arm such that before the time elapses, a positional relation between the arm reference point and inspection tool becomes a positional relation between the estimated pass-through position and a target point on or above each location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A submersible vessel comprising:
a hull; a propulsor that propels the hull; a front sensor that sequentially detects locations of an elongated inspection target in front of the hull, the inspection target being disposed on a water bottom; a controller that controls the propulsor such that the hull passes through above the detected locations; a movable arm attached to an arm reference point of the hull; an inspection tool that is disposed at the movable arm and inspects the inspection target; and a position detector that acquires positional information including at least one of a position, an attitude, or a speed of the hull, wherein: based on the positional information acquired by the position detector, the controller estimates a pass-through position of the arm reference point after a predetermined time; the controller sets a virtual location between two adjacent locations among the locations; based on the positional information acquired by the position detector, the controller estimates the pass-through position of the arm reference point after the predetermined time; and the controller controls the movable arm such that before the predetermined time elapses, a positional relation between the arm reference point and the inspection tool becomes a positional relation between the estimated pass-through position and a target point on or above each location or on or above the virtual location.

2 . The submersible vessel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the controller acquires a latest position, a latest attitude, and a latest speed of the hull from the position detector; and the controller estimates the pass-through position of the arm reference point after the predetermined time on an assumption that the hull moves for the predetermined time from the latest position at a same speed as the latest speed while maintaining the latest attitude.

3 . The submersible vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the virtual location on a straight line connecting the two adjacent locations.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Okaya Noriyuki
• Tachinami Fumitaka
• Kaga Yuki
• Okimura Yusuke
• Hashimoto Satoshi
• Koyano Kaoru
• Sato Osamu

Classifications

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · CPC title

• F16L1/265

  Underwater vehicles moving on the bottom · CPC title

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63G8/001 Primary

  Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42) · CPC title

• B63C11/52 Primary

  Tools specially adapted for working underwater, not otherwise provided for · CPC title