Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Daitron Technology Co., Ltd.

Minehiko Mukaida

Noriyuki Okaya

Fumitaka Tachinami

Takashi Okada

Hiroshi Sakaue

Masayuki Enomoto

Akira Kimura

Tetsuya Kubota

Masanori Hamamatsu

Hiroaki Kagaya

Kazuya Sumino

Akiyoshi Saiki

Yuki Kaga

Koichi Fukui

Kosuke Masuda

Shinichi Miyata

Manabu Matsui

Kazuyuki Nakamura

Masaki Hori

Takashi Koyabu

Makoto Mukai

Takeru Kuzuya

Toshiya Hayashi

Seiji Kashiwagi

Yusuke Okimura

Noriyukí Okaya

An underwater vehicle system includes: a first underwater vehicle configured to perform work in water while moving in a predetermined proceeding direction; and a second underwater vehicle configured to replace the first underwater vehicle and perform work in water. When the second underwater vehicle replaces the first underwater vehicle, the second underwater vehicle approaches the first underwater vehicle based on a signal transmitted from the first underwater vehicle.

Underwater vehicle system and working method

An AUV includes: an underwater vehicle main body configured to sail along an inspection object located in water or on the bottom of the water; an arm extending from the underwater vehicle main body; an inspection tool portion including a contact portion configured to contact the inspection object and an inspection device configured to inspect the inspection object; and a passive joint provided between the arm and the inspection tool portion and configured to allow passive rotation of the inspection tool portion relative to the arm about at least one axis.

Autonomous underwater vehicle

A working method using an AUV includes a step of working on a work object with a work device included in the AUV while causing the AUV to sail along the work object, a step of dropping and sinking a transponder to the bottom of water, a step of causing the AUV to sail toward a return destination, and a step of resuming work on the work object by causing the AUV to sail from a return destination to the vicinity of a work suspended position, at which work on the work object is suspended, based on information obtained by acoustic positioning using the transponder that is sunk to the bottom of water.

Working method using autonomous underwater vehicle

A charging system includes a charging station having: a base underwater; a pole extending in an upper-lower direction; and a power supplying portion. An AUV includes: an underwater main body; a power receiving portion; a holding device including a pair of guide and holding portions, the pair of guide portions guides the pole to a holding position after the pole contacts the guide portions from a proceeding-direction, the holding portion holds the pole to be rotatable relative to the pole; a thrust generating apparatus generates in a horizontal direction; and a control device controls the thrust generating apparatus. A light emitter at one of the base and the underwater main body, and a light receiver is provided at the other. The control device controls the thrust so the underwater main body reaches a rotational position where the light receiver receives light emitted, the rotational position set relative to the pole.

Charging system for autonomous underwater vehicle and method of lifting and recovering autonomous underwater vehicle

An AUV support system includes: a surface ship; an underwater station configured to support an AUV which autonomously sails in water; and a cable connecting the surface ship and the underwater station. The cable includes: a first cable portion extending downward from the surface ship through a water surface when the underwater station is suspended in the water by the cable from the surface ship that is in a stop state on the water; a second cable portion extending upward from a lower end portion of the first cable portion when the underwater station is suspended as above; and a third cable portion extending downward from an upper end portion of the second cable portion and connected to the underwater station when the underwater station is suspended as above.

Autonomous underwater vehicle support system

An underwater power supply system includes: a working apparatus arranged underwater with at least one power receiving pad; a first battery unit detachably attached to the apparatus with a power supplying pad and battery, the pad configured to supply electric power to the power receiving pad in a non-contact state, the battery electrically connected to the power supplying pad; and an underwater sailing body configured to shuttle between the apparatus and a surface ship or an underwater station suspended from the surface ship, the body configured to carry a second battery unit to the apparatus, detach the first battery unit from the apparatus, and attach the second battery unit to the apparatus, the second battery unit including a power supplying pad and battery, the pad configured to supply the electric power to the power receiving pad in a non-contact state, the battery electrically connected to the power supplying pad.

Underwater power supply system

An underwater mobile inspection apparatus capable of inspecting an inspection object on a seafloor while cruising includes a cruising body configured to submerge under-water and cruise along the inspection object so as to not come into contact with the inspection object, a first movable arm provided on the cruising-body, and an inspection tool unit provided on the first movable arm and including at least one of an image-capturing camera for use in visually inspecting the inspection object and a device configured to inspect a wall thickness of the inspection object by using an ultrasonic wave. A controller is configured to, when the cruising-body cruises along the inspection object so as to not come into contact with the inspection object, operate the first movable arm to move the inspection tool unit, such that a positional relationship of the inspection tool unit with the inspection object becomes a predetermined target positional relationship.

Underwater mobile inspection apparatus and underwater inspection equipment

A charging system for an autonomous underwater vehicle includes: a sea floating body; a charging station suspended in water from the body through a string-shaped body and located downstream of the sea floating body by receiving a water flow, the station including a noncontact electricity supplying portion located away from the string-shaped body; and an autonomous underwater vehicle coupled to the station that is rotatable about the string-shaped body, the vehicle including a noncontact electricity receiving portion configured to receive electricity supplied from the supplying portion, wherein: the station takes by the water flow such a posture that the noncontact electricity supplying portion is located downstream of the string-shaped body in a water flow direction; and when the vehicle is coupled to the station, the vehicle takes by the water flow such a posture that the receiving portion is located downstream of the string-shaped body in the water flow direction.

Charging system for autonomous underwater vehicle

An autonomous underwater vehicle including an underwater vehicle main body incorporating a power source, a buoy connected to the underwater vehicle main body through a rope, and an ejector configured to, with the underwater vehicle main body floating on a sea surface, eject the buoy from the underwater vehicle main body by compressed gas in an obliquely upward direction.

An underwater actuator includes: a housing to be immersed under water; a cylinder chamber formed in the housing; a piston accommodated in the cylinder chamber so the piston is movable in a sliding manner in the cylinder chamber, the piston dividing the cylinder chamber into a first and a second pressure receiving chambers; a rod extending from the piston to the first pressure receiving chamber side, the rod penetrating the housing; a release chamber formed in the housing, having an internal pressure kept lower than a water pressure outside of the housing; and a switching mechanism including: a first switcher configured to switch a communication state between the second pressure receiving chamber and the outside of the housing to allow or block communication therebetween; and a second switcher configured to switch a communication state between the second pressure receiving chamber and the release chamber to allow or block communication therebetween.

Underwater actuator and underwater vehicle including the same

An underwater docking system for an autonomous underwater vehicle, the underwater docking system including: an underwater station including a base mount fixed to a seabed and a circular frame member supported by the base mount and parallel to a horizontal plane; and an autonomous underwater vehicle configured to dock with the underwater station while sailing through an upper side of the frame member, wherein: the autonomous underwater vehicle includes an underwater vehicle main body.

Underwater docking system for autonomous underwater vehicle

An underwater mobile inspection apparatus capable of inspecting an inspection object on a seafloor while cruising; including a cruising body configured to submerge under-water and cruise along the inspection object so as to not come into contact with the inspection object, a first movable arm provided on the cruising-body, and an inspection tool unit provided on the first movable arm and including at least one of an image-capturing camera for use in visually inspecting the inspection object and a device configured to inspect a wall thickness of the inspection object by using an ultrasonic wave. A controller is configured to, when the cruising-body cruises along the inspection object so as to not come into contact with the inspection object, operate the first movable arm to move the inspection tool unit, such that a positional relationship of the inspection tool unit with the inspection object becomes a predetermined target positional relationship.

In a visible light communication system including a transmission device and a receiving device arranged separately in a vertical direction and provided so as to relatively move in a horizontal direction, which transmits data from the transmission device to the receiving device by optical space transmission using visible light, the transmission device includes a first light emitting part outputting visible light, and the first light emitting part has a light source emitting visible light and a correction part correcting the light radiated from the light source so as to uniform a light intensity distribution on a horizontal plane. Even when the transmission device and the receiving device arranged separately in the vertical direction relatively move in a horizontal direction, data can be stably transmitted and received by the optical space transmission using visible light.

Visible light communication system

An underwater mobile inspection apparatus is capable of inspecting a subsea pipeline (inspection object) while cruising. The underwater mobile inspection apparatus includes: a cruising body configured to submerge under water and cruise along the inspection object in such a manner as not to come into contact with the subsea pipeline; a first movable arm provided on the cruising body; an inspection tool unit for use in inspecting the subsea pipeline, the inspection tool unit being provided on the first movable arm; and a controller configured to, when the cruising body cruises along the subsea pipeline in such a manner as not to come into contact with the subsea pipeline, operate the first movable arm to move the inspection tool unit, such that a positional relationship of the inspection tool unit with the subsea pipeline becomes a predetermined target positional relationship.

Growing community of inventors

Kobe, Japan

Minehiko Mukaida