Underwater work support device and underwater work support method

Abstract

To provide an underwater work support device and an underwater work support method which are capable of efficiently providing useful information to a diver.SOLUTION: This underwater work support device 1 includes: a floating body 10 floating on water; projection means 11 loaded on the floating body; floating body posture measuring means for measuring the position and direction of the floating body 10; and support object posture measuring means for measuring the position and direction of a diver 4; and projection control means for controlling the imaging position and direction of an image 6 projected from the projection means 11, and projects the image 6 in an accurate projection position and direction to the diver 4 based on the floating body posture information and the support subject posture information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater work support device and an underwater work support method for supporting underwater work by divers. [Background technology]

[0002] In marine construction work, etc., work by divers is often required. In such cases, support information is provided to the divers working underwater from ships on the surface, etc., in order to improve the safety of the divers and their work efficiency.

[0003] Conventionally, support information has been provided to divers by having them carry a waterproof and pressure-resistant information terminal that transmits information such as dive time, water depth, water temperature, and number of dives to the information terminal, which the diver can visually confirm, or by transmitting the information by voice (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Additionally, a method has been developed for a diver to determine his or her own location in which multiple transmitters, each emitting a unique ultrasonic wave, are placed on the bottom of the water, and the diver's location is determined based on the time it takes for the unique ultrasonic wave emitted from each transmitter to reach a terminal carried by the diver (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-196259 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-172629 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, with the conventional techniques as described above, depending on the task, it may be difficult to operate the terminal underwater, and there is a risk that support information may not be accurately grasped when needed.

[0007] In addition, underwater, it is difficult to obtain information that allows divers to grasp their own relative position, and divers tend to lose track of their own position and direction, resulting in poor work efficiency.

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been made with an object to provide an underwater work support device and an underwater work support method that can efficiently provide useful information to divers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The feature of the invention described in claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems is that an underwater work support device for supporting underwater work of a support target comprises a float floating on the water, a projection means mounted on the float, a float attitude measurement means for measuring the position and direction of the float, a support target attitude measurement means for measuring the position and direction of the support target, and a projection control means for controlling the projection position and direction of an image projected from the projection means, and the projection control means is configured to project the image at an accurate projection position and direction relative to the support target based on float attitude information from the float attitude measurement means and support target attitude information from the support target attitude measurement means.

[0010] The invention as recited in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, a support target situation detection means is provided for measuring the situation of the support target, and the projection control means projects an image displaying information from the support target situation detection means.

[0011] The feature of the invention described in claim 3 is that in an underwater work support method for supporting underwater work of a support target, the position and direction of a float floating on the water are measured by a float attitude measurement means, and the position and direction of the support target are measured by a support target attitude measurement means, and based on the float attitude information from the float attitude measurement means and the support target attitude information from the support target attitude measurement means, a projection means mounted on the float projects an image useful for the support target at an accurate projection position and direction relative to the support target, thereby guiding the support target.

[0012] The invention as recited in claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration as recited in claim 3, a planned course of the support target is projected as an image useful to the support target.

[0013] The invention as set forth in claim 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 3, information relating to the task time of the support target is projected as an image useful to the support target.

[0014] The invention as recited in claim 6 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration as recited in claim 3, information regarding the depth of the support target is projected as an image useful for the support target.

[0015] The invention as recited in claim 7 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 3, a mesh image formed by a plurality of lines intersecting each other is projected as a useful image on the support subject. Effect of the Invention

[0016] By being equipped with the configuration described in claim 1, the underwater work support device of the present invention makes it easier for divers to grasp their own position even underwater, and allows them to obtain useful information even while working without having to carry a terminal themselves, thereby improving work efficiency underwater.

[0017] Furthermore, in the present invention, by incorporating the configuration described in claim 2, the diver's situation, such as depth, diving time, position, and water current speed, can be grasped without using a terminal.

[0018] By incorporating the configuration described in claim 3, the underwater work support method of the present invention makes it easier for divers to grasp their own position even underwater, and allows them to obtain useful information even while working without having to carry a terminal themselves, thereby improving the efficiency of work underwater.

[0019] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration described in claim 4, a diver can move in a desired direction without losing track of his or her position even underwater.

[0020] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration described in claim 5, it is possible to accurately grasp the diving time etc. underwater where it is difficult to get a sense of time, thereby improving safety.

[0021] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration recited in claim 6, a diver can accurately grasp the depth underwater.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration described in claim 7, it is possible to visualize the undulations of the bottom of the water and submerged objects underwater. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of an underwater support device according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a projection unit in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1A is a plan view showing an example of a projected image, FIG. 1B is a plan view showing another example of the same, and FIG. 1C is a plan view showing yet another example of the same. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a mesh image projected, where (a) shows a case where the bottom surface of the water is flat, and (b) shows a case where the bottom surface of the water has undulations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Next, an embodiment of the underwater support device and the underwater support method using the same according to the present invention will be described based on the examples shown in Figures 1 to 5. In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes the underwater support device, reference numeral 2 denotes the bottom of the water, and reference numeral 3 denotes the water surface. In this embodiment, the case where the support target is a diver will be described as an example, and reference numeral 4 denotes the diver.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the underwater support device 1 includes a projection unit 5 floating on the water, and projects an image 6 useful to a diver 4 from the projection unit 5 into the water to support the diver 4 in his / her underwater work.

[0026] In addition, this underwater support device 1 is equipped with a support target attitude measurement means for measuring the position and direction of the diver 4, and a projection control means for controlling the projection position and direction of the image 6 projected from the projection unit 5, enabling it to provide accurate information according to the situation of the diver 4.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the projection unit 5 comprises a float 10 floating on the water, a projection means 11 mounted on the float 10, and a float attitude measurement means for measuring the position and direction of the float 10, and is configured to project an image 6 from above the water toward the bottom 2 of the water by the projection means 11.

[0028] The form of the floating body 10 is not particularly limited, but it is designed to provide stable buoyancy when carrying the necessary equipment.

[0029] In addition, it is desirable for the floating body 10 to be equipped with a propulsive force such as a thruster so that it can move to a desired position and rotate in a desired orientation (direction). Note that the orientation of the floating body 10 here refers to the angle (azimuth angle) that a specific direction of the floating body 10 forms with respect to a reference axis of a predetermined coordinate system.

[0030] The projection means 11 is composed of an optical device with a projection function such as a projector, and is equipped with a powerful light source capable of projecting onto the bottom 2 of the water at a maximum depth of approximately -50m that a diver can dive to, and an optical system suitable for underwater projection, and is installed so as to be able to project downward from the bottom surface of the float 10.

[0031] Moreover, it is preferable that the projection means 11 is provided with a depth sounder (not shown) that measures the distance between the optical device (float 10) and the projection surface (bottom of the water 2) so that the focus of the optical system can be adjusted based on the measurement data. The depth sounder is not particularly limited, but for example, one that measures the time it takes for an ultrasonic wave emitted from a transmitter to be reflected by the projection surface (sea bottom surface) and return, and calculates the distance from the measurement value, is used.

[0032] The float attitude measurement means is composed of a GNSS compass 12 mounted on the float 10, and can measure the current position (x, y) and azimuth angle θ of the float 10 in a predetermined coordinate system, and the measurement data is transmitted to a control terminal (not shown) constituting a projection control means provided on the diver's ship 14 via a communication device 13 mounted on the float 10.

[0033] The floating body 10 is also provided with a control device 15 (computer device) that constitutes a projection control means, and is adapted to control the projection of the image 6 by the projection means 11, the focus, and the movement and direction change of the floating body 10.

[0034] The floating body attitude measuring means may be provided with a wave height measuring instrument consisting of a motion inclinometer and an acceleration sensor, and the information may be output to a control terminal constituting a projection control means provided on the diver's boat 14.

[0035] The supported attitude measurement means uses an underwater positioning system equipped with a transponder carried by the diver 4 and a transmitter / receiver installed on the diver's ship 14, and by performing two-way acoustic communication between the transponder and the transmitter / receiver, it calculates the position (X, Y) and direction of the diver 4 carrying the transponder, and transmits this data to a control terminal that constitutes the projection control means.

[0036] Furthermore, the supported attitude measurement means can infer the situation of the diver 4, such as his / her orientation, based on the number of transponders carried by the diver 4, and can provide effective support to the diver 4, such as making it easier for the diver 4 to see by projecting the image 6 by the projection means 11 forward in the direction of movement.

[0037] For example, if diver 4 carries one transponder, the direction and orientation of diver 4 movement can be estimated by determining the position of the transponder before and after diver 4 movement.

[0038] Furthermore, by carrying two transponders and having diver 4 change positions to wear the transponders and confirming the positions of the transponders in advance, it is possible to determine the forward and backward positions of diver 4 even when diver 4 is stopped from the position of the transponders. For example, by wearing transponders at intervals along the body axis, such as on the head and waist, it is possible to determine the direction of the diver even when stopped if the body axis is tilted, and by wearing transponders at intervals along the body width, such as on both shoulders or both sides of the waist, it is possible to determine the direction of the diver even when stopped with the body axis facing vertically.

[0039] Furthermore, by carrying three transponders and attaching one to the diver's 4 head and the other two to either side of the waist, or one to the waist and the other to either the left or right shoulder, so as to form a triangle with the head transponder at the top, it is possible to accurately determine the position of the diver's head even when diver 4 is stationary and estimate the appropriate direction of the diver. Furthermore, it is possible to estimate whether the diver's head is facing up or down based on the relative positional relationship between the water depth of the head-mounted transponder and the water depth of the other transponders.

[0040] Furthermore, the support target posture measurement means also serves as support target situation detection means for measuring the condition of the diver 4, and it is preferable to be able to measure the diver 4's physical data such as diving time, water depth, amount of saturated nitrogen, etc., as well as the diver 4's condition (information) related to safety, and it is preferable to output this information to the projection control means and have the projection means 11 project an image 6 displaying the information from the support target situation detection means.

[0041] The support target attitude measuring means and the support target situation detecting means are not limited to the above-mentioned underwater positioning system, and may be, for example, a terminal such as a so-called diving computer that can be carried by the diver 4, which measures the water depth, immersion time, water temperature, water pressure, maximum water depth, infinite pressure diving time, etc., and transmits them via wire or wirelessly to a control terminal constituting the projection control means. For wireless communication, it is preferable to use optical communication.

[0042] The projection control means is composed of a control terminal such as a PC installed on the diver's ship 14, and is equipped with a position calculation unit that calculates the planned movement position (x, y) of the float 10 so that the image 6 can be projected at a position on the water bottom 2 suitable for projection based on the current position (x, y) of the float 10 output from the float attitude measurement means and the position (X, Y) of the diver 4 output from the support target attitude measurement means, an orientation calculation unit that calculates an orientation (azimuth angle θ) suitable for projecting the image 6, and an image selection unit that selects the image 6 to be projected, and based on the results from each unit, sends commands via the communication device 13 to the control device 15 mounted on the float 10 to control the projection position and direction of the image 6 projected from the projection means 11.

[0043] Next, a description will be given of an underwater work support method using this underwater support device 1. Note that the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0044] First, when the diver 4 begins diving, the support target attitude measurement means begins measuring the attitude of the diver 4, specifically the current position (X, Y), water depth and direction of the diver 4, and the measurement data is output at any time from the support target attitude measurement means to a control terminal constituting the projection control means via wired or wireless connection.

[0045] Meanwhile, the projection unit 5 is floated on the water, and measurement of the attitude of the float 10, specifically the current position (x, y) and azimuth angle θ of the float 10, is started using the GNSS compass 12, which is the float attitude measurement means, and the measurement data is output at any time from the float attitude measurement means to a control terminal constituting the projection control means via wired or wireless connection.

[0046] The projection control means then calculates the planned movement position (x, y) and azimuth angle θ of the float 10, which will be the accurate projection position and direction for the diver 4, based on the measurement data (float attitude information) of the current position (x, y) and azimuth angle θ of the float 10 obtained by the float attitude measurement means, and the measurement data (support target attitude information) of the diver 4's position (X, Y) and water depth, etc. obtained by the support target attitude measurement means.

[0047] Next, the projection control means transmits a command signal via wire or wirelessly to the control device 15 of the float 10, and the control device 15 operates a propulsion means such as a thruster to move the float 10 to the desired position (x, y) and orientation θ, while projecting an image 6 useful to the diver 4 from the projection means 11 mounted on the float 10.

[0048] Examples of images 6 useful to the diver 4 include an image 6 consisting of arrows or the like shown in Figure 4(a) indicating the planned route to the destination as seen by the diver 4, information regarding the work time of the support target shown in Figure 4(b), and information regarding the depth of the diver 4 shown in Figure 4(c).

[0049] As an image 6 useful to the diver 4, a mesh image formed by a plurality of mutually intersecting vertical lines 6a, 6a . . . and horizontal lines 6b, 6b .

[0050] When the mesh image is projected onto the water bottom 2, if the water bottom 2 is flat, the vertical lines 6a, 6a... and horizontal lines 6b, 6b... that make up the mesh image 6 are maintained in straight lines, as shown in Figure 5(a), and the mesh image is projected as a grid-like plane.

[0051] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5 (b), if an undulating portion 2a is present on the water bottom 2, the vertical lines 6a, 6a... and horizontal lines 6b, 6b... of the portion projected onto the undulating portion 2a are displayed as curved lines and at a pitch (the distance between adjacent parallel lines) different from other portions, and the shape of the undulating portion 2a can be made apparent as a three-dimensional stereoscopic image by varying the curves and pitch.

[0052] Therefore, in water where visual recognition is limited, it is possible to supplement reduced recognition and perform work efficiently.

[0053] The image 6 that can be projected is not particularly limited, and any image 6 can be projected, and may be a still image or a moving image.

[0054] Then, by repeatedly measuring the float attitude information using the float attitude measuring means, measuring the support target attitude information using the support target attitude measuring means, and controlling the float 10 and the projection means 11 based on the float attitude information and the support target attitude information at any time, a useful image 6 is projected onto the diver 4, who is the support target, while updating the accurate projection position and direction, thereby guiding the diver 4.

[0055] In addition, the display of the images 6 may be performed by continuously projecting a predetermined image 6, or by switching between different images 6 at regular intervals, or by switching between different images 6 at any timing.

[0056] In the underwater work support device and method configured in this manner, useful information for the diver 4 can be projected underwater as an image 6 using the bottom of the water 2 or the like as a projection surface. Therefore, the diver 4 does not need to install a terminal on his or her body and does not need to operate it, so he or she can grasp the necessary information without being hindered in his or her work.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the support target is the diver 4, but the support target is not limited to the diver 4, and may be used, for example, to guide an ROV (unmanned underwater vehicle).

[0058] In the above embodiment, the projection surface is the bottom of the water 2, but the projection surface may be a wall surface such as a quay or revetment, with an angle set in the projection direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1 Underwater work support equipment 2 Bottom part 3 water surface 4 Divers (support recipients) 5 Projection Unit 6 Images 10 Floating Body 11 Projection means 12 GNSS Compass 13. Communications equipment 14 Diver ship 15 Control Equipment

Claims

1. An underwater work support device that supports an underwater work of a support subject, The system comprises a float floating on water, a projection means mounted on the float, a float attitude measurement means for measuring the position and direction of the float, a support target attitude measurement means for measuring the position and direction of the support target, and a projection control means for controlling the projection position and direction of an image projected from the projection means, The underwater work support device is characterized in that the projection control means projects the image at an appropriate projection position and direction relative to the support target based on floating body attitude information from the floating body attitude measurement means and support target attitude information from the support target attitude measurement means.

2. a support target situation detection means for measuring a state of the support target, 2. The underwater work support device according to claim 1, wherein the projection control means projects an image displaying information from the support target situation detection means.

3. 1. An underwater work support method for supporting an underwater work of a support target, comprising: measuring the position and direction of a float floating on the water by a float attitude measuring means, and measuring the position and direction of the support target by a support target attitude measuring means; An underwater work support method comprising: projecting an image useful for the support target at an appropriate projection position and direction relative to the support target from a projection means mounted on the float based on float posture information from the float posture measurement means and support target posture information from the support target posture measurement means, thereby guiding the support target.

4. The method for supporting underwater work according to claim 3, further comprising projecting a planned course of the support subject as an image useful to the support subject.

5. The underwater work support method according to claim 3 , further comprising projecting information regarding the work time of the support subject as an image useful to the support subject.

6. The method for supporting underwater work according to claim 3 , further comprising projecting information relating to the depth of the support target as an image useful to the support target.

7. The underwater work support method according to claim 3, wherein a mesh image formed by a plurality of lines intersecting each other is projected as a useful image to the support subject.

Images