Fisheries support system

Abstract

We provide a fisheries support system that improves safety and the probability of detecting fish schools. [Solution] The fishing support system 10 comprises a fishing boat 12, an aircraft 13, an imaging device 14, a communication means 15, and a display unit 16. The aircraft 13 is configured to take off from and land on the fishing boat 12. The imaging device 14 is attached to the aircraft 13 and is configured to obtain image data 17 by photographing the ocean 11 from the air. The communication means 15 includes a fishing boat-side communication means 151 installed on the fishing boat 12 and an aircraft-side communication means 152 installed on the aircraft 13. The display unit 16 is configured to display an image 18 based on the image data 17 on the fishing boat 12. The image data 17 is transmitted to the display unit 16 via the aircraft-side communication means 152 and the fishing boat-side communication means 151.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fishing support system, and more particularly to a fishing support system for supporting fishing in the open sea.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, fishing in the open sea is carried out in the following procedure: navigating a fishing boat to an offshore fishing ground, detecting a fish school, performing fishing operations, and landing the catch after docking at a fishing port. Among such a process, mechanization and automation are difficult, and fish school detection relies on the experience and intuition of fishermen. The success or failure of fish school detection is greatly related to the amount of catch. Inventions related to fish school detection in fishing are described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the method for confirming the target fish for fishing described above, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of implementing fishing more effectively and safely.

[0005] Specifically, in conventional offshore fishing, when detecting a fish school using a helicopter, having crew members board the helicopter involves a certain degree of danger.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fishing support system and a fishing support method that improve safety and the probability of discovering a fish school. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a fisheries support system that assists fishing in the ocean, comprising a fishing vessel, an aircraft, an imaging device, communication means, and a display unit. The aircraft is equipped with an engine and configured to take off from and land on the fishing vessel. The imaging device is attached to the aircraft and configured to obtain image data by photographing the ocean from the air. The communication means includes a fishing vessel-side communication means installed on the fishing vessel and an aircraft-side communication means installed on the aircraft, and also includes an information communication network using artificial satellites. The display unit is configured to display images based on the image data in real time on the fishing vessel. The image data is transmitted to the display unit via the aircraft-side communication means, the information communication network using artificial satellites, and the fishing vessel-side communication means. The aircraft flies toward a fishing ground where multiple birds are flying and obtains images by photographing with the imaging device. The aforementioned Where the large fish is not visible in the image In addition, the aforementioned flying device The engine drives the birds to other fishing grounds where they are present. If the large fish is captured in the image obtained by the imaging device, the fishing boat will sail toward the fishing grounds, and the flying device will fly toward the fishing boat while detecting the latitude and longitude of the fishing boat in real time, and land on the fishing boat. It is characterized by doing so. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fisheries support system and a fisheries support method that improve safety and the probability of detecting schools of fish. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a fisheries support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the connection configuration of a fisheries support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing a fisheries support method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an image obtained by a fisheries support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for identical components, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the fisheries support system 10.

[0016] The fisheries support system 10 is a system that supports fishing in the ocean 11. The fisheries support system 10 comprises a fishing vessel 12, an aircraft 13, an imaging device 14, a communication means 15, and a display unit 16.

[0017] The fishing vessel 12 is a large vessel, for example, capable of sailing to distant oceans for fishing. The fish caught by the fishing vessel 12 are large fish 22, which will be described later, specifically tuna, marlin, skipjack tuna, etc. The fishing vessel 12 is equipped with an aircraft 13. Therefore, an area is provided on the deck of the fishing vessel 12 to allow for the takeoff and landing of the aircraft 13.

[0018] The flying device 13 is configured to take off from and land on the fishing boat 12. The flying device 13 is an unmanned flying device known as a drone. Both electric drones and engine-powered drones can be used for the flying device 13. Electric drones float by rotating rotors with power supplied from an onboard battery, generating lift. Engine-powered drones float using energy generated from an onboard engine. Series hybrid drones or parallel hybrid drones can be used for engine-powered drones. In a series hybrid drone, the engine drives a generator, and a motor powered by the generator rotates a rotor. In a parallel hybrid drone, in addition to the electrically driven system in which a motor rotates a rotor, there is a mechanical drive system in which the engine mechanically rotates another rotor. Since engine-powered drones use fuels with high energy density, such as gasoline, as an energy source, the flying device 13 can be flown at a distance from the fishing boat 12.

[0019] The imaging device 14 is attached to the flying device 13 and is configured to obtain image data 17 by photographing the ocean 11 from the air. As the imaging device 14 is to photograph small fish 21 and large fish 22 present in the fishing ground 19, a high-resolution camera that can obtain high-resolution images is preferred. The imaging device 14 may capture still images or moving images.

[0020] The communication means 15 includes a fishing vessel-side communication means 151 installed on the fishing vessel 12 and an aircraft-side communication means 152 installed on the aircraft-side communication means 152. The communication means 15 will be described later with reference to Figure 2.

[0021] The display unit 16 is configured to display an image 18 based on the image data 17 on the fishing boat 12. The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. An image 18 based on the image data 17 captured by the imaging device 14 and transmitted by the communication means 15 is displayed on the display unit 16. As will be described later, the fisherman checks the presence or absence of large fish 22 in the fishing ground 19 based on the image 18 displayed on the display unit 16. If the presence of large fish 22 is confirmed, the fishing boat 12 is navigated to the fishing ground 19, and fishing activities are carried out to catch the large fish 22 in the fishing ground 19.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the connection configuration of the fishing support system 10.

[0023] The fishing boat 12 is equipped with a shipboard arithmetic control unit 23, a display unit 16, a shipboard positioning device 28, and fishing boat side communication means 151.

[0024] The shipboard arithmetic control unit 23 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operations of each device mounted on the fishing boat 12.

[0025] As described above, the display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and an image 18 showing the fishing ground 19 captured by the imaging device 14 mounted on the flight device side arithmetic control unit 24 is displayed.

[0026] The shipboard positioning device 28 is a device that calculates the position (latitude and longitude) of the fishing boat 12 using the artificial satellite 153.

[0027] The fishing boat side communication means 151 is means for communicating with the flight device side communication means 152 via the communication means 15.

[0028] The communication means 15 is a means of communication between the fishing vessel side communication means 151 of the fishing vessel 12 and the aircraft device side communication means 152 of the aircraft device 13. Various communication standards can be adopted for the communication means 15. The communication means 15 can be wired or wireless. Considering that the distance between the fishing vessel 12 and the aircraft device 13 may be several tens of kilometers or more in some cases, it is preferable to adopt a wireless standard for the communication means 15. Wireless communication standards for the communication means 15 can include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), mobile communication, short-range communication, satellite communication, etc. Among these, satellite communication, such as Starlink, is particularly suitable for high-speed transfer of large amounts of data because it utilizes low-altitude artificial satellites. In this embodiment, image data 17 is transmitted to the display unit 16 via the aircraft device side communication means 152 and the fishing vessel side communication means 151. It is necessary to capture high-resolution images by photographing the fishing ground 19 with the imaging device 14 and to transmit the image data 17 to the fishing vessel 12 at high speed. Therefore, as the information communication network 154 of the communication means 15, it is preferable to use an artificial satellite 153 that enables high-speed communication.

[0029] The flight device 13 includes a flight device-side calculation control unit 24, a motor 26, an imaging device 14, a flight device-side positioning device 27, a flight device-side communication means 152, and an engine 25.

[0030] The flight device-side arithmetic control unit 24 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each device mounted on the flight device 13.

[0031] The engine 25 and motor 26 are the power sources for the flying device 13. As mentioned above, the flying device 13 flies by using the engine 25 or a battery as an energy source and rotating a rotor (not shown) with the motor 26.

[0032] The imaging device 14 is a high-resolution camera mounted on the underside of the aircraft 13. The imaging device 14 generates an image 18 by photographing the fishing ground 19, and the image data 17 showing the image 18 is transmitted to the fishing boat 12 via the communication means 15.

[0033] The aircraft-side positioning device 27 is a device that uses the artificial satellite 153 to calculate the position (latitude and longitude) of the aircraft 13.

[0034] The aircraft-side communication means 152 is a means for communicating with the fishing vessel-side communication means 151 of the fishing vessel 12 via the communication means 15. Image data 17 is transmitted to the fishing vessel 12 via the communication means 15. In addition, fishermen on board the fishing vessel 12 can control the altitude, position, and speed of the aircraft-side communication means 15 by operating the controller while viewing the display unit 16.

[0035] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a fisheries support method. The fisheries support method shown here supports fishing using a fishing vessel 12. Based on Figure 3, and referring to Figures 1 and 2 mentioned above, the fisheries support method according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0036] In step S10, the fisherman sets out the fishing boat 12 toward the fishing grounds 19. Specifically, the fishing grounds 19 where large fish 22 can be caught are located several hundred kilometers offshore from a port (not shown in this diagram). Therefore, it takes a long time for the fishing boat 12 to reach the vicinity of the fishing grounds 19. Also, when setting out, the fishing boat 12 is equipped with an aircraft 13.

[0037] In step S11, the fisherman identifies the fishing ground 19. Specifically, the fisherman first searches for birds 20 flying over the fishing ground 19. The reason for searching for birds 20 is that, considering that birds 20 prey on small fish 21 that migrate in the fishing ground 19, it can be predicted that small fish 21 are present below the birds 20. The search for birds 20 can be done by visual observation by the fisherman, or by sensing using sound waves or electromagnetic waves.

[0038] In step S12, the fisherman flies the flying device 13 from the fishing boat 12 toward the fishing ground 19 from which the birds 20 are flying. Specifically, the flying device 13 is placed on the deck of the fishing boat 12, the engine 25 of the flying device 13 is started, and then the flying device 13 is flown toward the fishing ground 19. Here, the fishing ground 19 and the fishing boat 12 are, for example, about 50 km apart. Therefore, if an electric drone is used as the flying device 13, the battery may discharge before reaching the fishing ground 19, causing the rotor to stop and potentially causing the flying device 13 to fall along the way. The flying device 13 according to this embodiment has an engine 25. Therefore, by having an engine 25, the continuous flight distance of the flying device 13 is sufficiently long, so the flying device 13 can easily reach the fishing ground 19 and perform hovering above the fishing ground 19.

[0039] In step S13, image data 17 is obtained by photographing the fishing ground 19 from above using the imaging device 14 mounted on the flying device 13. Specifically, once the flying device 13 reaches the fishing ground 19, the imaging device 14 attached to the bottom of the flying device 13 photographs the fishing ground 19 from above. At this time, the flying device 13 is in a hovering state.

[0040] In step S14, the fisherman transmits image data 17 to the fishing boat 12. Image data 17 shows an image 18 of the fishing ground 19. Here, Figure 4 is an image 18 obtained by the fisheries support system 10. As shown in Figure 4, image 18 shows small fish 21 swimming near the surface of the sea in the fishing ground 19. Below the small fish 21, a large fish 22 is swimming, attempting to prey on the small fish 21. Image 18 captures both the small fish 21 and the large fish 22. Since the large fish 22 is located in deeper waters than the fishing ground 19, the image 18 must have a high resolution to clearly identify its presence. For this reason, a high-resolution image 18 is required, and the amount of data in the image data 17 representing image 18 becomes enormous. Here, image data 17 may be a still image or a moving image. If image data 17 is a moving image, the amount of data will be large, so an information communication network 154 utilizing artificial satellites 153 is required.

[0041] In step S15, the fisherman displays the image data 17 as image 18 on the display unit 16 to confirm whether or not there are fish in the image 18. The data transmitted to the fishing boat 12 via the communication means 15 is displayed on the display unit 16 in real time. If the fisherman sees a large fish 22 in the image 18 displayed on the display unit 16, he determines that there are large fish 22 in the fishing ground 19 and proceeds to step S16, which will be described later. On the other hand, if there are no large fish 22 in the image 18, he returns the flying device 13 to the fishing boat 12. Alternatively, he moves the flying device 13 to another fishing ground 19 where birds 20 are flying and performs the steps from step S13 onwards. Since the flying device 13 is equipped with an engine 25, it is capable of continuous flight for a long time and can move to other fishing grounds 19 consecutively.

[0042] In step S16, the fisherman navigates the fishing boat 12 to the flying device 13. The flying device 13 is equipped with a flying device-side positioning device 27, making it easy to identify the location where the birds 20 are flying and to photograph the location with the imaging device 14. The fishing boat 12 is also equipped with a ship-side positioning device 28. Therefore, the relative positions of the flying device 13 and the fishing boat 12 can be easily calculated. Thus, it is easy for the fishing boat 12 to navigate towards the flying device 13. At that time, the flying device 13 can fly towards the fishing boat 12 while detecting the latitude and longitude of the fishing boat 12 in real time and land on the deck of the fishing boat 12.

[0043] In step S17, the fisherman conducts fishing in fishing ground 19. The presence of large fish 22 in fishing ground 19 is known from viewing image 18. Therefore, by fishing in fishing ground 19, the large fish 22 can be effectively caught.

[0044] In step S18, the fishing vessel 12 completes its fishing operations in the fishing grounds 19 and returns to port. At this time, the fishing vessel 12 returns to port with the flying device 13 still installed.

[0045] According to this embodiment, if the fishing ground 19 is far from the fishing boat 12, the flying device 13 can be flown from the fishing boat 12 to the fishing ground 19, and the imaging device 14 on the flying device 13 can photograph the ocean 11 surrounding the fishing ground 19. The image 18 obtained from the photography can be displayed on the display unit 16 on the fishing boat 12. Therefore, fishermen engaged in fishing can confirm whether or not the desired type of fish exists in the fishing ground 19 by viewing the image 18 displayed on the display unit 16. If the presence of the desired type of fish is confirmed in the fishing ground 19, the fishing boat 12 can be moved to the fishing ground 19, and fishing can be effectively carried out in that fishing ground 19.

[0046] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0047] For example, in the steps S12 and beyond described above, bait can also be scattered from the flying device 13 toward the fishing ground 19. Doing so can prevent the large fish 22 from leaving the fishing ground 19. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10. Fisheries support system 11 Ocean 12 fishing boat 13 Flight equipment 14 Imaging device 15. Means of communication 151 Communication methods for fishing vessels 152 Flight device side communication means 153 Satellite 154 Information and Communications Network 16 Display 17 Image data 18 images 19 Fishing grounds 20 birds 21 Small fish 22 big fish 23. Ship-side arithmetic control unit 24 Flight device side calculation control unit 25 Engine 26 Motors 27. Positioning device on aircraft side 28. Ship's positioning device

Claims

[Claim 1] It is a fisheries support system that assists fishing in the ocean. It comprises a fishing boat, an aircraft, an imaging device, a communication means, and a display unit. The aforementioned flying device is equipped with an engine and is configured to take off from and land on the fishing vessel. The imaging device is attached to the flying device and is configured to obtain image data by photographing the ocean from the air. The communication means includes a fishing vessel-side communication means installed on the fishing vessel and an aircraft-side communication means installed on the aircraft, and also includes an information and communication network using artificial satellites. The display unit is configured to display images based on the image data in real time on the fishing vessel. The image data is transmitted to the display unit via the communication means on the aircraft side, the information and communication network using the artificial satellite, and the communication means on the fishing vessel side. The aforementioned flying device flies toward a fishing ground where multiple birds are flying, If no large fish are visible in the image captured by the imaging device, the flying device will move to another fishing ground where birds are present, driven by the engine. A fisheries support system characterized in that, if the large fish is captured in the image obtained by the imaging device, the fishing vessel is directed toward the fishing ground, and the flying device flies toward the fishing vessel while detecting the latitude and longitude of the moving fishing vessel in real time, and lands on the fishing vessel.

Images