IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,515,772
Granted Patent B2
US 12,515,772 · App. 17/947,586 · Granted Jan 6, 2026

Submersible vessel

Inventors: Noriyuki Okaya (Kobe, JP); Fumitaka Tachinami (Kobe, JP); Yuki Kaga (Kobe, JP); Yusuke Okimura (Kobe, JP); Satoshi Hashimoto (Kobe, JP); Kaoru Koyano (Kobe, JP); Osamu Sato (Kobe, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B63G8/001B63G2008/002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,515,772
App. No.
17/947,586
Granted
Jan 6, 2026
Kind
B2
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.

Claims (16)

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.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 6, 2023
From: OKAYA, NORIYUKI; TACHINAMI, FUMITAKA; KAGA, YUKI; OKIMURA, YUSUKE; HASHIMOTO, SATOSHI; KOYANO, KAORU; SATO, OSAMU
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 062292/0915 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-049608 · Mar 19, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2021010499 · Mar 16, 2021
Related Publication 20230009872A1 · Jan 12, 2023
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