Patents Assigned to Furuno Electric Company
  • Patent number: 11884371
    Abstract: A ship body control device is provided, which includes a rudder controller configured to control a rudder angle of a ship, a sensor configured to measure a ship body direction of the ship, and an autopilot controller configured to output a rudder angle command to the rudder controller. The autopilot controller includes an angle-of-deviation calculating module configured to calculate a deviation angle of a stern direction from a target stern direction based on the ship body direction, and a rudder angle command setting module configured to set the rudder angle command so as to maintain a current rudder angle when the deviation angle is less than a first threshold, and to change it to a given fixed turning rudder angle when the deviation angle is the first threshold or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11873067
    Abstract: A ship body control device is provided, which includes a sensor, a propelling force controller, and an autopilot controller. The sensor measures a speed of a ship. The propelling force controller controls a propelling force of the ship. The autopilot controller outputs an instruction to reduce the propelling force to the propelling force controller, when a condition of canceling an automatic cruise in which the speed of the ship matches with an automatic ship speed setting is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11866141
    Abstract: A ship body control device is provided, which includes a control lever having a neutral position, and processing circuitry. When the control lever is moved during an automatic cruise, the processing circuitry executes a deceleration control from a speed of a ship body during the automatic cruise, and when the position of the control lever is in agreement with a position for changing to a manual cruise, the processing circuitry changes the automatic cruise to the manual cruise at a rotating speed of an engine according to the position for changing to the manual cruise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11866142
    Abstract: A hull control device is provided, which includes an error distance calculating module, an approaching speed calculating module and a command value setting module. The error distance calculating module calculates an error distance between a target position of a fixed-point hold and a ship position. The approaching speed calculating module calculates an approaching speed of a ship to the target position. The command value setting module sets a throttle command value according to a combination of the error distance and the approaching speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11760450
    Abstract: A ship body control device is provided, which includes a sensor, a propelling force controller, and an autopilot controller. The sensor measures a speed of a ship. The propelling force controller controls a propelling force of the ship. The autopilot controller outputs an instruction to reduce the propelling force to the propelling force controller, when a condition of canceling an automatic cruise in which the speed of the ship matches with an automatic ship speed setting is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11668822
    Abstract: An underwater detection apparatus is provided which includes a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and a motor. The transmission transducer transmits a transmission wave within a given fan-shaped transmission space, the fan-shaped transmission space having a first transmission width in a given first plane and a second transmission width in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane. The reception transducer receives, as a reception wave, a reflection wave of the transmission wave within a given fan-shaped reception space, the fan-shaped reception space having a first reception width in the first plane and a second reception width in the second plane, the second reception width being wider than the second transmission width, and in the second plane, the fan-shaped transmission space being within the fan-shaped reception space. The motor rotates the fan-shaped transmission space and the fan-shaped reception space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Nobuo Suzuki, Kohei Kozuki, Takeshi Kawajiri, Yuji Ebita
  • Patent number: 11643180
    Abstract: A ship speed control device is provided, which includes a calculator and a throttle command value setter. The calculator calculates a throttle calculation value based on a difference between an actual ship speed and a target ship speed. The throttle command value setter sets, when the actual ship speed is below a first threshold determined based on a given throttle upper limit and the throttle calculation value is at or above the throttle upper limit, a throttle command value to the throttle upper limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11618539
    Abstract: A traveling route generating device is provided, which may include a user interface and processing circuitry. The user interface may receive a home route that is a route on which a ship travels upon departing from a home harbor or upon returning to the home harbor, the home harbor being a location from which the ship departs. The processing circuitry may generate a traveling route between one of a destination of the ship and a current location of the ship, and a location on the home route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Ryota Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 11609687
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus is provided, which includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to acquire a data set from target detected by a detection apparatus, perform rendering of the data set, and generate a plurality of views arranged on a screen. Each view of the plurality of views includes a plurality of pixels. Each pixel included in the plurality of views is associated with a plurality of pieces of information including a first information displayed on the screen and a second information that indicates a view among the plurality of views to which the pixel belongs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Sanae Nagai
  • Patent number: 11513217
    Abstract: An underwater detection apparatus is provided which includes a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and a motor. The transmission transducer transmits a transmission wave within a given fan-shaped transmission space, the fan-shaped transmission space having a first transmission width in a given first plane and a second transmission width in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane. The reception transducer receives, as a reception wave, a reflection wave of the transmission wave within a given fan-shaped reception space, the fan-shaped reception space having a first reception width in the first plane and a second reception width in the second plane, the second reception width being wider than the second transmission width, and in the second plane, the fan-shaped transmission space being within the fan-shaped reception space. The motor rotates the fan-shaped transmission space and the fan-shaped reception space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Nobuo Suzuki, Kohei Kozuki, Takeshi Kawajiri, Yuji Ebita
  • Patent number: 11494059
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus is provided, which includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to acquire a data set from target detected by a detection apparatus, perform rendering of the data set, and generate a plurality of views arranged on a screen. Each view of the plurality of views includes a plurality of pixels. Each pixel included in the plurality of views is associated with a plurality of pieces of information including a first information displayed on the screen and a second information that indicates a view among the plurality of views to which the pixel belongs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Sanae Nagai
  • Patent number: 11472289
    Abstract: A speed control device which is satisfactory in response and tracking to a speed setting, and can adjust an acceleration-and-deceleration feel according to preferences, is provided. The speed control device 6 controls a speed of a ship so that the speed automatically follows a speed setting set by a ship operator. The speed control device 6 includes a target speed setting module 63 and a change rate adjusting module 64. The target speed setting module 63 sets a target speed that is a target of the speed of the ship to follow, for every unit time, according to the speed setting, to change the target speed based on a given rate of change. The change rate adjusting module 64 decreases the rate of change by adjusting the rate of change at multiple stages, when the target speed set by the target speed setting module 63 approaches the speed setting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigeki Osaki, Hideki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11474221
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for detecting one or more objects under a surface of a water body. The method includes transmitting one or more ultrasonic waves into the water body according to a transmit beam pattern. The method further includes determining a bottom characteristic of a bottom of the water body and dynamically adjusting the transmit beam pattern, based on the bottom characteristic of the water body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Kohei Kozuki
  • Patent number: 11467280
    Abstract: An underwater detection apparatus is provided. The apparatus may include a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and processing circuitry. The transmission transducer may transmit a transmission wave. The reception transducer may include a plurality of reception elements that generate a reception signal based on a reflection wave including a reflection of the transmission wave on an underwater target. The processing circuitry may generate a 3D image data that represents an echo intensity of the underwater target based at least in part on the reception signal generated by each reception element, and may set a depth marking on the 3D image data for which a depth is equal to a given depth, by changing an echo intensity color that represents the echo intensity of the 3D image data into a depth color that represents a depth of the 3D image data, the depth color being different from the echo intensity color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Sanae Nagai
  • Patent number: 11383813
    Abstract: An automatic steering device may include a route calculator, an indirect target point calculating module, a command steering angle calculating module, and a steering controlling module. The route calculator may calculate a route of a ship based on positions of a plurality of target points. The indirect target point calculating module may calculate an indirect target point ahead of the ship. The command steering angle calculating module may calculate a command steering angle based on a positional relation between the route and the indirect target point. The steering controlling module may control a steering mechanism of the ship based on the command steering angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Kazuya Kishimoto, Kazutoshi Simo
  • Patent number: 11320534
    Abstract: An ultrasonic detecting device may include a transmitter, a receiver, a motor, and processing circuitry. The transmitter may transmit a sequence including a first pulse wave and a second pulse wave separated by a time interval shorter than a time required for an ultrasonic wave to make a round trip underwater to a detection range. The receiver may convert reflection waves of the first and second pulse waves into echo signals. The motor may rotate the receiver. The processing circuitry may acquire, from the echo signals, a first echo signal and a second echo signal, generate first image data based on the first echo signals and second image data based on the second echo signals, and generate synthesized image data based on an angular position of the receiver when the first image data is generated, and an angular position of the receiver when the second image data is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Kohei Kozuki
  • Patent number: 11280891
    Abstract: An underwater detection device may include a transmitter, which may include a transmitter, a receiver, and processing circuitry. The transmitter may be configured to transmit a transmission wave. The receiver may be configured to receive a reflection wave of the transmission wave. The processing circuitry may be configured to acquire a first position of a ship and a first measurement value that is a measurement result of the reflection wave at the first position, determine whether a relationship between the first position and a second position of the ship or another ship meets a given condition, and calculate a correction value based on the first measurement value and a second measurement value that is a measurement result of the reflection wave at the second position under a circumstance when the given condition is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Takuto Hazama, Hisamitsu Takeuchi, Satoshi Misonoo
  • Patent number: 11255675
    Abstract: The present disclosure is to calculate an estimated position with high precision. A course estimating device 10 includes an angular velocity calculating part 30, a horizontal ground speed calculating part 70 and an estimated position calculating part 80. The angular velocity calculating part 30 measures or calculates an angular velocity of a movable body. The horizontal ground speed calculating part 70 calculates a horizontal ground speed based on an attitude angle, a ground course, and a ground ship speed of the movable body. The estimated position calculating part 80 calculates an estimated position, based on a period of time from a current time point to an estimation time point, the horizontal ground speed, and an integration operation of the angular velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Hiraku Nakamura, Hiroyuki Toda, Naomi Fujisawa, Akihiro Hino
  • Patent number: 11221409
    Abstract: An underwater detection apparatus is provided, which may include a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and processing circuitry. The transmission transducer may transmit a transmission wave in an underwater transmission space. The reception transducer may include a plurality of reception elements, each reception element generating a reception signal based on a reflection wave comprising a reflection of the transmission wave on an underwater target. The processing circuitry may perform beamforming in each of a plurality of reception spaces based on the reception signals, generate a 3D image data of the target based on the beamforming performed in each reception space, and extract a contour of the target detected in at least one of the reception spaces, and generate a contour image data to be displayed along with the 3D image data on a display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Sanae Nagai
  • Patent number: 11105892
    Abstract: The purpose is to provide a radar apparatus which can create and display only necessary trail data. The radar apparatus may include an acquisition module, an echo data creation module, a memory, a trail data creation module, and a display unit. The acquisition module may acquire an echo based on a reflected wave from a target object, of a transmitted electromagnetic wave. The echo data creation module may create, based on the echo, echo data at least indicative of a position of the target object. The memory may store determination data set, for every given display area, whether trail data indicative of a moving trail of the target object is to be newly created based on the echo. The trail data creation module may create the trail data based on the echo and the determination data. The display unit may display the echo data and the trail data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Takumi Fujikawa, Yugo Kubota