Patents Assigned to Furuno Electric Company
  • Patent number: 8665140
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a signal processing device, which includes an echo signal input unit for being inputted with echo signals caused by electromagnetic waves discharged from an antenna and reflected on one or more target objects, an echo signal level detector for detecting a level of each of the echo signals with reference to an azimuth and a distance to the antenna, a level change detector for detecting a level change between the echo signals from locations close to each other, the locations of the echo signals being such that the distances from the antenna are substantially the same but the azimuths are different, a pattern output module for comparing the level change with a predetermined reference pattern and outputting a level change pattern, and a missing determining module for determining a missing of a signal based on at least two of the level change patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Kazuya Nakagawa, Hitoshi Maeno
  • Patent number: 8664860
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a device for heating a cathode of a magnetron, which includes a heater for heating the cathode of the magnetron, a heater current detecting module for detecting a value of heater current that flows into the heater, and a control module for determining the completion of preheating of the magnetron based on a change in the heater current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company, Limited
    Inventor: Dai Takemoto
  • Patent number: 8649977
    Abstract: In a GPS composite navigation apparatus of a configuration having a GPS receiver, variation in an estimated position, an estimated velocity, and an estimated azimuth of a moving body when the moving body is not moving is resolved, and the GPS/INS integrated navigation system with good response characteristics from a stationary state to a moving state. A stationary detector for determining the stationary state of the moving body is provided, and when it is determined to be the stationary state by the stationary detector, a measurement model used for measurement-update of a Kalman filter is changed, while a changed amount of an error covariance matrix by the update is corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Toda
  • Publication number: 20140036761
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a satellite communication device which receives instructions from a remote place and automatically carries out a predetermined process. The satellite communication device includes an acquiring section, a storing section, and a control section. The acquiring section acquires instruction information through an artificial satellite by line switching type communication. The storing section stores the instruction information and a registered process by established correspondence. The control section reads out a process corresponding to the instruction information acquired by the acquiring section based on storage contents of the storing section, and carries out the process that has been read out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Satoshi ADACHI, Katsuhiro TAKAHASHI, Kazumasa YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 8633865
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a radome to be installed on an emission face side of an antenna, which includes an outer wall having a side cross-section formed in a substantially semi-circular shape to include the antenna therein, and an inner wall arranged between the outer wall and the antenna, and formed in a shape to substantially conform to the outer wall. A gap between the outer wall and the inner wall is wider near both ends on the circumference of the substantially semi-circular shape than at a substantially midpoint on the circumference of the substantially semi-circular shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Tetsuya Miyagawa, Koji Yano
  • Patent number: 8626365
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic steering control apparatus, including an autopilot, which enables a ship to turn around a desired fixed point as a turning center with a desired turning radius without being affected by an extraneous factor, such as a tidal current or the like. To achieve the object, a center position, a turning radius and a turning direction for turning are initially designated by the operator, a tangent to a turning circle at an intersection of a straight line from the turning center to a position of the ship and the turning circle, and a course of the ship is controlled to approach the tangent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Shimo, Hitoshi Maeno, Tomoko Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8599091
    Abstract: An antenna comprising a radiator which is configured to radiate electromagnetic wave inside of an antenna housing, and at least one dielectric which is configured to be contributory to directivity angle of the electromagnetic wave in the vertical direction, wherein the at least one dielectric is directly attached to the antenna housing ahead of the radiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Koji Yano
  • Patent number: 8600663
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a sail assist device, which includes a wind direction sensor for measuring a wind direction, a ship position acquiring module for acquiring a latitude and a longitude of the ship, and a display module for calculating a layline based on the latitude and longitude of the ship, a latitude and a longitude of a target position of the ship, and the wind direction, with the target position being a reference, and displaying a target mark indicating the target, a ship mark indicating the ship, and the layline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Yugo Kubota, Hiroshi Yoshii, Ikuo Ezaki
  • Patent number: 8599063
    Abstract: This disclosure provides an antenna device that includes an electromagnetic wave radiation source for radiating an electromagnetic wave, and an electromagnetic wave shaping module, arranged forward of the electromagnetic wave radiation source, where a plurality of slot array rows each including a plurality of slots arranged in the horizontal direction are arranged in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Akihiro Hino, Koji Atsumi
  • Patent number: 8593335
    Abstract: A method includes inputting an echo signal from an antenna for discharging an electromagnetic wave to a predetermined area and receiving an echo signal reflected on a target object, outputting a level of the echo signal from every location so as to associate the level with a distance from the antenna in an azimuth direction where the electromagnetic wave is discharged, calculating a degree of change in the level of the echo signal from mutually adjacent locations among all the locations concerned, performing edge emphasis processing for the level of the echo signal in the azimuth direction based on the degree of change and outputting an edge-emphasized echo signal, and performing scan-to-scan correlation processing to calculate a correlation value of the echo signals of two or more scans using the edge-emphasized echo signals, where the echo signals from the entire predetermined area is used as one scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: FURUNO Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Kazuya Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 8589027
    Abstract: A steering assist system for a vehicle includes a turning device, a steering device, a steering sensor and an autopilot device. The steering device is operable to apply a first turning force to the turning device. The steering sensor detects a steering state of the steering device during which the steering device applies the first turning force. The autopilot device automatically navigates the vehicle to a desired heading of the vehicle. The autopilot device includes an actuator and a steering assist control section. The actuator is operable to apply a second turning force to the turning device. The steering assist control section controls the actuator to apply the second turning force to turn the turning device in the same direction that the first turning force is turning the turning device when the steering sensor detects the steering state of the steering device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Tempei Hosokawa
  • Publication number: 20130300597
    Abstract: A high resolution processing device that is provided to a target finder for detecting a presence of a target, and that increases resolution of a received signal received by the target finder, includes a first change amount calculator, a second change amount calculator, a coefficient setting component, and an output signal production component. The first change amount calculator calculates as a first change amount an amount of change in the received signal received by the target finder per unit quantity in one direction of an angle direction and a distance direction. The second change amount calculator calculates as a second change amount an amount of change in the first change amount per unit quantity in the one direction. The coefficient setting component sets at least one coefficient based on the first change amount and the second change amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: FURUNO Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Akihiro HINO
  • Patent number: 8570212
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a waveguide converter, which includes a first waveguide for propagating an electromagnetic wave, a second waveguide for being inputted the electromagnetic wave from the first waveguide and propagating the electromagnetic wave in a direction different from the propagating direction of the electromagnetic wave in the first waveguide, and an elongated-plate-shaped inner conductor arranged between the first waveguide and the second waveguide so that end portions of the inner conductor are exposed to the inside of the first waveguide and the second waveguide, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Koji Yano
  • Patent number: 8570213
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a fake image reduction device, which includes a target object detection module for being inputted with an echo signal from an antenna that transmits an electromagnetic wave and receives the echo signal, measuring a level of the echo signal to detect a target object, a reflecting body identifying module for identifying the detected target object as a reflecting body, and a fake image area setting module for setting a fake image area according to a distance and an azimuth direction from a transmitting position of the electromagnetic wave to the identified reflecting body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Koji Nishiyama
  • Publication number: 20130276688
    Abstract: There is provided an automatic steering device with which an optimal duty ratio for achieving an optimal rudder turning speed at a cruising speed can be found simply and accurately. An automatic steering device 10 includes a correspondence acquisition component 24 and a duty ratio calculator 25. The correspondence acquisition component 24 finds a correspondence between a duty ratio and a rudder turning speed based on a first rudder turning speed while a steering mechanism 11 is controlled at a first duty ratio, and a second rudder turning speed while the steering mechanism 11 is controlled at a second duty ratio. The duty ratio calculator 25 calculates the duty ratio corresponding to a specific rudder turning speed based on the correspondence found by the correspondence acquisition component 24.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: FURUNO Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Suminori EKUNI, Kazutoshi SHIMO, Kentaroh HAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 8564474
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of setting a threshold according to a level of an echo signal of an unused component. The echo signals are generated by transmitting and receiving a radio wave with an antenna while the antenna revolves. The method of setting the threshold includes calculating a difference value between a level of the echo signal at an observing position and a level of the echo signal at a position comparatively on the antenna side and close to the observing position, selecting a process for setting a threshold from either one of a first threshold setting process and a second threshold setting process according to the difference value, and updating the threshold for the observing position by using the selected threshold setting processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventor: Hitoshi Maeno
  • Patent number: 8564490
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an antenna device, which includes a waveguide antenna having wall surfaces and for emitting a radio wave in a direction substantially perpendicular to an emission face that is one of wall surfaces of the waveguide antenna extending in an elongated direction of the waveguide antenna, a plate-shape two-dimensional opening slots for beam formation formed in the waveguide antenna on the emission face side, a power feed waveguide module arranged in the rear face of the waveguide antenna opposite from the emission face and for supplying electric power to the waveguide antenna, and a cylindrical radome having a substantially circular cross-section of a diameter that is substantially equal to a length of the emission face in a direction perpendicular to the long-side direction so that the waveguide antenna is contained in the radome so as to be arranged at substantially the center of the radome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Tetsuya Miyagawa, Koji Yano, Makoto Oda, Takashi Omori, Motoji Kondo, Masato Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 8509684
    Abstract: A microwave frequency converter for a radar receiver is provided in which a frequency of a local oscillator of the microwave frequency converter can be prevented from interfering with an oscillation frequency of a magnetron included in the radar receiver and which can receive a signal from a considerably short distance. A voltage of an RF amplifier connected to the microwave frequency converter is synchronized with an oscillation output of the magnetron. The gate and drain voltages of a FET used in the RF amplifier are simultaneously switched OFF only during times before and after the magnetron performs oscillation, thereby switching an amplification function of the FET to an attenuation function thereof to increase a switching loss of the microwave frequency converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company Limited
    Inventors: Akio Funae, Koji Dai, Hideki Torizuka
  • Publication number: 20130194129
    Abstract: This disclosure provides an image processing device, which includes a relative trail image memory for storing a relative trail data group indicating relative changes in position of a target object detected by echo signals obtained corresponding to detection signals transmitted while changing a transmitting azimuth direction, with respect to a transmitting position from which the detection signals are transmitted, and an approaching target object determination processing module for determining whether the target object detected with the detection signals is an approaching target object that approaches the transmitting position based on relative trail data existing on the same sweep line among the relative trail data group stored in the relative trail image memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY, LIMITED.
    Inventor: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY, LIMITED.
  • Patent number: 8488412
    Abstract: An underwater detection device includes a transceiver module for transmitting underwater an ultrasonic pulse signal that is frequency-modulated and receiving an echo signal corresponding to the transmitted signal, a pulse compression module for pulse-compressing the signal received by the transceiver module and outputting a signal pulse-compressed, a suppression range determining module for determining a suppression range where a range side lobe suppression process is performed for the pulse-compressed signal, an echo determining module for determining whether the data of the pulse-compressed signal at each depth corresponding to a range side lobe, a suppression value determining module for determining a suppression value for the data of the pulse-compressed signal at each depth, a suppression conducting module for performing a calculation to suppress the range side lobe based on the suppression value for the data determined to be data of the pulse-compressed signal corresponding to the range side lobe by the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasunobu Asada