US 7,463,553 B2
Underwater detection device
Jérôme Dubuis, Nishinomiya (Japan); and Hitoshi Maeno, Nishinomiya (Japan)
Assigned to Furuno Electric Company Limited, Nishinomiya (Japan)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/76,953.
Claims priority of application No. 2007-078771 (JP), filed on Mar. 26, 2007.
Prior Publication US 2008/0239870 A1, Oct. 02, 2008
Int. Cl. G01S 15/87 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 367—98  [367/103] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An underwater detection device including a transducer array for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a predetermined area in water and receiving an echo reflected from a target, the transducer array being divided into a first array and a second array, a first reception beam formed by the first array and a second reception beam formed by the second array being formed in plural directions in the predetermined area to receive an echo, a coming direction of the echo being detected on the basis of the phase difference of the echo received by the first and second arrays and the distance between the first and second arrays, and also the picture of the echo concerned being displayed on the screen, comprising:
a detecting unit for detecting the difference between the phase difference of an echo detected by the first and second reception beams formed in some direction and the phase difference of the echo detected by the first and second reception beams formed in a direction which is rotated from the former direction by a predetermined angle; and
a judging unit for judging whether the difference detected by the detecting unit is a value within a predetermined range, and when it is judged by the judging unit that the difference concerned is within the predetermined range, the echo concerned is displayed.