Since the AUV is cable-less, it is excellent in mobility, extensive in range of action, and capable of the operations in heavy weather condition and ice sea areas, and actively operated as the new technology to support the underwater examination and observation and underwater works. At the same time, more sophisticated automatic control is requested, and the modern control theory, etc. will be actively applied.
11.2 Other Automatic Control
MHI announced the cable layer "SUBARU" equipped with the current dynamic positioning system (DPS). MHI also announced the cabled working robot, i.e., the submersible dredging vehicle "FUTABA No.2", opposite of the AUV in the previous section, and introduced its functions including the automatic walking, the automatic position control, the automatic rudder position control, and the automatic dredging function.
The technology such as the automatic control requested as the mechatronics introduced in Vol.34. No.2 of the Journal of M.E.S.J., the automatic control requested by the new type ship propulsion system introduced in Vol.34, No. 6 of the same, and the technology of the automatic control in cooperation with or requested by the hardware including the demonstrative test report for modernization of the same journal.
"Essays" in Vol.34, No.5 of the Journal propose the problems which can not be solved only by operators as represented by the Y2K problem as described before, the safety and reliability to be ensured on board ships exposed to severe environment different from that for the shore-based equipment, the use of the current computer technology, and the complicate system constitution. On the other hand, the system to request the sophisticated control like that of the AUV, and the current automatic control technology and computer technology to reduce the burden of the crew are employed in the present situation.
References
1) WORKVESSEL No.243 and No.246
2) Fune-no-kagaku 1999. No.4 and No.7 Vol.52
3) INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL ENGINEERING Vol.42 No.7
[Yoji TOMITA]
12. Electronics Technology
12.1 Zohaku Web
The called "Zohaku Web" is described below, which is a project for the research and development coordinated by the Ship and Ocean Foundation to apply the information and communication technology to the outfitting design methods of shipbuilding by making use of the currently popular Internet in order to maintain and reinforce the international competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry and the ship-machinery manufacturing industry in Japan. This project has been implemented in the three-year program since 1998 FY. The IT (Information Technology) is applied to the shipbuilding industry, various information to be exchanged between companies is standardized in an electronic format, and its exchange efficiency is remarkably improved so that the company activities are developed with high competitive power as a whole by each company specialized in the field in each strong point.
12.2 Target of the Project
In this project, the production efficiency is greatly improved by both the shipyards and marine equipment supplies through the electronics applications of the information transmission (mainly, design and technical information) by stretching the information network like the web between shipyards and marine equipment suppliers like the "Zo-haku Web". ("Zo" and "haku" means shipyards and marine equipment suppliers respectively.) The shipbuilding industry is originally the typical assembly industry to build ships by ship, and more than 60% of the cost is the procurement cost. In addition, the indirect cost such as the inquiries required for the procurement are needed and so most of the cost of the outfitting design are consumed in the work of communication with the equipment manufacturers such as preparation of the order specification and the confirmation of the dimension, weight and function of the equipment to be purchased. On the other hand, the equipment manufacturers have similar problems, such as the labor to respond to a large number of similar questions from shipyards, the visits to the shipyards to sell their products, and above all, originally unnecessary cost to cope with the purchasing and delivery modes different from each other between the shipyards. The project has been started as the joint project between the shipbuilding industry and the ship-machinery manufacturing industry as the tool to solve these problems, and two years have passed since it was established, and is now under development for the practical applications.
