Information processing device, method, program, and system

Abstract

To enable more accurate measurement and management of data including the size and the number of waves reaching a coastline.SOLUTION: A breaking wave measurement device 2 is provided, comprising a breaking wave extraction unit 33 configured to extract breaking waves by focusing on contrast at boundaries between white soup appearing on a water surface and a dark water surface as captured by a camera 1, and a breaking wave analysis processing unit 34 configured to select a measurement target breaking wave to be measured from breaking waves during a period from appearance to disappearance, and measure the wave condition using the measurement target breaking wave, where the device is configured to select and measure appropriate breaking weaves for measurement to acquire data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a method, a program, and a system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a lack of observational data on waves and swells, especially on breaking waves. For example, there are many enthusiasts of marine leisure and sports such as surfing, but there is little data on wave conditions in coastal areas, which are the base of their activities, and on breaking waves. There is a demand for more information and data on coastal waves for marine leisure and sports.

[0003] The applicant has proposed a technology for a database of breaking waves that occur in coastal areas and shallow waters (Patent Document 1). The technology described in Patent Document 1 captures images of scenery including sea surface areas where breaking waves may occur, analyzes the video data, extracts the outline of the foam, which is the area where the sea surface breaks from the wave crest and turns into white foam, generates breaking wave data that digitizes the outline shape of the foam from the outline of the foam, and records this breaking wave data in a breaking wave database. The breaking wave data to be made into the database includes, for example, the wave height of the breaking wave, which is the height from the crest of the wave just before it rises and breaks to the water surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 433610 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a single swell (wave) reaches the coastline as a wave, multiple breaking waves occur, but not all breaking waves adequately represent the state of the wave. For example, waves with high wave heights and a large wave surface area called the face can be said to be suitable for surfing, but other types of breaking waves can occur simultaneously on the same wave. In particular, multiple breaking waves can occur due to the influence of wind, etc. Therefore, when multiple breaking waves occur simultaneously on the same wave, the wave that is suitable for measurement should be the one to be measured.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide an information processing device, method, program, and system that can appropriately measure wave conditions by utilizing breaking waves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a wave-breaking extraction unit that extracts the boundary between the wave surface, which is the area where the wave breaks into white foam, and the soup, as a breaking wave from an image captured of a landscape including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, and a wave-breaking analysis processing unit that selects a measurement target wave from the breaking waves from their generation to disappearance as a measurement target, and measures the state of the wave based on the measurement target wave-breaking unit.

[0008] In addition, an information processing method according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a wave-breaking extraction unit extracts the boundary between the soup, which is the area where the wave breaks into white foam, and the wave surface as a breaking wave from an image of a landscape including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, and a wave-breaking analysis processing unit selects a measurement target wave from the breaking waves from their generation to disappearance as a measurement target, and measures the state of the wave based on the measurement target wave-breaking unit.

[0009] In addition, a program according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a wave-breaking extraction unit in a computer extracts the boundary between the soup, which is the area where waves break into white foam, and the wave surface from an image of a landscape including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, as a breaking wave, and a wave-breaking analysis processing unit selects a measurement target breaking wave from the breaking waves from their generation to disappearance as a measurement target, and executes a process of measuring the state of the wave based on the measurement target breaking wave. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the state of waves can be measured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wave breaking measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the wave breaking measurement device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating breaking waves. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows breaking waves extracted by a frame. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of breaking waves are extracted by rectangular frames. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows breaking waves on the same line. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining breaking waves on the same line. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows breaking waves generated by an artificial ride. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the breaking wave measurement process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a text creation system in the first application example. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the text creation device. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the text creation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A wave-breaking measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wave-breaking measurement system including a wave-breaking measurement device 2 as an information processing device. Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, processing order in the flow chart, etc. shown in the following embodiment are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Also, each figure is not necessarily a precise illustration.

[0013] The wave-breaking measurement system includes a camera 1 and a wave-breaking measurement device 2. The camera 1 is installed on land and captures the offshore scenery including the coastline. The wave-breaking measurement device 2 analyzes breaking waves based on the video data captured by the camera 1 and measures the state of the waves.

[0014] The wave-breaking measurement device 2 is an information processing device such as a cloud server or a personal computer, and is equipped with a CPU 11, a memory 12, and an interface 13. The wave-breaking measurement device 2 is connected to a camera 1, a display device 3 such as a display, and an input device 4 such as a keyboard and a mouse via each interface 13.

[0015] The wave-breaking measuring device 2 can connect to and communicate with an external server 22 or a PC (personal computer) 23 via the Internet 21. The analysis results transmitted from the wave-breaking measuring device 2 are stored as a database in the external server 22 and PC 23, and can be provided via the Internet 21 as data necessary for marine leisure and ship navigation.

[0016] The wave-breaking measuring device 2 can also be realized by a cloud server. The camera 1 is connected via the Internet 21, and application software of the wave-breaking measuring device 2 in the cloud server can analyze breaking waves. Although Fig. 1 shows the wave-breaking measuring device 2 as an information processing device connected to the Internet 21, the information processing device of the wave-breaking measuring device 2 is not limited to a PC.

[0017] The image captured by the camera 1 may be directly supplied to the wave-breaking measuring device 2 for analysis, or the image captured by the camera 1 may be temporarily stored in an external server 22 or PC 23 and then analyzed by the wave-breaking measuring device 2. The captured image does not have to be simultaneously analyzed by the wave-breaking measuring device 2.

[0018] (Functional configuration of wave-breaking measurement device) 2 is a functional block diagram of the wave-breaking measurement device 2. The wave-breaking measurement device 2 functions as a video data acquisition unit 31, an image processing unit 32, a wave-breaking extraction unit 33, and a wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 by the CPU 11 executing a control application program (not shown) stored in the memory 12.

[0019] The video data acquisition unit 31 acquires data of the video (video of the offshore scenery including the coastline) captured by the camera 1, and stores it in the video data storage unit 41 of the memory 12. The video of the coastline scenery captured by the camera 1 is captured as images that continue for a predetermined time in time series. Therefore, it is stored as chronologically continuous moving images or still images at a predetermined time interval. The acquired video data is subjected to real-time information processing using AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the image processing unit 32, the wave breaking extraction unit 33, and the wave breaking analysis processing unit 34 to perform wave breaking measurement. In addition, wave breaking measurement is not necessarily performed by real-time information processing. The video is temporarily stored in the server 22 or the video data storage unit 41, and when performing wave breaking analysis processing, the video data can be extracted from the server 22 or the video data storage unit 41, image processing is performed, and wave breaking analysis processing is performed.

[0020] The image processing unit 32 digitizes the image data acquired from the camera 1 and performs image processing for identifying the target wave breakers. Since time-series images of the photographed scenery are obtained, for example, accumulated time-series images of the same location are extracted and digitized for wave breaking analysis.

[0021] (Breaking wave extraction part 33) The wave breaking extraction unit 33 uses image processing to extract, from an image of a landscape including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, a specified rectangular area including the boundary between the soup, which is the area where water breaks into white foam, and the wave surface, as a breaking wave.

[0022] Breaking waves occur when waves enter shallow waters from offshore, their wave height changes, and as the water depth approaches the wave height, they break forward, causing disrupted movement. As shown in Figure 3, breaking waves are composed of lip P1, soup P2, face P3, and bottom P4. Lip P1 is the highest part of the wave. Soup P2 is the part where the wave breaks from lip P1 after digging out, and white foam can be seen. Face P3 is the sloping part where the wave digs out. Bottom P4 is the lowest horizontal part of the wave.

[0023] Since the soup is a white, foamy region, the wave breaking extraction unit 33 focuses on the contrast between the white of the soup and the dark blue and black colors of the wave front (including the face) adjacent to the soup and extracts the boundary between the soup and the wave front as a breaking wave.

[0024] The breaking wave extraction unit 33 sets a measurement frame B centered on the boundary between the soup portion, which is the extracted breaking wave, and the wave surface, as shown in Fig. 4. The frame B can also be displayed on the display screen.

[0025] Frame B is, for example, a square or rectangular frame, and is a square or rectangular area according to the height of the soup, with its horizontal center being the boundary between the soup and the wave surface. In the case of a rectangle, the wave surface portion can be up to the point where the color changes. The height of frame B (the length of the arrows in the up and down directions in the figure) corresponds to the distance from the bottom of the breaking wave to the lip, and is therefore equivalent to the height of the breaking wave. The height of the breaking wave can be calculated from the height of frame B.

[0026] The wave breaking extraction unit 33 classifies the extracted data of various breaking waves, and performs processing such as classification, data linking, and data standardization so that the data can be provided as a database 42, and creates and stores the data as a database 42. This data of breaking waves can be stored in the wave breaking measurement device 2, or the data of breaking waves extracted by the wave breaking extraction unit 33 can be transmitted to the server 22 and stored as the database 42 in the server 22.

[0027] (Wave Breaking Analysis Processing Unit 34) The wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 identifies a group of breaking waves arranged in a straight line within a predetermined range as a unit wave from the breaking waves that are generated and then destroyed, extracted by the wave-breaking extraction unit 33, and selects a breaking wave to be measured from the breaking waves contained in the unit wave for each unit wave.Then, the wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 measures the state of the unit wave based on the selected breaking waves to be measured.

[0028] Waves arriving at the coastline from offshore first occur as swells, then the crests break to form a soup, which then becomes a breaking wave. As the wave approaches the coastline, the breaking wave spreads out in a direction perpendicular to the direction the wave arrived (for example, in the direction the coastline stretches), and finally collapses and disappears. When all the breaking of the wave has disappeared, the wave has also disappeared. In other words, by focusing on breaking waves, we can understand the size and period of a single wave.

[0029] Multiple breaking waves may occur in one swell (wave). The multiple breaking waves may range in height from large to small. Small breaking waves may only have a slightly broken crest, and do not adequately represent the state of the wave. Therefore, the wave breaking analysis processing unit 34 identifies a group of breaking waves arranged in a straight line within a specified range as a unit wave, and for each unit wave, selects the breaking wave in frame B with the highest height among the breaking wave frames B that make up the unit wave as the breaking wave to be measured, and determines the height (vertical length) of the breaking wave frame B as the height of the unit wave.

[0030] In the case of Figure 5, the breaking waves in frames B1 and B2 are aligned in a straight line, so the group in frames B1 and B2 is identified as a single unit wave (referred to as unit wave W1). The group in frames B3, B4, and B5 is identified as a single unit wave (referred to as unit wave W2), the group in frames B6 and B7 is identified as a single unit wave (referred to as unit wave W3), and the group in frames B8 and B9 is identified as a single unit wave (referred to as unit wave W4).

[0031] Then, the following measurements are performed for each unit wave thus identified. For example, if the height of the frame B1 becomes greater than the height of the frame B2 at a predetermined timing, the height of the frame B1 becomes the height of the unit wave W1 at that timing, and if the height of the frame B2 becomes greater than the height of the frame B1 at a subsequent predetermined timing, the height of the frame B2 becomes the height of the unit wave W1 at that timing. Furthermore, if a new breaking wave (not shown) that constitutes the unit wave W1 occurs at a subsequent predetermined timing (the lower side of the frame B is aligned in a straight line with the lower sides of the frames B1 and B2 within a certain range), and the height of the frame B of the breaking wave is higher than the heights of the frames B1 and B2, the height of the frame of the new breaking wave becomes the height of the unit wave W1 at that timing. The measurement of the breaking wave height is performed until the unit wave W1 reaches the coastline and all the breaking waves that constitute the unit wave W1 disappear. Then, the breaking wave analysis processing unit 34 selects the highest breaking wave among the heights of the unit waves W1 measured until the unit wave W1 disappears as the breaking wave to be measured, and the height of the breaking wave becomes the height of the unit wave W1. Such measurements of breaking wave height are performed for each unit wave.

[0032] Regarding the extent to which a group of breaking waves arranged in a straight line can be identified as a single unit wave, for example, as shown in Figure 6, which is an enlarged view of the areas around frames B8 and B9 in Figure 5, a group of breaking waves arranged in a straight line within a specified range N in the wave height direction at the bottom edge of frame B (the bottom of the breaking waves) can be identified as a single unit wave.

[0033] (Another example of collinear breaking waves) Waves arriving from offshore move towards the coastline. In other words, waves usually spread out parallel to the coastline. For this reason, by focusing on breaking waves that line up parallel to the coastline, it is possible to identify a group of breaking waves that line up parallel to the coastline within a specified range as a single unit wave. Waves usually form parallel to the coastline and arrive at the coastline. For this reason, as shown in Figure 7, a group of breaking waves lined up on a line parallel to the coastline L1 on the screen (line L2 in the example of Figure 7) is considered to be a unit wave.

[0034] Depending on the underwater topography, waves coming from offshore may not move perpendicular to the coastline, but may not spread out parallel to the coastline. Therefore, it is possible to specify the direction in which the waves come and spread out in advance, and to treat a group of breaking waves that are parallel to that direction as one wave.

[0035] (Other examples of wave conditions) In the above, the wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 specifies the highest breaking wave among the unit waves as the measurement target breaking wave, and measures the wave height based on the height of the measurement target breaking wave, but this is not limited to this. For example, several high breaking waves can be specified as the measurement target breaking wave, and the average value of the heights of the measurement target breaking waves can be set as the wave height.

[0036] In addition, the breaking wave that exists the longest among the breaking waves that make up the unit wave can be set as the breaking wave to be measured. Also, based on the moving direction, moving speed, and size of the breaking wave to be measured, the way the unit wave breaks and the area of ​​the face P3 when it breaks can be used to evaluate whether the wave conditions are suitable for marine leisure activities such as surfing.

[0037] Measurements of breaking waves can include the height of the breaking wave, the average height over a certain period of time, the area of ​​the breaking wave, the time it exists, the moving speed, the average area of ​​the breaking wave over a certain period of time, the interval or frequency of the breaking wave, as well as the variation in the period of the breaking wave, the height, and the area. Data can also be obtained on the time from when the breaking wave occurs until it disappears, the speed of the breaking wave, its direction, and its position (the position of the boundary between the soup and the wave front). Furthermore, data on the time the breaking wave exists, its moving speed, distance, and direction can be obtained. Based on this data, the state of the waves can be appropriately identified.

[0038] In addition, the number of unit waves (waves) generated per unit time can be measured by measuring the period from generation to disappearance, and the state of the waves can be measured based on the measurement results. For example, if you try to measure the number of offshore swells (waves) using images, the waves captured will differ depending on the weather and the direction of the sunlight, so the measured values ​​will vary depending on the day and time, but if you use breaking waves, you can measure more accurately.

[0039] (Artificially disrupted breaking waves) Artificially created wave breaking is different from naturally occurring wave breaking, so the data can be managed separately from naturally occurring wave breaking. Whether or not a wave is artificially broken can be determined by image recognition, such as whether a person is captured within the frame of the breaking wave or whether a surfboard is in the breaking part of the wave, as shown in Figure 8. In addition, by learning image recognition of people and surfboards, it is possible to recognize that a wave is artificially broken. The data on artificially created wave breaking can be managed separately from naturally occurring wave breaking, and can be stored in a database. This separately managed wave breaking data can be used for marine sports, etc.

[0040] (Use of breaking wave data) By managing this wave-breaking data in a database, it can be made available to marine leisure and marine sports enthusiasts such as surfers. It can also be used as wave information for ship navigation.

[0041] Although the above embodiment has been described as a wave-breaking measuring device, the series of processes can also be executed by a method or software of a general-purpose information processing device. When executed by software, various functions can be executed by installing a program constituting the software in a general-purpose information processing device, for example, a personal computer.

[0042] Although the above embodiment has been described as a wave-breaking measuring device, the series of processes can also be executed by a method or software of a general-purpose information processing device. When executed by software, various functions can be executed by installing a program constituting the software in a general-purpose information processing device, for example, a personal computer.

[0043] (Summary of the invention) The above-mentioned wave breaking measurement device 2 is A wave breaking extraction unit 33 extracts, from an image of a scene including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, a boundary between the soup, which is a region where the water breaks into white foam, and the wave surface as a breaking wave; A wave breaking analysis processing unit 34 that selects a measurement target wave from the breaking waves from generation to disappearance and measures the state of the wave based on the measurement target wave. It is equipped with:

[0044] According to this configuration, breaking waves are observed in chronological order, and the breaking waves to be measured are selected from the breaking waves from their generation to their disappearance, so that accurate measurement of the wave state is possible.

[0045] When the wind blows from offshore toward the land and becomes stronger, the wave surface becomes rough and the wave crest breaks, increasing the number of breaking waves. As the number of breaking waves increases, the soup increases, the contrast disappears, and the slope including the wave face decreases, making it difficult to recognize breaking waves and measure wave height. In addition, the swell (waves) from offshore also varies, making it difficult to identify the wave number and wavelength.

[0046] In such cases, priority is given to extracting high breaking waves on the same line or breaking waves that maintain the same line, measuring the data for those, and eliminating from measurement temporary breaking waves that disappear in an instant or small breaking waves that are below the appropriate ratio, for example below a certain top percentage.

[0047] In addition, images are acquired in chronological order as video data, and the wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 tracks changes in breaking waves from the time the soup occurs until the breaking waves disappear on the coastline. Therefore, by determining the most appropriate wave breaking to acquire breaking wave data, the number of waves arriving in a certain period of time can be measured more accurately.

[0048] In addition, the breaking wave extraction unit 33 extracts a predetermined rectangular area including the boundary between the soup and the wave front as a breaking wave.

[0049] According to this configuration, breaking waves can be extracted from the contrast between the soup and the wave surface, and by setting a frame, breaking waves can be extracted and changes in breaking waves over time can be tracked.

[0050] The wave-breaking analysis processor 34 identifies a group of breaking waves that are arranged in a straight line within a predetermined range as a unit wave, and selects, for each unit wave, a breaking wave to be measured from among the breaking waves contained in the unit wave.

[0051] According to this configuration, the wave breaking analysis processor 34 can measure the state of a unit wave based on the breaking wave that best represents the state of the unit wave among the linearly arranged breaking waves. In other words, the wave state can be measured by eliminating breaking waves that do not properly represent the wave state.

[0052] The wave breaking extraction unit 33 extracts a specified rectangular area including the boundary between the soup and the wave front as a breaking wave, and the wave breaking analysis processing unit 34 identifies a group of breaking waves whose bottom sides are arranged in a straight line within a specified range as a unit wave, and selects, for each unit wave, the breaking wave to be measured from the breaking waves that make up the unit wave.

[0053] In a wave breaker, the vertical position of the lip of each wave is different, but the vertical position of the bottom of each wave is within a certain range. Therefore, as in this configuration, by focusing on the bottom edge of the rectangular area, i.e., the position of the bottom of the wave breaker, a single wave can be identified.

[0054] The wave breaking analysis processor 34 identifies a group of breaking waves that are parallel to the coastline within a predetermined range as a single unit wave, and selects a breaking wave to be measured from the breaking waves that make up each unit wave.

[0055] Waves coming from offshore move towards the shoreline, meaning that they usually spread out parallel to the shoreline. This allows us to identify a wave by looking at the breaking waves that are aligned parallel to the shoreline.

[0056] The wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 identifies a group of breaking waves that are aligned parallel to the direction in which the waves spread, which has been previously measured, within a predetermined range as a single unit wave, and selects, for each unit wave, a breaking wave to be measured from among the breaking waves that make up the unit wave.

[0057] Depending on the underwater topography, waves coming from offshore may not move perpendicular to the coastline, but may not spread out parallel to it. Therefore, it is possible to specify the direction in which the waves come and spread out, and to count a group of breaking waves that are parallel to that direction as one wave.

[0058] (Breaking wave measurement processing) Next, the wave breaking measurement process performed by the wave breaking measurement device 2 will be described with reference to a flowchart.

[0059] The wave breaking measurement process is started, for example, by operating a start button (not shown) of the wave breaking measurement device 2.

[0060] In step S1, the video data acquisition unit 31 acquires data of video captured by the camera 1 (video of an offshore landscape including a coastline).

[0061] In step S2, the image processing unit 32 digitizes the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 31, and performs image processing for later processing to identify the breaking wave to be measured.

[0062] In step S3, the breaking wave extraction unit 33 extracts, from the image processed by the image processing unit 32, a predetermined rectangular area including the boundary between the soup, which is the area where the water breaks into white foam, and the wave surface, as breaking waves.

[0063] In step S4, the wave-breaking analysis processing unit 34 identifies a group of breaking waves arranged in a straight line within a predetermined range from the breaking waves extracted by the breaking wave extraction unit 33 as a single unit wave.

[0064] In step S5, the wave breaking analysis processor 34 selects, for each unit wave, a breaking wave to be measured from among the breaking waves contained in the unit wave.

[0065] In step S6, the wave breaking analysis processor 34 measures the state of the unit wave based on the selected measurement target breaking wave.

[0066] The process then ends.

[0067] Although the above embodiment has been described as a wave-breaking measuring device, the series of processes can also be executed by a method or software of a general-purpose information processing device. When executed by software, various functions can be executed by installing a program constituting the software in a general-purpose information processing device, for example, a personal computer.

[0068] [First application example] Next, a text creation system for creating text representing wave conditions using the results of wave breaking measurement by the wave breaking measurement device 2 described above will be described.

[0069] The above-mentioned wave-breaking measuring device 2 can measure the height of the breaking wave, as well as the average height in a certain period of time, the area of ​​the breaking wave, the duration, the moving speed, the average area of ​​the breaking wave in a certain period of time, the interval or frequency of the breaking wave, the variation in the period of the breaking wave, the variation in the height and the area, etc. However, there are cases where the user cannot immediately grasp the state of the waves even by directly looking at the data. Therefore, it is desirable to further create a text that describes the state of the breaking wave and explains the measurement results of the wave-breaking measuring device 2.

[0070] Conventionally, content has been provided to users by humans observing with live cameras or visually observing on-site, verbalizing the observations, and inputting them into a PC or the like. However, there is a problem in that humans have to constantly observe the waves and create text, which is a burden on them. The text creation system in this application example has been made in consideration of such problems. Here, the text that describes the state of breaking waves is a text that comprehensively evaluates and / or explains the state of breaking waves.

[0071] (Text creation system configuration) Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a text creation system in the first application example. Components having the same functions as those in the wave measurement system shown in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0072] The text creation system includes a camera 1 , a wave-breaking measuring device 2 , a display device 3 such as a display, an input device 4 , a meteorological information content device 111 , and a text creation device 112 .

[0073] The weather information content device 111 is, for example, a server, and supplies weather information to the text creation device 112. The weather information content device 111 stores, for example, AMeDAS data observed by the Japan Meteorological Agency and data observed by private weather companies, and transmits the data together with location information, date and time information, and the like. The weather information includes, for example, wind direction, wind speed, and wave information. The weather information may be weather information actually measured at a specified date and time, or may be forecast information that forecasts the weather at a specified date and time.

[0074] The text creation device 112 is, for example, a server, and creates text for explaining the measurement results of breaking waves, which are the subject of text creation, based on the measurement results of breaking waves, which are the subject of text creation, meteorological information acquired from the meteorological information content device 111, and past information. Details will be described later.

[0075] (Configuration of text creation device 112) 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the text creation device 112. The text creation device 112 includes a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, and a control unit 123.

[0076] The communication unit 121 communicates with the wave-breaking measuring device 2, the weather information content device 111, etc. The communication unit 121 may realize various information by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Furthermore, information may be exchanged via the Internet 21, etc., by wide-area wireless communication.

[0077] The storage unit 122 includes, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a non-volatile memory. The storage unit 122 stores an application program for controlling the text creation device 112, various data required for the execution of the application program, and information generated by processing.

[0078] The control unit 123 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit (ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), non-volatile memory, etc.), hardware, and other elements. The control unit 123 executes a control application program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 122 to control the entire text creation device 112, and also functions as a past information creation unit 131, a measurement result acquisition unit 132, a weather information acquisition unit 133, and a text creation unit 134.

[0079] The past information creation unit 131 stores in the storage unit 122 past information that links together past measurement results of breaking waves, meteorological information at the time of measurement, and text that represents the measured state of breaking waves.

[0080] The past measurement results of breaking waves are, for example, information such as the number of breaking waves, the height of breaking waves (for example, maximum value, average value), and the manner in which breaking waves break, and may be results measured by the wave-breaking measuring device 2 or may be results measured without using the wave-breaking measuring device 2. For example, the past measurement results may be results of visual measurement or results of measurement using other methods.

[0081] The weather information at the time of measurement is, for example, wind direction, wind speed, wave information, etc., and is information acquired from the weather information content device 111. The weather information at the time of measurement may be actual weather information at the time of measurement, or may be weather forecast information that predicts the weather at the time of measurement.

[0082] The text representing the measured state of breaking waves is a text representing the state of waves in the past. The text representing the measured state of breaking waves may be a text produced by a person visually observing and writing down the breaking waves, or may be a text produced by the text production device 112, or may be both.

[0083] The text describing the state of breaking waves uses unique expressions and indicators appropriate to the situation at hand to describe the state (condition) of the breaking waves.

[0084] The expressions of the state of breaking waves are divided into categories such as "swell", "breaking manner", "wave surface", "wave number", "number of sets", "wave interval", "set interval", "wave height", and "set peak". A set is a wave with the highest wave height among the waves observed within a given time. For example, in the category of "swell", expressions such as "not cohesive", "connected", "wrinkled", and "blistering" are used. For example, in the category of "breaking manner", expressions such as "dumper", "peaky", "hollow", "mellow", "close out", and "A frame" are used. For example, in the category of "wave surface", expressions such as "choppy", "windy", "bumpy", and "glassy" are used. For example, in the categories of "wave number" and "number of sets", expressions such as "more" and "less" are used based on the number of waves or sets per given time. For example, in the items "wave interval" and "set interval", expressions such as "long" and "short" are used based on the time from the arrival of a wave or set to the arrival of the next wave or set. For example, in the items "wave height" and "set peak", expressions such as "XX meters" and "shoulder size" are used. Furthermore, for example, expressions describing the state of breaking waves may use a score out of 100 that indicates a comprehensive evaluation of the state of breaking waves, or may use "so-so", "surf's up", "humpy", "classical day", etc. that indicate a comprehensive evaluation of the state of breaking waves.

[0085] The text describing the state of breaking waves is, for example, a combination of the above expressions. For example, the text describing the state of breaking waves is, "There are few waves, and the set peaks are shoulder-sized. The wave face is rough, slightly warped, and wobbly, and the way it breaks is damper. Even if you choose the right wave, you can barely get one action, so the conditions are so-so.", "The time between sets is quite long, and the set peaks are waist to chest-sized. The surface is rough, and if you choose the right wave, you can still enjoy it, but the conditions are humdrum.", "There are a fair number of waves, and the set peaks are overhead-sized. If you choose a smooth, well-shaped triangular wave (A-frame), the conditions are perfect for a classic day and you can ride it.", etc.

[0086] The linking between past wave breaking measurement results, weather information at the time of measurement, and text describing the measured wave breaking conditions may be performed manually by a user or automatically, for example based on a time series.

[0087] The past information may be stored in a location other than the text creation device 112, for example, the server 22 or the PC .

[0088] The measurement result acquisition unit 132 acquires the measurement results of the breaking waves for which text is to be created from the wave-breaking measurement device 2, for example, via the communication unit 121. The measurement results of the breaking waves are various pieces of information that can be acquired by the wave-breaking measurement device 2, such as the number of breaking waves, the height of the breaking waves (for example, maximum value, average value), and information on how the breaking waves break.

[0089] The weather information acquiring section 133 acquires from the weather information content device 111 via the communication section 121, for example, weather information at the time of measurement of the measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquiring section 132.

[0090] The text creation unit 134 creates text representing the state of breaking waves measured by the wave-breaking measurement device 2 based on the correlation between the past wave-breaking measurement results in the past information created by the past information creation unit 131, the weather information at the time of measurement, and text representing the measured state of breaking waves, the wave-breaking measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit 132, and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 133.

[0091] For example, the text creation unit 134 performs machine learning of past measurement results, weather information at the time of measurement, text representing the state of waves at the time of measurement, and the correlation between them as learning in AI, and calculates patterns and trends based on the results of the machine learning.The text creation unit 134 then uses the calculated patterns and trends to create text representing the state of breaking waves measured by the wave breaking measurement processing unit based on the measurement results for which text is to be created and the weather information at the time of measurement.The text creation unit 134 may create text by selecting from past texts included in the past information, or may create new text by machine learning.

[0092] The text describing the breaking wave conditions may be made available to users, such as surfers, for example by being uploaded to the Internet.

[0093] Note that the text creation device 112 does not necessarily have to have each of the above-mentioned components, and for example, the wave-breaking measurement device 2 may have each of the components instead. Also, other independent devices may have each of the components, or multiple independent devices may have each of the components and communicate with each other.

[0094] (Text creation process) Next, the text creation process by the text creation device 112 will be described. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the text creation process. The past information creation unit 131 stores in advance in the storage unit 122 past information that links together past wave breaking measurement results, weather information at the time of measurement, and text that represents the measured wave breaking state. The process starts, for example, when a start button (not shown) is pressed.

[0095] In step S11, the measurement result acquisition unit 132 acquires, from the wave-breaking measurement device 2, the measurement results of the breaking waves for which text is to be created.

[0096] In step S12, the weather information acquiring unit 133 acquires weather information at the time of measurement of the measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquiring unit 132.

[0097] In step S13, the text creation unit 134 creates text representing the state of breaking waves measured by the wave breaking measurement device 2 based on the correlation between the past wave breaking measurement results in the past information created by the past information creation unit 131, the weather information at the time of measurement, and the text representing the measured state of breaking waves, the wave breaking measurement results acquired in step S11, and the weather information acquired in step S12.

[0098] In step S14, the past information creation unit 131 links the wave breaking measurement results obtained in step S11, the weather information at the time of measurement obtained in step S12, and the text representing the wave breaking condition created in step S13 to each other and stores them in the memory unit 122 as past information.

[0099] The process then ends.

[0100] (Summary of the invention) The contents described in the above-mentioned first application example can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0101] A text creation system for creating text representing a breaking wave state, comprising: A wave breaking measurement device 2; A text generator 112; Equipped with The text creation device 112 is a past information creating unit 131 that creates past information by linking together past measurement results of wave breaking, meteorological information at the time of measurement, and text that represents the measured state of wave breaking; A measurement result acquisition unit 132 that acquires measurement results of breaking waves to be used for creating text from the wave-breaking measurement device 2; a weather information acquiring unit 133 for acquiring weather information at the time of measurement of the measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquiring unit 132; a text creation unit 134 that creates text that represents the state of breaking waves measured by the wave-breaking measuring device 2 based on the correlation between the past wave-breaking measurement results in the past information created by the past information creation unit 131, the weather information at the time of measurement, and the text that represents the measured state of breaking waves, the wave-breaking measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit 132, and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 133; A text creation system comprising:

[0102] Conventionally, a person would visually observe waves and create text describing the state of the waves, but with the above configuration, it is possible to automate the creation of text describing the state of the waves. Furthermore, automation makes it easy to observe and create text over a long period of time, for example, and allows repeated observation at a set interval to create text, making it possible to create quantitative text that is not dependent on individuals.

[0103] In addition, by displaying the created text, content related to the state of breaking waves can be provided in real time, and users who view the content can easily understand the state of breaking waves from the text. For example, by providing a surfer with text describing the state of waves, the surfer can easily understand the state of breaking waves and can utilize the text for surfing.

[0104] In addition, text expressing the state of wave breaking measured by the wave breaking measuring device 2 is created based on the correlation between the past wave breaking measurement results in the past information, the weather information at the time of measurement, and the text expressing the measured state of wave breaking, and based on the wave breaking measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit 132 and the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 133, so it is possible to refer to text that is highly correlated with the past wave breaking measurement results and the weather information at the time of measurement. In other words, it is possible to create text expressing the state of wave breaking with greater accuracy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1 Camera 2. Wave-breaking measurement device 3 Display device 4 Input Devices 11 CPU 12. Memory 13 Interface 21 Internet 22 Server 23 PC 31 Video data acquisition unit 32 Image processing section 33 Breaking wave extraction part 34 Wave breaking analysis processing section 41 Video data storage unit 42 Database B Frame P1 Lip P2 Soup P3 Face P4 Bottom 111 Weather Information Content Device 112 Text Creation Device 121 Communications Department 122 Storage section 123 Control Unit 131 Past Information Creation Department 132 Measurement result acquisition unit 133 Weather Information Acquisition Department 134 Text Creation Department

Claims

1. A wave breaking extraction unit extracts, from an image of a scene including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, a boundary between a soup, which is a region where the water surface breaks into white foam, and a wave surface as a breaking wave; a wave breaking analysis processing unit that selects a measurement target wave from the breaking waves from generation to disappearance as a measurement target and measures the state of the wave based on the measurement target wave; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The breaking wave extraction unit extracts a predetermined rectangular area including a boundary between the soup and the wave front as the breaking wave.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The breaking wave analysis processing unit includes: A group of breaking waves arranged in a straight line within a predetermined range is identified as a unit wave, and for each unit wave, the breaking wave to be measured is selected from the breaking waves included in the unit wave.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

4. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, The breaking wave extraction unit extracts a predetermined rectangular area including a boundary between the soup and a wave front as the breaking wave, The wave-breaking analysis processing unit specifies a group of breaking waves in which the lower side of the rectangular area is arranged in a straight line within a predetermined range as a unit wave, and selects the measurement target breaking wave from the breaking waves constituting the unit wave for each unit wave.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

5. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, The wave breaking analysis processing unit identifies a group of the breaking waves that are aligned parallel to a coastline within a predetermined range as a unit wave, and selects the measurement target breaking wave from among the breaking waves that constitute each unit wave.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

6. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, The wave-breaking analysis processing unit identifies a group of breaking waves arranged in parallel to a direction in which the waves spread in advance within a predetermined range as a unit wave, and selects the breaking wave to be measured from the breaking waves constituting each unit wave.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

7. The wave breaking extraction unit extracts, from an image of a scene including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, a boundary between a soup, which is an area where the water breaks into white foam, and a wave surface as a breaking wave; A wave-breaking analysis processing unit selects a measurement target breaking wave from the breaking waves from generation to disappearance as a measurement target, and measures the state of the wave based on the measurement target breaking wave. An information processing method comprising:

8. To the computer The wave breaking extraction unit extracts, from an image of a scene including a water surface area where breaking waves may occur, a boundary between a soup, which is an area where the water breaks into white foam, and a wave surface as a breaking wave; A wave-breaking analysis processing unit selects a measurement target breaking wave from the breaking waves from generation to disappearance as a measurement target, and measures the state of the wave based on the measurement target breaking wave. A program characterized by executing a process.

9. An information processing system for creating a text representing the state of the breaking wave, The information processing device according to claim 1 ; A text production device; Equipped with The text creation device comprises: A past information creating unit that creates past information by linking together the past measurement results of the breaking waves, the weather information at the time of measurement, and a text that represents the measured state of the breaking waves; A measurement result acquisition unit that acquires the measurement results of the breaking waves to be used for creating text from the information processing device; a weather information acquiring unit that acquires the weather information at the time of measurement of the measurement results acquired by the measurement result acquiring unit; a text creation unit that creates text representing the state of the breaking waves measured by the information processing device based on correlation between the past measurement results of the breaking waves in the past information created by the past information creation unit, the meteorological information at the time of measurement, and a text representing the measured state of the breaking waves, the measurement results of the breaking waves acquired by the measurement result acquisition unit, and the meteorological information acquired by the meteorological information acquisition unit; An information processing system comprising:

Images