Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method

Abstract

[Problem] To determine the buried state of a submarine cable more quickly. [Solution] This information processing device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor provided to a submarine cable; and a determination unit that determines the buried state of the submarine cable at a predetermined position on the basis of the signal strength of the acoustic data of the submarine cable at the predetermined position.

Description

Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing System, and Information Processing Method

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing method.

[0002] In recent years, submarine cables have been laid in the seas around the world for power transmission or communication transmission, etc. Submarine cables are buried in sediments such as mud or sand on the seabed in order to prevent damage caused by interaction with ship anchors, trawl nets, tidal fluctuations, or ocean currents.

[0003] On the other hand, submarine cables may be partially exposed in the sea due to the movement of seabed sediments caused by tidal fluctuations or ocean currents, or the lifting of seabed sediments by the setting of ship anchors. Therefore, a technology for detecting the buried state of submarine cables laid on the seabed is required.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a technology for monitoring the buried state of a submarine cable by detecting pressure fluctuations applied to the submarine cable (that is, changes in water pressure due to depth).

[0005] Special Table 2020-508464 Gazette

[0006] However, since the technology described in Patent Document 1 monitors the buried state of a submarine cable using static pressure fluctuations due to water pressure, for example, it has been difficult to monitor the buried state of a submarine cable in real time by active intervention.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method capable of more quickly monitoring the buried state of a submarine cable.

[0008] To solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing device is provided, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable; and a determination unit that determines the buried state of the submarine cable at a predetermined location based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at that predetermined location on the submarine cable.

[0009] The submarine cable may be provided with a plurality of acoustic sensors, and the determination unit may determine the burial status of the submarine cable at the predetermined location based on whether the signal strength of the acoustic data at the predetermined location is higher than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations within a predetermined distance from the predetermined location.

[0010] The determination unit may determine the burial status of the submarine cable at the predetermined location based on whether the signal intensity of the acoustic data at the predetermined location is higher than the steady-state signal intensity of the acoustic data.

[0011] The determination unit may determine the buried state of the submarine cable based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at 500 Hz or higher.

[0012] The determination unit may determine the buried state of the submarine cable based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at 1 kHz or higher.

[0013] The determination unit may further determine the burial depth of the submarine cable at the predetermined location.

[0014] The acoustic sensor may be a distributed acoustic sensor that utilizes optical fibers installed along the submarine cable.

[0015] The aforementioned acoustic data may be data obtained by sensing sounds generated underwater using the acoustic sensor.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, an information processing system is provided which includes an acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable, and a determination unit that determines the buried state of the submarine cable at a predetermined location based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at that predetermined location on the submarine cable.

[0017] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-based information processing method is provided, which includes acquiring acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable, and determining the buried state of the submarine cable at a predetermined location based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at that location.

[0018] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to monitor the buried state of submarine cables more quickly.

[0019] This is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the differences due to the buried state of the submarine cable. This is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the information processing system according to the present invention. This is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the information processing system according to the present invention. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device included in the information processing system according to the present invention.

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0021] <1. Overview> First, an overview of the information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the differences depending on the buried state of the submarine cable 30.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a first piece of equipment 10, a second piece of equipment 20, and a submarine cable 30.

[0023] The first equipment 10 and the second equipment 20 are various types of equipment installed in a body of water W at locations separated from each other. The first equipment 10 and the second equipment 20 are connected to each other by a submarine cable 30 buried underground E below the body of water W.

[0024] For example, the first equipment 10 and the second equipment 20 may be a power generation facility located offshore that uses wind, solar, or tidal power, and a power receiving and transforming facility that receives the power transmitted from the power generation facility and transforms it. As another example, each of the first equipment 10 and the second equipment 20 may be a communication facility that sends and receives data to and from each other. Furthermore, as yet another example, if the submarine cable 30 is a cable-type observation instrument or an earthquake observation instrument, each of the first equipment 10 and the second equipment 20 may be a ground station that acquires data measured by the submarine cable 30.

[0025] The submarine cable 30 is a transmission line that transmits power, communication, or data between the first equipment 10 and the second equipment 20. To avoid damage from interaction with ship anchors, trawler nets, tides, or ocean currents in the water area W, the submarine cable 30 is buried underground E below the water area W, or is protected by a protective conduit and placed below the water area W. The submarine cable 30 consists of a transmission medium (conductor or optical fiber, etc.) that transmits power, communication, or data, and an outer covering that covers the transmission medium for protection. For example, the submarine cable 30 may be a power cable, a communication cable, a cable-type observation instrument, or seismic observation instrument (seabed seismometer and seabed pressure gauge). The protective conduit is a cast or plastic protective cover that is placed over the submarine cable 30 to protect it when the submarine cable 30 is not buried underground E.

[0026] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with at least one acoustic sensor (not shown) on the submarine cable 30. The information processing system 1 can determine the state of the submarine cable at the location where the acoustic sensor is installed based on the signal strength of the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor.

[0027] Specifically, the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor is waveform data of vibration waves caused by various sounds, shocks, or tremors that occur within the body of water W. The various sounds that occur within the body of water W may be artificial sounds S1 such as sonar sounds emitted from a vessel 50 navigating the body of water W, transmitted sounds from a sound source, navigation noise, unintended noise, or vibrations; biological sounds S2 emitted by aquatic organisms L (such as pistol shrimp, fish, or marine mammals) inhabiting the body of water W; or natural sounds such as rumbling, landslides, or earthquakes. The various shocks or tremors that occur within the body of water W may be anchoring from a vessel 50 navigating the body of water W, rumbling, landslides, or earthquakes. In other words, the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor includes data detecting pressure waves caused by sounds that occur within the body of water W, and data detecting vibrations of the seabed, etc., caused by sounds, shocks, or tremors that occur within the body of water W.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the submarine cable 30 buried underground E is surrounded by sediment, and the submarine cable 30 protected by a protective pipe is surrounded by the protective pipe. Therefore, in an acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable 30B covered by a shielding material SM such as sediment or a protective pipe, a sound insulation effect occurs due to the difference between the acoustic impedance in the underground E covered by the shielding material SM and the acoustic impedance in the water area W. Consequently, in an acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable 30B covered by the shielding material SM, the sound that is attenuated by the sound insulation effect of the shielding material SM is sensed, and the intensity of the signal caused by sound included in the acquired acoustic data decreases.

[0029] On the other hand, the submarine cable 30 may be partially exposed to the water area W due to the movement of seabed sediment caused by tides or ocean currents, the stirring up of seabed sediment by the dropping of anchors by ships, or damage to protective pipes. In acoustic sensors installed on the submarine cable 30A exposed to the water area W, the sound insulation effect of shielding materials SM such as sediment or protective pipes is lost, resulting in a higher signal intensity of the acoustic data acquired compared to acoustic data acquired by acoustic sensors installed on the submarine cable 30B covered by shielding materials SM.

[0030] Furthermore, the intensity of signals caused by vibrations included in the acquired acoustic data may be higher underground E than within the water body W at lower frequencies (e.g., below 1 kHz). Specifically, in seismic motion transmitted along the seabed, the magnitude of vibrations may be amplified (or sometimes reduced) at the ground surface (i.e., the outcrop) under various conditions. For example, at dominant frequencies generated by the nonlinearity or impedance ratio of the seabed ground, there is a tendency for the magnitude of vibrations to be amplified. Such amplification phenomena due to dominant frequencies can occur not only in earthquakes that directly vibrate the seabed, but also when the seabed vibrates due to navigation noise, etc. Therefore, the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30B covered by the shielding SM may have a higher intensity of signals caused by vibrations in the lower frequency band compared to the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30A exposed in the water body W.

[0031] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment acquires sounds and vibrations that occur in various ways in the water area W using at least one acoustic sensor provided on the submarine cable 30. Based on this, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can determine the state of the submarine cable 30 (buried state or protected state by protective pipe) at the location where the acoustic sensor is provided, based on the signal intensity of the acquired acoustic data. For example, the information processing system 1 may determine the state of the submarine cable 30 by using the fact that the signal intensity due to sound becomes higher in the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor provided on the submarine cable 30 exposed in the water area W. Alternatively, the information processing system 1 may determine the state of the submarine cable 30 by using the fact that the signal intensity due to vibration becomes lower at lower frequencies in the acoustic data acquired by the acoustic sensor provided on the submarine cable 30 exposed in the water area W.

[0032] For example, if multiple acoustic sensors are provided on the submarine cable 30, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment may determine the state of the submarine cable 30 (buried state or protected state by protective pipe) based on whether the signal strength of the acoustic data at a predetermined location is higher than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations near the predetermined location.

[0033] As another example, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment may determine the state of the submarine cable 30 (buried state, or protected state by protective pipe) based on whether the signal strength of the acoustic data at a predetermined location is higher than the steady-state signal strength of the acoustic data. The steady-state signal strength of the acoustic data may be obtained, for example, by averaging the signal strength of the acoustic data over a certain period of time in the past, by machine learning the signal strength of the acoustic data over a certain period of time in the past, or by obtaining the signal strength of the acoustic data immediately after the submarine cable 30 was buried.

[0034] According to this, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can actively monitor the condition of the submarine cable 30 by, for example, the navigation noise of a maintenance vessel 50 sailing along the submarine cable 30, or by the sound transmitted from a sound source mounted on the vessel 50. Furthermore, since the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can determine the condition of the submarine cable 30 using sound and vibration that occur continuously at various locations in the water body W, it is possible to monitor the condition of the submarine cable 30 in real time.

[0035] Furthermore, if an event that generates loud noises and vibrations, such as anchoring from a ship 50 or a landslide, occurs within the water area W, the state of the shielding SM covering the submarine cable 30 may change significantly. The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can acquire acoustic data from an acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 in near real time, and therefore can acquire acoustic data of sound and vibration caused by the event in near real time using the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30. Accordingly, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can determine early whether the state of the submarine cable 30 has changed due to the event, based on the acoustic data of sound and vibration caused by the event. In addition, if the state of the submarine cable 30 changes, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can identify the event that changed the state of the submarine cable 30 from the acoustic data of sound and vibration.

[0036] <2. Detailed Configuration> Next, the detailed configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a submarine cable 30 and an information processing device 100. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the submarine cable 30 is buried underground E below the body of water W.

[0038] As described above, the submarine cable 30 is a transmission line for transmitting power, communications, or data. The submarine cable 30 is equipped with at least one acoustic sensor 310.

[0039] The acoustic sensor 310 is a sensor that converts sound and vibration generated within the water body W into acoustic data, which is an electrical signal.

[0040] As an example, the acoustic sensor 310 may be a distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) that utilizes an optical fiber installed along the submarine cable 30. The distributed acoustic sensor can detect dynamic distortion of the optical fiber induced by sound and vibration by analyzing the scattered light of a laser pulse transmitted through the optical fiber. Furthermore, the distributed acoustic sensor can determine the location of the dynamic distortion of the optical fiber from the time from the transmission of the laser pulse to the reception of the scattered light. Therefore, by using an optical fiber installed along the submarine cable 30, the distributed acoustic sensor can sense sound and vibration propagating from the water body W or underground E at predetermined intervals (e.g., 15 m) and output the sensing results as acoustic data for each location.

[0041] As another example, the acoustic sensor 310 may be a plurality of microphone sensors provided at predetermined intervals (for example, 15 m, etc.) along the submarine cable 30. For example, the acoustic sensor 310 may be a moving electric type, electrostatic type, or piezoelectric type microphone sensor. Each of the acoustic sensors 310 can sense sounds and vibrations propagating from the water area W or the ground E at the position where each of the acoustic sensors 310 is provided, and output them as acoustic data respectively.

[0042] The information processing apparatus 100 includes an acquisition unit 110, a determination unit 120, an output unit 130, a storage unit 140, and an input unit 150. The information processing apparatus 100 may be provided, for example, in the first facility 10 or the second facility 20 connected to the submarine cable 30, or may be provided in a server connected to the submarine cable 30 via a network or the like.

[0043] The acquisition unit 110 acquires acoustic data from at least one or more acoustic sensors 310 provided on the submarine cable 30. Note that the acquisition unit 110 may perform amplification processing, noise removal processing, filtering processing, or the like on the acoustic data acquired from the acoustic sensor 310.

[0044] The determination unit 120 determines the buried state of the submarine cable 30 based on the signal intensity of the acoustic data of the acoustic sensors 310 provided on the submarine cable 30.

[0045] As an example, the determination unit 120 may determine the burial state of the submarine cable 30 at a predetermined location based on whether the signal strength of the acoustic data at that location is higher than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations near the predetermined location. More specifically, the determination unit 120 may determine the burial state of the submarine cable 30 at a predetermined location based on whether the signal strength of the acoustic data at that location is higher than a threshold (e.g., 5 dB) or more than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations near the predetermined location. Acoustic data sensed from sound and vibration generated in the water body W is expected to have similar frequency characteristics and signal strengths without significant differences in nearby areas under the same environment. Therefore, if the signal strength of the acoustic data sensed nearby is higher than a threshold (e.g., 5 dB) or more, it can be considered that there is a difference in the burial state of the submarine cable 30.

[0046] Specifically, the determination unit 120 can determine that the submarine cable 30 at a predetermined location is not buried and is exposed in the water area W if the signal strength of the acoustic data at a predetermined location of the submarine cable 30 (more specifically, acoustic data sensing sound generated in the water area W) is higher than or equal to a threshold than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations near the predetermined location. Furthermore, the determination unit 120 can determine that the submarine cable 30 at a predetermined location is not buried and is exposed in the water area W if the signal strength of the acoustic data at a predetermined location of the submarine cable 30 (more specifically, acoustic data sensing vibration generated in the water area W) is lower than or equal to a threshold at lower frequencies (for example, 1 kHz or less) than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations near the predetermined location.

[0047] The vicinity of a predetermined position may, for example, be within a radius of 100m from the predetermined position, or within a radius of 15m from the predetermined position. The predetermined position from which acoustic data was sensed and other positions in the vicinity of the predetermined position from which the comparison acoustic data was sensed may be adjacent to each other in an array in which multiple acoustic sensors 310 are arranged in a continuous manner, or they may be separated from each other by other acoustic sensors 310 sandwiched in between.

[0048] As another example, the determination unit 120 may determine the buried state of a predetermined position of the submarine cable 30 based on whether the signal intensity of the acoustic data at the predetermined position is higher than the signal intensity in the steady state of the acoustic data. More specifically, the determination unit 120 may determine the buried state of a predetermined position of the submarine cable 30 based on whether the signal intensity of the acoustic data at the predetermined position is higher than a threshold value (for example, 5 dB) or more than the signal intensity in the steady state of the acoustic data. If the signal intensity of the acoustic data changes by a threshold value (for example, 5 dB) or more compared to the signal intensity of the acoustic data sensed in the steady state where the submarine cable 30 is buried, it can be considered that the buried state of the submarine cable 30 has changed.

[0049] Specifically, when the signal intensity of the acoustic data at a predetermined position of the submarine cable 30 (more specifically, the acoustic data sensing the sound generated in the water area W) is higher than the threshold value than the signal intensity of the acoustic data in the steady state, it can be determined that the submarine cable 30 at the predetermined position is not buried and is exposed in the water area W. In addition, when the signal intensity of the acoustic data at a predetermined position of the submarine cable 30 (more specifically, the acoustic data sensing the vibration generated in the water area W) is lower than the threshold value on the lower frequency side (for example, 1 kHz or less) than the signal intensity of the acoustic data in the steady state, it can be determined that the submarine cable 30 at the predetermined position is not buried and is exposed in the water area W.

[0050] The signal intensity in the steady state of the acoustic data may be, for example, the signal intensity obtained by averaging the signal intensities of the acoustic data for a certain period in the past, the signal intensity obtained by machine learning of the signal intensities of the acoustic data for a certain period in the past, or the signal intensity of the acoustic data immediately after the submarine cable 30 is buried.

[0051] The comparison of the signal strength of the acoustic data sensed by the determination unit 120 from sounds generated in the water area W may be performed, for example, in the frequency range of the acoustic data above 500 Hz. The sound insulation effect of the shielding material SM covering the submarine cable 30 is more pronounced in the high-frequency range. Therefore, the determination unit 120 can more clearly determine the buried state of the submarine cable 30 by comparing the signal strength of the acoustic data sensed from sounds generated in the water area W in the high-frequency range of 500 Hz or higher. Furthermore, when comparing the signal strength of the acoustic data in an even higher frequency range, the determination unit 210 may compare the signal strength of the acoustic data in the frequency range of 1 kHz or higher.

[0052] On the other hand, the comparison of signal strengths of acoustic data sensed by the determination unit 120 from vibrations generated in the water area W may be performed, for example, in the frequency range of acoustic data below 1 kHz. This is because vibrations transmitted through the seabed and the like tend to be amplified at dominant frequencies below 1 kHz. Therefore, the determination unit 120 can more clearly determine the buried state of the submarine cable 30 by comparing the signal strengths of acoustic data sensed from vibrations generated in the water area W in the low frequency range below 1 kHz.

[0053] For example, the determination unit 120 may perform frequency analysis on the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 exposed in the water area W and the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 buried underground E, and compare the results. In the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 buried underground E, the decrease in signal strength becomes more pronounced as the frequency increases from around 500 Hz toward higher frequencies, compared to the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 exposed in the water area W. On the other hand, if a dominant frequency occurs at 1 kHz or less due to conditions such as the thickness of the seabed surface layer and the shear wave velocity, the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 buried underground E shows an increasing trend in signal strength around the frequency corresponding to the dominant frequency, compared to the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor installed on the submarine cable 30 exposed in the water area W. By detecting these phenomena, the determination unit 120 can determine the buried state of the submarine cable 30 based on the signal strength of the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor 310 installed on the submarine cable 30.

[0054] Furthermore, the determination unit 120 may determine the burial depth of the submarine cable 30 based on the signal strength of the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. Specifically, the determination unit 120 can determine the burial depth of the submarine cable 30 from the acquired acoustic data signal strength by performing a calibration in advance using the signal strength of the acoustic data sensed by the submarine cable 30 that is not buried underground E (i.e., has a burial depth of 0) and the signal strength of the acoustic data sensed by the submarine cable 30 with a known burial depth.

[0055] Examples of submarine cables 30 with a buried depth of 0 include submarine cables 30 laid on bedrock with little sediment, or submarine cables 30 that have been deployed into the water area W from land but have not yet reached the seabed. By using the acoustic data from acoustic sensors 310 installed on these submarine cables 30 and the acoustic data from acoustic sensors 310 installed on submarine cables 30 whose buried depth is known immediately after being buried at a predetermined location, the determination unit 120 can perform calibration of the buried depth.

[0056] The output unit 130 may be, for example, a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, or a lamp; it may also be an audio output device such as a speaker; or it may be a communication interface for communicating data to an external device. The output unit 130 may also output the buried status of the submarine cable 30, determined by the determination unit 120, to an external server or a maintenance vessel 50.

[0057] The storage unit 140 is a device for storing data. The storage unit 140 is composed of a storage medium, a recording device for recording data on the storage medium, a reading device for reading data from the storage medium, and a deletion device for deleting data recorded on the storage medium. The storage unit 140 may store the buried state of the submarine cable 30 determined by the determination unit 120 as a log.

[0058] The input unit 150 includes input means for the user to input information, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, buttons, switches, or microphone, and an input control circuit that generates input signals based on the user's input. The input unit 150 can receive input of various types of data or instructions for processing operations based on the user's input operations.

[0059] With the above configuration, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can determine the state of the submarine cable 30 (buried state or protected state by protective pipe) at the location where the acoustic sensor 310 is installed by using acoustic data from the acoustic sensor 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. Therefore, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can actively monitor the state of the submarine cable 30 by using, for example, the navigation noise of a ship 50 sailing along the submarine cable 30, or the transmitted sound from a sound source mounted on the ship 50. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can monitor the state of the submarine cable 30 in real time by using, for example, various sounds and vibrations that occur continuously at various locations in the water body W. In addition, when the state of the submarine cable 30 changes, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can identify the event that caused the change in the buried state of the submarine cable 30 from the acoustic data of the sound and vibration immediately preceding it.

[0060] <3. Operation Example> Next, an operation example of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of operation of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0061] As shown in Figure 4, first, the information processing device 100 acquires acoustic data from an acoustic sensor 310 installed on the submarine cable 30 using the acquisition unit 110 (S101). Next, the information processing device 100 compares the signal strength of the acoustic data at a predetermined location with the signal strength of the acoustic data to be compared using the determination unit 120 (S103). The acoustic data to be compared may, for example, be acoustic data from another location in the vicinity of the predetermined location (for example, within a radius of 15 m or within a radius of 100 m), or, as another example, steady-state acoustic data at the predetermined location. The determination unit 120 may also compare the signal strength of the acoustic data from the acoustic sensor 310 installed on the submarine cable 30, which is considered to be in an appropriate buried state, with the signal strength of the acoustic data at the predetermined location.

[0062] Next, the information processing device 100 uses a determination unit 120 to determine the buried state of the submarine cable 30 at a predetermined location based on the comparison results (S105). For example, if the signal strength of the acoustic data at the predetermined location (for example, acoustic data sensed from sound generated in the water area W) is higher than the signal strength of the acoustic data being compared by a threshold (for example, 5 bB) or more, the determination unit 120 may determine that the submarine cable 30 at the predetermined location is not buried and is exposed in the water area W. On the other hand, if the signal strength of the acoustic data at the predetermined location (for example, acoustic data sensed from sound generated in the water area W) is lower than the signal strength of the acoustic data being compared, or higher but less than a threshold (for example, 5 bB), the determination unit 120 may determine that the submarine cable 30 at the predetermined location is properly buried.

[0063] Subsequently, the information processing device 100 outputs the buried state of the submarine cable 30 at the determined predetermined location using the output unit 130 (S107). For example, the output unit 130 may output the buried state of the submarine cable 30 at the determined predetermined location to an external server or device, or to an output device such as a display or speaker. The information processing device 100 may also store the buried state of the submarine cable 30 at the determined predetermined location as a log in the storage unit 140.

[0064] Based on the above operation, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can determine the state of the submarine cable 30 based on the signal strength of the acoustic data sensed by the acoustic sensor 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. Therefore, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can monitor the state of the submarine cable 30 in real time by using sounds and vibrations generated at various locations within the water body W.

[0065] <4. Modifications> The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can also be used for the following purposes.

[0066] As an example, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can detect the location of an object (sound source) that emitted sound within the water area W by using acoustic data sensed by a plurality of acoustic sensors 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. Specifically, the information processing system 1 can detect the location of a sound source by using the frequency deviation and signal intensity changes of continuous acoustic data sensed by a plurality of acoustic sensors 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. In addition, the information processing system 1 can detect the location of a sound source by performing triangulation using acoustic data sensed by three or more acoustic sensors 310 installed at intervals on the submarine cable 30. According to this, the information processing system 1 can detect the location of a ship 50, an anchor driven from the ship 50, or a sound source such as an earthquake. Similarly, the information processing system 1 can detect the amount of ship traffic within the water area W.

[0067] Furthermore, if the submarine cable 30 is a power cable, the information processing system 1 can detect the impact sound caused by a short circuit in the submarine cable 30, which is a power cable, and can also detect the location where the short circuit occurred, which is the source of the impact sound.

[0068] As another example, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can detect the presence or absence and number of aquatic organisms L (such as fish) in a body of water W by using acoustic data sensed by a plurality of acoustic sensors 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. Specifically, the information processing system 1 can determine the presence or absence, type, and approximate number of aquatic organisms L in a body of water W from the frequency characteristics of continuous acoustic data sensed by a plurality of acoustic sensors 310 installed on the submarine cable 30, and the signal strength of a specific frequency band. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 can detect the location of aquatic organisms L in a body of water W by performing calculations using the transition of continuous acoustic data or by performing triangulation.

[0069] As another example, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can detect the location of vibration sources such as earthquakes, landslides, or rockfalls occurring in the water area W by using acoustic data sensed by a plurality of acoustic sensors 310 installed on the submarine cable 30. Specifically, the information processing system 1 can detect the location of vibration sources by performing triangulation using acoustic data (particularly low-frequency data) sensed by three or more acoustic sensors 310 installed at intervals on the submarine cable 30. In this way, the information processing system 1 can detect the location of vibration sources such as earthquakes, landslides, or rockfalls occurring in the water area W.

[0070] <5. Hardware Configuration> Embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Various information processing operations performed by the information processing system 1 described above are realized through the cooperation of software and the hardware of the information processing device 100 described below.

[0071] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 included in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0072] As shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, a host bus 904, a bridge 905, an external bus 906, an interface 907, an input device 908, an output device 909, a storage device 910, a drive 911, and a communication device 913.

[0073] The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and control unit, and controls the overall operation within the information processing unit 100 according to various programs. The CPU 901 may be a microprocessor. The ROM 902 stores programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU 901. The RAM 903 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 901, and parameters that change as appropriate during program execution. These CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903 are interconnected by a host bus 904, which consists of a CPU bus and the like. The functions of the determination unit 120 described above are realized through the cooperation of the CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903.

[0074] The host bus 904 is connected to an external bus 906, such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus, via a bridge 905. Note that the host bus 904, bridge 905, and external bus 906 do not necessarily have to be separate; these functions may be implemented on a single bus.

[0075] The input device 908 consists of an input means for the user to input information, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, buttons, switches, or microphone, and an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the user's input and outputs it to the CPU 901. The user operating the information processing device 900 can input various types of data to the information processing device 900 or instruct it to perform processing operations by operating the input device 908. The input device 908 can, for example, implement the functions of the input unit 150.

[0076] The output device 909 includes, for example, a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, a lamp, or an audio output device such as a speaker. The output device 909 can, for example, realize the functions of the output unit 130.

[0077] The storage device 910 is a device for storing data. The storage device 910 may include a storage medium, a recording device for recording data on the storage medium, a reading device for reading data from the storage medium, and a deletion device for deleting data recorded on the storage medium. The storage device 910 can, for example, implement the functions of the storage unit 140.

[0078] The drive 911 is a reader / writer for storage media and is externally connected to the information processing device 900. The drive 911 reads information recorded on the removable storage medium 912, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs it to the RAM 903. The drive 911 can also write information to the removable storage medium 912.

[0079] The communication device 913 is a communication interface composed of communication devices and the like for performing communication. The communication device 913 may be a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) compatible communication device or a wired communication device for wired communication. The communication device 913 can, for example, implement the functions of the acquisition unit 110 or the output unit 130.

[0080] The hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 5. For example, the information processing device 100 does not need to include an input device 908 or an output device 909. Also, some or all of the configuration shown in Figure 5 may be implemented using one or more ICs (Integrated Circuits).

[0081] For example, the processes described using flowcharts in this specification do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown. Some processing steps may be executed in parallel. Additional processing steps may be adopted, and some processing steps may be omitted.

[0082] Furthermore, the series of processes performed by the information processing device described herein may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are pre-stored in a storage medium (non-transitory media) provided inside or outside each device. Each program is then loaded into the RAM 903 when executed by a computer and executed by a processor such as the CPU 901. The storage medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or flash memory. The computer programs may also be distributed without using a storage medium, for example, via a network.

[0083] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these will naturally also be understood to fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0084] 1 Information Processing System 10 First Equipment 20 Second Equipment 30 Submarine Cable 50 Ship 100 Information Processing Device 110 Acquisition Unit 120 Judgment Unit 130 Output Unit 140 Storage Unit 150 Input Unit 310 Acoustic Sensor W Water Area E Underground L Aquatic Organisms S1 Artificial Sound S2 Biological Sound SM Obstruction

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable; and a determination unit that determines the buried state of the submarine cable at a predetermined location based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at that location.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the submarine cable is provided with a plurality of acoustic sensors, and the determination unit determines the buried state of the submarine cable at the predetermined location based on whether the signal strength of the acoustic data at the predetermined location is higher than the signal strength of the acoustic data at other locations within a predetermined distance from the predetermined location.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the buried state of the submarine cable at the predetermined location based on whether the signal intensity of the acoustic data at the predetermined location is higher than the steady-state signal intensity of the acoustic data.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the buried state of the submarine cable based on the signal strength of the acoustic data of 500 Hz or higher.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit determines the buried state of the submarine cable based on the signal intensity of the acoustic data at 1 kHz or higher.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit further determines the burial depth of the submarine cable at the predetermined location.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic sensor is a distributed acoustic sensor utilizing an optical fiber provided along the submarine cable.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic data is data obtained by sensing sound generated in the sea with the acoustic sensor.

9. An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable; and a determination unit that determines the buried state of the submarine cable at a predetermined location based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at that location.

10. A computer-based information processing method comprising: acquiring acoustic data from at least one acoustic sensor installed on a submarine cable; and determining the burial status of the submarine cable at a predetermined location based on the signal strength of the acoustic data at that location.

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