JP2013238540A - Observation method and observation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an observation method and an observation system capable of accurately capturing the real position change of the boundary of an observation object for a long time.SOLUTION: Reference images imaging an observation object 100 and a still object 102 are obtained, the regions of the observation object 100 and the still object 102 are specified, and a reference ratio between the area of the observation object 100 in a y direction and the area of the still object 102 in the y direction is calculated. After the passage of predetermined time from the acquisition of the reference images, observation images imaging the boundary position of the observation object 100 and the still object 102 are obtained, the regions of the observation object 100 and the still object 102 are specified. An observation ratio between the area of the observation object 100 in the y direction and the area of the still object 102 in the y direction is calculated. From the change of the observation ratio with respect to the reference ratio, the real position change of the boundary of the observation object 100 is observed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an observation method and an observation system for observing an actual position change of a boundary of an observation object.

  Observed objects such as water, snow, earth and sand, and clouds that exist in nature change their position and size over time. For this reason, if the change in the position of the boundary of the observation object is observed, it is possible to predict river inundation, avalanches, snow cover, landslide disasters, weather, and the like. For example, as a method for observing a change in the position of a water boundary (water surface), a method capable of measuring the water level of a river has been proposed (Patent Document 1). In the water level measurement method of Patent Document 1, a metered water plate is installed in a river so as to be perpendicular to the water surface, and an image of the metered water plate is captured. Then, the water level and the water surface are separated by the difference in image density, and the water surface position is recognized.

  In addition to the quantity water plate described in Patent Document 1, as a measuring means, a float is installed on the water and the vertical movement is observed, or a water pressure sensor is provided in the water to control the water pressure of the water. There is also a method to measure.

  If the water level of a river is measured, it is possible to calculate how much water is from the river bed or river point (reference position). From this value and the cross-sectional area of the river, you can see how many tons of water flows per second. As a result, it was possible to predict how much water would reach the estuary from the water level measurement position, and to determine whether the levee and revetment were dangerous or safe.

JP-A-8-145765

  The observation method described in Patent Document 1 observes a certain place (one point) in an observation target, and cannot capture an environmental change three-dimensionally. However, in order to predict a phenomenon occurring in the natural world, it is not sufficient to observe a change in the position of one boundary of the observation object. For example, even if the water level changes to the same extent, the rate of change of the surrounding environment and the boundary per hour is different so that the degree of river flooding and the time prediction until flooding differ between narrow and wide rivers. Etc., the subsequent change prediction is different.

  Moreover, the method described in patent document 1 installs a measurement means in the water which is an observation object. For this reason, in the method of patent document 1, when a river overflow, an avalanche, or a landslide disaster actually occurs, there exists a possibility that a measurement means may be washed away and it becomes impossible to observe.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an observation method and an observation system that can accurately grasp an actual position change of the boundary of an observation target and can perform stable observation over a long period of time.

  The observation method of the present invention acquires an image obtained by capturing a stationary object having a color different from the boundary of the observation target and the observation target, and in this image, the direction in which the position of the boundary of the observation target is displaced is the y direction, An observation method for observing an actual position change of a boundary of an observation object by calculating a displacement in the y direction of the boundary with a direction orthogonal to the y direction as an x direction, the boundary between the observation object and the stationary A reference image obtained by imaging an object is acquired, the reference image is divided into a plurality of regions for each color, and an observation target object and a stationary object region are specified in the reference image. The region and the region of the stationary object are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, and for each divided range, a reference ratio between the area in the y direction of the observation object and the area in the y direction of the stationary object is calculated, and the reference I got the image After a predetermined time has elapsed, an observation image obtained by capturing the boundary of the observation object and a stationary object is acquired, and the observation image is divided into a plurality of regions for each color, and the observation object and the stationary object in the observation image are divided. An area is specified, and in the observation image, the area of the observation object and the area of the stationary object are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, and for each divided area, the area of the observation object in the y direction, The actual position change of the boundary of the observation object is observed by calculating the observation ratio with the area in the y direction and calculating the change of the observation ratio with respect to the reference ratio.

  According to the observation method of the present invention, from the reference ratio in the reference image and the change in the observation ratio in the observation image taken after the reference image is taken, the boundary position of the photographed observation object is taken as the reference image. It is possible to observe in three dimensions how it has changed from time to time. That is, the change in the position of the boundary of the observation target is not observed, but the change in the position of the boundary of the observation target can be observed as a whole in the entire captured range. In addition, the device can be installed at a position where the boundary of the observation object can be photographed, that is, at a position away from the observation object, and it is not necessary to install it in the observation object.

  In the above configuration, the observation object region and the stationary object region of the image can be divided pixel by pixel in the x direction. Thereby, the area in the y direction of the divided range (Δx) can be the number of pixels in the y direction in Δx, and the area can be easily calculated.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said observation image can be acquired for every predetermined time.

  In the above-described configuration, the observation object may be one of water, snow, earth and sand, and clouds, and observe changes in the natural environment.

  The observation system of the present invention includes an imaging unit that acquires an image of a stationary object having a color different from the boundary of the observation target and the observation target, and a direction in which the position of the boundary of the observation target is displaced in this image. an observation system for observing an actual position change of a boundary of an observation object, comprising: an image processing means for calculating a displacement in a y direction of a boundary, wherein a direction orthogonal to the y direction is defined as an x direction. The image processing unit includes an image capturing unit that captures an image captured by the imaging unit, a storage unit that stores in advance the color of the observation object and the color of the stationary object in the captured image, and the image for each color. A region dividing unit that divides the image into a plurality of regions, and the region of the observation object and the stationary object in the image are identified, and the region of the observation object and the region of the stationary object in the image are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, For each divided range A calculation unit that calculates a ratio between the area in the y direction of the observation object and the area in the y direction of the stationary object, and an analysis unit that analyzes the actual position change of the boundary of the observation object from the change in the ratio. It is provided.

  Since the observation method and the observation system of the present invention can three-dimensionally observe the change in the state of the observation object, the observation can be performed in the same manner as the observation by human eyes, and the change in the position of the boundary of the observation object can be detected. It can be accurately captured. As a result, a phenomenon occurring in the natural world can be accurately predicted. In addition, since the equipment can be installed at a position away from the observation object and it is not necessary to install it in the observation object, the outflow of the equipment can be prevented even if the state of the observation object changes suddenly. , Stable observation over a long period of time becomes possible. Further, since it is not necessary for a person to approach the observation object and observation from a distant place is possible, there is an advantage that it is safe and easy to install.

It is a block diagram of the observation system of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state which installed the observation system of this invention in the river vicinity. It is the image of the water and revetment which were image | photographed with the imaging means which comprises the observation system of this invention, (a) is a reference | standard image in the time t0, (b) is the observation image in the time t1. It is a flowchart figure which shows the procedure which observes a water surface position with the observation method of this invention. 3 is an image for analyzing the image of FIG. 3, (a) is a reference image at time t0, and (b) is an observation image at time t1.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the observation system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an installation example of the observation system of the present invention. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the observation system of the present invention is installed near the river 101 where the observation object is water 100 and the background stationary object is the revetment 102, and the position change of the boundary of the water 100 is performed. An example of observing (river water level) will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the observation system of the present invention includes an imaging unit 1 and an image processing unit 2.

  The imaging means 1 is a publicly known camera that can image the boundary (water level) of the water 100 as an observation object and the seawall 102 as a stationary object. In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 1 is a web camera that captures both infrared rays and visible rays. However, the color difference between the observation object and the stationary object, such as the one that uses only infrared rays or the one that uses only visible rays. Any image can be used as long as it can capture an image in which is clear. The imaging means 1 may be installed at any position as long as the water level in the range to be observed and the revetment 102 can be imaged. For this reason, it can install in the position away from the water 100, and it becomes unnecessary to install in water.

  The imaging unit 1 images the water 100 and the revetment 102. FIG. 3A is a reference image taken at the reference time t0 and shows the water level with respect to the revetment 102 in the initial stage. FIG. 3B is an observation image taken at time t1 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the reference image was acquired (time t0). In FIGS. 3A and 3B, no hatching indicates the area of the water 100, and hatching indicates the area of the revetment 102. In the actual image, the color indicating the area of the water 100 (for example, white) and the color indicating the area of the revetment 102 (for example, black) are different colors. 3A, B0 indicates the water level at time t0, and in FIG. 3B, B1 indicates the water level at time t1 after a predetermined time has elapsed from time t0. The imaging means 1 captures an image so that the direction in which the water level is displaced is the y direction and the direction orthogonal to the y direction is the x direction. In the case of the present embodiment, the water levels B0 and B1 are displaced in the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the vertical direction in which the water levels B0 and B1 are displaced is the y direction. An image is taken so that the direction is the x direction.

  The image processing means 2 is constituted by a personal computer, and as shown in FIG. 1, an image capturing unit 3, a storage unit 4, a region dividing unit 5, a correcting unit 6, a calculating unit 7, An analysis unit 8 and a display unit 9 are provided.

  The image capturing unit 3 captures an image captured by the image capturing unit 1 into a personal computer. The storage unit 4 stores in advance the color (white) of the water 100 that is an observation target and the color (black) of the revetment 102 that is a stationary object in the captured image. The area dividing unit 5 is configured to divide the same color area of the image into a plurality of areas for each color. The correction unit 6 removes other colors as noise when the other colors are slightly mixed in the region of the observation object and the stationary object.

  The calculation unit 7 acquires information on the color indicating the area of the water 100 (white) and the color indicating the area of the revetment 102 (black) from the storage unit 4, and among the areas divided by the area dividing unit 5 The area of the water 100 in the image and the area of the revetment 102 in the image are specified. That is, among the divided areas, white is identified as water 100 and black as revetment 102. Then, as will be described later, the area of the water 100 and the area of the revetment 102 in the image are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, and the area in the y direction of the water 101 and the y direction of the revetment 102 are divided for each divided area. The ratio with the area at is calculated.

  The analysis unit 8 analyzes how the ratio of the water 101 and the revetment 102 has changed with the passage of time from the calculation result of the calculation unit 7 at each x position. In the present embodiment, the analysis unit 8 includes an accumulation unit 10, a comparison unit 11, and a conversion unit 12. The accumulating unit 10 accumulates the ratio data obtained by the calculating unit 7. The comparison unit 11 compares the ratio data accumulated in the accumulation unit 10. The conversion unit 12 obtains the height position of the water surface from the ratio and the actual height of the revetment 102. Thereby, it is possible to analyze how the height position of the water surface changes at each position in the x direction.

  The display unit 9 is a display that displays an analysis result obtained by the analysis unit 8.

  Next, a method for observing the actual position change of the boundary of the observation object by the observation system of the present invention will be described using the flowchart of FIG. Also in this case, the observation system of the present invention is installed in the vicinity of the river 101 where the observation object is the water 100 and the background stationary object is the revetment 102, and the displacement of the boundary position of the water 100 (river water level) is observed. Will be described.

  First, the storage unit 4 of the image processing unit 2 stores in advance the color (for example, white) indicating the region of the water 100 and the color (for example, black) indicating the region of the revetment 102 in the image captured by the imaging unit 1 ( Step S1). Next, at time t0 as a reference, the imaging means 1 images the boundary (water surface) of the water 100 and the revetment 102, and acquires a reference image as shown in FIG. 3A, for example (step S2). The reference image is captured in the image processing means 2 by the image capturing unit 3.

  The area dividing unit 5 sets the same color area of the reference image as one area, and divides it into a plurality of areas for each color. Then, the calculation unit 7 acquires information on the color (white) indicating the region of the water 100 and the color (black) indicating the region of the revetment 102 from the storage unit 4, and the region divided by the region dividing unit 5 Among these, the region of the water 100 in the reference image and the region of the revetment 102 in the reference image are specified (step S3). Specifically, the area of the water 101 is a range surrounded by a, b, c, and d in FIG. 3A that is white in the reference image, and the area of the revetment 102 is black in the reference image. 3 (a) is specified as a range surrounded by c, d, m, and l. At this time, the correction unit 6 removes other colors as noise when the other colors are slightly mixed in the area of the water 100 and the revetment 102.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the calculation unit 7 divides the region of the water 100 and the region of the revetment 102 in the reference image at equal intervals in the x direction (one pixel in the present embodiment) (step S4). . One pixel differs depending on the resolution of the imaging means 1. In the present embodiment, the description will be made assuming that it is divided into 13 equal parts in the x direction.

  Then, for each range divided in the x direction, areas S0-1 to S0-13 in the y direction of the area of water 101 and areas T0-1 to T0-13 in the y direction of the area of revetment 102 are obtained, respectively. (S0-1) / (T0-1), (S0-2) / (T0-2),... (S0-13) / (T0-13) are calculated (step S5). . In this case, since Δx is one pixel, the area in the y direction of Δx corresponds to the number of pixels in the y direction in Δx. For example, in FIG. 5A, the area S0-8 surrounded by g, h, i, j is the number of pixels in the y direction from the lower frame of the image to the boundary B0 in the range of g to h. An area T0-8 surrounded by i, j, n, and o is the number of pixels in the y direction from the boundary B0 to the upper frame of the image in the range from g to h.

  The reference ratios (S0-1) / (T0-1), (S0-2) / (T0-2),... (S0-13) / (T0-13) are stored in the storage unit 10 of the analysis unit 8. Stored (step S6).

  Next, at time t1 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the reference image was acquired (time t0), the imaging means 1 images the boundary (water surface) of the water 100 and the revetment 102 by the same method as described above, For example, an observation image as shown in FIG. 3B is acquired (step S7). The observation image is captured by the image capturing unit 3 in the image processing unit 2.

  The area dividing unit 5 divides the same color area of the observed image into a plurality of areas for each color. Then, the calculation unit 7 acquires information on the color (white) indicating the region of the water 100 and the color (black) indicating the region of the revetment 102 from the storage unit 4, and the region divided by the region dividing unit 5 Among these, the region of the water 100 in the observation image and the region of the revetment 102 in the observation image are specified (step S8). Specifically, the area of the water 101 is a range surrounded by a, b, e, and f in FIG. 3B that is white in the observation image, and the area of the revetment 102 is black in the observation image. 3 (b) is specified as a range surrounded by e, f, m, and l. At this time, the correction unit 6 removes other colors as noise when the other colors are slightly mixed in the area of the water 100 and the revetment 102.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the calculation unit 7 divides the area of the water 100 and the area of the revetment 102 in the observation image at equal intervals in the x direction (in this embodiment, for each pixel) (step S9). .

  Then, for each range divided in the x direction, areas S1-1 to S1-13 in the y direction of the area of the water 101 and areas T1-1 to T1-13 in the y direction of the area of the revetment 102 are obtained, respectively. (S1-1) / (T1-1), (S1-2) / (T1-2),... (S1-13) / (T1-13) are calculated (step S10). . Also in this case, since Δx is one pixel, the area in the y direction of Δx corresponds to the number of pixels in the y direction at Δx.

  The observation ratios (S1-1) / (T1-1), (S1-2) / (T1-2),... (S1-13) / (T1-13) are stored in the storage unit 10 of the analysis unit 8. Stored (step S11).

  Thereafter, the analysis unit 8 extracts the reference ratio and the observation ratio stored in the storage unit 10, compares the reference ratio and the observation ratio in the comparison unit 11, and determines the time t1 from the change in the observation ratio with respect to the reference ratio. It is analyzed how the ratio of water 100 to the revetment 102 has changed since time t0 (step S12). In this case, comparison between (S0-1) / (T0-1) and (S1-1) / (T1-1), (S0-2) / (T0-2) and (S1-2) / (T1 -2),... (S0-13) / (T0-13) and (S1-13) / (T1-13) are compared to analyze the change in the ratio at each x position. In this embodiment, the conversion part 12 converts the actual position of the water surface from the ratio. Specifically, the water surface position is converted by multiplying the ratio by the actual height of the revetment 102. The converted value is displayed on the display unit 9.

  When continuing this system (step S13), it returns to step S6. The time to acquire the next observation image is t2, and Steps S8 to S13 are executed based on the observation image acquired at t2. As described above, when the present system is continued, steps S7 to S13 are repeatedly performed, and when the present system is terminated, the personal computer is terminated by turning off the power of the personal computer.

  In the present invention, since the change in the state of the water 100 can be observed in three dimensions, it is possible to observe the same as the observation by human eyes, and the change in the position of the boundary of the water 100 can be accurately captured. As a result, a phenomenon occurring in the natural world can be accurately predicted. In addition, since the device can be installed at a position away from the water 100 and does not need to be installed in the water, even if the state of the water 100 changes suddenly, the outflow of the device can be prevented and stable over a long period of time. Observation becomes possible. In addition, since there is no need for people to approach the river and observation from a distance is possible, there is an advantage that it is safe and easy to install.

  While the embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these and various modifications can be made. For example, the observation target may be snow, earth and sand, or clouds in addition to water. The imaging unit 1 may or may not capture images continuously, or may intermittently capture images. As the imaging unit 1, various devices can be adopted as long as the color difference between the observation object and the stationary object can be imaged. The correction unit 5, the conversion unit 12, and the display unit 9 can be omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging means 2 Image processing means 3 Image capture part 4 Storage part 5 Area division part 7 Calculation part 8 Analysis part 100 Water 101 Seawall B0, B1 Boundary S, T Area

Claims (5)

An image obtained by capturing a stationary object having a color different from the boundary of the observation target and the observation target is acquired. In this image, the direction in which the position of the boundary of the observation target is displaced is defined as the y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the y direction is defined. An observation method for observing a change in the actual position of the boundary of an observation object by calculating a displacement in the y direction of the boundary as an x direction,
Obtaining a reference image obtained by imaging the boundary of the observation object and a stationary object;
The reference image is divided into a plurality of regions for each color, and the region of the observation object and the stationary object in the reference image is specified,
In the reference image, the region of the observation object and the region of the stationary object are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, and the area in the y direction of the observation object and the area of the stationary object in the y direction are divided for each divided range. Calculate the standard ratio of
After an elapse of a predetermined time from when the reference image is acquired, an observation image obtained by capturing the boundary of the observation object and a stationary object is acquired,
The observation image is divided into a plurality of regions for each color, and an observation object and a stationary object region in the observation image are specified,
In the observation image, the region of the observation object and the region of the stationary object are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, and the area of the observation object in the y direction and the area of the stationary object in the y direction are divided for each divided range. Calculate the observation ratio of
An observation method characterized by observing an actual position change of a boundary of an observation object by calculating a change in the observation ratio with respect to the reference ratio.   The observation method according to claim 1, wherein the observation object region and the stationary object region of the image are divided for each pixel in the x direction.   The observation method according to claim 1, wherein the observation image is acquired every predetermined time.   The observation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the observation object is made of any one of water, snow, earth and sand, and clouds. An imaging means for acquiring an image obtained by imaging a stationary object having a color different from the boundary of the observation target and the observation target, and the direction in which the position of the boundary of the observation target is displaced in this image is orthogonal to the y direction An observation system for observing the actual position change of the boundary of the observation object, comprising image processing means for calculating the displacement of the boundary in the y direction, where
The image processing means includes
An image capturing unit that captures an image captured by the imaging unit;
In a captured image, a storage unit that stores in advance the color of the observation object and the color of a stationary object;
An area dividing unit for dividing the image into a plurality of areas for each color;
The region of the observation object and the stationary object in the image is specified, the region of the observation object and the region of the stationary object in the image are divided at equal intervals in the x direction, and the y direction of the observation object is divided for each divided range An arithmetic unit that calculates a ratio of the area in the y direction of the stationary object in the y direction;
An observation system comprising: an analysis unit that analyzes an actual position change of the boundary of the observation object based on the change in the ratio.

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