WAVE OBSERVING DEVICE

PURPOSE:To automatically observe wave information, such as wavelength, wave height, etc., by processing video signals taken by an image pickup device fitted to a ship toward the water surface and extracting shapes and dimensions of wave pictures in the video, and then, estimating the distance to the wave. CONSTITUTION:An image pickup device 3 is fitted to a ship 2 toward the water surface 1 and a string of taken digital signals is divided at every fixed time synchronously to each horizontal scanning at the time of image pickup, and then, dimensions of wavelengths and wave heights of waves in the pictures are found by counting the number of wave video signals or picture elements contained in each divided string. These dimensions are converted into actual dimensions by using distances between waves observed by means of the image pickup device 3 and the image pickup is repeated with the image pickup device 3 under a condition where the device 3 is set in a fixed direction. By observing the moving condition of a waveform with the lapse of time in such a way, direction of waves can be known.