Simulation device and simulation method

Abstract

The invention provides a simulation device and a simulation method, which can cope with bottleneck and obtain people flow simulation results with high recognition degree. A simulation device for simulating a flow of people is characterized in that the simulation device has a storage unit and a simulation control unit, the storage unit stores layout information and a human model that holds at least destination information indicating where the direction is within the layout information and current position information indicating where the direction is within the layout information, and the current position information indicating where the direction is within the layout information. The control unit determines the moving direction of the person model as a direction that avoids a front region of a region in which opposite persons with different destinations are connected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a simulation device and a simulation method for performing crowd flow simulation. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of evaluating countermeasures against problems caused by local concentration of people, for example, prior evaluation of evacuation guidance plans in the event of an incident or disaster, prior evaluation of congestion conditions accompanying the construction of new customer-attracting facilities, etc., a crowd flow simulation system that can reproduce pedestrian flow on a computer has been attracting attention.

[0003] In relation to the crowd flow simulation system, for example, in Patent Document 1, for the purpose of accurately simulating movement by being able to simulate interactions caused by different traveling directions, the following has been proposed: "Calculate the ratio of the number of mobile agents moving in one direction to the number of mobile agents moving in the other direction at a selected edge, calculate the width in the direction of the mobile agent's orientation based on the ratio of the number of people to the width of the edge, for each mobile agent, calculate the area of the section based on the forward length from the position of the mobile agent and the width calculated in the direction of the agent's orientation, and calculate the population density based on the area of the section and mobile agents in different directions existing in the section. For each mobile agent, calculate the moving speed of the mobile agent based on the free walking speed of the agent information, the calculated population density, and a predetermined parameter."

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: WO2021 / 044481 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] According to Patent Document 1, the walking speed is determined by the number of people moving within the edge and the number of oncoming people, but the determination of the moving direction for avoiding contact in a crowded scenario is not mentioned. Therefore, in an environment where there are obstacles or narrow sections, for example, these can become bottlenecks, and sometimes a complete deadlock can occur when a countercurrent is generated against the bottleneck.

[0009] Based on the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a simulation device and a simulation method that can handle bottlenecks and obtain highly recognized crowd flow simulation results.

[0010] Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] According to the above, in the present invention, the following is used: "A simulation device for simulating the flow of people, characterized in that the simulation device has a storage unit and a simulation control unit. The storage unit stores layout information and a human model, and the human model stores at least destination information and current position information. The destination information indicates where in the layout information, and the control unit determines the moving direction of the human model as the following direction: the direction that avoids the front area of the area where oncoming persons with different destinations are connected."

[0012] In addition, in the present invention, the following is used: "A simulation method for simulating the flow of people, characterized in that the simulation method has a storage method and a simulation control method. In the storage method, any layout and a human model are stored. The human model stores at least destination information and current position information. The destination information indicates where in the layout, and in the control method, the moving direction of the human model is determined as the following direction: the direction that avoids the front area of the area where oncoming persons with different destinations are connected."

[0013] Advantages of the Invention

[0014] It is possible to provide a simulation device and a simulation method that can handle bottlenecks and obtain highly recognized simulation results of the flow of people. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a structural example of the simulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing a building interior as an example of the environment to be simulated.

[0017] Figure 3a It is a diagram showing the idea of determining the moving direction of the human model in normal times.

[0018] Figure 3b It is a diagram showing the situation when an oncoming person M2 is detected in front of the moving direction.

[0019] Figure 4a It is a diagram showing an example of the oncoming person cost map when there is one oncoming person.

[0020] Figure 4b It is a diagram showing an example of the oncoming person cost map when there are multiple oncoming persons.

[0021] Figure 5a It is a diagram showing the idea of determining the moving direction by cost determination.

[0022] Figure 5b It is a diagram showing the idea of determining the moving direction by cost determination when there is one oncoming person.

[0023] Figure 5c This is a diagram showing the idea of determining the moving direction by cost determination when there are multiple oncoming persons.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the processing flow in the preparatory stage.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the processing flow during the simulation process. Detailed implementation mode

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Embodiment 1

[0028] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing a structural example of the simulation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The simulation device 1 is configured such that the storage unit DB, the arithmetic unit 12, the input / output device 13, and the bus 14 are connected.

[0029] Among them, in the storage unit DB, the layout information D1 of the environment to be simulated, the human model D2 that moves in this environment, and the oncoming person cost-map D3 for a certain range in front of each person are stored.

[0030] In addition, in the human model D2, information on the human model to be simulated is stored for each person. They exist in an amount corresponding to the number of people and include information such as their current positions, destinations, walking speeds, etc.

[0031] If functionally representing the processing content of the arithmetic unit 12, it can be said that the arithmetic unit 12 has each processing unit of an oncoming person cost-map creation unit 124, a human movement direction determination unit 122, and a human movement execution unit 123. The input / output device 13 includes: an input unit 131 for appropriately setting simulation conditions, etc., and an output unit (display unit) 132 for outputting the input setting data or simulation results.

[0032] Hereinafter, the Figure 1 operation of the simulation device will be described in detail. However, as a prerequisite, several matters will be described. First, regarding the environment to be simulated, an appropriate place or device can be selected according to their respective analysis purposes, such as the building described in the embodiments Figure 2 as such. In addition, as a method for estimating the moving direction of a person on the simulation model, the Figure 3a , Figure 3b cost method is used for execution.

[0033] As an example of the environment to be simulated, such as Figure 2The building shown in the top view has multiple entrances and exits A and B. Entrance A faces, for example, an external passageway, etc., and entrance B is the location where an elevator for moving to each floor inside the building is provided. Although simplified here, other staircases, etc. can also be included as entrances and exits, and there can be multiple. In addition, Figure 2 The building has a security door G, etc. installed between entrances and exits A and B. Therefore, the area on the top view is divided into a passable area and a non-passable area.

[0034] In order to perform a pedestrian flow simulation with Figure 2 as the object, for example, it is necessary to set the conditions required for modeling the movement of people inside the building in advance. The setting process is roughly composed of three steps. First, referring to architectural drawings, etc., set the layout of each floor inside the building and the building layout of the floor dimensions or heights. Next, configure various building equipment such as elevators, escalators, security doors, automatic doors, etc., and set their respective specifications for building equipment setting. Then, set the entrances of the entrance or living room, and set the number of people moving from where to where, and perform the setting of people movement. Using the input / output device 13, perform these setting processes in advance while displaying appropriately.

[0035] By completing the setting of the building layout and the setting of the building equipment, as Figure 2 such, layout information D1 that sets the layout of each floor inside the building and the floor dimensions or heights is formed and stored.

[0036] Furthermore, in the setting of people movement on the premise of the above settings, set the entrances of the entrance or living room, and set the number of people moving from where to where. In addition, the information of the entrances of the entrance or living room is managed included in the layout information D1.

[0037] Here, regarding the processing of the human model at this time, especially as an idea for determining the movement direction of the human model, the cost method is adopted in the present invention. Figure 3a is a diagram showing the idea for determining the movement direction of the human model in normal times. Here, as the movement direction of the human model M1, for example, eight directions (front, back, left, right, and the directions of front left, front right, back left, back right) are set on the ground plane, and costs are set in each direction. The costs are set according to magnitude. Usually, if 10 is set in the front direction, then values larger than 10 are set in the other directions. In Figure 3a only the front, front left, and front right are simply described, but the front left and front right are larger than 10 and are set to 14. Based on this setting, the direction with the lowest cost is set as the traveling direction.

[0038] In addition, on the premise of this cost setting, in the actual simulation process, as Figure 3bWhen a oncoming person M2 is detected ahead in the moving direction, re-evaluation is performed to make the cost of the detection direction higher than the initial set value of 10, for example, set to 15. Thus, according to the principle of setting the direction with the lowest cost as the traveling direction, the moving direction of the human model can be set to cause avoidance actions such as in the directions of the upper left front and the upper right front.

[0039] The above is the premise of the simulation technology in the present invention. In the case of the above model, the human model facing the oncoming person can take avoidance actions, but in the case where many human models gather at a narrow part such as a bottleneck, sometimes the following complete deadlock will occur: due to the late generation of the avoidance action, it is impossible to avoid, and it is impossible to move in the state where the crowd collides with the oncoming crowd.

[0040] Hereinafter, the processing of the simulation device in the present invention will be described.

[0041] On the basis of preparing the above storage content, in the oncoming person cost map creation unit 124 in the arithmetic unit 12, the oncoming person cost map D3 is created according to the destination of the human model.

[0042] Figure 4a 、 Figure 4b is a diagram showing the creation situation of the oncoming person cost map D3 corresponding to the person facing the exit. In these diagrams, the person facing the exit is represented as M1, and the people facing the entrance are represented as M21 and M22. The oncoming person cost map D3 is configured to store the cost value CM2 of the oncoming person cost map for a certain range CM1 in front of the person other than the person facing the exit, according to the location. In Figure 4a for the three locations in front of the human model M21, the cost value 3 is added. In addition, in Figure 4b for the three locations in front of the human model M22, the cost value 3 is added. In this way, by adding the cost value to the front area of the people other than the destination of the target, the oncoming person cost map D3 of the target destination is created.

[0043] In addition, regarding the oncoming person cost map D3, it may not be created according to the destination of the human model, but according to the moving direction candidate. In the case of a large number of destinations, this method can be expected to reduce the calculation cost or storage cost.

[0044] In addition, when setting the cost value at each location in the front area of the person, it can also be set to increase the cost value the closer to the oncoming person.

[0045] Also, the cost value obtained by adding up the values for each location in the front area of a person can be set as follows: a value smaller than the difference between the minimum and the second smallest distance cost values classified by the moving direction of the person. In this case, when multiple oncoming persons are connected, compared with the direction where the first distance cost is the minimum, the distance costs in other directions increase. Therefore, for example, when a person faces a column of people, instead of the crowd changing the traveling direction for one person, the person on the single-person side changes the traveling direction to another direction, and a more recognizable movement can be reproduced.

[0046] Here, regarding the cost value CM2 of the oncoming person cost map, when an oncoming person is near an impassable area such as a bottleneck, processing such as increasing the added cost can be performed. Thereby, an effect of easily causing avoidance behavior in a narrow area can be expected.

[0047] In this way, Figure 1 the oncoming person cost map creation unit 124 in the operation unit 12 performs the oncoming person cost map creation process for each destination according to the simulated action cycle, and reflects the creation result in the oncoming person cost map D3. The reflected content is the cost value CM2 etc. of the oncoming person cost map for each location.

[0048] Next, the processing of the movement direction determination unit 122 will be described using Figure 5a 、 Figure 5b 、 Figure 5c .

[0049] In the movement direction determination unit, the next movement direction of each person model is determined in each simulated action cycle. Figure 5a represents an example of the cost magnitudes classified by each direction in the same normal state as Figure 3a . The cost for the other direction is set higher at 14 compared to the cost of 10 for the front. Therefore, according to the principle of choosing the lower one, the front is set as the traveling direction in the normal state.

[0050] Figure 5b represents an example where there is only one oncoming person in the front. Referring to the cost value CM2 of the oncoming person cost map, +3 is added to the front cost in the normal state, and the front movement cost is 13, but it is lower than the surrounding cost of 14. Therefore, in this case, the front direction is still selected as the traveling direction.

[0051] Figure 5cAn example of a situation indicating the existence of another oncoming person is shown. The cost value CM2 of the oncoming person cost map in front of the human model M1 is 6. By adding it to the forward movement cost in the normal state, the forward movement cost is 16. At this time, the forward movement cost is 16 for the first time, which is higher than the surrounding cost of 14. Therefore, one of the left front and right front directions is selected as the traveling direction for a direction change. In the case where the cost values between the movement directions are the same, a random number can be used to select which of the left and right to set. For example, in Japan where one can drive on the right, the right front can be set as the preferred choice, etc., and the selection can be made according to the cultural circle information pre-input to the layout D1, etc.

[0052] The above is the description of the movement direction determination unit 122. Through the above processing, the human selects a movement direction that avoids the front area where oncoming persons are connected. Thus, it is possible to achieve movement that ensures the movement space of oncoming persons, and therefore, complete deadlock can be avoided. This leads to an improvement in the accuracy of the simulator and the acceptance of the movement.

[0053] Finally, the human movement execution unit 123 is described. In the human movement execution unit 123, the position of the human model is changed according to the human movement direction determined by the human movement direction determination unit 122. In this way, by repeatedly determining the movement direction and changing the position of the human model according to the simulation action cycle, the flow of people simulation is achieved.

[0054] In addition, in the premise description of the above cost setting, the forward cost is set lower than the costs of other directions, and the cost is increased according to the existence of oncoming persons or bottlenecks, and the direction with a lower cost is set as the traveling direction. However, it can also be the reverse of the magnitude relationship, etc. That is, even if the forward cost is set higher than the costs of other directions, and the cost is decreased according to the existence of oncoming persons or bottlenecks, and the direction with a higher cost is set as the traveling direction, the idea can be carried out in the same way.

[0055] In summary, in the present invention, the oncoming person cost map D3 is prepared according to the human destination, and cost values are added to each location in the front area of the oncoming person. On this basis, the direction determination not only considers the distance to the destination but also refers to the value of the oncoming person cost map D3 to determine the movement direction. Thus, it is possible to change the movement only when the density increases. Therefore, without changing the flow characteristics of other locations, it is possible to perform movement that prevents deadlock at narrow parts such as bottlenecks. This leads to an improvement in the accuracy of the simulator and the acceptance of the movement.

[0056] Embodiment 2

[0057] In Embodiment 2, the simulation method is described. Figure 6 Indicates the processing flow in the prior preparation stage, Figure 7 Indicates the processing flow during the simulation.

[0058] InFigure 6 In the initial processing step S11, the building layout is set. In processing step S12, the building facilities are set. In processing step S13, the movement of people is set, that is, the number of people moving from each departure location to each destination location at each time is set. By performing this series of processes, layout information D1 is formed in processing step S14 and stored separately.

[0059] In Figure 7 which is a process during the simulation process, the layout information D1 of the environment where the pedestrian flow is initially processed in processing step S21, the human model D2, and the oncoming person cost map production data D3, etc. are obtained. In processing step S22, a repetitive process is executed while changing the human model within the human model D2 during the period up to processing step S29. In addition, the layout is determined according to the environment.

[0060] In the repetitive process, in processing step S23, a repetitive process is executed while changing the movement direction candidates during the period up to processing step S25. In processing step S24, the movement cost value Cmove corresponding to the determined movement direction candidate is calculated by taking the sum of the distance cost C and the cost value CM2 of the oncoming person cost map corresponding to the destination of the target human model M.

[0061] Processing step S25 is an end judgment process for the repetition, and processing step S24 is repeated the number of times of the movement direction candidates.

[0062] In processing step S26, the movement cost values Cmove of each movement direction candidate are compared, and the smallest movement direction is selected. Thus, the movement direction of the human model M is determined.

[0063] Processing step S27 is an end judgment process for the repetition, and the above process is repeated for the human models of the set number of people.

[0064] The above is the description related to the processing flow during the simulation process. By repeatedly performing the above process according to the simulation action cycle, as time progresses, whenever the position of the human model changes, the movement direction of the person is re-determined to avoid oncoming people.

[0065] Symbol Explanation

[0066] 1: Simulation device, DB: Storage unit, 12: Arithmetic unit, 13: Input / output device, 14: Bus, D1: Layout information, D2: Human model, D3: Oncoming person cost map, CM1: Certain range ahead, CM2: Cost value of the oncoming person cost map, 122: Human movement direction determination unit, 123: Human movement execution unit, 124: Oncoming person cost map production unit, 131: Input unit, 132: Output unit (display unit).

Claims

1. A simulation device for simulating the flow of people, characterized in that: The simulation device has a storage unit and a simulation control unit. The storage unit stores layout information and a human model, and the human model stores at least destination information and current position information, and the destination information indicates where in the layout information. The control unit determines the moving direction of the human model as the following direction: the direction to avoid the front area of the area where oncoming persons with different destinations are connected.

2. The simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage unit has: an oncoming person cost map storage unit that stores an oncoming person cost map, and the oncoming person cost map stores cost values for each location. The control unit has: An oncoming person cost map generation unit that generates the oncoming person cost map by adding cost values to each location within a certain area in front of the human model; A human moving direction determination unit that calculates moving cost values for each moving direction candidate of the human model and determines the moving direction according to the magnitudes of the moving cost values. The moving cost values at least use the current position information, the cost values of the oncoming person cost map, and a distance cost value, which is a value based on the distance to the destination; and A human moving execution unit that changes the current position of the human model in simulation according to the determined moving direction.

3. The simulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The oncoming person cost map generation unit takes the narrow parts and obstacles in the layout information as bottlenecks and adds the cost values of the oncoming person cost map near the bottlenecks.

4. The simulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cost value added to each location in front of the human model is set to a value smaller than the difference between the minimum value and the second minimum value of the distance cost values classified by the moving direction of the human model.

5. The simulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The oncoming person cost map generation unit makes an oncoming person cost map classified by destination according to the destination stored in the human model. Make each oncoming person cost map classified by destination without adding the cost value of the human model having the following destination, where the destination is the same as the destination of the oncoming person cost map classified by destination as the object. The human moving direction determination unit uses the oncoming person cost map classified by destination corresponding to the destination of the human model to determine the moving direction.

6. The simulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The oncoming person cost map generation unit makes an oncoming person cost map classified by moving direction according to the candidates of the moving direction stored in the human model. Make each oncoming person cost map classified by moving direction without adding the cost value of the human model having the following moving direction, where the moving direction is the same as the moving direction of the oncoming person cost map classified by moving direction as the object. The human moving direction determination unit determines the final moving direction according to the human model using the oncoming person cost map classified by moving direction corresponding to the moving direction.

7. A simulation method for simulating the flow of people, characterized in that the simulation method has a storage method and a control method for simulation, in the storage method, any layout and a human model are stored, and the human model at least maintains destination information and current position information, and the destination information indicates where in the layout; in the control method, the moving direction of the human model is determined as the following direction: the direction that avoids the front area of the area where oncoming persons with different destinations are connected.

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