Route generation device, vehicle control device and vehicle routing system

The vehicle route forwarding system optimizes emergency vehicle routing by calculating general vehicle traffic and determining lane crossing feasibility, ensuring timely arrival and protecting privacy and crime prevention.

DE112023002192T5Pending Publication Date: 2025-04-30ASTEMO LTD
View PDF 1 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
DE112023002192
Authority / Receiving Office
DE · DE
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-03-06
Publication Date
2025-04-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional technologies for routing emergency vehicles face challenges in protecting privacy and preventing crime, as they forward route information that may compromise sensitive locations or hinder emergency vehicle operations. Additionally, these systems do not effectively account for emergency vehicles crossing lanes, leading to inefficient control.

Method used

A vehicle route forwarding system that includes a route generation unit, a route information memory unit, a general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit, and an emergency vehicle driving track generation unit. This system calculates the number of general vehicles on the route of an emergency vehicle, determines the feasibility of crossing lanes, and adjusts the driving path to ensure efficient and timely arrival of the emergency vehicle while maintaining privacy and preventing crime.

Benefits of technology

The system enables emergency vehicles to reach their destinations without delay by optimizing routes and lane usage, while also protecting privacy and preventing crime by not forwarding sensitive route information.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
    Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The present system includes a route generation device, a vehicle control device and a vehicle route guidance system capable of enabling an emergency vehicle to reach a destination without delay.Furthermore, on a server (100) that generates and forwards route information, there is a route generation unit (101) that generates route information from map information and destination information of a vehicle, a route information storage unit (102) that stores the route information, a general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit (104) that calculates the number of general vehicles traveling on a route of an emergency vehicle, and an emergency vehicle lane generation unit (105) that generates lane information that determines whether a lane in which the emergency vehicle is traveling passes a current lane, an opposite lane, or a midpoint between the lane and the opposite lane.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a route generating apparatus, a vehicle control apparatus, and a vehicle route forwarding system that take into account the emergency travel of an emergency vehicle. State of the art

[0002] In vehicle control, it is usually very difficult to detect and adequately avoid an emergency vehicle. In order for an emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance, to arrive at its destination without delay given its urgency, problems such as "the travel of the emergency vehicle is obstructed and arrival at the destination is delayed depending on the resulting traffic congestion, the nature of the drivers, and whether or not compassionate driving can be expected due to the drivers' experience, etc.," exist as a solution to this problem, as described in PTL 1, for example, a technique for "forwarding the route of an emergency vehicle and guiding the vehicle to a route that the emergency vehicle does not pass." Literature listPatent literature

[0003] PTL 1: JP 2019-168998 A Summary of the inventionTechnical problem

[0004] However, the conventional technique described in PTL 1 has a problem related to privacy protection and crime prevention because of the route forwarding of an emergency vehicle. That is, in order to forward the route of an emergency vehicle, there is a problem that, for example, information that has a risk to privacy, such as the destination of an ambulance, that is, a location where a sudden illness has occurred, or information that has a risk to crime prevention, such as the route information of an emergency vehicle, is forwarded. Furthermore, the conventional technique described in PTL 1 does not consider that an emergency vehicle may partially or completely cross the opposite lane, resulting in inefficient control.

[0005] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a route generating apparatus, a vehicle control apparatus, and a vehicle route forwarding system capable of overcoming the problems described above and enabling an emergency vehicle to reach a destination without delay. Solution to the problem

[0006] The present invention for solving the above problems includes a route generation unit that generates route information from map information and destination information of a vehicle, a route information storage unit that stores the route information, a general vehicle traffic count calculation unit that calculates the number of general vehicles traveling on a travel route of an emergency vehicle from route information of the emergency vehicle and route information of a general vehicle stored in the route information storage unit, and an emergency vehicle lane generation unit that generates lane information for determining whether a lane on which the emergency vehicle travels passes a current lane, an opposite lane, or a middle between the lane and the opposite lane.generated from the numbers of general vehicles in one lane and an opposite lane on the emergency vehicle's route calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit. Advantageous effects of the invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a route generating device, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle route forwarding system capable of guiding an emergency vehicle to a destination without delay.

[0008] Problems, configurations, and effects different from those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments. Brief description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle route forwarding system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit. Fig. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of an emergency vehicle lane generation unit. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the emergency vehicle lane generation unit. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the emergency vehicle lane generation unit. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the emergency vehicle lane generation unit. Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the emergency vehicle lane generation unit. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an evacuation lane calculation unit. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the evacuation lane calculation unit. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an evacuation vehicle number calculation unit and a detour route derivation unit. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit and the detour route derivation unit. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram of vehicle control when an emergency vehicle performs automated driving. Description of the embodiments

[0009] An embodiment of a vehicle route forwarding system according to the present invention will be described below. In the vehicle route forwarding system according to the present embodiment, the server side generates and distributes an evacuation or detour route so as not to interfere with the travel of an emergency vehicle to the general vehicle based on the route information of the emergency vehicle. That is, in the vehicle route forwarding system according to the present embodiment, the server functions as a route generation device that generates and distributes route information of vehicles, including emergency vehicles and general vehicles.

[0010] Furthermore, it is assumed that the vehicle side not performing automated driving notifies the driver of route information relayed from the server side, allowing the driver to perform evacuation or detour. In the case of a vehicle capable of Level 3 or higher automated driving, it is also assumed that automated driving can evacuate or detour the driver based on the relayed route information or road environment information. Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram including a server and an actual vehicle controller of a vehicle route forwarding system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] A server 100 includes, as functions implemented by software, a route generation unit 101, a general vehicle traffic count calculation unit 104, an emergency vehicle lane generation unit 105, an evacuation lane calculation unit 106, an evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107, a detour route derivation unit 108, an opposite lane travel determination unit 109, and a route forwarding unit 110. Furthermore, a route information storage unit 102 and a high-precision map data storage unit 103 are provided as the information storage unit. Note that the map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 is map data including information corresponding to an HD map, such as vehicle lane information.

[0013] An emergency vehicle 200 includes a destination transmission unit 201 for transmitting a destination to the server 100 and a route information reception unit 203 for receiving route information forwarded from the server 100. The emergency vehicle 200 also includes an in-vehicle camera 202 for use in automated driving or a driving assistance system.

[0014] A general vehicle 300 supporting automated driving includes a destination transmission unit 303 that transmits a destination to the server 100, a route information reception unit 304 that receives route information relayed from the server 100, an in-vehicle camera 302 that detects vehicle peripheral information, and an evacuation site usage determination unit 301 that determines whether to evacuate at an evacuation site using the vehicle peripheral information and the route information detected by the in-vehicle camera 302.

[0015] A general vehicle 310 that does not support automated driving further includes a destination transmission unit 312 for transmitting a destination to the server 100, a route information reception unit 313 for receiving route information relayed from the server 100, and an emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit 311 for guiding a driver to an evacuation location or a detour route of an emergency vehicle based on the route information relayed from the server 100.

[0016] Here, the destination transmission units 201, 303, and 312 of the vehicles 200, 300, and 310 are processing units that transmit destination information input by the drivers driving the vehicles 200, 300, and 310 to the server 100. The route generation unit 101 further generates routes along which the vehicles 200, 300, and 310 travel from the transmitted destination information using the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103, and stores the route information in the route information storage unit 102.

[0017] The general vehicle traffic count calculation unit 104 is also defined as a process of calculating how many general vehicles 300 and 310 exist on the traveling lane and the opposite lane of the travel route of the emergency vehicle 200 (in other words, the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 traveling on the travel route of the emergency vehicle 200) using the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 stored in the route information storage unit 102, the route information of the general vehicles 300 and 310, and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103.

[0018] The number of moving general vehicles calculated here is a numerical value used as a measure of how congested the road is when the emergency vehicle passes. Therefore, when the emergency vehicle passes a certain point, the calculation is started from the number of general vehicles that may be present on the moving road within a section of a distance 2L determined before and after the emergency vehicle at that time. For example, when the emergency vehicle enters another road by turning at an intersection, entering or leaving a toll road at an intersection, or the like, the number of general vehicles included in the sections, each of which has a distance L determined before and after the emergency vehicle enters another road, is recalculated.This is based on the idea that the degree of traffic congestion should be calculated for each road, since the road after entry and the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling do not necessarily have the same degree of traffic congestion.

[0019] The above processing will also be described with reference to an example of an emergency vehicle 404 departing from a departure location 400, turning left at an intersection 401, and traveling along a route 403 to a destination 402 as shown in Fig. 2. If at this time the entire section of distance 2L before and after the emergency vehicle 404 is on route 403, as in Fig. 3, the number of general vehicles operating in the section of distance 2L (410 in Fig. 3) before and after the emergency vehicle 404 driving on route 403, counted as it is.

[0020] On the other hand, as in Fig. 4 illustrates that when the vehicle enters another road in the section of distance L in front of the emergency vehicle 404 immediately before turning to the intersection 401 or the like, the number of general vehicles passing in the section of distance L and the section of distance L before and after the emergency vehicle 404 (411 in Fig. 4) are counted on the “road on which the general vehicle is currently traveling.” On the other hand, when the vehicle enters from another road in the section of distance L after the emergency vehicle 404 immediately after turning to the intersection 401 or the like, the number of general vehicles traveling in the section of distance L and the section of distance L before and after the emergency vehicle 404 (412 in Fig. 5) driving on the “road on which the general vehicle is currently traveling” are counted.

[0021] The oncoming lane travel determination unit 109 is further defined as a process of calculating a location where the vehicle on the route of the emergency vehicle 200 can cross into the oncoming lane (that is, determining whether it is possible to enter the oncoming lane) using the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 stored in the route information storage unit 102 and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103.In this case, the state in which the vehicle cannot cross into the opposite lane is a state in which an obstacle that physically prevents the vehicle from crossing, such as a median strip or a center pole, is installed on the center line (between the lane and the opposite lane), and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 is map information including these pieces of information.

[0022] The emergency vehicle travel lane generation unit 105 is further defined as a process of calculating a lane (travel lane) on which the emergency vehicle 200 can travel, using the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 traveling on the travel route of the emergency vehicle 200 calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit 104, information indicating whether it is possible to cross to the opposite lane (that is, information indicating whether it is possible to enter the opposite lane) calculated (generated) by the opposite lane travel determination unit 109, the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 stored in the route information storage unit 102, and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103.

[0023] Fig. 6 further illustrates a flowchart related to the lane determination logic of the emergency vehicle lane generation unit 105. This process is executed each time the destination information is transmitted from the emergency vehicle 200 and the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 is determined.

[0024] First, in S501, it is determined whether the vehicle can cross into the opposite lane based on the information indicating whether it is possible to cross into the opposite lane generated by the oncoming lane travel determination unit 109. If the vehicle cannot cross into the opposite lane, the lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is then set to the "Lane Pattern 1" defined in S505.

[0025] Conversely, if the conditional branch in S501 is false, the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 traveling on the travel route of the emergency vehicle 200 in each lane calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit 104 is checked in S502. Next, it is checked whether both the number of general vehicles in the lane and the opposite lane are less than the prescribed number. If both the number of vehicles are less than the prescribed number, it is assumed that both the lane and the opposite lane are not congested, and the lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is then set to the "Lane Pattern 2" defined in S506.

[0026] Conversely, if the conditional branch in S502 is false, in S503 and S504, the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 traveling on the travel route of the emergency vehicle 200 in each lane calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit 104 is checked. Then, it is checked whether "the number of vehicles in the lane is very large compared to the number of vehicles in the opposite lane (condition S503)" and "whether the number of vehicles in the lane is very small compared to the number of vehicles in the opposite lane (condition S504)." If condition S503 is true, the lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is then set to "lane pattern 3" defined in S507. On the other hand, if the condition S504 is true, the lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is then set to the “lane pattern 4” defined in S508.In addition, if both the condition S503 and the condition S504 are false, the lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is then set to the “lane pattern 2” defined in S509.

[0027] Fig. 7 further illustrates the "lane pattern 1" defined in S505. In this case, since an obstacle such as a median at 600 exists between the lane and the opposite lane, making it impossible to cross into the opposite lane, an emergency vehicle 660 can only travel in one lane 601 along the original lane, regardless of the number of vehicles in the lane and the opposite lane. However, if the obstacle 600 is interrupted, the vehicle can still cross the opposite lane. Therefore, the lane in which the vehicle can travel is again calculated from the number of general vehicles traveling in the lane and the opposite lane.

[0028] Fig. 8 further illustrates "Lane Pattern 2" defined in S506 and S509. This lane pattern assumes that general vehicles are evacuated to the roadsides to allow the emergency vehicle 660 to pass in a state where neither the lane nor the opposite lane is congested, or both lanes are congested. In this case, the lane of the emergency vehicle 660 is assumed to be lane 612 to allow the emergency vehicle 660 to cross the center line (in other words, to allow it to pass between the lane and the opposite lane) to prevent general vehicles from stopping on the roadsides in addition to a lane 611 as the current lane.

[0029] Fig. 9 further illustrates the "lane pattern 3" defined in S507. This lane pattern assumes that the emergency vehicle 660 completely crosses the opposite lane to avoid general vehicles in a state where the lane of the emergency vehicle 660 is very congested and it is difficult for the general vehicles in the lane to evacuate. In this case, the lane of the emergency vehicle 660 is assumed to be a lane 622 to allow the emergency vehicle 660 to cross the center line (in other words, to allow it to travel between the lane and the opposite lane) to avoid general vehicles stopping on the roadsides in addition to a lane 621 as the current lane, and a lane 623 to avoid a general vehicle by completely crossing the opposite lane.In this case, it is assumed that all vehicles in the opposite lane are generally completely diverted. However, it is also assumed that there are some vehicles, such as a route bus, that cannot perform diversion, and lane 623, which completely enters and travels into the opposite lane, is a lane that occupies a route with evacuation points, such as point 624 provided in some locations.

[0030] Fig. 10 further illustrates the "lane pattern 4" defined in S508. This lane pattern assumes that the opposite lane of the emergency vehicle 660 is very congested, and it is difficult for the emergency vehicle 660 to avoid general vehicles by passing through the opposite lane. In this case, the lane of the emergency vehicle 660 is assumed to be only one lane 631, which is the current lane of the emergency vehicle. In this case, it is assumed that all general vehicles on the lane of the emergency vehicle 660 are performing detours, but it is assumed that there are some vehicles, such as a route bus, that cannot perform detours, and the lane 631 is a lane that occupies a route with evacuation points, such as a point 632 provided at some locations.

[0031] In this way, the emergency vehicle lane generation unit 105 generates lane information for determining whether the lane in which the emergency vehicle 200 travels passes the current lane, the opposite lane, or the middle between the lane and the opposite lane (across the center line), for example, based on the numbers of general vehicles 300 and 310 traveling in the lane and the opposite lane on the travel route of the emergency vehicle 200 calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit 104.

[0032] The evacuation lane calculation unit 106 is further defined as a process of calculating an evacuation lane for evacuating the general vehicles 300 and 310 from the emergency vehicle 200 using the lane of the emergency vehicle 200 calculated by the emergency vehicle lane generation unit 105 and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103.

[0033] Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 further illustrate specific examples of the evacuation lane calculation unit 106.

[0034] An example of calculating an evacuation lane of a general vehicle when the emergency vehicle 660, which is equipped with the lane pattern 2 described above ( Fig. 8) drives, turns left at an intersection and drives, is hereby referred to Fig. 11. The lane on which the emergency vehicle 660 travels along a route 640 with the lane pattern 2 is shown as a lane 641. At this time, "an area in which the emergency vehicle can travel while crossing the opposite lane" and "an area in which a roadside exists and a general vehicle can safely evacuate" are defined as evacuation lanes for general vehicles. In the example of Fig. 11, evacuation lanes 642 and 643 also correspond to the above definitions.

[0035] An example of calculating an evacuation lane of a general vehicle when the emergency vehicle 660 is traveling with the lane pattern 3 described above ( Fig. 9) is further referred to Fig. 12. Since, according to lane pattern 3, it is assumed that the emergency vehicle 660 completely enters the opposite lane and travels as indicated by a lane 651, general vehicles in the opposite lane can only evacuate to evacuation locations 652 provided at some locations. This area is defined as an evacuation lane of a general vehicle in the opposite lane.

[0036] The evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107 is further defined as a process for determining, for each evacuation lane, a vehicle to be evacuated to an evacuation lane and determining which vehicle to evacuate to which evacuation lane based on the evacuation lanes of the general vehicles 300 and 310 calculated by the evacuation lane calculation unit 106 and the route information of the general vehicles 300 and 310 stored in the route information storage unit 102. In this process, the number of vehicles that can be evacuated is calculated from the range of the evacuation lane of the general vehicles 300 and 310.At this time, the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route (the number of passing vehicles) derived from the route information storage unit 102 is compared with the number of evacuatable vehicles calculated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107. At this time, if all the general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route cannot evacuate to the evacuation lane, for example, because the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route exceeds the number of evacuatable vehicles, priorities are set depending on the vehicle types, destinations, and the like to determine vehicles to be evacuated to the evacuation lane. As an example of prioritization, a vehicle that is difficult to detour, such as a route bus, is preferentially evacuated to an evacuation lane.

[0037] The detour route derivation unit 108 is further configured as a process for generating a detour route (avoidance route) using the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 for a vehicle that is not assigned an evacuation lane by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107 (that is, a vehicle that is given low priority due to prioritization based on the vehicle type, destination, and the like, when the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 (the number of passing vehicles) on the route derived from the route information storage unit 102 is compared with the number of evacuatable vehicles calculated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107, and the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route exceeds the number of evacuatable vehicles).and a vehicle (determined on the vehicle side) to which an evacuation lane is assigned but which cannot be evacuated due to an obstacle or the like, such as a parked vehicle present at the evacuation location.

[0038] Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 illustrates a method of assigning an evacuation location by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107 and a method of generating a detour route by the detour route deriving unit 108 when evacuation is not possible.

[0039] Fig. 13 illustrates a case where the emergency vehicle 660 and the general vehicle 661 meet on the same road. Here, it is assumed that the emergency vehicle 660 travels along a route 662 and the general vehicle 661 travels along a route 663. Accordingly, both are expected to meet at a point 664 from the route information.

[0040] Fig. 14 illustrates a method for assigning an evacuation location under the Fig. 13 illustrates the condition and method for generating a detour route in a case where the vehicle cannot be evacuated. As indicated by “665” in Fig. 14, it is assumed that the evacuation location of a general vehicle is assigned to “the evacuation lane that the general vehicle 661 can reach before a meeting point 664 with the emergency vehicle 660.” As further indicated by “666” in Fig. As illustrated in FIG. 14, in a case where a parked vehicle or the like is located at the evacuation site and evacuation is impossible, the detour route is "the route along which the general vehicle 661 passes the evacuation site 665 and does not pass the meeting point 664 with the emergency vehicle 660." Even if the evacuation site 665 is assigned accordingly, if the detour route 666 cannot be generated, the evacuation site is changed and assigned, so that a detour route can always be drawn.

[0041] The route forwarding unit 110 is further defined as a process for forwarding, to each vehicle, the emergency vehicle lane information generated by the emergency vehicle lane generation unit 105, the evacuation location information of general vehicles generated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107, and the detour route of the general vehicles generated by the detour route derivation unit 108.

[0042] Here, it is assumed that the emergency vehicle 200 travels to the destination based on the route information (the emergency vehicle lane information generated by the emergency vehicle lane generation unit 105) relayed from the route relaying unit 110 on the server 100 side and received by the route information receiving unit 203. Furthermore, if the emergency vehicle 200 can be automatically driven, it is possible to perform automated driving control while capturing the surrounding situation through the in-vehicle camera 202 or the like based on the relayed emergency vehicle lane information.

[0043] Fig. 15 illustrates an example of automated driving control of the emergency vehicle 200. Here, it is assumed that the server 100 has already transmitted the emergency vehicle lane information (the lane pattern 3) to an emergency vehicle 670 in Fig. 15, which allows the emergency vehicle 670 to travel while also being allowed to completely cross the opposite lane. In this case, upon detecting that the front is completely occupied due to a traffic jam or the like with the in-vehicle camera or the like, the emergency vehicle 670 performs automated driving to enter a lane 672 as a lane that completely crosses from a lane 671 as the original lane to the opposite lane, and takes a path expressed by a lane 673.

[0044] Here, it is assumed that the general vehicle 300 capable of automated driving travels to a destination based on route information (evacuation location information of general vehicles generated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107 and a detour route of general vehicles generated by the detour route derivation unit 108) forwarded from the route forwarding unit 110 on the server 100 side and received by the route information receiving unit 304.At this time, when information about the evacuation location of the emergency vehicle 200 is included in the route information, the general vehicle 300 also checks the status of the evacuation location using the in-vehicle camera 302 or the like near the evacuation location, and the evacuation location usage determination unit 301 determines whether evacuation to the evacuation location is possible. At this time, if the evacuation location usage determination unit 301 determines that the evacuation location cannot be used, the general vehicle 300 simultaneously travels along the detour route, avoiding the emergency vehicle 200.That is, based on the route information received by the route information receiving unit 304 and the vehicle peripheral information detected by the in-vehicle camera 302, the general vehicle 300 causes the evacuation location usage determination unit 301 to determine whether it is possible to be evacuated from the emergency vehicle 200 and to evacuate to the relayed evacuation location. In addition, in a case where an obstacle or the like exists in the relayed evacuation location and evacuation is impossible, the general vehicle 300 travels along the separately relayed detour route, avoiding the emergency vehicle 200.

[0045] Here, it is further assumed that the general vehicle 310 performing independent driving travels to a destination based on route information (evacuation location information of general vehicles generated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit 107 and a detour route of general vehicles generated by the detour route deriving unit 108) forwarded from the route forwarding unit 110 on the server 100 side and received by the route information receiving unit 313.At this time, when information about the evacuation location of the emergency vehicle 200 is included in the route information, the general vehicle 310 uses the emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit 311 near the evacuation location to notify the driver, through voice and screen, of information about approaching the emergency vehicle 200, the display of the evacuation location so as not to hinder the travel of the emergency vehicle 200, and a detour route in a case where an obstacle or the like exists in the evacuation location and evacuation cannot be performed, according to the relayed route information. Furthermore, it is assumed that the driver uses this information to decide whether to wait for the emergency vehicle 200 to pass the evacuation location or to avoid the emergency vehicle 200 according to the detour route.

[0046] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. In the present embodiment described above, the high-precision map information represented by an HD map is provided in a cloud, and a route to a destination is generated and forwarded based on destination information from each vehicle. In this case, an evacuation location or a detour route is considered from the route information of the emergency vehicle.

[0047] The present embodiment can accordingly provide the server (route generating device) 100, the vehicle control device, and the vehicle route forwarding system 1, which can guide an emergency vehicle to a destination without delay.

[0048] That is, according to the present embodiment, by generating evacuation route information when the emergency vehicle approaches, taking into account that the emergency vehicle travels while crossing the traffic lane in advance, it is possible to smoothly perform evacuation or detour when the emergency vehicle approaches. Furthermore, since the route information of the emergency vehicle is locked on the server and not forwarded to the general vehicle side, it is possible to avoid risks related to privacy protection and crime prevention by forwarding the route information of the emergency vehicle as described above.

[0049] However, it should be noted that the above-described embodiment illustrates a case where the general vehicle capable of communicating with the server 100 may be both a general vehicle 300 that supports automated driving and a general vehicle 310 that does not support automated driving (performs independent driving). However, the general vehicle may be represented by at least one of the general vehicle 300 that supports automated driving and / or the general vehicle 310 that does not support automated driving (performs independent driving).

[0050] Furthermore, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in such detail merely to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those embodiments having all of the above-described configurations.

[0051] Furthermore, some or all of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may equally be implemented by hardware, for example, by designing using an integrated circuit. Furthermore, each above-described configuration, function, and the like may be implemented by software by causing a processor to interpret and execute a program for implementing each function. Information such as a program, a table, and a file for implementing each function may further be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, and a solid-state drive (SSD), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, and a DVD.

[0052] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are only those that were deemed necessary for the description, although not all control lines and information lines are necessarily required to enable any implementation. In practice, it can also be assumed that almost all configurations are interconnected. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle route forwarding system 100 servers for route generation and forwarding (route generation device) 101 Route generation unit 102 Route information storage unit 103 high-precision map data storage unit 104 general vehicle traffic counting calculation unit 105 Emergency vehicle lane generation unit 106 Evacuation lane calculation unit 107 Evacuation vehicle number calculation unit . 108 Detour route derivation unit 109 Oncoming lane travel determination unit 110 Route forwarding unit 200 emergency vehicles 201 Target transmission unit for emergency vehicle 202 in-vehicle camera of the emergency vehicle 203 Emergency vehicle route information receiving unit 300 general vehicle capable of automated driving 301 Evacuation location use determination unit for a general vehicle capable of automated driving 302 in-vehicle camera of the general vehicle capable of automated driving 303 Target transmission unit for a general vehicle capable of automated driving 304 Route information receiving unit for a general vehicle capable of automated driving 310 general vehicle performing independent driving 311 Emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit of general vehicle performing independent driving 312 Target transmission unit for a general vehicle performing independent driving 313 Route information receiving unit of the general vehicle performing independent driving QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2019-168998 A

[0003]

Claims

[1] A route generating device comprising: a route generation unit that generates route information from map information and destination information of a vehicle; a route information storage unit that stores the route information; a general vehicle traffic count calculation unit that calculates the number of general vehicles traveling on a travel route of an emergency vehicle from route information of the emergency vehicle and route information of a general vehicle stored in the route information storage unit; and an emergency vehicle lane generation unit that generates lane information for determining whether a lane on which the emergency vehicle travels passes a current lane, an opposite lane, or a middle between the lane and the opposite lane, from the numbers of general vehicles on a lane and an opposite lane on the travel route of the emergency vehicle calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit. [2] The route generating device according to claim 1, further comprising: an evacuation lane calculation unit that calculates an evacuation lane along which the general vehicle can evacuate from lane information of the non-emergency vehicle; and an evacuation vehicle number calculation unit that calculates the number of vehicles that can be evacuated to the evacuation lane for each of the evacuation lanes calculated by the evacuation lane calculation unit. [3] The route generating device according to claim 2, further comprising a detour route deriving unit that compares the number of passing vehicles of the general vehicles derived from the route information storing unit with the number of evacuable vehicles calculated by the evacuation vehicle number calculating unit, and calculates a detour route for a low priority vehicle provided upon prioritization when the number of passing vehicles exceeds the number of evacuable vehicles or a vehicle that cannot evacuate due to an obstacle at an evacuation site. [4] The route generating device according to claim 1, further comprising an oncoming lane travel determining unit that determines whether or not to allow entry into an oncoming lane from obstacle information between a traveling lane and the oncoming lane, the obstacle information including the presence / absence of a median strip, wherein the emergency vehicle travel lane generating unit generates lane information for determining whether a lane on which the emergency vehicle travels passes a current lane, an opposite lane, or a center between the traveling lane and the opposite lane, from information indicating whether it is possible to enter the opposite lane generated by the oncoming lane travel determining unit. [5] The route generating device according to claim 3, further comprising a route forwarding unit that forwards route information calculated by the emergency vehicle lane generating unit, the evacuation vehicle number calculating unit, and the detour route deriving unit. [6] A vehicle control device comprising an emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit including a route information receiving unit that receives route information relayed from the route relaying unit of the route generating device defined in claim 5 and notifies a driver of an evacuation location and a detour route of the emergency vehicle according to the relayed route information. [7] A vehicle control device comprising an evacuation location use determination unit including a route information receiving unit that receives route information relayed from the route relaying unit of the route generating device defined in claim 5, and an in-vehicle camera that recognizes vehicle peripheral information, wherein the evacuation location use determination unit determines whether it is possible to be evacuated from the emergency vehicle and evacuate to the relayed evacuation location based on the route information and the vehicle peripheral information, and avoids the emergency vehicle along a separately relayed detour route when an obstacle exists in the relayed evacuation location and evacuation is impossible. [8] A vehicle route forwarding system comprising: the route generating device defined in claim 5; and an emergency vehicle and a general vehicle capable of communicating with the route generation device, wherein the emergency vehicle includes a route information receiving unit that receives route information calculated by the emergency vehicle lane generation unit and forwarded from the route forwarding unit of the route generation device, and travels according to the forwarded route information, and the general vehicle is configured by at least one of a vehicle including an emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit including a route information receiving unit that receives route information calculated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit and the detour route derivation unit and forwarded from the route forwarding unit of the route generation device, and notifies a driver of an evacuation location and a detour route of the emergency vehicle according to the forwarded route information, and a vehicle including an evacuation location usage determination unit including a route information receiving unit that receives route information calculated by the evacuation vehicle number calculation unit and the detour route derivation unit and forwarded from the route forwarding unit of the route generation device, and an in-vehicle camera that detects vehicle peripheral information, wherein the evacuation location usage determination unit determines whether it is possible to be evacuated from the emergency vehicle and evacuate to the forwarded evacuation location based on the route information and the vehicle peripheral information, and avoids the emergency vehicle along a separately forwarded detour route when an obstacle exists in the forwarded evacuation location and evacuation is impossible.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Data structure, terminal device, data communication method, program, and storage medium

    JP2019168998A