Notification system

Abstract

To provide a technique for facilitating prevention of vehicle flood damage.SOLUTION: A notification system 100 comprises: an identification section 32 for identifying whether a vehicle 1 is flooded based on water level information in the neighborhood of the vehicle 1 during parking; a prediction section 36 for predicting a remaining time until the water level reaches a predetermined water level when the vehicle 1 is identified as flooded; and a notification section 38 for notifying a user terminal 90 of flood information including information related to the predicted remaining time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, localized heavy rains have occurred, causing flooding damage to vehicles, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses an alarm device that, when an abnormality occurs in a vehicle, such as flooding into the cabin, alerts the owners of surrounding vehicles parked within a specified range of the vehicle that an abnormality has occurred in a nearby parked vehicle. The alarm is issued by sending a notification to a mobile terminal, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-126118 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the owner of the surrounding vehicle who receives the notification cannot grasp the flooding status of his / her own vehicle. Therefore, the owner of the surrounding vehicle cannot grasp within what time the owner needs to move the vehicle to prevent flooding damage. In addition, when the owner of the surrounding vehicle receives the notification, the vehicle is already flooded up to the passenger compartment, so there is a possibility that the owner's own vehicle is also flooded up to the passenger compartment.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that can easily prevent flood damage to vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a notification system of one embodiment of the present invention includes an identification unit that determines whether or not a parked vehicle is flooded based on information about the water level near the vehicle, a prediction unit that, when it is determined that the vehicle is flooded, predicts the remaining time until the water level reaches a predetermined level, and a notification unit that notifies a user terminal of flooding information including information regarding the predicted remaining time.

[0007] Any combination of the above components, and any transformation of the present invention into a method, device, system, recording medium, computer program, etc., are also effective as aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a technique can be provided that can easily prevent flood damage to a vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a notification system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a flowchart showing a process of the in-vehicle device of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a notification system 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the notification system 100 includes an in-vehicle device 10, a server 80, and a user terminal 90.

[0011] The in-vehicle device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and operates using the power of the battery of the vehicle 1. The in-vehicle device 10 may be configured as a drive recorder. The in-vehicle device 10 may acquire location information of the vehicle where the vehicle is parked. The in-vehicle device 10 detects flooding of the vehicle 1 based on road surface images around the vehicle 1 periodically captured while the vehicle 1 is parked. By periodically capturing images, power consumption can be reduced and the power stored in the battery of the vehicle 1 can be made less likely to be depleted. When the in-vehicle device 10 detects that flooding has occurred, it notifies the user terminal 90 of flooding information via the server 80. The user terminal 90 may also notify the user terminal 90 of the location information of the vehicle 1. The user terminal 90 is a portable wireless communication terminal such as a smartphone owned by the owner of the vehicle 1. The user terminal 90 is not limited to a portable terminal, and may be a stationary personal computer or the like. The owner of the vehicle 1 who is outside the vehicle can take necessary measures such as evacuating the vehicle 1 by checking the flooding information.

[0012] The in-vehicle device 10 has an image capturing device 12, a processing unit 14, a communication unit 16, and a storage unit 18. The image capturing device 12 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and supplies the captured images to the processing unit 14. The image capturing device 12 has a flood check camera 20 and a surrounding area capturing camera 22.

[0013] The flooding check camera 20 captures images of the road surface near the vehicle 1. For example, the flooding check camera 20 is mounted in a position that allows it to capture images of at least the wheels of the vehicle 1 and the road surface near the wheels. The flooding check camera 20 is installed, for example, on the side of the body of the vehicle 1. If the captured road surface image can identify the water level near the vehicle 1, the flooding check camera 20 may capture images of the road surface such as the side of the vehicle 1, and does not need to capture the wheels of the vehicle 1. The flooding check camera 20 may be a camera in a drive recorder that captures images of the side of the vehicle 1.

[0014] The surroundings capturing camera 22 captures video of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. For example, the surroundings capturing camera 22 captures at least one of the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle 1. The surroundings capturing camera 22 may capture 360-degree video of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. The surroundings capturing video of the vehicle 1 is video of a position farther away from the vehicle 1 than the road surface video of the vicinity of the vehicle 1 captured by the flood check camera 20, and may include video of other vehicles, etc. The surroundings capturing camera 22 may be a camera in a drive recorder that captures the surroundings of the vehicle 1.

[0015] The communication unit 16 wirelessly communicates with a server 80 outside the vehicle 1 via a network (not shown). The wireless communication standard is not particularly limited, but may include, for example, 4G (fourth generation mobile communication system) or 5G (fifth generation mobile communication system). The storage unit 18 stores the video captured by the imaging device 12.

[0016] The processing unit 14 has an image acquisition unit 30, an identification unit 32, a rainfall acquisition unit 34, a prediction unit 36, a notification unit 38, and a control unit 40. The multiple functional blocks of the processing unit 14 can be configured in hardware with circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs, and in software, are realized by a CPU executing a program loaded in a memory. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof, and are not limited to any one of them.

[0017] The control unit 40 detects that the vehicle 1 is parked. A known technique can be used to detect parking. For example, the control unit 40 determines that the vehicle 1 is parked when the start switch of the vehicle 1 is turned off. The start switch is a switch that is operated to start or stop the driving source for running the vehicle 1, and is called an ignition switch or a power switch.

[0018] When it is detected that the vehicle 1 is parked, the control unit 40 starts a flood monitoring mode, starts a first timer in the control unit 40, and stops the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 10 other than the control unit 40. The power consumption of each component that has stopped operating becomes substantially zero. The control unit 40 can operate with relatively low power consumption for the operation of the first timer. A first expiration time is preset in the first timer. The first expiration time may be, for example, about 30 minutes, and can be appropriately determined by experiment or simulation.

[0019] When the first timer expires, the control unit 40 starts the flooding check process. Specifically, the control unit 40 activates the flooding check camera 20 and other components of the processing unit 14, and causes the flooding check camera 20 to capture images of the road surface near the vehicle 1 for a predetermined first capture period. Images from the surrounding capture camera 22 may also be used. The first capture period may be, for example, about one minute, and can be appropriately determined through experiments so as to appropriately derive the rate of rise in the water level, which will be described later. The control unit 40 may stop the flooding check camera 20 when capture of the first capture period ends.

[0020] The image acquisition unit 30 acquires an image of the road surface near the vehicle 1 captured by the flood check camera 20, and supplies the acquired road surface image data to the identification unit 32. The image acquisition unit 30 supplies the data to the identification unit 32, for example, when it acquires the data of the first frame of the road surface image, without waiting for the expiration of the first shooting period.

[0021] The identification unit 32 acquires information on the water level near the parked vehicle 1 based on the data of the first frame of the road surface image acquired by the image acquisition unit 30. The identification unit 32 identifies the water surface in the road surface image, for example, using an image recognition technique. If the road surface image does not include the water surface, the identification unit 32 sets the water level to zero. If the road surface image includes the water surface, the identification unit 32 derives the water level, for example, based on the positional relationship between the wheels and the water surface in the road surface image. A known technique can be used to derive the water level. If the flood check camera 20 captures road surface images such as the side of the vehicle 1 and does not capture the wheels of the vehicle 1, the identification unit 32 may derive the water level based on the mounting angle and mounting position of the flood check camera 20 and the position of the water surface in the road surface image.

[0022] The identification unit 32 identifies whether the vehicle 1 is flooded or not based on the acquired water level information. Specifically, if the water level is equal to or higher than a predetermined water level, the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is flooded. If the water level is less than the predetermined water level, the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is not flooded. The predetermined water level may be, for example, less than 1 cm, or may be a value within a range of 1 cm to several cm, and can be appropriately determined through experiments. If the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is flooded, it supplies water level information to the notification unit 38. The water level can also be called the flood depth. This completes the flood check process.

[0023] In this way, flooding can be detected using the imaging device 12 such as a drive recorder, without installing an ultrasonic sensor for detecting the water level or the like in the vehicle 1. By using the camera of the drive recorder as both the flooding check camera 20 and the surrounding imaging camera 22, there is no need to install a dedicated camera for the notification system 100, which can suppress increases in costs and a complicated configuration.

[0024] When the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is not flooded, the control unit 40 restarts the first timer in the control unit 40 and stops the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 10 other than the control unit 40. When it is identified that the vehicle 1 is not flooded, which is assumed to be before the first shooting period expires, the control unit 40 also stops shooting by the flood check camera 20. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption. When the first timer expires, the flood check process described above is executed again.

[0025] Furthermore, while in the flood monitoring mode, the control unit 40 detects that parking of the vehicle 1 has ended. Known techniques can be used to detect the end of parking. For example, the control unit 40 determines that parking of the vehicle 1 has ended when the start switch of the vehicle 1 is turned on. If it is detected that parking of the vehicle 1 has ended, the control unit 40 ends the flood monitoring mode. If the in-vehicle device 10 is configured as a drive recorder, the control unit 40 causes each part of the in-vehicle device 10 to operate as a drive recorder when it ends the flood monitoring mode.

[0026] On the other hand, when the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is flooded, the control unit 40 starts the periphery photographing camera 22 and causes the periphery photographing camera 22 to photograph the periphery of the vehicle 1 for a predetermined second photographing period. The second photographing period may be within a range of several seconds to about 10 seconds, for example. The control unit 40 may stop the periphery photographing camera 22 when photographing for the second photographing period ends.

[0027] The image acquisition unit 30 acquires the surrounding image captured by the surrounding image capturing camera 22, and supplies the data of the acquired surrounding image to the notification unit .

[0028] The notification unit 38 notifies the user terminal 90 of flooding information including the water level and surrounding video. Location information where the vehicle 1 is parked may also be notified. Specifically, the notification unit 38 supplies the flooding information to the communication unit 16. The communication unit 16 transmits the flooding information to the server 80. Information for identifying the destination user terminal 90 is attached to the flooding information. The server 80 receives the flooding information from the in-vehicle device 10 and transmits the received flooding information to the user terminal 90 by wireless communication. The flooding information may be transmitted by email, for example. The standard of this wireless communication is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, 4G or 5G.

[0029] When the user terminal 90 receives the flooding information, it presents the flooding information to the owner of the vehicle 1 in the form of audio and images. The user terminal 90 is capable of playing surrounding video included in the flooding information. Once flooding is detected, the first report of flooding information is sent relatively quickly, making it easier for the owner to take action against the flooding as soon as it begins. The owner can also accurately grasp the flooding status of the vehicle 1 from the notified water level and surrounding video.

[0030] Furthermore, when the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is flooded, it identifies a change in the water level over time near the vehicle 1 based on the road surface images near the vehicle 1 taken by the flood check camera 20 during the first shooting period, and derives the rate of rise of the water level near the vehicle 1 per unit time (hereinafter referred to as the water level rise rate). The identification unit 32 supplies the water level rise rate to the prediction unit 36. The water level rise rate can also be called the flooding speed.

[0031] When the identification unit 32 determines that the vehicle 1 is flooded, the rainfall acquisition unit 34 acquires predicted information on future rainfall at the location of the vehicle 1 from the server 80 or the Internet, and supplies the acquired predicted information to the prediction unit 36.

[0032] When it is determined that the vehicle 1 is flooded, the prediction unit 36 ​​predicts the remaining time until the water level reaches a predetermined water level based on the rate of rise of the water level supplied from the determination unit 32 and the predicted information on the amount of rainfall supplied from the rainfall acquisition unit 34. For example, the prediction unit 36 ​​may add a larger correction value to the rate of rise of the water level the greater the amount of rainfall in the future. The prediction unit 36 ​​may also acquire the current amount of rainfall from the server 80 or the like, and add a larger correction value to the rate of rise of the water level the greater the difference between the current amount of rainfall and the amount of rainfall in the future. This makes it easier to improve the accuracy of the prediction of the remaining time by taking into account the prediction of the amount of rainfall in the future.

[0033] The prediction unit 36 ​​predicts, as the remaining time, at least one of a first remaining time until the water level reaches a first water level at which the vehicle 1 cannot be moved, a second remaining time until the water level reaches a second water level at which damage is caused to the vehicle 1, and a third remaining time until the water level reaches a third water level at which it is dangerous for people to approach the vehicle 1. Damage to the vehicle 1 means, for example, water entering the passenger compartment or the vehicle 1 breaking down. It is preferable that the prediction unit 36 ​​predicts at least the third remaining time. An example of the prediction unit 36 ​​predicting the first remaining time, the second remaining time, and the third remaining time will be described below.

[0034] The first water level, the second water level, and the third water level are determined in advance. The first water level and the second water level may be determined for each model of the vehicle 1 in which the in-vehicle device 10 is mounted. The first water level, the second water level, and the third water level can be determined appropriately through experiments. For example, the first water level is lower than the second water level. The first water level may be, for example, about 20 cm. The second water level may be, for example, about 40 cm. For example, the second water level is lower than the third water level. The third water level may be, for example, about 80 cm.

[0035] The prediction unit 36 ​​supplies the predicted first remaining time, second remaining time, and third remaining time to the notification unit 38.

[0036] The notification unit 38 notifies the user terminal 90 of the additional flooding information including information on the predicted remaining time. The information on the remaining time is, for example, a first to a third remaining time. The information on the remaining time may be a first time that is a first remaining time after the notification time, a second time that is a second remaining time after the notification time, and a third time that is a third remaining time after the notification time. The user terminal 90 presents the received additional flooding information to the owner of the vehicle 1. This allows the owner to understand the information on the remaining time. The owner can recognize the first remaining time until the vehicle 1 cannot be evacuated, the second remaining time until damage is caused to the vehicle 1, and the third remaining time until the vehicle 1 cannot be approached. By notifying the third remaining time, it is possible to easily prevent secondary damage that may be life-threatening, such as the owner being trapped in the vehicle 1 due to flooding.

[0037] Furthermore, because road surface images from the first imaging period are necessary to predict the remaining time, if a configuration is assumed in which flooding information including information regarding the remaining time is notified to the user terminal 90 all at once when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is flooded, the first notification of flooding information after flooding is detected will be delayed by approximately the first imaging period from the time of flooding detection. In the embodiment, flooding information including the water level and surrounding images is notified first as described above, so flooding can be notified at an earlier timing. This broadens the range of responses that the owner can take.

[0038] When the notification of the additional flooding information is completed, the control unit 40 starts the second timer in the control unit 40 and stops the operation of each component of the in-vehicle device 10 other than the control unit 40. The control unit 40 sets the second expiration time corresponding to the rate of rise of the water level derived by the identification unit 32 in the second timer. For example, if the rate of rise of the water level is equal to or less than a reference value, the control unit 40 sets the second expiration time to the first time, and if the rate of rise of the water level is greater than the reference value, the control unit 40 sets the second expiration time to the second time. The first time may be, for example, about 10 minutes. The second time may be shorter than the first time, for example, about 5 minutes. The reference value, the first time, and the second time may be appropriately determined by experiment or simulation. Alternatively, the control unit 40 may refer to a table that is preset so that the second expiration time becomes shorter as the rate of rise of the water level increases, and set the second expiration time corresponding to the rate of rise of the water level.

[0039] When the second timer expires, the control unit 40 resumes the flooding check process described above. If the water level has not dropped below the predetermined water level, i.e., if the flooding has not subsided, the notification unit 38 again notifies the user terminal 90 of the flooding information including the updated water level and the updated surrounding image, and the additional flooding information including the updated information regarding the remaining time. This allows the latest flooding information and additional flooding information to be repeatedly notified to the user terminal 90 from the start of the flooding until it subsides. This allows the owner to grasp the flooding situation in real time.

[0040] In addition, by setting the second expiration time according to the rate of water level rise, it is possible to reduce power consumption while performing water ingress checks and notifications at appropriate time intervals according to the rate of water level rise.

[0041] Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing of the in-vehicle device 10 of Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the processing in the flood monitoring mode. This processing starts when it is detected that the vehicle 1 has been parked, and ends when it is detected that the parking of the vehicle 1 has ended.

[0042] The control unit 40 starts a first timer (S10) and determines whether the first timer has expired (S12). If the first timer has not expired (N in S12), the process returns to S12. If the first timer has expired (Y in S12), the control unit 40 starts the flood check camera 20, and the identification unit 32 checks for the presence or absence of flooding based on the road surface image captured by the flood check camera 20 (S14).

[0043] If the vehicle is not flooded (N in S16), the process returns to S10. If the vehicle is flooded (Y in S16), the control unit 40 activates the surrounding area photographing camera 22 (S18), and the notification unit 38 notifies the user terminal 90 of flood information including the flood depth and surrounding video (S20).

[0044] The identification unit 32 derives the rate of rise of the water level based on the image captured by the flood check camera 20 (S22). The prediction unit 36 ​​predicts the first to third remaining times based on the rate of rise of the water level, and the control unit 40 sets the expiration time of the second timer based on the rate of rise of the water level (S24). The notification unit 38 notifies the user terminal 90 of the first to third remaining times (S26).

[0045] The control unit 40 starts the second timer (S28) and determines whether the second timer has expired (S30). If the second timer has not expired (N in S30), the process returns to S30. If the second timer has expired (Y in S30), the process returns to S14.

[0046] According to the embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is flooded, information relating to the time remaining until the water level reaches a predetermined water level is notified to the user terminal 90, so that the owner can know that the flooding of the vehicle 1 has begun and how much time is left to evacuate the vehicle 1. This makes it easier to prevent flood damage to the vehicle 1.

[0047] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0048] (First Modification) When the identification unit 32 identifies that the vehicle 1 is flooded, the identification unit 32 may identify the presence or absence of an evacuation route for the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding image of the vehicle 1 acquired by the image acquisition unit 30. Specifically, the identification unit 32 may predict the water level at a specific point within a range of, for example, several tens of meters from the parking position of the vehicle 1 in the surrounding image from the relationship between the water surface in the surrounding image and objects such as other vehicles, and may identify that there is no evacuation route when the predicted water level is equal to or higher than the above-mentioned first water level. The specific point may be, for example, near the exit of the parking lot where the vehicle 1 is parked, and may be identified based on the position information of the vehicle 1 notified together with the flooding information. In identifying the position, the notified position information may be collated with map information installed in the user terminal. Alternatively, the map information may be stored in the server 80, and may be collated with the notified position information of the vehicle 1 so that it can be confirmed on the user terminal 90. The identification unit 32 may identify that there is an evacuation route when the predicted water level is lower than the first water level.

[0049] The notification unit 38 may notify the user terminal 90 of flood information including the water level, surrounding images, and information indicating whether or not there is an evacuation route for the vehicle 1.

[0050] Even if the water level near vehicle 1 has not yet reached the first water level and the first remaining time is relatively long, there may be a situation where the vicinity of the exit of the parking lot is already deeply flooded. In this case, even if the owner who has received the notification comes to vehicle 1, there is a high possibility that vehicle 1 will not be able to leave the parking lot. In addition, the owner may not be able to pass through a specific point that is deeply flooded and therefore will not be able to enter the parking lot. According to the first modified example, it is possible to make the owner of vehicle 1 aware in advance of whether or not he or she can evacuate. This makes it easier to more reliably prevent secondary damage.

[0051] The identification unit 32 may identify the direction of water flow around the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding image, and if the water is flowing toward a specific point, may add a predetermined value to the predicted water level at the specific point. This makes it possible to identify the presence or absence of an evacuation route, taking into account the situation in which the water level at the specific point is likely to be high.

[0052] (Second Modification) In the embodiment, when parking of the vehicle 1 is detected, the flooding monitoring mode is immediately started, but the timing to start the flooding monitoring mode may be notified by the server 80.

[0053] When parking of the vehicle 1 is detected, the control unit 40 may transmit information on the parking position of the vehicle 1 to the server 80. When there is forecast information of heavy rain within a predetermined forecast period at the parking position of the vehicle 1, the server 80 may notify the in-vehicle device 10 of the vehicle 1. The forecast period may be in the range of several tens of minutes to about an hour, for example, and can be appropriately determined by an experiment or a simulation.

[0054] When parking of the vehicle 1 is detected, the control unit 40 may receive a notification from the server 80 if there is forecast information of heavy rain at the location of the vehicle 1, and may start the flood monitoring mode in response to the notification. When parking of the vehicle 1 is detected, the control unit 40 may not start the flood monitoring mode until receiving a notification from the server 80.

[0055] According to the second modification, since there is no need to periodically start up the image capturing device 12 etc. in a situation where the possibility of flooding is low, power consumption can be further reduced.

[0056] (Third Modification) When it is determined that the vehicle 1 is flooded, the prediction unit 36 ​​may predict the remaining time based on the rate of rise in the water level without using prediction information on the amount of rainfall in the future. In this case, the processing unit 14 does not have the rainfall amount acquisition unit 34. According to the third modification, the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 is simplified and the remaining time can be predicted.

[0057] (Fourth Modification) The identification unit 32 may identify that the vehicle 1 is submerged when the rate of rise in the water level is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may identify that the vehicle 1 is not submerged when the rate of rise in the water level is less than the predetermined value. The predetermined value may be appropriately determined through experiments.

[0058] In this case, since the road surface image from the first shooting period is used to derive the rate of rise in the water level, the notification unit 38 may notify the user terminal 90 of the flooding information including the water level, the surrounding image, and information regarding the remaining time all at once. According to the fourth modification, the degree of freedom in the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 can be improved.

[0059] (Fifth Modification) In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the functions of the processing unit 14 are executed by the in-vehicle device 10 , but at least some of the functions of the processing unit 14 may be executed by the server 80 .

[0060] At least two of the above modifications may be combined. The new modification resulting from the combination has the combined effects of the modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1...vehicle, 10...on-board device, 12...camera, 20...flood check camera, 22...surrounding area camera, 30...image acquisition unit, 32...identification unit, 34...rainfall amount acquisition unit, 36...prediction unit, 38...notification unit, 40...control unit, 90...user terminal, 100...notification system.

Claims

1. an identification unit that identifies whether or not a parked vehicle is flooded based on information about a water level near the vehicle; a prediction unit that predicts a remaining time until the water level reaches a predetermined water level when it is determined that the vehicle is submerged; A notification unit that notifies a user terminal of flood information including information regarding a predicted remaining time; A notification system comprising:

2. The vehicle further includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a road surface near the vehicle captured by an image capture device mounted on the vehicle, The identification unit acquires information on a water level near the vehicle based on the acquired road surface image.

2. The notification system of claim 1.

3. When it is determined that the vehicle is flooded, the image acquisition unit further acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by the imaging device, The identification unit identifies whether or not there is an evacuation route for the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding image, The notification unit notifies the user terminal of the flooding information further including information indicating the presence or absence of an evacuation route for the vehicle.

3. The notification system of claim 2.

4. The prediction unit sets the remaining time as a first remaining time until the water level reaches a first water level at which the vehicle cannot be moved; a second remaining time until the water level reaches a second water level at which damage to the vehicle occurs; and predicting at least one of a third remaining time until the water level reaches a third water level at which approach to the vehicle is dangerous; 4. A notification system according to claim 1, wherein the notification system is a communication system.

5. A rainfall acquisition unit that acquires forecast information of a future rainfall amount at a position of the vehicle, the prediction unit predicts the remaining time based on a rate of rise in water level derived based on water level information in the vicinity of the vehicle and on acquired prediction information on rainfall.

4. A notification system according to claim 1, wherein the notification system is a communication system.

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