Vehicle emergency notification device and vehicle emergency notification system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle emergency notification device and a vehicle emergency notification system for determining whether or not an emergency notification should be made to a vehicle that is in a communication impossible state with a simple system.SOLUTION: A vehicle emergency notification device includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit that communicates with a plurality of vehicles and acquires vehicle information including at least position information indicating a driving position of the vehicle at predetermined time intervals for each vehicle; a communication disruption vehicle detection unit that detects a communication disruption vehicle with which the communication is lost with the vehicle information acquisition unit; a communication state determination unit that determines that the communication disruption vehicle is a communication disabled vehicle when the communication with the communication disruption vehicle is not restored within the predetermined time interval; an other vehicle count unit that counts other vehicles that are different from the communication disabled vehicle and whose position information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit from the other vehicle is the same as the position information of the communication disabled vehicle immediately before the communication is interrupted; and an emergency notification determination unit that determines that an emergency notification is required for the communication disabled vehicle when the counted value by the other vehicle count unit is smaller than a predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle emergency call device and a vehicle emergency call system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a vehicle emergency notification system that automatically notifies the nearest police or fire department via an emergency notification center in the event of an emergency such as a vehicle accident, and simultaneously transmits data such as GPS-based location information from the vehicle to the emergency notification center. In the vehicle emergency notification system, even if the driver or other person is unable to make a voice call due to the accident situation or is unconscious, emergency information including data such as GPS-based location information is transmitted to the police or fire department via the emergency notification center.

[0003] In an emergency call system, when making a call, emergency information is transmitted from the vehicle to an emergency call center via a mobile communication network. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle is traveling outside the communication range of the mobile communication network or when communication is disabled due to a malfunction of the communication equipment installed in the vehicle, the vehicle cannot transmit the emergency information to the emergency call center.

[0004] For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an emergency notification system in which, when a communication-disabled vehicle is present, vehicles in the vicinity of the communication-disabled vehicle are requested to send images taken of the exterior of the vehicle, and the received images are used to determine the condition of the communication-disabled vehicle by a communication management server, thereby determining whether the communication-disabled vehicle is in an emergency situation. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a communication system that notifies a notification destination of specified information about a vehicle traveling outside a communication range, when communication with the vehicle has been lost for a certain period of time or more. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-251968 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-185426 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the server requests vehicles around the communication-disabled vehicle to take and transmit images, and receives the taken images, so the amount of communication data between the communication management server and each vehicle is large, and the scale of the system becomes large. Also, if the communication-disabled vehicle is traveling outside the communication range, if there are no other vehicles around the communication-disabled vehicle, or if there are no vehicles equipped with equipment compatible with this emergency call system, the communication-disabled vehicle will not be the target of the emergency call. The technology in Patent Document 2 performs a process to identify out-of-communication areas in order to determine whether the vehicle is traveling outside of a communication range. If an out-of-communication area cannot be identified, the vehicle is not subject to safety confirmation by the communication system.

[0007] The present invention aims to deal with such a situation, that is, to determine, with a simple configuration, whether or not an emergency call is required for a vehicle that is in a communication-disabled state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve such problems, a vehicle emergency call device according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, one aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle emergency call device comprising: a vehicle information acquisition unit that communicates with a plurality of vehicles and acquires vehicle information including at least identification information that identifies the vehicle and location information that indicates the traveling location of the vehicle for each of the vehicles at a predetermined time interval; a communication-interrupted vehicle detection unit that detects a communication-interrupted vehicle where communication with the vehicle information acquisition unit has been interrupted; a communication status determination unit that determines that the communication-interrupted vehicle is an uncommunicable vehicle if communication with the communication-interrupted vehicle is not restored within a predetermined time; a other vehicle counting unit that counts other vehicles different from the communication-interrupted vehicle, where the location information acquired from the other vehicles by the vehicle information acquisition unit is the same as the location information of the communication-interrupted vehicle immediately before communication was interrupted; and an emergency call determination unit that determines that an emergency call is required for the communication-interrupted vehicle if the counted value by the other vehicle counting unit is smaller than a predetermined value.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle emergency call system comprising: a communication device mounted on a vehicle and transmitting vehicle information including at least identification information that identifies the vehicle and location information that indicates the location of the vehicle while it is traveling; and a vehicle emergency call device that communicates with the communication device, wherein the vehicle emergency call device comprises: a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle information for each vehicle at a predetermined time interval through communication with the communication device; a communication-disrupted vehicle detection unit that detects a communication-disrupted vehicle including a communication device with which communication with the vehicle information acquisition unit has been interrupted; a communication state determination unit that determines that the communication-disrupted vehicle is a communication-disabled vehicle if communication with the communication-disabled vehicle is not restored within a predetermined time period; a vehicle other counting unit that counts other vehicles different from the communication-disabled vehicle, where the location information acquired from the other vehicles by the vehicle information acquisition unit is the same as the location information of the communication-disabled vehicle immediately before communication was interrupted; and an emergency call determination unit that determines that an emergency call is required for the communication-disabled vehicle if the counted value by the vehicle other counting unit is smaller than a predetermined value. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to a vehicle emergency call device and a vehicle emergency call system having such characteristics, it is possible to determine, with a simple configuration, the necessity of an emergency call to a vehicle that has become unable to communicate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle emergency call system including a vehicle emergency call device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow in the vehicle emergency call device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a reference diagram showing a specific example in which a vehicle emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. [Figure 4] 1 is a reference diagram showing a specific example in which a vehicle emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. [Diagram 5] 1 is a reference diagram showing a specific example in which a vehicle emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. [Figure 6] 1 is a reference diagram showing a specific example in which a vehicle emergency call system according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts having the same function, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] 1, a vehicle emergency call system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle emergency call device 10 that communicates with a communication device 21 mounted on a vehicle 20. The vehicle emergency call device 10 realizes a vehicle emergency call system that periodically communicates with a plurality of vehicles 20 to obtain various information for each vehicle 20 and makes an emergency call as necessary.

[0014] In this embodiment, a vehicle emergency call system will be described that determines whether or not an emergency call is required for a vehicle 20 when the vehicle 20 is in a communication-disabled state while traveling. For convenience of explanation, only one vehicle 20 is shown in FIG.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle emergency call device 10 located in an emergency call center includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 11, a communication-disconnected vehicle detection unit 12, a communication status determination unit 13, a other vehicle counting unit 14, an emergency call determination unit 15, and a memory unit 16.

[0016] 1, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 communicates with the vehicle 20 at a predetermined time interval (periodic communication) and requests the vehicle 20 to transmit vehicle information including at least identification information for identifying the vehicle 20 and location information indicating the traveling location of the vehicle 20. The vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 from the vehicle 20 is stored in the storage unit 16 together with, for example, the time when the vehicle information was acquired.

[0017] The communication-interrupted vehicle detection unit 12 monitors the communication status between the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and the vehicles 20 for multiple vehicles 20, and detects a vehicle 20 for which it is no longer possible to acquire vehicle information, i.e., for which communication has been interrupted, as a communication-interrupted vehicle.

[0018] The communication state determination unit 13 monitors whether communication with the communication-disconnected vehicle is restored within a predetermined time T, and if communication is not restored, determines that the communication-disconnected vehicle is an uncommunicable vehicle with which communication is disabled for some reason. Reasons for a vehicle being uncommunicable include, for example, a malfunction of a communication device mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle traveling in an area outside the communication range of the communication network, damage to the vehicle or communication device due to a vehicle accident, etc.

[0019] The other vehicle counting unit 14 counts other vehicles that are different from the communication-disabled vehicle and whose position information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit from the other vehicles is the same as the position information of the communication-disabled vehicle immediately before communication was interrupted. Note that the position information of the communication-disabled vehicle immediately before communication was interrupted and the position information of the other vehicles do not necessarily have to be completely identical, and it is sufficient if, for example, it can be determined that the communication-disabled vehicle and the other vehicles have passed a common point on a common road.

[0020] In addition, the period for counting other vehicles by the other vehicle counting unit 14 can be determined in advance, and for example, can be the same as a predetermined time T from the loss of communication with the incapable vehicle to the time it is determined to be an incapable vehicle, or it can be a period shorter than the predetermined time T.

[0021] The emergency call determination unit 15 determines that an emergency call is required for the communication-disabled vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit 14 is less than a predetermined value N. In addition, the emergency call determination unit 15 determines that an emergency call is not required for the communication-disabled vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit 14 is more than the predetermined value N.

[0022] The storage unit 16 stores programs and various data required for the arithmetic processing performed by each of the above units. Examples of data stored in the storage unit 16 include a predetermined time T from when communication is interrupted until the vehicle is determined to be unable to communicate, and a predetermined value N that is compared with a count value when the emergency call determination unit 15 determines whether or not an emergency call is required. Here, the predetermined value N is a value that is determined in advance for each point including location information based on the average traffic volume at that point. The storage unit 16 also stores a plurality of pieces of vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 through communication with the vehicle 20.

[0023] The vehicle 20 is equipped with a communication device 21 that communicates with the vehicle emergency call device 10 via a communication network. The communication device 21 includes a position detection sensor 211, a storage unit 212, a communication unit 213, and a control unit 214.

[0024] The position detection sensor 211 detects the current position of the communication device 21, that is, the current position of the vehicle 20 in which the communication device 21 is mounted, by using, for example, a GPS satellite or the like. The storage unit 212 stores a control program for the communication device 21 and identification information for identifying the vehicle 20 in which the communication device 21 is mounted.

[0025] The communication unit 213 communicates with the vehicle emergency notification device 10 via a communication network, and transmits vehicle information of the vehicle 20 to the vehicle emergency notification device 10 in response to a request from the vehicle emergency notification device 10.

[0026] The control unit 214 controls the communication device 21 in accordance with a control program stored in the storage unit 212. The control unit 214 associates the position information detected by the position detection sensor 211 with the identification information stored in the storage unit 212, and transmits the associated information as vehicle information of the vehicle to the vehicle emergency notification device 10 via the communication unit 213.

[0027] Next, the process flow in the vehicle emergency call system configured as above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing in the vehicle emergency notification device 10. In the vehicle emergency notification device 10, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 communicates with the vehicle 20 at a predetermined time interval and acquires vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 20 (step S101). The communication-disconnected vehicle detection unit 12 monitors the communication state between the vehicle 20 and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and detects a communication-disconnected vehicle with which communication has been interrupted among a plurality of vehicles 20 that are periodically communicating with the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 (step S102).

[0028] When a communication-interrupted vehicle is detected, the communication status determination unit 13 starts counting a predetermined time T (step S103) and monitors the communication status between the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and the communication-interrupted vehicle (step S104). If communication is not restored before the predetermined time T has elapsed, the communication-interrupted vehicle is determined to be an uncommunicable vehicle (step S105).

[0029] The other vehicle counting unit 14 counts other vehicles that are different from the communication-disabled vehicle and that have transmitted the same location information as the location information transmitted by the communication-disabled vehicle to the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 immediately before communication was cut off (step S106).

[0030] When the counted value of other vehicles is greater than a predetermined value N, that is, when the number of counted other vehicles is greater than the number of vehicles corresponding to the predetermined value N, the other vehicle counting unit 14 determines that an emergency call is not necessary (step S107). When the counted value of other vehicles is smaller than a predetermined value N, that is, when the number of counted other vehicles is smaller than the number of vehicles corresponding to the predetermined value N, the other vehicle counting unit 14 determines that an emergency call is required (step S108).

[0031] In addition, if it is determined that an emergency call is necessary, the vehicle emergency call device 10 requests rescue of the vehicle by providing vehicle information, etc., of the subject of the emergency call to the rescue request destination, etc., based on the location information transmitted by the vehicle immediately before communication was lost.

[0032] Next, a specific example in which the vehicle emergency call system 1 is used will be described.

[0033] (When communication is not possible due to the vehicle traveling in an area with no communication range) The process of determining whether or not an emergency call is required in the emergency call device when communication becomes impossible due to the vehicle traveling in an area outside of communication range will be described with reference to Figs.

[0034] 3 shows an example in which one vehicle 20A is traveling. The vehicle emergency notification device 10 periodically communicates with the traveling vehicle 20A and requests the vehicle 20A to transmit vehicle information. In response to the request from the vehicle emergency notification device 10, the vehicle 20A transmits its own identification information and vehicle information including its current traveling position to the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 at predetermined time intervals.

[0035] 3, when vehicle 20A enters an out-of-communication area, communication with vehicle emergency call device 10 is interrupted, and vehicle information cannot be transmitted to vehicle information acquisition unit 11. Just before communication is interrupted, in other words, near point B1 just before vehicle 20A leaves the communication area and enters the out-of-communication area, vehicle 20A transmits vehicle information including location information indicating point B1, and then enters the out-of-communication area.

[0036] In other words, after acquiring the location information indicating point B1 from vehicle 20A, vehicle information acquisition unit 11 does not acquire any subsequent location information. Therefore, communication-disrupted vehicle detection unit 12 detects that vehicle information has not been received during regular communication after vehicle 20A has passed point B1, and detects vehicle 20A as a communication-disrupted vehicle.

[0037] The communication state determination unit 13 monitors whether or not communication between the vehicle 20A and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 is restored during a predetermined time T from the time the vehicle 20A passes through point B1. In parallel with the communication state determination unit 13 monitoring the communication state for the vehicle 20A, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 attempts to communicate with other vehicles traveling around point B1.

[0038] When a predetermined time T has elapsed since vehicle 20A passed point B1, communication state determination unit 13 determines that vehicle 20A is a communication-disabled vehicle. Other vehicle counting unit 14 counts other vehicles that are different from vehicle 20A that has become a communication-disabled vehicle and that have transmitted the same location information as vehicle 20A's location information immediately before communication was interrupted, that is, the location information indicating point B1. In the example of Fig. 3, there is no other vehicle that has transmitted location information indicating point B1, so the count value of other vehicle counting unit 14 is 0.

[0039] Since the count value by the other vehicle counting unit 14 is 0, the emergency call determination unit 15 determines that an emergency call is required for the vehicle 20A, which is an incommunicable vehicle. Thus, according to this embodiment, even if a vehicle that is unable to communicate enters an area where communication is unavailable and is therefore unable to make an emergency call itself, and there is no vehicle nearby that can request rescue, it is possible to determine whether or not an emergency call is necessary by grasping the situation around the vehicle.

[0040] 4 shows an example in which a plurality of vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, etc. are traveling. The vehicle emergency notification device 10 periodically communicates with each of the traveling vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, and requests each of the vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D to transmit vehicle information. In response to a request from the vehicle emergency notification device 10, each of the vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D transmits vehicle information including its own identification information and its current traveling position to the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 at a predetermined time interval.

[0041] 4, when vehicles 20A and 20B enter an out-of-communication area, communication with vehicle emergency notification device 10 is interrupted, and vehicles 20A and 20B are unable to transmit vehicle information to vehicle information acquisition unit 11. Just before communication is interrupted, that is, near point B1 just before vehicles 20A and 20B leave the communication area and enter the out-of-communication area, vehicles 20A and 20B transmit vehicle information including location information indicating point B1.

[0042] In other words, after acquiring the location information indicating point B1 from vehicles 20A and 20B, vehicle information acquisition unit 11 does not acquire any subsequent location information. Therefore, communication-disrupted vehicle detection unit 12 detects that vehicle information has not been received during regular communication after vehicles 20A and 20B have passed point B1, and detects vehicles 20A and 20B as communication-disrupted vehicles.

[0043] The communication state determination unit 13 monitors whether or not communication between the vehicles 20A, 20B and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 is restored for each of the vehicles 20A, 20B during a period of time T from the time the vehicles pass through point B1. In parallel with the communication state determination unit 13 monitoring the communication state for the vehicles 20A, 20B, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 periodically acquires vehicle information from the vehicles 20C, 20D traveling around point B1.

[0044] The communication state determination unit 13 determines that the vehicle 20A is an uncommunicable vehicle when a predetermined time T has elapsed since the vehicle 20A passed the point B1. The other vehicle counting unit 14 counts other vehicles that are different from the uncommunicable vehicle 20A and have transmitted the same location information as the location information of the vehicle 20A immediately before the communication was interrupted, that is, the location information indicating the point B1.

[0045] In the example of Fig. 4, since vehicle 20B has already transmitted position information indicating point B1, other vehicle counting unit 14 counts vehicle 20B as another vehicle that transmitted the same position information. In the example of Fig. 4, while communication state determination unit 13 is timing a predetermined time T from the time when vehicle 20A passed point B1, vehicles 20C and 20D also pass point B1, and vehicles 20C and 20D are also counted by other vehicle counting unit 14 as vehicles that transmitted position information indicating point B1.

[0046] Thereafter, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 sequentially receives position information indicating the point B1 from other vehicles passing through the point B1, and the other vehicle counting unit 14 increments the count value for each reception. The counting of other vehicles by the other vehicle counting unit 14 can continue, for example, until a predetermined time T has elapsed from the time when the communication state determination unit 13 determined that the vehicle 20A passed through the point B1.

[0047] The emergency call determination unit 15 determines that an emergency call is not required for the vehicle A that has become an incommunicable vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit 14 is greater than the predetermined value N. The predetermined value N used by the emergency call determination unit 15 to determine whether or not an emergency call is required is determined in advance from the average traffic volume at the point, in this example, point B1, and is stored in the memory unit 16 in advance. Thus, according to this embodiment, even if communication is lost, for example, because the vehicle enters an area out of communication range, the vehicle is not judged to be a target for an emergency call solely based on the inability to communicate, but the situation of vehicles traveling in the vicinity is grasped and an appropriate determination is made as to whether or not an emergency call is necessary, thereby reducing unnecessary emergency calls.

[0048] Similarly, when a predetermined time T has elapsed since vehicle 20B passed point B1, vehicle 20A is determined to be an incommunicable vehicle, and other vehicle counting unit 14 counts the vehicles that have transmitted location information indicating point B1 thereafter. While communication state determination unit 13 is timing the predetermined time T from the time when vehicle 20B passed point B1, vehicles 20C and 20D also pass point B1, and are counted by other vehicle counting unit 14 as vehicles that have transmitted location information indicating point B1. Thereafter, when vehicle information acquisition unit 11 sequentially receives location information indicating point B1 from other vehicles (not shown), other vehicle counting unit 14 adds a count value each time the information is received. Thereafter, the above-mentioned process is repeated.

[0049] 4, vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are traveling from a communication area to an out-of-communication area, and after transmitting position information indicating point B1, communication is interrupted and each vehicle becomes a communication-disconnected vehicle. In this way, since all of the vehicles become communication-disconnected vehicles after transmitting the same position information, it can be estimated that the traveling direction of vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D after point B1 is an out-of-communication area.

[0050] That is, even if the vehicle emergency call device 10 does not store information on out-of-service areas in the map information, the out-of-service areas can be estimated based on the position information transmitted from 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D. A map such as a dynamic map may be stored in advance in the storage unit 16 of the vehicle emergency call device 10, and the estimated out-of-service areas may be reflected in the map.

[0051] (Examples of vehicles being unable to communicate due to malfunctions) 5 and 6, a process of determining whether or not an emergency call is required in the emergency call device when a traveling vehicle becomes unable to communicate due to a malfunction of the vehicle itself or a communication device mounted on the vehicle will be described.

[0052] 5 shows an example in which one vehicle 20B is traveling. The vehicle emergency notification device 10 periodically communicates with the traveling vehicle 20B and requests the vehicle 20A to transmit vehicle information. In response to the request from the vehicle emergency notification device 10, the vehicle 20B transmits its own identification information and vehicle information including its current traveling position to the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 at predetermined time intervals.

[0053] 5, vehicle 20B loses communication with vehicle emergency notification device 10 due to an accident, a failure in the communication device, or the like, and is unable to transmit vehicle information to vehicle information acquisition unit 11. Vehicle 20B transmits vehicle information including location information indicating point B2 near point B2 just before communication is lost, i.e., just before communication becomes impossible.

[0054] In other words, after acquiring the location information indicating point B2 from vehicle 20B, vehicle information acquisition unit 11 does not acquire any subsequent location information. Therefore, communication-disrupted vehicle detection unit 12 detects that vehicle information has not been received during regular communication after vehicle 20B has passed point B2, and detects vehicle 20B as a communication-disrupted vehicle.

[0055] The communication state determination unit 13 monitors whether or not communication between the vehicle 20B and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 is restored during a period of time T from the time the vehicle 20B passes through point B2. In parallel with the communication state determination unit 13 monitoring the communication state for the vehicle 20B, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 attempts to communicate with other vehicles traveling around point B2.

[0056] When a predetermined time T has elapsed since vehicle 20B passed point B2, communication state determination unit 13 determines vehicle 20B to be a communication-disabled vehicle. Other vehicle counting unit 14 counts other vehicles that are different from vehicle 20B that has become a communication-disabled vehicle and that have transmitted the same location information as vehicle 20B's location information immediately before communication was interrupted, that is, the location information indicating point B2. In the example of FIG. 5, there is no other vehicle that has transmitted location information indicating point B2, so the count value of other vehicle counting unit 14 is 0.

[0057] Since the count value by the other vehicle counting unit 14 is 0, which is smaller than the predetermined value N, the emergency call determination unit 15 determines that an emergency call is required for the vehicle 20A, which is an incommunicable vehicle.

[0058] In this way, according to the present embodiment, for example, even if a vehicle is in a communication range area and communication is disabled due to some malfunction, the situation around the vehicle can be grasped to appropriately determine whether or not an emergency call is required. For example, even if the communication-disabled vehicle cannot make an emergency call by itself and the driver of the communication-disabled vehicle cannot call for rescue by himself, such as in an area or time of day with low traffic volume, the emergency call system can appropriately make a rescue request.

[0059] 6 shows an example in which a plurality of vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, etc. are traveling. The vehicle emergency notification device 10 periodically communicates with each of the traveling vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, and requests each of the vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D to transmit vehicle information. In response to a request from the vehicle emergency notification device 10, each of the vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D transmits its own identification information and vehicle information including its current traveling position to the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 at a predetermined time interval.

[0060] 6, vehicle 20B loses communication with vehicle emergency notification device 10 due to an accident or a malfunction of a communication device, and is unable to transmit vehicle information to vehicle information acquisition unit 11. After vehicle 20B transmits vehicle information including location information indicating point B2 near point B2 immediately before communication is lost, some malfunction occurs and communication is lost.

[0061] In other words, after acquiring the location information indicating point B2 from vehicle 20B, vehicle information acquisition unit 11 does not acquire any subsequent location information. Therefore, communication-disrupted vehicle detection unit 12 detects that vehicle information has not been received during regular communication after vehicle 20B has passed point B2, and detects vehicle 20B as a communication-disrupted vehicle.

[0062] The communication state determination unit 13 monitors whether or not communication between the vehicle 20B and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 is restored during a predetermined time T from the time the vehicle 20B passes through point B2. In parallel with the communication state determination unit 13 monitoring the communication state for the vehicle 20B, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 periodically acquires vehicle information from the vehicles 20A, 20C, and 20D.

[0063] The communication state determination unit 13 determines that the vehicle 20B is an incommunicable vehicle when a predetermined time T has elapsed since the vehicle 20B passed the point B2. The other vehicle counting unit 14 counts other vehicles that are different from the incommunicable vehicle 20B and that have transmitted the same location information as the location information of the vehicle 20B immediately before the communication was interrupted, that is, the location information indicating the point B2.

[0064] In the example of Figure 6, while the communication status determination unit 13 is timing a predetermined time T from the time when vehicle 20B passed point B2, vehicles 20C and 20D also pass point B2, and are counted by the other vehicle counting unit 14 as vehicles that have transmitted location information indicating point B2.

[0065] Thereafter, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 sequentially receives position information indicating point B2 from other vehicles passing through point B2, and the other vehicle counting unit 14 increments the count value for each reception. The counting of other vehicles by the other vehicle counting unit 14 can continue, for example, until a predetermined time T has elapsed from the time when the communication state determination unit 13 determines that the vehicle 20B has passed point B2.

[0066] The emergency call determination unit 15 determines that an emergency call is not required for the vehicle 20B that has become a communication-disabled vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit 14 is greater than a predetermined value N. Here, the predetermined value N is determined in advance based on the average traffic volume at point B2 in this example, and is stored in the storage unit 16 in advance.

[0067] In this way, even if a vehicle becomes unable to communicate due to some kind of malfunction, it is not judged to be a target for an emergency call solely based on the inability to communicate, but the situation of vehicles traveling in the vicinity can be grasped and an appropriate decision made as to whether or not an emergency call is necessary, thereby preventing unnecessary emergency calls. In other words, with the above-described simple configuration, it is possible to determine the necessity of making an emergency call to a vehicle that is in a communication-disabled state.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose, configuration, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1: Vehicle emergency notification system, 10: Vehicle emergency notification device, 11: Vehicle information acquisition unit, 12: Communication interruption vehicle detection unit, 13: Communication state determination unit, 14: Other vehicle counting unit, 15: Emergency notification determination unit, 16: Memory unit, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D: Vehicle, 21: Communication device, 211: Position detection sensor, 212: Memory unit, 213: Communication unit, 214: Control unit,

Claims

1. a vehicle information acquisition unit that communicates with a plurality of vehicles and acquires vehicle information including at least identification information for identifying the vehicles and location information indicating a traveling location of the vehicles at a predetermined time interval for each of the vehicles; a communication-disconnected vehicle detection unit that detects a communication-disconnected vehicle in which communication with the vehicle information acquisition unit has been interrupted; a communication state determination unit that determines that the communication-disconnected vehicle is an incommunicable vehicle when communication with the communication-disconnected vehicle is not restored within a predetermined time; a vehicle counting unit configured to count other vehicles that are different from the communication-disabled vehicle, and whose location information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit from the other vehicles is the same as the location information of the communication-disabled vehicle immediately before communication was interrupted; an emergency call determination unit that determines that an emergency call is required for the communication-disabled vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit is smaller than a predetermined value; A vehicle emergency reporting device comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle emergency call device according to claim 1, wherein the emergency call determination unit determines that an emergency call is not required for the incommunicable vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit is greater than a predetermined value.

3. a communication device mounted on a vehicle and configured to transmit vehicle information including at least identification information for identifying the vehicle and location information indicating a location of the vehicle while it is traveling; a vehicle emergency notification device that communicates with the communication device, The vehicle emergency call device includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle information for each vehicle at a predetermined time interval through communication with the communication device; a communication-disconnected vehicle detection unit that detects a communication-disconnected vehicle including a communication device in which communication with the vehicle information acquisition unit has been interrupted; a communication state determination unit that determines that the communication-disconnected vehicle is an incommunicable vehicle when communication with the communication-disconnected vehicle is not restored within a predetermined time period; a vehicle counting unit configured to count other vehicles that are different from the communication-disabled vehicle, and whose location information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit from the other vehicles is the same as the location information of the communication-disabled vehicle immediately before communication was interrupted; an emergency call determination unit that determines that an emergency call is required for the communication-disabled vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit is smaller than a predetermined value; A vehicle emergency call system equipped with

4. 4. The vehicle emergency call system according to claim 3, wherein the emergency call determination unit determines that an emergency call is not required for the incommunicable vehicle when the count value by the other vehicle counting unit is greater than a predetermined value.

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