Emergency vehicle passage support device, emergency vehicle passage support method, and emergency vehicle passage support program

Abstract

An emergency vehicle passage assistance device 30 is provided with: an acquisition unit 31 that acquires the current traffic congestion status 301 of a road and past actual traffic congestion status 302 of the road; a determination unit 32 that compares the current status 301 with the past actual status 302 and determines whether or not the road is passable on the basis of the comparison result and determination criteria 320; a generation unit 33 that generates a planned passage route 330 for emergency vehicles, wherein inclusion of the road into the route 330 is permitted if the road is passable, but prohibited if the road is not passable; and an output unit 34 that outputs the generated planned passage route 330. The determination criteria 320 express the relationship between the comparison result and whether or not the road is passable, thereby reducing the time required for emergency vehicles to reach a destination in the event of a disaster.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency vehicle passage support device, an emergency vehicle passage support method, and a recording medium storing an emergency vehicle passage support program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a demand for technology that will help emergency vehicles arrive at the scene as quickly as possible, for example, to transport emergency patients to the hospital or to extinguish fires.

[0003] As a technology related to this technology, Patent Document 1 discloses an emergency vehicle assistance system that dynamically recognizes road traffic conditions when an emergency vehicle is traveling and generates route information suitable for the emergency vehicle's travel based on the road traffic conditions.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses an emergency vehicle support device that receives a report, searches for a route based on road traffic information, and calculates the estimated time of arrival at the scene. This device controls traffic lights and transmits approaching emergency vehicle information to ordinary vehicles based on the route information of the emergency vehicle.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a road monitoring system that sequentially selects surveillance images from surveillance cameras to determine congestion conditions, confirms the installation location of a surveillance camera that detects congestion, and stores the results in a memory unit. This system selects an image from a surveillance camera that detects congestion and displays it on a monitor. This system then performs congestion determination processing in the same manner, determines congested sections from the information stored in the memory unit, and outputs and displays congestion information to an alarm device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-053964 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-184596 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-222486 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When a disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami, or heavy rain occurs, road sections may become impassable due to landslides, fallen trees, floods, or other factors. In such cases, emergency vehicles must head to their destinations using the shortest route that avoids the impassable areas. However, when a disaster occurs, it is difficult to quickly identify impassable areas caused by landslides, fallen trees, floods, or other factors. Furthermore, if an inappropriate route to the destination that includes such impassable areas is set without recognizing the impassable areas, the arrival time of the emergency vehicle at its destination may be significantly delayed. Patent Documents 1 to 3 cannot be said to be sufficient to solve the problem of shortening the time it takes for emergency vehicles to reach their destinations when a disaster occurs.

[0008] A primary object of the present invention is to reduce the time it takes for emergency vehicles to arrive at their destination in the event of a disaster. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An emergency vehicle passage assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring the current traffic congestion situation on a road and past traffic congestion records on the road; a determination means for comparing the current situation with the past records and determining whether the road is passable or not based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; a generation means for generating a planned route for an emergency vehicle that allows the road to be included if the road is passable and prohibits the road from being included if the road is impassable; and an output means for outputting the generated planned route, wherein the determination criterion represents the relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not.

[0010] In another aspect of achieving the above-mentioned object, an emergency vehicle passage support method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a method in which, by an information processing device, the current traffic congestion situation on a road and past traffic congestion on the road are acquired, the current situation is compared with the past traffic congestion, and based on the comparison result and a judgment criterion, it is determined whether the road is passable or not, and a planned route for the emergency vehicle is generated in which the road is allowed to be included if the road is passable and is prohibited from being included if the road is impassable, and the generated planned route is output, wherein the judgment criterion represents the relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not.

[0011] In addition, in a further aspect of achieving the above-mentioned object, an emergency vehicle passage assistance program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: an acquisition process for acquiring the current traffic congestion situation on a road and past traffic congestion on the road; a determination process for comparing the current situation with the past traffic congestion and determining whether the road is passable or not based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; a generation process for generating a planned route for the emergency vehicle that allows the road to be included if the road is passable and prohibits the road from being included if the road is impassable; and an output process for outputting the generated planned route, wherein the determination criterion represents the relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention can also be realized by a computer-readable non-volatile recording medium storing such an emergency vehicle passage assistance program (computer program). [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, an emergency vehicle passage support device and the like can be provided that can shorten the time it takes for an emergency vehicle to arrive at its destination when a disaster occurs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] 2 is a flowchart (1 / 2) showing the operation of the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B] 4 is a flowchart (2 / 2) showing the operation of the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an emergency vehicle passage support device 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing device 900 capable of realizing emergency vehicle passage support devices 10 and 30 according to each embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] First Embodiment 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 according to this embodiment is a device that determines whether each road is passable in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami, or heavy rain, and provides the emergency vehicle 24 with a planned travel route 124, which is a route that the emergency vehicle 24 should travel to its destination, generated based on the determination result.

[0017] The emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 is communicably connected to one or more surveillance cameras 21, one or more mobile terminals 22, one or more ordinary vehicles 23, and an emergency vehicle 24 via a communication network (for example, the Internet) not shown.

[0018] The monitoring cameras 21 are installed in various locations and capture, for example, images of traffic congestion on nearby roads, or occurrence of disasters such as landslides, fallen trees, and floods.

[0019] Mobile terminal 22 is an information processing device such as a smartphone carried by people, and transmits information about the occurrence of disasters or the occurrence of traffic congestion, for example, via a social networking service (SNS), etc. The information transmitted from mobile terminal 22 includes text entered by the person carrying mobile terminal 22, or images captured by a camera equipped in mobile terminal 22, etc.

[0020] The general vehicle 23 transmits location information indicating the current location of the vehicle. The general vehicle 23 may transmit an image of the situation around the vehicle captured by an on-board camera.

[0021] The emergency vehicle 24 is a vehicle for which the emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 supports passage to the destination, and moves to the destination according to a planned travel route 124 provided by the emergency vehicle traffic support device 10.

[0022] The emergency vehicle passage support device 10 is configured by one or more information processing devices such as servers, and includes an acquisition unit 101, a determination unit 102, a generation unit 103, an output unit 104, a determination criterion learning unit 105, an estimation unit 106, a calculation unit 107, a prediction unit 108, an estimation criterion learning unit 109, a prediction criterion learning unit 110, and a memory unit 120. The acquisition unit 101, the determination unit 102, the generation unit 103, the output unit 104, the determination criterion learning unit 105, the estimation unit 106, the calculation unit 107, the prediction unit 108, the estimation criterion learning unit 109, and the prediction criterion learning unit 110 are examples of acquisition means, determination means, generation means, output means, determination criterion learning means, estimation means, calculation means, prediction means, estimation criterion learning means, and prediction criterion learning means, respectively.

[0023] The storage unit 120 is, for example, a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a hard disk 904, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 4. The storage unit 120 stores a current situation 121, past performance 122, determination criteria 123, planned travel route 124, cause information 125, recovery time 126, estimation criteria 127, and prediction criteria 128. The information stored in the storage unit 120 will be described later.

[0024] The acquisition unit 101 acquires a current traffic congestion situation 121 for each road. The current traffic congestion situation 121 is represented by position information of general vehicles 23. For example, when the position information of a plurality of general vehicles 23 indicates that the flow of vehicles is stagnant in a certain section of a certain road, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the position information of those general vehicles 23 as the current situation 121 indicating that congestion is occurring in that section of the road.

[0025] The acquisition unit 101 may acquire an image showing a traffic jam on a road captured by an on-board camera of the general vehicle 23 as the current situation 121. The acquisition unit 101 detects the occurrence of a traffic jam by detecting a large number of vehicles from the image using image recognition technology. In this case, the acquisition unit 101 associates the acquired image with location information of the general vehicle 23 that transmitted the image, and acquires the image as the current situation 121.

[0026] The acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired current traffic congestion status 121 of each road in the storage unit 120. As described above, the current status 121 is information indicating whether or not traffic congestion is currently occurring for each section (area) of each road. The current status 121 may include information (index) that quantifies the severity of the traffic congestion that is occurring (whether the flow of vehicles is almost stopped or there is some flow of vehicles, etc.).

[0027] The acquisition unit 101 also acquires past traffic congestion records 122 for each road. The past records 122 are information that indicates the past occurrence of traffic congestion for each predetermined section (area) on each road. The past records 122 may include the occurrence of traffic congestion for each time period. The past records 122 may also include information (index) that quantifies the severity of traffic congestion. The acquisition unit 101 can acquire the past records 122 from, for example, a system of an operator that manages each road. The acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired past traffic congestion records 122 for each road in the memory unit 120.

[0028] The determination unit 102 compares the current situation 121 acquired by the acquisition unit 101 with the past results 122. For each predetermined section of each road, the determination unit 102 compares, for example, the current situation 121 with the past results 122 for the same time period on the same day of the week as the current situation. The determination unit 102 compares the current situation 121 with the past results 122 for the same time period on the same day of the week as the current situation because the tendency for traffic congestion to occur on roads depends on the day of the week, the time period, etc. For example, traffic congestion is generally more likely to occur during commuting hours (mornings and evenings) on weekdays and during times other than late nights on holidays.

[0029] The determination unit 102 determines whether or not a predetermined section of each road is passable (i.e., whether or not a factor that makes it impassable, such as a landslide or fallen trees, has occurred) based on the comparison result between the current situation 121 and past performance 122 and the determination criteria 123.

[0030] The determination criterion 123 is information that represents the relationship between the comparison result between the current situation 121 and the past performance 122 and whether or not the road is passable. The determination criterion 123 indicates that, for a certain section of a road, the current situation 121 and the past performance 122 are equivalent (for example, the numerical values ​​representing the severity of traffic congestion are equivalent), and that the section of the road is passable. In this case, the determination criterion 123 indicates, for example, that the traffic congestion indicated by the current situation 121 is not due to impassable factors such as a landslide or fallen trees, but is a normal traffic congestion.

[0031] The determination criterion 123 also indicates that a section of a road is impassable if no traffic congestion has occurred in the past results 122 and the current situation 121 indicates that a traffic congestion has occurred. In this case, the determination criterion 123 indicates that the traffic congestion indicated by the current situation 121 is due to a factor that makes the road impassable, such as a landslide or fallen trees.

[0032] The determination criterion learning unit 105 generates or updates the determination criterion 123 by learning the relationship between the comparison result between the current situation 121 and the past record 122 and whether or not a road is passable. For example, if the past record 122 shows no traffic congestion but the current situation 121 indicates the occurrence of traffic congestion, and if the difference between the past record 122 and the current situation 121 is small, the determination criterion learning unit 105 learns that the difference is due to a fluctuation error related to traffic congestion and that no factor causing impassability has occurred. Furthermore, if the past record 122 shows no traffic congestion but the current situation 121 indicates the occurrence of traffic congestion, and if the difference between the past record 122 and the current situation 121 is large, the determination criterion learning unit 105 learns that the difference is not due to a fluctuation error related to traffic congestion but that a factor causing impassability has occurred. Note that the training data used by the determination criterion learning unit 105 for the above-described learning is provided, for example, by an administrator of the emergency vehicle passage assistance device 10.

[0033] If the determination result by the determination unit 102 indicates that a road (a certain section of a road) is passable, the generation unit 103 generates a planned travel route 124 for the emergency vehicle 24 that allows the road to be included. If the determination result by the determination unit 102 indicates that a road is impassable, the generation unit 103 generates a planned travel route 124 for the emergency vehicle 24 that prohibits the road from being included. Note that the planned travel route 124 is information that represents a route that the emergency vehicle 24 plans to travel when heading towards the destination. When generating the planned travel route 124, the generation unit 103 can use existing technology, etc., that is used in general navigation systems installed in vehicles.

[0034] The output unit 104 outputs (transmits) the planned travel route 124 generated by the generation unit 103 to the emergency vehicle 24. The emergency vehicle 24 displays the planned travel route 124 received from the output unit 104 on a display screen of a navigation system equipped therewith, for example. The driver of the emergency vehicle 24 then drives the emergency vehicle 24 so as to travel along the planned travel route 124 displayed on the display screen. Note that if the emergency vehicle 24 has an automatic driving function, the emergency vehicle 24 autonomously travels so as to travel along the planned travel route 124 received from the output unit 104.

[0035] Next, additional functions provided in the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in order to more reliably shorten the time it takes for the emergency vehicle 24 to arrive at its destination in the event of a disaster.

[0036] The acquisition unit 101 acquires factor information 125 indicating factors that cause a road (a section of a road) to be impassable. The acquisition unit 101 may search for the factor information 125 on the Internet or the like, for example, when the determination unit 102 determines that the road is impassable. The factor information 125 includes, for example, an image showing the condition of the road captured by a monitoring camera 21 installed near the site of a landslide, fallen tree, flood, or the like. The factor information 125 may also include an image or text showing the condition of the road sent via SNS or the like from a mobile terminal 22 carried by a person near the site of a landslide, fallen tree, flood, or the like. Note that the factor information 125 includes location information of the monitoring camera 21 or the mobile terminal 22. The acquisition unit 101 may then search for the factor information 125 using, for example, information about the location of the road determined to be impassable by the determination unit 102 as a search key.

[0037] The estimation unit 106 estimates a restoration time 126 required for the cause of impassability to be resolved based on the cause information 125 and the estimation criterion 127 acquired by the acquisition unit 101. The estimation criterion 127 is a criterion that represents the relationship between the scale of the disaster, which is the cause of impassability indicated by the cause information 125, and the restoration time 126. The estimation unit 106 stores the estimated restoration time 126 in the storage unit 120.

[0038] The estimation unit 106 can generate information indicating the scale of a landslide, fallen trees, flood, etc. by analyzing the images included in the factor information 125 using existing image recognition technology, or by analyzing the text included in the factor information 125 using existing text analysis technology.

[0039] The estimation criterion learning unit 109 generates or updates the estimation criterion 127 by learning the relationship between the scale of the disaster, which is the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information 125, and the restoration time 126. The training data used by the estimation criterion learning unit 109 for the above-mentioned learning is information indicating the restoration results of disasters that have occurred in the past, and is provided by, for example, the administrator of the emergency vehicle passage support device 10.

[0040] The calculation unit 107 calculates the estimated arrival time of the emergency vehicle 24 at the location where the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information 125 has occurred. The calculation unit 107 can use existing technology used in general navigation systems installed in vehicles to calculate the estimated arrival time. The calculation unit 107 stores the calculated estimated arrival time (not shown) in the storage unit 120.

[0041] If the restoration time 126 is earlier than the estimated arrival time calculated by the calculation unit 107, the generation unit 103 generates a planned travel route 124 that allows the inclusion of the road on which the cause of impassability has occurred. If the restoration time 126 is later than the estimated arrival time calculated by the calculation unit 107, the generation unit 103 generates a planned travel route 124 that prohibits the inclusion of the road on which the cause of impassability has occurred.

[0042] Furthermore, when estimating restoration time 126, estimation unit 106 may use weather information that indicates the weather in the area that includes the road on which the cause of impassability has occurred. In this case, estimation criterion 127 indicates the relationship between the weather information and restoration time 126, and this relationship can be obtained, for example, by learning by estimation criterion learning unit 109. In this case, acquisition unit 101 acquires the weather information from, for example, a system of a business operator that provides a service that provides weather information.

[0043] The prediction unit 108 predicts the scale of a traffic congestion that will newly occur due to the cause of impassability indicated by the factor information 125, based on the factor information 125 and the prediction standard 128 acquired by the acquisition unit 101. The prediction standard 128 is a standard that represents the relationship between the scale of a disaster, which is the cause of impassability indicated by the factor information 125, and the traffic congestion that will newly occur due to the cause of impassability. The prediction unit 108 stores the prediction result (not shown) of the newly occurring traffic congestion in the storage unit 120.

[0044] The prediction standard learning unit 110 generates or updates the prediction standard 128 by learning the relationship between the scale of the disaster, which is the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information 125, and new traffic congestion that occurs due to the cause of the impassability. The training data used by the prediction standard learning unit 110 for the above-mentioned learning is information that indicates the history of new traffic congestion that occurred due to disasters that occurred in the past, and is provided by, for example, the administrator of the emergency vehicle passage assistance device 10.

[0045] When calculating the estimated arrival time of emergency vehicle 24 at the location where the cause of the impassability indicated by cause information 125 has occurred, calculation unit 107 may use the result of prediction of a new traffic congestion that will occur by prediction unit 108.

[0046] Next, the operation (processing) of the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0047] The acquisition unit 101 acquires the current traffic congestion situation 121 and the past traffic congestion record 122 for each road (a section of the road) (step S101). The determination unit 102 compares the current traffic congestion situation 121 with the past traffic congestion record 122, and determines whether the road is passable or not based on the comparison result and a determination criterion 123 (step S102).

[0048] If the determination result by the determination unit 102 indicates that the road is passable (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S112. If the determination result by the determination unit 102 indicates that the road is impassable (No in step S103), the acquisition unit 101 searches the Internet or the like for factor information 125 that indicates the factor that makes the road impassable (step S104).

[0049] If the acquiring unit 101 is unable to search for (find) the cause information 125 (No in step S105), the process proceeds to step S113. If the acquiring unit 101 is able to search for (find) the cause information 125 (Yes in step S105), the acquiring unit 101 acquires the cause information 125 (step S106).

[0050] The estimation unit 106 estimates a restoration time 126 required for the cause of the impassability to be resolved based on the cause information 125 and the estimation standard 127 (step S107). The prediction unit 108 predicts a new traffic congestion that will occur due to the cause of the impassability based on the cause information 125 and the prediction standard 128 (step S108). The calculation unit 107 uses the prediction result of the new traffic congestion by the prediction unit 108 to calculate an estimated arrival time for the ambulance to arrive at the location on the road where the cause of the impassability has occurred (step S109).

[0051] The generation unit 103 determines whether the recovery time 126 is before the estimated arrival time (step S110). If the recovery time 126 is before the estimated arrival time (Yes in step S111), the generation unit 103 generates a planned travel route 124 that allows the road to be included (step S112). If the recovery time 126 is after the estimated arrival time (No in step S111), the generation unit 103 generates a planned travel route 124 that prohibits the road from being included (step S113). The output unit 104 transmits the planned travel route 124 generated by the generation unit 103 to the emergency vehicle 24 (step S114), and the entire process ends.

[0052] The emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 according to this embodiment can reduce the time it takes for the emergency vehicle 24 to arrive at its destination when a disaster occurs. The reason for this is that the emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 determines whether a road is passable based on a current traffic congestion status 121 on the road and past traffic congestion records 122, and generates a planned travel route 124 for the emergency vehicle 24 that allows the road to be included if the road is passable, and prohibits the road from being included if the road is impassable.

[0053] The effects achieved by the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0054] When disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and heavy rain occur, road sections may become impassable due to landslides, fallen trees, floods, and the like. In such cases, emergency vehicles must head to their destinations using the shortest route that avoids the impassable areas. However, when a disaster occurs, it is difficult to quickly identify impassable areas due to landslides, fallen trees, floods, and the like. Furthermore, if an inappropriate route to a destination that includes such impassable areas is set without recognizing the impassable areas, the arrival time of the emergency vehicle at its destination may be significantly delayed.

[0055] To address this issue, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 according to this embodiment compares a current traffic congestion status 121 with past traffic congestion status 122. For example, if a traffic congestion occurs on a road that normally does not experience traffic congestion, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 determines that a road impassability factor, such as a landslide, has occurred on that road. That is, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 quickly determines that a road impassability factor has occurred even before information from the site where the road impassability factor occurred has been obtained. Then, based on the determination result, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 generates a planned route 124 that bypasses the impassable area. This allows the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 to shorten the time it takes for an emergency vehicle 24 to arrive at its destination when a disaster occurs.

[0056] Furthermore, the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to this embodiment generates or updates the determination criterion 123 by learning the relationship between the comparison result between the current situation 121 and past performance 122 and whether or not a road is passable. This allows the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 to efficiently generate the determination criterion 123 and gradually improve the accuracy of determining that a factor making a road impassable has occurred.

[0057] Furthermore, the emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 according to this embodiment estimates a restoration time 126 required for the cause of impassability to be resolved based on the cause information 125 and the estimation criterion 127, and calculates an estimated arrival time for the emergency vehicle 24 to arrive at the location where the cause of impassability occurred. The emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 then generates a planned travel route 124 that allows the inclusion of a road on which the cause of impassability occurred if the restoration time 126 is earlier than the estimated arrival time, but prohibits the inclusion of that road if the restoration time 126 is later than the estimated arrival time. In other words, the emergency vehicle traffic support device 10 includes a road on which a cause of impassability has occurred that does not affect the passage of the emergency vehicle 24 as one of the road options included in the planned travel route 124, thereby more reliably shortening the time it takes for the emergency vehicle 24 to arrive at its destination in the event of a disaster.

[0058] Furthermore, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 according to this embodiment predicts new traffic congestion that will occur due to road impassability factors based on the factor information 125 and the prediction standard 128, and calculates the estimated arrival time of the emergency vehicle 24 at the location where the road impassability factor has occurred using the prediction result. This allows the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 to improve the accuracy of calculating the estimated arrival time, and therefore more reliably shortens the time it takes for the emergency vehicle 24 to arrive at its destination when a disaster occurs.

[0059] Furthermore, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 according to this embodiment generates or updates the estimation criterion 127 by learning the relationship between the cause information 125 and the restoration time 126. Furthermore, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 generates or updates the prediction criterion 128 by learning the relationship between the cause information 125 and new traffic congestion caused by road impassability. In this way, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 can efficiently generate the estimation criterion 127 and the prediction criterion 128, and gradually improve the accuracy of estimating the restoration time 126 and the accuracy of predicting new traffic congestion caused by road impassability.

[0060] Furthermore, the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 according to this embodiment estimates the restoration time 126 based on weather information for the area including the road and an estimation criterion 127 that indicates the relationship between the weather information and the restoration time 126. This allows the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 10 to improve the accuracy of estimating the restoration time 126.

[0061] <Second embodiment> 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an emergency vehicle passage support device 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The emergency vehicle passage support device 30 includes an acquisition unit 31, a determination unit 32, a generation unit 33, and an output unit 34. The acquisition unit 31, the determination unit 32, the generation unit 33, and the output unit 34 are examples of an acquisition means, a determination means, a generation means, and an output means, respectively.

[0062] The acquisition unit 31 acquires a current traffic congestion situation 301 of a road and a past traffic congestion record 302 of the road. The current situation 301 is, for example, information similar to the current situation 121 according to the first embodiment. The past record 302 is, for example, information similar to the past record 122 according to the first embodiment. The acquisition unit 31 operates in the same manner as the acquisition unit 101 according to the first embodiment, for example.

[0063] The determination unit 32 compares the current situation 301 with the past performance 302, and determines whether or not the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion 320. The determination criterion 320 is a criterion that represents the relationship between the comparison result and whether or not the road is passable, and is, for example, the same as the determination criterion 123 according to the first embodiment. The determination unit 32 operates in the same manner as the determination unit 102 according to the first embodiment, for example.

[0064] The generation unit 33 generates a planned travel route 330 for the emergency vehicle, which allows the road to be included if the road is passable, and prohibits the road from being included if the road is impassable. The planned travel route 330 is, for example, information similar to the planned travel route 124 according to the first embodiment. The generation unit 33 operates in the same manner as the generation unit 103 according to the first embodiment, for example.

[0065] The output unit 34 outputs the generated planned travel route 330. The output unit 34 operates in the same manner as the output unit 104 according to the first embodiment, for example.

[0066] The emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 30 according to this embodiment can reduce the time it takes for an emergency vehicle to arrive at its destination when a disaster occurs. The reason for this is that the emergency vehicle traffic assistance device 30 determines whether a road is passable based on a current traffic congestion situation 301 and past traffic congestion records 302 on the road, and generates a planned travel route 330 for the emergency vehicle that allows the road to be included if the road is passable, and prohibits the road from being included if the road is impassable.

[0067] <Hardware configuration example> In each of the above-described embodiments, each unit in the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 shown in Fig. 1 and the emergency vehicle passage support device 30 shown in Fig. 3 can be realized by dedicated HW (Hardware) (electronic circuitry). In Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, at least the following configurations can be considered as functional (processing) units (software modules) of a software program. Acquisition units 101 and 31, Determination units 102 and 32, generation units 103 and 33, output units 104 and 34, · A criterion learning unit 105, ·Estimation part 106, Calculation unit 107, a prediction unit 108; · Estimation reference learning unit 109, A prediction standard learning unit 110; A storage control function in the storage unit 120.

[0068] However, the division of each part shown in these drawings is for the convenience of explanation, and various configurations can be assumed when implementing. An example of the hardware environment in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

[0069] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing device 900 (computer system) capable of realizing the emergency vehicle passage support device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention or the emergency vehicle passage support device 30 according to the second embodiment. That is, Fig. 4 shows the configuration of at least one computer (information processing device) capable of realizing the above-described systems shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and represents a hardware environment capable of realizing each function in the above-described embodiments.

[0070] The information processing device 900 shown in FIG. 4 includes the following components, but may not include all of the following components. ·CPU(Central_Processing_Unit)901, ·ROM(Read_Only_Memory)902, ·RAM(Random_Access_Memory)903, Hard disk (storage device) 904, A communication interface 905 for communicating with external devices; Bus 906 (communication line), A reader / writer 908 capable of reading and writing data stored in a recording medium 907 such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), · Input / output interface 909 such as a monitor, speaker, keyboard, etc.

[0071] That is, the information processing device 900 having the above-mentioned components is a general computer in which these components are connected via a bus 906. The information processing device 900 may have multiple CPUs 901 or may have a CPU 901 configured with multiple cores. The information processing device 900 may also have a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) (not shown) in addition to the CPU 901.

[0072] The present invention, explained using the above-mentioned embodiment as an example, supplies a computer program capable of realizing the following functions to the information processing device 900 shown in FIG. 4. The functions are the above-mentioned configurations in the block diagrams (FIGS. 1 and 3) or the functions of the flowcharts (FIGS. 2A and 2B) referred to in the description of the embodiment. The present invention is then achieved by reading the computer program into the CPU 901 of the hardware, interpreting it, and executing it. The computer program supplied to the device may be stored in a readable / writable volatile memory (RAM 903) or a non-volatile storage device such as a ROM 902 or a hard disk 904.

[0073] In the above case, the method of supplying the computer program to the hardware can be a currently common procedure, such as installing the program in the device via a recording medium 907 such as a CD-ROM, or downloading the program from an external source via a communication line such as the Internet. In such a case, the present invention can be considered to be constituted by the code constituting the computer program or the recording medium 907 on which the code is stored.

[0074] The present invention has been described above using the above-described embodiments as exemplary examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be applied in various aspects that can be understood by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention.

[0075] Note that part or all of the above-described embodiments can also be described as follows: However, the present invention, which has been exemplarily described using the above-described embodiments, is not limited to the following.

[0076] (Appendix 1) An acquisition means for acquiring the current state of traffic congestion on a road and the past traffic congestion record of the road; a determination means for comparing the current situation with the past results and determining whether the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; a generation means for generating a planned route for an emergency vehicle, the route allowing inclusion of the road when the road is passable and prohibiting inclusion of the road when the road is impassable; an output means for outputting the generated planned travel route; Equipped with the determination criterion represents a relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not; Emergency vehicle traffic assistance device.

[0077] (Appendix 2) further comprising a criterion learning means for generating or updating the criterion by learning the relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not; 10. An emergency vehicle passage assistance device as described in Appendix 1.

[0078] (Appendix 3) the acquisition means acquires factor information indicating factors that cause impassability on the road; an estimation means for estimating the restoration time based on the cause information and an estimation criterion that indicates a relationship between the cause information and a restoration time required for the cause of the impassability to be resolved; a calculation means for calculating an estimated arrival time of the emergency vehicle at the location where the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information has occurred; Furthermore, the generation means generates the planned travel route in such a way that the road is allowed to be included when the restoration time is earlier than the estimated arrival time, and the road is prohibited from being included when the restoration time is later than the estimated arrival time. 1. An emergency vehicle passage support device according to claim 1 or 2.

[0079] (Appendix 4) a prediction means for predicting the new traffic congestion that will occur based on the factor information and a prediction standard that represents a relationship between the factor information and the traffic congestion that will occur due to the factor of the impassability; the calculation means calculates the estimated arrival time using the prediction result by the prediction means. 10. An emergency vehicle passage assistance device as described in appendix 3.

[0080] (Appendix 5) further comprising an estimation criterion learning means for generating or updating the estimation criterion by learning a relationship between the factor information and the recovery time; 10. An emergency vehicle passage support device according to claim 3 or 4.

[0081] (Appendix 6) further comprising a prediction criterion learning means for generating or updating the prediction criterion by learning the relationship between the factor information and the newly occurring traffic congestion; 5. An emergency vehicle passage assistance device as described in appendix 4.

[0082] (Appendix 7) the acquisition means acquires an image of the road, which image represents the current situation or the factor information; 7. An emergency vehicle passage support device according to any one of Supplementary Note 3 to Supplementary Note 6.

[0083] (Appendix 8) The acquisition means acquires the image captured by a surveillance camera installed on the road or a mobile terminal of a person near the road. 8. An emergency vehicle passage assistance device as described in Appendix 7.

[0084] (Appendix 9) the acquisition means acquires weather information for an area including the road; the estimation means estimates the restoration time based on the weather information and the estimation criterion representing a relationship between the weather information and the restoration time; 9. An emergency vehicle passage support device according to any one of Supplementary Note 3 to Supplementary Note 8.

[0085] (Appendix 10) By the information processing device, Obtaining the current traffic congestion status of a road and the past traffic congestion record of said road; comparing the current situation with the past results, and determining whether the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; generating a planned route for an emergency vehicle, allowing the road to be included if the road is passable, and prohibiting the road from being included if the road is impassable; outputting the generated planned travel route; 1. A method comprising: the determination criterion represents a relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not; Methods for assisting emergency vehicles.

[0086] (Appendix 11) an acquisition process for acquiring the current status of traffic congestion on a road and the past traffic congestion status of the road; a determination process of comparing the current situation with the past results and determining whether the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; a generation process for generating a planned route for an emergency vehicle, in which the road is allowed to be included if the road is passable, and the road is prohibited from being included if the road is impassable; an output process for outputting the generated planned travel route; A program for causing a computer to execute the above, the determination criterion represents a relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not; A recording medium storing an emergency vehicle traffic assistance program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 10 Emergency vehicle traffic support device 101 Acquisition Department 102 Judgment section 103 Generation part 104 Output section 105 Criterion Learning Unit 106 Estimation part 107 Calculation Unit 108 Prediction Department 109 Estimation Reference Learning Unit 110 Prediction Criteria Learning Unit 120 Storage section 121 Current Situation 122 Past Achievements 123 Criteria 124 Planned Route 125 Factor Information 126 Recovery Time 127 Estimation Criteria 128 Prediction Criteria 21 Surveillance Camera 22 Mobile devices 23 General vehicles 24 Emergency Vehicles 30 Emergency vehicle traffic support device 301 Current Situation 302 Past performance 31 Acquisition Department 32 Judgment section 320 Criteria 33 Generation part 330 Planned Route 34 Output section 900 Information Processing Equipment 901 CPU 902 ROM 903 RAM 904 Hard disk (storage device) 905 Communication Interface 906 Bus 907 Recording Media 908 Reader / Writer 909 Input / Output Interface

Claims

1. an acquisition means for acquiring information on the current state of traffic congestion on a road, the past traffic congestion on the road, and factor information indicating factors that cause impassability on the road; a determination means for comparing the current situation with the past results and determining whether the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; an estimation means for estimating the restoration time based on the cause information and an estimation criterion that indicates a relationship between the cause information and a restoration time required for the cause of the impassability to be resolved; a prediction means for predicting the new traffic congestion that will occur based on the factor information and a prediction criterion that represents a relationship between the factor information and the new traffic congestion that will occur due to the factor of the impassability; a calculation means for calculating an estimated arrival time of an emergency vehicle at a location where the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information has occurred, using the prediction result by the prediction means; a generation means for generating a planned route for the emergency vehicle, the route allowing inclusion of the road when the road is passable, and prohibiting inclusion of the road when the road is impassable; an output means for outputting the generated planned travel route; Equipped with the determination criterion represents a relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable; the generation means generates the planned travel route in such a way that the road is allowed to be included when the restoration time is earlier than the estimated arrival time, and the road is prohibited from being included when the restoration time is later than the estimated arrival time. Emergency vehicle traffic assistance device.

2. further comprising a criterion learning means for generating or updating the criterion by learning the relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable or not; The emergency vehicle passage support device according to claim 1.

3. further comprising an estimation criterion learning means for generating or updating the estimation criterion by learning a relationship between the factor information and the recovery time; 3. The emergency vehicle passage support device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. further comprising a prediction criterion learning means for generating or updating the prediction criterion by learning the relationship between the factor information and the newly occurring traffic congestion; The emergency vehicle passage support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the acquisition means acquires an image of the road, which image represents the current situation or the factor information; The emergency vehicle passage support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The acquisition means acquires the image captured by a surveillance camera installed on the road or a mobile terminal of a person near the road.

6. The emergency vehicle passage support device according to claim 5.

7. By the information processing device, Acquire the current traffic congestion status of a road, the past traffic congestion record of the road, and factor information indicating the factors that cause impassability of the road; comparing the current situation with the past results, and determining whether the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; estimating the restoration time based on the cause information and an estimation criterion that indicates a relationship between the cause information and a restoration time required for the cause of the impassability to be resolved; predicting the newly occurring traffic congestion based on the factor information and a prediction criterion that represents a relationship between the factor information and the newly occurring traffic congestion due to the factor of the impassability; Using the prediction result, calculate an estimated arrival time for an emergency vehicle to arrive at the location where the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information has occurred; generating a planned route for the emergency vehicle, allowing the road to be included if the road is passable, and prohibiting the road from being included if the road is impassable; outputting the generated planned travel route; 1. A method comprising: the determination criterion represents a relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable; generating the planned travel route, wherein the road is allowed to be included if the restoration time is earlier than the estimated arrival time, and the road is prohibited from being included if the restoration time is later than the estimated arrival time; Methods for assisting emergency vehicles.

8. An acquisition process for acquiring the current traffic congestion status of a road, the past traffic congestion record of the road, and factor information indicating the factors that cause impassability of the road; a determination process of comparing the current situation with the past results and determining whether the road is passable based on the comparison result and a determination criterion; an estimation process for estimating the restoration time based on the cause information and an estimation criterion that indicates a relationship between the cause information and a restoration time required for the cause of the impassability to be resolved; a prediction process for predicting the new traffic congestion that will occur based on the factor information and a prediction criterion that represents a relationship between the factor information and the new traffic congestion that will occur due to the factor of the impassability; a calculation process for calculating an estimated arrival time of an emergency vehicle at the location where the cause of the impassability indicated by the cause information has occurred, using the prediction result; a generation process for generating a planned route for the emergency vehicle, in which the road is allowed to be included if the road is passable, and the road is prohibited from being included if the road is impassable; an output process for outputting the generated planned travel route; A program for causing a computer to execute the above, the determination criterion represents a relationship between the comparison result and whether the road is passable; In the generation process, the planned travel route is generated such that the road is allowed to be included if the restoration time is earlier than the estimated arrival time, and the road is prohibited from being included if the restoration time is later than the estimated arrival time. Emergency vehicle assistance program.

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