Evacuation support system, evacuation support device, evacuation support method, and program

Abstract

The evacuation assistance system (1001) according to the present disclosure comprises an acquisition unit (1), an evacuation route generation unit (2), and a notification unit (3). The acquisition unit (1) acquires location information of an evacuation source and congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations. The evacuation route generation unit (2) determines an evacuation destination on the basis of the congestion information, and generates an evacuation route from the evacuation source to the determined evacuation destination. The notification unit (3) reports the generated evacuation route.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an evacuation assistance system, an evacuation assistance device, an evacuation assistance method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an in-facility information providing system that, in the event of an emergency, displays emergency information, including evacuation routes according to the installation location, on a display device. The in-facility information providing system described in Patent Document 1 guides evacuees to predetermined evacuation locations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-091228 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, the in-facility information providing system described in Patent Document 1 guides evacuees to a predetermined evacuation location. Therefore, even if an evacuation location is crowded with many evacuees, the in-facility information providing system described in Patent Document 1 guides more evacuees to the evacuation location, which causes a problem of worsening evacuation efficiency.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide an evacuation support system, an evacuation support device, an evacuation support method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can improve evacuation efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An evacuation assistance system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of the evacuation origin and congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations; an evacuation route generation unit that determines the evacuation destination based on the congestion information and generates an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; and a notification unit that notifies the user of the generated evacuation route. It is an evacuation support system.

[0007] An evacuation assistance device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a storage unit that stores candidate evacuation destinations; and a calculation unit that acquires congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations, determines the evacuation destination based on the congestion information, and generates an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination. It is an evacuation support device.

[0008] An evacuation assistance method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: acquiring congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations; determining the evacuation destination based on the congestion information; generating an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; and notifying the generated evacuation route. This is an evacuation support method.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising: acquiring congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations; determining the evacuation destination based on the congestion information; generating an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; and a step of notifying the generated evacuation route. It is a non-transitory computer-readable medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide an evacuation support system, an evacuation support device, an evacuation support method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can improve evacuation efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation assistance system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the evacuation support system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation assistance system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation guiding device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation assistance system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation guiding device according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (First embodiment) <Configuration of the evacuation support system> The configuration of the evacuation support system according to the first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation assistance system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] The evacuation support system 1001 according to the first embodiment includes an acquisition unit 1, an evacuation route generation unit 2, and a notification unit 3. The acquisition unit 1 acquires location information of the evacuation origin and congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations. The evacuation route generation unit 2 determines an evacuation destination based on the congestion information. The evacuation route generation unit 2 generates an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination. The notification unit 3 notifies the user of the generated evacuation route.

[0014] As described above, the evacuation support system 1001 according to this embodiment determines an evacuation destination based on the acquired congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations, and generates an evacuation route. With this configuration, the evacuation support system 1001 according to this embodiment can guide evacuees to evacuation destinations with less congestion, thereby improving evacuation efficiency.

[0015] (Second embodiment) <Configuration of the evacuation support system> The configuration of the evacuation support system according to the second embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the evacuation support system according to the second embodiment.

[0016] The evacuation support system 1002 according to this embodiment is a system for efficiently guiding evacuees when an incident occurs that requires evacuation, such as a disaster. The evacuation support system 1002 determines an evacuation destination based on congestion information at candidate evacuation destinations, determines an evacuation route, and notifies users of the evacuation route. Therefore, the evacuation support system 1002 is particularly effective when applied to a facility that has multiple candidate evacuation destinations and is prone to congestion during a disaster.

[0017] The evacuation destination here refers to a location or area that is the destination of evacuees who will evacuate. The evacuation destination may be a location or area that can ensure safety in the event of a disaster, or a location or area that functions as an escape route for escaping from a dangerous location in the event of a disaster. The evacuation origin here refers to a location or area that is the starting point for evacuees who will evacuate. The evacuation origin is a location or area that is in a dangerous location in the event of a disaster, and may be, for example, a preset location or area, or the current location of a moving evacuee.

[0018] A typical example of application of the evacuation support system 1002 is evacuation guidance in a facility with multiple entrances and exits, such as a large commercial facility or public facility. In this case, the evacuation support system 1002 sets the position of a person moving within the facility or a predetermined area within the facility as the evacuation origin, and sets the entrances and exits as candidate evacuation destinations. The evacuation support system 1002 may also set a predetermined area outside the facility as a candidate evacuation destination. For example, the predetermined area outside the facility may be a road facing the entrance or exit of the facility, or another facility.

[0019] However, the cases in which the evacuation support system 1002 can be applied are not limited to the above cases, and may be used, for example, when guiding evacuees outside a facility to evacuate into the facility, when guiding evacuees inside a facility to evacuate to another area within the facility, or when guiding evacuees outdoors to an outdoor evacuation destination.

[0020] The evacuation support system 1002 according to this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 1, an evacuation route generation unit 2, and a notification unit 3.

[0021] The acquisition unit 1 acquires information necessary for determining an evacuation route, such as location information of candidate evacuation destinations and evacuation origins, congestion information on candidate evacuation destinations and evacuation routes, and damage status. The acquisition unit 1 may be, for example, a detection device that detects information by itself, such as a photographing device, or a receiver that receives information detected by an external device, or a combination of these. The acquisition unit 1 includes an evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11, an evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12, and a route information acquisition unit 13.

[0022] The evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 acquires congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations. The evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired congestion information and disaster status to the evacuation destination determination unit 21. The congestion information at the evacuation destination may be image data photographed of the situation at the evacuation destination, or it may be congestion evaluation data obtained by processing the image data and evaluating the degree of congestion, or it may be data that includes both of these.

[0023] The congestion level assessment data may be, for example, the number of people recorded in the image data, or may be the congestion level assessed by detecting the population density, or may be the congestion level assessed based on the distance between people. Furthermore, the congestion level assessment data may be the congestion level assessed using artificial intelligence (AI) that has learned images of crowds.

[0024] Furthermore, the congestion information of the candidate evacuation destination may include congestion information of the area surrounding the candidate evacuation destination. For example, if an entrance / exit of a facility is set as a candidate evacuation destination for evacuees inside the facility, the congestion information of the candidate evacuation destination may include congestion information of the road facing the entrance / exit.

[0025] The evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may be an imaging device that captures images of the conditions of candidate evacuation destinations, and may be, for example, one or more monitoring cameras attached in positions where they can capture images of the evacuation destinations. If the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 is a photographing device, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 transmits image data photographed by itself or congestion evaluation data generated by image processing the image data to the evacuation destination determination unit 21. In other words, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may be a photographing device equipped with a photographing unit that photographs an image and a transmitting unit that transmits the image as image data, or may be a photographing device further equipped with an image processing unit that processes the image data to generate congestion degree evaluation data.

[0026] The evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may be a receiver that receives congestion information about candidate evacuation destinations from an external device. In this case, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may acquire image data captured by a camera outside the system, or may acquire congestion degree evaluation data output by an external server. Examples of imaging devices outside the system include in-vehicle cameras mounted on vehicles traveling near evacuation destinations, and surveillance cameras installed by local governments and the like.

[0027] Furthermore, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may acquire information other than congestion information about candidate evacuation destinations. For example, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may acquire information regarding whether or not an emergency vehicle is present at the evacuation destination candidate. In this case, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may receive emergency vehicle dispatch information and acquire information regarding whether or not an emergency vehicle is present at the evacuation destination candidate. Alternatively, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may perform image analysis on image data of the evacuation destination candidate to acquire information regarding whether or not an emergency vehicle is present at the evacuation destination candidate. The evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may notify the evacuation destination determination unit 21 whether or not an emergency vehicle is present at the evacuation destination candidate, and if an emergency vehicle is present, may further notify the evacuation destination determination unit 21 of the type of emergency vehicle. In addition, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 may acquire congestion information on roads near candidate evacuation destinations from an external system that collects and processes road traffic information, such as a road traffic information and communication system (VICS, Vehicle Information and Communication System, registered trademark), and output the information to the evacuation destination determination unit 21.

[0028] The evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 acquires the location information of the evacuation origin. The evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 outputs the acquired location information of the evacuation origin to the route generation unit 22. Here, the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 may acquire the current location of the evacuee as the location information of the evacuation origin, or may acquire location information of a predetermined point or area. Furthermore, when the notification unit 3 described later includes a display unit that displays an evacuation route to evacuees, the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 may acquire the position information of the display unit as the evacuation origin.

[0029] For example, when the evacuation origin is the current location of a moving evacuee, the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 is a receiver that receives location information of the evacuee. In this case, the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 may receive the location information from a terminal carried by the evacuee, or may receive the location information of the terminal from an external server that acquires the location information of the terminal.

[0030] Furthermore, when the evacuation origin is a predetermined area or the position of a display unit, the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 may acquire the position information of the evacuation origin or the display unit from a storage unit (not shown). If the evacuation origin is a predetermined area, the evacuation support system 1002 guides people in that area as evacuees. If the evacuation origin is the location of a display unit, the evacuation support system 1002 guides people in a position where they can see the display unit as evacuees.

[0031] The route information acquisition unit 13 acquires information on candidate evacuation routes from the route determination unit 23 and acquires congestion information on the candidate evacuation routes. The route information acquisition unit 13 outputs the congestion information on the candidate evacuation routes to the route determination unit 23.

[0032] Here, the congestion information output by the route information acquisition unit 13 may be, for example, image data of candidate evacuation routes, or congestion evaluation data obtained by processing the image data to evaluate the degree of congestion of the evacuation routes.

[0033] The route information acquisition unit 13 may be a photographing device that photographs the situation of the candidate evacuation routes, and may be, for example, one or more surveillance cameras attached in a position where it can photograph passages or the like that can be candidate evacuation routes. When the route information acquisition unit 13 is a surveillance camera, it photographs images of the candidate evacuation routes and outputs them to the route determination unit 23 as image data. In other words, the route information acquisition unit 13 may be a photographing device that includes a photographing unit that photographs an image and a transmitting unit that transmits the image as image data, or may be a photographing device that further includes an image processing unit that processes the image data to generate congestion degree evaluation data.

[0034] The route information acquisition unit 13 may also be a receiver that receives congestion information on evacuation routes from an external device. In this case, the route information acquisition unit 13 may acquire image data captured by a camera outside the system, or may acquire congestion degree evaluation data output by an external server.

[0035] It should be noted that the route information acquisition unit 13 does not need to acquire candidate evacuation routes from the route determination unit 23. In this case, the route information acquisition unit 13 outputs to the route determination unit 23 all congestion information that it can acquire. That is, the route information acquisition unit 13 may acquire congestion information for some or all of the passages that can be candidates for evacuation routes, and output the information to the route determination unit 23.

[0036] The route information acquisition unit 13 may acquire information other than congestion information regarding candidate evacuation routes. For example, the route information acquisition unit 13 may acquire information such as the damage status of a route due to a disaster, and output the information to the route determination unit 23.

[0037] The evacuation route generation unit 2 generates an evacuation route based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 1. The evacuation route generation unit 2 may be realized by, for example, a computer device. In this case, the processing of the evacuation route generation unit 2 is realized by, for example, having an arithmetic unit of the computer device read and execute an evacuation support program in which the processing of the evacuation route generation unit 2 is implemented. The evacuation route generation unit 2 includes an evacuation destination determination unit 21, a route generation unit 22, and a route determination unit .

[0038] The evacuation destination determination unit 21 determines an evacuation destination based on congestion information. More specifically, congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations is acquired from the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11, and an evacuation destination is determined based on the congestion information. The evacuation destination determination unit 21 outputs information on the determined evacuation destination to the route generation unit 22. Note that the information on the evacuation destination may be, for example, identification information of the evacuation destination or location information of the evacuation destination. When the evacuation destination determination unit 21 is notified of a change in the evacuation destination by the route determination unit 23, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 changes the evacuation destination and outputs information about the changed evacuation destination to the route generation unit 22.

[0039] The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may acquire, as the congestion information, image data of a situation at a candidate evacuation destination, or may acquire congestion degree evaluation data. When acquiring image data from the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 performs image processing on the image data to generate congestion degree evaluation data.

[0040] The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may predict fluctuations in congestion information at candidate evacuation destinations and determine an evacuation destination based on the predicted fluctuations in congestion information at candidate evacuation destinations. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 acquires information on the movements of people present on the evacuation route acquired by the route information acquisition unit 13, and predicts fluctuations in congestion information at candidate evacuation destinations based on the movement information.

[0041] The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may prioritize a less crowded candidate evacuation destination among the candidate evacuation destinations as the evacuation destination. By determining the evacuation destination in this manner, the evacuation support system 1002 guides evacuees to a less crowded evacuation destination by determining the evacuation destination. As a result, excessive congestion at the evacuation destination is suppressed. By suppressing the degree of congestion at the evacuation destination, evacuation efficiency is improved.

[0042] However, the criteria used by the evacuation destination determination unit 21 to determine an evacuation destination are not limited to the congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations. In other words, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination by combining the congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations with other criteria.

[0043] For example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may set priorities for the evacuation destination candidates in advance, and when the difference in the degree of congestion between the evacuation destination candidates is equal to or less than a predetermined value, determine the evacuation destination candidate with the highest priority as the evacuation destination. When the difference in the degree of congestion between the evacuation destination candidates is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, determine the evacuation destination candidate with the least congestion as the evacuation destination.

[0044] Furthermore, for example, when the evacuation support system 1002 is implemented in a facility with multiple entrances and there are multiple entrances as candidate evacuation destinations, the evacuation support system 1002 may determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information and the width of the road facing the entrance. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may evaluate an entrance facing a wider road as a candidate evacuation destination with a higher priority. Also, an entrance not facing a traffic light or intersection may be evaluated as a candidate evacuation destination with a higher priority. By prioritizing the candidate evacuation destinations in this way, evacuees can be guided to safer evacuation destinations.

[0045] Furthermore, for example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information and the distance from the evacuation origin to the candidate evacuation destination. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may evaluate a candidate evacuation destination that is closer to the evacuation origin as a candidate with a higher priority.

[0046] Furthermore, for example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information and the presence or absence of emergency vehicles. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may evaluate evacuation destination candidates where no emergency vehicles are present as candidates with higher priority. By determining an evacuation destination in this manner, congestion around the emergency vehicle is alleviated, allowing the emergency vehicle to appropriately carry out disaster prevention activities. However, if the emergency vehicle is an ambulance and the evacuee is injured, the evacuee may be guided to a candidate evacuation destination where the emergency vehicle is present. The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may perform image processing on image data of an evacuation destination candidate to determine whether or not an emergency vehicle is present, and may estimate the type of emergency vehicle if it is determined that an emergency vehicle is present. The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may also determine whether or not an emergency vehicle is present at an evacuation destination candidate from emergency vehicle dispatch information acquired by the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11.

[0047] Furthermore, for example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information and traffic congestion information on roads near the candidate evacuation destination. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may evaluate a candidate evacuation destination with less traffic congestion on nearby roads as a candidate with a higher priority. By determining an evacuation destination in this manner, evacuees can be transported more quickly to an available evacuation destination by public transportation. The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may acquire congestion information on nearby roads by performing image processing on image data of images of evacuation destination candidates. The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may also acquire congestion information acquired by the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 from an external system.

[0048] Furthermore, for example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information and the safety of candidate evacuation destinations. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may evaluate the safety of the candidate evacuation destinations based on the damage status of the candidate evacuation destinations. The damage status of the candidate evacuation destinations may be acquired, for example, by processing image data of the candidate evacuation destinations and evaluating the degree of damage to buildings, installations, road surfaces, etc. The evacuation destination determination unit may also estimate the future damage situation of the evacuation destination candidate from the type of disaster that has occurred, and evaluate the safety of the evacuation destination candidate. For example, if the disaster that has occurred is a tsunami, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may estimate that the evacuation destination candidate located at a low altitude may be engulfed by the tsunami, and may evaluate the safety of the candidate as low.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information and information on evacuation routes. In this case, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 outputs a plurality of evacuation destination candidates to the route generation unit 22, and acquires information on the evacuation routes corresponding to each of the plurality of evacuation destination candidates generated by the route generation unit 22 from the route determination unit 23. The information relating to the evacuation route may be the same as the information used as a criterion for the route determination unit 23 to determine the evacuation route, which will be described later.

[0050] The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may determine an evacuation destination by using a combination of the above-mentioned criteria. For example, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 may prioritize a plurality of criteria, and determine as an evacuation destination a candidate for an evacuation destination that is determined to be superior based on a criterion with a higher priority. The evacuation destination determination unit 21 may also score candidates for evacuation destinations according to a plurality of criteria and compare the totals of the scores to determine the evacuation destination.

[0051] The route generation unit 22 generates candidates for evacuation routes from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination. More specifically, the route generation unit 22 acquires information on the evacuation origin from the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12, acquires information on the evacuation destination from the evacuation destination determination unit 21, and generates candidates for evacuation routes from the evacuation origin to the evacuation destination. Note that the number of candidates for evacuation routes to be generated may be one or more. The route generation unit 22 outputs the generated candidates for evacuation routes to the route determination unit 23. Furthermore, when the evacuation destination determination unit 21 changes the evacuation destination, the route generation unit 22 generates new evacuation route candidates with the changed evacuation destination as the new evacuation destination, and outputs the candidates to the route determination unit 23.

[0052] The information on the evacuation destination or evacuation origin acquired by the route generation unit 22 may be location information of the evacuation destination or evacuation origin, or may be identification information of the evacuation destination or evacuation origin. When the route generating unit 22 acquires the identification information, the route generating unit 22 acquires the location information stored in association with the identification information from a storage unit (not shown).

[0053] The route generation unit 22 may generate an evacuation route based on map data in which passages that can be used as evacuation routes are recorded. For example, the route generation unit 22 may search for a route that connects the evacuation origin and evacuation destination in the shortest distance and output it as a candidate evacuation route. The route generation unit 22 may also search for a route other than the route connecting the evacuation origin and evacuation destination by the shortest distance. For example, the route generation unit 22 may output, as a candidate evacuation route, a route whose difference in distance when compared with the route connecting the evacuation origin and evacuation destination by the shortest distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0054] Furthermore, the route generation unit 22 may output candidate evacuation routes excluding impassable passages. In this case, the route generation unit 22 may acquire information on impassable passages from the route information acquisition unit 13 or from the route determination unit 23 described later. In addition, passages that have become impassable include, for example, passages that have been severely damaged by the disaster and are dangerous to pass through, and passages that are congested with evacuees and make it difficult to move around efficiently.

[0055] In addition, when the evacuation support system 1002 is introduced for evacuation in a facility having multiple floors and the floor from which the evacuation originates is different from the floor to which the evacuation destination is located, the route generation unit 22 may generate an evacuation route that spans multiple floors. In this case, the route generating unit 22 may generate a route from the evacuation origin to a relay point, such as a staircase, that is on a different floor from the evacuation origin, and generate a route from the relay point to the evacuation destination. Furthermore, if necessary, an evacuation route from a relay point to a different relay point may be generated. These routes may then be combined and output as a single candidate evacuation route. The evacuation support system 1002 having such a configuration can guide evacuees to evacuation destinations on different floors.

[0056] The route determination unit 23 acquires candidate evacuation routes from the route generation unit 22. The route determination unit 23 acquires the congestion status of candidate evacuation routes from the route information acquisition unit 13, and determines an evacuation route based on the acquired congestion information of candidate evacuation routes. The route determination unit 23 outputs the determined evacuation route to the notification unit 3. If the route information acquisition unit 13 is one or more surveillance cameras mounted in positions where they can capture images of passages or the like, the route determination unit 23 may acquire the congestion status from the surveillance cameras mounted in positions where they can capture images of candidate evacuation routes.

[0057] Before determining an evacuation route, the route determination unit 23 may determine whether or not there are candidate evacuation routes whose congestion levels are within a predetermined range. If there are candidate evacuation routes whose congestion levels are within the predetermined range, the route determination unit 23 determines an evacuation route from among the candidate evacuation routes and outputs the determined route to the notification unit 3. If there are no candidate evacuation routes whose congestion levels are within the predetermined range, the route determination unit 23 notifies the evacuation destination determination unit 21 to re-determine an evacuation destination.

[0058] The route determination unit 23 may, for example, prioritize a candidate evacuation route with a lower degree of congestion as the evacuation route. By determining an evacuation route in this manner, evacuees can be guided to an evacuation route that allows them to evacuate quickly, thereby improving evacuation efficiency. Furthermore, by not further guiding evacuees to a congested evacuation route, the degree of congestion on the evacuation route can be reduced, and as a result, the safety of evacuees already moving along the evacuation route is also improved.

[0059] However, the criteria used by the route determination unit 23 to determine an evacuation route do not have to be the congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes alone. In other words, the route determination unit 23 may determine an evacuation route by combining the congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes with other criteria.

[0060] For example, the route determination unit 23 may determine an evacuation route based on congestion information and the distance of each candidate evacuation route. In this case, the route determination unit 23 may evaluate a candidate evacuation route with a shorter travel distance as a candidate with a higher priority. Determining an evacuation route in this manner can shorten the time it takes evacuees to reach their evacuation destination, improving evacuation efficiency. Furthermore, the shorter the distance evacuees have to travel, the less burden they have to bear. The distance of the candidate evacuation route may be evaluated as the time required to travel along the evacuation route, taking into account congestion information on the evacuation route.

[0061] Furthermore, for example, the route determination unit 23 may determine an evacuation route based on congestion information and the distance from the disaster occurrence location to the candidate evacuation route. In this case, the route determination unit 23 may evaluate candidate evacuation routes that are farther away from the disaster occurrence location as candidates with higher priority. Determining an evacuation route in this manner improves the safety of evacuees.

[0062] Furthermore, for example, the route determination unit 23 may determine an evacuation route based on congestion information and the damage status of the candidate evacuation routes. In this case, the route determination unit 23 may, for example, perform image processing on image data of the candidate evacuation routes and evaluate the degree of damage to the candidate evacuation routes. Then, the candidate evacuation route with a lesser degree of damage may be evaluated as a candidate with a higher priority. Determining an evacuation route in this manner improves the safety of evacuees.

[0063] The route determination unit 23 may determine an evacuation route by using a combination of the above-mentioned criteria. For example, the route determination unit 23 may prioritize multiple criteria and determine the candidate evacuation route that is determined to be superior based on the criteria with the highest priority as the evacuation route. Alternatively, the route determination unit 23 may score the candidate evacuation routes based on multiple criteria and compare the total scores to determine the evacuation route.

[0064] The notification unit 3 acquires the determined evacuation route from the route determination unit 23 and notifies the acquired evacuation route. The notification unit 3 may notify the evacuation route to evacuees, or may notify the evacuation route to evacuation guides who guide the evacuees. For example, when the processing executed by the evacuation route generation unit 2 is realized by a computer device, the notification unit 3 may be a user interface that presents the results output by the computer device to a person. Furthermore, the notification unit 3 may be a transmitter for transmitting the evacuation route determined by the evacuation route generation unit 2 to another device.

[0065] For example, the notification unit 3 may be a transmitter that transmits information about evacuation routes to a mobile terminal carried by an evacuee or an evacuation guide, a transmitter that uploads information about evacuation routes to a server accessible by a mobile terminal carried by an evacuee or an evacuation guide, or the server itself to which information about evacuation routes is uploaded. In such a case, the location of the terminal or a predetermined area in which the terminal is present may be set as the evacuation origin.

[0066] For example, the notification unit 3 may be a display unit that displays information about evacuation routes. In such a case, the notification unit 3 may be configured as, for example, a display device. As described above, when the notification unit 3 is a display unit that displays information about an evacuation route, the location of the display unit may be set as the evacuation origin. Alternatively, a predetermined area including the installation point of the display unit may be set as the evacuation origin. The notification unit 3 may also notify information about evacuation routes by, for example, audio announcement.

[0067] The notification unit 3 may include the above-mentioned configuration as an example, or may include a combination of other means capable of providing evacuees with information about evacuation routes. However, the optimal means of notifying evacuation routes varies depending on each evacuee and the situation at the time of the disaster, so the more notification means the notification unit 3 has, the more evacuees it can provide with information about evacuation routes.

[0068] <Operation of the evacuation support system> Hereinafter, the operation of the evacuation support system, that is, the evacuation support method, according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the evacuation support system according to the second embodiment.

[0069] First, the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 acquires congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations (step ST1), and then the evacuation origin information acquisition unit 12 acquires location information of the evacuation origin (step ST2). However, the order in which steps ST1 and ST2 are performed may be reversed, or steps ST1 and ST2 may be performed in parallel.

[0070] Next, the evacuation destination determination unit 21 determines an evacuation destination (step ST3), the route generation unit 22 creates candidates for evacuation routes (step ST4), and the route information acquisition unit 13 acquires congestion information for the candidates for evacuation routes (step ST5).

[0071] Next, the route determination unit 23 determines whether or not there is an evacuation route whose congestion degree is within a predetermined range (step ST6). If there is no evacuation route with a congestion degree within the predetermined range (NO in step ST6), the evacuation destination determination unit 21 changes the evacuation destination (step ST7) and executes step ST4 again. That is, the evacuation support system 1002 repeatedly executes steps ST4 to ST7 until an evacuation route with a congestion degree within a predetermined range is found.

[0072] If there is an evacuation route whose congestion degree is within a predetermined range (YES in step ST6), the route determination unit 23 determines the evacuation route (step ST8). Finally, the notification unit 3 notifies the user of the evacuation route (step ST9), and the evacuation support system 1002 ends the series of operations.

[0073] As described above, the evacuation support system 1002 according to this embodiment determines an evacuation destination based on congestion information at candidate evacuation destinations, determines an evacuation route, and notifies users of the evacuation route. With this configuration, the evacuation support system 1002 can guide evacuees to less crowded evacuation destinations, thereby improving evacuation efficiency. Furthermore, the evacuation support system 1002 can reduce the congestion at evacuation destinations, thereby improving safety at the evacuation destinations.

[0074] (Third embodiment) <Configuration of the evacuation support system> An evacuation support system 1003 according to the third example is a first specific example of the evacuation support system 1002 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the configuration of the evacuation support system according to the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0075] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation support system according to the third embodiment. The evacuation support system 1003 according to the third embodiment includes an evacuation support device 101, a monitoring camera 102, and a display device 103. For simplicity, only one surveillance camera 102 and one display device 103 are shown, but there may be a plurality of surveillance cameras 102 and a plurality of display devices 103.

[0076] The surveillance camera 102 is a surveillance camera that captures images of potential evacuation destinations and passages that may be potential evacuation routes, and outputs the captured image data to the evacuation support device 101. In other words, the surveillance camera 102 corresponds to the evacuation destination information acquisition unit 11 and the route information acquisition unit 13 in the second embodiment.

[0077] The display device 103 is a display device that acquires evacuation routes from the evacuation support device 101 and presents the evacuation routes to evacuees. In other words, the display device 103 corresponds to the notification unit 3 in the first and second embodiments. The display device 103 may also be treated as an evacuation source and may transmit its own location information to the evacuation support device 101. In this case, the display device 103 also corresponds to the evacuation source information acquisition unit 12 according to the second embodiment.

[0078] The evacuation support device 101 acquires image data of potential evacuation destinations, passages that may be potential evacuation routes, etc. from a surveillance camera 102. The evacuation support device 101 processes the image data to evaluate the congestion levels of the potential evacuation destinations and the potential evacuation routes, and determines an evacuation route based on the congestion levels. The evacuation support device 101 then outputs the determined evacuation route to a display device 103. In other words, the evacuation support device 101 corresponds to the evacuation route generation unit 2 in the first and second embodiments.

[0079] 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation support apparatus according to the third embodiment. The evacuation support apparatus 101 according to the third embodiment includes a storage unit 111 and a calculation unit 112.

[0080] The calculation unit 112 reads and executes software, i.e., a computer program, from the storage unit 111, and performs the processing of the evacuation route generation unit 2 described in the second embodiment with reference to FIG. 3. The calculation unit 112 may be, for example, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The calculation unit 112 may also include multiple processors.

[0081] The storage unit 111 stores one or more programs including a group of instructions for causing the calculation unit 112 to execute the processing as the evacuation route generation unit 2. The storage unit 111 may also store various pieces of information necessary for the calculation unit 112 to set an evacuation route, such as location information of candidate evacuation destinations, location information of the evacuation origin, and map data recording passages that can be candidate evacuation routes, and may output this information to the calculation unit 112 as necessary.

[0082] The program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0083] Even with the configuration described above, the evacuation support system according to the present disclosure can determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information at the evacuation destination, generate an evacuation route, and guide evacuees.

[0084] (Fourth embodiment) <Configuration of the evacuation support system> An evacuation support system 1004 according to the fourth example is a second specific example of the evacuation support system 1002 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the configuration of the evacuation support system according to the fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0085] 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation support system according to the fourth embodiment. The evacuation support system 1003 according to the fourth embodiment includes an evacuation support device 101, an external server 104, and an upload server 105. For simplicity, only one external server 104 and one upload server 105 are shown, but there may be a plurality of external servers 104 and a plurality of upload servers 105.

[0086] The external server 104 is a server device that acquires information about potential evacuation destinations, evacuation origins, or passages that can be potential evacuation routes from devices outside the evacuation support system, and transmits the information to the evacuation support device 101 as congestion information. Here, devices outside the evacuation support system may include, for example, in-vehicle cameras mounted on cars traveling nearby, surveillance cameras installed nearby, or terminal devices carried by evacuees or evacuation guides.

[0087] The upload server 105 is a server device that acquires information about evacuation routes from the evacuation support device 101 and makes the information about evacuation routes available to terminal devices carried by evacuees or evacuation guides. The information on the evacuation route may be transmitted directly to a terminal device carried by an evacuee or an evacuation guide without going through an upload server.

[0088] The evacuation support device 101 according to the fourth embodiment acquires information on potential evacuation destinations, evacuation origins, or passages that can be potential evacuation routes from an external server 104, and determines an evacuation route based on the acquired information. Then, the device transmits information on the determined evacuation route to an upload server 105. That is, the evacuation support device 101 according to the fourth embodiment corresponds to the acquisition unit 1, the evacuation route generation unit 2, and the notification unit 3 in the first and second embodiments. That is, the evacuation support device 101 according to the fourth embodiment can be said to be the evacuation support system according to the first and second embodiments realized as a single device.

[0089] 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an evacuation support device according to the fourth embodiment. The evacuation support device 101 according to the fourth embodiment includes a storage unit 111, a calculation unit 112, a receiving unit 113, and a transmitting unit 114. However, since the preferred aspects of the storage unit 111 and the calculation unit 112 are the same as those in the third embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The receiving unit 113 receives information on potential evacuation destinations, evacuation origins, or passages that can be potential evacuation routes from the external server 104, and outputs the information to the calculation unit 112. In other words, the receiving unit 113 corresponds to the acquisition unit 1 according to the first and second embodiments. The information on the candidate evacuation destinations, the evacuation origins, or the passages that can be candidate evacuation routes includes at least congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations.

[0091] The transmission unit 114 acquires information about the determined evacuation route from the calculation unit 112 and transmits it to the upload server 105. In other words, the transmission unit 114 corresponds to the notification unit 3 according to the first and second embodiments.

[0092] Even with the configuration described above, the evacuation support system according to the present disclosure can determine an evacuation destination based on congestion information at the evacuation destination, generate an evacuation route, and guide evacuees.

[0093] The present disclosure has been described above in accordance with the above-described embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and naturally includes various modifications, alterations, and combinations that a person skilled in the art could make within the scope of the claims of the present application.

[0094] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) an acquisition unit that acquires location information of the evacuation origin and congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations; an evacuation route generation unit that determines the evacuation destination based on the congestion information and generates an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; and a notification unit that notifies the user of the generated evacuation route. Evacuation support system. (Appendix 2) the evacuation route generation unit generates candidates for the evacuation route; the acquisition unit acquires congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes, the evacuation route generation unit determines an evacuation route based on congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes; The evacuation assistance system described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) the evacuation route generation unit changes the evacuation destination based on congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes. The evacuation assistance system described in Appendix 2. (Appendix 4) The acquisition unit further acquires motion information of a person present on the evacuation route, the evacuation route generation unit predicts a change in congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations based on the operation information, and determines the evacuation destination based on the predicted change in congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations. 1. An evacuation assistance system as described in appendix 2 or 3. (Appendix 5) the evacuation route generation unit determines, as the evacuation destination, a candidate evacuation destination that is less congested among the candidate evacuation destinations, with priority; 5. An evacuation support system according to any one of appendixes 1 to 4. (Appendix 6) the evacuation route generation unit determines, as the evacuation destination, with priority given to the candidate evacuation destination where no emergency vehicle is present; 6. An evacuation support system according to any one of appendix 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) The evacuation origin is a location of a person moving within a facility or a predetermined area, The candidate evacuation destinations are a plurality of entrances and exits of the facility. 7. An evacuation support system according to any one of appendixes 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) The congestion information of the candidate evacuation destination includes a congestion status of a road facing an entrance / exit of the facility. An evacuation assistance system as described in Appendix 7. (Appendix 9) The facility has multiple floors, When the floor of the evacuation origin is different from the floor of the determined evacuation destination, the evacuation route generation unit generates an evacuation route spanning multiple floors. 10. An evacuation assistance system as set forth in appendix 7 or 8. (Appendix 10) a storage unit that stores location information of candidate evacuation destinations; and a calculation unit that acquires congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations, determines the evacuation destination based on the congestion information, and generates an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination. Evacuation support equipment. (Appendix 11) The calculation unit acquires image data of the candidate evacuation destination as congestion information, and performs image processing on the image data to evaluate the degree of congestion at the candidate evacuation destination. 11. The evacuation assistance device according to claim 10. (Appendix 12) a receiving unit that receives the congestion information; a transmitting unit that transmits the generated evacuation route, 12. The evacuation assistance device according to claim 10 or 11. (Appendix 13) Obtain congestion information for potential evacuation sites, determining the evacuation destination based on the congestion information; generating an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; notifying the generated evacuation route; Evacuation support methods. (Appendix 14) Obtain congestion information for potential evacuation sites, determining the evacuation destination based on the congestion information; generating an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; a program that causes a computer to execute an operation of notifying the generated evacuation route; Non-transitory computer-readable medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1 Acquisition part 2. Evacuation route generation section 3. Information Department 11 Evacuation destination information acquisition department 12 Evacuation source information acquisition department 13 Route information acquisition unit 21 Evacuation Destination Decision Department 22 Route generation unit 23 Route determination unit 101 Evacuation support equipment 102 Surveillance Camera 103 Display device 104 External Server 105 Upload Server 111 Storage section 112 Arithmetic section 113 Receiving unit 114 Transmitter 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004 Evacuation Support System

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires location information of the evacuation origin and congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations; an evacuation route generation unit that determines the evacuation destination based on the congestion information and generates an evacuation route from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; a notification unit that notifies the user of the generated evacuation route, the evacuation route generation unit generates candidates for the evacuation route; the acquisition unit acquires congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes, the evacuation route generation unit determines an evacuation route based on congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes; Evacuation support system.

2. the evacuation route generation unit changes the evacuation destination based on congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes. The evacuation assistance system according to claim 1 .

3. The acquisition unit further acquires motion information of a person present on the evacuation route, the evacuation route generation unit predicts a change in congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations based on the operation information, and determines the evacuation destination based on the predicted change in congestion information of the candidate evacuation destinations. The evacuation support system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the evacuation route generation unit determines, as the evacuation destination, with priority given to the candidate evacuation destination where no emergency vehicle is present; The evacuation support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The evacuation origin is a location of a person moving within a facility or a predetermined area, The candidate evacuation destinations are a plurality of entrances and exits of the facility. The evacuation assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The congestion information of the candidate evacuation destination includes a congestion status of a road facing an entrance / exit of the facility. The evacuation assistance system according to claim 5 .

7. a storage unit that stores location information of candidate evacuation destinations; a calculation unit that acquires congestion information of candidate evacuation destinations, determines the evacuation destinations based on the congestion information, generates candidate evacuation routes from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destinations, acquires congestion information of candidate evacuation routes, and determines the evacuation routes based on the congestion information of candidate evacuation routes; Evacuation support equipment.

8. Obtain congestion information for potential evacuation sites, determining the evacuation destination based on the congestion information; generating candidate evacuation routes from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; Obtain congestion information for the candidate evacuation routes; determining an evacuation route based on congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes; notifying the generated evacuation route; Evacuation support methods.

9. Obtain congestion information for potential evacuation sites, determining the evacuation destination based on the congestion information; generating candidate evacuation routes from the evacuation origin to the determined evacuation destination; Obtain congestion information for the candidate evacuation routes; determining an evacuation route based on congestion information of the candidate evacuation routes; A program that causes a computer to execute an operation of notifying a user of the generated evacuation route.

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