Information system inside tunnels

Abstract

To provide an information providing system in a tunnel which enables a user to obtain any one or both or operation method information and evacuation method information of a disaster prevention facility where first positional information is acquired in the tunnel by a portable terminal, with the portable terminal held by the user.SOLUTION: An information providing system 100 in a tunnel comprises: a signal output device 20 which is installed in the tunnel and outputs a first radio signal including first positional information indicating a position of a disaster prevention facility; a portable terminal 30 which receives the first radio signal and outputs a second radio signal including the received first positional information; and a server 40 which transmits to the portable terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including any one or both of operation method information relating to an operation method of a disaster prevention facility 11 corresponding to the first positional information and evacuation method information relating to evacuation guidance corresponding to the first positional information upon receiving the second signal. The portable terminal 30 comprises an output device which outputs the provision information on the basis of the received provision information signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system for use in a tunnel. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a technology for guiding vehicle occupants to evacuate in the event of an emergency such as an accident or fire occurring in a tunnel. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an evacuation guidance system that includes a roadside unit installed along a road and on-board equipment installed in the vehicle. In the evacuation guidance system of Patent Document 1, the roadside unit transmits emergency equipment information, including the location of emergency equipment, to the vehicle. The on-board equipment includes a position detector that detects the location of the vehicle in which the on-board equipment is installed, searches for the received emergency equipment information using the location of the detected vehicle, and reports the location of the searched emergency equipment as evacuation guidance information. Patent Document 1 also describes that emergency equipment information managed by a server installed in a management center is transmitted from the server to the roadside unit at a predetermined timing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-193650 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the system described in Patent Document 1, in order for a user to obtain emergency equipment information in an emergency, an on-board device equipped with a position detector that detects the vehicle's location is required. Therefore, a user of a vehicle that does not have such on-board device cannot obtain the emergency equipment information. Furthermore, in an emergency such as an accident or fire, there may be a situation where the user must get out of the vehicle and head to the emergency equipment, but once the user gets out of the vehicle, the emergency equipment information on the on-board device cannot be confirmed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information provision system for tunnels that allows users to obtain information within tunnels without using on-board equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information provision system for inside a tunnel according to the present invention includes: a signal output device that is installed inside a tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information that indicates the location of disaster prevention equipment installed inside the tunnel; a mobile terminal that receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal that includes the received first location information; and a server that, upon receiving the second wireless signal, transmits to the mobile terminal a provision information signal that indicates provision information that includes either or both of operation method information related to a method of operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information related to evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information. and a fire detector installed in the tunnel to detect a fire. the mobile terminal includes an output device that outputs the provided information based on the received provided information signal. When the fire detector detects a fire, it transmits to the server a third wireless signal including second location information indicating the location of the fire, and the provided information includes the evacuation method information. The server holds location information of a plurality of emergency exits of the tunnel, and when it receives the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal, it transmits to the mobile terminal a signal including information on an emergency exit selected from the plurality of emergency exits based on the first location information and the second location information. It is something. Another information provision system for a tunnel of the present invention includes a signal output device that is installed in a tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information that indicates the location of disaster prevention equipment installed in the tunnel; a mobile terminal that receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal including the received first location information; a server that, upon receiving the second wireless signal, transmits to the mobile terminal a provision information signal that indicates provision information, including operating method information on a method of operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information on evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information; and a monitoring terminal that is communicatively connected to the server and has an input device that receives an instruction to output an instruction signal to the server, wherein the mobile terminal has an output device that outputs the provision information based on the received provision information signal, and when the input device is operated, the monitoring terminal outputs the instruction signal, and after transmitting the provision information to the mobile terminal, upon receiving the instruction signal, the server transmits to the mobile terminal a signal to output only the evacuation method information without outputting the operating method information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a user can obtain, on the mobile terminal that the user owns, either or both of operation method information and evacuation method information for disaster prevention equipment for which first location information has been acquired on the mobile terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information providing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of an information providing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output from an output device of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an information providing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information providing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output from a mobile terminal according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention includes all possible combinations of the configurations shown in the following embodiments. In addition, in each drawing, components with the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and this is common throughout the entire specification.

[0010] Embodiment 1 The information provision system 100 described in the first embodiment allows a user to obtain information about disaster prevention facilities installed in a tunnel on a mobile terminal 30 carried by the user. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the information provision system 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 illustrates a situation in which a vehicle fire breaks out in a tunnel where disaster prevention facilities including a fire hydrant 11, a fire extinguisher 12, and a notification device 13 are installed. The information provision system 100 includes a signal output device 20, the mobile terminal 30, and a server 40.

[0011] The fire hydrant 11, the fire extinguisher 12, and the notification device 13 are each examples of disaster prevention equipment installed in a tunnel. The fire hydrant 11 is a device used by road users to extinguish fires that occur in the tunnel, and is equipped with a hose that sprays water or foam and a storage box for storing the hose. The fire extinguisher 12 is stored in a fire extinguisher box installed on the wall of the tunnel. The notification device 13 is, for example, a push-button transmitter, and is a device used by users to notify the tunnel supervisor. When the push button on the notification device 13 is pressed, a notification signal is sent to the monitoring terminal used by the tunnel supervisor. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the notification device 13 is installed between the fire extinguisher box of the fire extinguisher 12 and the fire hydrant 11, but the notification device 13 may be installed separately or may be built into the fire extinguisher box or the fire hydrant 11. Other examples of disaster prevention equipment include emergency telephones and evacuation tunnels. In the following explanation, the fire hydrant 11, the fire extinguisher 12, and the notification device 13 may be collectively referred to as disaster prevention equipment.

[0012] The signal output device 20 outputs a first wireless signal including first location information indicating the location of the disaster prevention equipment. The first wireless signal is a wireless signal with a relatively short transmission range, such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) signal. In this embodiment, three disaster prevention equipment, namely, a fire hydrant 11, a fire extinguisher 12, and a reporting device 13, are installed in the same location, and their locations serve as the first location information. In this embodiment, the signal output device 20 is a beacon that periodically outputs the first wireless signal. Note that the signal output device 20 is not limited to devices that periodically output signals, such as beacons, as long as it is capable of outputting the first wireless signal. For example, the signal output device 20 may be configured by an operation unit, such as a push button, installed on the disaster prevention equipment and a signal transmitter that outputs the first wireless signal in response to an operation of the operation unit. If disaster prevention equipment is installed at multiple locations within a tunnel, it is desirable to provide a signal output device 20 for each disaster prevention equipment.

[0013] The mobile terminal 30 is a communication terminal carried by a user. The mobile terminal 30 is, for example, a general-purpose smartphone, a tablet computer, or a notebook computer. The mobile terminal 30 has a function of receiving a first wireless signal output from the signal output device 20. The mobile terminal 30 is also communicatively connected to the server 40 via the network 200, and upon receiving the first wireless signal, transmits a second wireless signal including the first location information included in the received first wireless signal to the server 40.

[0014] The server 40 manages information to be provided, which includes either or both of operation method information on how to operate disaster prevention equipment and evacuation method information on evacuation guidance, and transmits a provided information signal indicating the information to the mobile terminal 30. In this embodiment, the provided information will be described as including both the operation method information and the evacuation method information. The server 40 is connected to the mobile terminal 30 for communication via the network 200.

[0015] 2 is a functional block diagram of the information providing system 100 according to the embodiment 1. The mobile terminal 30 includes a control device 31, a communication device 32, a storage device 33, a receiving device 34, an output device 35, and an operation device 36.

[0016] The control device 31 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes programs stored in memory, and controls the communication device 32, storage device 33, receiving device 34, output device 35, and operation device 36 based on the programs.

[0017] The communication device 32 is a communication circuit that transmits and receives wireless signals to and from the server 40, and in this embodiment is a circuit that performs mobile communication.

[0018] The storage device 33 stores the provided information received from the server 40. The storage device 33 is an internal storage built into the mobile terminal 30 or a removable storage such as a memory card.

[0019] The receiving device 34 is a receiving circuit that receives the first wireless signal output from the signal output device 20. When the first wireless signal is Bluetooth (registered trademark), the receiving device 34 is a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication module.

[0020] The output device 35 is a device that outputs the provided information received from the server 40 in a form that can be confirmed by the user. The output device 35 is a display, a speaker, or a combination of these. When the output device 35 is a display, the provided information is output as a still image or a video. When the output device 35 is a speaker, the provided information is output as sound.

[0021] The operation device 36 is a device that accepts operations from the user of the mobile terminal 30. The operation device 36 is, for example, a touch panel or hardware buttons.

[0022] When the receiving device 34 receives the first wireless signal, the control device 31 generates a second wireless signal including the first location information included in the first wireless signal. Then, the control device 31 controls the communication device 32 to transmit the second wireless signal to the server 40. Furthermore, when the communication device 32 receives a provision information signal transmitted from the server 40, the control device 31 stores the information included in the provision information signal in the storage device 33. Then, the control device 31 controls the output device 35 to output the provision information stored in the storage device 33.

[0023] The server 40 includes a control device 41, a communication device 42, and a storage device 43. The functions of the server 40 described below may be physically realized by one device or may be realized by multiple devices.

[0024] The control device 41 has a CPU that executes a program stored in a memory, and controls the communication device 42 and the storage device 43 based on the program.

[0025] The communication device 42 is a communication circuit that communicates with the mobile terminal 30 via the network 200 (see FIG. 1).

[0026] The storage device 43 stores the database 44. The storage device 43 is an internal storage device built into the server 40 or a removable storage device such as a memory card. The database 44 stores information to be provided, including operation method information and evacuation method information. Specifically, the database 44 associates types of disaster prevention equipment with their operation methods and stores the associated information as operation method information. For example, the appearance and operation method of fire hydrants 11 installed in tunnels may vary depending on the type, so an operation method is stored for each type of fire hydrant 11. The database 44 also associates the locations of disaster prevention equipment with information for guiding evacuation from those locations and stores the associated information as evacuation method information. If an emergency exit leading to an evacuation shaft is installed in the tunnel, the distance to the emergency exit adjacent to each disaster prevention equipment and the direction of the emergency exit are stored as evacuation guidance information. Furthermore, because entrances and exits at both ends of the tunnel function as emergency exits, the tunnel entrances and exits are also treated as emergency exits in this specification. If the tunnel does not have an evacuation tunnel, the distance from each disaster prevention facility to the two entrances and exits of the tunnel, which serve as emergency exits, is stored as information for guiding evacuation.

[0027] 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information providing system 100 according to the first embodiment. With reference to FIG. 3, the operation of each device will be described using an example in which a user carrying a mobile terminal 30 encounters a fire in a tunnel. The signal output device 20 periodically outputs a first wireless signal. When the user who has encountered the fire approaches disaster prevention equipment with the mobile terminal 30, the mobile terminal 30 receives the first wireless signal (t1).

[0028] When the mobile terminal 30 receives the first wireless signal, it acquires the first location information contained in the first wireless signal and transmits a second wireless signal including the first location information to the server 40 (t2). The second wireless signal includes reply destination information indicating the destination of a reply from the server 40.

[0029] The server 40 receives the second wireless signal, searches the database 44 based on the first location information included in the second wireless signal, and acquires the provided information corresponding to the first location information (t3).The server 40 then transmits a provided information signal including the provided information to the mobile terminal 30 (t4).

[0030] The mobile terminal 30 stores the acquired provided information signal and outputs the stored provided information from the output device 35 (t5). This allows the user carrying the mobile terminal 30 to obtain the operation method information and evacuation method information included in the provided information.

[0031] 4A, 4B, and 4C are diagrams illustrating an example of output from the output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 according to Embodiment 1. (A), (B), and (C) of Fig. 4 are examples of display in process t5 of the output device 35, which is a display, when operation method information and evacuation method information are transmitted as provided information in process t4 of Fig. 3.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4(A), an area titled "Who wants to put out a fire?" is displayed on output device 35, and this area corresponds to operation section 36a of the touch panel. Also, an area titled "Who wants to evacuate?" is displayed on output device 35, and this area corresponds to operation section 36b of the touch panel. If the user wants to put out a fire, i.e., if the user wants to know how to operate the disaster prevention equipment, the user selects operation section 36a, and if the user wants to evacuate, the user selects operation section 36b.

[0033] When the operation section 36a is selected in FIG. 4(A), the display on the output device 35 transitions to the state shown in FIG. 4(B). In FIG. 4(B), the operation procedure for the disaster prevention equipment is displayed using graphics and text. The operation procedure for the disaster prevention equipment displayed at this time is information obtained based on the first location information of the disaster prevention equipment at t3 in FIG. 3, and the image of the disaster prevention equipment displayed on the output device 35 matches the appearance of the disaster prevention equipment facing the user. Therefore, by referring to the mobile terminal 30, the user can operate the disaster prevention equipment more accurately and without hesitation.

[0034] When operation unit 36b is selected in Fig. 4(A), the display on output device 35 transitions to the state shown in Fig. 4(C). In Fig. 4(C), evacuation methods are displayed using graphics and text. Specifically, distances to multiple emergency exits are displayed on output device 35 based on the location of the first location information of the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located. Therefore, the user can evacuate in a more appropriate direction depending on the distance displayed as evacuation method information and the actual situation of the fire, accident, etc.

[0035] As described above, the tunnel information provision system 100 of this embodiment includes disaster prevention equipment installed in the tunnel, a signal output device 20, a mobile terminal 30, and a server 40. The signal output device 20 is installed in the tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information indicating the location of the disaster prevention equipment. The mobile terminal 30 receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal including the received first location information. Upon receiving the second wireless signal, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a signal indicating information to be provided, including either or both of operation method information regarding a method for operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information regarding evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information. The mobile terminal 30 also includes an output device 35 that outputs the received information to be provided. Therefore, the user can obtain, on the mobile terminal 30, either or both of the operation method information and evacuation method information for the disaster prevention equipment whose first location information has been acquired by the mobile terminal 30. Therefore, the user can obtain information inside the tunnel without using dedicated in-vehicle equipment.

[0036] Furthermore, in the information provision system 100 of this embodiment, the signal output device 20 installed in the tunnel transmits a first wireless signal including first location information of the disaster prevention equipment, and the signal output device 20 is acquired by the server 40 via the mobile terminal 30. Then, based on this first location information, the server 40 transmits information to be provided to the mobile terminal 30. In this way, the first location information indicating the location of the disaster prevention equipment is sent from the signal output device 20 in the tunnel to the server 40 via the mobile terminal 30, and GPS is not used to acquire the location information. Therefore, even in a tunnel where it is difficult to receive a GPS signal, the location of the disaster prevention equipment can be communicated to the server 40, and the server 40 can transmit information to be provided according to the acquired location of the disaster prevention equipment to the mobile terminal 30.

[0037] Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, an information provision system 100A will be described in which a fire detector 50 is added to the information provision system 100 described in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0038] 5 is a functional block diagram of an information providing system 100A according to Embodiment 2. The information providing system 100A of this embodiment includes a fire detector 50 and a monitoring terminal 60.

[0039] The fire detector 50 is a device installed inside the tunnel that detects fires and reports the detected information to the tunnel monitoring terminal 60. The fire detector 50 has, for example, a radiation detector and a housing that houses the detector. The fire detector 50 and the tunnel monitoring terminal 60 are connected by wired or wireless communication. When the fire detector 50 detects a fire, it transmits a signal indicating that the fire has been detected and a signal indicating the location of the fire to the monitoring terminal 60.

[0040] Furthermore, the fire detector 50 transmits to the server 40 information indicating that a fire has been detected and second location information indicating the location of the fire. The location of the fire is the location of the fire source or the location of the fire detector 50 that detected the fire. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the location of the fire detector 50 is the location of the fire. That is, in this embodiment, the second location information is information indicating the location of the fire detector 50. The fire detector 50 may transmit a signal to the server 40 via the monitoring terminal 60, or may transmit a signal to the server 40 without via the monitoring terminal 60. Note that in this embodiment, the fire detector 50 will be described as transmitting a signal directly to the server 40.

[0041] The monitoring terminal 60 is a device equipped with, for example, a control device such as a CPU, a communication device, a display device such as a display or lamp, and an input device such as a keyboard or operation buttons. The monitoring terminal 60 of this embodiment is communicatively connected to both the fire detector 50 and the server 40. A person monitoring the tunnel can monitor for any abnormalities inside the tunnel via the monitoring terminal 60. Upon receiving information indicating that a fire has been detected from the fire detector 50, the person monitoring the monitoring terminal 60 checks the situation inside the tunnel based on images from a monitoring camera or the like (not shown) installed inside the tunnel, and then reports the situation to the fire department or takes action to extinguish the fire.

[0042] The server 40 of the present embodiment has a database 44A that associates first location information indicating the location of disaster prevention equipment, second location information indicating the location of a fire, and evacuation method information. The server 40 searches the database 44A to obtain evacuation method information based on the first location information included in the second wireless signal received from the mobile terminal 30 and the location information of the fire detector 50 included in the signal received from the fire detector 50. As described in the first embodiment, the evacuation method information is the distance to an emergency exit adjacent to each disaster prevention equipment and the direction of the emergency exit. In the present embodiment, based on the first location information and the second location information, an emergency exit suitable for evacuation is searched for as the evacuation method information from among multiple emergency exits. Specifically, for example, information on one or more emergency exits that are located in a direction away from the location of the fire indicated by the second location information from among multiple emergency exits adjacent to the disaster prevention equipment indicated by the first location information is searched for as the evacuation method information.

[0043] Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information providing system 100A according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 6, the same processes as those explained in Fig. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The following mainly explains the processes that are different from those in Fig. 3.

[0044] When a user who has encountered a fire approaches disaster prevention equipment with mobile terminal 30, mobile terminal 30 receives a first wireless signal that is periodically transmitted from signal output device 20 (t1). Upon receiving the first wireless signal, mobile terminal 30 acquires first location information contained in the first wireless signal and transmits a second wireless signal that includes the first location information (t2). The second wireless signal includes reply destination information that indicates the destination of a reply from server 40.

[0045] Furthermore, the fire detector 50 that has detected the fire transmits a third wireless signal including second location information indicating the location of the fire to the server 40 (t6).

[0046] When the server 40 receives the second wireless signal including the first location information and the third wireless signal including the second location information, the server 40 searches the database 44A based on the first location information and the second location information and obtains evacuation method information (t3a).

[0047] Here, the timing at which the server 40 acquires the second wireless signal from the mobile terminal 30 and the timing at which the server 40 acquires the third wireless signal from the fire detector 50 are not fixed. Therefore, if the server 40 acquires one of the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal within a predetermined first time period after acquiring the other, the server 40 may acquire evacuation method information based on the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal. If the server 40 cannot acquire the other of the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal within the predetermined first time period after acquiring the other, the server 40 may acquire evacuation method information from the database 44A based on the acquired second or third wireless signal. In this manner, evacuation method information can be quickly provided to the mobile terminal 30.

[0048] Next, the server 40 transmits a provision information signal indicating the provision information to the mobile terminal 30 (t4). The mobile terminal 30, which has received the provision information signal, outputs the received provision information from the output device 35 (t5). This allows the user carrying the mobile terminal 30 to obtain the evacuation method information included in the provision information.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the mobile terminal 30 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4(C). As shown in FIG. 7, the output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 displays the direction and distance of an emergency exit selected based on the second location information from among multiple emergency exits adjacent to the first location information of the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 7 with FIG. 4(C), while information on all of the multiple emergency exits is displayed in FIG. 4(C), information on one emergency exit selected based on the second location information is displayed in FIG. 7. When multiple emergency exits are selected based on the second location information, information on the multiple emergency exits is displayed in FIG. 7. In this way, by displaying only information on the emergency exit selected based on the second location information, the user can be encouraged to evacuate quickly.

[0050] In this embodiment, when the fire detector 50 detects a fire, the output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 may output evacuation method information but not output information on how to operate the disaster prevention equipment. For example, in process t3a of FIG. 6, if the server 40 receives a third wireless signal after receiving the second wireless signal and transmitting to the mobile terminal 30 information to be provided that includes evacuation method information and operation method information, the server 40 transmits a stop signal to the mobile terminal 30 instructing the mobile terminal 30 to stop outputting the operation method information. Upon receiving the stop signal, the mobile terminal 30 stops outputting the operation method information and outputs the evacuation method information. The evacuation method information output here may preferably include information encouraging the user to stop operating the disaster prevention equipment and evacuate. In this manner, the user can be encouraged to evacuate quickly.

[0051] Furthermore, when the server 40 receives the third wireless signal after receiving the second wireless signal and transmitting the evacuation method information and the operation method information to the mobile terminal 30, the server 40 may transmit a stop signal to stop the output of the operation method information after a predetermined time has elapsed since the reception of the third wireless signal. Since the possibility that the fire is spreading increases as time passes since the reception of the third wireless signal, the success rate of the user's evacuation can be increased by transmitting the stop signal to the mobile terminal 30 and urging the user to evacuate.

[0052] Furthermore, in process t3a of FIG. 6 , when the server 40 receives the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal, the server 40 may transmit to the mobile device 30 information to be provided that includes evacuation method information but does not include operation method information if the first location information and the second location information satisfy a predetermined location condition. Here, the predetermined location condition is a condition related to the location of the disaster prevention equipment in the first location information, i.e., the user's location, and the location of the fire in the second location information. For example, if the first distance, which is the distance between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, is less than a threshold, the server 40 transmits to the mobile device 30 information to be provided that includes the evacuation method information and the operation method information, and the mobile device 30 outputs the evacuation method information and the operation method information. In this way, if the disaster prevention equipment, i.e., the user's location, is close to the location of the fire, the user can select the necessary information from the disaster prevention equipment operation method information and the evacuation method information depending on the situation on the scene. On the other hand, if the distance between the location of the disaster prevention equipment, i.e., the user's location, and the location of the fire is equal to or greater than the threshold, the server 40 transmits information to be provided, which includes evacuation method information but does not include operation method information, to the mobile terminal 30. In this way, if the user's location is far from the location of the fire, the user can be encouraged to prioritize evacuation.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the server 40 outputs the information signal to be provided based on the third wireless signal from the fire detector 50. Instead of or in addition to the third wireless signal from the fire detector 50, the server 40 may control the information signal to be provided based on a signal from the monitoring terminal 60. Specifically, when an operation is performed on the input device of the monitoring terminal 60 to instruct the server 40 to transmit either or both of the operation method information and the evacuation method information to the mobile terminal 30, the monitoring terminal 60 outputs an instruction signal to the server 40 in response to the operation. Upon receiving the instruction signal, the server 40 transmits the information signal to the mobile terminal 30 in response to the instruction signal. For example, if a monitor monitoring the tunnel through a monitoring camera or the like determines that evacuation should be prioritized over operating disaster prevention equipment, such as fire extinguishing using the fire hydrant 11, the monitor inputs an instruction to the input device to output only the evacuation method information without outputting the operation method information. Upon receiving the input, the monitoring terminal 60 transmits the instruction signal to the server 40, and the server 40 transmits an information signal to the mobile terminal 30 to output only the evacuation method information without outputting the operation method information. The mobile terminal 30 that has received the provided information signal outputs the evacuation method information. If the operation method information is already being output by the mobile terminal 30, the mobile terminal 30 stops outputting the operation method information and outputs the evacuation method information. In this way, it is possible to prompt the user to evacuate quickly.

[0054] Variant. The following describes modifications of Embodiments 1 and 2. The following modifications can be combined with Embodiments 1 and 2, respectively.

[0055] (Variation 1) The mobile terminal 30 may output the provided information using a pre-installed application. The application may be a general-purpose browser or a dedicated application for outputting the provided information. Furthermore, when the mobile terminal 30 acquires the provided information from the server 40, the mobile terminal 30 may display a push notification indicating that the provided information has been acquired and asking whether or not to launch the application. When the user selects to launch the application, the mobile terminal 30 launches the application and displays the provided information on the launched application.

[0056] (Variation 2) The mobile device 30 may output the provided information using AR (Augmented Reality). In this case, the mobile device 30 has a camera. When the mobile device 30 receives the provided information from the server 40, the mobile device 30 displays a push notification on the output device 35, which is a display, asking whether to activate the AR mode. When the user selects activation of the AR mode using the operation device 36, the camera provided in the mobile device 30 is activated, and operation procedure or evacuation method information is displayed superimposed on the image captured by the camera. For example, if the camera captures a fire hydrant 11, which is a disaster prevention facility, a diagram or text indicating the operation method is displayed on the image of the fire hydrant 11. The mobile device 30 may display, for example, an arrow pointing to the next operation to be performed or a light-emitting point on the operation unit to be operated next, superimposed on the image of the disaster prevention facility. Using AR as an output mode for operation method information and evacuation method information makes it easier for the user to understand the information.

[0057] (Variation 3) The output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 may be smart glasses. In this case, the smart glasses are provided separately from the housing of the main body of the mobile terminal 30 and are communicatively connected to the main body of the mobile terminal 30. The mobile terminal 30 displays the provided information acquired from the server 40 on the communicatively connected smart glasses. The smart glasses may be, for example, kept on hand in disaster prevention facilities inside a tunnel.

[0058] (Variation 4) The location where the disaster prevention equipment is installed is not limited to being inside an actual tunnel. For example, the information provision system 100 or 100A may include a demonstration fire hydrant 11 and a signal output device 20 installed in a service area or the like on a highway. When a user of the service area or the like approaches the demonstration fire hydrant 11 while carrying a mobile terminal 30, the user obtains provided information including operation method information on the mobile terminal 30, as described in the first and second embodiments. In this way, by allowing the user to check operation method information for the disaster prevention equipment at a service area or the like during normal times, the user can become familiar with the disaster prevention equipment, thereby preventing the user from panicking in the event of an actual disaster.

[0059] (Variation 5) Although it has been described that the provided information signal is transmitted from the server 40 to the mobile terminal 30 in process t4 in FIGS. 3 and 6 , if the provided information corresponding to the second wireless signal is stored in the mobile terminal 30, the server 40 does not need to transmit the provided information signal again. For example, the second wireless signal includes reply destination information that identifies the reply destination, i.e., the mobile terminal 30, and the server 40 that receives the second wireless signal manages the provided information and the reply destination information as a transmission history of the provided information. Then, if the server 40 receives the second wireless signal from a specific mobile terminal 30 after transmitting the provided information to the same mobile terminal 30, it transmits a signal to the mobile terminal 30 inquiring whether the provided information is stored therein. Only if the mobile terminal 30 replies that the provided information is not stored therein, the server 40 transmits the provided information signal. This reduces the amount of communication traffic.

[0060] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 30 may store the provided information received from the server 40 in association with the first location information, and may not transmit the second wireless signal if the first location information included in the newly received first wireless signal matches the stored first location information. This also reduces the amount of communication traffic.

[0061] (Variation 6) The location condition described in the second embodiment may include a geographical condition between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, in addition to or instead of the first distance condition. For example, the geographical condition may be that there is no curve in the road between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire. In this case, the server 40 stores information about the location of the curve in the tunnel in advance, and upon receiving the second wireless signal including the first location information and the third wireless signal including the second location information, determines whether there is a curve between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire. If there is no curve between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, i.e., if the geographical condition is satisfied, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including operation method information and evacuation method information. On the other hand, if there is a curve between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, i.e., if the geographical condition is not satisfied, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including evacuation method information but not operation method information. This can encourage the user to prioritize evacuation when there is a curve between the location of the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located and the location of the fire, which results in poor visibility.

[0062] The location condition described in the second embodiment may include, in addition to or instead of the condition related to the first distance, a wind direction condition related to the relationship between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, and the wind direction. The wind direction condition, for example, is that the location of the disaster prevention equipment must be upwind of the location of the fire. When the location of the disaster prevention equipment is upwind of the location of the fire and the wind direction condition is satisfied, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including operation method information and evacuation method information. On the other hand, when the location of the disaster prevention equipment is downwind of the location of the fire, i.e., when the wind direction condition is not satisfied, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including evacuation method information but not operation method information. This can encourage the user to prioritize evacuation when the location of the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located is downwind of the location of the fire and is likely to be engulfed in smoke from the fire.

[0063] The determination of whether the wind direction condition is satisfied can be made by the server 40, for example, based on wind direction information from an anemometer (not shown) installed in the tunnel. Specifically, the server 40 is connected to the anemometer and acquires information about the wind direction inside the tunnel measured by the anemometer. Alternatively, the determination of whether the wind direction condition is satisfied can be made based on the results of image recognition of images taken by a camera (not shown) installed in the tunnel. Specifically, the server 40 is connected to the camera and acquires images of the inside of the tunnel captured by the camera. The server 40 performs image processing on the acquired images to recognize smoke contained in the images and determine the wind direction based on the recognition results. Then, upon receiving the second wireless signal including the first location information and the third wireless signal including the second location information, the server 40 determines whether the disaster prevention equipment is located upwind of the fire location based on the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, information from the anemometer, or the results of image processing.

[0064] The location condition described in the second embodiment may include, in addition to or instead of the first distance condition, an elevation condition regarding the elevation between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire. The elevation condition is that the location of the disaster prevention equipment must be at a lower elevation than the location of the fire. In this case, the server 40 pre-stores information regarding the slope of the road in the tunnel and its elevation. Upon receiving the second wireless signal including the first position information and the third wireless signal including the second position information, the server 40 detects the elevations of the locations of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire. Generally, smoke flows from low to high elevations. Therefore, if the location of the disaster prevention equipment is at a lower elevation than the location of the fire, i.e., if the elevation condition is satisfied, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating information to be provided that includes operation method information and evacuation method information. On the other hand, if the location of the disaster prevention equipment is at a higher elevation than the location of the fire, i.e., if the elevation condition is not satisfied, the server 40 transmits to the mobile terminal 30 a provision information signal indicating information to be provided that includes evacuation method information but not operation method information. By doing this, if the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located is at a higher altitude than the location where the fire has started and the user is likely to be caught in smoke from the fire, the user can be encouraged to prioritize evacuation.

[0065] In addition, when the location condition described in the second embodiment includes the condition related to the first distance and one or more conditions such as the geographical condition, the location condition is considered to be satisfied when two or all of the conditions are satisfied. In this way, when the urgency of evacuation is relatively low, the mobile terminal 30 acquires the operation method information and the evacuation method information, so that the user can select the necessary information from the operation method information of the disaster prevention equipment and the evacuation method information according to the situation at the site. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 11 fire hydrant, 12 fire extinguisher, 13 reporting device, 20 signal output device, 30 mobile terminal, 31 control device, 32 communication device, 33 storage device, 34 receiving device, 35 output device, 36 operation device, 36a operation unit, 36b operation unit, 40 server, 41 control device, 42 communication device, 43 storage device, 44 database, 44A database, 50 fire detector, 60 monitoring terminal, 100 information provision system, 100A information provision system, 200 network.

Claims

1. a signal output device that is installed in the tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information that indicates the location of the disaster prevention equipment installed in the tunnel; a mobile terminal that receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal including the received first location information; a server that, upon receiving the second wireless signal, transmits to the mobile terminal a provision information signal indicating provision information including either or both of operation method information relating to a method of operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information relating to evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information; and a fire detector installed in the tunnel to detect a fire; the mobile terminal includes an output device that outputs the provided information based on the received provided information signal; When the fire detector detects a fire, the fire detector transmits a third wireless signal including second location information indicating a location of the fire to the server; the provided information includes the evacuation method information, The server The location information of a plurality of emergency exits of the tunnel is stored, When the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal are received, a signal including information on an emergency exit selected from the plurality of emergency exits is transmitted to the mobile terminal based on the first location information and the second location information. Information system inside the tunnel.

2. When the server receives the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal, transmitting, to the mobile terminal, the provided information signal indicating the provided information including the operation method information and the evacuation method information, when the position of the disaster prevention equipment indicated by the first position information and the position of the fire indicated by the second position information satisfy a predetermined positional condition; When the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire outbreak do not satisfy the location condition, the provided information signal indicating the provided information including the evacuation method information but not including the operation method information is transmitted to the mobile terminal. The tunnel information providing system according to claim 1.

3. The position condition is: a first distance between the position of the disaster prevention equipment indicated by the first position information and the position of the fire indicated by the second position information is less than a threshold value; The tunnel information providing system according to claim 2.

4. A signal output device that is installed in a tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information that indicates the location of disaster prevention equipment installed in the tunnel; a mobile terminal that receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal including the received first location information; a server that, upon receiving the second wireless signal, transmits to the mobile terminal a provision information signal indicating provision information including operation method information relating to a method of operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information relating to evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information; a monitoring terminal that is communicatively connected to the server and has an input device that receives an instruction to output an instruction signal to the server; the mobile terminal includes an output device that outputs the provided information based on the received provided information signal; When the input device is operated, the monitoring terminal outputs the instruction signal, When the server receives the instruction signal after transmitting the provided information to the mobile terminal, the server transmits to the mobile terminal a signal for outputting only the evacuation method information without outputting the operation method information. Information system inside the tunnel.

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