Route generation device, vehicle control device, and vehicle route distribution system

By generating and distributing emergency vehicle driving information, combined with high-precision map data, the number of ordinary vehicles in the traffic lanes is calculated, and it is determined whether emergency vehicles can use the oncoming lane or change lanes. By generating avoidance or detour routes, the problem of emergency vehicles being delayed in reaching their destinations is solved, and rapid arrival and privacy protection are achieved.

JP7860233B2Active Publication Date: 2026-05-15ASTEMO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
ASTEMO LTD
Filing Date
2023-03-06
Publication Date
2026-05-15

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing technologies are insufficient to effectively avoid emergency vehicles, leading to delays in reaching destinations and posing risks to privacy and crime prevention. Furthermore, they fail to effectively utilize oncoming lanes to improve traffic efficiency.

Method used

By generating and distributing emergency vehicle driving information, combined with high-precision map data, the number of ordinary vehicles in the traffic lanes is calculated, it is determined whether emergency vehicles can use the oncoming lane or change lanes, and an avoidance or detour route is generated to ensure that emergency vehicles reach their destination quickly.

Benefits of technology

This approach enables emergency vehicles to reach their destination quickly while protecting privacy, mitigating crime risks, and improving traffic efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The present invention provides a route generating device, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle route distribution system that can enable an emergency vehicle to reach a destination without delay. A server (100) that generates and distributes route information comprises: a route creation unit (101) that generates route information from map information and destination information on a vehicle; a route information storage unit (102) that saves the route information; a general traveling vehicle number calculation unit (104) that calculates the number of general traveling vehicles on the travel route for an emergency vehicle; and an emergency vehicle travel lane creation unit (105) that generates travel lane information for determining whether the lane on which the emergency vehicle travels passes through a current travel lane, an oncoming lane, or a middle portion between the travel lane and the oncoming lane.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a route generation device, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle route distribution system considering emergency vehicle driving.

Background Art

[0002] In vehicle control, it is very difficult to recognize an emergency vehicle and appropriately avoid it. For an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance, due to its urgency, in order to reach the destination without delay, it is necessary to solve the problem that "the driving of the emergency vehicle is hindered and a delay occurs in reaching the destination depending on the traffic congestion situation on the road, the manners and experience of the driver, and the presence or absence of give-way driving." As a solution to this problem, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is a technology of "distributing the route of an emergency vehicle and guiding the vehicle to a route where the emergency vehicle does not pass."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the prior art described in Patent Document 1 has problems in terms of privacy protection and crime prevention because it distributes the route of an emergency vehicle. That is, in order to distribute the route of an emergency vehicle, there is a problem that information with a risk in terms of privacy, such as the destination of an ambulance, that is, the place where an emergency patient occurred, or information with a risk in terms of crime prevention, such as the route information of a police car, is distributed. In addition, the prior art described in Patent Document 1 does not consider that an emergency vehicle can drive partially or entirely over the oncoming lane, resulting in inefficient control.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to overcome the above-mentioned problems and provide a route generation device, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle route distribution system that can enable emergency vehicles to reach their destinations without delay. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention comprises: a route creation unit that generates route information from map information and vehicle destination information; a route information storage unit that stores the route information; a general vehicle traffic count calculation unit that calculates the number of general vehicles traveling on the emergency vehicle's route from the emergency vehicle's route information and general vehicle route information stored in the route information storage unit; and an emergency vehicle travel lane creation unit that generates travel lane information that determines whether the lane the emergency vehicle travels in is the current travel lane, the oncoming lane, or passes in between the travel lane and the oncoming lane, based on the number of general vehicles traveling in the driving lane and the oncoming lane of the emergency vehicle's route calculated by the general vehicle traffic count calculation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a route generation device, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle route distribution system that can guide emergency vehicles to their destinations without delay.

[0008] Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle route distribution system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Diagram illustrating the calculation unit for the number of general vehicles on the road. [Figure 3] Diagram illustrating the calculation unit for the number of general vehicles on the road. [Figure 4] Diagram illustrating the calculation unit for the number of general vehicles on the road. [Figure 5] Diagram illustrating the calculation unit for the number of general vehicles on the road. [Figure 6]Flowchart for the emergency vehicle lane creation department. [Figure 7] Diagram illustrating the emergency vehicle lane creation section. [Figure 8] Diagram illustrating the emergency vehicle lane creation section. [Figure 9] Diagram illustrating the emergency vehicle lane creation section. [Figure 10] Diagram illustrating the emergency vehicle lane creation section. [Figure 11] Diagram illustrating the evacuation lane calculation unit. [Figure 12] Diagram illustrating the evacuation lane calculation unit. [Figure 13] Diagram illustrating the unit for calculating the number of vehicles that can be evacuated and the unit for deriving detour routes. [Figure 14] Diagram illustrating the unit for calculating the number of vehicles that can be evacuated and the unit for deriving detour routes. [Figure 15] A diagram illustrating vehicle control when an emergency vehicle is operating autonomously. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes an embodiment of the vehicle route distribution system of the present invention. In the vehicle route distribution system of this embodiment, the server creates and distributes routes to general vehicles based on the route information of emergency vehicles, instructing them to take evasive or detour routes so as not to interfere with the movement of emergency vehicles. In other words, in the vehicle route distribution system of this embodiment, the server functions as a route generation device that generates and distributes route information for vehicles including emergency vehicles and general vehicles.

[0011] Furthermore, in vehicles that do not perform autonomous driving, route information distributed from the server will be notified to the driver, who will then take evasive action or detour. In the case of vehicles capable of Level 3 or higher autonomous driving, the autonomous driving control will take evasive action or detour based on the route information and surrounding road information distributed on behalf of the driver. Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram including a server and a control unit of a real vehicle of a vehicle route distribution system 1 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] As functions realized by software, the server 100 includes a route creation unit 101, a general vehicle travel number calculation unit 104, an emergency vehicle travel lane creation unit 105, an evacuation lane calculation unit 106, an evacuable vehicle number calculation unit 107, a detour route derivation unit 108, an oncoming lane travel determination unit 109, and a route distribution unit 110. Further, as an information storage unit, it includes a route information storage unit 102 and a high-precision map data storage unit 103. Note that the map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 is map data including information corresponding to an HD map, such as vehicle travel lane information.

[0014] The emergency vehicle 200 includes a destination transmission unit 201 for transmitting a destination to the server 100 and a route information reception unit 203 for receiving route information distributed from the server 100. Further, the emergency vehicle 200 includes an in-vehicle camera 202 for use in an automatic driving or driving support system.

[0015] The general vehicle 300 that supports automatic driving includes a destination transmission unit 303 for transmitting a destination to the server 100, a route information reception unit 304 for receiving route information distributed from the server 100, an in-vehicle camera 302 for recognizing vehicle surrounding information, and an evacuation location use determination unit 301 for determining whether to evacuate at an evacuation location using the vehicle surrounding information recognized by the in-vehicle camera 302 and the route information.

[0016] The general vehicle 310 that does not support automatic driving includes a destination transmission unit 312 for transmitting a destination to the server 100, a route information reception unit 313 for receiving route information distributed from the server 100, and an emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit 311 for guiding a driver to an evacuation location or an avoidance route (detour route) of the vehicle based on the route information distributed from the server 100. general 車両の退避場所または回避経路(迂回経路)をドライバーに案内する緊急車両回避情報通知部311を備える。

[0017] The destination transmission units 201, 303, and 312 in each vehicle 200, 300, and 310 act as processing units that transmit destination information entered by the drivers operating each vehicle 200, 300, and 310 to the server 100. The route creation unit 101 uses the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 to generate the routes that vehicles 200, 300, and 310 will travel from the transmitted destination information, and stores that route information in the route information storage unit 102.

[0018] The general vehicle count calculation unit 104 uses the route information of the emergency vehicle 200, the route information of general vehicles 300 and 310 stored in the route information storage unit 102, and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 to calculate how many general vehicles 300 and 310 are present in the driving lane and oncoming lane along the emergency vehicle 200's route (in other words, the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 traveling in the driving lane and oncoming lane along the emergency vehicle 200's route).

[0019] The number of regular vehicles calculated here is a measure of how congested a road is at the time an emergency vehicle passes. Therefore, when an emergency vehicle passes a certain point, the number is calculated from the number of regular vehicles that may be present on the road within a predetermined distance (2L) before and after the emergency vehicle at that moment. For example, if an emergency vehicle enters a different road, such as by turning at an intersection, entering a toll road at an interchange, or exiting a toll road, the number of regular vehicles in the predetermined distance (L) before and after the emergency vehicle enters the new road is recalculated. This is based on the idea that congestion should be calculated on a road-by-road basis, as the congestion level of the road after entering the new road is not necessarily the same as the road currently being traveled on.

[0020] The above process will be explained using an emergency vehicle 404 as an example, as shown in Figure 2, which departs from a starting point 400, turns left at intersection 401, and travels along route 403 to destination 402. In this case, as shown in Figure 3, if the sections 2L before and after the emergency vehicle 404 are all on route 403, the number of general vehicles traveling in the 2L sections (410 in the figure) on route 403 is simply counted.

[0021] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, if a vehicle enters a different road between the front L of emergency vehicle 404, such as just before turning at intersection 401, the number of general vehicles traveling in the front L section and the rear L section (411 in the figure) of the "road currently being traveled" is counted. Similarly, if a vehicle enters a different road between the rear L of emergency vehicle 404, such as just after turning at intersection 401 as shown in Figure 5, the number of general vehicles traveling in the front L section and the rear L section (412 in the figure) of the "road currently being traveled" is counted.

[0022] The oncoming lane driving determination unit 109 uses the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 stored in the route information storage unit 102 and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 to calculate locations on the route of the emergency vehicle 200 where it is possible to deviate into the oncoming lane (i.e., to determine whether it is permissible to enter the oncoming lane). Here, a state in which it is impossible to deviate into the oncoming lane is a state in which an obstacle that physically prevents deviation, such as a median strip or a center pole, is installed on the center line (between the driving lane and the oncoming lane), and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 is map information that holds this information.

[0023] The emergency vehicle lane creation unit 105 calculates the lanes (driving lanes) that the emergency vehicle 200 can travel in, using the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the emergency vehicle 200's travel route calculated by the general vehicle number calculation unit 104, the oncoming lane departure possibility information (i.e., information on whether or not it is possible to enter the oncoming lane) calculated (created) by the oncoming lane travel determination unit 109, the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 stored in the route information storage unit 102, and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103.

[0024] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of the lane determination logic of the emergency vehicle lane creation unit 105. This process is executed each time destination information is transmitted from the emergency vehicle 200 and the route information of the emergency vehicle 200 is determined.

[0025] First, in S501, it is determined whether it is possible to deviate into the oncoming lane based on the oncoming lane deviation information generated by the oncoming lane deviation determination unit 109. If it is not possible to deviate into the oncoming lane, the driving lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is set to "driving lane pattern 1" as defined in S505.

[0026] If the conditional branch in S501 is false, in S502 the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route of emergency vehicle 200 in each lane, calculated by the general vehicle count calculation unit 104, is checked to see if both the driving lane and the oncoming lane are below the specified number. If both are below the specified number, both the driving lane and the oncoming lane are considered not to be congested, and the driving lane information for emergency vehicle 200 is set to "driving lane pattern 2" as defined in S506.

[0027] If the conditional branch in S502 is false, S503 and S504 check the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route of the emergency vehicle 200 in each lane, as calculated by the general vehicle count calculation unit 104, and check whether "the number of vehicles in the driving lane is significantly larger than the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane (condition S503)" or "the number of vehicles in the driving lane is significantly smaller than the number of vehicles in the oncoming lane (condition S504)". If condition S503 is true, the driving lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is set to "driving lane pattern 3" as defined in S507, and if condition S504 is true, the driving lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is set to "driving lane pattern 4" as defined in S508. If both conditions S503 and S504 are false, the driving lane information of the emergency vehicle 200 is set to "driving lane pattern 2" as defined in S509.

[0028] The "driving lane pattern 1" defined in S505 above is as shown in Figure 7. In this case, there is an obstacle such as a median strip in 600 between the driving lane and the oncoming lane, making it impossible to cross into the oncoming lane. Therefore, regardless of the number of vehicles in the driving lane and the oncoming lane, the emergency vehicle 660 can only travel in the driving lane 601 that follows the original driving lane. Once the obstacle 600 is gone, it becomes possible to cross into the oncoming lane, so the number of drivable lanes is recalculated based on the number of general vehicles in the driving lane and the oncoming lane.

[0029] The "driving lane pattern 2" defined in S506 and S509 above is as shown in Figure 8. This driving lane pattern assumes that both the driving lane and the oncoming lane are not congested, or both are congested, and that general vehicles are moved to the shoulder to allow emergency vehicle 660 to pass. In this case, the driving lane for emergency vehicle 660 is assumed to be 611, which is its current driving lane, as well as 612, which crosses the center line (in other words, travels between the driving lane and the oncoming lane) to avoid general vehicles stopped on the shoulder.

[0030] The "driving lane pattern 3" defined in S507 above is as shown in Figure 9. This driving lane pattern assumes that the lane on the side of the emergency vehicle 660 is extremely congested, making it difficult for general vehicles on the driving lane to move out of the way. Therefore, the emergency vehicle 660 is expected to completely swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid the general vehicles. In this case, the driving lanes for the emergency vehicle 660 are assumed to be 621, which is its current driving lane, 622, which crosses the center line (in other words, travels between the driving lane and the oncoming lane) to avoid general vehicles stopped on the shoulder, and 623, which fully enters the oncoming lane to avoid general vehicles. In this case, it is assumed that basically all vehicles in the oncoming lane will be rerouted. However, assuming that there are some vehicles that cannot be rerouted, such as route buses, the driving lane 623, which fully enters the oncoming lane, will be a driving lane that follows a trajectory with reversal points like 624 at various points.

[0031] The "driving lane pattern 4" defined in S508 above is as shown in Figure 10. This driving lane pattern assumes that the oncoming lane for emergency vehicle 660 is extremely congested, making it difficult for emergency vehicle 660 to move into the oncoming lane to avoid general traffic. In this case, the only lane for emergency vehicle 660 is assumed to be its current driving lane, 631. In this case, it is assumed that all general traffic on the lane of emergency vehicle 660 will be diverted, but assuming that some vehicles, such as route buses, cannot be diverted, driving lane 631 will follow a trajectory that includes passing places like 632 at various points.

[0032] In this way, the emergency vehicle lane creation unit 105 generates lane information that determines whether the lane in which the emergency vehicle 200 travels will pass is the current lane, the oncoming lane, or the middle of the lane (crossing the center line), based on the number of general vehicles 300, 310 in the driving lane and the oncoming lane of the emergency vehicle 200's travel route, as calculated by the general vehicle number calculation unit 104.

[0033] The evacuation lane calculation unit 106 calculates evacuation lanes for general vehicles 300 and 310 to evacuate from the emergency vehicle 200, using the emergency vehicle lane creation unit 105 and the high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103.

[0034] Figures 11 and 12 show specific embodiments of the evacuation lane calculation unit 106.

[0035] Figure 11 illustrates an example of calculating the escape lane for general vehicles when an emergency vehicle 660 traveling in the above-mentioned lane pattern 2 (Figure 8) makes a left turn at an intersection. When the emergency vehicle 660 travels along route 640 in lane pattern 2, the driving lane is as shown in 641. In this case, the escape lane for general vehicles is defined as "an area where the emergency vehicle can travel by encroaching on the oncoming lane" and "an area where there is a shoulder and general vehicles can safely take refuge". In the example in Figure 11, escape lanes 642 and 643 fall under this category.

[0036] Figure 12 illustrates an example of calculating the escape lane for general vehicles when an emergency vehicle 660 is traveling in the above-described lane pattern 3 (Figure 9). In the above-described lane pattern 3, it is assumed that the emergency vehicle 660 will fully enter the oncoming lane, as shown in lane 651. Therefore, general vehicles in the oncoming lane can only escape at the escape points 652 provided at various points, and this area is defined as the escape lane for general vehicles on the oncoming lane side.

[0037] The vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit 107 determines which vehicles should be evacuated to each evacuation lane, based on the evacuation lanes for general vehicles 300 and 310 calculated by the evacuation lane calculation unit 106 and the route information for general vehicles 300 and 310 stored in the route information storage unit 102. This unit then calculates the number of vehicles that can be evacuated based on the area of ​​the evacuation lanes for general vehicles 300 and 310. The number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route (number of passing vehicles) derived from the route information storage unit 102 is compared with the number of vehicles that can move to the escape lane calculated by the vehicle escape lane calculation unit 107. If the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route exceeds the number of vehicles that can move to the escape lane, or for any other reason, all general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route cannot move to the escape lane, priority is given to vehicles to move to the escape lane based on vehicle type, destination, etc. An example of priority is to give priority to vehicles that are difficult to detour, such as route buses, to move to the escape lane.

[0038] The detour route derivation unit 108 generates a detour route (avoidance route) using high-precision map data stored in the high-precision map data storage unit 103 for vehicles that were not assigned an escape lane by the vehicle occupancy capacity calculation unit 107 (i.e., it compares the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route (number of passing vehicles) derived from the route information storage unit 102 with the number of vehicles that can escape calculated by the vehicle occupancy capacity calculation unit 107, and if the number of general vehicles 300 and 310 on the route exceeds the number of vehicles that can escape, priority is given to lower-priority vehicles based on vehicle type, destination, etc.), and for vehicles that were assigned an escape lane but cannot escape due to obstacles such as parked vehicles at the escape location (determined by the vehicle itself).

[0039] Figures 13 and 14 show the method for allocating evacuation locations by the vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit 107, and the method for generating detour routes by the detour route derivation unit 108 when evacuation is not possible.

[0040] Figure 13 illustrates a scenario in which an emergency vehicle 660 and a regular vehicle 661 encounter each other on the same road. The emergency vehicle 660 is assumed to be traveling along route 662, while the regular vehicle 661 is traveling along route 663. Based on the route information, both vehicles are expected to encounter each other at point 664.

[0041] Figure 14 shows the method for assigning evacuation locations and generating detour routes in case evacuation is not possible under the conditions shown in Figure 13. Evacuation locations for general vehicles will be assigned to "evacuation lanes that general vehicles 661 can reach before the encounter point 664 with emergency vehicles 660," as shown in Figure 665. Furthermore, if evacuation is not possible due to parked vehicles or other obstacles at the evacuation location, the detour route will be "a route that general vehicles 661 can take via evacuation location 665 and not pass through the encounter point 664 with emergency vehicles 660," as shown in Figure 666. Even if evacuation location 665 is assigned, if it is not possible to generate the detour route 666, the evacuation location will be changed and assigned in a way that ensures a detour route can always be drawn.

[0042] The route distribution unit 110 distributes to each vehicle the emergency vehicle lane information created by the emergency vehicle lane creation unit 105, the evacuation location information for general vehicles created by the vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit 107, and the detour route for general vehicles created by the detour route derivation unit 108.

[0043] The emergency vehicle 200 will travel to its destination based on route information (driving lane information for emergency vehicles created by the emergency vehicle driving lane creation unit 105) distributed from the route distribution unit 110 on the server 100 and received by the route information receiving unit 203. If the emergency vehicle 200 is capable of autonomous driving, it can perform autonomous driving control while perceiving the surrounding situation with an on-board camera 202, etc., based on the distributed emergency vehicle driving lane information.

[0044] Figure 15 shows an example of automated driving control for emergency vehicle 200. In Figure 15, emergency vehicle 670 is assumed to have received lane information (lane pattern 3) for emergency vehicles that allows it to drive completely across into the oncoming lane from the server 100 in advance. At this time, if the vehicle's onboard camera or the like recognizes that the road ahead is completely blocked due to traffic congestion, etc., emergency vehicle 670 will, based on the delivered lane information, move from the conventional lane 671 to lane 672, which is a lane that completely crosses into the oncoming lane, and perform automated driving, tracing a trajectory as shown in 673.

[0045] The general vehicle 300, which is capable of autonomous driving, will travel to its destination based on route information (evacuation location information for general vehicles created by the vehicle evacuation count calculation unit 107, and detour routes for general vehicles created by the detour route derivation unit 108) distributed from the route distribution unit 110 on the server 100 side and received by the route information receiving unit 304. At this time, the route information general vehicle 3If information about an evacuation location is included, the general vehicle 300 will use an on-board camera 302 or the like to check the status of the evacuation location near the location, and the evacuation location usage determination unit 301 will determine whether it is possible to evacuate to the evacuation location. If the evacuation location usage determination unit 301 determines that the evacuation location is unusable, the general vehicle 300 will drive along a detour route that is simultaneously distributed to avoid the emergency vehicle 200. In other words, the general vehicle 300 will evacuate from the emergency vehicle 200 based on the route information received by the route information receiving unit 304 and the vehicle surrounding information recognized by the on-board camera 302, and will determine whether it is possible to evacuate to the distributed evacuation location. If there are obstacles or other reasons at the distributed evacuation location and evacuation is not possible, the general vehicle 300 will drive along a separately distributed detour route to avoid the emergency vehicle 200.

[0046] A manually operated general vehicle 310 will travel to its destination based on route information (evacuation location information for general vehicles created by the vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit 107, and detour routes for general vehicles created by the detour route derivation unit 108) distributed from the route distribution unit 110 on the server 100 side and received by the route information receiving unit 313. At this time, the route information general vehicle 31 If information for a refuge location (0) is included, the general vehicle 310 will use the emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit 311 near the refuge location to notify the driver via voice and screen, in accordance with the route information provided, of the approach of the emergency vehicle 200, the location to be evacuated so as not to obstruct the emergency vehicle 200's movement, and an alternative route if the refuge location is obstructed and evacuation is not possible. The driver will then use this information to decide whether to wait at the refuge location until the emergency vehicle 200 has passed, or to avoid the emergency vehicle 200 by following the alternative route.

[0047] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. The embodiments described above have high-precision map information, such as HD maps, on the cloud, and create and distribute routes to destinations from destination information from each vehicle. The routes at this time are characterized in that they take into account evacuation locations or alternative routes (detour routes) from the route information of emergency vehicles.

[0048] This embodiment provides a server (route generation device) 100, a vehicle control device, and a vehicle route distribution system 1 that can guide emergency vehicles to their destinations without delay.

[0049] In other words, this embodiment allows for smoother evacuation or detours when an emergency vehicle approaches by generating evacuation route information in advance, taking into account that emergency vehicles may travel outside their lanes. Furthermore, since the route information of emergency vehicles is kept confidential on the server and is not distributed to general vehicles, the privacy and security risks associated with distributing such route information as described above can be avoided.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the example showed that the general vehicles capable of communicating with the server 100 included both general vehicles 300 that support autonomous driving and general vehicles 310 that do not support autonomous driving (and are driven manually). However, it is sufficient if the system consists of at least one of the general vehicles 300 that support autonomous driving or general vehicles 310 that do not support autonomous driving (and are driven manually).

[0051] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as described in the claims. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

[0052] Furthermore, each of the aforementioned configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. Alternatively, each of the aforementioned configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, storage devices such as hard disks and SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

[0053] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanation purposes and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines required for implementation. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1...Vehicle route distribution system, 100...Server (route generation device) that creates and distributes routes, 101...Route creation unit, 102...Route information storage unit, 103...High-precision map data storage unit, 104...General vehicle number calculation unit, 105...Emergency vehicle lane creation unit, 106...Evacuation lane calculation unit, 107...Number of vehicles that can evacuate calculation unit, 108...Detour route derivation unit, 109...Opposite lane driving determination unit, 110...Route distribution unit, 200...Emergency vehicle, 201...Emergency vehicle destination transmission unit, 202...In-vehicle camera of emergency vehicle R, 203... Emergency vehicle route information receiving unit, 300... General vehicle capable of autonomous driving, 301... Evacuation area usage determination unit for general vehicle capable of autonomous driving, 302... Onboard camera for general vehicle capable of autonomous driving, 303... Destination transmission unit for general vehicle capable of autonomous driving, 304... Route information receiving unit for general vehicle capable of autonomous driving, 310... General vehicle operated manually, 311... Emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit for general vehicle operated manually, 312... Destination transmission unit for general vehicle operated manually, 313... Route information receiving unit for general vehicle operated manually

Claims

1. A route creation unit that generates route information from map information and vehicle destination information, A route information storage unit for storing the aforementioned route information, A general vehicle traffic count calculation unit calculates the number of general vehicles traveling on the emergency vehicle's route from the route information of the emergency vehicle and the route information of general vehicles stored in the route information storage unit, A route generation device comprising: an emergency vehicle lane creation unit that generates lane information determining whether the lane the emergency vehicle will travel in will pass through the current lane, the opposing lane, or the area between the lane and the opposing lane, based on the number of general vehicles traveling in the lane and the opposing lane of the emergency vehicle's route calculated by the general vehicle number calculation unit.

2. A route generation device according to claim 1, An evacuation lane calculation unit calculates an evacuation lane in which the general vehicle can take refuge, based on the lane information of the emergency vehicle. A route generation device comprising: a vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit that calculates the number of vehicles that can evacuate into each of the evacuation lanes calculated by the evacuation lane calculation unit; and a vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit.

3. A path generation device according to claim 2, A route generation device comprising a route generation device that compares the number of passing general vehicles derived from the route information storage unit with the number of vehicles that can be evacuated calculated by the vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit, and if the number of passing vehicles exceeds the number of vehicles that can be evacuated, a detour route derivation unit that prioritizes and calculates a detour route for vehicles with lower priority or vehicles that cannot be evacuated due to obstacles at the evacuation location.

4. A route generation device according to claim 1, It includes an oncoming lane driving determination unit that determines whether it is permissible to enter the oncoming lane based on obstacle information between the driving lane and the oncoming lane, including the presence or absence of a median strip. The emergency vehicle lane creation unit is a route generation device that generates lane information from the oncoming lane travel permission information created by the oncoming lane travel determination unit, determining whether the lane in which the emergency vehicle travels will pass through the current lane, the oncoming lane, or the area between the current lane and the oncoming lane.

5. A path generation device according to claim 3, A route generation device comprising an emergency vehicle lane creation unit, a vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit, and a route distribution unit that distributes route information calculated by the detour route derivation unit.

6. A vehicle control device comprising a route information receiving unit that receives route information distributed from the route distribution unit of the route generation device described in claim 5, and an emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit that notifies the driver of the evacuation location and detour route for the general vehicle according to the distributed route information.

7. A vehicle control device comprising: a route information receiving unit that receives route information distributed from the route distribution unit of the route generation device described in claim 5; and an on-board camera that recognizes information around the vehicle; a vehicle control device that performs evacuation from the emergency vehicle based on the route information and the information around the vehicle, determines whether it is possible to evacuate to a distributed evacuation location, and if there is an obstacle at the distributed evacuation location and evacuation is not possible, performs an evacuation location use determination unit that avoids the emergency vehicle along a separately distributed detour route.

8. A route generation device as described in claim 5, A vehicle route distribution system comprising an emergency vehicle and a general vehicle capable of communicating with the route generation device, The aforementioned emergency vehicle has a route information receiving unit that receives route information calculated by the emergency vehicle lane creation unit and distributed from the route distribution unit of the route generation device, and travels according to the distributed route information. The aforementioned general vehicles are A vehicle having a route information receiving unit that receives route information calculated by the aforementioned vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit and the aforementioned detour route derivation unit and distributed from the route distribution unit of the route generation device, and an emergency vehicle avoidance information notification unit that notifies the driver of the evacuation location and detour route for the general vehicles according to the distributed route information, or, A vehicle route distribution system comprising at least one vehicle having a route information receiving unit that receives route information calculated by the aforementioned vehicle evacuation capacity calculation unit and the aforementioned detour route derivation unit and distributed from the route distribution unit of the route generation device, and an on-board camera that recognizes vehicle surrounding information, and an evacuation location usage determination unit that performs evacuation from the emergency vehicle based on the route information and the vehicle surrounding information, determines whether it is possible to evacuate to a distributed evacuation location, and if there is an obstacle at the distributed evacuation location and evacuation is not possible, avoids the emergency vehicle along a separately distributed detour route.