Information providing program

Abstract

The present invention provides, e.g., an information providing program that takes into account estimated evacuation completion times.　The information providing program provides guidance on evacuation routes from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more arrival areas in the route guidance target. The information providing program executes a calculation step for identifying one evacuation route group from candidates of two or more evacuation route groups on the basis of first information about personnel allocation for each departure area, second information about the candidates of the two or more evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster occurrence place and for each departure area, third information about estimated evacuation completion times calculated on the basis of the first information and the second information for each disaster occurrence place and for each candidate of the two or more evacuation route groups, and fourth information about at least the place of disaster.

Description

Information providing program

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[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing program and the like.

[0002] A disaster evacuation information providing system has been proposed in Patent Document 1 and the like.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-126657

[0004] However, the predicted evacuation completion time is not sufficiently considered.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information providing program and the like that takes into account the predicted evacuation completion time.

[0006] The information providing program according to the present invention guides an evacuation route from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more arrival areas in the route guidance target. The information providing program includes first information regarding the personnel arrangement for each departure area, second information regarding candidates for two or more evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster occurrence location and for each departure area, and third information regarding the predicted evacuation completion time for each disaster occurrence location and for each candidate for the two or more evacuation route groups, which is calculated based on the first information and the second information, and fourth information regarding at least the location of the disaster. Based on these, the information providing program executes a calculation step of identifying one evacuation route group from the candidates for the two or more evacuation route groups.

[0007] Based on information such as personnel arrangement, predicted evacuation completion time for each candidate for two or more evacuation route groups, and the location of the disaster, one optimal evacuation route group is identified from the candidates for the two or more evacuation route groups and can be used for guiding the evacuation route.

[0008] Preferably, the information providing program executes an output step of causing an output device provided for each departure area group including at least one of the departure areas of the route guidance target to output an evacuation route corresponding to the departure area group where the output device is provided in the one evacuation route group identified in the calculation step.

[0009] An evacuation route included in the optimal group of evacuation routes identified in the calculation process, which matches the area where the output device is installed, can be output by the output device and used for evacuation route guidance.

[0010] More preferably, in the output step, at least a portion of the evacuation route is highlighted in a first way, and at least a portion of the traffic restriction area that is not used as an evacuation route is highlighted in a second way different from the first way.

[0011] The output device allows anyone viewing it to easily identify the correct evacuation route and the incorrect (undesirable) evacuation route.

[0012] Preferably, the route guidance target includes at least a first departure area and a second departure area as one or more departure areas. A first output device is provided as one of the output devices in the first group of departure areas which includes at least the first departure area. A second output device is provided as one of the output devices in the second group of departure areas which includes at least the second departure area. In the output step, the first output device outputs a first evacuation route for people in at least the first departure area which is included in one group of evacuation routes. In the output step, the second output device outputs a second evacuation route for people in at least the second departure area which is included in one group of evacuation routes.

[0013] Preferably, the transmission of information to the output device provided for each group of starting regions in the output process is performed via wired communication, and separately via wireless communication.

[0014] Even if some wired communications are cut off during a disaster, wireless communication can be used to easily maintain information transmission and reception, and under normal circumstances, wired communications can be used to easily maintain information transmission and reception.

[0015] Preferably, the calculation of the predicted evacuation completion time for each of the one or more candidate evacuation route groups is performed by a program that performs discrete event analysis, which is included in the information provision program or is configured separately from the information provision program.

[0016] By precisely setting information about the targets of route guidance, such as personnel deployment, to match the actual situation, it becomes possible to obtain highly accurate predictions (estimated time for evacuation completion).

[0017] Preferably, the predicted evacuation completion time is the time required for all persons in the one or more departure areas to complete their movement from the one or more departure areas to one or more of the one or more arrival areas. In the calculation step, among the two or more candidate evacuation route groups, the one evacuation route group that results in the shortest predicted evacuation completion time, corresponding to the fourth information, is selected.

[0018] More preferably, the information provision program performs a warning step before the calculation step, which prompts the setting of at least one of the following: setting up another evacuation route group or changing the layout of the departure area, if the predicted evacuation completion time for each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups corresponding to a predetermined disaster location in the second information is greater than or equal to a time threshold.

[0019] In the preliminary stages of the calculation process, it becomes possible to prepare the second piece of information while ensuring the minimum estimated evacuation completion time that can be used as guidance for evacuation routes.

[0020] The information provision system according to the present invention provides evacuation routes from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more destination areas in the route guidance target. The information provision system includes a control unit that performs a calculation step of identifying one evacuation route group from the two or more candidate evacuation route groups based on first information relating to personnel allocation for each departure area, second information relating to two or more candidate evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster occurrence location and each departure area, third information relating to the estimated evacuation completion time for each disaster occurrence location and each of the one or more candidate evacuation route groups calculated based on the first information and the second information, and fourth information relating to at least the location of the disaster; and a short-range wireless communication device provided for each departure area group including the one or more departure areas, which performs short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal. The control unit causes the mobile terminal to output an evacuation route corresponding to the departure area group, including the mobile terminal's location information in the one evacuation route group, via the short-range wireless communication device.

[0021] An evacuation route included in the optimal group of evacuation routes identified in the calculation process, which matches the area containing the location information of a mobile device capable of short-range wireless communication, can be output to the mobile device and used for evacuation route guidance.

[0022] The information provision system according to the present invention provides evacuation routes from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more destination areas in the route guidance target. The information provision system includes a control unit that performs a calculation step of identifying one evacuation route group from the two or more candidate evacuation route groups based on first information relating to personnel allocation for each departure area, second information relating to two or more candidate evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster location and each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups, third information relating to the estimated evacuation completion time for each disaster location and each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups calculated based on the first information and the second information, and fourth information relating to at least the location of the disaster; and a communication unit that receives location information of a mobile terminal. The control unit causes the mobile terminal to output an evacuation route corresponding to the departure area, including the location information of the mobile terminal in the one evacuation route group, via the communication unit.

[0023] An evacuation route included in the optimal group of evacuation routes identified in the calculation process, which matches the area containing the location information of the mobile device that emits its own location information, can be output to the mobile device and used for evacuation route guidance.

[0024] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to provide information provision programs that take into account the predicted time for evacuation completion.

[0025] This is a diagram of the information provision system in this embodiment. This is a perspective view of each floor targeted for route guidance. This is a diagram of the configuration of the 4th floor targeted for route guidance. This is a diagram showing the configuration of the first database. This is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the information provision program. This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the 11th data area. This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the 12th data area. This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the 13th data area. This is a diagram showing an example of the display of the warning process. This is a diagram showing the first display example of the output process at the output device on the 3rd floor. This is a diagram showing the first display example of the output process at the output device on the 4th floor. This is a diagram showing the second display example of the output process at the output device on the 3rd floor. This is a diagram showing the second display example of the output process at the output device on the 4th floor.

[0026] The following description of this embodiment will be made with reference to the figures. The information provision system 1 in this embodiment includes an information server 10 and a user terminal 30 (see Figure 1). The information provision program of the information provision system 1 in this embodiment provides evacuation routes from each of the one or more departure areas in the route guidance target B1 to one or more destination areas in the route guidance target B1.

[0027] (Route guidance target B1) In this embodiment, route guidance target B1 is described as a six-story commercial facility (see Figure 2). However, the six-story commercial facility and its internal structure are just examples, and other buildings and internal structures may be used.

[0028] To explain the directions, we will define one of the horizontal directions of the route guidance target B1 (left-right direction) as the x-direction, one of the horizontal directions that is perpendicular to the x-direction (front-back direction) as the y-direction, and the height direction perpendicular to both the x and y directions as the z-direction. In Figures 2 and 3, the directions indicated by the arrows on the x, y, and z axes are defined as the right direction, the front direction, and the up direction, respectively.

[0029] For each floor of the route guidance target B1, the area to the right in the x-direction is defined as the first departure area, the area to the front in the y-direction is defined as the second departure area, the area to the left in the x-direction is defined as the third departure area, the area to the rear in the y-direction is defined as the fourth departure area, and the area in the center in both the x-direction and y-direction is defined as the fifth departure area. The first to fifth departure areas on the first floor are defined as the eleventh departure area A11 to the fifteenth departure area A15, respectively. The first to fifth departure areas on the second floor are defined as the twenty-first departure area A21 to the twenty-fifth departure area A25, respectively. The first to fifth departure areas on the third floor are defined as the thirty-first departure area A31 to the thirty-fifth departure area A35, respectively. The first to fifth departure areas on the fourth floor are defined as the forty-first departure area A41 to the forty-fifth departure area A45, respectively (see Figure 3). The 1st to 5th starting areas on the 5th floor are defined as the 51st starting area A51 to the 55th starting area A55, respectively. The 1st to 5th starting areas on the 6th floor are defined as the 61st starting area A61 to the 65th starting area A65, respectively.

[0030] A detection device and an output device are provided for each group of starting regions that includes one or more starting regions. In this embodiment, an example is described in which a detection device and an output device are provided for each starting region (11th starting region A11 to 15th starting region A15, 21st starting region A21 to 25th starting region A25, 31st starting region A31 to 35th starting region A35, 41st starting region A41 to 45th starting region A45, 51st starting region A51 to 55th starting region A55, 61st starting region A61 to 65th starting region A65). However, it is also possible to have a configuration in which one detection device and one output device are provided for a group of starting regions that includes multiple starting regions.

[0031] The detection device is installed on the ceiling or other location in the corresponding departure area and detects the personnel distribution (population density, degree of crowding), presence or absence of a disaster, and type of disaster in the departure area. The information detected by the detection device is transmitted to the information server 10 via the user terminal 30 and the network. The output device is installed on the floor or other location in the corresponding departure area and outputs information regarding evacuation routes to people in the departure area. The information output by the output device is transmitted from the information server 10 via the user terminal 30 and the network. Outside of the time period when the output process described later (see step S6 in Figure 5) is performed, the output device may be used for digital signage in facilities included in the route guidance target B1.

[0032] Information transmission from each of the detection devices to the user terminal 30, and information transmission from the user terminal 30 to each of the output devices, is preferably performed via wired communication, and separately via wireless communication. In this case, wired communication is usually prioritized, and if wired communication cannot be maintained due to a broken wire or the like, it is switched to wireless communication.

[0033] At least one of the detection device and the output device includes a short-range wireless device such as a beacon, which communicates within a predetermined range with a mobile terminal that has predetermined application software (communication application software) installed. The short-range wireless device may be integrated with at least one of the detection device and the output device, or it may be a separate component. Alternatively, the detection device and output device may be omitted, and only the short-range wireless device may be provided.

[0034] (Definition of detection devices on the first floor) The detection devices for the 11th departure area A11 to the 15th departure area A15 are defined as the 11th detection device A11a to the 15th detection device A15a, respectively. The output devices for the 11th departure area A11 to the 15th departure area A15 are defined as the 11th output device A11b to the 15th output device A15b, respectively.

[0035] (Definition of detection devices on the second floor, etc.) The detection devices for the 21st departure area A21 to the 25th departure area A25 are defined as the 21st detection device A21a to the 25th detection device A25a, respectively. The output devices for the 21st departure area A21 to the 25th departure area A25 are defined as the 21st output device A21b to the 25th output device A25b, respectively.

[0036] (Definition of detection devices on the 3rd floor) The detection devices in the 31st departure area A31 to the 35th departure area A35 are defined as the 31st detection device A31a to the 35th detection device A35a, respectively. The output devices in the 31st departure area A31 to the 35th departure area A35 are defined as the 31st output device A31b to the 35th output device A35b, respectively.

[0037] (Definition of detection devices on the 4th floor) The detection devices in the 41st departure area A41 to the 45th departure area A45 are defined as the 41st detection device A41a to the 45th detection device A45a, respectively. The output devices in the 41st departure area A41 to the 45th departure area A45 are defined as the 41st output device A41b to the 45th output device A45b, respectively.

[0038] (Definition of detection devices on the 5th floor) The detection devices in the 51st departure area A51 to the 55th departure area A55 are defined as the 51st detection device A51a to the 55th detection device A55a, respectively. The output devices in the 51st departure area A51 to the 55th departure area A55 are defined as the 51st output device A51b to the 55th output device A55b, respectively.

[0039] (Definition of detection devices on the 6th floor) The detection devices in the 61st departure area A61 to the 65th departure area A65 are defined as the 61st detection device A61a to the 65th detection device A65a, respectively. The output devices in the 61st departure area A61 to the 65th departure area A65 are defined as the 61st output device A61b to the 65th output device A65b, respectively.

[0040] (Examples of applications of the detection device) In this embodiment, an example in which the detection device and the output device are configured as separate components has been described, but the detection device and the output device may also be configured as an integrated unit.

[0041] The route guidance target B1 includes a first staircase B1a, a second staircase B1b, a third staircase (emergency staircase) B1c, an escalator B1d, and an elevator B1e. The first staircase B1a is provided on the right side in the x direction and the front side in the y direction. The second staircase B1b is provided on the left side in the x direction and the front side in the y direction. The third staircase B1c is provided on the right side in the x direction and the rear side in the y direction. The escalator B1d is provided in the center in the x direction and the center in the y direction. The elevator B1e is provided in the first departure area, on the right side in the x direction and the front side in the y direction.

[0042] (Information server 10) The information server 10 includes a server communication unit 11, a server recording unit 13, and a server control unit 15 (see FIG. 1).

[0043] (Server communication unit 11) The server communication unit 11 communicates with the user-side communication unit 31 of the user terminal 30 via a network.

[0044] (Server recording unit 13) An information providing program in the present embodiment is installed in the server recording unit 13. The server recording unit 13 records a first database D1.

[0045] (First database D1) The first database D includes first data areas DA11 to DA13 (see FIG. 4). The first data areas DA11 to DA13 may be composed of one data area or may be composed of separate data areas. Details of the first database D1 will be described later.

[0046] (Server control unit 15) The server control unit 15 executes an information providing program and controls each part of the information server 10. The information providing program executes the processing on the information server 10 side in a database generation process, a warning process, an input process, a calculation process, a transmission process, and an output process described later (see steps S1 to S6 in FIG. 5).

[0047] (User terminal 30) The user terminal 30 includes a user-side communication unit 31, a user-side recording unit 33, a user-side control unit 35, a user-side input unit 36, and a user-side output unit 37 (see FIG. 1).

[0048] (User-side communication unit 31) The user-side communication unit 31 communicates with the server communication unit 11 via a network.

[0049] (User-side recording unit 33) A user-side information providing program is installed in the user-side recording unit 33.

[0050] (User-side control unit 35) The user-side control unit 35 executes the user-side information providing program and controls each part of the user terminal. In this embodiment, an example in which the user-side control unit 35 executes the user-side information providing program installed in the user-side recording unit 33 will be described. However, the user terminal may access the information server 10 via a network and use the information providing program installed in the server recording unit 13. The user-side information providing program executes the processes on the user terminal 30 side of the database generation process, warning process, input process, calculation process, transmission process, and output process, which will be described later.

[0051] (User-side input unit 36) The user-side input unit 36 is used for inputting the content of the 11th data area DA11 in the database generation process.

[0052] (User-side output unit 37) The user-side output unit 37 performs warning displays in the warning process.

[0053] (First database D1) The first database D1 includes the 11th data area DA11 to the 13th data area DA13. The 11th data area DA11 to the 13th data area DA13 may be composed of one data area or may be composed of separate data areas.

[0054] (11th data area DA11) The 11th data area DA11 indicates information (first information) regarding the personnel arrangement for each time zone and for each departure area of the route guidance target B1 (see FIG. 6). The content of the 11th data area DA11 is input via the user-side input unit 36.

[0055] However, the 11th detection device A11a or the like may acquire the degree of congestion for each past time period and for each departure area, and the information provision program may generate the content of the 11th data area DA11 based on the acquired information. Figure 6 shows an example where the population density is high in the first departure area (11th departure area A11) on the first floor and low in the second departure area (21st departure area A21) on the first floor during the time period from 10:00 to 12:00 on weekdays. In this embodiment, an example is described in which one of three levels of population density (degree of congestion) is set as information on personnel allocation for each departure area: high, medium, or low, but specific numerical values ​​may be used. In addition, the information on personnel allocation may include detailed recording of the situation in which people are located in the departure area (for example, one man is sitting in the front right seat).

[0056] (Data Area 12 DA12) Data Area 12 DA12 contains information (second information) regarding two or more candidate evacuation route groups, including evacuation routes for each disaster location and each type of disaster (see Figure 7). The content of Data Area 12 DA12 is input via the user-side input unit 36.

[0057] Figure 7 shows an example in which three evacuation route groups 4311 to 4313 are set up in the event of a small fire in the 43rd departure area A43, and three evacuation route groups 4321 to 4323 are set up in the event of a large fire.

[0058] Evacuation route group 4311 includes: (1) an evacuation route that uses the third staircase B1c to descend for people in the first and fourth departure areas on the third floor or below; (2) an evacuation route that uses the first staircase B1a to descend for people in the second departure area on the third floor or below; (3) an evacuation route that uses the second staircase B1b to descend for people in the third departure area on the third floor or below; (4) an evacuation route that uses the stopped escalator B1d to descend for people in the fifth departure area on the third floor or below; (5) an evacuation route that uses the third staircase B1c to descend for people in the first and fourth departure areas on the fourth floor or above; (6) an evacuation route that uses the first staircase B1a to descend for people in the second departure area on the fourth floor or above; and (7) an evacuation route that uses the stopped escalator B1d to descend for people in the third and fifth departure areas on the fourth floor or above.

[0059] Evacuation route group 4312 includes: (1) an evacuation route that uses the second staircase B1b to guide people in the first to fifth departure areas on the third floor or below down; (2) an evacuation route that uses the first staircase B1a to guide people in the first to fifth departure areas on the fourth floor (fourth to fourth departure areas A41 to A45); (3) an evacuation route that uses the third staircase B1c to guide people in the first to fifth departure areas on the fifth floor (fifth to fifth departure areas A51 to A55); and (4) an evacuation route that uses the stopped escalator B1d to guide people in the first to fifth departure areas on the sixth floor (sixth to sixth departure areas A61 to A65).

[0060] (Data Area 13 DA13) Data Area 13 DA13 shows information (Third Information) regarding the predicted evacuation completion time for each time period and for each of two or more candidate evacuation route groups (see Figure 8). The information provision program generates the content of Data Area 13 DA13 by performing discrete event analysis based on the contents of Data Area 11 DA11 and Data Area 12 DA12.

[0061] The discrete event analysis is performed taking into account the internal structure of the route guidance target B1 (size and layout of facilities such as shops, width of passageways, location of evacuation routes such as stairs), and the speed of people's movement according to the personnel allocation in each departure area (population density, degree of crowding, etc.). The people's movement used in calculating the predicted evacuation completion time may include not only walking by people themselves, but also movement by vehicles such as wheelchairs and bicycles.

[0062] This discrete event analysis calculates the time from when disaster information is input until all people inside the route guidance target B1 have completed their evacuation to the outside via the destination area, for each time period and for each group of evacuation routes (estimated evacuation completion time: the time from all of the departure area to the completion of movement to the destination area). This discrete event analysis may be included in the information provision program of this embodiment, or it may be performed by another program.

[0063] Figure 8 shows an example where, based on the congestion status in the 11th data area DA11, if a disaster occurs in the 43rd departure area A43 during the weekday time period from 10:00 to 12:00, the evacuation route group 4311 calculates an estimated evacuation completion time of 5 minutes, and if a disaster occurs in the 43rd departure area A43 during the weekday time period from 12:00 to 14:00, the evacuation route group 4311 calculates an estimated evacuation completion time of 8 minutes.

[0064] (Operation Procedure) Next, the operation procedure of the information provision program will be described. Information regarding the internal structure of the route guidance target B1, the content of the 11th data area DA11, and the content of the 12th data area DA12 are input via the user-side input unit 36 ​​of the user terminal 30 (database generation process, see step S1 in Figure 5). The information regarding the internal structure of the route guidance target B1, the content of the 11th data area DA11 (first information), and the content of the 12th data area DA12 (second information) are recorded in the server recording unit 13 of the information server 10. Based on the information regarding the internal structure of the route guidance target B1, the content of the 11th data area DA11, and the content of the 12th data area DA12, the server control unit 15 of the information server 10 generates the content of the 13th data area DA13 (third information) and records it in the server recording unit 13.

[0065] In the 13th data area DA13, if the estimated time for completion of evacuation for all candidate evacuation routes set in a predetermined time period and a predetermined departure area is equal to or greater than a time threshold (for example, 20 minutes), the server control unit 15 of the information server 10 displays a warning message on the user-side output unit 37 of the user terminal 30 prompting the user to "set a different evacuation route" and "change the layout of the departure area" (warning step, see step S2 in Figure 5).

[0066] The warning message includes the following: "No appropriate evacuation route group has been formed in the time period and in the departure area in question," and "At least one of the following should be done: set up a different evacuation route group or change the layout of the departure area" (see Figure 9). Figure 9 shows a diagram of the second floor including the 21st departure area A21, and an example of text displaying: "If a fire occurs in the 21st departure area A21 between 4 PM and 6 PM on a weekday, the estimated completion time for the two or more candidate evacuation route groups set up is above the time threshold and is therefore inappropriate," and "A different evacuation route group should be set up, or the layout of the 21st departure area A21 (such as the arrangement of passageways) should be changed."

[0067] Steps S1 and S2 are performed in the stage before a disaster such as a fire actually occurs.

[0068] In the event of an actual disaster such as a fire, information regarding the location and type of the disaster (at least the fourth piece of information regarding the location of the disaster) is manually entered via the user-side input unit 36 ​​of the user terminal 30 (see input process, step S3 in Figure 5). This fourth piece of information may also be automatically entered by the user-side control unit 35 of the user terminal 30 based on information detected by one of the detection devices (such as the 11th detection device A11a).

[0069] Furthermore, the information provision system 1 of this embodiment may be linked with a fire alarm system installed on the route guidance target B1. In this case, the detection device (such as the 11th detection device A11a) or the user-side communication unit 31 of the user terminal 30 receives information from the fire alarm system, and the user-side control unit 35 inputs the fourth information based on the received information.

[0070] (Extraction of candidate evacuation route groups) The server control unit 15 of the information server 10 extracts candidate evacuation route groups corresponding to the location and type of disaster from the 12th data area DA12. For example, if the location of the disaster included in the 4th information is the 43rd departure area A43 and the type of disaster is a small fire, then evacuation route group 4311, evacuation route group 4312, and evacuation route group 4313 are extracted as candidate evacuation route groups.

[0071] (Identification of one evacuation route group) The server control unit 15 of the information server 10 identifies one evacuation route group (optimal evacuation route group) from among the identified candidate evacuation route groups that corresponds to the time period in which the current time is included (calculation process, see step S4 in Figure 5).

[0072] In other words, in the calculation process, one evacuation route group is identified from the candidates based on the following: first information regarding personnel allocation for each departure area; second information regarding two or more candidate evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster site and each departure area; third information regarding the estimated evacuation completion time for each disaster site and each candidate evacuation route group, calculated based on the first and second information; and fourth information regarding at least the location of the disaster.

[0073] For example, if a small fire occurs in the 43rd departure area A43 at 11:00 a.m. on a weekday, evacuation route group 4313, which has the shortest estimated evacuation completion time, will be identified as one evacuation route group from among evacuation route group 4311, evacuation route group 4312, and evacuation route group 4313.

[0074] (Application example of identifying a single evacuation route group) Identifying a single evacuation route group is not limited to a form based on the time period in which the current time is included, but may be done by other methods. Specifically, a detection device (such as the 11th detection device A11a) detects the current number of people in each departure area of ​​the route guidance target B1. The server control unit 15 of the information server 10 calculates the population density (degree of congestion) for each departure area from the number of people detected. Based on information about the internal structure of the route guidance target B1, the calculated population density for each departure area, and the content of the 12th data area DA12, the server control unit 15 of the information server 10 calculates the estimated time to complete evacuation for each candidate evacuation route group corresponding to the disaster location and type of disaster, and identifies one evacuation route group from among the candidate evacuation route groups based on the calculation results.

[0075] (Application example of determining the number of people in each departure area) The determination of the number of people in each departure area is not limited to being based on information from a detection device (such as the 11th detection device A11a), but may also be performed by other methods.

[0076] For example, the number of people in the departure area including the short-range wireless device may be calculated based on the number of mobile terminals that are in a state where they can communicate with a short-range wireless device provided on at least one of the detection device (such as the 11th detection device A11a) and the output device (such as the 11th output device A11b) via communication application software, and the penetration rate of said communication application software.

[0077] Furthermore, the number of people in a given departure area may be calculated based on the number of mobile devices that have location information application software installed that transmits their own location information to the information server 10, and whose location information is included in any of the departure areas in the route guidance target B1, and the penetration rate of said location information application software.

[0078] The server control unit 15 of the information server 10 transmits information about the evacuation route group to each of the output devices (such as the 11th output device A11b) (transmission process, see step S5 in Figure 5). The server control unit 15 of the information server 10 may also transmit information about the evacuation route group to a mobile terminal that is in a state where it can communicate with a short-range wireless device such as a beacon.

[0079] Each output device (such as the 11th output device A11b) outputs information about evacuation routes based on the information about the one evacuation route group (output process, see step S6 in Figure 5). In the output process, the information about evacuation routes is displayed on the output device for the evacuation routes included in the one evacuation route group that correspond to the departure area where the output device is installed. In addition, at least a portion of the evacuation route corresponding to the departure area where the output device is installed is highlighted in a first way, and at least a portion of the restricted area that is not used as an evacuation route is highlighted in a second way different from the first way. The first way is, for example, an arrow indicating the direction of travel, and the second way is, for example, an "X" mark indicating no entry.

[0080] When evacuation route group 4313 is set as the one evacuation route group, the 33rd output device A33b displays the following as evacuation routes for people in the 33rd departure area A33: "A fire has broken out on the 4th floor," "They should descend using the second staircase B1b, which is indicated by an arrow as the first direction on the 3rd floor configuration diagram," and "They should not use the first staircase B1a, etc., which is indicated by an "x" as the second method on the 3rd floor configuration diagram" (see Figure 10). Also, when evacuation route group 4313 is set as the one evacuation route group, the 43rd output device A43b displays the following as evacuation routes for people in the 43rd departure area A43: "A fire has broken out on the 4th floor," "They should descend using the stopped escalator B1d, which is indicated by an arrow as the first direction on the 4th floor configuration diagram," and "They should not use the first staircase B1a, etc., which is indicated by an "x" as the second method on the 4th floor configuration diagram" (see Figure 11).

[0081] Furthermore, when evacuation route group 4313 is set as one of the evacuation route groups, a mobile terminal that is in a state where it can communicate with the short-range wireless device of the 33rd departure area A33 will display the following messages in the same way as the 33rd output device A33b: "A fire has broken out on the 4th floor," "You should descend using the second staircase B1b, which is indicated by an arrow as the first method in the 3rd floor configuration diagram," and "Do not use the first staircase B1a, etc., which is indicated by an X as the second method in the 3rd floor configuration diagram." Furthermore, when evacuation route group 4313 is set as one of the evacuation route groups, a mobile terminal that is in a state where it can communicate with the short-range wireless device of the 43rd departure area A43 will display the following messages in the same way as the 43rd output device A43b: "A fire has broken out on the 4th floor," "You should descend using the stopped escalator B1d, which is indicated by an arrow as the first method in the 4th floor configuration diagram," and "Do not use the first staircase B1a, etc., which is indicated by an X as the second method in the 4th floor configuration diagram."

[0082] Furthermore, when evacuation route group 4313 is set as one of the evacuation route groups, a mobile terminal that contains its own location information in the 33rd departure area A33 and has the location information application software installed will display the following messages in the same way as the 33rd output device A33b: "A fire has broken out on the 4th floor," "You should descend using the second staircase B1b, which is indicated by an arrow as the first method in the 3rd floor configuration diagram," and "Do not use the first staircase B1a, etc., which is indicated by an X as the second method in the 3rd floor configuration diagram." Furthermore, when evacuation route group 4313 is set as one of the evacuation route groups, a mobile terminal that contains its own location information in the 43rd departure area A43 and has the location information application software installed will display the following messages in the same way as the 43rd output device A43b: "A fire has broken out on the 4th floor," "You should descend using the stopped escalator B1d, which is indicated by an arrow as the first method in the 4th floor configuration diagram," and "Do not use the first staircase B1a, etc., which is indicated by an X as the second method in the 4th floor configuration diagram."

[0083] (Examples of display applications) Figures 10 and 11 show examples that include a diagram of the floor layout including the starting area, but diagrams of other floors, in particular the floor including the starting area and the floors below that floor, may also be included (see Figures 12 and 13).

[0084] (Effects of identifying one evacuation route group in the calculation process) Based on information such as personnel deployment, estimated completion time for each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups, and the location of the disaster, the optimal single evacuation route group can be identified from the two or more candidate evacuation route groups and used for evacuation route guidance. Furthermore, evacuation route guidance can be used not only for guidance in the event of an actual disaster such as a fire, but also for simulated guidance in situations where no actual disaster has occurred, such as evacuation drills and evacuation simulations.

[0085] (Effect of outputting evacuation routes included in one evacuation route group in the output process) Evacuation routes included in the optimal evacuation route group identified in the calculation process that are suitable for the area where the output device is installed can be output to the output device and used for evacuation route guidance.

[0086] (Effects of highlighting evacuation routes, restricted areas, etc.) The output device makes it easy for viewers to visually identify the correct evacuation route and the incorrect (not to be taken) evacuation route.

[0087] (Effects of using both wired and wireless communication) Even if some wired communication lines are cut off during a disaster, wireless communication can be used to make it easier to maintain information transmission and reception. Under normal circumstances, wired communication can be used to make it easier to maintain information transmission and reception.

[0088] (Effects of calculating evacuation completion time using discrete event analysis) By precisely setting information about the target of route guidance, such as personnel deployment, to match the actual situation, it becomes possible to obtain highly accurate prediction values ​​(evacuation completion time).

[0089] (Effects of conducting a warning process) In the stage prior to the calculation process, it becomes possible to prepare the second piece of information while ensuring the minimum estimated time for evacuation completion that can be used as guidance for evacuation routes.

[0090] (Effect of outputting evacuation routes included in a single group of evacuation routes to a mobile terminal via short-range wireless communication) Evacuation routes included in the optimal single group of evacuation routes identified in the calculation process, which match the area containing the location information of a mobile terminal that can communicate via short-range wireless communication, can be output to the mobile terminal and used for evacuation route guidance.

[0091] (Effect of having a mobile device that emits its own location information output an evacuation route included in a single group of evacuation routes) An evacuation route included in the optimal single group of evacuation routes identified in the calculation process, which matches the area containing the location information of the mobile device that emits its own location information, can be output to the mobile device and used for evacuation route guidance.

[0092] (Application Examples of the 11th Data Area DA11 and the 13th Data Area DA13) In this embodiment, an example was described in which the 11th data area DA11 shows information (first information) regarding personnel allocation for each time period and for each departure area of ​​the route guidance target B1, and the 13th data area DA13 shows information (second information) regarding the predicted evacuation completion time for each time period and for each of two or more candidate evacuation route groups. However, it is also possible for the 11th data area DA11 to show information (first information) regarding personnel allocation for each departure area of ​​the route guidance target B1 without considering the time period, and for the 13th data area DA13 to show information (second information) regarding the predicted evacuation completion time for each of two or more candidate evacuation route groups without considering the time period.

[0093] (Application example of discrete event analysis) In this embodiment, an example was described in which the content of the 13th data area DA13 is generated by discrete event analysis. However, the discrete event analysis may further generate the content of the 12th data area DA12 (candidate groups of two or more evacuation routes, including evacuation routes for each disaster location and each type of disaster) from the internal structure of the route guidance target B1.

[0094] (Examples of applications of route guidance target B1) In this embodiment, an example was described in which route guidance target B1 is a building that includes multiple starting areas. However, route guidance target B1 may also be a region that includes multiple starting areas.

[0095] (Example of application in disaster areas) In this embodiment, an example was described in which a disaster such as a fire occurs inside the route guidance target B1, and evacuation routes for people inside the route guidance target B1 to escape to the outside are guided for each departure area. Accordingly, each of the areas obtained by dividing each floor of the route guidance target B1 corresponds to a departure area, and one or more exits on the first floor of the route guidance target B1 correspond to an arrival area. However, it is also possible to provide an evacuation route for people inside the route guidance target B1 to evacuate to a predetermined area of ​​the route guidance target B1 (for example, a high floor) for each departure area, in the case of a disaster such as a tsunami occurring outside the route guidance target B1. In this case, each of the areas obtained by dividing each floor of the route guidance target B1 corresponds to a departure area, and one or more departure areas on a high floor (for example, the 6th floor) of the route guidance target B1 correspond to an arrival area.

[0096] (Application example of Information Provision System 1) In this embodiment, the Information Provision System 1 has been described as having an information server 10 and a user terminal 30 as separate entities. However, the device corresponding to the information server 10 and the device corresponding to the user terminal 30 may be configured as an integrated unit, for example, the user terminal 30 may also perform the functions of the information server 10.

[0097] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0098] 1 Information Provision System 10 Information Server 11 Server Communication Unit 13 Server Recording Unit 15 Server Control Unit 30 User Terminal 31 User-Side Communication Unit 33 User-Side Recording Unit 35 User-Side Control Unit 36 ​​User-Side Input Unit 37 User-Side Output Unit A11-A15 11th Departure Area - 15th Departure Area A11a-A15a 11th Detection Device - 15th Detection Device A11b-A15b 11th Output Device - 16th Output Device A21-A25 21st Departure Area - 25th Departure Area A21a-A25a 21st Detection Device - 25th Detection Device A21b-A25b 21st Output Device - 26th Output Device A31-A35 31st Departure Area - 35th Departure Area A31a-A35a 31st Detection Device - 35th Detection Device A31b-A35b Output devices 31 to 36: A41 to A45; Departure area 41 to 45: A41a to A45a; Detection device 41 to 45: A41b to A45b; Output devices 41 to 46: A51 to A55; Departure area 51 to 55: A51a to A55a; Detection device 51 to 55: A51b to A55b; Output devices 51 to 56: A61 to A65; Departure area 61 to 65: A61a to A65a; Detection device 61 to 65: A61b to A65b; Output devices 61 to 66: B1; Route guidance target: B1a to B1c; Staircase 1 to 3rd: B1d; Escalator: B1e; Elevator: D1; Database 1: DA11 to DA13 Data Area 11 to Data Area 13

Claims

1. An information provision program that provides evacuation routes from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more destination areas in the route guidance target, the program performing a calculation step of identifying one evacuation route group from the two or more candidate evacuation route groups based on first information relating to personnel allocation for each departure area, second information relating to two or more candidate evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster occurrence location and for each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups, third information relating to the estimated evacuation completion time for each disaster occurrence location and for each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups calculated based on the first information and the second information, and fourth information relating to at least the location of the disaster.

2. The information provision program according to claim 1, which performs an output step of causing an output device provided for each group of departure areas that includes at least one of the departure areas to be guided to output an evacuation route corresponding to the group of departure areas on which the output device is provided in the one group of evacuation routes identified in the calculation step.

3. The information provision system according to claim 2, wherein in the output step, at least a portion of the evacuation route is highlighted in a first way, and at least a portion of the traffic restriction area not used as an evacuation route is highlighted in a second way different from the first way.

4. The information provision program according to claim 2, wherein the route guidance target includes at least a first departure area and a second departure area as one or more departure areas, a first departure area group including at least the first departure area is provided with a first output device as one of the output devices, a second departure area group including at least the second departure area is provided with a second output device as one of the output devices, the first output device outputs a first evacuation route for at least a person in the first departure area that is included in one evacuation route group, and the second output device outputs a second evacuation route for at least a person in the second departure area that is included in one evacuation route group.

5. The information provision program according to claim 2, wherein the transmission of information to the output device provided for each of the starting region groups in the output step is performed via wired communication, and separately from the wired communication, it is also performed via wireless communication.

6. The information provision program according to claim 1, wherein the calculation of the estimated time for completion of evacuation for each of the one or more candidate evacuation route groups is performed by a program that performs discrete event analysis, which is included in the information provision program or is configured separately from the information provision program.

7. The information provision program according to claim 1, wherein the predicted evacuation completion time is the time required for all persons in the one or more departure areas to complete their movement from the one or more departure areas to any of the one or more arrival areas, and in the calculation step, among the two or more candidate evacuation route groups, the one evacuation route group that results in the shortest predicted evacuation completion time in correspondence with the fourth information is selected.

8. The information provision program according to claim 7, which, before the calculation step, performs a warning step that prompts setting up another evacuation route group and changing the layout of the departure area if the predicted evacuation completion time for each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups corresponding to a predetermined disaster location in the second information is equal to or greater than a time threshold.

9. An information provision system that provides evacuation routes from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more destination areas in the route guidance target, comprising: a control unit that performs a calculation step of identifying one evacuation route group from the two or more candidate evacuation route groups based on: first information relating to personnel allocation for each departure area; second information relating to two or more candidate evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster occurrence location and each of the one or more candidate evacuation route groups, third information relating to the estimated evacuation completion time for each disaster occurrence location and each of the one or more candidate evacuation route groups calculated based on the first information and the second information; and fourth information relating to at least the location of the disaster; and a short-range wireless communication device provided for each departure area group including the one or more departure areas, which performs short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal, wherein the control unit causes the mobile terminal to output an evacuation route corresponding to the departure area group including the mobile terminal's location information in one of the evacuation route groups to the mobile terminal via the short-range wireless communication device.

10. An information provision system that provides evacuation routes from each of one or more departure areas in a route guidance target to one or more destination areas in the route guidance target, comprising: a control unit that performs a calculation step of identifying one evacuation route group from the two or more candidate evacuation route groups based on first information relating to personnel allocation for each departure area; second information relating to two or more candidate evacuation route groups including evacuation routes for each disaster location and each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups, third information relating to the estimated time of completion of evacuation for each disaster location and each of the two or more candidate evacuation route groups calculated based on the first information and the second information; and fourth information relating to at least the location of the disaster; and a communication unit that receives location information of a mobile terminal, wherein the control unit causes the mobile terminal to output an evacuation route corresponding to the departure area including the location information of the mobile terminal in the one evacuation route group via the communication unit.

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