Evacuation Route Generation Using Real-Time Crowdedness Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing evacuation systems guide evacuees to predetermined evacuation places without considering the crowdedness of these areas, leading to inefficient evacuations as additional evacuees are directed to already crowded destinations.

Innovation Solution

An evacuation support system that acquires position information of evacuees and crowdedness information of potential evacuation destinations, determines a less crowded evacuation destination, and generates a route to that destination, thereby improving evacuation efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If evacuees are guided to predetermined evacuation places, then evacuation guidance is simplified, but evacuation efficiency deteriorates when the destination is already crowded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveevacuation guidance simplicityVSAvoidevacuation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically determines evacuation destinations based on real-time crowdedness information rather than using fixed predetermined destinations. The evacuation route generation unit continuously monitors crowdedness levels and adjusts destination selections to avoid crowded areas, thereby maintaining guidance simplicity while improving evacuation efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback loops where crowdedness information is continuously acquired and used to adjust evacuation destination determinations. This feedback mechanism allows the system to respond to changing conditions in real-time, preventing guidance to already crowded areas while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Quantity of substance

If additional evacuees are guided to the same evacuation place, then evacuation coverage is increased, but congestion at the destination increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveevacuee coverageVSAvoidcongestion at destination

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments evacuees into different groups and assigns them to different evacuation destinations based on real-time crowdedness information. By dividing the evacuation flow into multiple directed paths to different locations, the system increases overall evacuee coverage while preventing concentration at single destinations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different evacuation destination assignments to different evacuee groups based on their locations and the local crowdedness conditions. This localized approach ensures that evacuees are directed to appropriate destinations considering local conditions, thereby increasing coverage without creating harmful congestion at any single location.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250180359A1Evacuation support system, evacuation support apparatus, evacuation support method, and non-transitory computer readable medium

Publication Date: 2025.06.05 NEC CORP

AI summary

An evacuation support system (1001) according to the present disclosure is an evacuation support apparatus including an acquisition unit (1), an evacuation route generation unit (2), and a notification unit (3). The acquisition unit (1) acquires position information of an evacuee's original place and crowdedness information of an evacuation destination candidate. An evacuation route generation unit (2) determines an evacuation destination based on the crowdedness information, and generates an evacuation route from the evacuee's original place to the determined evacuation destination. A notification unit (3) notifies an evacuee of the generated evacuation route.