JP5459837B2 - Emergency vehicle support device, emergency vehicle support system, and emergency vehicle support method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an emergency vehicle support technology that supports driving of an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or a patrol car.

  In recent years, systems for providing information on road traffic conditions such as traffic congestion to general vehicles (passenger cars, buses, trucks, etc.) traveling on the road are becoming widespread. Specifically, the information providing method includes a variable information board (display) installed on the road side of a road, a car navigation system (car navigation system) installed in a vehicle, or a VICS (linkable with a car navigation system). It is realized by a road traffic information communication system called vehicle information and communication system.

  With such a system, general vehicles traveling on the road can provide information on travel time, traffic congestion, route to the destination, etc. in the form of numerical data or schematic data. It has been broken.

  On the road, in addition to ordinary vehicles, special vehicles called emergency vehicles such as ambulances and police patrol cars run. When an emergency vehicle is traveling on a road, a general vehicle often reduces the traveling speed. They may also stop on the roadside or avoid other roads. That is, in general, traveling of an emergency vehicle often affects road traffic conditions.

  Conventionally, the prior art which notifies the approach of an emergency vehicle with respect to a general vehicle is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1). In addition, a system for managing the operation of an emergency vehicle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Furthermore, a method for guiding the route of an emergency vehicle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent No. 3780262 Japanese Patent No. 3394597 Japanese Patent No. 3501040

  The prior art described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 does not support the travel of the emergency vehicle to the target point when the emergency vehicle is dispatched. In addition, the prior art described in Patent Document 3 is an extension of normal car navigation system route guidance, and driving assistance that reflects road traffic phenomena when an emergency vehicle actually travels on a road. Is not intended to do.

  As mentioned above, when an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or police patrol car actually travels on the road, there is an influence of the road traffic situation that the average traveling speed of ordinary vehicles decreases near the emergency vehicle. To do. Moreover, depending on the situation of the mixing ratio of large vehicles on the road on which the emergency vehicle travels, there is a possibility that the emergency vehicle itself may be difficult to travel.

  Therefore, in order to effectively perform the travel support of the emergency vehicle, it is required to provide the emergency vehicle with travel support information considering the road traffic situation when the emergency vehicle travels. However, conventionally, a system or the like that can provide travel support information considering road traffic conditions when an emergency vehicle travels has not been realized.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide effective travel support for an emergency vehicle by providing the emergency vehicle with travel support information in consideration of road traffic conditions.

  An aspect of the present invention is an emergency vehicle support device that dynamically recognizes a road traffic situation when an emergency vehicle travels and generates route information suitable for the travel of the emergency vehicle based on the road traffic situation.

An emergency vehicle support device according to an aspect of the present invention uses a means for recognizing a current road traffic situation based on road situation information collected by sensor means installed on a road, and the road situation information. , With reference to a recognition means including a prediction means for predicting a future road traffic situation, and an information reflecting the recognition result of the current road traffic situation and the prediction result of the future road traffic situation in a road network A route search means for searching for an optimum route on a road for the vehicle to travel to a destination according to a preset rule, a generation means for generating route information indicating a route searched by the route search means, comprising an information providing unit for providing driving assistance information including the routing information on the emergency vehicle, the route search means, as the rule, road width, traffic conditions and large vehicles A traveling speed of the emergency vehicle based on mixture ratio, in order to select the optimum path by the relationship between the arrival time to arrive at almost just-in-time when traffic congestion shortest time or the destination as the arrival time at the destination And the route indicating the traffic congestion situation where the road traffic condition exceeds the standard is selected as the optimum route based on the rule .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to implement | achieve the effective driving | operation assistance of an emergency vehicle by providing the emergency vehicle with the route information which considered the road traffic situation at the time of driving | running | working of an emergency vehicle as driving assistance information.

The block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the emergency vehicle assistance system regarding the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the system regarding this embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the system regarding this embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the principal part of the route information preparation part regarding this embodiment. The block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the emergency vehicle assistance system regarding 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the emergency vehicle support system. As shown in FIG. 1, the emergency vehicle support system according to the present embodiment is roughly composed of a roadside sensor 1, a control center system 10, and an emergency vehicle management system 16.

  The roadside sensor 1 has a large number of vehicle detectors installed on the roadside of the road, and measures roadside data such as traffic volume on the road, average speed of traveling vehicles, and traffic density (road occupation ratio).

  The control center system 10 includes a computer system and is included in the road traffic control system. In the present embodiment, the control center system 10 will be described as a main part of the emergency vehicle support system. The control center system 10 creates and transmits optimum route information (recommended route information) as travel support information to be provided to the emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle management system 16 transmits the route information transmitted from the control center system 10 to the emergency vehicle 20 that is moving or traveling by wireless communication.

  The control center system 10 includes a roadside data management unit 11, a roadside data database (roadside data DB) 12, a roadside data analysis unit 13, and an emergency vehicle recommended route information creation unit (hereinafter referred to as a route information creation unit) 14. And an emergency vehicle recommended route information transmission unit (hereinafter referred to as a route information transmission unit) 15.

  The roadside data management unit 11 collects roadside data measured by the roadside sensor 1 using, for example, wired communication, and stores and manages it in the roadside data DB 12. The roadside data DB 12 stores past and current roadside data. The roadside data management unit 11 refers to the roadside data DB 12 to acquire roadside data at a certain point in time or roadside data for a specified period, and provides it according to requests from other functional units.

  The roadside data analysis unit 13 performs analysis of past and current roadside data managed by the roadside data management unit 11, and road traffic situation data indicating the current road traffic situation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as road data). Is). The route information creation unit 14 recognizes the current road traffic situation using the road data that is the analysis result from the roadside data analysis unit 13 and the past and current roadside data from the roadside data management unit 11, and in the future. Predict road traffic conditions. Furthermore, the route information creation unit 14 creates recommended route information (optimum route information) for emergency vehicles based on the current road traffic situation and the predicted future road traffic situation.

  The route information transmission unit 15 transmits the recommended route information created by the route information creation unit 14 and the past and current roadside data managed by the roadside data management unit 11 to the emergency vehicle management system 16. The emergency vehicle management system 16 exchanges information with the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the emergency vehicle 20 via the wireless communication network, and transmits recommended route information to the emergency vehicle 20. Further, the emergency vehicle management system 16 manages the position, travel speed, and the like of the traveling emergency vehicle 20 based on information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the emergency vehicle 20.

(System operation)
Hereinafter, a method for providing route information to the emergency vehicle 20 will be described as an operation of the emergency vehicle support system of the present embodiment mainly with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in the control center system 10, the roadside data management unit 11 constantly collects roadside data from the roadside sensor 1 and accumulates it in the roadside data DB 12. The roadside data analysis unit 13 analyzes past and current roadside data managed by the roadside data management unit 11 and generates road data indicating the current road traffic situation.

  By the way, the road traffic control system handles the entire road to be managed as a road network, and manages it by dividing it into a plurality of road sections. Each road section is a section having a length of several hundred meters to several kilometers, and is defined by nodes and links as will be described later. The node represents the end point of the section, and the link represents the road portion of the section.

  The roadside data analysis unit 13 analyzes the current road traffic situation by analyzing the temporal transition of past roadside data (section traffic volume, average speed of traveling vehicles, traffic density, etc.) of each road section. Output road data. In this case, the roadside data analysis unit 13 uses a method of creating a time series model by using an autoregressive model that uses past time series data in each road section as an analysis method of the past temporal transition. is there.

  Next, the route information creation unit 14 creates recommended route information (optimum route information) for emergency vehicles by executing a processing procedure as shown in FIG. First, the route information creation unit 14 recognizes the current road traffic situation (step S1). The route information creation unit 14 uses the roadside data managed by the roadside data management unit 11 to calculate the traffic volume of each road section, the average speed of traveling vehicles, and the traffic density, thereby obtaining the current road traffic situation. Get the road data shown.

  Further, the route information creation unit 14 predicts the future road traffic situation by using the road data indicating the current road traffic situation as an initial value and predicting the future road data as time series data (step S2). ). Specifically, the route information creation unit 14 uses the autoregressive model that uses the time series data of the road data of each section obtained from the roadside data analysis unit 13 to predict the future road traffic situation prediction result. (Road data for each section) is calculated.

  Next, the route information creation unit 14 reflects the current road traffic situation and the prediction result of the future road traffic situation on the road network composed of each road section defined by the node and the link, so that the road network The cost information of the link is calculated (step S3).

The cost information is information indicating the degree of traffic congestion on a link (a road part where a vehicle travels) of each road section. That is, for example, assuming the average running speed of the vehicle on each road section as the standard congestion degree,
Defines the degree of traffic congestion that is inversely proportional to the average travel speed. Specifically, if the average travel speed on a certain link increases, the traffic congestion degree decreases. Conversely, if the average travel speed decreases, the traffic congestion degree increases. A decrease in the average traveling speed means that the road section is congested and the vehicle is in a slow driving situation.

  The route information creation unit 14 determines route selection of an emergency vehicle, which will be described later, based on the cost information of the link of each road section. In general, it is difficult to select a route including a link with a high traffic congestion degree as an appropriate route for an emergency vehicle.

  After executing the processing as described above, the route information creation unit 14 sets the departure point of the emergency vehicle 20 as the support target as the start point and the target point as the end point (step S4). The emergency vehicle management system 16 acquires the departure point and the target point of the emergency vehicle 20 by exchanging information with the dispatched emergency vehicle 20 and notifies the control center system 10 of the information.

The route information creation unit 14 performs route search processing for selecting an optimum route on which the emergency vehicle 20 travels based on the set start point and end point (step S5). The route information creation unit 14
For example, using the Dijkstra method, a route search is performed in consideration of the above-described current situation and future road traffic conditions. The Dijkstra method is a method for calculating the shortest route on a road network using a Dijkstra's algorithm.

  The route information creation unit 14 selects an optimum route (for example, a route that can reach the end point in the shortest time) on which the emergency vehicle 20 travels, and generates it as recommended route information for the emergency vehicle 20 (step S6).

  The route information transmission unit 15 transmits the recommended route information created by the route information creation unit 14 and the past and current roadside data managed by the roadside data management unit 11 to the emergency vehicle management system 16. The emergency vehicle management system 16 transmits recommended route information to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the emergency vehicle 20 via the wireless communication network. Here, the emergency vehicle management system 16 manages the position, traveling speed, and the like of the traveling emergency vehicle 20 based on information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the emergency vehicle 20.

(How to create route information)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of the route information creation unit 14. Hereinafter, the route information creation method of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the route information creation unit 14 includes a micro traffic flow simulator 140, a simulation result database (DB) 141, and a route search unit 142. The micro traffic flow simulator 140 and the route search unit 142 are functions realized by software executed by a computer that is a main part of the control center system 10.

  The micro traffic flow simulator 140 executes a simulation using a model that simulates the behavior of a single vehicle traveling on a road in a traffic flow simulation corresponding to a normal road network.

  The micro traffic flow simulator 140 recognizes the current road traffic situation based on the roadside data from the roadside data management unit 11 (step S11). Further, the micro traffic flow simulator 140 uses road data indicating the current road traffic situation as an initial value, executes a micro traffic flow simulation of the target road network, and stores the simulation result in the database (DB) 141. (Step S12).

  That is, the micro traffic flow simulator 140 calculates future road data as time series data, and calculates a prediction result obtained by predicting a future road traffic situation. In this case, the micro traffic flow simulator 140 may limit the road range to be simulated based on the destination of the dispatched emergency vehicle 20. The micro traffic flow simulator 140 executes the micro traffic flow simulation in a processing time of about 5 minutes, for example.

  Next, the route search unit 142 reflects the current road traffic situation and the prediction result of the future road traffic situation on a road network composed of road sections defined by nodes and links, and Link cost information is calculated (step S13). The route search unit 142 sets the departure point of the emergency vehicle 20 to be supported as the start point and the target point as the end point (step S14).

  The route search unit 142 starts route search processing for selecting an optimum route on which the emergency vehicle 20 travels based on the set start point and end point (step S15). That is, as described above, the route search unit 142 uses the Dijkstra method to execute a route search in consideration of the current state and the future road traffic state described above. Here, the route search unit 142 extracts several cases of route candidates in order of priority of the optimum degree (step S16).

  The micro traffic flow simulator 140 executes a micro traffic flow simulation assuming that the emergency vehicle 20 actually travels for the route candidate selected by the route search unit 142 (step S17). The route search unit 142 verifies route candidates based on the simulation result by the micro traffic flow simulator 140 and finally selects an optimum route (recommended route).

  Here, the micro traffic flow simulator 140 can execute an effective simulation when the emergency vehicle 20 travels by creating a rule for a phenomenon assumed when the emergency vehicle 20 travels on a normal road. Therefore, the route search unit 142 can select an optimum route (recommended route) by effectively using the micro traffic flow simulation result.

  As a specific example of the first rule, when the emergency vehicle 20 travels on a road, it can be assumed that a general vehicle traveling in the vicinity of the emergency vehicle 20 avoids and stops on the side road of the road. . Thereby, on the said road, it will become a phenomenon in which the driving average speed and traffic volume of a vehicle fall rapidly. Here, depending on the traffic congestion situation on the road and the situation of large vehicles mixed in the general vehicle, it may be assumed that the general vehicle is difficult to avoid the side road. In such a case, it is assumed that the emergency vehicle 20 is difficult to travel and the traveling speed is reduced.

  Therefore, based on the road width, first threshold values are set in stages for the traffic congestion situation and the mixing ratio of large vehicles, and the traveling speed of the emergency vehicle 20 at the traffic congestion point is determined based on these threshold values. Create a rule for

  In addition, as a specific example of the second rule, even on a road in a non-congested area, when the emergency vehicle 20 travels, a part of a general vehicle in the vicinity of the road may avoid and stop on the side road of the road. Can be assumed. Thereby, the 2nd rule which lowers the average running speed of vehicles near emergency vehicle 20 from the measured value is created. It should be noted that the threshold value of the rule and the speed reduction situation may be determined by extracting data during emergency vehicle travel from roadside data and analyzing them.

  By the route search processing as described above, the route information creation unit 14 selects an optimum route (for example, a route that can reach the end point in the shortest time) on which the emergency vehicle 20 travels, and generates it as recommended route information (step S18). ). Therefore, the emergency vehicle 20 at the time of dispatch or traveling can acquire recommended route information optimal for traveling considering current and future road traffic conditions (particularly traffic congestion) as a traveling route to the destination. In this case, route information in consideration of road traffic conditions at the lane level or in units of vehicles can be created by route search when the micro traffic flow simulation is executed, so that more effective route information is provided to the emergency vehicle 20. It becomes possible. As a result, the optimum route information can be provided to the emergency vehicle as the travel support information in consideration of the road traffic situation during the travel of the emergency vehicle, so that the travel support of the emergency vehicle can be effectively performed.

  Hereinafter, specific effects of this embodiment will be described.

  In general, when an emergency vehicle 20 such as an ambulance or a police patrol car travels on a road, the average travel speed of a general vehicle traveling in the vicinity of the emergency vehicle 20 decreases as an influence thereof, and the degree of traffic congestion increases. . Moreover, depending on the situation of the mixing ratio of large vehicles among general vehicles, there is a possibility that the emergency vehicle 20 may be difficult to travel. In the present embodiment, since it is possible to provide route information in consideration of the road traffic situation due to the travel of the emergency vehicle 20, the travel of the emergency vehicle 20 can be effectively supported.

  The system of the present embodiment can provide route information that allows the emergency vehicle 20 to arrive at the destination in the shortest time as optimum route information. By the way, when the emergency vehicle 20 travels, as described above, the general vehicle has a situation where the traveling speed is reduced and the emergency vehicle 20 is avoided. For this reason, the traveling of the emergency vehicle 20 may cause the traveling speed of the general vehicle to be uniform at a low level in the road section.

  Therefore, by using the system of this embodiment, the emergency vehicle 20 is a police patrol car that performs patrol patrols. It is also possible to provide optimal route information (driving support information) that can be reached. That is, when the emergency vehicle 20 arrives at the destination in a traffic jam just in time, the traveling speed of the general vehicle at the destination can be made uniform at a low level, and the traffic jam can be alleviated.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the emergency vehicle support system according to the second embodiment. The emergency vehicle support system of the present embodiment is configured to use the roadside infrastructure facility 30 as information communication means between the control center system 10 and the emergency vehicle 20. In addition, about the component similar to the emergency vehicle assistance system regarding 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In addition to the roadside data management unit 11, roadside data DB 12, roadside data analysis unit 13, route information creation unit 14, and route information transmission unit 15, the control center system 10 according to the present embodiment includes an emergency vehicle provision information creation unit (hereinafter referred to as “the emergency vehicle information provision unit”). A provision information creation section) 17 and an emergency vehicle provision information transmission section (hereinafter referred to as provision information transmission section) 18.

  The roadside infrastructure facility 30 includes a roadside infrastructure emergency vehicle provision information creation processing unit (hereinafter referred to as provision information creation processing unit) 31 and a roadside infrastructure emergency vehicle provision information transmission processing unit (hereinafter referred to as provision information transmission). 32).

  Further, the emergency vehicle 20 includes an emergency vehicle onboard device provided information receiving unit (hereinafter referred to as a provided information receiving unit) 22 and an emergency vehicle onboard device information providing unit (hereinafter referred to as an information providing unit) 23. A vessel 21 is mounted.

(Function and effect)
In the case of the system according to the present embodiment, even when the emergency vehicle management system 16 included in the system is not included in the first embodiment, the optimum route information created by the control center system 10 is transmitted via the roadside infrastructure facility 30. Thus, it can be provided directly to the vehicle-mounted device 21 of the emergency vehicle 20. Hereinafter, the operation of the system of the present embodiment will be specifically described. Note that the method for creating route information is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The provided information creating unit 17 creates provided information having a format configuration for providing as travel support information for the emergency vehicle 20 based on the recommended route information created by the route information creating unit 14. The provided information transmitting unit 18 transmits the provided information created by the provided information creating unit 17 to the roadside infrastructure facility 30 by wireless communication, for example.

  In the roadside infrastructure facility 30, the provision information creation processing unit 31 creates provision information to be provided to the emergency vehicle 20 according to the installation location of the roadside infrastructure facility 30. Specifically, depending on the location where the roadside infrastructure facility 30 is installed, the spot information, ID information, and the like of the roadside infrastructure facility 30 are attached to the provision information transmitted from the provision information transmission unit 18.

  The provision information transmission processing unit 32 transmits the provision information created by the provision information creation processing unit 31 to the emergency vehicle 20 traveling on the road by wireless communication. In this case, the provided information transmission processing unit 32 uses, for example, DSRC (dedicated short range communication) as a wireless communication unit.

  On the other hand, the traveling emergency vehicle 20 receives the provision information (including recommended route information) transmitted by the provision information transmission processing unit 32 at the provision information receiving unit 22 of the vehicle-mounted device 21. In the in-vehicle device 21, the information providing unit 23 acquires provided information (including recommended route information) from the provided information receiving unit 22, reproduces it, and displays it on the on-vehicle device monitor screen.

As described above, the driver and the occupant of the emergency vehicle 20 are on the screen of the vehicle-mounted device monitor.
The optimum route information to the destination created by the control center system 10 can be confirmed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, an optimum route for the traveling emergency vehicle 20 using the existing roadside infrastructure facility 30 without using a special system such as the emergency vehicle management system 16 is required. Information can be provided as driving support information.

  With the system according to the present embodiment, roadside infrastructure equipment is provided until the emergency vehicle 20 arrives at the target point, with the recommended route information taking into account the latest road traffic conditions that change from moment to moment even when the emergency vehicle 20 is traveling. It is possible to provide for each point where 30 is installed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Roadside sensor, 10 ... Control center system, 11 ... Roadside data management part,
12 ... Roadside data database (roadside data DB), 13 ... Roadside data analysis unit,
14 ... Emergency vehicle recommended route information creation unit (route information creation unit)
15 ... Emergency vehicle recommended route information transmission unit (route information transmission unit), 16 ... Emergency vehicle management system,
17 ... Emergency vehicle provision information creation unit (provision information creation unit),
18 ... Provision information transmission unit for emergency vehicles (provided information transmission unit), 20 ... Emergency vehicle,
21 ... Onboard equipment, 22 ... Emergency vehicle onboard equipment provided information receiving section (provided information receiving section),
23 ... Emergency vehicle in-vehicle information providing unit (information providing unit), 30 ... Roadside infrastructure facilities,
31 ... Provision information creation processing unit (provided information creation processing unit) for emergency vehicles in roadside infrastructure,
32 ... Provided information transmission processing unit (provided information transmission processing unit) for emergency vehicles in roadside infrastructure.

Claims (5)

Including means for recognizing a current road traffic situation based on road situation information collected by sensor means installed on the road and a prediction means for predicting a future road traffic situation using the road situation information Recognition means;
By referring to the information reflecting the recognition result of the current road traffic situation and the prediction result of the future road traffic situation in the road network, an optimal route on the road for the emergency vehicle to travel to the destination is previously determined. Route search means for searching according to the set rules;
Generating means for generating route information indicating the route searched by the route searching means;
Comprising information providing means for providing the emergency vehicle with driving support information including the route information,
The route search means includes
As the rules, the emergency vehicle travel speed based on the road width, traffic jam condition, and the mixing ratio of large vehicles, and the arrival time to the destination can be reached in the shortest time or almost just in time when the destination is congested Use rules to select the best route according to the arrival time ,
An emergency vehicle support device configured to select, as an optimal route, a route indicating a traffic congestion state where road traffic conditions exceed a standard based on the rule . The recognition means is
2. The emergency vehicle support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the prediction means includes means for executing a micro traffic flow simulation that uses a current road traffic situation as an initial value . The route search means includes
The emergency vehicle support device according to claim 2 , configured to search for the optimum route based on a prediction result of a road traffic situation for each lane on the road as a result of the micro traffic flow simulation . The emergency vehicle support device according to claim 1,
A vehicle-mounted device mounted on the emergency vehicle and including means for receiving the driving support information transmitted by the information providing means and displaying the route information included in the driving support information on a display screen;
An emergency vehicle support system comprising: An emergency vehicle support method applied to an emergency vehicle support device for supporting an emergency vehicle to travel to a destination,
Processing for recognizing the current road traffic situation based on road situation information collected by sensor means installed on the road;
Using the road condition information to predict future road traffic conditions;
By referring to the information reflecting the recognition result of the current road traffic situation and the prediction result of the future road traffic situation in the road network, an optimal route on the road for the emergency vehicle to travel to the destination is previously determined. A process of searching according to the set rules,
Processing for generating route information indicating the searched route;
Providing driving support information including the route information to the emergency vehicle,
The searching process is as follows:
As the rules, the emergency vehicle travel speed based on the road width, traffic jam condition, and the mixing ratio of large vehicles, and the arrival time to the destination can be reached in the shortest time or almost just in time when the destination is congested Use rules to select the best route according to the arrival time,
An emergency vehicle support method for selecting, as an optimum route, a route indicating a traffic congestion state where road traffic conditions exceed a standard based on the rule .

Images