JP7797366B2 - Information system inside tunnels - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information provision system for use in tunnels.

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

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-193650

In the system described in Patent Document 1, in order for users to obtain emergency equipment information in the event of an emergency, they need on-board equipment equipped with a position detector that detects the vehicle's location. Therefore, users of vehicles that do not have such on-board equipment are unable to obtain emergency equipment information. Furthermore, in the event of an emergency such as an accident or fire, there are situations in which users must exit their vehicle and head to the emergency equipment, but once they exit the vehicle, they are unable to check the emergency equipment information on the on-board equipment.

The present invention was made in response to the above-mentioned problems, and provides an information provision system for tunnels that allows users to obtain information inside tunnels without using on-board equipment.

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

According to the present invention, a user can obtain, on the mobile device he or she owns, either or both of operation method information and evacuation method information for disaster prevention equipment for which first location information has been acquired on the mobile device.

1 is a system configuration diagram of an information providing system according to a first embodiment; 1 is a functional block diagram of an information providing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of an output from an output device of a mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an information providing system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information providing system according to the second embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an output from a mobile terminal according to a second embodiment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When the receiving device 34 receives the first wireless signal, the control device 31 generates a second wireless signal that includes the first location information contained in the first wireless signal. The control device 31 then controls the communication device 32 to transmit the second wireless signal to the server 40. Furthermore, when the communication device 32 receives a provided information signal transmitted from the server 40, the control device 31 stores the information contained in the provided information signal in the storage device 33. The control device 31 then controls the output device 35 to output the provided information stored in the storage device 33.

The server 40 comprises a control device 41, a communication device 42, and a storage device 43. Note that the functions of the server 40 described below may be realized by a single physical device, or may be realized by multiple devices.

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

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

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

Figure 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information provision system 100 according to embodiment 1. With reference to Figure 3, the operation of each device will be described using the example of a case in which a user carrying a mobile terminal 30 encounters a fire in a tunnel. The signal output device 20 periodically outputs a first wireless signal. When the user who has encountered a fire approaches disaster prevention equipment with the mobile terminal 30, the mobile terminal 30 receives the first wireless signal (t1).

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

The server 40 receives the second wireless signal, searches the database 44 based on the first location information contained in the second wireless signal, and obtains the provided information corresponding to the first location information (t3). The server 40 then transmits a provided information signal containing the provided information to the mobile terminal 30 (t4).

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

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of output from the output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 according to embodiment 1. Figures 4(A), (B), and (C) show examples of display in process t5 of the output device 35, which is a display, when operation method information and evacuation method information are transmitted as provided information in process t4 of Figure 3.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the output device 35 displays an area titled "Who wants to put out the fire?", which corresponds to operation section 36a of the touch panel. The output device 35 also displays an area titled "Who wants to evacuate?", which corresponds to operation section 36b of the touch panel. If the user wants to put out the fire, i.e., if they want to know how to operate the disaster prevention equipment, they select operation section 36a, and if they want to evacuate, they select operation section 36b.

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

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

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

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

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

Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of an information provision system 100A according to embodiment 2. The information provision system 100A according to this embodiment includes a fire detector 50 and a monitoring terminal 60.

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

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

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

In this embodiment, the server 40 has a database 44A that associates first location information indicating the location of disaster prevention equipment, second location information indicating the location of a fire, and evacuation method information. The server 40 searches the database 44A to obtain evacuation method information based on the first location information contained in the second wireless signal received from the mobile terminal 30 and the location information of the fire detector 50 contained in the signal received from the fire detector 50. As described in embodiment 1, the evacuation method information is the distance to the emergency exit adjacent to each disaster prevention equipment and the direction of the emergency exit. In this embodiment, based on the first location information and the second location information, an emergency exit suitable for evacuation is searched for as evacuation method information from among multiple emergency exits. Specifically, for example, information on one or more emergency exits that are located in a direction away from the location of the fire indicated by the second location information, among multiple emergency exits adjacent to the disaster prevention equipment indicated by the first location information, is searched for as evacuation method information.

Figure 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the information provision system 100A according to embodiment 2. In Figure 6, the same processes as those described in Figure 3 are assigned the same reference numerals. The following description will focus on the processes that differ from Figure 3.

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

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

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

Here, the timing at which the server 40 acquires the second wireless signal from the mobile terminal 30 and the timing at which it acquires the third wireless signal from the fire detector 50 are not fixed. Therefore, if the server 40 acquires either the second wireless signal or the third wireless signal within a predetermined first time period after acquiring the other, it may acquire evacuation method information based on the second and third wireless signals. If the server 40 is unable to acquire either the second or third wireless signal even after the predetermined first time period has elapsed since acquiring the other, it may acquire evacuation method information from the database 44A based on the acquired second or third wireless signal. In this way, evacuation method information can be provided to the mobile terminal 30 quickly.

The server 40 then transmits a provision information signal indicating the provision information to the mobile terminal 30 (t4). The mobile terminal 30, having received the provision information signal, outputs the received provision information from the output device 35 (t5). This allows the user carrying the mobile terminal 30 to obtain the evacuation method information contained in the provision information.

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example display of a mobile terminal 30 according to embodiment 2. Figure 7 corresponds to Figure 4(C). As shown in Figure 7, the output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 displays the direction and distance to an emergency exit selected based on the second location information from among multiple emergency exits adjacent to the first location information of the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located. As can be seen by comparing Figure 7 with Figure 4(C), while Figure 4(C) displays information for all multiple emergency exits, Figure 7 displays information for one emergency exit selected based on the second location information. If multiple emergency exits are selected based on the second location information, Figure 7 displays information for all of the emergency exits. In this way, by displaying only information for the emergency exit selected based on the second location information, it is possible to encourage the user to evacuate quickly.

In this embodiment, when the fire detector 50 detects a fire, the output device 35 of the mobile terminal 30 may output evacuation method information but not output disaster prevention equipment operation method information. For example, in process t3a of FIG. 6 , if the server 40 receives a third wireless signal after receiving the second wireless signal and transmitting to the mobile terminal 30 provision information including evacuation method information and operation method information, the server 40 transmits a stop signal to the mobile terminal 30 instructing it to stop outputting the operation method information. Upon receiving the stop signal, the mobile terminal 30 stops outputting the operation method information and outputs the evacuation method information. The evacuation method information output here preferably includes information urging the user to stop operating the disaster prevention equipment and evacuate. This can encourage the user to evacuate quickly.

Furthermore, if the server 40 receives the third wireless signal after receiving the second wireless signal and transmitting evacuation method information and operation method information to the mobile device 30, it may transmit a stop signal to stop the output of the operation method information after a predetermined time has passed since receiving the third wireless signal. As the time passes since receiving the third wireless signal, the likelihood of the fire spreading increases, so by transmitting the stop signal to the mobile device 30 and encouraging the user to evacuate, the user's success rate in evacuating can be increased.

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

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

Variant.
The following describes modifications of the first and second embodiments. The following modifications can be combined with the first and second embodiments, respectively.

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

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

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

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

(Variation 5)
Although the process t4 in FIGS. 3 and 6 illustrates the transmission of the provided information signal from the server 40 to the mobile terminal 30, if the provided information corresponding to the second wireless signal is stored in the mobile terminal 30, the server 40 does not need to retransmit the provided information signal. For example, the second wireless signal includes reply destination information that identifies the reply destination, i.e., the mobile terminal 30. The server 40, having received the second wireless signal, manages the provided information and the reply destination information as a transmission history of the provided information. Then, if the server 40 receives the second wireless signal from a specific mobile terminal 30 after transmitting the provided information to the same mobile terminal 30, it transmits a signal to the mobile terminal 30 inquiring whether the provided information is stored therein. The server 40 transmits the provided information signal only if the mobile terminal 30 replies that the provided information is not stored therein. This reduces communication traffic.

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

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

The location condition described in embodiment 2 may include, in addition to or instead of the condition related to the first distance, a wind direction condition related to the relationship between the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire, and the wind direction. The wind direction condition is, for example, that the location of the disaster prevention equipment is upwind of the location of the fire. If the location of the disaster prevention equipment is upwind of the location of the fire and the wind direction condition is met, the server 40 transmits to the mobile device 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including operation method information and evacuation method information. On the other hand, if the location of the disaster prevention equipment is downwind of the location of the fire, i.e., if the wind direction condition is not met, the server 40 transmits to the mobile device 30 a provision information signal indicating provision information including evacuation method information but not operation method information. In this way, if the location of the disaster prevention equipment where the user is located is downwind of the location of the fire and is prone to being caught in smoke from the fire, it is possible to encourage the user to prioritize evacuation.

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

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

Note that if the location conditions described in embodiment 2 include a condition related to the first distance and one or more conditions such as the geographical conditions, the location conditions are considered to be met when two or all of those conditions are met. In this way, when the urgency of evacuation is relatively low, the mobile terminal 30 acquires operation method information and evacuation method information, allowing the user to select the necessary disaster prevention equipment operation method information and evacuation method information depending on the situation at the site.

11 Fire hydrant, 12 Fire extinguisher, 13 Notification device, 20 Signal output device, 30 Mobile terminal, 31 Control device, 32 Communication device, 33 Storage device, 34 Receiving device, 35 Output device, 36 Operation device, 36a Operation unit, 36b Operation unit, 40 Server, 41 Control device, 42 Communication device, 43 Storage device, 44 Database, 44A Database, 50 Fire detector, 60 Monitoring terminal, 100 Information provision system, 100A Information provision system, 200 Network.

Claims (4)

a signal output device that is installed in the tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information that indicates the location of the disaster prevention equipment installed in the tunnel;
a mobile terminal that receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal including the received first location information;
a server that, upon receiving the second wireless signal, transmits to the mobile terminal a provision information signal indicating provision information including either or both of operation method information relating to a method of operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information relating to evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information ; and
a fire detector installed in the tunnel to detect a fire ;
the mobile terminal includes an output device that outputs the provided information based on the received provided information signal ;
When the fire detector detects a fire, the fire detector transmits a third wireless signal including second location information indicating a location of the fire to the server;
the provided information includes the evacuation method information,
The server
The location information of a plurality of emergency exits of the tunnel is stored,
When the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal are received, a signal including information on an emergency exit selected from the plurality of emergency exits is transmitted to the mobile terminal based on the first location information and the second location information.
Information system inside the tunnel. When the server receives the second wireless signal and the third wireless signal,
transmitting, to the mobile terminal, the provided information signal indicating the provided information including the operation method information and the evacuation method information, when the position of the disaster prevention equipment indicated by the first position information and the position of the fire indicated by the second position information satisfy a predetermined positional condition;
2. The information provision system in a tunnel according to claim 1, wherein, when the location of the disaster prevention equipment and the location of the fire do not satisfy the location condition, the provision information signal indicating the provision information including the evacuation method information but not the operation method information is transmitted to the mobile terminal. The position condition is:
3. The information provision system in a tunnel according to claim 2 , wherein a first distance between the location of the disaster prevention equipment indicated by the first location information and the location of the fire indicated by the second location information is less than a threshold value. a signal output device that is installed in the tunnel and outputs a first wireless signal including first location information that indicates the location of the disaster prevention equipment installed in the tunnel;
a mobile terminal that receives the first wireless signal and outputs a second wireless signal including the received first location information;
a server that, upon receiving the second wireless signal, transmits to the mobile terminal a provision information signal indicating provision information including operation method information relating to a method of operating the disaster prevention equipment corresponding to the first location information and evacuation method information relating to evacuation guidance corresponding to the first location information;
a monitoring terminal that is communicatively connected to the server and has an input device that receives an instruction to output an instruction signal to the server;
the mobile terminal includes an output device that outputs the provided information based on the received provided information signal;
When the input device is operated, the monitoring terminal outputs the instruction signal,
When the server receives the instruction signal after transmitting the provided information to the mobile terminal, the server transmits to the mobile terminal a signal for outputting only the evacuation method information without outputting the operation method information.
Information system inside the tunnel .