JP7798174B2 - Command device, command method and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to techniques for commands, and in particular to techniques for commands in response to emergency calls.

When a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake occurs, fire and emergency command centers may be affected. Furthermore, commanders may not be able to reach the command center due to paralysis of the transportation network in the affected area. In such cases, the command center in the affected area may not function.

Patent Document 1 describes a communications command system that receives an emergency call, determines whether a dispatch unit can be dispatched quickly, and forwards the emergency call if it determines that the dispatch unit cannot be dispatched quickly. The communications command system in Patent Document 1 selects one of the police stations with communications command facilities that is close to the caller's location as the forwarding destination for the emergency call.

Patent document 2 describes a system that analyzes the content of an emergency call, selects from multiple main units a main unit equipped with equipment appropriate to the content of the emergency call, and dispatches an emergency vehicle that combines the selected main unit with a driving unit.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-060809 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-082151

In order for commanders to smoothly issue orders in response to emergency calls, they need knowledge specific to the area covered by the command center where they work (for example, knowledge to identify the location of the caller from the content of the emergency call). Therefore, if the command center in the affected area is not functioning, it is not easy for a command center in a neighboring area that does not have the specific knowledge of the area to take over the functions of the command center in the affected area.

With the technology described in Patent Document 1, emergency calls are forwarded to a police station with a communications command facility in an area close to the call location. However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the commander responding to the emergency call does not have specific knowledge of the area including the call location, the commander will not be able to respond to the emergency call smoothly.

The technology in Patent Document 2 can dispatch an appropriate emergency vehicle based on the content of the emergency call. However, with the technology in Patent Document 1, if the commander responding to the emergency call does not have specific knowledge of the area, including the location of the call, the commander will not be able to respond to the emergency call smoothly.

One of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide a command device or the like that enables smooth response to emergency calls, regardless of whether or not there is a commander familiar with the area.

A command device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a call reception means for receiving an emergency call, an information reception means for receiving information about a structure obtained at the location of the emergency call from the terminal device that sent the emergency call, and a location extraction means for extracting locations in a target area where the information about the structure can be obtained as candidate locations for the call, using the structure characteristics indicated by the information about the structure and a structure database.

A command method according to one aspect of the present disclosure receives an emergency call, receives information about structures obtained at the location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call, and extracts locations in the target area where the structure information is available as candidate locations for the call using the structure characteristics indicated by the structure information and a structure database.

A storage medium according to one aspect of the present disclosure stores a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: a call reception process that receives an emergency call; an information reception process that receives information about structures obtained at the location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call; and a location extraction process that extracts locations in the target area where the information about the structures can be obtained as candidate locations for the call, using the structure characteristics indicated by the information about the structures and a structure database.

One aspect of the present disclosure is also realized by a program stored on the above-mentioned storage medium.

This disclosure has the effect of enabling a smooth response to emergency calls, regardless of whether or not there is a commander familiar with the area.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a command device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the command device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a command system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a connection control device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a command device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the connection control device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the command device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer capable of realizing a command device and a connection control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure.

First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a command device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the command device 10 of the present disclosure includes a report acceptance unit 110, an information receiving unit 120, and a location extraction unit 130. The report acceptance unit 110 accepts an emergency report. The information receiving unit 120 receives, from a terminal device that transmitted the emergency report, information about a structure obtained at the report location of the emergency report. The location extraction unit 130 extracts, as candidates for the report location, a location in the target area from which information about the structure can be obtained, using structure features indicated by the information about the structure and a structure database as the report location.

Generally, when an emergency call is made, it is received at a command center that has jurisdiction over the area that includes the call location where the emergency call was made. The target area mentioned above refers to the area under the jurisdiction of a single command center.

The structure is, for example, a building. The structure is an artificially generated and fixed object such as a house, building, station, bridge, utility pole, fence, levee, intersection, traffic light, artificial lake, reservoir, etc. The structure may also be a natural object such as a roadside tree or hedge. The structure may also be a landform such as a mountain, hill, lake, sea, or river. The information receiving unit 120 may receive information on each of a plurality of structures. The structure is not limited to these examples. The structure may also be a person, animal, automobile, bicycle, luggage, or other object that is not a temporarily passing or stopped object or a temporarily placed transportable object.

Structure features are data values that represent the characteristics of a structure. Structure features may be, for example, the color, size, type, name, etc. of the structure. Color may be, for example, the color of the walls, roof, handrails, paint, etc. Size may be, for example, the number of floors in a building, the number of lanes, etc. Type may be, for example, a house, store, office building, overpass, railway bridge, road bridge, etc. Name may be the name shown on the structure, such as the name of a store, the name of a bay, the name of a bridge, the name of an intersection, the name of the resident of a house, the name of a road, the name of a river, etc. Structure features are not limited to these examples.

A structure database is a database that stores the locations and characteristics of structures.

<Operation>
2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the command device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, first, the report receiving unit 110 receives an emergency report (step S11). Next, the information receiving unit 120 receives information about structures obtained at the report location (step S12). Then, the location extraction unit 130 extracts the location from which the received information about the structures is obtained as a candidate for the report location (step S13).

<Effects>
The present embodiment described above has the effect of enabling a smooth response to emergency calls, regardless of whether or not there is a commander who is familiar with the area. This is because the location extraction unit 130 extracts, as candidate locations for emergency call locations, locations where information about structures can be obtained at the location of the emergency call. As a result, even if a commander is not familiar with the area, if locations where information about structures can be obtained at the location of the emergency call are extracted as candidate locations for emergency call locations, it becomes easy to narrow down the locations for emergency call locations. This enables a smooth response to emergency calls.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a command system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in Fig. 3, the command system 1 of this embodiment includes a connection control device 200 and a command device 100. The command device 100 and the connection control device 200 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The command device 100 and the connection control device 200 are each connected to a communication network 300. The command system 1 being connected to the communication network 300 means that each of the command device 100 and the connection control device 200 is connected to the communication network 300. A plurality of command systems 1 are connected to the communication network 300. In this embodiment, one command system 1 is installed in each command center.

<Connection control device 200>
4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a connection control device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the connection control device 200 of this embodiment includes a request receiving unit 210, a determination unit 220, and a connection control unit 230.

<Request Receiving Unit 210>
The request receiving unit 210 receives a request for an emergency call. The request for an emergency call is a request for connection to make an emergency call. The request for an emergency call is first sent to the connection control device 200 included in the command system 1 of the command center that has jurisdiction over a target area that includes the location of the emergency call.

<Determination unit 220>
The determination unit 220 determines whether or not the command center in the area where the emergency call for which the request has been accepted is in a state where it can accept the emergency call.

In this embodiment, the command system 1 of the command center in the area where the requested emergency call was received is a command system 1 that includes a connection control device 200 that includes a determination unit 220. Information indicating a state (hereinafter referred to as the command center state) indicating whether the command center can receive an emergency call may be provided to the determination unit 220 in advance, for example, by the user of the connection control device 200. If the command center state of the command center in the area where the requested emergency call was received indicates that the emergency call can be received, the determination unit 220 determines that the command center can receive an emergency call. If the command center state of the command center in the area where the requested emergency call was received indicates that the emergency call cannot be received, the determination unit 220 determines that the command center cannot receive an emergency call.

<Connection Control Unit 230>
When the command center is not in a state where it can receive the emergency call, the connection control unit 230 transfers the emergency call to the command device 100 of an alternative command center that is another command center designated as an alternative to the command center. When the command center is in a state where it can receive the emergency call, the connection control unit 230 transfers the emergency call to the command device 100 (specifically, the call receiving unit 110) of the command system 1 of the command center. Information about the alternative command center designated as an alternative to the command center may be set in advance and provided to the connection control unit 230.

<Command device 100>
Next, a command device 100 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a command device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the command device 100 of this embodiment includes a report receiving unit 110, an information receiving unit 120, a location extraction unit 130, an information extraction unit 140, an information providing unit 150, a command support unit 160, a command receiving unit 170, a command transmitting unit 180, a location information storage unit 191, and a dispatch information storage unit 192.

<Report Receiving Unit 110>
The notification receiving unit 110 receives an emergency notification. Upon receiving the emergency notification, the notification receiving unit 110 notifies the information receiving unit 120 and the command support unit 160 of the receipt of the emergency notification.

<Command support section 160>
When the command support unit 160 is notified by the call reception unit 110 that an emergency call has been received, it calls a commander. When the commander responds, the command support unit 160 connects the emergency call to the responding commander. That is, the command support unit 160 enables the responding commander and the caller of the emergency call to communicate with each other. The command support unit 160 may acquire voice data during the call between the commander and the caller of the emergency call. The command support unit 160 may transmit the acquired voice data during the call between the commander and the caller of the emergency call to the information receiving unit 120. The command support unit 160 may continue to send the voice data of the call while the call is ongoing.

The command support unit 160 receives the extracted candidate reporting locations from the location extraction unit 130. The command support unit 160 displays the received candidate reporting locations, for example, on a display device assigned to the commander who is currently on the phone with the caller of the emergency call. When the number of extracted candidate reporting locations is sent from the location extraction unit 130, the command support unit 160 may receive the number of extracted candidate reporting locations and display the received number. For example, when the number of extracted candidate reporting locations is displayed, the commander can determine whether to continue the call to identify the candidate locations (for example, a conversation in which the commander requests additional information about the candidate reporting locations and the caller provides additional information about the candidate reporting locations) depending on the number of candidate reporting locations. The commander can continue the call to identify the location of the call until one candidate reporting location or a predetermined number of candidate reporting locations or fewer are displayed.

The commander may identify one candidate reporting location and input the identified candidate reporting location into the command support unit 160 of the command device 100 using input devices such as the keyboard and mouse of the command device 100. The command support unit 160 may send the input information about the identified candidate reporting location to the location extraction unit 130.

In addition, when the caller and the commander are on a videophone call, the command support unit 160 receives from the caller's terminal device images (e.g., video images) captured by the caller's terminal device during the call. The command support unit 160 may send the video images received from the caller's terminal device during the call between the caller and the commander to the information receiving unit 120.

The command support unit 160 may acquire traffic information on the route to the candidate reporting location from the information provision unit 150. The command support unit 160 may display the acquired traffic information on the display device described above. The traffic information is, for example, information about a route that an emergency vehicle has previously traveled between a specified road in the target area and the reporting location. The traffic information may include, for example, a route that an emergency vehicle has previously traveled between a specified road in the target area and the reporting location, and the number of times that the emergency vehicle has traveled that route. The number of times that the emergency vehicle has traveled the route may be the number of times that the emergency vehicle has traveled the route within an appropriately determined period of time. The traffic information may include, for example, images captured on the route to the candidate reporting location. The images may be images captured on the route to the candidate reporting location, or images captured from a vehicle traveling the route. The images may be images captured on the route to the candidate reporting location, or images captured by a person traveling on foot along the route.

The command support unit 160 may receive activity information for activities at the candidate reporting location from the information providing unit 150. The command support unit 160 may display the acquired activity information on the display device described above. The activity information may be, for example, water resource information available at the candidate reporting location (e.g., information on the location of fire hydrants). The activity information may be, for example, an image captured within a specified range including the candidate reporting location.

The commander may communicate the displayed traffic information and activity information to the dispatcher who responds to the emergency call by voice, for example, during a call with the dispatcher. The command support unit 160 may receive voice input from the commander during the call, convert the voice into a signal, and send the converted voice to the dispatcher's terminal device. The command support unit 160 may receive a voice signal from the dispatcher's terminal device, convert the received signal into voice, and output the voice.

<Command Receiving Unit 170>
The command receiving unit 170 receives a dispatch command input by a commander using an input device (such as a keyboard or mouse) of the command device. The dispatch command is, for example, information including the dispatch destination and the emergency vehicle to be dispatched. The dispatch command may also include information about the dispatcher. The dispatch destination is, for example, a location determined by the commander by referring to candidate reporting locations.

The command receiving unit 170 may receive passage information from the command support unit 160. The command receiving unit 170 may generate a dispatch command that includes the received passage information. The command receiving unit 170 may receive activity information from the command support unit 160. The command receiving unit 170 may generate a dispatch command that includes the received activity information.

The command receiving unit 170 sends information on the dispatch command to the command sending unit 180.

<Command transmitting unit 180>
The command transmitting unit 180 transmits the dispatch command information received from the command receiving unit 170 to the terminal device of the dispatcher. The terminal device of the dispatcher is, for example, an in-vehicle terminal device mounted on the dispatched emergency vehicle. The terminal device of the dispatcher may be a terminal device that has been registered in advance as a terminal device held by the dispatcher. The command transmitting unit 180 may store in advance a combination of information identifying the emergency vehicle and information identifying the in-vehicle terminal device mounted on the emergency vehicle. The command transmitting unit 180 may store in advance a combination of information identifying the dispatcher and information identifying the terminal device held by the dispatcher. The information identifying the terminal device and the information identifying the in-vehicle terminal may include information that can be used as a destination for the dispatch command information.

The command sending unit 180 may send information about the terminal device of the dispatched person to the information providing unit 150.

<Information Receiving Unit 120>
The information receiving unit 120 receives information about structures obtained at the location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call.

The information receiving unit 120 receives information about structures obtained at the location of the emergency call (e.g., audio data of a conversation between the caller and a commander) from the command support unit 160. The information receiving unit 120 may also receive images (e.g., video images) captured by the caller's device and obtained during a videophone conversation between the caller and the commander from the command support unit 160.

The above-mentioned structure information may be, for example, an image (at least one of a still image and a moving image) captured at the reporting location. The structure information may also be audio information describing structures visible from the reporting location. The audio information describing structures visible from the reporting location is, for example, audio data describing structures visible from the reporting location provided by the reporter in response to a request for an explanation of the reporting location. The structure information may also be text data describing structures visible from the reporting location.

The information receiving unit 120 may receive audio data describing the location of the report. The information receiving unit 120 may receive text data describing the location of the report. The information receiving unit 120 may receive location data indicating the location of the reporter's terminal device, obtained by the reporter's terminal device using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, for example.

The information receiving unit 120 sends information about the structure received from the terminal device that sent the emergency report to the location extraction unit 130. When information describing the location of the report (e.g., at least one of audio data and text data) is received from the command support unit 160, the information receiving unit 120 sends the received information describing the location of the report to the location extraction unit 130. When video captured during a call is received from the command support unit 160, the information receiving unit 120 sends the received video to the location extraction unit 130. When location data is received, the information receiving unit 120 sends the received location data to the location extraction unit 130.

<Location Information Storage Unit 191>
The location information storage unit 191 stores a structure database. The structure database is data including, for example, combinations of the locations of structures within the target areas of each command center that has jurisdiction over the command system 1 and the characteristics of the structures (i.e., structure features) for each command center that is designated as an alternative command center. The structure database may also include combinations of the locations of structures within the target areas of other command centers and the structure features of the structures.

<Location Extraction Unit 130>
The location extraction unit 130 receives information about the structure from the information receiving unit 120. The location extraction unit 130 may receive information describing the location of the report from the information receiving unit 120. The location extraction unit 130 may receive position data from the information receiving unit 120.

When location data is received, the location extraction unit 130 selects the location indicated by the received location data as a candidate location for reporting.

When voice data is received as information describing the location of a report, the location extraction unit 130 uses existing voice recognition technology to generate text data from the voice data, representing the voice digitized as voice data. The location extraction unit 130 uses existing language recognition technology to extract information about the location of a report from the generated text data. When text data is received as information describing the location of a report, the location extraction unit 130 uses existing language recognition technology to extract information about the location of a report from the received text data.

If information that identifies a location (such as an address) is extracted as information about the location of the report, the location extraction unit 130 designates the location identified by the information about the location of the report as a candidate location of the report.

When structure information is extracted as reporting location information, the location extraction unit 130 extracts locations in the target area where structure information can be obtained as candidate reporting locations, using the structure characteristics indicated by the structure information and a structure database as reporting locations, for example, as follows:

As described above, the structure database is data that includes, for example, combinations of the locations of structures within a target area and the characteristics of the structures (i.e., structure features). The structure database is stored in the location information storage unit 191, as described above.

In the following description, a structure whose structure features have been extracted from information acquired by the information receiving unit 120 (e.g., information describing the location of a report) will be referred to as a reference structure. A structure extracted from the structure database will be referred to as an extracted structure.

The location extraction unit 130 extracts extracted structures from the structure database that have the extracted structure features (in other words, the structure features of the reference structure). When multiple structure features are detected for one reference structure, the location extraction unit 130 may extract, as extracted structures, structures that have a predetermined ratio or more of the number of structure features of the reference structure out of the multiple structure features of the reference structure. Hereinafter, an extracted structure extracted as a structure that has the structure features of the reference structure will be referred to as an extracted structure corresponding to that reference structure. When an extracted structure that has the structure features of a reference structure is extracted, that reference structure will be referred to as a reference structure corresponding to the extracted structure. In other words, when an extracted structure that has the structure features of a reference structure is extracted, that reference structure is a reference structure that corresponds to the extracted extracted structure, and the extracted extracted structure is an extracted structure that corresponds to that reference structure.

If the structure information is audio information (e.g., audio data) describing a structure visible from the reporting location, the location extraction unit 130 uses existing audio recognition technology to generate text data from the audio data representing the audio data. The location extraction unit 130 uses existing language recognition technology to extract structure features (i.e., structure features of the reference structure) from the generated text data. If the structure information is text data describing a structure visible from the reporting location, the location extraction unit 130 uses existing language recognition technology to extract structure features (i.e., structure features of the reference structure) from the received text data.

When an image (i.e., at least one of a still image and a video image) captured at the reported location is received, the location extraction unit 130 uses existing image recognition technology to recognize the structure captured in the image. Then, the location extraction unit 130 uses existing image recognition technology to extract the structure features (i.e., the structure features of the reference structure) in the area of the recognized structure in the image.

The location extraction unit 130 then extracts locations in the target area where information about structures can be obtained as candidate reporting locations, for example, as described above, using the structure characteristics indicated by the structure information and a structure database as reporting locations. The location extraction unit 130 may use a structure database for the target area that includes the reporting location of the emergency call.

If the number of reference structures extracted from the information acquired by the information receiving unit 120 is one, the information receiving unit 120 may select the location of the extracted structure as a candidate for the reporting location.

If multiple reference structures are detected from the information acquired by the information receiving unit 120, the location extraction unit 130 extracts an extracted structure corresponding to each of the multiple reference structures.The location extraction unit 130 may then designate as a candidate location for reporting a location where the number of reference structures corresponding to the extracted structure that exist within a predetermined distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the total number of extracted reference structures.

The location extraction unit 130 sends information on the extracted candidate reporting locations to the command support unit 160. The information on the extracted candidate reporting locations is, for example, information indicating the positions of the candidate reporting locations. If the number of extracted candidate reporting locations is greater than a predetermined number, the location extraction unit 130 may send the number of extracted candidate reporting locations to the command support unit 160 as information on the extracted candidate reporting locations.

While continuing to receive voice data from the command support unit 160 via the information receiving unit 120, the location extraction unit 130 may continue to extract structures and structure features from the voice data, extract candidate reporting locations, and send information on the candidate candidate locations. In extracting candidate reporting locations, the location extraction unit 130 further uses newly extracted structure information and structure features from the newly received voice data to extract candidate reporting locations. When new data (i.e., voice data, text data, and images) is sent from the reporter's terminal device, the location extraction unit 130 may receive the data and extract new structures and structure features from the received data. The location extraction unit 130 may further use the newly extracted structure information and structure features to extract candidate reporting locations.

When the location extraction unit 130 has finished receiving audio data from the command support unit 160 via the information receiving unit 120, it may terminate the extraction of candidate reporting locations and the transmission of information about the candidate reporting locations to the command support unit 160. When information about identified candidate reporting locations has been transmitted from the command support unit 160, the location extraction unit 130 may receive the information about the identified candidate reporting locations and terminate the extraction of candidate reporting locations and the transmission of information about the candidate reporting locations to the command support unit 160.

When the location extraction unit 130 receives information on the identified candidate location from the command support unit 160, it sends the information on the identified candidate location to the information extraction unit 140. When the reception of audio data from the command support unit 160 via the information receiving unit 120 ends without receiving information on the identified candidate location from the command support unit 160, the location extraction unit 130 sends the information on the extracted candidate location to the information extraction unit 140.

<Dispatch information storage unit 192>
The dispatch information storage unit 192 stores an activity database including information on routes traveled by emergency vehicles during past dispatches. The activity database may include information on roads that emergency vehicles have traveled during past dispatches and the number of times that emergency vehicles have traveled those roads. The route information includes information on the direction that the emergency vehicles traveled. The dispatch information storage unit 192 may store information on routes that emergency vehicles have traveled during past dispatches, for each type of emergency vehicle. The types of emergency vehicles may be ambulances and fire engines. The types of emergency vehicles may be based on the size of the vehicle (large vehicles or small vehicles). The types of emergency vehicles may be determined as appropriate. The activity database may include images captured while traveling along routes traveled during past dispatches. The activity database may also store photographs captured at past dispatch locations.

The activity database may include water resource information required for activities responding to emergency calls. Water resource information is information on the location of available fire hydrants and other equipment required for firefighting. The activity database may also store photographs taken at the locations of equipment required for firefighting.

<Information extraction unit 140>
The information extracting unit 140 receives information on candidate locations from the information extracting unit 140 .

The information extraction unit 140 extracts information on routes previously traveled by emergency vehicles between predetermined roads in the target area and candidate reporting locations from the activity database stored in the dispatch information storage unit 192. Predetermined roads are major roads, such as national or prefectural roads, that pass through the target area and are confirmed to be passable by emergency vehicles. For example, the information extraction unit 140 extracts, from the predetermined roads in the target area, predetermined roads that can reach the candidate reporting location via roads other than the predetermined roads without passing through other predetermined roads. The information extraction unit 140 extracts information on routes previously traveled by emergency vehicles in past dispatches from the activity information database stored in the dispatch information storage unit 192, among the roads between the extracted predetermined roads and candidate reporting locations.

The information extraction unit 140 may extract, as information about the route traveled by the emergency vehicle, roads between the extracted specified road and the candidate reporting location that have been traveled by emergency vehicles and the number of times that emergency vehicles have traveled on those roads. The information extraction unit 140 may also extract, for each type of emergency vehicle, roads that have been traveled by emergency vehicles and the number of times that emergency vehicles have traveled on those roads. The information extraction unit 140 may further extract, as information about the route traveled by the emergency vehicle, images captured while the emergency vehicle was traveling on the extracted roads that have been traveled on.

The information extraction unit 140 further extracts activity information for activities at the candidate reporting location. The activity information includes, for example, water resource information available at the candidate reporting location (i.e., information on the locations of fire hydrants and other equipment necessary for firefighting that is within a predetermined distance from the candidate reporting location). The information extraction unit 140 may extract activity information including images captured at locations within a predetermined distance from the candidate reporting location. The information extraction unit 140 may extract activity information including photographs captured at the locations of the extracted equipment necessary for firefighting.

The information extraction unit 140 sends the extracted information on routes that emergency vehicles have taken in the past between the specified roads in the target area and the candidate reporting location to the information provision unit 150. The information extraction unit 140 further sends the extracted activity information for activities at the candidate reporting location to the information provision unit 150.

<Information provision section 150>
The information providing unit 150 receives information on routes that emergency vehicles have traveled in the past between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate reporting location from the information extracting unit 140. The information providing unit 150 further receives activity information for activities at the candidate reporting location from the information extracting unit 140. The information providing unit 150 receives information on the terminal device of the dispatched person from the command transmitting unit 180.

The information providing unit 150 sends (in other words, provides) the received information on routes previously traveled by emergency vehicles between specified roads in the target area and the candidate reporting location to the command support unit 160. The information providing unit 150 sends (in other words, provides) the received activity information for activities at the candidate reporting location to the command support unit 160.

In addition, the information providing unit 150 transmits (in other words, provides) information on routes that emergency vehicles have previously traveled between specified roads in the target area and the candidate reporting locations to the destination indicated by the information on the dispatcher's terminal device received from the command transmitting unit 180.The information providing unit 150 may also transmit (in other words, provide) activity information for activities at the candidate reporting locations to the destination indicated by the information on the dispatcher's terminal device received from the command transmitting unit 180.

<Operation>
Next, the operations of the connection control device 200 and the command device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the connection control device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the request receiving unit 210 receives a request for an emergency call (step S201). The determination unit 220 determines whether the command center in the area to which the emergency call was made is in a state where it can receive the emergency call (step S202). If it is determined that the command center in the area to which the emergency call was made is in a state where it can receive the emergency call (YES in step S203), the connection control unit 230 connects the emergency call to the command device 100 of the command system 1 of the command center in the area to which the emergency call was made (step S206). If it is determined that the command center in the area to which the emergency call was made is not in a state where it can receive the emergency call (NO in step S203), the connection control unit 230 selects an operational alternative command center from the alternative command centers of the command center in the area to which the emergency call was made (step S204). Then, the connection control unit 230 transfers the emergency call to the command device 100 of the selected operational substitute command center (step S205).

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the command device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example shown in Figure 7, first, the report receiving unit 110 receives an emergency report (step S101). Next, the information receiving unit 120 receives information about structures obtained at the location where the emergency report was made (step S102).

The location extraction unit 130 extracts locations in the target area where the location of the received structure can be obtained as candidate reporting locations (step S103). In this embodiment and the first embodiment, the candidate reporting locations can be replaced with the destination of a dispatch in response to an emergency call. In the explanation of this embodiment and the first embodiment, the candidate reporting locations can be read as the destination of a dispatch in response to an emergency call. The location extraction unit 130 sends information on the candidate reporting locations to the command support unit 160.

The command support unit 160 displays candidate reporting locations (step S104). When a candidate reporting location is identified by the commander, the command support unit 160 sends information about the identified candidate reporting location. When the call between the commander and the caller ends, the command support unit 160 may send a notification indicating that the call has ended to the location extraction unit 130.

When the location extraction unit 130 receives information on identified candidate reporting locations from the command support unit 160, it terminates the extraction of candidate reporting locations and excludes candidate reporting locations other than the identified candidate reporting location. When the call between the commander and the caller ends and the reception of data from the caller's terminal device is completed, the location extraction unit 130 terminates the extraction of candidate reporting locations.

Next, the information extraction unit 140 and the information provision unit 150 use the activity database to provide traffic information on the route to the candidate reporting location (step S106). Specifically, the information extraction unit 140 extracts traffic information on the route to the candidate reporting location from the activity database. The information provision unit 150 provides the extracted traffic information on the route to the candidate reporting location to the terminal device of the dispatcher. The information provision unit 150 may provide the traffic information on the route to the candidate reporting location to the command support unit 160 (i.e., the commander using the command support unit 160).

The information extraction unit 140 and the information provision unit 150 provide activity information for activities at the candidate reporting locations (step S106). Specifically, the information extraction unit 140 extracts activity information for activities at the candidate reporting locations. The information provision unit 150 provides the activity information for activities at the candidate reporting locations to the terminal device of the dispatcher. The information provision unit 150 may provide the activity information for activities at the candidate reporting locations to the command support unit 160 (i.e., the commander using the command support unit 160).

<Effects>
The present embodiment described above has the same effects as the first embodiment, for the same reasons as those for the effects of the first embodiment.

<First Modification of Second Embodiment>
As an alternative to the command center, multiple alternate command centers may be designated with a priority order.

Status information indicating whether each of multiple alternative command centers designated as substitutes for the command center can accept emergency commands may be provided in advance to the judgment unit 220, for example, by a user of the connection control device 200.

The determination unit 220 determines an operational alternative command center that is ready to receive the emergency call from multiple alternative command centers for the command center in the area where the requested emergency call was made. In other words, the determination unit 220 determines whether each of the multiple alternative command centers for the command center in the area where the requested emergency call was made is ready to receive the emergency call.

If the command center is not in a state where it can accept an emergency call, the connection control unit 230 selects the operational alternative command center with the highest assigned priority from among the operational alternative command centers in the area where the requested emergency call was made. The connection control unit 230 transfers the emergency call to the command device 100 of the selected operational alternative command center.

<Second Modification of Second Embodiment>
A plurality of command systems 1 may share one connection control device 200. As described above, the determination unit 220 determines whether or not the command center in the area to which the requested emergency call was made is in a state where it can accept the emergency call. Information indicating the state of each of the plurality of command centers that share the connection control device 200, showing whether it can accept the emergency call, may be provided to the determination unit 220 in advance by, for example, the user of the connection control device 200.

<Third Modification of Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the location of the emergency call and the location of the target of the emergency call are considered to be close to each other or the same, and a candidate location of the emergency call is extracted as the destination of the emergency vehicle. The location of the target of the emergency call is, for example, a building where a fire or other disaster has occurred. The location of the target of the emergency call is, for example, a building where a person requiring emergency care is present.

In this modified example, the information receiving unit 120 receives an image captured by the reporter's device, including information on the location at the time of capture obtained using GPS or the like. The location extraction unit 130 determines the location included in the received image as the location of the reporter.

The information receiving unit 120 further receives at least one of audio, image, and text data received directly or via the command support unit 160 from the caller's terminal device as data representing the location of the target of the emergency call. The location extraction unit 130 extracts structure information and information about the structure's structural characteristics from the data representing the location of the target of the emergency call using the method for extracting structure information and structural characteristic information of the structure described above. The location extraction unit 130 extracts structures having the extracted structural characteristics from the structure database. The location extraction unit 130 may identify, as the target location of the emergency call, the location of a structure whose positional relationship with the caller's location satisfies a predetermined criterion, among the structures extracted from the structure database. The predetermined criterion may be, for example, that the distance from the caller's location is within a predetermined distance. The predetermined criterion may be, for example, that the distance from the caller's location is within a predetermined distance and that there are no obstructions, such as other buildings, between the structure and the caller.

The information extraction unit 140 extracts information about routes previously traveled by emergency vehicles between a specified road in the target area and the location of the emergency call target. The information extraction unit 140 may also extract activity information for activities at the location of the emergency call target.

The information providing unit 150 may provide the terminal device of the dispatcher with information on routes previously traveled by emergency vehicles between specified roads in the target area and the location of the emergency call. The information providing unit 150 may provide the command support unit 160 with information on routes previously traveled by emergency vehicles between specified roads in the target area and the location of the emergency call. The information providing unit 150 may provide the terminal device of the dispatcher with activity information for activities at the location of the emergency call. The information providing unit 150 may provide the command support unit 160 with activity information for activities at the location of the emergency call.

<Fourth Modification of the Second Embodiment>
The command device 100 may be included in a command system 1 (hereinafter referred to as a shared command system) that is constructed separately from the command systems 1 of the command centers of the multiple target areas and shared by multiple target areas. In this case, the connection control device 200 of the command system 1 of each command center of the multiple target areas is configured to forward a requested emergency call to the command device 100 of the shared command system when the command center to which the connection control device 200 belongs is unable to receive an emergency call. The shared command system does not need to include the connection control device 200. The command device 100 of the shared command system may be constructed as a so-called cloud system.

<Fifth Modification of the Second Embodiment>
The entire country may be divided into multiple regions, and a large-scale command system 1 may be constructed for each region. A large-scale command system 1 is a command system 1 including a command device 100 in which the number of commanders who can simultaneously use the command support unit 160 is increased so that the number can respond to emergency calls in the command system 1. Such a command system 1 may be constructed as a so-called cloud system. Such a command system 1 may not include the connection control device 200.

<Sixth Modification of the Second Embodiment>
The command device 100 may include the connection control device 200. In other words, in this modification, the command device 100 may be implemented as a single device that has all the functions of the command device 100 and the connection control device 200 of the second embodiment. In this case, the command device 100 includes all the units of the command device 100 and the connection control device 200 of the second embodiment.

<Other Embodiments>
The command device and connection control device according to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized by a computer including a memory into which a program read from a storage medium is loaded and a processor that executes the program. The command device and connection control device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by dedicated hardware. The command device and connection control device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by a combination of the above-described computer and dedicated hardware.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1000 capable of realizing a command device and connection control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example shown in Figure 8, the computer 1000 includes a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage device 1003, and an I/O (Input/Output) interface 1004. The computer 1000 can also access a storage medium 1005. The memory 1002 and the storage device 1003 are, for example, storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and a hard disk. The storage medium 1005 is, for example, a storage device such as RAM or a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a portable storage medium. The storage device 1003 may also be the storage medium 1005. The processor 1001 can read and write data and programs from and to the memory 1002 and the storage device 1003. The processor 1001 can access, for example, a terminal device of a dispatcher via the I/O interface 1004. The processor 1001 can communicate with, for example, a terminal device of a caller via the I/O interface 1004. The processor 1001 can access a storage medium 1005. The storage medium 1005 stores a program that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a command device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, or a program that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a connection control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The processor 1001 loads into the memory 1002 a program stored in the storage medium 1005 that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a command device according to the embodiment. The processor 1001 then executes the program loaded into the memory 1002, causing the computer 1000 to operate as a command device according to the embodiment.

The processor 1001 loads into the memory 1002 a program stored in the storage medium 1005 that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a connection control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The processor 1001 then executes the program loaded into the memory 1002, causing the computer 1000 to operate as a connection control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The report reception unit 110, information reception unit 120, location extraction unit 130, information extraction unit 140, information provision unit 150, command support unit 160, command reception unit 170, and command transmission unit 180 can be realized, for example, by a processor 1001 that executes programs loaded into memory 1002. The request reception unit 210, determination unit 220, and connection control unit 230 can be realized, for example, by a processor 1001 that executes programs loaded into memory 1002. The location information storage unit 191 and dispatch information storage unit 192 can be realized by memory 1002 or a storage device 1003 such as a hard disk drive included in the computer 1000. The report receiving unit 110, the information receiving unit 120, the location extraction unit 130, the information extraction unit 140, the information providing unit 150, the command support unit 160, the command receiving unit 170, the command transmitting unit 180, the location information storage unit 191, and the dispatch information storage unit 192 can be partly or entirely realized by dedicated circuits that realize the functions of each unit. The request receiving unit 210, the determination unit 220, and the connection control unit 230 can be partly or entirely realized by dedicated circuits that realize the functions of each unit.

In addition, some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as, but are not limited to, the following notes.

(Appendix 1)
a call receiving means for receiving an emergency call;
an information receiving means for receiving information about a structure obtained at a location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call;
a location extraction means for extracting locations in a target area where information about the structures can be obtained as candidates for the reporting location by using structure characteristics indicated by the information about the structures and a structure database;
A control device comprising:

(Appendix 2)
2. The command device according to claim 1, further comprising: information providing means for providing traffic information on a route to the candidate reporting location using an activity database.

(Appendix 3)
The command device according to claim 2, wherein the information providing means provides, as the travel information, information about a route that an emergency vehicle has traveled in the past between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate location for reporting.

(Appendix 4)
The command device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the information providing means provides, as information about the route, an image captured while traveling along the route.

(Appendix 5)
The command device according to any one of appendices 2 to 4, wherein the information providing means provides activity information for activities at the candidate reporting locations.

(Appendix 6)
The command device described in Appendix 5, wherein the information providing means provides, as the activity information, at least one of an image taken within a predetermined range including the candidate reporting location and water resource information available at the candidate reporting location.

(Appendix 7)
the information receiving means acquires an image of the structure at the reporting location as the information about the structure;
The location extraction means extracts the structural features of the structure captured in the acquired image from the image, and extracts locations where the image of the structure with the extracted structural features can be captured from the structural features of structures in the target area as candidates for the reporting location. A command device as described in any one of Appendixes 1 to 6.

(Appendix 8)
the information receiving means acquires, as the information about the structure, audio information describing a structure visible from the reporting location;
The location extraction means extracts the structure features of the structure described by the acquired voice information from the voice information, and extracts locations where the extracted structure features are visible from the structure database of structure features of structures in the target area as candidates for the reporting location. A command device as described in any one of Appendixes 1 to 7.

(Appendix 9)
a request receiving means for receiving a request for the emergency call;
a determination means for determining whether a command center in the area where the emergency call for which the request was received is in a state where it can receive the emergency call;
a connection control means for transferring the emergency call to the command device of an alternative command center designated as an alternative to the command center when the command center is not in a state where it can receive the emergency call, and for transferring the emergency call, the request of which has been received, to the command device of the command center when the command center is in a state where it can receive the emergency call;
a transfer destination control device comprising:
A command device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8;
A command system including:

(Appendix 10)
a plurality of prioritized alternative command centers are designated as replacements for said command center;
The determination means determines an operational alternative command center that is ready to receive an emergency call from the plurality of alternative command centers;
The command system described in Appendix 9, wherein the connection control means, when the command center is not in a state to accept the emergency call, selects an operational alternative command center having the highest assigned priority, and transfers the emergency call, the request of which has been accepted, to the command device of the selected operational alternative command center.

(Appendix 11)
Accepting emergency calls,
receiving, from the terminal device that transmitted the emergency call, information about a structure obtained at the location where the emergency call was made;
extracting locations in the target area where information about the structures can be obtained as candidates for the reporting location using structure features indicated by the information about the structures and a structure database;
Instruction method.

(Appendix 12)
12. The command method of claim 11, further comprising using an activity database to provide traffic information for a route to the potential reporting location.

(Appendix 13)
13. The command method according to claim 12, wherein information on a route that an emergency vehicle has previously traveled between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate location for reporting is provided as the travel information.

(Appendix 14)
The command method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising providing an image captured while traveling along the route as information about the route.

(Appendix 15)
15. The command method of any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising providing action information for action at the candidate notification location.

(Appendix 16)
The command method described in Appendix 15, wherein the activity information is provided as at least one of an image captured within a predetermined range including the candidate reporting location and water resource information available at the candidate reporting location.

(Appendix 17)
As the information about the structure, an image of the structure at the reporting location is acquired;
A command method described in any one of Appendices 11 to 16, in which the structural features of the structure captured in the acquired image are extracted from the acquired image, and a location where the image of the structure with the extracted structural features can be captured is extracted as a candidate reporting location from the structural database of structures within the target area.

(Appendix 18)
Acquire, as the information about the structure, audio information describing a structure visible from the reporting location;
A command method described in any one of appendices 11 to 17, wherein the structural features of the structure described by the acquired audio information are extracted from the acquired audio information, and locations where the extracted structural features of the structure are visible are extracted as candidates for the reporting location from the structural features of structures in the target area.

(Appendix 19)
receiving a request for the emergency call;
determining whether a command center in the area where the emergency call was made and for which the request was received is in a state where it can receive the emergency call;
If the command center is not in a state where it can receive the emergency call, it transfers the emergency call to a command device of an alternative command center that is designated as an alternative to the command center, and if the command center is in a state where it can receive the emergency call, it transfers the emergency call for which the request has been accepted to the command device of the command center.
19. A command method according to any one of appendices 11 to 18.

(Appendix 20)
a plurality of prioritized alternative command centers are designated as replacements for said command center;
determining an operational alternate command center from the plurality of alternate command centers that is ready to receive emergency calls;
If the command center is not in a state where it can accept the emergency call, an operational alternative command center having the highest assigned priority is selected, and the emergency call for which the request has been accepted is forwarded to the command device of the selected operational alternative command center.

(Appendix 21)
a call reception process for receiving an emergency call;
an information receiving process for receiving information about a structure obtained at a location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call;
a location extraction process for extracting locations in a target area where information about the structures can be obtained as candidates for the reporting location, using structure features indicated by the information about the structures and a structure database;
A storage medium that stores a program that causes a computer to execute the above.

(Appendix 22)
The program
22. The storage medium according to claim 21, further causing a computer to execute an information providing process of providing traffic information on a route to the candidate reporting location using an activity database.

(Appendix 23)
The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the information providing process provides, as the travel information, information about a route that an emergency vehicle has traveled in the past between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate location for reporting.

(Appendix 24)
24. The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the information providing process provides, as information about the route, an image captured while traveling along the route.

(Appendix 25)
The storage medium according to any one of appendices 22 to 24, wherein the information provision process provides activity information for an activity at the candidate reporting location.

(Appendix 26)
The information provision process provides, as the activity information, at least one of an image taken within a predetermined range including the candidate reporting location and water resource information available at the candidate reporting location.

(Appendix 27)
The information receiving process includes acquiring an image of the structure at the reporting location as the information of the structure,
The location extraction process extracts the structural features of the structure captured in the acquired image from the image, and extracts locations where the image of the extracted structural features of the structure can be captured from the structural features of structures in the target area as candidates for the reporting location. A storage medium described in any one of Appendices 21 to 26.

(Appendix 28)
The program
the information receiving process acquires, as the information about the structure, audio information describing a structure visible from the reporting location;
The location extraction process extracts the structure features of the structure described by the acquired audio information from the audio information, and extracts locations where the extracted structure features are visible from the structure database of structure features of structures in the target area as candidates for the reporting location. A storage medium described in any one of Appendices 21 to 27.

(Appendix 29)
The program
a request acceptance process for accepting the emergency call request;
a determination process for determining whether a command center in a region where the emergency call for which the request was received is in a state where the emergency call can be received;
a connection control process for transferring the emergency call to a command device of an alternative command center designated as an alternative to the command center when the command center is not in a state where it can receive the emergency call, and transferring the emergency call, the request of which has been accepted, to the command device of the command center when the command center is in a state where it can receive the emergency call;
29. The storage medium according to any one of appendices 21 to 28, further causing a computer to execute the steps.

(Appendix 30)
a plurality of prioritized alternative command centers are designated as replacements for said command center;
The determination process determines an operational alternative command center that is ready to receive an emergency call from the plurality of alternative command centers;
The storage medium described in Appendix 29, wherein the connection control process, when the command center is not in a state where it can accept an emergency call, selects an alternative operational command center with the highest assigned priority and transfers the emergency call, the request of which has been accepted, to the command device of the selected alternative operational command center.

The present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that would be understood by a person skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure.

1 Command system 10 Command device 100 Command device 110 Report reception unit 120 Information reception unit 130 Location extraction unit 140 Information extraction unit 150 Information provision unit 160 Command support unit 170 Command reception unit 180 Command transmission unit 191 Location information storage unit 192 Dispatch information storage unit 200 Connection control device 210 Request reception unit 220 Determination unit 230 Connection control unit 300 Communication network 1000 Computer 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage device 1004 I/O interface 1005 Storage medium

Claims (9)

a call receiving means for receiving an emergency call;
an information receiving means for receiving information about a structure obtained at a location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call;
a location extraction means for extracting locations in a target area where information about the structures can be obtained as candidates for the reporting location by using structure characteristics indicated by the information about the structures and a structure database;
an information providing means for providing traffic information on a route to the candidate reporting location using an activity database;
Equipped with
The information providing means provides, as the travel information, information on a route that an emergency vehicle has traveled in the past between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate location for reporting.
Command device. The information providing means further provides, as the travel information, information on the number of times an emergency vehicle has traveled along the route within a predetermined period.
The command device according to claim 1 . The command device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the information providing means provides, as information about the route, an image captured while traveling along the route. The command device according to claim 1 , wherein the information providing means provides activity information for an activity at the candidate reporting location. The command device of claim 4, wherein the information providing means provides, as the activity information, at least one of an image taken within a predetermined range including the candidate reporting location and water resource information available at the candidate reporting location. the information receiving means acquires an image of the structure at the reporting location as the information about the structure;
The location extraction means extracts the structural features of the structure captured in the acquired image from the image, and extracts locations where the image of the extracted structural features of the structure can be captured from the structural features of structures in the target area as candidates for the reporting location from the structural database of structures within the target area . the information receiving means acquires, as the information about the structure, audio information describing a structure visible from the reporting location;
The location extraction means extracts the structure features of the structure described by the acquired voice information from the voice information, and extracts locations where the extracted structure features are visible from the structure database of structure features of structures within the target area as candidates for the reporting location. A command device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 . Accepting emergency calls,
receiving, from the terminal device that transmitted the emergency call, information about a structure obtained at the location where the emergency call was made;
extracting locations in the target area where information about the structure can be obtained as candidates for the reporting location using structure features indicated by the information about the structure and a structure database ;
Using an activity database, provide information on routes traveled by emergency vehicles in the past between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate location for reporting as travel information on routes to the candidate location for reporting.
Instruction method. a call reception process for receiving an emergency call;
an information receiving process for receiving information about a structure obtained at a location where the emergency call was made from the terminal device that sent the emergency call;
a location extraction process for extracting locations in a target area where information about the structures can be obtained as candidates for the reporting location, using structure features indicated by the information about the structures and a structure database;
an information providing process that uses an activity database to provide traffic information on a route to the candidate reporting location;
on the computer ,
The information providing process provides, as the travel information, information about a route that an emergency vehicle has traveled in the past between a predetermined road in the target area and the candidate location for reporting.
program.