DE102023003033A1 - Automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle (1), wherein a computing unit (3) for route calculation determines the type of emergency vehicle (1), the special rights applicable to a preceding journey of the emergency vehicle (1) and the applicable rights for other Road users are taken into account due to the special rights of the emergency vehicle (1), as well as static conditions (5) on possible route sections and a current traffic situation when determining the fastest route from a current position of the emergency vehicle (1) to a target position.

Description

The invention relates to a method for automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle.

Conventional route planners calculate routes taking into account the applicable road traffic regulations and thus implicitly assume that all road users have (more or less) equal rights, that the road users adhere to the road traffic regulations and, in particular, that the road user to whom the route is to be suggested follows them comply with the road traffic regulations. This applies to most road users, but not completely to many special trips, for example trips with emergency vehicles that can enjoy special rights. For example, a particular route that would be the fastest if there were equal road users and compliance with the road traffic regulations may not be the best choice for a vehicle equipped with special rights. Examples of vehicles equipped with special rights are police vehicles, ambulances, etc.;

Many solutions are described in the prior art as to how route guidance for emergency vehicles can be improved in action. Most of them pursue the goal of switching traffic control systems such as traffic lights in order to create right-of-way at an intersection less through their special signs such as blue lights and sirens and more through existing traffic control systems. In general terms, these solutions known in the prior art primarily pursue the goal of intervening in the environment in order to be able to accelerate driving along a route to the place of use.

The DE 10 2019 000 808 A1 relates to a method for route determination for a trip of an emergency vehicle from a starting location to a deployment location, in which an optimal deployment route based on at least at the time of the start of the trip is based on a navigation device from a plurality of deployment routes that lead from the starting location to the deployment location route information present in the emergency vehicle and characterizing the respective operational routes is selected and the route information is a respective traffic information available for the respective operational routes, the existing number of traffic lights, the expected red light phase duration, the existing traffic situation, previously known, in particular historical, traffic data collection and a current daily traffic density or rush hour, characterize.

The DE 10 2011 107 881 A1 further relates to a system for optimizing rescue routes for emergency vehicles with a receiving device for the continuous reception of position data of an emergency vehicle, a determination device for determining waypoints that can be reached by the emergency vehicle in the next times based on the last received position data of the emergency vehicle, and one Control device for setting signaling systems at the determined waypoints to optimize an emergency vehicle's rescue route.

The EP 2 618 320 B1 relates to a traffic control system for clearing the route for an emergency vehicle and / or a convoy of emergency vehicles in a traffic route network with light signal-controlled junctions, comprising traffic light systems for controlling traffic flows passing through the junctions by switching on release phases, an operations control center which is set up to set an operational route from a location of the to determine an emergency vehicle to an operational location, a vehicle device for determining a current location of the emergency vehicle and for transmitting the determined location to the operations control center, and a traffic computer center connected to the traffic signal systems for connecting release phases to traffic signal systems at the nodes located on the specific operational route, the traffic computer center and the operations control center are coupled via an interface for data transmission, via which route data describing the specific operation route can be transferred from the operations control center to the traffic computer center, the traffic computer center being designed to provide current traffic information on the traffic route network and to send this descriptive traffic data to the operations control center via the interface transmitted, and wherein the operations control center is designed to determine the operational route taking into account the transmitted traffic data.

The DE 10 2015 015 483 B4 relates to a method for controlling a traffic control device depending on a route of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps: receiving a position target location by a control center external to the vehicle; Determining the route of the motor vehicle depending on the position destination by the vehicle-external control center; Controlling the traffic control device by the vehicle-external center as a function of the determined route, wherein after determining the route of the motor vehicle, route data of the route is transmitted to the motor vehicle via a data connection by the vehicle-external center; and the motor vehicle while driving a specific route is updated by the vehicle-external center when the specific route is completely or partially blocked, and the updated route is transmitted to the vehicle-external center, which determines the updated route as the route of the motor vehicle and controls the traffic control device as a specific route depending on the updated route .

The DE 10 2021 107 974 A1 finally relates to a method for coordinating an emergency trip of an emergency vehicle with motor vehicles that travel along a respective individual route, with a backend server providing operational data that describes a current location of the emergency vehicle and / or a previously known part of an operational route of the emergency trip, and location data that describes a respective current vehicle position and/or a direction of travel and/or the respective travel route of the motor vehicles are determined, and at least one motor vehicle is selected from the motor vehicles in which the location data of the respective motor vehicle fulfills a predetermined server-side relevance criterion in relation to the deployment data, and the at least one selected motor vehicle control data is sent out to trigger at least one coordination measure.

The object of the invention is to optimize the route guidance of an emergency vehicle in use, in particular to reduce the time to reach a destination of the emergency vehicle without necessarily having to intervene in the environment.

The invention results from the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments and refinements are the subject of the dependent claims.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle, whereby a computing unit for route calculation determines the type of emergency vehicle, the special rights applicable to a journey ahead of the emergency vehicle and the special obligations arising for other road users due to the special rights of the emergency vehicle, as well as static conditions on possible route sections and a current traffic situation are taken into account when determining the fastest route from a current position of the emergency vehicle to a target position.

Emergency vehicles can enjoy special rights. These special rights can include, for example, the following rights: exceeding the maximum permissible speed, running red lights, driving over solid lines, overtaking in places where overtaking is prohibited, using roads and paths that are not permitted for road traffic (pedestrian paths, cycle paths, forest paths, dirt roads, etc.), using the hard shoulder on motorways and expressways, using emergency lanes, driving in the opposite direction on one-way streets, using the oncoming lane, leaving bus stop bays despite traffic on the road to the left of the stop (for passenger buses), using a bus lane.

The special rights of certain vehicles also lead to additional obligations for other road users. For example, a road user may have to clear the way for an emergency vehicle (which can be recognized as such) and form an alley (“emergency lane”), drive to the side and stop, to give way to his right of way at a green traffic light or “right before left”. renounce, etc.; The applicable special rights and special obligations may depend on the type of special trip carried out, e.g. police operation, rescue trip, personal transport, fire service operation, towing trip, etc.;

Furthermore, the applicable special rights and special obligations may depend on the type of emergency vehicle carrying out the special trip. Examples of types of emergency vehicles include fire engines, police cars, ambulances, civilian police vehicles, passenger buses, taxis, etc.;

For example, a tow truck (with yellow lights) may use an emergency lane, but, unlike an ambulance (with blue lights), it is not allowed to run a red light. However, a bus can also enjoy certain special rights, for example it is allowed to leave a stop even though other road users are approaching on the road to the left of it, taxis and passenger buses are allowed to use the bus lane, etc.; Furthermore, the applicable special rights and special obligations can depend on the condition in which the emergency vehicle is, for example, a vehicle can be on a special trip or not, it can be traveling with blue lights, yellow lights or without special light signals, it can be on the move with or without a siren.

Furthermore, the special rights and special obligations may depend on the type of trip in question (operation/no deployment, type of deployment, etc.). For example, a police vehicle that is on the way back from an operation does not generally enjoy any special rights. Just like a bus that is on its way to a depot. The special rights for certain types of vehicles and the special obligations of other road users are usually regulated by law, but may vary from country to country. Furthermore, the applicable special rights/special obligations may depend on the time of day (in particular with the distinction between day and night) and the day of the week (in particular with the distinction between working day and public holiday).

In practice, the physical possibility of driving faster than permitted is often present. For example, many speed limits belong to roads that would also allow a higher speed with sufficient safety, for example because the speed limit was introduced to reduce air pollution or to reduce noise. On the other hand, there are situations in which faster driving is physically impossible or dangerous, for example in the case of dismantled roads, built-in road bumps, installed obstacles (buckets, boulders), or mobile obstacles such as parked vehicles.

When calculating the fastest route for an emergency trip, the special rights that apply to this emergency trip and the special obligations that apply to the other road users in this context are determined in a first step, and the special rights that apply to this emergency trip and the special obligations of the other road users that are determined apply included in the route calculation.

In a second step, new or adapted input parameters for the affected route sections or for the affected map area as well as for the route calculation algorithm itself are determined from the determined special rights and special obligations as well as a digital map and the route calculation algorithm.

In a third step, the digital map can be parameterized with the determined parameters to form a special map and the route calculation algorithm can be parameterized with the determined parameters to form a special algorithm.

In a fourth step, the fastest route for the emergency trip can be determined with the help of the newly parameterized digital map (special map) and the newly parameterized route calculation algorithm, taking into account the circumstances listed above.

For example, a traffic jam does not have to be a significant obstacle to an emergency trip, because it can be assumed that an emergency lane will be formed on the motorway and that in built-up areas and on country roads the vehicles driving in front of the emergency vehicle will make room for it, for example .drive to the side of the road and stop there.

However, static conditions are also taken into account by the computing unit. The effect of the applicable special rights/special obligations on the speed at which an emergency vehicle can best move forward in a certain section of the route and thus also the determination of the fastest route depends on many circumstances. These conditions can be static in nature for a specific section of the route, such as the condition of the road (asphalt, pavement, built-in road undulations, potholes, etc.). Or whether there is a curved route or a straight route, whether there is a climb, a descent, a flat route or something similar, the number of lanes, the presence and height of curbs, whether there is a dismantled road, deliberately installed obstacles (buckets, boulders ), a condition of the roadside (free/limited (e.g. by a fence, hedge, wall), passable/not passable, paved/unpaved, with hard shoulder/without hard shoulder, etc.), proximity to special facilities (schools, retirement homes) .

Dynamic circumstances can also be taken into account by the computing unit, such as the current traffic situation, moving obstacles (parked vehicles, construction sites, loading processes, parades), gatherings of people (festivals, football games, etc.), date, time.

All of these circumstances have an impact on whether and to what extent the special rights can be exercised by the emergency vehicle and the special duties can be followed by other road users. The static conditions can be part of the map material and the dynamic conditions can be determined dynamically and included in the traffic news, for example.

Both the static and, as far as is known, the dynamic conditions are taken into account by the computing unit when determining the parameters for the map and the route calculation algorithm. These conditions are used in particular to determine the maximum speed for the respective route sections.

The computing unit can be a central computing unit, also called a backend, but can also be arranged in the respective emergency vehicle itself. Combinations of these solutions are also possible if a control unit in the emergency vehicle and a central backend exchange data accordingly and work together Determine solution. If a backend is used, vehicles can identify themselves as special vehicles (e.g. emergency vehicles) and initiate special route planning.

According to an advantageous embodiment, a digital map is used by the computing unit to determine the fastest route, with route sections on the digital map being parameterized depending on the special rights of the emergency vehicle and the special obligations of the other road user parameters.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, when determining the fastest route, the digital map is parameterized by the computing unit with the violations of traffic rules granted by the special rights, in particular the highest speed that is regularly permitted, in such a way that on the possible routes of the digital map one according to the general ones static conditions as well as the current dynamic conditions on the route sections, a presumably highest possible drivable speed is parameterized depending on the type of emergency vehicle.

The digital map also stores increased permissible driving speeds, especially for routes in a transport network, which can be used in route calculation for emergency vehicles, for example.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit takes into account a date and a time of the planned journey when determining the fastest route.

Including the time in determining the acceptable speed takes into account in particular the fact that there is less traffic at night, meaning that you can drive faster, as well as the fact that there are fewer visual and acoustic stimuli at night, meaning that warning signals such as blue lights and sirens can be heard from bystanders be more easily perceived by road users.

It can also be taken into account that some speed limits, for example to limit noise or limit air pollution, may only apply at certain times of the day. Depending on the time of day, overtaking opportunities on a route may change, as well as changing opportunities to avoid moving and parked vehicles. In contrast, higher speeds cannot be achieved on certain routes, e.g. in the case of structural restrictions, dismantled roads, installed obstacles (buckets, boulders), and mobile obstacles (e.g. parked vehicles).

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit takes closed roads into account as possible route sections depending on the type and status of the emergency vehicle when determining the fastest route.

The maps used for route calculation can be supplemented with pedestrian paths, cycle paths, forest paths, etc. and these special paths can be equipped with the relevant parameters necessary for route calculation.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, route bans stored in the digital map are ignored by the computing unit when determining the fastest route, depending on the type of emergency vehicle and the status of the emergency vehicle to the planned destination.

Such route bans can include, in particular, overtaking bans, solid lines, closed lanes and the like.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit uses historical trips from other emergency vehicles and/or from the same emergency vehicle to determine the fastest route in order to obtain heuristic values for required time periods on possible route sections and to use them to determine the fastest route.

Historical journeys by emergency vehicles are evaluated, in particular by extracting spatial-temporal movement data from emergency vehicles and using them to determine the maximum acceptable speed and overtaking opportunities on the respective route sections. In addition to the historically maximum speed measured with emergency vehicles on a section of route, the average loss time and/or a standard deviation in relation to all emergency vehicle trips can also be used to find a route. Increased driving speeds can be derived from the highest measured fleet data on the respective route sections (i.e. vehicles have reached maximum speeds at certain times and conditions).

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit determines a highest appropriate value for a respective route section This speed is determined, with the determined highest appropriate speed being displayed in the emergency vehicle when driving on the respective route section.

Further advantages, features and details emerge from the following description, in which at least one exemplary embodiment is described in detail - if necessary with reference to the drawing. Identical, similar and/or functionally identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals.

• 1: Eine in einem Verfahren zur automatisierten Routenberechnung für ein Einsatzfahrzeug verwendete digitale Karte gemäß einem Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung.

It shows:

• 1 : A digital map used in a method for automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

1 shows the method used in a computing unit 3 in the backend for automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle 1, that is, in a central server with which the emergency vehicle 1 has a wireless communication connection. The emergency vehicle 1 identifies itself as such on the computing unit 3 and transmits to it its current position, which was determined using satellite-based ordering, as well as its destination, the location of use. The computing unit 3 takes on the task of route calculation with the aim of bringing the emergency vehicle 1 from its current position to the deployment site as quickly as possible. For this purpose, the computing unit 3 receives information about the type and condition of the emergency vehicle 1 in order to be able to determine driving dynamics using track width and motorization on the one hand and to be able to determine the special rights status while driving to the location on the other hand. The computing unit 3 is therefore aware of the special rights that apply to a journey ahead of the emergency vehicle 1 and the special obligations that arise for other road users due to the special rights of the emergency vehicle 1. When using blue lights, it can be assumed that a traffic jam on a motorway is less of a problem than, for example, a statically blocked road to calm traffic, since the special rights of the blue lights result in the special obligations of other road users to keep an emergency lane clear. The basic paradigm of the computing unit is to calculate a fastest route, assuming that the maximum permissible speed may be exceeded, overtaking bans do not apply, and red lights may be exceeded. It can be assumed that the vehicles in front or oncoming vehicles will, with a certain degree of probability and delay, give way, as far as physically possible, to enable overtaking.

In order to carry out a global optimization to minimize the travel time to the place of use, a digital map is used by computing unit 3. The digital map takes dynamic and static conditions 5 into account on possible route sections. While the dynamic ones include a current traffic situation when determining a fastest route from a current position of the emergency vehicle 1 to a target position, the static circumstances include 5 permanent properties of the routes, as in the example 1 A pedestrian crossing is symbolically drawn, which emergency vehicle 1 should cross at reduced speed despite the siren and blue lights. Other static conditions such as narrowed lanes, tight curves, which lead to poor visibility, and more are also taken into account by computing unit 3. The digital map is parameterized with all this known information, and a maximum acceptable speed for the emergency vehicle 1 is determined for each route section of the route ultimately selected. This speed is displayed to the emergency vehicle 1 depending on the position. If it is possible for the driver of the emergency vehicle 1 to maintain this speed, it can also be assumed that an expected arrival time, which was determined by the computing unit 3, is correct at the location. This can, for example, be decisive for the question of whether a rescue helicopter should be ordered at the same time, since the expected arrival time of the emergency vehicle 1 is too late for the current operation, or whether no helicopter deployment will be necessary since the expected arrival time is seen as being on time .

Although the invention has been illustrated and explained in detail by preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the examples disclosed and other variations may be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that a large number of possible variations exist. It is also to be understood that exemplary embodiments are truly examples only and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope, application, or configuration of the invention. Rather, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to concretely implement the exemplary embodiments, whereby the person skilled in the art can make a variety of changes with knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept, for example with regard to the function or the arrangement of individual elements mentioned in an exemplary embodiment, without leaving the scope of protection provided by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description.

Reference symbol list

1

emergency vehicle

3

Computing unit

5

static conditions

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102019000808 A1 [0004]
• DE 102011107881 A1 [0005]
• EP 2618320 B1 [0006]
• DE 102015015483 B4 [0007]
• DE 102021107974 A1 [0008]

Claims (8)

Method for automated route calculation for an emergency vehicle (1), wherein a computing unit (3) for route calculation determines the type of emergency vehicle (1), the special rights applicable to a preceding journey of the emergency vehicle (1) and the special rights applicable to other road users based on the special rights The special obligations arising from the emergency vehicle (1), as well as static conditions (5) in connection with the special rights on possible route sections, and a current traffic situation are taken into account when determining a fastest route from a current position of the emergency vehicle (1) to a target position. Procedure according to Claim 1 , wherein a digital map is used by the computing unit (3) to determine the fastest route, route sections being parameterized on the digital map depending on the special rights of the emergency vehicle (1) and the special obligations of the other road user parameters. Procedure according to Claim 2 , whereby when determining the fastest route, the digital map is parameterized by the computing unit (3) with the violations of traffic rules granted by the special rights, in particular the regularly permitted highest speed, in such a way that on the possible routes of the digital map one according to the general ones static conditions (5) as well as the current dynamic conditions on the route sections, a presumably highest possible drivable speed is determined depending on the type of emergency vehicle (1). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a date and a time of the planned journey are taken into account by the computing unit (3) when determining the fastest route. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing unit (3) takes into account closed roads as possible route sections depending on the type and status of the emergency vehicle (1) when determining the fastest route. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein route bans stored in the digital map by the computing unit (3) are ignored depending on the type of emergency vehicle (1) and the status of the emergency vehicle (1) to the planned destination when determining the fastest route. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing unit (3) uses historical journeys from other emergency vehicles and/or from the same emergency vehicle (1) to determine the fastest route in order to obtain heuristic values for required time durations on possible route sections and for which Use to determine the fastest route. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing unit (3) determines a highest appropriate speed for a respective route section, the determined highest appropriate speed being displayed in the emergency vehicle (1) when driving on the respective route section.

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